Looking for some tips and tricks from auto crossers.

Overthe last week I have put together a race car.
It is a 84 Rx-7 with a 12a, swapped in a good tranny, and threw a gsl axle under the back and a disc proportioning valve for the brakes. I put a header on it with 2.5 exhaust all the way to the back with just a small resinator. Other than that she is bone stock. What are some cheap mods that can be done to get this car running quick.
It has a set of toyos on the stock + rims and they offer pretty good traction when they are warm.

This car will never see the street so all mod ideas are welcome. I am going to start by running it this wednsday stock then I will pull the lower control arms and weld in some adjustble end links so I can adjust the camber, and I will lighten it up wherever possible while I am at it

I will post pics and vids after wednsday night

 

Mechanical Secondaries!

 

I will search that out thanks!

 

Also wanted to post this, in case you haven't seen it yet:

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-general-discussion-207/rx-7-autocross-videos-post-them-here-888854/

 

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ap+autocrosser

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ap+autocrosser

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ap+autocrosser

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ap+autocrosser

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ap+autocrosser



Few threads about my Project Cheap Autocrosser. This started out as a $150 car off craigslist. This was a project fully done by me to see how cheaply one can get out there and Autocross.

The car is now wickedly fast and is beating cars in my SCCA club that I only used to dream of beating. The recipe for the build is simple and you are on the right track.

Enjoy perusing around some of the threads I have listed. Ask any questions if you want..

Oh and you DON'T need mechanical secondaries! :-)

 

Suspenson mods will go farther than engine mods in my opinion.....and I haven't checked the links others have posted, so if it was mentioned there...sorry.

Performance shocks/springs/sways will make it a whole new car to start off on a budget. The best bet is to go to the events and ask around and see what others are doing. Anyone and their mother can post here, but talking to the guy who always walks away with the trophy is priceless.

Check out the re-speed website ( http://www.re-speed.com/ ) . Grab a napkin because you will drool all over your self. Next look into refinancing your home, getting on food stamps, welfare, etc. This sport is addicting.

The key is to knowing the rules of the class you want to compete in. Read them about 50 times. Figure out what you want to do, then call Billy at Re-speed and he can help you generate a great Christmas list in order of importance. Make sure to budget in buying your wife flowers and having a comfortable couch.

 

Wow!! I couldn't agree more!!

 

OK so for the rules and such I live in a small northern canadian town and there are not alot of us out there autoXing so there are no classes and no rules.. just dont hit the cones lol So rules have been read.

I am going to build strut tower braces for both the front and the back and try to sharpen up the handling a little more.

Racing is tonight and I will post pics and vids tomorrow. Cant wait!

Thanks for the links and the info. I was told the key to autox is being smooth, get smooth and you will get fast.

 

Rear strut bars do little, front does, but it should be triangulated. An example can be found in the following link.

https://www.rx7club.com/build-threads-293/unvieling-12a-bp-widebody-462184/

 

is that a bar made from using the templates availible from glazed ham?

Looks awsome I will remember to triangulate

 

You also have to give us a budget as you could get a 20B since you have no rules...

I second starting out with talking Billy, he will set you straight great guy with great products at great prices. You can pretty much buy everything he sells for a couple k, which in my opinion is not much compared to som other cars where a shock costs more.

It is all about budget, what your plans are for the car long-term and how crazy you want to get.

 

Can't say I've seen Hammy's template. My bar is an Old Rotary Engineering one. Billy also has one in his catalog.

 

Well most of my cash is going into restoring a 73 Rx-4 but I will buy stuff as I need it. right now I was looking for quick things to just step up a little bit. I plan on staying with the 12a as it is a heathy strong running motor with only 120,000 KMS on it so thats like 70-80,000 miles.

I am going to strip the entire interior except the dash and two seats. (need someone to come pick up cones lol)

Ok so I have 1 little problem which i am not sure of what I am going to do. I had lost my left leg in a work accident and I am pretty sure my fake foot will fall off the clutch under extremem turning.. I am going to try and zap strap my foot to the pedal for today but does anyone have any ingeious ideas on what I can do in the future? my buddy drives the car too so i dont want osmething that will hinder him. I was almost thingking of something like a foot clip off a mountain bike but it attaches at the ball of the foot and I need something for the heal as thats what I use to press the clutch.

Any Ideas and jokes are welcome

 

No jokes here but... 95% of autocross courses I only shift once!! 1st to 2nd....run the rest of the course in 2nd... push end clutch at the end of the run!!

If that is a problem and you have to shift more... just weld a strap of metal to your clutch pedal that comes up only to the left of the pedal. Usually i would only think your foot would slip to the left. This should not affect your buddys shifting at ALL!!!

 

If no rules - then simply - tune up the engine the best you can...change fluids, etc.

Invest in: Shocks, springs, sways, and good brakes. Strut bars are nice, but other things need to come first. Check the classifieds to save $$. Quality rubber on those rims will also make or break success.

As for your leg...I assume the problem is on the pedal.....would velcro help on the bottom of your shoe/top of pedal?

 

kieth your a frickin genius.. i didnt even think of the self adhesive velcro
Thanks man!

The stock suspension feels real tight so I dont think I am going to buy anything suspension wise until A it is holding me back or B it is broken.

I imagine there isnt much for good rubber to be bought for the stock 13" rims

 

Hey, glad to see another autocrosser on the scene! I wish I had more time right now, so we could have a real nice chat, but that will have to wait a bit.

Lots of good advice so far. I definitely second starting up a dialog with Billy from Respeed. He's a great guy, and has helped me a lot over the last couple of years.

But for now, here's a little writeup I did on autocrossing an RX7: http://www.iwankel.com/index.php?opt...&catid=4&id=10

Oh yeah, Billy's has started work on RX3 suspension parts now too.

ttyl...



.

 

Personally I would man up the $$ for a stiffer front swaybar - best bang for your buck, IMO; that is after you get the velcro first.....

I would then add some lowering/stiffer springs as a second mod down the road after you get some time in. Although, its a freebee to cut a coil or two off the stock springs if you are looking at $$ savings. But do some homework on that first - as there are pros and cons.

"Goof off" works great at removing those cone marks on the paint of your car; BTW....hehehehehe

 

OK autoX for my first time on wednsday and I cant wait till next week.. what a blast, so damn addicting. I placed 3rd but only 7 cars were running top 3 cars were all rx-7's Cars that were beat out were Subi STI, VW FOX, 80's civic hatch, and new camaro ss

I am going to keep the car pretty much the way it is until I get smoother I have realized that right now the tires are whats holding me back, they are toyos and decent but you can feel them rool under the 90* corners, I am going to try another 5psi and see if that makes a diffrence.

No worries about the goof off, the old car is not a looker shes dented and ugly so some cone marks wont be a bother lol Now the dented skid plate that is pushed up into the rad from my buddy hitting like 30 cones.. that needs to be dealt with.. but the oil cooler mounts are rotten so the skid holds up the oil cooler, So I have to go sort through my rx stuff and see if I can find a replacement.

Next wed can not come fast enough

 

Good luck next week!!!!

 

Keep us posted how you do!!

 

Nevermind parts. Walk the course as many times as you can before running. And definitely add some air to those tires. Sumitomo HTR 200's are great summer tires and a 205 will fit easily on the stock rim. Kentetsu kicks the asses of souped up race tired Miata's all the time with these tires.

 

Thanks I will look into a set of those tires

 

John

Take the time to look over that link that I posted earlier. There are some pretty good tips in there for autocrossing an RX7, especially for a beginner but also for more experienced racers. I'm sure you'll find a few gems in there to shorten the learning curve a bit.

And good luck at the race. Get some photos or video if you can....

 

Thank you for the link, I have read it and it will help immensly

I will get some pics, I have a HD Go Pro camara but i dropped it and broke a clip on the housing so vids will be a bit later