GSL lives again
05-13-06, 01:23 AM
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GSL lives again
Alright, got my '83 GSL fired up for the first time today!
First off, a big "thank you" to Jeff20B, without whom I would not have been able to get any rotary car, much less one in need of an engine rebuild. He's been working like mad for the past several weeks and putting off his other projects to help me get this thing back on the roads, and I must say, it has turned out beautifully. It actually seems to have a fair amount of power for a fresh rebuild, and idles at a reasonably smooth 750.
When I bought the car a few months ago, the 12A in the car had been severely water damaged; I guess the hood and air cleaner were left off the car and it had rained, so the housings were full of rusty sludge (the front rotor actually had mold growing on it!). However, the car also came with a series 3 12A that was going to go into the car. Upon inspection, Jeff and I decided to rebuild it and paint it, making numerous small mods along the way. I admit I kind of felt like a spectator much of the time, as my knowledge of the rotary is still quite lacking, but I certainly learned a lot and gained at least some measure of confidence. And how sweet it was when all our work paid off and it was running!
Here's some of what's been done so far:
Series 3 12A
Series 3 Nikki (somewhat modified)
'74 spec intake ports
Enlarged exhaust ports (about 2mm larger on all sides)
RX-3(?) intake manifold
Removed AC, rat's nest, air pump, and a lot of other crap
Oil pressure regulator smashed in a bit for higher oil pressure
Short style two-row radiator and an air oil cooler
Cat replaced with straight pipe (the cat was totally shot)
A whole lot of other stuff that I can't even remember right now
Tomorrow I will try to post some pics.
First off, a big "thank you" to Jeff20B, without whom I would not have been able to get any rotary car, much less one in need of an engine rebuild. He's been working like mad for the past several weeks and putting off his other projects to help me get this thing back on the roads, and I must say, it has turned out beautifully. It actually seems to have a fair amount of power for a fresh rebuild, and idles at a reasonably smooth 750.
When I bought the car a few months ago, the 12A in the car had been severely water damaged; I guess the hood and air cleaner were left off the car and it had rained, so the housings were full of rusty sludge (the front rotor actually had mold growing on it!). However, the car also came with a series 3 12A that was going to go into the car. Upon inspection, Jeff and I decided to rebuild it and paint it, making numerous small mods along the way. I admit I kind of felt like a spectator much of the time, as my knowledge of the rotary is still quite lacking, but I certainly learned a lot and gained at least some measure of confidence. And how sweet it was when all our work paid off and it was running!
Here's some of what's been done so far:
Series 3 12A
Series 3 Nikki (somewhat modified)
'74 spec intake ports
Enlarged exhaust ports (about 2mm larger on all sides)
RX-3(?) intake manifold
Removed AC, rat's nest, air pump, and a lot of other crap
Oil pressure regulator smashed in a bit for higher oil pressure
Short style two-row radiator and an air oil cooler
Cat replaced with straight pipe (the cat was totally shot)
A whole lot of other stuff that I can't even remember right now
Tomorrow I will try to post some pics.
Last edited by PercentSevenC; 05-13-06 at 01:27 AM.
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05-14-06, 01:52 PM
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That is amazing. When I saw the first pic I was like WTF? That's rebuilt? Then I noticed your comments on "before". Whew! That is really great work, guys. Thanks for saving a perfectly good 7!
05-14-06, 02:03 PM
#10
The carb:
The car:
The clutch master was completely rusted up so I swapped in a good used one. Changed the tranny seals front and rear, as well as the slider hub gasket and the slider hub itself. I think that's what it's called; it's the part on which the throwout bearing slides. I also replaced the shift selector spring while the tranny was out (can be found at Mazdatrix: 17-465B-M501 for $4.49).
I had a very low mileage Nikki sitting around which I modded following Sterling's advice. I did the AP mod, but with only two gaskets on either side of the diaphram due, at the time, to not having any longer screws available. Mech secs, but didn't remove the vacuum acuator thing yet; I unhooked the linkage. Simplified choke and I'm still debating whether to keep the choke valve or only use the fast idle linkage. 94 primary jets, up from the stock 92. The AP squirter banjo bolt was replaced with one from a '79 carb which does not have the tiny jet at the bottom. I didn't touch the air bleeds, emulsion tubes, venturis or secondary jets.
This project seemed like the best oppourtunity to test my carb mods. It fired up and responded well to air/fuel and throttle screw adjustments. It even idled ok down around 500RPM and still responded to throttle inputs without bogging. It only had maybe 20 minutes of run time at that point. I was pretty happy about that. I then adjusted for an idle of 750RPM.
The oil temp in the pan stabilized at around 200°F. Remember, this is hot oil that just came out of the rotors.
I had one simple goal in mind while doing this project: To make it good enough that I would be proud to drive it myself. The end result exceeded my expectations.
The car:
The clutch master was completely rusted up so I swapped in a good used one. Changed the tranny seals front and rear, as well as the slider hub gasket and the slider hub itself. I think that's what it's called; it's the part on which the throwout bearing slides. I also replaced the shift selector spring while the tranny was out (can be found at Mazdatrix: 17-465B-M501 for $4.49).
I had a very low mileage Nikki sitting around which I modded following Sterling's advice. I did the AP mod, but with only two gaskets on either side of the diaphram due, at the time, to not having any longer screws available. Mech secs, but didn't remove the vacuum acuator thing yet; I unhooked the linkage. Simplified choke and I'm still debating whether to keep the choke valve or only use the fast idle linkage. 94 primary jets, up from the stock 92. The AP squirter banjo bolt was replaced with one from a '79 carb which does not have the tiny jet at the bottom. I didn't touch the air bleeds, emulsion tubes, venturis or secondary jets.
This project seemed like the best oppourtunity to test my carb mods. It fired up and responded well to air/fuel and throttle screw adjustments. It even idled ok down around 500RPM and still responded to throttle inputs without bogging. It only had maybe 20 minutes of run time at that point. I was pretty happy about that. I then adjusted for an idle of 750RPM.
The oil temp in the pan stabilized at around 200°F. Remember, this is hot oil that just came out of the rotors.
I had one simple goal in mind while doing this project: To make it good enough that I would be proud to drive it myself. The end result exceeded my expectations.
05-14-06, 03:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Jeff20B
Oops, how did that get in this thread?
Here's a shot of the car when I got it. Kind of hard to tell from the pic, but it was pretty gross. It cleaned up well, though.
The rear carpet, besides being torn to shreads and faded beyond recognition, also had an expansive fungal colony inhabiting it.
05-14-06, 08:48 PM
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Just went out for a drive around my neighborhood. I suck with manual transmissions still (it's very hilly here), but the engine feels strong and I think my dad is jealous. 
05-15-06, 01:55 AM
#16
Hey, the first stick shift I ever drove was around that block. It was Marshal's REPU back in '92. I didn't stall it, but I didn't know whether to push in the clutch or leave it out while going around the corner at Rick's house. I pushed it in and when I let it out, it was a little too quick and the whole truck jerked a bit.
Actually, technically, the first stick shift was a 4 door 510 which I carefully moved a couple feet into the high school autoshop. I kept the RPM steady a bit above idle and deftly manipulated the clutch with my uneducated foot. It took a while to get it in there, but I never stalled it.
Before I attempted to drive the real thing, I practiced a few times on the arcade game Race Drivin'. Or was it Hard Drivin'? It was the car driving game with all three pedals and a shifter.
Actually, technically, the first stick shift was a 4 door 510 which I carefully moved a couple feet into the high school autoshop. I kept the RPM steady a bit above idle and deftly manipulated the clutch with my uneducated foot. It took a while to get it in there, but I never stalled it.
Before I attempted to drive the real thing, I practiced a few times on the arcade game Race Drivin'. Or was it Hard Drivin'? It was the car driving game with all three pedals and a shifter.
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