Andrew7dg

Took the car out on a rally X this past weekend to have the car show its week points. I have a blast in it but need more experience in the car. Looking for advice on upgrades/repairs

1982 RX7 GS 12a

-I swapped in a GSL LSD and it worked for the first two rally X of the year but now only one tire spins. It looks like a clutch type. Rebuild/shim? Is this going to keep happening to me with the small rear end?

I am thinking for next year I would like to switch to something more reliable (and something that I don't have to rebuild the LSD every year) From my understanding I can go find a GSL-SE rear end, but I also have a Ford 8.8 with disks and LSD sitting in my garage. I plan to rally x the car for a while and wanted to know what peoples opinion are of these two rear ends. I have welding and fabricating experience so cutting/fabricating brackets aren't a problem.

-I am pretty sure I need new shocks all around as the ones I have are not holding up anymore. What have people found to work under Rally X experience? Find Cheap shocks and keep replacing them? Or buy better shocks? I know PeeJay said to increase the spring rate a bit in the front so I am looking around for a heavier spring.

- The Carb needs some tuning/modifying. It is bucking during sudden changes. It is kind of embarrassing when it sputters in the run. Need to change the AE part on the carb. Already did the gasket mod. Plus the longer lever. I don't know if it was enough.

-Steering box is way loose. Any replacement or advice on what to do for that? I have the upgraded Idle Arm installed.

The next run is on November 6. Any other little modifications that I can make to the car that I didn't think of?

-I would love to get a 3rd Arm made for the diff. Don't know if it going to be made before the next rally but what have people used for Joints? They will be needed to be made pretty tough

Thanks for Advice!

miasmicmonky

iTrader: (1)

For the questions I am knowledgeable enough to answer:

Yes, it is a Clutch type LSD. It shouldn't go out quite that quick, but I know a miata Torsen will fit into some rear ends, unsure what type. but that may be worth checking out.

Struts/shocks, I would probably put in fox body mustang shocks in the rear, whatever flavor you choose. Fronts I would either look into doing the 85-86 MR2 rear struts or go with Tokico. I am not sure if the MR2 struts require any modification. Information seems to differ some.

Carb rebuild is probably needed. Do not replace the Stock needles and seats. I did this on my car and ended up going through 4 different carburetor rebuild kits before I got extremely lucky and found a pair that did not flood and gave me good power.

The steering box can be adjusted. There is a how to somewhere on the forum. Also look into the T3 steering box brace. I imagine combining the two options would make for a steering box that is equal to or superior to when it left the factory. Also check your pitman arm and tie rod ends. I had a bad tie rod end that caused my steering to be fairly loose.

Andrew7dg

The miata Torsen will fit in the GSL-SE rear end. Unfortunatly I just have the earlier GSL Rear end. I am still doing research on how to remove and rebuild. From searching on here though the smaller GSL is probably not going to hold up to what I want to do with it.

Good to know about the rears and using mustang. The fronts after taking a look still have the oil tubes and haven't been replaced with gas replacement shocks.

The carb has been gone through already. Under Jeff20b direction I did not replace the stock needles and seats. I welded the linkage together to create a mechanical secondary. I also added gaskets and a bracket to see if I can get anything more out of the AE pump. I might have to revisit it and see if I can get more throw out of the linkage for more of a squirt.

Looking into the steering box adjustment. I am going to check the rod ends first though to see if they are indeed worn out. However my guess is that the box will need adjustment or replacement.


I have been searching through 3 Link Forum Pages for an hour or more and I am looking for a good formula for
1) Length of 3rd link
2) Location on frame (it is going to be located close or ontop of the brace in the back)
3) Location of brace on rear diff.

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generati...utions-876479/

From this it looks like from PeeJay (2010 so maybe the setup has changed?)

hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

Before adjusting the steering box you should make sure that:

1) the steering linkage is tight
2) lower control arm ball-joints are tight
3) bushings are not worn out
4) wheel bearings are correctly adjusted

On my car with ~60,000 miles I've replaced the entire steering linkage with Moog parts, new OEM lower control arms, polyurethane bushings on the front end, and new wheel bearings. I only have about 1/4 - 1/2" of play in either direction and the center feel is okay. The steering box has not been adjusted to my knowledge. Keep in mind that steering boxes will always have some play in them.

miasmicmonky

iTrader: (1)

As for the Torsen, a quick search seems to yield that it will fit all 84/85 rear ends. It could just be all LSD rear ends from 84/85. It may be worth digging a little bit deeper. There are also 2nd gen viscuous LSD's that may do okay. If you don't mind spending more money, I would look on Mazdatrix for their LSD options.

Also, yes the steering box adjustment would be the final thing on my list after looking through all of the other possible culprits. Any rubber or bearings near the exhaust tend to be worn out due to the extra heat from a stock exhaust.

RGHTBrainDesign

Restoring your superior Salisbury Type Clutch LSD is going to be the best option for any type of racing application. Torsen never locks up as hard or grips as fast, and Viscous, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!? Viscous...think of something else that's viscous and it's DELAY time involved. An Automatic transmission is a viscous coupling in which LAG of fluid = smoothness for acceleration.

Look into Weir Performance for clutch/shim configuration, but I'd stagger Clutch/Shim/Clutch/Shim to get the hardest locking combination. You can also modify the cone shapes to adjust acceleration/deceleration locking for your driving style.

Information on that can be found here: Into The Red - Limited Slip Differential