Quite a few years ago, as some of you know, I built a tire/tool trailer out of an old, rusted-out 1st gen RX-7, to tow behind my peripheral-powered race car on a trip from Oregon to Florida and back for one race (GRM Challenge). Since then, the trailer has languished behind the shop. It's been backed into by a semi-truck, vandalized and suffered from the weather. While I couldn't find the motivation to completely overhaul her, I did wash her off, sand her down, put on a new coat of primer and re-wired the lights. Today, I drove her around for the first time in two years!

 

thats pretty neat

 

Looks great to me! I guess it cleaned up well.

 

i've always looked at how you covered the front of that trailer and in the pic today it looks like you used an old hood skin?

 

Good to see that back on the road. I bet you miss the peripheral port that used to haul it around.

 

I bet he likes the GSL-SE's torque better.

Blake, it looks like you modded the bumper skin on this one too. Not bad. Are the mods noticeable when the trailer is absent? I sort of remember the black one, and it looked fine.

 

It was cool when I saw it years ago, and its still cool today. Looking good!

 

I remember reading an article about your trip out to the race. That was good. Was that a forum post, or was it in a magazine? I can't remember.

Damn you, Whacky Tobaccy!

 

I always loved that damn thing. One of these days I'll get around to replicating it. What kind of hitch did you use on the car itself, and how much weight does it add?

 

Yup. It was the hood to the car we cut in half. I think the guys in the design department at Mazda used the same paterns for multiple components because the front edge of the hood matched up *perfectly* with the roof line in 3-dimentions. And the width of the hood was exactly that of the inside edge of the door jam.

 

No. The peripheral port 13B made better power *everywhere*. Boatloads more. In fact, the way I had it tuned, it made the same torque at 4K as it did at 9K.

Yeah, the skin is just rivited over the fabricated hitch and there is a hole over the 1 1/4 inch receiver tube, but the tube is flush with the cover so it is not really noticeable. I have a black plastic cover for the receiver tube as well. If this bumper cover had the trim painted black to match the rest of the car, the hitch would be practically invisible.

 

We fabricated the hitch to go under a stock bumper cover. It really doesn't add much weight, if any, over the stock bumper and bumper shocks. If I get a chance, I will weigh the parts and compare objectively.

I actually have nine more bumper hitches if anyone wants to buy one. I figure that there are other nuts like me that might want to at least haul a cheap Harbor Freight utility trailer to the track with spare tires, tools and a cooler of refreshments. Haven't given a lot of thought to price, but it would be about $130 for the basic hitch. You would need to add your own bumper cover and do the wiring (U-Haul has a nice powered turn signal converter box that can handle combined brake/turns for $40).

 

that is way cool. ****, why should all the V-Dub guys have all the fun?

bet many people do a double-take when you start to unload it and they see how much can fit inside there, eh.

 

that is some cool sick **** son

 

It was even more fun on the trip to Florida, when I still had the fuel tank in the trailer hooked up to the car's tank with a dry-break connection, and I would pull up to the gas station and filll *both* tanks with two pumps, simultaneously. That was a serious double-take.

I built the trailer originally so I could drive the race car to the track and have a spare rear end, driveshaft and tranny, along with tires, tools and extra fuel. Back in 2001, I drove a previous race car to Florida and broke the tranny at Orlando Speed World...at 5pm, on a Friday, 50 miles from the hotel and on Superbowl weekend with the game being played in Tampa (no rental cars available for 100 miles). I ended up selling the car for a fraction of the value and flew home because there was no way to fix it in the middle of nowhere with no alternative transportation or the right tools and I needed to get back to Portland for work ASAP. The next year I decided to tow the new race car but then the tow vehicle blew up 650 miles into the trip and I had to ditch that. That's when I hit upon the idea of bringing along a spare rear-end, driveshaft and tranny, along with all the tools necessary to be self-sustaining. The spare rear-end just happens to be holding up the trailer and the tranny, driveshaft, tools, etc. are inside. If worse comes to worse, I'd rather ditch the trailer shell than be stranded.

Since swearing-off the GRM Challenge and the unGodly drive there and back, I did make changes to the trailer by eliminating the tank, cutting out the undulating floor, replacing it with a perfectly flat aluminum diamondplate bed with tiedown points and modifying the sheetmetal below the hatch to pull out to make easier access. This really lightened the trailer and made the trailer a lot more user-friendly. Someone stole some of the diamonplate out of it recently, but I will replace it and again use the trailer for trips to the track and elsewhere. It is very, very functional.

 

You are a hardcore 1st gen owner for sure! I've often just brought a van with all that stuff in it, but man..... you've really taken it to the next level! One word: AWESOME!

 

Very innovative. I bet you got some looks that weekend.

 

Well, I do feel a bit like a rock star with the way people over-react to it. Blairing horns, thumbs up, kids pointing and staring (adults too, for that matter). One annoying thing people do is to drive up as if to pass, notice it and then slow way down and sit in your blindspot admiring it. People behind them get annoyed but then do the same thing as they come up to pass. Some people drive by, pull in front of you, then slow down so you have to pass them in turn, so they can see it from all sides. It's like driving inside your own private traffic jam. In Californa, the drivers are too cool to gawk openly but you can see them stealing glances in their rear-view mirror and not paying attention to their own driving. The only ones who seem oblivious are, strangely enough, the police. Drive right by and don't even give you a second look. Unless they are in Gainsville, Florida, where they follow you 10 miles to the track before turning around.

 

you're all the way on the most opposite end of the country to FL and you know just how extta and retarded these Gainesville ******* are. now i know i'm not being unduly critical. thanks for mentioning that ... it made my day. i can't wait to get out of this ****-hole.

 

Thats just badass!

 

MazdaSport Magazine has commissioned me to attend and report on MazFest down in Buttonwillow, CA next weekend, so I have decided to take my trailer on the 1800 mile round trip. I don't know if I'm ready for the trip but what the Hell?! After my two and a half trips to Florida from Oregon in 2001, 2002 and 2003, I was burnt out on endurance driving. Perhaps I still am but I will do it anyway. At least it's just a pair of long one-day trips, there and back.

The trailer needs a few final touches before I leave, which I hope I find the time to do. Notably, the aluminum diamond plate on either side was stolen when I left it un-rivited-down to do some wiring work, so my fabricator needs to plasma-cut those peices, giving me a complete bed to put my suppies and such on. I also need more hold-downs to secure the load. And because I won't need a spare set of rims, I may just convert the tire rack to hold 5 gallon fuel gerry cans...maybe. I'm sure the final layout will be dictated by the reality of trying to fit everything in, as it usually is.

 

I will have to say that is a realistic approach to solving the problem of having enough "carry on" parts. I have always used the "function before style" motto in all my projects, but I have to admit that this falls into both catagories. I applaud you on your creativity and inginuity. Good job!!!

 

That is one of the coolest things I have ever seen! I've always wanted a trailer and this make me wish I had another car sitting around to chop up.

 

man that is so cool but diff. i new i should of keep my parts rx7.

 

I would really recommend against it, given the amount of work and fabrication involved. If you need a tire-tool trailer, you would be better off just getting one of the cheap Harbor Freight or Northern Tools utility trailers.