It is the way, and the truth, and the life, and...
12-12-05, 06:06 AM
#1
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It is the way, and the truth, and the life, and...
...The ResurreXion-7
Part one - Will this thing run at all?
Some of you may have wondered about the "ResurreXion-7" in my sig,
while many others have probably not. It is a project that has many
roots. The first was born in the post-victory afterglow of the 2000
One Lap of America. Realizing that we had only won by one second in
the last event of the last day, Rick Potter and I started kicking
around ideas for a different vehicle that might be more of a sure
winner. (This was before Peter Farrell had stepped up to sponsor us
and significantly upgrade Rick's 3rd gen for 2001.) One of the best
contenders, we felt, would be a '79 RX-7 with major performance
upgrades.
Shortly thereafter, a second root sprouted in the form of a free '79
RX-7. It's owner had been given notice to get rid of the non-running
car or see it towed off. Since "free" is well within my budget, I
brought it to my local auto shop, where they got it running. It was
obvious that the engine was past its prime, since it generated enough
smoke on the way home that I was offered a mosquito control contract
by the county. The fenders had quite a bit of rust, so I ordered a
Mode One kit from Mariah Motorsports.
The third root came from California. While discussing the idea of a
super 1st gen with Jim Hagerty at Mariah, I learned that he had an
upgraded series 4 13BT that had produced 389 hp at 11 psi. The owner
had been very happy with his car until some lady parked her Volvo in
the back of it, which seriously degraded its performance. The owner
had bought a new car from the insurance proceeds and the motor was
"at liberty".
The final root was sending my four kids to college. I decided to
sell the RXX-7, but knew that I would need "automotive methadone" to
get me over the triple-rotor high. A 1st gen on steroids--a poor
man's project car--seemed to be just what the doctor ordered.
I delivered a random assortment of RX-7 parts to Bret DePedro at
Rotary Performance in Manassas, VA with instructions to turn it into
a car. He had some competition parts from his collection of track
cars and was able to solicit parts from guys who had unsuccessful
projects, things like a competition radiator, some used Tokicos and a
set of Suspension Techniques Spring. I ordered some wheels from
Diamond Racing (16 x 8 for the from and 16 x 9 for the rear). He
assembled it all into an amalgamation of wrecked race cars and broken
dreams that had promise.
It needed an intake and an exhaust. Bret, in a burst of modesty,
felt that his welding skills weren't up to doing a customers car.
(Being next to Mitch Piper would induce metal-working humility in
almost anyone.) So I took the car to KD Rotary where it sat for a
year. Dave Barninger did some work on the car and did get it to
start, but not run.
Lacking the time and money to pursue it further, I left the car in
the back yard for another year, then took it back to Bret, who got it
running, though it needed a fan and an exhaust before I could drive
it on the street, so it returned to the backyard for a few months
then went to the local shop for those items.
So we have reached the end of part one, and "Yes" it will run at all.
Stay tuned for part two: Will this thing run well? "Running well"
will be defined as having at least 80% of the drivability of David
Lane's car at about 6 lb of boost. I want to emphasize that this is
not meant to compete with David's car. His car represents the
pinnacle of one path of automotive evolution. Mine represents a
different path...the one characterized by excessive body hair and
knuckles dragging on the ground.
Once that level of performance is met, look for part three: Will
this thing run faster'n a stripedy-@ssed ape? We'll crank the boost
up to the 11 - 12 psi range and add a 4.4 differential with a Torsen
LSD.
If the answer to that question is a "Yes", then part four will be:
Will this thing run the One Lap of America? And that brings us back
to its roots.
Part one - Will this thing run at all?
Some of you may have wondered about the "ResurreXion-7" in my sig,
while many others have probably not. It is a project that has many
roots. The first was born in the post-victory afterglow of the 2000
One Lap of America. Realizing that we had only won by one second in
the last event of the last day, Rick Potter and I started kicking
around ideas for a different vehicle that might be more of a sure
winner. (This was before Peter Farrell had stepped up to sponsor us
and significantly upgrade Rick's 3rd gen for 2001.) One of the best
contenders, we felt, would be a '79 RX-7 with major performance
upgrades.
Shortly thereafter, a second root sprouted in the form of a free '79
RX-7. It's owner had been given notice to get rid of the non-running
car or see it towed off. Since "free" is well within my budget, I
brought it to my local auto shop, where they got it running. It was
obvious that the engine was past its prime, since it generated enough
smoke on the way home that I was offered a mosquito control contract
by the county. The fenders had quite a bit of rust, so I ordered a
Mode One kit from Mariah Motorsports.
The third root came from California. While discussing the idea of a
super 1st gen with Jim Hagerty at Mariah, I learned that he had an
upgraded series 4 13BT that had produced 389 hp at 11 psi. The owner
had been very happy with his car until some lady parked her Volvo in
the back of it, which seriously degraded its performance. The owner
had bought a new car from the insurance proceeds and the motor was
"at liberty".
The final root was sending my four kids to college. I decided to
sell the RXX-7, but knew that I would need "automotive methadone" to
get me over the triple-rotor high. A 1st gen on steroids--a poor
man's project car--seemed to be just what the doctor ordered.
I delivered a random assortment of RX-7 parts to Bret DePedro at
Rotary Performance in Manassas, VA with instructions to turn it into
a car. He had some competition parts from his collection of track
cars and was able to solicit parts from guys who had unsuccessful
projects, things like a competition radiator, some used Tokicos and a
set of Suspension Techniques Spring. I ordered some wheels from
Diamond Racing (16 x 8 for the from and 16 x 9 for the rear). He
assembled it all into an amalgamation of wrecked race cars and broken
dreams that had promise.
It needed an intake and an exhaust. Bret, in a burst of modesty,
felt that his welding skills weren't up to doing a customers car.
(Being next to Mitch Piper would induce metal-working humility in
almost anyone.) So I took the car to KD Rotary where it sat for a
year. Dave Barninger did some work on the car and did get it to
start, but not run.
Lacking the time and money to pursue it further, I left the car in
the back yard for another year, then took it back to Bret, who got it
running, though it needed a fan and an exhaust before I could drive
it on the street, so it returned to the backyard for a few months
then went to the local shop for those items.
So we have reached the end of part one, and "Yes" it will run at all.
Stay tuned for part two: Will this thing run well? "Running well"
will be defined as having at least 80% of the drivability of David
Lane's car at about 6 lb of boost. I want to emphasize that this is
not meant to compete with David's car. His car represents the
pinnacle of one path of automotive evolution. Mine represents a
different path...the one characterized by excessive body hair and
knuckles dragging on the ground.
Once that level of performance is met, look for part three: Will
this thing run faster'n a stripedy-@ssed ape? We'll crank the boost
up to the 11 - 12 psi range and add a 4.4 differential with a Torsen
LSD.
If the answer to that question is a "Yes", then part four will be:
Will this thing run the One Lap of America? And that brings us back
to its roots.
12-12-05, 10:57 AM
#2
1st gens only
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Cant wait to see it.
Your 3 rotor Vert was amazing on the web, much less when I saw it in in person at a local autoX.
You are correct on David's car.... beautiful and amazing to ride in.
Hopefully my High Compression Turbo Project thing will be ready and done this summer.
Great write up by the way.
-Greg
Your 3 rotor Vert was amazing on the web, much less when I saw it in in person at a local autoX.
You are correct on David's car.... beautiful and amazing to ride in.
Hopefully my High Compression Turbo Project thing will be ready and done this summer.
Great write up by the way.
-Greg
12-13-05, 12:46 AM
#5
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Originally Posted by mazda6guy
Hey is there anyway that I can come and look at your project if possible? I have a project myself that I will be using for autox and like to see what others has done to thier SA/FB for autocrossing. Also good luck with the project.
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