Pls help me with this build
05-01-24, 03:03 AM
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Pls help me with this build
Hello, first of all, I want to say "Money ain't no thang" second. I'm doing this no matter what, so, don't try to talk me out of it. I love y'all. I'm just looking for assistance. I'm looking to fully custom-build from scratch a modernized fd Mazda Rx7. I'm going to college for automotive engineering in the fall and I've been learning about the field since I graduated highschool in 2022. So, the idea, a Mazda rx7, wow shocking, no, I mean, a Mazda Rx7 with a custom carbon fiber chassis, air suspension, a hybrid twin-turbo 20B, 7-speed dct, 4wd, all underneath a modernized body. Let me explain why I would like to make this before y'all get mad. I want to make it as a love letter to Mazda. I've loved their cars since I was an infant. Miata's, Cosmos, 323's, etc. I love them all, including the SUVs. The Rx7 has been my all-time favorite car for a very long time. Carbon fiber chassis, lightweight and durable. Air suspension, for a comfortable ride and so I can slam it at car meets. Hybrid twin-turbo 20B, I want the option to have power with better fuel efficiency. 7-speed dct, smoother shifting and better efficiency. 4wd, better traction and stability. A modernized body, it's just what I want, leave me alone man. Now, ofcourse I would own a stock rx7 alongside this one maybe with some slight oem+ mods but this would be a daily. Now, my questions are. Who wants to help? Why are you hating? And what do you guys think would improve this build even more? I love y'all so much and Thanks for the help if you can.
P.S. Pls no hate. I'm trying to learn. Also, this is going to be a long term project, probably gonna cost hundreds of thousands but this is currently my second reason for living (first being my wife (who wants a 1989 prelude with the same stuff going on except with a k24)). Thanks!
P.P.S. Sorry for being incredibly eccentric and enthusiastic, It's all love.
P.S. Pls no hate. I'm trying to learn. Also, this is going to be a long term project, probably gonna cost hundreds of thousands but this is currently my second reason for living (first being my wife (who wants a 1989 prelude with the same stuff going on except with a k24)). Thanks!
P.P.S. Sorry for being incredibly eccentric and enthusiastic, It's all love.
05-01-24, 03:35 PM
#2
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I strongly suggest you start reading and become intimately familiar with the search function. You'll be able to get a better idea if what you want is attainable and or attainable. I spent three years searching here and reading threads throughout my high school years before touching an rx-7, let alone having one in my possession. I'd like to think you would be able to get the same value out of it as I did (and still do!). There is also a myriad of great free information on subjects that can be applied to rx-7's on the internet. You just have to know where to look.
I also think that you would do well to get some practical experience with these cars for a decent amount of time before jumping into anything as resource/development intensive as a blank slate chassis design and fabrication while also trying to make everything work a certain way. Then you will be able to figure out if what you say you want and what you actually want are the same thing, which is something many run into trouble with here. It is not uncommon to see someone spend in excess of $50,000 and several years messing with one of these only to list and sell it after a few weeks to months because they either failed to plan and set realistic expectations or fell victim to "scope creep" and now have an amalgamation of expensive parts that are fastened together but with no clear reasoning as to why, which can serve to have unintended consequences.
Having constructed a 20B third gen with a friend of mine/forum member in a little less than a year in our spare time and dismantled/assembled quite a few of these cars, I will offer some advice regarding your plans.
Hope that helps.
I also think that you would do well to get some practical experience with these cars for a decent amount of time before jumping into anything as resource/development intensive as a blank slate chassis design and fabrication while also trying to make everything work a certain way. Then you will be able to figure out if what you say you want and what you actually want are the same thing, which is something many run into trouble with here. It is not uncommon to see someone spend in excess of $50,000 and several years messing with one of these only to list and sell it after a few weeks to months because they either failed to plan and set realistic expectations or fell victim to "scope creep" and now have an amalgamation of expensive parts that are fastened together but with no clear reasoning as to why, which can serve to have unintended consequences.
Having constructed a 20B third gen with a friend of mine/forum member in a little less than a year in our spare time and dismantled/assembled quite a few of these cars, I will offer some advice regarding your plans.
- You will not need either a hybrid or twin turbo forced induction setup with a 20B. Those engines make so much torque and packaging can become such a challenge in these swaps that the resource/value preposition is not really there. You'll also have to work that much harder when it's time to design and fixture your heat management solutions.
- The implementation of a 4wd system as seen on Rod Millen's group b car is likely to lead to packaging issues with respect to power steering, the steering rack, frame rail to frame rail dimensions and whatever else you would want to put on that side of the engine.
- This is going to cost you bigly. Expect something to the order of a sum in excess of $250,000 if you wish to outsource all of the design/fabrication/assembly etc. and a lot of it will go into the tooling required for things like molds for composite fabrication and design consultation from experienced engineers. What you could do is go build some tube-chassis contraption with an interior and add a composite body with doors for similar results for less monies and easier to address adjustments to the chassis down the road, or in the event of damage. Composites are novel in that they can pretty much be repaired indefinitely but there are more metal fabricators than those in the aforementioned vocation.
Hope that helps.
Last edited by SETaylor; 05-01-24 at 03:38 PM.
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AlexandrosT (05-02-24)
05-02-24, 10:25 AM
#4
welcome to the board. 
honestly, i'm not really sure what you're asking. your virgin post is pretty etched in stone - a series of statements ... you're young, you're about to start college, you want an FD Rx-7, you want to do the above list of things to it, money is no object, no one can talk you out of it ... and your wife wants a Prelude with the same build (minus the 20B, but with a K24).
so i'm not sure what you are actually asking. can it be done? of course ... YouTube Rob Dahm and watch his FD videos ... you'll find that he's done everything you described with the exception of the twin turbo 20B and the air - both of which are going to be simple if you follow his blueprint and achieve all the other elements. i'm sure other people have built cars with elements of what you describe, but he's the only one that readily comes to mind that has most of it in ONE car.
also, in four years, you'll be an automotive engineer with the knowledge you need to do just about anything. it shouldn't matter what anyone here has to say.
i wish you good luck.
honestly, i'm not really sure what you're asking. your virgin post is pretty etched in stone - a series of statements ... you're young, you're about to start college, you want an FD Rx-7, you want to do the above list of things to it, money is no object, no one can talk you out of it ... and your wife wants a Prelude with the same build (minus the 20B, but with a K24).
so i'm not sure what you are actually asking. can it be done? of course ... YouTube Rob Dahm and watch his FD videos ... you'll find that he's done everything you described with the exception of the twin turbo 20B and the air - both of which are going to be simple if you follow his blueprint and achieve all the other elements. i'm sure other people have built cars with elements of what you describe, but he's the only one that readily comes to mind that has most of it in ONE car.
also, in four years, you'll be an automotive engineer with the knowledge you need to do just about anything. it shouldn't matter what anyone here has to say.
i wish you good luck.
Last edited by diabolical1; 05-02-24 at 10:27 AM.
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AlexandrosT (05-02-24)
05-02-24, 12:27 PM
#5
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this is understatement!
fitting all of that stuff in an FD sized package would be really tough.
and then the other hard part is tuning it all. its hard enough to just change something "simple" like a turbo, but this is engine, turbo, transmission, chassis, suspension, aero etc etc etc etc
fitting all of that stuff in an FD sized package would be really tough.
and then the other hard part is tuning it all. its hard enough to just change something "simple" like a turbo, but this is engine, turbo, transmission, chassis, suspension, aero etc etc etc etc
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AlexandrosT (05-02-24)
05-02-24, 03:51 PM
#6
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Thread Starter
I appreciate this greatly! Extensive planning is definitely on the docket. I plan on doing a good 90% of the designing/engineering myself and then fabricating it mostly myself as well. The reason I would like a hybrid electric twin-turbo 20b is for the stupid reason of getting 777 hp cuz it's an Rx "7" but I also would like to have the fuel efficiency of a hybrid electric vehicle because I would like this to be my daily driver, as well as wanting it to be like a corvette e-ray in the sense that it can be driven quietly until leaving my neighborhood and then when starting the engine and launching wanting it to act like the Cadillac v-lmdh. I'm sure this entire build will be expensive but this car is honestly a necessity in life and I've been thinking about it for a significant amount of time. I wish I would've started planning it a lot earlier and went to college earlier but life just gets in the way. Also, the 4WD isn't as much of a necessity but it would be preferred, so if packaging becomes and issue the idea may be scrapped and used for another project. This whole vehicle would probably be my main college project, I'm not sure how it would work for that but we'll see. I'm also going to be helping my friends with their rotaries and starting a project very soon of a turbo 13b swap into a 2007+ Saab 93 coupe for some hands-on with rotaries before I jump into this massive project. Again, thank you so much, and I will post updates as I'm working on it, so I hope you can follow along and give advice along the way!
I strongly suggest you start reading and become intimately familiar with the search function. You'll be able to get a better idea if what you want is attainable and or attainable. I spent three years searching here and reading threads throughout my high school years before touching an rx-7, let alone having one in my possession. I'd like to think you would be able to get the same value out of it as I did (and still do!). There is also a myriad of great free information on subjects that can be applied to rx-7's on the internet. You just have to know where to look.
I also think that you would do well to get some practical experience with these cars for a decent amount of time before jumping into anything as resource/development intensive as a blank slate chassis design and fabrication while also trying to make everything work a certain way. Then you will be able to figure out if what you say you want and what you actually want are the same thing, which is something many run into trouble with here. It is not uncommon to see someone spend in excess of $50,000 and several years messing with one of these only to list and sell it after a few weeks to months because they either failed to plan and set realistic expectations or fell victim to "scope creep" and now have an amalgamation of expensive parts that are fastened together but with no clear reasoning as to why, which can serve to have unintended consequences.
Having constructed a 20B third gen with a friend of mine/forum member in a little less than a year in our spare time and dismantled/assembled quite a few of these cars, I will offer some advice regarding your plans.
Hope that helps.
I also think that you would do well to get some practical experience with these cars for a decent amount of time before jumping into anything as resource/development intensive as a blank slate chassis design and fabrication while also trying to make everything work a certain way. Then you will be able to figure out if what you say you want and what you actually want are the same thing, which is something many run into trouble with here. It is not uncommon to see someone spend in excess of $50,000 and several years messing with one of these only to list and sell it after a few weeks to months because they either failed to plan and set realistic expectations or fell victim to "scope creep" and now have an amalgamation of expensive parts that are fastened together but with no clear reasoning as to why, which can serve to have unintended consequences.
Having constructed a 20B third gen with a friend of mine/forum member in a little less than a year in our spare time and dismantled/assembled quite a few of these cars, I will offer some advice regarding your plans.
- You will not need either a hybrid or twin turbo forced induction setup with a 20B. Those engines make so much torque and packaging can become such a challenge in these swaps that the resource/value preposition is not really there. You'll also have to work that much harder when it's time to design and fixture your heat management solutions.
- The implementation of a 4wd system as seen on Rod Millen's group b car is likely to lead to packaging issues with respect to power steering, the steering rack, frame rail to frame rail dimensions and whatever else you would want to put on that side of the engine.
- This is going to cost you bigly. Expect something to the order of a sum in excess of $250,000 if you wish to outsource all of the design/fabrication/assembly etc. and a lot of it will go into the tooling required for things like molds for composite fabrication and design consultation from experienced engineers. What you could do is go build some tube-chassis contraption with an interior and add a composite body with doors for similar results for less monies and easier to address adjustments to the chassis down the road, or in the event of damage. Composites are novel in that they can pretty much be repaired indefinitely but there are more metal fabricators than those in the aforementioned vocation.
Hope that helps.
Last edited by AlexandrosT; 05-02-24 at 03:53 PM.
05-02-24, 03:58 PM
#7
Newbie
Thread Starter
Thank you for the good luck! I'm mainly just asking for assistance along the way from the experience of everyone who sees my post. I'm sure it can be done but I'm also sure it will take time and be very expensive. I love Rob Dahm and hope to at some point receive some help from the legend if that'll ever happen. Thank you very much for the response and I hope you follow my updates of the build along the way!
welcome to the board.
honestly, i'm not really sure what you're asking. your virgin post is pretty etched in stone - a series of statements ... you're young, you're about to start college, you want an FD Rx-7, you want to do the above list of things to it, money is no object, no one can talk you out of it ... and your wife wants a Prelude with the same build (minus the 20B, but with a K24).
so i'm not sure what you are actually asking. can it be done? of course ... YouTube Rob Dahm and watch his FD videos ... you'll find that he's done everything you described with the exception of the twin turbo 20B and the air - both of which are going to be simple if you follow his blueprint and achieve all the other elements. i'm sure other people have built cars with elements of what you describe, but he's the only one that readily comes to mind that has most of it in ONE car.
also, in four years, you'll be an automotive engineer with the knowledge you need to do just about anything. it shouldn't matter what anyone here has to say.
i wish you good luck.
honestly, i'm not really sure what you're asking. your virgin post is pretty etched in stone - a series of statements ... you're young, you're about to start college, you want an FD Rx-7, you want to do the above list of things to it, money is no object, no one can talk you out of it ... and your wife wants a Prelude with the same build (minus the 20B, but with a K24).
so i'm not sure what you are actually asking. can it be done? of course ... YouTube Rob Dahm and watch his FD videos ... you'll find that he's done everything you described with the exception of the twin turbo 20B and the air - both of which are going to be simple if you follow his blueprint and achieve all the other elements. i'm sure other people have built cars with elements of what you describe, but he's the only one that readily comes to mind that has most of it in ONE car.
also, in four years, you'll be an automotive engineer with the knowledge you need to do just about anything. it shouldn't matter what anyone here has to say.
i wish you good luck.
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05-02-24, 04:00 PM
#8
Newbie
Thread Starter
I'm sure I'll be able to make it happen! Thanks for the reply though and I hope you can follow along with the build updates!
this is understatement!
fitting all of that stuff in an FD sized package would be really tough.
and then the other hard part is tuning it all. its hard enough to just change something "simple" like a turbo, but this is engine, turbo, transmission, chassis, suspension, aero etc etc etc etc
fitting all of that stuff in an FD sized package would be really tough.
and then the other hard part is tuning it all. its hard enough to just change something "simple" like a turbo, but this is engine, turbo, transmission, chassis, suspension, aero etc etc etc etc
05-03-24, 09:22 AM
#9
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what design tools do you have? i assume some sort of CAD?
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