My FC's: garage queen, forum car, Whitey.
12-04-08, 03:47 PM
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My FC's: garage queen, forum car, Whitey.
part 1: my first 2 FC's
I’m on my 3rd FC and decided to log my FC-related adventures here. I hope to get suggestions and/or flames from ya’ll. It may or may not be interesting reading.
Man, do I like the FC
I bought my first in 2002. I’d always been a truck kinda guy, and decided it was time to do 2 things: learn how to drive a stick, and get a rear-wheel drive sports car. While doing it cheaply, pay cash, no debt, and cheap insurance. I have cars for fun, not practicality: I cycle to work and most errands. So I was looking to spend no more than 5k on a nicely preserved sporty car I could sell easily if it didn’t work out. I can afford a new sports-car like a Vette or RX8 or whatnot, but this is a hobby, not super-high priority for me. It’s not something to blow through a lot of money on.
Anyway, research led me to the 2nd gen RX7. Rear-wheel drive, 5-speed, plenty of them available, good aftermarket support, and I’ve always been intrigued by the rotary. I was cross-shopping the various Z cars and older Supra as well, domestics didn’t even qualify. I drove a Mustang and Camaro or 2 in my price range but what pieces of crap. Shoddy and embarrassing as an American. Big and heavy and clunky. I liked the Toyota Mr2 but there seemed to be very few available, and the difficulty of working on a mid-engine car didn’t appeal…
I bought a pristine 87 GXL off a gent in Nebraska. 105k on the clock, always garaged, 2 owner car, 2nd owner had hurt his back the week he bought it so had to sell. Paid $3700 for the car. The engine was original and had 5-6 ports blocked open. Cold air box, KYB/RB suspension, RB exhaust from the manifold back (no header). Working a/c, sunroof, power everything, even the light rings around the locks worked! Most owners don’t know they have them. Shiny original red paint.
I learned how to drive in that car, it had expensive M&S rated tired. Not sticky but very progressive breakway. That car loved to slide all 4 wheels through every corner. Never had any repair issues with the car. Seriously flooded it once, that was it. Never did any upgrades either, didn’t need it.
Drove the 87 for several years, put 10k on it. I got married and bought a Protégé5 as the “daily driver” reliable new car for the little woman. This brought the car fleet to 5, time to thin the herd. Sold a couple trucks, decided to keep the P5 and my Dakota. The P5 was and still is fun: slow but willing, and handles well with aftermarket suspension. Thinking I could get my “sports car jollies” from the P5, I sold the RX. Got $3100 for it, so 3 years of fun cost me $600. It went as a birthday present to a 16-yr old girl… Painful. I have little doubt it was rapidly wrapped around an immoveable object… don’t want to know.
Selling was a mistake. Within a couple months I regretted letting it go. I accepted the fact I needed an RX and started watching the forums for a good deal.
The evilformus had a car pop up: the Forum Car. Oh yeah. 400+hp at the wheels, motor built and tuned by BDC, coilovers, cage, the works. Beat body but hey. It was sold for 8k to a gent in Florida. The car wasn’t what he wanted so I bought it for $5k and shipped it to TX.
Originally a 87 T2, it had all kinds of goodies, but shoddily installed for the most part. Poor wiring, etc. I bought it with the intention of keeping it forever, cleaning it up, re-doing the body, etc.
The first ride scared the crap out of me and my wife refused to ever get in the car again. The turbo hit 4.5k and Hell broke loose. It broke the 275 section r-compound autocross tires loose at 65mph and pointed us at a ditch. Wow.
The car ended up being more than I bargained for. The Haltech required complete re-wiring, etc. It got 8mpg on premium and was a cop magnet. And a ricer-boy magnet, every kid in a Honda wanted to race. It was too fast for the street, 1st and 2nd were essentially unusable.
I sold it a year later to a co-worker for $5k. He’s a 40ish single dude who loves fast cars and racing, mechanically and electrically handy. He’s done a lot of the work I planned to do.
Again I planned to leave RX7’s alone, stick with just 2 reliable cars (P5 and truck for the occasional chore). Didn’t work......
......to be continued with pictures and further history
I’m on my 3rd FC and decided to log my FC-related adventures here. I hope to get suggestions and/or flames from ya’ll. It may or may not be interesting reading.
Man, do I like the FC
I bought my first in 2002. I’d always been a truck kinda guy, and decided it was time to do 2 things: learn how to drive a stick, and get a rear-wheel drive sports car. While doing it cheaply, pay cash, no debt, and cheap insurance. I have cars for fun, not practicality: I cycle to work and most errands. So I was looking to spend no more than 5k on a nicely preserved sporty car I could sell easily if it didn’t work out. I can afford a new sports-car like a Vette or RX8 or whatnot, but this is a hobby, not super-high priority for me. It’s not something to blow through a lot of money on.
Anyway, research led me to the 2nd gen RX7. Rear-wheel drive, 5-speed, plenty of them available, good aftermarket support, and I’ve always been intrigued by the rotary. I was cross-shopping the various Z cars and older Supra as well, domestics didn’t even qualify. I drove a Mustang and Camaro or 2 in my price range but what pieces of crap. Shoddy and embarrassing as an American. Big and heavy and clunky. I liked the Toyota Mr2 but there seemed to be very few available, and the difficulty of working on a mid-engine car didn’t appeal…
I bought a pristine 87 GXL off a gent in Nebraska. 105k on the clock, always garaged, 2 owner car, 2nd owner had hurt his back the week he bought it so had to sell. Paid $3700 for the car. The engine was original and had 5-6 ports blocked open. Cold air box, KYB/RB suspension, RB exhaust from the manifold back (no header). Working a/c, sunroof, power everything, even the light rings around the locks worked! Most owners don’t know they have them. Shiny original red paint.
I learned how to drive in that car, it had expensive M&S rated tired. Not sticky but very progressive breakway. That car loved to slide all 4 wheels through every corner. Never had any repair issues with the car. Seriously flooded it once, that was it. Never did any upgrades either, didn’t need it.
Drove the 87 for several years, put 10k on it. I got married and bought a Protégé5 as the “daily driver” reliable new car for the little woman. This brought the car fleet to 5, time to thin the herd. Sold a couple trucks, decided to keep the P5 and my Dakota. The P5 was and still is fun: slow but willing, and handles well with aftermarket suspension. Thinking I could get my “sports car jollies” from the P5, I sold the RX. Got $3100 for it, so 3 years of fun cost me $600. It went as a birthday present to a 16-yr old girl… Painful. I have little doubt it was rapidly wrapped around an immoveable object… don’t want to know.
Selling was a mistake. Within a couple months I regretted letting it go. I accepted the fact I needed an RX and started watching the forums for a good deal.
The evilformus had a car pop up: the Forum Car. Oh yeah. 400+hp at the wheels, motor built and tuned by BDC, coilovers, cage, the works. Beat body but hey. It was sold for 8k to a gent in Florida. The car wasn’t what he wanted so I bought it for $5k and shipped it to TX.
Originally a 87 T2, it had all kinds of goodies, but shoddily installed for the most part. Poor wiring, etc. I bought it with the intention of keeping it forever, cleaning it up, re-doing the body, etc.
The first ride scared the crap out of me and my wife refused to ever get in the car again. The turbo hit 4.5k and Hell broke loose. It broke the 275 section r-compound autocross tires loose at 65mph and pointed us at a ditch. Wow.
The car ended up being more than I bargained for. The Haltech required complete re-wiring, etc. It got 8mpg on premium and was a cop magnet. And a ricer-boy magnet, every kid in a Honda wanted to race. It was too fast for the street, 1st and 2nd were essentially unusable.
I sold it a year later to a co-worker for $5k. He’s a 40ish single dude who loves fast cars and racing, mechanically and electrically handy. He’s done a lot of the work I planned to do.
Again I planned to leave RX7’s alone, stick with just 2 reliable cars (P5 and truck for the occasional chore). Didn’t work......
......to be continued with pictures and further history
12-04-08, 03:53 PM
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The garage queen:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083341136/" title="GQ2 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/3083341136_4a3f3fecb2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GQ2" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083341136/" title="GQ2 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/3083341136_4a3f3fecb2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GQ2" /></a>
12-04-08, 03:54 PM
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Wasn't she a beaut?
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083341158/" title="GQ1 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/3083341158_3a1cdff209.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GQ1" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083341158/" title="GQ1 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/3083341158_3a1cdff209.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GQ1" /></a>
12-04-08, 03:56 PM
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Then the evilforum car: BDC halfbridge turbo motor, all the goodies, all not-so-well installed.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3082504735/" title="GTR4 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3288/3082504735_f7080b1048.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GTR4" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3082504747/" title="GTR3 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3057/3082504747_6cc059622b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GTR3" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083341216/" title="GTR2 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/3083341216_d07794be65.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GTR2" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083341194/" title="GTR1 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/3083341194_d88d61834e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GTR1" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3082504735/" title="GTR4 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3288/3082504735_f7080b1048.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GTR4" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3082504747/" title="GTR3 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3057/3082504747_6cc059622b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GTR3" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083341216/" title="GTR2 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/3083341216_d07794be65.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GTR2" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083341194/" title="GTR1 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/3083341194_d88d61834e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GTR1" /></a>
12-04-08, 03:59 PM
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Part 2: Finding the Current Car
This spring (May 08) I bought a 1990 GTUs from a gent in Florida. Flew out and drove it home. It is in very nice shape, comparable to the original GXL I had. The car was owned from 1989 to 2002 by a “little old lady”. She never took it over 4k and the motor was full of carbon.
Owner number 2 did all the hard work: had the engine rebuilt by Kevin Landers, installed KYB/Eibach suspension, all kinds of goodies. The car was his fun weekend autocross car for 4 years.
Now for the details on my 3rd and current FC as I bought it May 08:
• Motor: rebuilt at 130k
o Built by Kevin @ rotary resurrection
o 3rd gen housings
o Mild 6 port porting
o Stock air pump actuating 5-6 ports
o Pineapple racing inserts
o Injectors cleaned / balanced by RC Engineering
o Walbro 255
o OMP operational
o Custom cold air box intake
o All silicone vac lines
o Suspension Technologies motor mounts
• Exhaust:
o Racing Beat / MazdaTrix chrome header
o Stainless true dual exhaust, RB mufflers
o No cats
• Suspension:
o Rear toe eliminators
o Adjustable rear link
o Suspension Technologies bushings throughout car except rear sub frame
o RB front sway bar
o Adjustable end links
o KYB AGX shocks
o Eibach springs
o Engles camber bolts
o MazdaTrix front strut brace with engine torque brace
o Stock power steering
• Cooling:
o Stock replacement radiator
o Electric fan – temp controlled & a/c switch installed
• Brakes:
o Fresh rotors
o Hawk red pads
o Stainless brake lines
• Trans:
o Smooth, no grinds
o Short shifter
o Fresh bushings
o Center Force Dual Friction clutch
o Stainless lines
o Suspension Technologies mounts
• Fluids & Belts:
o Oil change at 500 on new engine, every 1000 miles since, Mazda filters
o Lucas oils in trans & rear end
o Belts replaced Winter 2007/2008
• Electronics:
o Custom 3gauge mounting kit under radio
o Optima Red Top Winter 2007/2008
o Stereo: Aiwa CDC-Z137 cd player, Infinity speakers
o MSD Super Conductor plug wires
o Logicon, windshield wiper switch replaced
o Factory cruise added (not included on GTUs)
o Electric mirrors work
o Aftermarket Gauges:
Autometer oil press
Autometer water temp
• AC converted to 34a, new drier
o Converted in 2003, then belt removed.
o Will not hold charge as of 5/08
• Interior / Exterior:
o New windshield (Feb 2008)
o Momo Apache wheel, working horn
o Cork Sport Mazdaspeed Replica front lip
o Repainted Mazda Performance White (original Arctic White) in 2007
o Carbeau seats
o Lo-boy slider mounts
o 4-point harnesses
o S5 wing
o Working power antenna
o Custom hitch & wiring small trailer (towed race wheels on weekends)
o Roll-your-own windows
o Legal “silver” tint – cool in summer
o Hatch struts work
o Gas door release, hatch release, hood release all work well
o Glove box, center console, all in good shape
o Cruise, wipers, headlights all work
o Idiot lights, clock works
o Door handles & locks work inside & outside
o All fresh rubber seals around doors, hatch
o Fresh drip rail on front doors (no rust)
o All locks, hinges, etc lubed with Lithium grease
o Car is covered when outside
o Aluminum hood
o Minor hail dents on hood – could be popped out
The car was immediatly nicknamed "Whitey" by my better half, and the name has stuck
... to be continued in Part 3 with pics of the current car, history of what I've done, doing, and planning on doing to it
This spring (May 08) I bought a 1990 GTUs from a gent in Florida. Flew out and drove it home. It is in very nice shape, comparable to the original GXL I had. The car was owned from 1989 to 2002 by a “little old lady”. She never took it over 4k and the motor was full of carbon.
Owner number 2 did all the hard work: had the engine rebuilt by Kevin Landers, installed KYB/Eibach suspension, all kinds of goodies. The car was his fun weekend autocross car for 4 years.
Now for the details on my 3rd and current FC as I bought it May 08:
• Motor: rebuilt at 130k
o Built by Kevin @ rotary resurrection
o 3rd gen housings
o Mild 6 port porting
o Stock air pump actuating 5-6 ports
o Pineapple racing inserts
o Injectors cleaned / balanced by RC Engineering
o Walbro 255
o OMP operational
o Custom cold air box intake
o All silicone vac lines
o Suspension Technologies motor mounts
• Exhaust:
o Racing Beat / MazdaTrix chrome header
o Stainless true dual exhaust, RB mufflers
o No cats
• Suspension:
o Rear toe eliminators
o Adjustable rear link
o Suspension Technologies bushings throughout car except rear sub frame
o RB front sway bar
o Adjustable end links
o KYB AGX shocks
o Eibach springs
o Engles camber bolts
o MazdaTrix front strut brace with engine torque brace
o Stock power steering
• Cooling:
o Stock replacement radiator
o Electric fan – temp controlled & a/c switch installed
• Brakes:
o Fresh rotors
o Hawk red pads
o Stainless brake lines
• Trans:
o Smooth, no grinds
o Short shifter
o Fresh bushings
o Center Force Dual Friction clutch
o Stainless lines
o Suspension Technologies mounts
• Fluids & Belts:
o Oil change at 500 on new engine, every 1000 miles since, Mazda filters
o Lucas oils in trans & rear end
o Belts replaced Winter 2007/2008
• Electronics:
o Custom 3gauge mounting kit under radio
o Optima Red Top Winter 2007/2008
o Stereo: Aiwa CDC-Z137 cd player, Infinity speakers
o MSD Super Conductor plug wires
o Logicon, windshield wiper switch replaced
o Factory cruise added (not included on GTUs)
o Electric mirrors work
o Aftermarket Gauges:
Autometer oil press
Autometer water temp
• AC converted to 34a, new drier
o Converted in 2003, then belt removed.
o Will not hold charge as of 5/08
• Interior / Exterior:
o New windshield (Feb 2008)
o Momo Apache wheel, working horn
o Cork Sport Mazdaspeed Replica front lip
o Repainted Mazda Performance White (original Arctic White) in 2007
o Carbeau seats
o Lo-boy slider mounts
o 4-point harnesses
o S5 wing
o Working power antenna
o Custom hitch & wiring small trailer (towed race wheels on weekends)
o Roll-your-own windows
o Legal “silver” tint – cool in summer
o Hatch struts work
o Gas door release, hatch release, hood release all work well
o Glove box, center console, all in good shape
o Cruise, wipers, headlights all work
o Idiot lights, clock works
o Door handles & locks work inside & outside
o All fresh rubber seals around doors, hatch
o Fresh drip rail on front doors (no rust)
o All locks, hinges, etc lubed with Lithium grease
o Car is covered when outside
o Aluminum hood
o Minor hail dents on hood – could be popped out
The car was immediatly nicknamed "Whitey" by my better half, and the name has stuck
... to be continued in Part 3 with pics of the current car, history of what I've done, doing, and planning on doing to it
12-04-08, 04:07 PM
#6
Wasn't she a beaut?
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083341136/" title="GQ2 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/3083341136_4a3f3fecb2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GQ2" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083341158/" title="GQ1 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/3083341158_3a1cdff209.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GQ1" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083341136/" title="GQ2 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/3083341136_4a3f3fecb2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GQ2" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083341158/" title="GQ1 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/3083341158_3a1cdff209.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="GQ1" /></a>
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12-04-08, 06:25 PM
#11
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And here is Whitey, my pristine 2-owner 1990 GTUs
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083632924/" title="P1040911 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/3083632924_dfb2b126be.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1040911" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3082796453/" title="front by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/3082796453_9a3d75e8dd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="front" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3082796361/" title="driver's by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/3082796361_5661636efc.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="driver's" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083638480/" title="P1040908 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/3083638480_15e8f55ff5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1040908" /></a>
yeah baby
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083632924/" title="P1040911 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/3083632924_dfb2b126be.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1040911" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3082796453/" title="front by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/3082796453_9a3d75e8dd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="front" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3082796361/" title="driver's by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/3082796361_5661636efc.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="driver's" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083638480/" title="P1040908 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/3083638480_15e8f55ff5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1040908" /></a>
yeah baby
12-04-08, 06:31 PM
#12
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Pics are not as nice as the first red car - I haven't taken the time to give her a good cleaning and a photo shoot. Some of the pictures are from the previous owner, and are dark or just poorly framed.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3082812047/" title="int1 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3197/3082812047_63e8bb4277.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="int1" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083648482/" title="bay4 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/3083648482_bf225016e8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="bay4" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3082812047/" title="int1 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3197/3082812047_63e8bb4277.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="int1" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083648482/" title="bay4 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/3083648482_bf225016e8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="bay4" /></a>
12-04-08, 06:42 PM
#14
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A bit more of the 87 GXL garage queen ****:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083665106/" title="P1010209 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/3083665106_2b9be18932.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1010209" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3082828665/" title="P1010208 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/3082828665_5e69425e01.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1010208" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083665070/" title="P1010200 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/3083665070_95457598da.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1010200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083665054/" title="P1010196 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/3083665054_737c052e26.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1010196" /></a>
everything worked! It was like a new old car. The pics show seat covers on it but seats were perfect!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083665106/" title="P1010209 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/3083665106_2b9be18932.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1010209" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3082828665/" title="P1010208 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/3082828665_5e69425e01.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1010208" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083665070/" title="P1010200 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/3083665070_95457598da.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1010200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083665054/" title="P1010196 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/3083665054_737c052e26.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1010196" /></a>
everything worked! It was like a new old car. The pics show seat covers on it but seats were perfect!
Last edited by Acroy; 12-04-08 at 06:48 PM.
12-04-08, 06:46 PM
#15
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Anyway, on with Part 3:
Now my Whitey journey starts.
The goal for this car is a decent-mpg, fairly civilized car I can buzz around town for fun, enjoy the 8000rpm redline, and take on the occasional boys-out road trip. Reliability is important. I toyed with the idea of stripping the a/c, p/s, etc, but decided to retain the 100lbs of mechanicals and complexity to keep the car more stock and more civilized.
The car got 26-27mpg on the drive from FL to TX. Not bad. Starts and drives very smooth. It had a minor hot-start issue: the 2nd owner said it started when he installed the Walbro 255.
I took off the trailer hitch right away, I’ll never tow. It was kinda heavy and looked rather silly
Over the next few weeks, the car and I got to knowing each other. I got it insured as a classic for $220/yr, full coverage, no deductible, oh yeah.
Now my Whitey journey starts.
The goal for this car is a decent-mpg, fairly civilized car I can buzz around town for fun, enjoy the 8000rpm redline, and take on the occasional boys-out road trip. Reliability is important. I toyed with the idea of stripping the a/c, p/s, etc, but decided to retain the 100lbs of mechanicals and complexity to keep the car more stock and more civilized.
The car got 26-27mpg on the drive from FL to TX. Not bad. Starts and drives very smooth. It had a minor hot-start issue: the 2nd owner said it started when he installed the Walbro 255.
I took off the trailer hitch right away, I’ll never tow. It was kinda heavy and looked rather silly
Over the next few weeks, the car and I got to knowing each other. I got it insured as a classic for $220/yr, full coverage, no deductible, oh yeah.
12-04-08, 07:29 PM
#16
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Part 3 continued: making Whitey my own.
Flooding and Fuel Pump:
The car flooded pretty well once or twice. The S5’s can be un-flooded by flooring the gas and cranking, but this is rough on the starter. It was running uber-rich as well.
I trolled the classifieds and picked up a used S5 T2 pump for $25. this can supply a bit more fuel, but nowhere near as much as the Walbro. The starting is quicker and no hot-start issues anymore. It was still running rich though.
AFR gauge:
Next I researched Wideband O2 meters. I had a spare place in the dash for it. After a bit of deliberation, I picked up the PLX gauge. Installation was a bit of a bear, I had to remove the exhaust to get the bung welded on, wiring was kind of a pain. The sensor feeds a controller which feeds the gauge. Took longer than it should have but all wired up nice now with the controlled stashed in the dash behind the glovebox. Supposedly the probes only last 5k miles or so but for me that'll be several years.
Now I know how rich it’s running: try hi 11’s under throttle. Uh-hu, time to install fuel control.
Fuel Control: SAFC
There seems to be basically 3 options for fuel control, in order of expense: SAFC, R-tech, and standalone. The R-tech was the most tempting, allowing great control, a factory-like installation, disables the OMP and AWS (Accelerated Wear System), but it’s pretty pricey. After deliberation, I settled on a SAFC.
Trolling the forums yet again, I got a used early-model SAFC for around $100. not bad. I carefully installed it in the glovebox, wired directly into the ECU. Read everything on the forums about how to correctly install and set up the unit. Crossed my fingers and the car started right up, yay!!
SAFC Tuning
After some reading up on how to tune the SAFC, I found a deserted road and did some pulls at 100% throttle, on the brakes to maintain RPM's and started slowly dialing out fuel.
I currently have the SAFC set to remove fuel from the hi-throttle (95%) settings only – 8 to 14% or thereabouts. I’m shooting for a smooth 13.5ish AFR. The car feels and sounds different under throttle now, and the kick in the pants from the VANOS is much more noticeable. Ha ha!!
CDI ignition:
I like the idea of a hotter spark as well. I’ve put the Mallory HyFire box in several cars, with good success. It’s a bit of an off-brand compared to MSD, but I think the same company owns them all and the specs are within spittin’ range, so why not. I got it brand-new for $115 after a rebate.
The Mallory is installed under the front radiator support, buried way under there. Space is tight. I have not had it on a long enough road trip to tell a mileage difference, but that’s okay. If nothing else, it makes me feel cool to have the CDI ignition.
Flooding and Fuel Pump:
The car flooded pretty well once or twice. The S5’s can be un-flooded by flooring the gas and cranking, but this is rough on the starter. It was running uber-rich as well.
I trolled the classifieds and picked up a used S5 T2 pump for $25. this can supply a bit more fuel, but nowhere near as much as the Walbro. The starting is quicker and no hot-start issues anymore. It was still running rich though.
AFR gauge:
Next I researched Wideband O2 meters. I had a spare place in the dash for it. After a bit of deliberation, I picked up the PLX gauge. Installation was a bit of a bear, I had to remove the exhaust to get the bung welded on, wiring was kind of a pain. The sensor feeds a controller which feeds the gauge. Took longer than it should have but all wired up nice now with the controlled stashed in the dash behind the glovebox. Supposedly the probes only last 5k miles or so but for me that'll be several years.
Now I know how rich it’s running: try hi 11’s under throttle. Uh-hu, time to install fuel control.
Fuel Control: SAFC
There seems to be basically 3 options for fuel control, in order of expense: SAFC, R-tech, and standalone. The R-tech was the most tempting, allowing great control, a factory-like installation, disables the OMP and AWS (Accelerated Wear System), but it’s pretty pricey. After deliberation, I settled on a SAFC.
Trolling the forums yet again, I got a used early-model SAFC for around $100. not bad. I carefully installed it in the glovebox, wired directly into the ECU. Read everything on the forums about how to correctly install and set up the unit. Crossed my fingers and the car started right up, yay!!
SAFC Tuning
After some reading up on how to tune the SAFC, I found a deserted road and did some pulls at 100% throttle, on the brakes to maintain RPM's and started slowly dialing out fuel.
I currently have the SAFC set to remove fuel from the hi-throttle (95%) settings only – 8 to 14% or thereabouts. I’m shooting for a smooth 13.5ish AFR. The car feels and sounds different under throttle now, and the kick in the pants from the VANOS is much more noticeable. Ha ha!!
CDI ignition:
I like the idea of a hotter spark as well. I’ve put the Mallory HyFire box in several cars, with good success. It’s a bit of an off-brand compared to MSD, but I think the same company owns them all and the specs are within spittin’ range, so why not. I got it brand-new for $115 after a rebate.
The Mallory is installed under the front radiator support, buried way under there. Space is tight. I have not had it on a long enough road trip to tell a mileage difference, but that’s okay. If nothing else, it makes me feel cool to have the CDI ignition.
12-05-08, 04:15 AM
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Pics are not as nice as the first red car - I haven't taken the time to give her a good cleaning and a photo shoot. Some of the pictures are from the previous owner, and are dark or just poorly framed.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3082812047/" title="int1 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3197/3082812047_63e8bb4277.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="int1" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083648482/" title="bay4 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/3083648482_bf225016e8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="bay4" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3082812047/" title="int1 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3197/3082812047_63e8bb4277.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="int1" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9993474@N03/3083648482/" title="bay4 by al.croy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/3083648482_bf225016e8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="bay4" /></a>
Ummmm... why are the seatbelts attached to the A pillars??
12-05-08, 09:02 AM
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wow sounds like you have had the best experience with 3 rx7's any one has ever had, usually most blow the engines, or they die to rust or poor maintenance or bad car accidents.
The white one is definitely the keeper it looks clean and good.
The white one is definitely the keeper it looks clean and good.
12-05-08, 09:07 AM
#22
BDC Motorsports
My oh my, Tony's old car. That was a frankenstein experiment for about 2 years. I remember the Haltech install with all of the leftover wiring harness coiled up underneath the passenger side kick panel along with the relays and fuse block. I remember when it stripped a stainless-steel oil cooler line (never found out why; I think it was too short) and when Tony cut the front bumper. Fun car, though. Needed some aesthetic TLC but was one of the fastest ones I ever got my hands on. The engine porting I did was a 'spec-X' where I made the bridgeport cuts real tall and wide and had to notch the rotor housings to match. I hope the new owner has some good fun with it re-doing some things on it.
B
B
12-05-08, 01:05 PM
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My oh my, Tony's old car. That was a frankenstein experiment for about 2 years. I remember the Haltech install with all of the leftover wiring harness coiled up underneath the passenger side kick panel along with the relays and fuse block. I remember when it stripped a stainless-steel oil cooler line (never found out why; I think it was too short) and when Tony cut the front bumper. Fun car, though. Needed some aesthetic TLC but was one of the fastest ones I ever got my hands on. The engine porting I did was a 'spec-X' where I made the bridgeport cuts real tall and wide and had to notch the rotor housings to match. I hope the new owner has some good fun with it re-doing some things on it.
B
B
The current owner has it parked out at Lake Ray Hubbard area. The Haltech wiring got bad enough the motor would cut out when the car went over a bump... He took it all out and re-wired it very professionally. this guy ownes an 8-sec full tube frame $70k drag car, and says the RX7 is more fun!
The car is still otherwise running on the exact same base tune you gave it before Tony sold it: somewhere around 17psi, off the wastegate I believe. Scary fast with a lot of room to stretch that turbo out. I found it to be kind of a one-trick pony though, difficult to drive smoothly and quickly on the street (or just beyond my abilities).
Extreme as it is, it starts every time, never overheats, idles, cruises, and just plain runs just fine. Wicked idle brap-brap.
The new owner has your contact info, you may well see the car again when he decides 17psi isn't enough
