DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

OK, I've been on the forum actively posting for about a week or two now, so I figure it's time to introduce myself and my car .

I'm Dale Clark. I'm a fairly old-school RX-7 guy - been around the scene since about '95, and it's been an all-consuming passion ever since. I'm one of the founding members of the RX-7 Club of Florida (now the MRCCFL). I've worked on COUNTLESS 2nd gens, and quite a few 3rd gens as well. There's very little that I don't know or haven't done to these cars. I'm somewhat of the hub of a group of RX-7 folks here in Pensacola - there's about 10-15 guys here, and we've got a really good group of sharp folks. Heck, both my roommates have RX-7's as well .

Anyhow, on to the project car...

Here's the pics, for those of you who don't want to read all the other jibba-jabba:
http://www.clubrx.org/rx7guru/

The condensed history of the car is I bought it around '97 or so (if I remember right) from the original owner here in Pensacola - he had taken really good care of the car, garage kept, and it had around 96,000 miles on it. Picked it up for $5700. It's since blown 3 engines and has had countless mods and experiments thrown at it.

My goals with the car are to make around 350 horsepower to the ground, safely and reliably, while being easy to drive, easy to maintain, looking great, comfortable, and handling fantastic. I don't give a flip about drag racing, but I do autocross often. It's mainly a killer street car - that's my goal.

The last engine that was in there broke the rear dowel pin seat, puking oil everywhere. Instead of just putting in an engine, I've decided to pull back from the car and start over - all the stuff I installed quickly so I could play with it, all the things I didn't do right because I didn't know better at the time, all of that is getting fixed. When done, the car will be the sum of my knowledge and beliefs - this is gonna be one kickass ride .

Current state of the car is it's VERY taken apart - the engine bay is TOTALLY stripped - not a single bracket, brake line, NOTHING is in there. The engine bay has been sanded down - most of the paint has been scuffed and leveled, but the driver's side frame rail had rust from brake fluid leaking and battery acid, so it's been stripped to bare metal and primed. Hopefully this weekend the first coat of paint will be going on - I'm using a marine-grade white polyurethane paint.

The interior is pretty much taken apart - the dash and all the stuff under the dash have been removed to facilitate re-wiring a lot of the car. I've got a lot of aftermarket electronics, and I'm going to clean up all the installations. My goal is to make it OEM quality - if it looks like it could have come from the factory the way it's done, I will have reached my goal.

I've been working on this for MONTHS now - a lot of the time involved in a project like this is saving money, waiting for parts to come in, etc. The girlfriend consumes a chunk of the time I used to have for working on the car, not to mention it's been friggin' hot and rainy here, which has dampened my wrenching spirit a bit. I was hoping to have the car ready to drive to Sevenstock, but it's not financially possible, not to mention time-wise possible.

My next post will have the list of all the mods on (or near ) the car.

Dale

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Here is the list of mods that my car will have when it’s all said and done from the current buildup. Some things may not be in order, and I’ve probably forgotten some things – there is a LOT of stuff done to this car over the years. But, this is at least a ballpark.

ENGINE
’89-91 Jspec engine block, as-is (stock port, built by Mazda)
’89-91 upper and lower intake manifolds
Ported ’89-91 throttle body with ’89-91 TPS
Full throttle body mods (removed thermowax and secondary throttle plates)
Removed vacuum spider and solenoid rack
’86-88 water pump housing and neck
’86-88 front cover with OMP blocked off

TURBO
60-1 HiFi with .86 AR undivided turbine housing
HKS cast exhaust manifold
Tial 35mm wastegate
Custom oil and water lines

COOLING
Stock radiator (for now)
Derale 16” electric fan
Greddy V-SPL front mount intercooler
Mazdatrix braided oil cooler lines
New Mazda factory AC system, charged with R12

DRIVETRAIN
SRX7.com 9 pound aluminum flywheel
ACT Xtreme pressure plate and full-face clutch disc
Stainless steel braided clutch line and new clutch hydraulics
Royal Purple gear oil in tranny
Comp tranny and diff mounts
Redline gear oil in diff

ELECTRONICS
Stock ECU
Greddy E-manage with all optional harnesses (fuel, ignition, etc.)
Greddy black face 60mm peak/hold/warning boost and EGT on a-pillar
Greddy white face 60mm peak/hold/warning water temp and AF on top of dash
Greddy white face 52mm oil temp and fuel pressure on top of dash
Custom warning buzzer wired to warning gauges
Apexi AVC-R boost controller
Apexi Rev-Speed Meter, 1st generation
Apexi Full-Auto timer

INTAKE
Apexi Power Intake
Custom 3” inlet duct
Custom intake heat shield

EXHAUST
Custom 3” downpipe/midpipe
Apexi N1 GT Series cat-back

FUEL
Walbro 255lph in-tank fuel pump, rewired
Extreme Motorsports adjustable 1:1 fuel pressure regulator
2 additional injectors on upper intake manifold
’89-91 550cc injectors in stock locations
’89-91 primary and secondary fuel rails

CHARGING/WIRING
FD alternator
Hawker Odyssey minature battery in stock location
Big battery terminals
0 gauge wire to starter
4 gauge wire to alternator/fuse block
4 gauge primary ground wire
8 gauge additional ground wires
8 gauge amp wiring
Re-wrapped and gutted ECU harness and charging harness

SUSPENSION
Tein HA coilovers with pillowball mounts
Racing Beat front and rear swaybars
Racing Beat swaybar endlinks
Toe eliminator bushings
GAB Sport rims, white, 16x7 front, 16x8 back
Dunlop SP8000 tires, 225/50/16s, front and rear (for now)

BRAKES
Hawk brake pads front and rear
Racing Beat stainless brake lines
OEM rotors front, cross drilled rotors back (they were free)

COSMETICS
Completely stripped and re-painted engine bay
All engine components are black with red highlights
Zinc plated brackets and fasteners
TurboII seats re-upholstered in top grade black vinyl
Leather shift boot and Razo shift ****
Pep Boys pedals (which actually work and look great)
Broadway rear-view mirror
“RX-7 GURU” license plate

Dale

RarestRX

Yo,


Welcome aboard! Always good to see someone posting literate and well written posts. *grin*

Looks like you're doing everything right, which is another good thing to see, especially when it comes to 10 AE's. Keep us posted on your progress!

KS
1989 GTUs "10 AE's are my second fav FC's..."

eViLRotor

iTrader: (2)

Wow, Man!
That list is longer than my life story!
Sounds like its going to be one sweet ride.

One question: Since you're going with an external wastegate, why not go with a bigger Tial, ie 46 or 60?

wozzoom

All I can say is "God Damn!"

I've been waiting to see some pictures of your "out of control" project. It looks like you've gone from sliding down the modification slippery slope, to freefall into the thick of it!

I can't wait to see the finished project.

Few Questions:
How come you decided not to port the engine?
Why haven't you upgraded the raditor yet? (I think you'll need it with the front mount)

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Thanks!

The reason for going with the "base" Tial wastegate is my HKS manifold already has a Deltagate flange adapter on it, and the Tial is a bolt-on. Going with a larger Tial would require fab work, and I really don't think I will need a larger wastegate (at least I hope so!). I used to have a Deltagate (cough, piece o' crap, cough) that I actually had great luck with and had perfect boost control. The Tial has a MUCH more efficient design than the Deltagate, so we'll see.

Not to mention I got the Tial on a groupbuy for like $220 shipped .

Dale

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Thanks!

The engine is an '89-91 Jspec. I SERIOUSLY debated whether or not to port it. I finally decided to leave it as is for a few reasons -

- If it ain't broke, don't fix it Mazda makes a pretty good motor, and I'm not going to crack into it if it doesn't need going through.
- I don't believe I'll need a street port to make my horsepower goals - I've seen people with similar setups make what I want to make.
- Money. Cracking the motor open instantly means new apex seals, new corner seals.....I've dumped a TON into this project so far, and I'm trying to be wise about where the money goes.

As far as the radiator is concerned, my stock radiator is in top-notch shape, and I actually was running too *cold* with my old front-mount. I plan on installing the front mount with a good bit of ducting, and then seeing what that gets me - if I'm running too hot, I'll upgrade the radiator. I'm not going to spend the money on the assumption that I'll need something, especially when it's a sizable expense.

That's also why I got a good water temp gauge - I went ahead and got the 60mm peak/hold/warning gauge to monitor my water temps. IMHO, you really should have a water temp gauge with a serious front-mount - that's something that really needs to be looked after. I also have an oil temp gauge to keep tabs there.

Yeah, this project is way beyond "slippery slope" - I've seen grown men damn near cry when they saw the inside of my car! The dash is in there sideways, and pretty much all the parts from the engine bay are in the hatch. It's REALLY taken apart .

But, I've yet to have an RX-7 project that I haven't completed, and I'll be dammned if I don't finish this one as well.

Dale

Zach McAfee

I'll second that.

Good stuff. Gotta love an AE in the right hands. Keep us updated.

cblake3

iTrader: (2)

Good to see you posting messages again. I noticed your name popping up this week on the board and wondered where you had been.
I was on the FC3S e-mail list as long ago as '98, until it disbanded.
Your rotary knowledge helped me out a few times with my own AE.
Hope to see updated pics of the car when you are done.
Welcome aboard!

banzaitoyota

Nice to see you here DALE. Your project sounds about as involved as my GFH Project.

sjordan

Quick question:

Have you worked with the Greddy E-manage? I am debating if I should get the E-manage or a S-AFC. Do you like the E-manage alot?

BTW the list is nice. My goal's are around the same as yours...but you got a nice headstart on me.

As I stand I am running the following mods:
Street Ported Engine (s5 TII)
Walbro Fuel Pump
Down Pipe
Test Pipe
HKS Tuebo Exhast
HKS BOV
Cone Intake
Greddy Turbo Timer
17 Inch Rims with ZR rated Tires

Next come's the fuel mods (hence why I asked the question), then a upgraded Turbo

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

I've yet to use the E-manage on a running car - I have had it hooked up to the computer and messed around with it.

It is a VERY capable, VERY powerful piece of equipment. Some Supra guys are probably the first to really use it and get it dialed in, and it's been working great for them.

For basic tuning (as in, stock or hybrid turbo) the Super-AFC and some larger injectors is inexpensive, easy to use, and works fantastic. The E-manage is very reasonably priced, but you do need a laptop to tune it with (which I still need to get ), but it does offer a LOT more flexibility over the Super-AFC. It controls additional injectors, adjusts your timing curve, lets you base your fuel computation on a MAP sensor...it's a really powerful box.

My previous fuel setup was pretty convoluted - HKS FCON with the upgraded turbo chip, Super-AFC, HKS Additional Injector Controller running 2 injectors, along with the aforementioned Walbro, FPR, rewire, etc. I just never really tuned it in right, but it DID go like a raped ape. I like the idea of using the E-manage to control all of the electronic side of my fuel system - it integrates really well. The software is excellent - it provides great feedback and logging info.

Of course, this leads to the inevitable question someone will ask - why not just get a Haltech? I've installed one before, and it was an absolute nightmare. That left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, but I'm also not keen on the DOS-based user interface as well. Not to mention the E-manage is just such a frappin' cool product I've been dying to play with it as soon as I first heard about it - hell, I bought a Super-AFC just to mess with the thing . If I can safely reach my goals with it, I'll be happy and done. If I flat-out run into limitations because of the setup, I have plenty of stuff to sell to fund a Haltech . Not to mention I'm wanting to blaze a trail in the FC community for the product - that's why I've started a Yahoo! Groups support list for the E-manage.

It wasn't that long ago there were VERY few fuel options for the FC. Heck, I remember when the first Super-AFC came out. Your options were slap in some GSL-SE injectors and hope it works, use a rising rate fuel pressure regulator, an FCON (which no one could afford), or a Haltech, that NO ONE knew how to install. Don't know if you guys have ever seen the Haltech manual - it's an absolute JOKE. If someone locked you in a garage with the Haltech, the manual, and a car, I guarantee you'd never get it running. The only reason they're so popular is the wealth of user documentation on how to do it. Shoot, the manual doesn't even tell you how to wire up the *fuel injectors*!

BTW, I may have to go up and edit the mod list - I remembered a few things that aren't on it .

Dale

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Well, can't edit the post, so here's the additions that I forgot mod-wise .

Sparco Ring steering wheel
25mm steering wheel spacer
Fiamm air horns
'89-91 shift lever
Intercooler bolt holes ground off of upper intake manifold
Unneeded vacuum nipples welded shut

There's also tons of nickel-dime things that I've done, like disabled the clutch switch, modified the clutch pedal for shorter throw, removed the initial stop from the sunroof opening sequence, etc. The list would really get silly if I broke down all the fine points .

Dale

sjordan

Ok man,
Well you convinced me to get the E-manage!

In fact I think I will purchase it this weekend with some 720 injectors!

sjordan

hah I also did not include all my other mods:
Check this out (mostly for looks):

Converted black interior to red interior
Custom Fiberglass in the back to replace the storage bins for speakers.
Momo Shift **** (red like the car!)

And I have a few more things on my list to do. To bad we don't live close. I expect to pour a avg of $1,500 into this car a month until I get it where I want it to

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

I shudder to think how much I've got invested - just in the intercooler, coilovers, and Jspec I've got $3300 invested. Not to mention about $1000 in gauges....

Dale

pip

Murderer!!! Seriously you better put that car back together I am moving to orlando near the end of september, how far is orlando from where your at?

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Don't worry, the car being apart is bothering me way more than it will bother you, trust me . I'm stopping on the way home tonight for more primer, and I hope to shoot the engine bay with a first coat of paint in the morning.

Orlando is a good 6 hour drive from here - we're ALL the way up in the panhandle, 30 minutes from Alabama.

Dale

pip

Ahh I see, well I am trailering my car from way up nort here, so maybe I will stop by on my way to orlando =)

Cheers!

oh my god... that is all i can say.

but i was kinda surprised when u said

"TurboII seats re-upholstered in top grade black vinyl "

vinyl? why vinyl? i remember vinyl in my dad's old old caprice classic when i was a kid...


also... can the greddy emanage compensate for more fuel based on boost pressure... or is it strictly RPM dependant... so u set +/- X% @ Y rpm?

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

If you saw the seats in person, you would be blown away - they're not a shiny, slippery vinyl, they're VERY grippy and feel wonderful. Everyone who's seen the seats thought they were redone in some sort of special glove leather or something - they are stunning. Not to mention it was a LOT cheaper than vinyl - one of the guys here had the seats done for $300 (both seats recovered, all new padding, everything) and I bought 'em used for....$100 .

The E-manage does its fuel compensation quite a few ways. First, you have airflow meter correction like the Super-AFC. You set that by 16 adjustable RPM points and 16 adjustable throttle points. You also have ignition maps (for timing), injector maps (you can directly add pulsewidth to the stock injectors) and additional injector maps for 2 extra injectors. All these maps you set up by 16 RPM points and 16 air volume points. The air volume points are either amount of air through the airflow meter, or, if you peg that out, boost/vacuum from the optional Greddy boost pressure sensor.

In other words, it's REALLY freakin' powerful - that only touches what you can do with it.

Dale

scathcart

Off topic, but I worship your opinion. I'm about to get a set of coil-overs for my 1990 TII, either Tein HA's or JIC FLT's. At first I heard the Tein's were the way to go, but after popping into the suspension forum here, I find myself a little doubting. What do you think? Is it worth the extra $400 for the JIC's, or is there hardly any difference in performance?

SoloIIdrift

Hi Dale!

I remember you from back in the day on the TeamFC3S email list. You, Ted, and BDC were the guru's and you haven't lost your touch I see. Good to see you still have the 10th anny, looks like a hell of a car!

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

I think the JIC's are great, but I couldn't justify spending an extra $400 for adjustability I didn't need. Remember, this is primarily a killer street car that will see some autocross duty.

What sold me on the Teins was a buddy of mine here has 'em on his 240sx. It completely transformed the car - I was SHOCKED that a car with coilovers could not only take turns like nothing on earth, but also rode great just going down the road, with NO noise/clunking/binding coming from the coilovers. The car felt solid, and quality - like a Mercedes or something. One ride sold me - that's why I dropped $1400 on coilovers .

Rishie loves the JIC's to the point where he's blinded - he won't even talk Tein's any more. Nothing wrong with that, remember he is in the business of selling this stuff, but I can't justify the extra $400 - that's a LOT of money. It's not like the Tein's are cobbled together from someone's basement - they're EXTREMELY well-made, gorgeous pieces of work.

Dale

banzaitoyota

Hey Dave, why don't you have your strut towers seam-welded?