Wow, I went to Racing Beat today to pick up a balanced rotor set. I checked out RHD japan's web site, what happened to all the OEM engine peices? Is Mazda japan not making any more new peices? Next stop is Mazacomp, but I already know the $400 rotors are now $800. Holly crap, I don't know what it's going to cost me to rebuild. Oh yeah, RX-8 discontinued at the end of 2011 wtf! 16X engine not being built? I was really hoping to buy one and drop it in. I am freeking drepressed now.

 

rhd is expensive in general.

 

dont hold me accountable to this but maybe it has to do with people using upgraded seals, the amount of damaged rotors has been going down. at least that is what i have noticed, but Mazda should still be making Turbo rotors, i would call a dealer and see if they can still get them.

 

rhd has some cheap stuff. Its bit an all out rape fest.

 

Lol @ rapefest Andy

Dont forget the massive amount of readily available Jdm engines. Risky but cheap.

 

No, there's not even half the stuff that was listed a year or two ago. I don't see any engine parts. I will have to email for the Attain parts. I don't see body parts or turbo kits. T04Z and TD03 used to be popular in Japan.

 

Is takakaira gone? Where are all the olde skool guys? Where is everybody? hello (echo ...echo)?

 

At first I kinda laughed thinking - old school? The car was made in the mid 90s! Then I realized that it's been over 15 years.... gah.

 

lol

As long as Recaro makes wheelchairs I'm good to go.

 

The guys that have been around for over 5 yrs are the olde skoolers and the guys that have been on here for over 10yrs are the OG.

OK, I figured out the new lyaout on RHDJ. Wow, their engine prices used to be lower then racer net. Takakaira is still not working.

Can anyone give me a good reason why I shouldn't just slap an Astin Martin in her and me me a One-77 knock off?

 

1 more year and I'm OG!

I'm not sure if that's cool or just scary.

Can I still count the 2+ years my car was off the road and being painted/ reassembled/in storage/made road worthy again?

 

echo echo echo echo echo

 

Didn't ArtGuy buy his M2 twins from you? That would be OG for sure.

 

Ha, that looks just like me. But I have hair. Grey yes. But lots of it. :-)

No, ArtGuy had the same turbos as me as I recall. I sold my BNRs to a friend who ended up doing a V8 conversion.

Is ArtGuy still around?

 

^ Last I heard from him he left DC and was in San Fransisco. My email on here was Dellmail which shutdown over a year ago and didn't know. So if anyone sent PM'd me in the last year I wouldn't have known.

 

OG Reporting In!

 

The market is flooded with jspec parts. Fds are only worth $9-12k for the most part anymore. Not too many young people left with the ability to throw $5-10k in mods at a car that is getting rougher and less desired by the day. There are few quality examples of these cars left on the road. The few who own quality FDs aren't selling and the few looking to buy won't paytheir asking price anyways.

I still believe this is the best all around performance car for the dollar. However, c5 zo6s have dipped in to the low teens lately and stis and evos have dropped significantly. The fd used to be unmatched in the $15k and under market but times have changed.
The true rotorheads aren't going anywhere and will continue to restore these cars and keep them on the road.

 

At least you still have an FD...that's running.

 

Hey Glassman you're still around.

Mr Stock, you still have yours to. I guess i'm not alone. Did you blow your GT-35 also? I am waiting to hear back from A-spec on mine. I just got a reply from SMB and they will still make me a 3.5 header back dolphin tail. I only asked them a year ago and they no longer list it.

Here is my dilemna:
* Build new block with all new parts, balanced rotors, clearanced housings, NRS or Ianetti seals, maybe enlarged water jacket, maybe street port not sure.
* Convert Apexi FMIC to V-mount or sell and replace with HKS (have had no luck with custom fab work)
* Finish rebuildinging GT500 shorty to GT35 M or L manifold or sell and install HKS T04Z which will retain my A/C and no custom lines.
-or-
give up and go to the dark side and drop in a (cough)****(cough)ton(cough) engine (cough, cough).

 

Forget wasting the money on all that stuff you mentioned. Vmount is expensive and there is water/meth kits for cheap. Ceramic seals are overkill. Plenty of people making huge power on ALS and RA seals reliably. If you want to make less than 600 rwhp I wouldnt worry about balancing if you are reusing the original rotating assembly. Side Clearancing the rotors is cheap and if you are shooting for 600rwhp I recommend it. The enlarged water jackets Ill ignore because I dont want to start a useless and endless debate. I think you are trying to over complicate the setup. No need to reinvent the wheel when plenty have gone before you and discovered what is and isnt necessary for a solid running fd.

 

HKS V-mount is cheaper then converting Apexi and/or paying a fabricator to hook up my A/C and reroute the lines so they do go along the turbo wether it stays FMIC or v-vount. HKS is bolt in and includes A/C extension lines.

I know ceramic is overkill but it is like a security blanket, be it a false sense of security.
I will not be doing over 450hp. I have 850/1300 and keeping it that way. I will not redo my fuel system.
Side clerancing is alot cheaper then porting. Is Judge Ito still around?
Since the achilies heel is over heating anything to help cool is worth looking in to. I have not read up on the water jacket enlargement.
Not overcomplicating, just will not be using any used parts. I want more then $1,000/per mile!

 

Haha, you have read too many horror stories from impatient and uneducated fd owners. Most single setups fail due to the lack of a proper tune, overboosting, hacked/old harnesses, etc.

The apexi fmic is more than capable and actually allows a good bit of direct airflow to the radiator.

You can take my advice if you like or listen to others who just want to sell you parts and snake oil. Very few fd engines fail due to coolant heating issues, if they do there was another issue at fault and it wasnt the FMIC causing the issue. Money would be more wisely spent on custom oil coolers, keeping your Apexi FMIC, ignoring the water jacket modifications, ignoring the ceramics(speaking of $1,000.00 per mile ) You are really overspending for your power level and all you are accomplishing is a false sense of security.

Solid engine build, water/meth, good wiring harness, adequate oil coolers, and a quality tune and you will have a reliable 450rwhp setup that will last for years assuming you dont over boost or have fan issues. There are plenty of people who daily drive their 400+rwhp fds as their only source of transportation.

 

the aux injection should be THE security blanket you're looking for. Take DJs advice and ditch the ceramic coating and invest in an aux injection.

I have no idea what ceramic coating costs but whatever it costs is money that should be spent on something that definitely works.

 

^ ceramic apex seals, not the coating. For ceramitc coating to work, you have to lay it on thick which then decreases your clearances.

dj - Well if I stay with the GT35 then i'll deal with custom A/C for the Apexi. If I go T04Z then it's a v-mount with A/C. Yeah, water injection sounds like money better spent then the seals. The street port is still debatable, unless I can get Judge Ito to port them. Wire harnesses are brand new. I have a single 20 row oil cooler. I was going to go dual but i'd rather somehow use that space for a cold air intake.

Let me put my thoughts this way. Every morning when I go to the gym and see that brand new Porsche turbo in the (handicap) space , I think ...I mean, what a fracken waste of a beautiful machine! The FD cost me about the same amount, but I could be driving the Porsche on the track instead of rubbing the FD with a diaper on jack stands.
FD=green/Me=yellow

 

DAMNIT! I meant its NOT an all out rape fest. Damn my lazy fingers.

I have heard that Ito is still around. Just quiet.