Chassis is prepared!! (pics)
 

After purchasing my FD last August I began to lay out a build plan. Though there were a few things that took time to sort out, its really starting to come together. I am now ready to start collecting for my big single setup....

LIST

Power Flex FULL poly kit
Pillow Ball bushings
Improved Racing end links
Stoptech SS brake lines
Rebuilt OEM Calipers
Hawk HPS pads
Speed Bleeders
Tie Rods
Tie Rod Ends
Steering Bellows

I am running Tein S-tech springs & KYB shocks. Overall, they have served me well. I realize the KYB's aren't the best. I will likely upgrade to Illumina's in a few months. I was going to go with coil-overs, but just can't justify it. The ride height is perfect with my wheel setup, and I have had no issues. I also felt no need to upgrade the sway bars. This is a street car, and with everything brought back to life, the OEM bars will be more than antiquate for my street monster. I may look into aftermarket mounts eventually, but my OEM ones were fine, upon inspection.

There are a few other things I will likely do. A diff brace is probably a good option. My IR Poly mounts are great, so that should keep everything solid.

Overall, I'm pleased with the project. It has been fun taking my time and doing things right. Did all the work myself, and it feels good.....

Well, on to some pics :D

Getting started

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00101.jpg


The old

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00100.jpg

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00099.jpg

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00110.jpg


The Parts

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...00096-Copy.jpg

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00097.jpg

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00111.jpg

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00091.jpg


The BLING

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00108.jpg


Installed & Finished

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00122.jpg

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00112.jpg

lookin' good. did you paint or powdercoat the brake calipers?

Thanks.

I painted them with Plasti-Kote 900F paint. I cleaned them very well with a dremel, and applied 4 coats. Hopefully it holds up well. I found the paint from the caliper rebuild thread in the FAQ's.

sharp bro! what was your reason for attacking all the steering and handling components first?

It's simple..... I'm shooting for 500whp on pump with AI. That is a lot of power. The chassis needs to be able to handle & control it. Too many times I see people dumping money into going fast, but don't consider the cars ability to stop & control the power.

So.... first things first ;)

All those suspension components looks brand new.

Good job!

<--- lol

i feel guilty now. thanks. hahaha

Looking Nice man. Like the poly busihings and the clean components. See you got new tie rods and all. Do you how the distance of the tie rods from the end for the stock alignment or a good alignment. I recent de-powered my steering rack but i didn't mark the tie rod end on the shaft so i want to know what is something good to put it on until i can get to the alignment stand.

Good luck with the project,,,it looks great so far

Thanks.

I will measure them tonight and PM you.

Were did you get the Power Flex FULL poly kit? and how much?

Looks awesome! What did you spray your wheel wells/liner with? I like that.

Uno Flash hell yaaa :lol:


I'm not sure if i'm dredding or looking forward to doing bushings and pillow's to my car.

http://shop.jklre.com/products/power...ion-bushings-1

These bushings are quality. I went with the full kit because I kept my stock bars. The full kit also comes with rear LCA bushings, which others don't. If I'm doing bushings, I'm doing them all.

The fenderwells turned out nice. I sprayed them with degreaser, then scrubbed them with a brush & dish soap. I then rinsed them thoroughly with a power washer & let it dry overnight.

Masked everything off & applied 3 solid coats of good old Rustoleum Semi-gloss paint.

sexy, i likee

Calipers came out nice :)

Love it. I plan on doing the same with the bushings.

Sweet... sounds like I've got some cleaning to do! LOL Makes the car look so nice with it all clean and painted there. Well done!:icon_tup:

Agreed, but that level of power, a Stop-Tech big brake kit is warranted. Check out the brakes on something like a GT3, that's what you want.

Did you notice any decrease in squeaks, clanks, or rattles with the new bushings? I'm getting set to put my Superpros in. Did you do the work yourself or hire someone? I got a quote of $1000 to do the work (!)

Eventually, I can see myself dropping the cash for a big brake kit. I will also likely go with some 99 spec rears. However, I wanted to see how the stock brakes will fair. If they stop well, I will keep them, otherwise, I will eventually upgrade.

As far as the bushings go, I have yet to test them. We have about a foot of snow on the ground here in NJ and another coming in the next few days. The FD only sees clean roads. On a side note, my Civic has had fully Poly bushings for over a year, and I also installed them in my previous FC's & FB's. I expect the FD to ride rougher as usual, but handle amazingly. Poly bushings make all the difference.

I did all the work myself. I am in the USAF, and the hobby shop on base has a shop press that they let me use. It is very straightforward with the right tools. $1000 is quite ridiculous. You can easily purchase a shop press, the desired socket sizes & do it yourself for under $300. Harbor Freight carries presses for a good price.

The new bushings can be pressed in with your hands. They are all 2 piece bushings and go in very easily once greased. I had to use my bench vice only on the toe links because they are one piece & small.

As a note: To anyone doing bushing. You need a period of break-in before you get an alignment, otherwise you will be doing it again in a few weeks ;)

Nice job!! Looks great!!

I'm also in the USAF @ KEESLER AFB and yes the hobbie shop kicks A$$!

Thanks. I went to tech-school at Keesler. I was there during and after Katrina. Good old 338th. I actually bolted up my 3" exhaust on my old bugeye at that hobby shop. It is quite nice. McGuire's is comparable.

Looks good!

I'm planning on doing the same thing pretty soon. I'm curious as to what you used to clean up all the arms, they look a lot better than some others I've seen.

If anyone in the Charlotte area wants to make a little cash pressing in bushings, send me a PM :) no way I have the time to mess with it

Looking good! Did you replace the boots on the ball joints? If so, where did you get them?

yeah, how much time did you spend on those?

Brake cleaner and steel wool. Use the course stuff at first then the fine to put a nice polish on it. I used my Dremel with a buffing wheel for a few of the tight spots.


I did not. The boots were in great shape. I did inject some grease in the joint using a syringe. You can buy replacement boots from Malloy Mazda I'm sure...

It wasn't bad at all. Obviously the larger arms took longer. I would say 30-40 minutes per arm on average. Definitely an advantage of having all aluminum suspension from the factory. No need for paint, it can brought to a beautiful finish with some work.

Thanks for the great comments guys! I have been definitely looking forward to creating this thread. I'm really looking forward to posting my Precision 67/76 build thread :D.

If anyone has any other questions, please feel free..

Good call on the steel wool. Any thoughts about clear coating the arms to keep them shiny/clean? Assuming it would even stick to raw aluminum. Some day when funds allow I want to powdercoat all my stock arms, along with doing all new bushings.

My father actually mentioned this to me when I was discussing my project with him. I did a little research and decided not to. The problem is, the clear coat will both wear, leaving peeling, and also collect debris just as the bare aluminum would. I believe that over time, it would get just as ugly, and may not wash off. If I hit it with the steel wool again, it would take off the clear too, and I would need to do the whole arm to make it look even.

so dude whats the update on your built ?
i know you got alot more parts laying there LOL

hehe.... biding my time. ;)

I did finish the suspension completely. I ditched the KYB setup as the tires were rubbing under load. I figured I would need coilovers. Installed a nice set of JIC's.....

Wrapped up the suspension with an alignment. The thing HANDLES..... only got to enjoy it for a few days before I pulled the engine & tranny for my Single setup...

My plan was to start a new build thread once it was complete & tuned. It's nice to see a full progressive thread with pictures without waiting & sorting through 5 pages of ongoing comments. I figured I would unveil the BLING all at once ;)

Few pics of the suspension & chassis as it sit before I started ripping it apart....

& a sneak peak of what is to come...... ;) (RE Vmount, GT35R, and all the fixins)

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00139.jpg

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00138.jpg

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00130.jpg

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00129.jpg

And a few of the real build ;)

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...0712001316.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00222.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...S/DSC00257.jpg

Saweet!! were Meister buddies!! haha what size and offsets?!!.......also..let me know when you need dual oul coolers.. I have a kit i'm selling right now... I'll give you a slammin deal on it.. Dual 25 row Mocals with steel braided lines etc...

This car is looking really sharp, and I'm generally not a MB fan. Where did you source the turbo?

I wouldn't recommend using those resistors in your injector wires (search FJO injector driver for a solution). Also, that turbo manifold to block gasket doesn't look like it'll work to me. In my experience, the OEM diamond gaskets (while expensive) are the only choice that seal with any kind of longevity.

Thanks Rich.... already on it. My FJO injector driver is on order ;)

I will add that you and Howard supplied some great info that easily persuaded me.

I also still have the OEM manifold gaskets. They were in good shape when removed. I may use them per your advice.

Thanks

Pm'd ya on the oil coolers ;)

My Meister's are:
Front - 9" wide 47mm offset 265/35/18's
Rear- 10" wide 43mm offset 285/30/18's

And yes, I love these wheels dearly :D

Honestly, I wasn't either. I bought the car because it was a good deal and the MB just grew on me.... Now, it's my absolute favorite. It will be repainted the same when the time comes.

As far as the turbo kit goes, I bought it from our neighborly CrispyRx7. The rebuilt tranny from Rotorsports racing is also from him.

It's an older A-Spec kit with low miles.... All the parts literally looked new. Props to Crispy for a good deal.

It's an original 35R with the T3 housing... My original plans were to shoot for 500whp as stated above. But through a change of mind & the combo of a good deal, I went this route. Crispy made 422whp on 15psi with a SP engine. Though I'm running a good stockport, I feel confident I'll be over 400whp on pump with water injection.

Her's a quick pick of the mockup right after I pulled the engine.... It's nice & pretty now, but I'll save those pics for the new build thread ;)

As it sits, the block is ready to go back together. Just waiting to receive my Ceramichromed manifolds from Ihor. Everything cleaned up nicely. After that, I have a big shipment coming from Ben at Rotary Extreme.....

RE Track Touge Vmount setup
Tial 50mm BOV
3 piece pulley kit
Hood dampener kit

I so wish it was going to be done for the BBQ in Aug, but I may have to settle for driving the Civic.....LOL

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6281153_n.jpg

Nothing comes close to a clean stock bodied FD with a nice set of wheels. Great looking car! :bigthumb:

Very nice!

Thanks guys! And to everyone with all the nice compliments. This build has been a dream for a very long time. I love all Rx7's and have longed for an FD for over 12 years... Owned 7 1st & 2nd gen's.... and I finally got my sexy woman ;)

I will sleep in this car before I sell it...

I thought that turbo looked familiar (the compressor housing is hard to forget)- we actually built a "track" Rx-7 several years ago and installed this turbo onto a "track" prepared Bridgeported 13B-REW (not a half-ass "half bridgeport") and we modified the compressor housing so it fit better and eliminated a coupler- Crispy purchased the turbo system and our rebuilt trans. when the owner decided to go to a V-8. We did get it from A-Spec -if I recall correctly it was one of their first "GT500 series" turbos which are based on the 35R

Bryan Smith
Rotorsports

:D Yeeeyaaa....

Amazing how parts travel....LOL

Is that the Greddy SP2 exhaust? I love that exhaust.

Yes it is. The fitment & sound is GREAT! Definitely a quality piece.

I envy your bushing kit.

How is the quality?

I wish I could still get those... (JKL went under)

On the brakes, unless you're going for the bling factor, you're not gonna need bigger brakes than stock if it's going to be a street car. A big brake kit is to prevent fading and improve consistency when they really start to heat up, but they will not make the car stop any faster than stock brakes.

Awesome build, always cool to see someone spend the cash first on stuff like this :icon_tup:

I got a set of SuperPro's from Auto RnD. I'm not sure if he is still a vendor here but if you PM Rishie (RND T2) I'm sure he could help you out.

A buddy of mine has the SuperPro kit, although a very nice kit it isn't complete.

thats why I like the PowerFlex kits.

they also come in 3 different durometers, so you can mix & match (great idea)

Thanks though!