Hi, I'm looking to purchase a stock rx7 fd as my next car but knowing it has complicated designs, I got stuck in planning my mods. Any suggestions, corrections to my plans and my little konwledge on the FD or even what brands to use for upgrades, will be appreciated!

here's a list of mods I will do to the RX7 IN ORDER, any suggestions to change orders are welcomed!

1st, Turbo Gauge

2nd, stock radiators are weak, (correct?), so a better upgraded radiator will be my second.


3rd, Rx7's don't breathe well, so intercooler, downpipe, midpipe, muffler will be installed. (Should I get gauges to monitor everything? like exhaust temp, air/fuel etc.)

now here's 1 of the problems which occured in my plans, I heard that the stock RX7 ECU's wouldn't allow air to flow that freely and it would pop the engine if I don't chip it, so should I chip the ecu at this stage of my mods? or should I chip the ecu as my second mod then I can do the intake/exhaust upgrade piece by piece?

are there any common problems with anything related to the fuel system? like fuel rail, injectors etc? anything i should be aware of when it comes to fuel?

oh and perhaps a single turbo upgrade too to get rid of the porblems a twin turbo will provide.

Thanks.. I only wrote it in details so if I made a mistake, any experts could correct me..thanks and appreciated!

 

Check the FAQ, there is a link to a nice thread, I think it was titled "Reliability Mods: $1000 to spend"

I'd recommend these mods, in this order:

0.) Catch up on maintenance: replace all filters, fluids, belts, plugs & wires, and coolant caps. New tires and brakes if necessary.
1.) Coolant temp gauge & Boost gauge
2.) Downpipe
3.) Air separator tank
4.) Radiator
5.) Wideband
6.) ECU
7.) Intercooler
8.) Exhaust

-s-

 

1. Read the FAQ's.
2. Search for a while before buying a car.
3. Read the FAQ's again.
4. Replace the fluids
5. Learn to drive the car for at least 6 months before doing anything to it.
6. If you are under 23 years old, disregard the above advice, and get a different car.

 

edit in bold

i got my first FD when i was 18. i'm 23 now (as of last monday! haha). i took really good care of my first FD ('94 silver/black w/ 22k original miles) and never blew the motor, or got into any bad wrecks (did hit an armadillo when driving home one night haha), and i only raced it at the track (not on the streets!). my current FD needed a lot of work when i bought it (bad compression, bad turbos, bad clutch) and i'm doing all the work myself (except for the rebuild...kevin & rotary resurrection is doing that). prior to my first FD i had minimal mechanical experience. i did basic stuff on my previous car (5.0L mustang...changed oil, plugs, filters, intalled bolt-ons...) but since owning my two FD's i've really learned a lot. i've rebuilt my turbos (with porting), installed various upgrades, pulled the motor, and now i'm going to put it back in once it comes back rebuilt.

i really don't think age is so much of a problem when people are getting into performance cars - maturity is probably most important.

 

One thing is being able to afford an FD, the other is being able to afford owning an FD, LOL. The money adds up, specially if you don't do the work...just ask me.

 

WEAK!

 

I'm 19 , and I'll get the FD, not to worry much about abuse, the FD will get good care from me.

 

you guys are gonna hate me for this...but i just turned 17 and i got my FD when i was 16 this summer...not to brag seriously the last thing i want to do is get you guys mad at me...but before i even got mine it had intake exhaust intercooler rad tokicos with eibachs and PFC...and all other reliability mods...dynoed at about 300whp...
i just want to tell you that if the driver truely respects the car and treats it well as i have and uses good judgement...then nothing bad should happen...now i just hope nothing breaks...haha...

 

thanks gabe, I love the FD, it's damn gorgeous and I appreciate the car, so I'm not gonna wreck it.

 

Looks like both agree.....it's not age it's maturity

 

#2 - get the downpipe cermaic coated or at least wrap it
#3 - don't buy a $100+ AST tank, just ditch it for <30mins of labor
#4 - with new rad get the silicone rad hoses
#5 - meh, why have a wideband before the new ecu, no point in having a wideband when you can't tune for it.

lots of other costs associated with buying parts, its usually not just one part or one thing you have to do...

 

gabe not alot of people are like you and me (but there are some).. i got my car when i was 17 and i am 20 now, still running strong..
ill admit before i got my car i was making a list of what to do with it and so on but then after getting it and driving it i started to see what an awsome car i got and did all the repairs first, within 3 years iv spent around 5k on maintenance and repairs.
So if you really are going to get the car, save up, and dont go the cheap way..

 

It sounds like you really don't want a stock rx7. There are alot of bargains out there that already have the reliability mods. If an FD is without them, do you think the owner was taking the best care?

 

this is what i did when i bough mine stock:

1. maintenance, maintenance, maintenance!!!!! Got it? This included spark plugs and wires, fuel filter, air filter, flush and replace all fluids, etc etc.

2. DP (reliability +power)

3. M2 Stage 3 ECU and boost controller to :GASP: lower boost!

4. Race Radiator and eliminated AST

5. Everything else (intake, IC, MP, CB, Ignitiion amp, etc)

6. Dyno and up boost at the dyno (M2 good to about 13psi on my car)

 

you misunderstood me, I want a stock rx7 because I want to do the work by msyelf, choosing after market products, to assembly, I'll do what I think i'm capable of to maintain the car in its best condition, I dont wanna buy an all modded rx7 because people prolly raced the hell out of it and I don't wanna go their way with the mods, i wanna understand the car and the aftermarket parts/mods to the fullest, and i think it makes the whole thing more fun, and enjoyable, not only by driving it, but building it counts too, and the time i've put into research (obviously not quite enough yet), i maybe a newbie but i'm one hell of a motivated one. as long as someone is willing to teach me more about the car or cars in general, then im more than willing and pleased to learn. I'm not one of those teenagers that will race a corolla on the street, im a car lover and i appreciate the cars i drive/drove.

oh, and by mods i mean that the reliability mods, i may put on a few upgrades to boost up the hp afterwards, but i'll be spending my money mostly on reliability mods first.

 

Then you really should take the midpipe off your list. Like the first few posts mentioned, read the FAQ sticky thread to learn more...

 

I've read it a few times over and searching for more threads, but a lot of threads talk about things that are too technical and I'm having a hard time understand it, and while this site is full of information, I can't digest them all at once, and I get confused with different things, I know the forum is here to help, but while searching for the topics, it's sometimes hard to go through the lists, and even if I do find the similar topics it may not necessarily answer the questions I have. I'm just afraid to ask stupid questions and get flamed.

 

Flaming is part of the forum experience. I think you've got a pretty good idea of what you need to do. For whatever it's worth, here's the order I got things done in my FD, which was BONE STOCK when I got it.

1. Downpipe - $60
2. Efini Y-pipe - $180
3. Boost gauge and A-pillar pod - $190
4. Knightsports EBC III Boost Controller - $200
5. Apexi Power FC - $700

Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

We've seen a few FD owners wreck their cars soon after purchase. Every single one of those guys thought the same things you just wrote. Approach it sensibly, and you can handle an FD. But please remember that disaster can strike quickly if you let that sensibility lapse.

 

I STRONGLY recommend researching the vehicle before you buy it. After you purchase it, get a feel for the power and handling. THEN start to mod it.

When I first bought my FD, I (regrettably) knew next to nothing about it. I had a lot of money, and wanted a fast car. Going from a FWD, 100hp Eclipse to a RWD, 255hp FD was a night and day difference, and I accidentally kicked the back end out quite a few times. I was fortunate to have no bad incidents happen to myself or the car, but if I could do it over again, I would definitely have done a lot more reading up on FDs before I bought one. I would have driven it much more conservatively, as well.

Take it from someone that knows where you're coming from...

 

Thats exactly what I'm doing right here, thanks for your advice Madd slow!