Project88Turbo

iTrader: (22)

My story begins 9 years ago , August 2002, when I first purchased a RX-7. MY dad found a 88 GXL nearby and the window sticker said "4 Bridgestone tires - $200, Alpine stereo/Infinity speakers - $200". No mention of the actual car. Car was decent, horrible burgundy interior, ran on one rotor, but had a 5 speed. Got it for $300!

Got it home, got it to run and proceeded to drive it around the yard and do a donut with it. Top speed was limited to 28 MPH as the engine was half blown!

So, I began looking for an engine. Won an engine on ebay for $100. Got up with the seller and it was still in the car. Ended up getting the whole car for $400.

Here's a picture of both cars.



So in December I pulled the engines from both cars as the good engine was in an AT car and swapped the best of the two cars parts into the GXL. Installed a new a clutch at the same time. Turns out the engine I had purchased was a MAZDA factory reman the had that pretty blue badge on it The parts/donor car was parted and crushed!

I managed to pass inspection on the second attempt and drove it as a daily. Then an injector leaked fuel from the plastic portion and I had a small engine fire So I found a donor car for $100 and dragged it home. Swapped the harness and all necessary accesories that night and had it running again! Removed the whole interior and sprayed it black, put it my GXL, and painted the car semi-flat black as several non-moving/parked incidents had the car multi-colored. The parts car was parted and crushed.



Then I got an offer to buy a Turbo II. 2 Turbo II and a S5 parts car for $1200! I sold the GXL for $1000 and got the 3 cars.

This was my Turbo II as purchased:



And the other Turbo II parts car:



The car ran but shut off when it warmed up. Found out it was a bad primary injector. So I sent off two good ones to be cleaned, bought an Rtek 1.7 and a pair of 720cc, and some silicone hose and got it back to running 100%. Parted and crushed the other two (no titles), and been driving that Turbo II up until last month when I sold it.

Just before my wedding in 2007, the engine let go due to an oil system failure (rear stationary bearing allowed the e-shaft to sink and ruin the side seals on the rear rotor and middle and rear irons). Kevin Landers/Rotary Resurrection fixed me up, 3 irons, 1 rotor, e-shaft and a street port and we were back in business and better than ever. Even got 26.6 MPG on a highway trip. Dyno'd @ 191.4HP with stock DP and a RB Non-turbo exhaust @ stock boost levels.



Best day ever was holiday laps 2007 @ VIR. Most fun I've ever had in the car.



Then I bought another S5 parts car (non-running, no title), kept the tailights and S5 trim to oneday put on the car if I got it painted. Sold the black interior and everything else, then crushed it, and bought a Ninja 250 with the proceeds!

My wife has been pretty sick since we got married, and as a result have some pretty amazing bills to show for it, even with insurance However, she is doing MUCH better now As you can imagine, the car has not been a priority and she convinced me to sell it to try to pay some debts. Not something that was easy to do, but you know how they are always right. So I sold it and when I got home, she suprised me. She found a FD!

Project88Turbo

iTrader: (22)

She found a FD I was able to buy with what the FC sold for

Here it is:



And when I brought it to the shop I work at after it's been cleaned up a little:





And some assorted extras that came with it:







The car is a 93, 5 spd, leather trim with 1 oil cooler. So I guess it is a base model?

Haven't had a chance to do a full examination of it yet, but it came with all of it's service records since new, with the first oil change @ 3507 miles. Clutch was replaced @ 35000 miles Engine has been replaced.

The plenum and many other things are removed and the primary turbo looks like it ate something. Will do a compression test this weekend to see what I'm working with here! Previous owner pulled it apart to replace faulty OMP, was causing limp mode. Apparently realized the turbo/s were damaged and stopped there 2 years ago and it sat.

A replacement set of turbos is already on the way to me.

Current plans

1. Determine engines condition. If not blown proceed.
2. Have fuel injectors cleaned, replace fuel filter and fuel pump.
3. Replace all vacuum lines with silicone.
4. Replace AST, and all underhood coolant lines.
5. Replace radiator and probably water pump as it has been sitting.
6. Replace plugs and wires.
7. If it runs, install included large SMIC.
8. Replace all the exterior lighting with stock lights.
9. Wideband A/F gauge in the included downpipe, and hopefully enjoy it at near-stock power levels

Will be ditching the ebay spectacular turbo and 19" wheels. They are 19X8.5 and 19X9.5 offset 35 on all 4. From what I can gather they will fit the front but not the rear. Will also be ditching all the "Euro" lights, they just are not my style. Also has a Greddy turbo timer, which I won't be needing unless I want to use it to run the cooling fans after it is off. And, it also has some mystery short throw shifter and piping for a M2 style intake in the trunk.

Let me know what you think, or anything else I should be looking at as I try to put it together again. Basically, I just want to get it back to running well in "near-stock" condition.

Vince

BStallion

iTrader: (3)

body looks straight and clean..

arghx

iTrader: (3)

fix the tail lights ASAP...

Project88Turbo

iTrader: (22)

Don't worry, I'm not keeping the taillights. The stock ones will go back on.

Vince

93rx74lyfe

iTrader: (1)

You'll be fine as long as you don't take on this car with a "broke *** fc owner" mentality.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Looks good! Seems like the previous owner was clearing out Ebay of all the cheap garbage - those taillights, that XS turbo, cheap intercooler, etc. Ditch all that junk. Sounds like you're doing it right.

Just remember, this isn't some '88 Civic, the FD is a true Japanese supercar and deserves quality parts and respect. Treat it right and do the job right and you'll have many smiles to show for it.

Looking forward to seeing how she turns out!

Dale

rino

iTrader: (9)

Scary tail lights! Sounds like you got it for a steal. I'll be watching your progress.

kalinakona

iTrader: (5)

Looks like some good deals man! It is definitely a base model from what I can see. Like the plans you lined out for it, seems like a good start. About the same start I'm having. Might want to add a power fc to that list if you haven't considered it.

korea_senpai

iTrader: (25)

Good find, nice history of cars.

t-von

iTrader: (8)

I have a full set of factory tail lights (including center section) if interested.

Narfle

iTrader: (16)

Judging by the tail lights, the fd is obviously in much better hands now. Best of luck with the new 7. Keep us updated.

prrex4ever

iTrader: (3)

Great find, good luck with the project.

bc_fd3s

iTrader: (2)

If it has leather, one oil cooler and no sunroof it's most likely a PEP.

And throw that turbo in the trash. Where it belongs.

Len-Len

iTrader: (9)

Definitely saved that car from a shitty life.

Darkreign

iTrader: (4)

Looks good. Now, get to work! We want to see the end result! With some progress updates of course........

Project88Turbo

iTrader: (22)

Don't worry about that, me and Ray Crowe are like that (holds fingers together) with the parts I bought for the FC. My tuning/car philosophy is if you can't do it properly, do not do it. I bought the best of what I could buy, although many parts were second hand. Almost all were name brand. I never turned the boost up, because I didn't feel like I had enough supporting hardware and I liked the reliability of being nearly stock.

The FD will follow a similar path if I do it right. Fix everything that is broken, and get it "reliable". After that is done, do the BPU, a Power FC, and a good tune with a max of 12 PSI and call it a day. There just are not enough roads where I could even test the limits of the FC let alone a FD.

I appreciate the offer, but luckily all the stock lighting was included.

Dale, I'll be needing some of your check valves for when I do the vacuum hoses.

All of the ebay junk will be sold and proceeds going towards getting the car properly sorted out.

I'm well aware of this car's rarity and status. I've obsessed over them since high school (over 14 years).

If the info on http://alecto.bittwiddlers.com/vehic...-numbers.shtml can be trusted, here are the stats for US production:

1 of 266 Silverstone Base Models produced in 1993.
1 of 9,976 RX-7s produced in 1993.
1 of 13,879 FDs produced in its entire production run from 1993-1995.

My main goal is to "restore" it to its former glory and make subtle upgrades. More or less modeling it off of your "Perfect FD" concept. Basically, I just want to drive it. The intercooler more than likely will be used temporarily until I can get a REAL intercooler as the factory unit is not in good shape.

I did luck up and get a M2 Intercooler duct, so that's half the battle, right?

The replacement turbos arrived today, and look great! Now to get a parts list together of all the goodies needed (gaskets/hoses/hardware) and call up Ray Crowe.

And I found another suprise in the car: A brand new R1 front lip! Free upgrade!

Thanks for all the feedback, advice, and I will post the updates as they occur,
Vince

MAXX65

iTrader: (2)

Looks like a good foundation to start a rebuild. How much did you pay for it if you don't mind me asking?

T Train

Awesome find. Don't like the tail lights though

Project88Turbo

iTrader: (22)

Purchase price $3000.

I don't like the lights either, as previously stated the stock lights were included and will be reinstalled.

Vince

MR_Rick

iTrader: (7)

Nice find. Good luck with it.

Do me a favor, change the tail lights (if you haven't done it already) and post a picture so they quit telling you about it.

Project88Turbo

iTrader: (22)

^Well I didn't get a chance to change the taillights yet as I need to polish them back to their former glory still.

UPDATE!

Last week, my buddy Dave stopped by on his way back to MD from FL and we checked the car out and he showed me a few things, and I learned a few things and tricks. It was nice to hang out again.

Here he is with his FD:



TODAY:

JohnyZoom stopped by and checked it out and he convinced me to do a compression test after he discovered the PRETTY BLUE MAZDA REMAN Badge on the timing cover.

Peak compression 122PSI on the rear and 124PSI on the front, testing with a Snap-On tester. Testing with the check valve open reveals even bounces on both rotors on all faces!!!

That's pretty awesome I think.

Underhood picture:



Also, ordered some of DaleClark's check valves. Will order some silicone hose soon and will be sending the injectors off Friday (payday) to be cleaned. Once the wheels sell, I will be able to order the turbo/downpipe/UIM/acv gaskets and the underhood coolant lines/hoses from Ray Crowe and get an aluminum radiator.

It's will require new tires before it can be driven, Options in my price range are:

Kuhmo Ecsta
BfGoodrige T/A
Riken Raptors

All are Z-rated, but I do not want the Raptors! Will have to figure out which ones to get when the time comes.

Also, the odometer does not diplay numbers. I know this is a common issue, but is the ground for the cluster in the engine harness? None of those are attached at the moment

Vince

Ninja636

iTrader: (2)

You got that for $3000!? thats deals with all the extras. good find

Johny zoom

iTrader: (5)

The tail lights look coolin person.... you oughta keep them

Project88Turbo

iTrader: (22)

You are a funny guy! Thanks for the motivation to actually check compression.



Here's the progress I've made so far on the taillights. I can see why he replaced them, lol.

Vince