Hey everyone, I just saved up the money to get my car rebuilt, it's been down for 6 months with a blown coolant seal. I was wondering what else I should consider having done while the engine is torn down, and I'm just looking for general advice on the whole process from those of you who have had it done before. Thanks in advance, it's going to be great to have her back on the road.

 

My FD is also recovering from a blown seal and I am about to purchase a race port and re-do all my vacuum lines and grounds.... So I would say thatt's a good start!

 

just replace anything old/worn and out of spec.
new rotors and housings will increase longevity of the new engine (maybe, Rotary Resurrection builds a good engine too i notice on the forums)... if you want power, plenty you can do while it is out along the lines of porting.

guess the best place to start is to tell everyone if you want to stay stock and are looking for reliability, or are you looking for power?

 

Reliability is the number one concern for me at the moment. The only modification to the car is a downpipe, I don't really have the funds to get a rebuild from a reputed mechanic AND get an ECU or anything else at the same time. I understand streetporting can be a good idea for when the motor is torn down, but then I would need the ECU also, and you're talking an extra 1,500 or so already. The car must be able to pass emissions tests as well, or at least pass them when I put the stock bolt-on parts back on. I did the vacuum hoses before the seal blew, they're all brand new. The mechanic I'm thinking of always does new rotor housings, I might need new rotors too however, if anything was damaged by the car sitting for so long.

 

mine was down at least 6 months before i started my build, most parts were still in good condition when it came apart due to the anti-corrosive and oil coating parts.

go stock, and without wanting to get this thread into a 'seals discussion' my car overboosted to 15psi the other day with Rotary Aviation 3mms... if your rotors can be milled to 3mm safely and be reused, don't write those off.

 

You can read my rebuild thread....I did not cut any corners but did not go crazy either:

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...hlight=rebuild

You should be realistic about your budget and how "right" you want to do things. I recommend finding an engine builder you are comfortable with and following their advice.

 

some stuff to consider replacing/upgrading:

clutch
flywheel
motor mounts
oil metering pump lines
fuel injectors
engine wiring harness
all coolant hoses

the list goes on and on.....

 

It is always a good idea to upgrade the radiator with a koyo, fluidyne etc

 

Thanks everyone, you've been real helpful. The radiator sounds like a good idea to improve reliability, I'd obviously like to get as many miles out of this build as I can, and I will be modifying it in the future. Hopefully my clutch is still good, it's never slipped and seems to hold very well. I may need the grounding improved, I had slight hesitation and uneven boost on the primary turbo before the coolant seal went out.

 

here is a pretty interesting thread about what kinda cost can go into a rebuild. There is some heated words but alot of good info. By the way thanks for using "advice" instead of "advise". I was tired of seeing post with "help I need advise on..."

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...2&page=3&pp=15

 

Isn't it great when people use proper english, bob ?

 

I would recommend changing the clutch while the engine is already out. The ACT S/S clutch is basically a stronger stock "feeling" clutch. That way, if you ever decide to go with more power in the car, the clutch is already there (and the labor was free).

 

The clutch and flywheel sound like great ideas, I may need to factor those into my budget. In terms of streetporting, I've heard that it lowers low-end power while increasing the top-end. I care a lot about the low end power and use the primary turbo frequently, so is this something I would want to stay away from?

 

Unless you have plans to upgrade and make big power in the future (BNRs or single turbo) I would say it's not really worth it. It also depends on if you are going with a reman or rebuilding your existing motor.

 

I may upgrade to BNR's a couple years from now, but it sounds like something I shouldn't worry about right now. In terms of flywheels, should I go with something like a StreetLite or a ProLite? I assume 13.5 pounds is already going to make a significant difference over stock?

 

Get the lightest one you can find---9 or 10 pounds.

 

Sorry for all the questions, I wish my knowledge was more extensive on this stuff. I understand that with a lighter flywheel, the engine will rev faster, drop revs faster, and I will be able to downshift faster etc, but what are the drawbacks? With a very lightweight flywheel, it should be harder to get the car going from a stop, and the car will decelerate faster when the throttle is let off or when going uphill I believe. None of those drawbacks concern me too much, I just don't want to get it installed and then realize I hate it hehe. One more thing, if I buy the ProLite off rx7store.net, do I need a counterweight also or can the one from the stock flywheel be reused?

 

For a primarily street driven car, I don't think the lightest is the best. Alot depends on driver preference. I have the Racing Beat 9lb flywheel, previously I had a stock flywheel. The stock flywheel makes the car a lot easier to drive in low speed transitions coming out of a light or a stop sign.

If I had to do it over again, I would do the SR Motorsports flywheel that Rynberg used which I think is about 12-15lbs and has a replace-able friction disc. The ACT flywheels do not have a replace-able disc and are not reusable once they wear out.