Some tricks, tips, and thoughts from Dale Clark
03-10-05, 04:11 PM
#1
RX-7 Bad Ass
Thread Starter
iTrader: (55)
Some tricks, tips, and thoughts from Dale Clark
Hey guys -
I've had a bunch of small things I was wanting to tell folks about, but they're all relatively small, so I decided to make one big post of goodies
.
First off, I've said it before and I'll say it again - get a REAL, PAPER shop manual. They're about $70 or so from Ray Crowe at Malloy Mazda. A VERY large portion of the questions that are asked could easily be answered by looking through the shop manual. I just wish I could get away with having mine here at work with me while I'm slacking off and posting on the forum - I could give a lot more decisive answers. When you get your shop manual, flip through the WHOLE thing. There's a world of information in there - you'll be surprised by what all you find.
Speaking of, DO NOT waste your time with your local dealer on parts. If you need any stock parts for your car, CALL RAY CROWE AT MALLOY. 1-888-533-3400. He is VERY helpful and friendly, and knows the parts on the FD like the back of his hand. You do NOT need a part number or anything - just call him up and explain what you need. He'll get you a fair price, free shipping, and the RIGHT part.
For smaller parts, or parts that are VERY expensive new, hit up the For Sale forum with a wanted post, or PM Fritz Flynn. There's quite a few people that have a lot of good used FD parts, and many parts aren't that hard to get used for a fair price.
On to more tech stuff...
When pouring oil in the engine, use a funnel. It sounds dumb, but I ran into this problem myself. Standing on the driver's side of the engine and pouring oil into the oil fill neck, some of the oil ends up sloshing into the tube going to the PCV system. This oil gets sucked into the inlet of the 1st turbo, and coats the Y-pipe, leaks out, gets in the intercooler, you name it. I actually had oil dripping out of the O-ring where the two halves of the Y-pipe join and onto the downpipe, making for a nice embarrassing oil smoke.
If you need a clutch, look into getting a stock Mazda clutch. The stocker is actually pretty good, and will hold power for most light bolt-on mods, like downpipe/intake/catback. The original '93 clutches Mazda used were too weak and would fail prematurely, so they replaced the clutch with a VERY nice heavier-duty clutch. Best part? Ray has the clutch kit (pressure plate, clutch disc, throwout bearing, pilot bearing, and clutch alignment tool) for $219. No kidding, I ordered one for a customer and it came in today. That's REAL damn cheap for a quality clutch.
If you have the stock wheels and the center caps are all black with the silver paint flaked off, there's a REAL cheap and easy fix. Remove the wheel, then pop the center cap off and put the wheel back on the car. Get a Scotch-Brite pad and go over the center cap to get any loose paint off of the center cap and to rough the surface up a bit. Get some Prep-Sol or other pre-paint degreaser and a clean rag, and wipe the cap down so all the dust, grease, and junk is off of it. Get a can of Toyota Silver touch-up spray paint (most any auto parts store will have it) and spray a LIGHT, THIN coat on the center caps. Let it dry for 15 minutes or so, and do another LIGHT, THIN coat. Repeat until they are nice and silver, and you can't see any of the black plastic through the paint. Let them dry overnight, then just pop them on your car. Cheap, simple, easy, and really makes a big difference in how the car looks.
Get a can of Chrome Polish - I know Turtle Wax makes it - and a rag. Every time you wash the car, use the rag and the chrome polish on your exhaust tip(s). With some elbow grease, you can get ANYTHING off the tips, and it really makes the car look way better. I've actually removed paint overspray from tips before - took some buffing, but it worked. Even old, sorry looking stock exhaust can brighten up really nice with a little elbow grease and make the car look way better. You can also pull a stock exhaust off the car, clean/scotchbrite/degrease it, and paint it with high-temp black engine paint - looks good and works well.
Is the "RX-7" badge on the back of your car missing, broken, or really faded? Mine was faded out big time - it was really dark looking and looked like crap. I don't know how it got like that, though - some previous owner deal. Anyhow, I bought a new emblem the other day from Malloy - $43!!! Ouch! That's JUST for the stick-on RX-7 emblem. Instead, you can get the Efini RX-7 logo, which has the RX-7 and the "Efini" strip that goes where the Mazda logo goes, and it's actually CHEAPER - about $30 or so. I'm not going the Efini logo route (and others may not as well) so you could get it, put the RX-7 badge on, then stick the Efini on your toolbox or something.
Speaking of Efini, there's some confusion with this. First off, the FD was made in Japan from '92 to 2002, with revisions in '96 and '99. We, of course, only got the early cars and never got the revision, which sucks. Anyhow, the RX-7 was marketed as the "Efini RX-7" up until '98 or so. This is similar to how Toyota sells cars under the Lexus name in the US. Anyhow, the "Efini Y-pipe" is a big misnomer, as the '92-95 cars were also Efini's in Japan but had the old Y-pipe. '96 actually saw a number of revisions to the car - the round taillights, the Y-pipe, a 16-bit ECU, the "black box" instead of all the vacuum solenoids - that many people assume are "'99 spec" - that term has been abused as well.
OK, this is getting long. I'll leave you with the best advice for the FD from Turbojeff - Do it ONCE, do it RIGHT. MANY of the problems people have had with FD's over the years are from bad and sloppy mechanical work and careless owners. If you patch something to "get by", order the right part TOMORROW and put it on WHEN YOU GET IT. Half-*** sloppy work and substandard parts can get you by on Grandma's Buick, but it won't cut it on an FD.
Enjoy,
Dale
I've had a bunch of small things I was wanting to tell folks about, but they're all relatively small, so I decided to make one big post of goodies
.First off, I've said it before and I'll say it again - get a REAL, PAPER shop manual. They're about $70 or so from Ray Crowe at Malloy Mazda. A VERY large portion of the questions that are asked could easily be answered by looking through the shop manual. I just wish I could get away with having mine here at work with me while I'm slacking off and posting on the forum
- I could give a lot more decisive answers. When you get your shop manual, flip through the WHOLE thing. There's a world of information in there - you'll be surprised by what all you find.Speaking of, DO NOT waste your time with your local dealer on parts. If you need any stock parts for your car, CALL RAY CROWE AT MALLOY. 1-888-533-3400. He is VERY helpful and friendly, and knows the parts on the FD like the back of his hand. You do NOT need a part number or anything - just call him up and explain what you need. He'll get you a fair price, free shipping, and the RIGHT part.
For smaller parts, or parts that are VERY expensive new, hit up the For Sale forum with a wanted post, or PM Fritz Flynn. There's quite a few people that have a lot of good used FD parts, and many parts aren't that hard to get used for a fair price.
On to more tech stuff...
When pouring oil in the engine, use a funnel. It sounds dumb, but I ran into this problem myself. Standing on the driver's side of the engine and pouring oil into the oil fill neck, some of the oil ends up sloshing into the tube going to the PCV system. This oil gets sucked into the inlet of the 1st turbo, and coats the Y-pipe, leaks out, gets in the intercooler, you name it. I actually had oil dripping out of the O-ring where the two halves of the Y-pipe join and onto the downpipe, making for a nice embarrassing oil smoke.
If you need a clutch, look into getting a stock Mazda clutch. The stocker is actually pretty good, and will hold power for most light bolt-on mods, like downpipe/intake/catback. The original '93 clutches Mazda used were too weak and would fail prematurely, so they replaced the clutch with a VERY nice heavier-duty clutch. Best part? Ray has the clutch kit (pressure plate, clutch disc, throwout bearing, pilot bearing, and clutch alignment tool) for $219. No kidding, I ordered one for a customer and it came in today. That's REAL damn cheap for a quality clutch.
If you have the stock wheels and the center caps are all black with the silver paint flaked off, there's a REAL cheap and easy fix. Remove the wheel, then pop the center cap off and put the wheel back on the car. Get a Scotch-Brite pad and go over the center cap to get any loose paint off of the center cap and to rough the surface up a bit. Get some Prep-Sol or other pre-paint degreaser and a clean rag, and wipe the cap down so all the dust, grease, and junk is off of it. Get a can of Toyota Silver touch-up spray paint (most any auto parts store will have it) and spray a LIGHT, THIN coat on the center caps. Let it dry for 15 minutes or so, and do another LIGHT, THIN coat. Repeat until they are nice and silver, and you can't see any of the black plastic through the paint. Let them dry overnight, then just pop them on your car. Cheap, simple, easy, and really makes a big difference in how the car looks.
Get a can of Chrome Polish - I know Turtle Wax makes it - and a rag. Every time you wash the car, use the rag and the chrome polish on your exhaust tip(s). With some elbow grease, you can get ANYTHING off the tips, and it really makes the car look way better. I've actually removed paint overspray from tips before - took some buffing, but it worked. Even old, sorry looking stock exhaust can brighten up really nice with a little elbow grease and make the car look way better. You can also pull a stock exhaust off the car, clean/scotchbrite/degrease it, and paint it with high-temp black engine paint - looks good and works well.
Is the "RX-7" badge on the back of your car missing, broken, or really faded? Mine was faded out big time - it was really dark looking and looked like crap. I don't know how it got like that, though - some previous owner deal. Anyhow, I bought a new emblem the other day from Malloy - $43!!! Ouch! That's JUST for the stick-on RX-7 emblem. Instead, you can get the Efini RX-7 logo, which has the RX-7 and the "Efini" strip that goes where the Mazda logo goes, and it's actually CHEAPER - about $30 or so. I'm not going the Efini logo route (and others may not as well) so you could get it, put the RX-7 badge on, then stick the Efini on your toolbox or something
.Speaking of Efini, there's some confusion with this. First off, the FD was made in Japan from '92 to 2002, with revisions in '96 and '99. We, of course, only got the early cars and never got the revision, which sucks
. Anyhow, the RX-7 was marketed as the "Efini RX-7" up until '98 or so. This is similar to how Toyota sells cars under the Lexus name in the US. Anyhow, the "Efini Y-pipe" is a big misnomer, as the '92-95 cars were also Efini's in Japan but had the old Y-pipe. '96 actually saw a number of revisions to the car - the round taillights, the Y-pipe, a 16-bit ECU, the "black box" instead of all the vacuum solenoids - that many people assume are "'99 spec" - that term has been abused as well.OK, this is getting long
. I'll leave you with the best advice for the FD from Turbojeff - Do it ONCE, do it RIGHT. MANY of the problems people have had with FD's over the years are from bad and sloppy mechanical work and careless owners. If you patch something to "get by", order the right part TOMORROW and put it on WHEN YOU GET IT. Half-*** sloppy work and substandard parts can get you by on Grandma's Buick, but it won't cut it on an FD. Enjoy,
Dale
03-10-05, 04:32 PM
#2
Lives on the Forum
I recently replaced all the original emblems on my car and it looks much better. I put the '99 flying "M" badges on the front and rear and bought new "RX-7" and "Mazda" emblems for the rear as well. I've always hated the efini emblems, the "M" badges look much nicer IMO.
Only thing I will add is to autox at least twice a year so you can become a member of Mazda Motorsports. As a member you can buy parts at dealer cost and you can order them all online direct from Mazda North America very quickly and easily, just as if you were a Mazda dealer. I can't say enough how handy and cheap it is.
Only thing I will add is to autox at least twice a year so you can become a member of Mazda Motorsports. As a member you can buy parts at dealer cost and you can order them all online direct from Mazda North America very quickly and easily, just as if you were a Mazda dealer. I can't say enough how handy and cheap it is.
Last edited by DamonB; 03-10-05 at 04:36 PM.
03-10-05, 04:45 PM
#3
RX-7 Bad Ass
Thread Starter
iTrader: (55)
Yeah, I forgot to mention Mazdacomp. I'd love to get back on Mazdacomp, but the hurricane took care of our region's course, so I'm in a region with no autocross course 
.
I will vouch for all the guys at Mazdacomp though - they know their parts VERY well and will totally take care of you, not to mention the prices are just ridiculously low. The only problem is you can't get some interior and cosmetic parts, unless you've gotten in good with one of the guys there. That may have changed over the years, though - I haven't been a member for a few years now.
I'm also planning on going to the '99 Flying M badges - I LOVE how they look. The faded RX-7 emblem had to go first, though.
Dale
. I will vouch for all the guys at Mazdacomp though - they know their parts VERY well and will totally take care of you, not to mention the prices are just ridiculously low. The only problem is you can't get some interior and cosmetic parts, unless you've gotten in good with one of the guys there
. That may have changed over the years, though - I haven't been a member for a few years now.I'm also planning on going to the '99 Flying M badges - I LOVE how they look. The faded RX-7 emblem had to go first, though
.Dale
03-10-05, 05:58 PM
#5
Rotary Enthusiast
Originally Posted by DamonB
I recently replaced all the original emblems on my car and it looks much better. I put the '99 flying "M" badges on the front and rear and bought new "RX-7" and "Mazda" emblems for the rear as well. I've always hated the efini emblems, the "M" badges look much nicer IMO.
j/k
thanks for the info dale, I second the comment about mazda motorsport, they are great.
03-10-05, 08:44 PM
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Easy Oil Change
Use an oil extractor to suck out the old oil, replace the filter, fill with new oil and you're done. It's much easier, faster, and less messy than draining from underneath.
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03-10-05, 09:07 PM
#8
RX-7 Bad Ass
Thread Starter
iTrader: (55)
Damn, that's a good one about the quick grip! I recently ditched mine for screw clamps. The funny thing is it would make WAY more sense for Mazda to use the tension clamps on the IC piping and screw clamps on the intake. Go figure.
I've heard those "suck out the oil" extractors are a bit on the slow side - have you used one before? The other problem is if you have any heavy debris in the oil pan you won't suck that up, but it will drain out with the drain plug.
Man, I've started a river of quick tips!
Dale
I've heard those "suck out the oil" extractors are a bit on the slow side - have you used one before? The other problem is if you have any heavy debris in the oil pan you won't suck that up, but it will drain out with the drain plug.
Man, I've started a river of quick tips!
Dale
03-10-05, 10:13 PM
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Originally Posted by DaleClark
Damn, that's a good one about the quick grip!
Originally Posted by DaleClark
I've heard those "suck out the oil" extractors are a bit on the slow side - have you used one before? The other problem is if you have any heavy debris in the oil pan you won't suck that up, but it will drain out with the drain plug.
03-10-05, 10:20 PM
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03-10-05, 10:31 PM
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Downpipe Installation
Attached is a PIC and description of the bolts needed to install a downpipe. The job is relatively easy. It is just unfortunate that some places do not give you the parts to correctly install without having to make a run to the local store.
I'll add other tips later in relation to Koyo radiator installation (piece of cake), pulley kit, and a few others.
I'll add other tips later in relation to Koyo radiator installation (piece of cake), pulley kit, and a few others.
03-11-05, 12:24 AM
#13
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Pay for good tires so your not "mad drifting" in the rain, I learned this going 30mph in a str8 line and hitting a puddle the size of a quater and "drifitng mad quick yo". Luckily it all worked out in the end.
03-11-05, 12:27 AM
#14
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Nice job Dale. Your loyalty and attitude in helping out the rx7 community is highly appreciated by me and (I'm sure) the whole rx7club community and others more. Keep up the good job! As you will never fail to enlighten me with your findings/tips/write-ups.
Jeremy
Jeremy
03-11-05, 12:33 AM
#15
Originally Posted by PhoenixDownVII
Where can I find out more about Mazdacomp and this deal if/when you autox? I will be this year but how to I make it known/official...it's an SCCA AutoX....
REQUIREMENTS & LIMITATIONS
Eligibility Requirements
TTo be eligible for the purchase of any parts through the MAZDASPEED MOTORSPORTS DEVELOPMENT team support program, including stock and competition parts, you must be registered in our program with current race results, or building a new car and be able to prove membership in a racing organization.
If you have results.
You must provide copies of official race results from 2 events you participated in within the past twelve months. The race results must include the following information:
- Event name and date held
- Sanctioning organization/club holding the event
- Your name
- Model of Mazda raced
- Finishing position
If you are building your car.
If your race car is currently under construction, the race results requirement will be temporarily waived if you can provide a copy of your racing club membership card (SCCA, NASA, etc.). You will be required to provide a completion date for the first race you plan to compete in. You will need to provide race results from your first event within 30 days after the competition.
You will not be able to purchase parts if you cannot provide all information as in one of the cases above.
The Team Support Program allows members to purchase stock parts for their race vehicle(s) under following conditions:
• Each race vehicle must be pre-registered with copies of official race results from 2 events on file from the past or current season, (or a current photo and copy of racing club membership card) sent in.
• If you change racing classes or the model of Mazda being raced you should advise us immediately by fax, letter, phone or e-mail.
• If you reside outside the 50 United States or Canada, to be eligible to purchase parts, you must compete in a minimum of 2 events held within the United States or Canada each year.
• You are responsible for keeping us informed of any change in model/body work, engine size, and year of race vehicle or parts thereof.
• Race results must be submitted regardless of whether you are participating in the Mazda Contingency Awards Program.
• If you have multiple drivers for one or more cars, a separate application and results will be needed for each driver.
Eligibility Requirements
TTo be eligible for the purchase of any parts through the MAZDASPEED MOTORSPORTS DEVELOPMENT team support program, including stock and competition parts, you must be registered in our program with current race results, or building a new car and be able to prove membership in a racing organization.
If you have results.
You must provide copies of official race results from 2 events you participated in within the past twelve months. The race results must include the following information:
- Event name and date held
- Sanctioning organization/club holding the event
- Your name
- Model of Mazda raced
- Finishing position
If you are building your car.
If your race car is currently under construction, the race results requirement will be temporarily waived if you can provide a copy of your racing club membership card (SCCA, NASA, etc.). You will be required to provide a completion date for the first race you plan to compete in. You will need to provide race results from your first event within 30 days after the competition.
You will not be able to purchase parts if you cannot provide all information as in one of the cases above.
The Team Support Program allows members to purchase stock parts for their race vehicle(s) under following conditions:
• Each race vehicle must be pre-registered with copies of official race results from 2 events on file from the past or current season, (or a current photo and copy of racing club membership card) sent in.
• If you change racing classes or the model of Mazda being raced you should advise us immediately by fax, letter, phone or e-mail.
• If you reside outside the 50 United States or Canada, to be eligible to purchase parts, you must compete in a minimum of 2 events held within the United States or Canada each year.
• You are responsible for keeping us informed of any change in model/body work, engine size, and year of race vehicle or parts thereof.
• Race results must be submitted regardless of whether you are participating in the Mazda Contingency Awards Program.
• If you have multiple drivers for one or more cars, a separate application and results will be needed for each driver.
03-11-05, 10:19 AM
#17
RX-7 Bad Ass
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Originally Posted by jeremyb
Nice job Dale. Your loyalty and attitude in helping out the rx7 community is highly appreciated by me and (I'm sure) the whole rx7club community and others more. Keep up the good job! As you will never fail to enlighten me with your findings/tips/write-ups.
Jeremy
Jeremy
I've got quite a few ideas and pans in the fire right now as a matter of fact
.Dale
03-11-05, 12:38 PM
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Originally Posted by RX7R1
Attached is a PIC and description of the bolts needed to install a downpipe. The job is relatively easy. It is just unfortunate that some places do not give you the parts to correctly install without having to make a run to the local store.
I'll add other tips later in relation to Koyo radiator installation (piece of cake), pulley kit, and a few others.
I'll add other tips later in relation to Koyo radiator installation (piece of cake), pulley kit, and a few others.
03-11-05, 03:54 PM
#21
Super Snuggles
Originally Posted by DaleClark
DO NOT waste your time with your local dealer on parts. If you need any stock parts for your car, CALL RAY CROWE AT MALLOY. 1-888-533-3400. He is VERY helpful and friendly, and knows the parts on the FD like the back of his hand. You do NOT need a part number or anything - just call him up and explain what you need. He'll get you a fair price, free shipping, and the RIGHT part.
I buy almost all of my OEM parts through Tim at University Mazda in Seattle. He'll look up part numbers for me, quote me prices all day long (which are usually equal to and in some cases cheaper than Malloy's) and was even able to get me the Mazda bushing SST from Japan which Malloy and Mazdaformance could NOT. They hand deliver most parts to my door at no extra charge. Obviously I'm relatively close, but they could just ship it and charge me for it. I can't say enough about the great service I've gotten from Tim.
Personally, I don't care if anyone buys from them as a result of this. I just wanted to point out that there are other dealerships out there that have good service and pricing.
03-11-05, 04:36 PM
#22
RX-7 Bad Ass
Thread Starter
iTrader: (55)
True, very true. Ray is also physically closer to me, which helps the deal as well . I used to buy from Mazdaformance, but Brian (one of the sharp guys there) got bumped upstairs and they got some new guys to answer the phone that didn't know parts for a flip.
But, that's a good resource for West Coast folks - thanks for that one, Jim!
The tricky part is finding local places to source parts and services from. I know a bunch of places in Pensacola for getting parts and getting things done, but it took some time, a network of friends, and trial and error to find everything. There's a shop here that specializes in import parts, and they typically STOCK the hydraulics for the RX-7 (brake and clutch masters, etc.) - not to mention they're brand-new Tokico parts for a VERY fair price.
There's also a buddy of mine that started a local performance shop that's stocking commonly-used things that's been a big help. It's nice to drive over (it's like 6 blocks from my house, too!) and get some silicone vacuum line or a intercooler coupler.
Dale
. I used to buy from Mazdaformance, but Brian (one of the sharp guys there) got bumped upstairs and they got some new guys to answer the phone that didn't know parts for a flip. But, that's a good resource for West Coast folks - thanks for that one, Jim!
The tricky part is finding local places to source parts and services from. I know a bunch of places in Pensacola for getting parts and getting things done, but it took some time, a network of friends, and trial and error to find everything. There's a shop here that specializes in import parts, and they typically STOCK the hydraulics for the RX-7 (brake and clutch masters, etc.) - not to mention they're brand-new Tokico parts for a VERY fair price.
There's also a buddy of mine that started a local performance shop that's stocking commonly-used things that's been a big help. It's nice to drive over (it's like 6 blocks from my house, too!) and get some silicone vacuum line or a intercooler coupler.
Dale
03-11-05, 08:07 PM
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Here's another 2 cents worth. I live in Charlotte, NC and for all the east coast guys out there and whoever else wants to know......I buy my parts from Montgomery Mazda. I have a close friendship with Daryl Dawson, the Parts Manager and Mike Hayes, the Service Manager. Mike really knows his stuff on the RX-7 as well. Anyway, they are really competitive on parts pricing, especially if you're a club member. One of the parts guys is a miata racer in SCCA, and give really good hook-ups
03-11-05, 10:35 PM
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Glad to see you are enjoying my old r2 Dale. I am glad to see it went to such a great home and hope you will keep enjoying it for a long time or give it back. lol.
Corey Burell
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