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I probably should have started this thread a while ago, but wanted to document my progress. To catch up, I purchased this FD from a form member out of CA and had the car shipped in March of 2020. The vehicle sat for a few years but it is an R2 with 56k original miles. I wanted to take the interior back to relatively stock-ish and leave most of the exterior as is. Eventually the plan is to do a complete build of the motor, single turbo with a target of 550-600rwp. Will keep updating as I progress. I kept this initial post very short with everything I completed. A lot of time went into retuning, de-cluttering and fixing a lot of small issues we all run into. Probably over winter or next year, I plan to start ordering the single turbo build parts. Haltech 2500, flying harness, Xcessive LIM, fuel system(1000cc primary and 4x 2000cc secondaries), Hellcat fuel pump, etc.
Vehicle being delivered to me Car sat for a few years, so I changed out the plugs, oil, gas, tranny and diff fluids. Car cleaned up after I received.
Removed the race wheel and wiring, replaced with stock FD wheel.
Interior as it arrived. Swapped out for OEM suede R2 seats, stock cluster and stock wheel. Installed rear bumper foam and license plate light as they were missing. Yes I cleaned it up prior to installing the bumper back on.
I wanted to mess around with the tune, so I purchased a datalogit to be able to modify. Special thanks to Xavier Borg for helping with getting the settings and noise fixed. Had to make 2 grounds and ground to chassis ground in passenger kick panel. Cleaned up the readings.
AEM digital wideband. Welded a new bung in the midpipe, close to the DP. I purchased FC Tweak and cant speak highly enough about it. If you have a Power FC I would highly suggest this program. Makes life easy and fun to play with. Upgraded the floor mats Spirit R key fob glamour shot 1 glamour shot 2
I do not have a photo, but installed the Banzai Tranny Brace which helped significantly. I ordered today a Mazdaspeed Miata flying M steering wheel with red stitching. I have also ordered the banzai rear diff brace.
Recently installed a Banzai rear diff brace. Their tranny brace went onto my FD very easy. Assume my PPF was straight. The rear diff brace was not as easy but was able to finally get it aligned. Installed a twin power and a new set of plugs (9 heat range for all). Ran a 20 minute log session and the Twin Power is definitely making a difference to my existing map. Will have to brush up the entire map and update for the added spark power.
During the retune with the Twin Power, I noticed power issues. I also had speaker whine, which is ironic considering there is no stereo or speakers in the car. Ran a few logs and determined that the alternator was suspect and the diodes are probably on the way out. Took the stock alternator out and sent it to IRP to have it rebuilt/upgraded to 140amp. Thanks to IRP for the very fast turn time with powder coat. I also installed a new battery for good measure.
I am happy to report that the speaker whine is gone, voltage is more stable. The fuel pump (Sakebomb direct wire kit) also sounds a lot stronger. Because of the voltage changing, is did have an effect on the PFC map. So I am in the process of retuning the entire car across the entire power band.
Logs were showing the Voltage was spiking at over 15V. Min log was showing Voltage at 12.9. Upgraded IRP Alternator.
I was able to source a Mazdaspeed Miata steering wheel in good condition. Swapped that wheel over the weekend. Was not difficult and honestly is a great modification over the stock FD wheel. Eventually will get a Spirit R shift ****, shift boot, E-brake boot and the RedLine Center console leather with Red Stitch to round out the interior.
Nice progress! Looks like a clean car and enjoying the build. I'm personally not a fan of the wheels and imo the hood / diffuser are out of place on a stock car (even if '99 converted).
Also, iirc, the genuine s7-s8 FD steering wheels will have the 'Nardi' logo on the bottom. Seeing your thread brought back memories when I built my base '94 some 15+ years ago. I imported a full '99 conversion plus some Mazdaspeed parts and all the RZ interior pieces I could find. I was lucky that my shop had JP connections and was able to source the steering wheel, shift boot, shift ****, e-brake boot, genuine RZ wheels (recessed hub, not the Spirit R's), etc.
Nice progress! Looks like a clean car and enjoying the build. I'm personally not a fan of the wheels and imo the hood / diffuser are out of place on a stock car (even if '99 converted).
Also, iirc, the genuine s7-s8 FD steering wheels will have the 'Nardi' logo on the bottom. Seeing your thread brought back memories when I built my base '94 some 15+ years ago. I imported a full '99 conversion plus some Mazdaspeed parts and all the RZ interior pieces I could find. I was lucky that my shop had JP connections and was able to source the steering wheel, shift boot, shift ****, e-brake boot, genuine RZ wheels (recessed hub, not the Spirit R's), etc.
I'll keep an eye out for updates!
Wow, I would love to source all of those from an actual Spirit R, but pricing on everything is so ridiculous right now.
I did have these wheels on my previous FD and like them. I have always wanted a set of BBS LM or CCW Classics. I think they look great on the FD.
I actually really like having the wider front fenders. Aside from the minor alignment issues, having a square 285 setup all the way around is welcomed. Can actually rotate the tires and more contact patch. I did consider selling the hood when I originally received the car, but decided against it. Its authentic and really helps to keep temps down under the hood. It definitely makes for a more aggressive look.
Yeah I totally agree it's best to have a large square wheel set-up that can also be rotated for longevity and I couldn't agree more about your preferred FD wheel choice; save for the LM's or a CCW set +100!
And imo, the FEED fenders with Amemiya hood are a little mis-match, not unlike wearing a pair of Nike shoes but with an Adidas outfit, etc. But the tuner scene is all over the place these days and I'm a super purist so my opinions are typically antiquanted.
A few quick updates. Xaviors FCTweak has been significantly updated with a multitude of improvements. I have switched over from distilled water injection, to Boost Juice. This seems to cool the car even further. I have retuned the car with FCTweak then adding the Boost Juice to clean the motor can keep things cool. The car really likes the boost juice.
I have also finally installed the RedLine Goods shift and E-Brake boots. The center console will be next to round out the interior. The leather is significantly thicker than OEM and had to be careful when working with the stock plastic not to break any tabs off.
I am looking forward to local car meets and a few track days this year. Last item will be to get the alignment refreshed with corner balancing. I have a handful of small bucket list items-- Drivers key cover/light fix, cluster left blinker bulb went out(dont break the hood!), 99 spec bumper support install. Will keep the thread updates as I make progress this year. At this point, I have taken the car as far with bolts ons and a tune with the stock twins. I am now starting to compile a list of items to purchase for the single turbo switch which I can hopefully get to do over the winter this year.
Was able to finally install the RedLine center Console leather. Also replaced the white clips on each of the door panels as each door card had 2 broken tabs. The door cards are now firmly in place and there are less rattles in the car. While the door cards were off, I cleaned out and re-lubed the window track regulators for faster/smoother windows.
Someone needs to make these white plastic clips. 3 of the 4 of mine were broken.
Thanks to @Rocketeerbandit for the new door card clips. We also cleaned and lubed up the window actuators. Doors seal much better, windows are much smoother. Thanks to @tomsn16 for being a great seller for random parts. I am sure I will need more miscellaneous parts as I take apart the rear plastics. Each new endeavor unearths a few new items needed.
Car did not have vapor barriers, a few missing interior screws, and clearly no car audio. I should have 4 new speakers and a new head unit delivered this weekend to finally fill the center console hole and door speakers.
Was finally able to install all new speakers and a headunit. Lots of bolts and things missing inside the rear panels. Still need a few more side panels clips that were missing, but replaced most of everything else.
08-02-21, 03:19 PM
