Back in a Rx7 - 94 VR Base Build
 

This is a little overdo since I got the car in February, but better late than never.

Background on me, I owned an '88 GTU for about 10 years. Got me through high school, college, and some drift events as my only car till I finished college. Learned a lot from basic wrenching, maintenance and some driving ability. I had a ton of memories in it. I decided to swap the motor for a TII in 2017. But due to some issues with the new motor it basically needed to be pulled again an needed a sizable chunk of change to have it rebuilt again. It left a sour taste in my mouth and I parted with the car (actually to a member of the forum) in the beginning of 2018. Picked up a R32 Skyline GTS-T shortly after. It was fun, but they were starting to appear everywhere locally and it wasn't something I was passionate about it or really wanted to build so I sold it in January for a fair bit more than I paid for it. No complaints there. Was mulling over what to do next car wise. Either pocketing the cash, selling my daily and getting one do it all or finding another car. Was leaning strongly towards a Porsches but decided to look back at Rx-7, specifically FDs. Always wanted one when I had my FC and never thought that I could feasibly own one. Till now. So I decided I wanted LHD car in either Montego Blue or Red. After a month or so of searching I decided on a red base model from a gentleman in Northern Virginia. He had only had the car for a few months, but had come across a CYM and this one needed to go. Flew down to check out the car during the second weekend of February and had it loaded on the transport that night. So here are the details:

1994 Base Model
Vintage Red over black leather. No rear wiper. No wing.
74k miles on the chassis, with a rebuild in the past 5 years.
Compression numbers were all above 100 on all faces for both rotors.
Came with a 3" downpipe, metal AST and Koyo rad.

Photos on delivery, bonus points for anyone who understand the temporary plate from my Skyline.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...6e25b20649.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...8f05431d38.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d38623fcc0.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...42f7651c76.jpg

After getting it registered and driving it around a little I noticed the ride was REALLY harsh. I didn't even think about it during the test drive, and just assumed that's how FDs since they're a proper sports car. But inspecting it a little closer I found that the tires were from 2002 and tapping on them sounded like you were knocking on plastic. From my understanding and reading the owner before the gentleman I bought it off of had it for many years and only put a couple hundred miles on it a year. Probably bought it in 02 and never thought about the tires.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...64e3b73e53.jpg

Not good. So immediately ordered a set of Firestone Indy Firehawk 500s. A 300TW tire that I had on my Skyline and really enjoyed, not to mention very affordable for the performance if you're not worried about the brand. While the car was getting the tires on I was able to get under it and take a look.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...00dc83f771.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...5a146b6b9a.jpg

I knew that car was clean and well taken care of but this was a pleasant surprise.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...ae8587359c.jpg

Also attributing to the stiffer ride are what looks like upgraded struts and springs. Not sure what the brand or specs on them, apart from a GR-2 sticker on them.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c72c91e829.jpg

Hover mode. But with the new tires on the car rides much better (not to mention safer).

So as far as I knew, the paint on this car is all original. And with that is the typical fade on the plastic piece. Specifically the mirrors. So I had a local detail shop do a detail job and paint correction.

Before:
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...485f7df19b.jpg

After
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c3fb0393be.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...2569b7c812.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...58c9b8fcf0.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...ca03f37da8.jpg


Very happy with the results. The mirrors still fade after a month but I picked up some polish on their recommendation to keep them shining. Give them a little TLC about once a month.

Looks awesome!

Those are KYB GR-2 shocks. Can't tell if it's got springs or not. Long term you may want to research suspension and see what fits your needs and budget.

Dale

Shortly after this a friend want to grab some photos of the car and we took full advantage of COVID to do some social distancing.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...e62b87bbec.jpg
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So now that it was looking correct, decided to tackle some maintenance. What's bee completed so far.

- Full silicone vacuum hose replacement
- OEM Coolant hose replacement
- FPD Delete
- Injector O-ring and seal inspection/replacement
- Dale Clark Check Valves
- FC thermoswitch

No photos of that nightmare because that was done through a local shop that did similar work on my Skyline.

Car was down for a few weeks, with a fair bit of troubleshooting and double checking, but car runs better than when I got it. Plus the peace of mind was absolutely worth it.

Of course a week after the work was completed, the y-pipe coupler failed spectacularly.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...9e441e1ea1.jpg

So I replaced it with a nice silicone couple and better clamps. An Efini Y-pipe will happen eventually but this is a good solution for now.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c7dc00b6ba.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...573fbf6779.jpg

Small part I picked up was this Autospeed horn button from a member on here. The stock wheel gets the job done but it really doesn't suit the car. I had a Nardi Gara in my FC and will probably go a similar route for this, but I wanted to retain my cruise control.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...be3a7fbfa6.jpg

So that pretty much brings the car up to today. Most recent thing that's been done was some J-Auto rear sway bar endlinks, and a Rx7Store High Flow Cat. Car is still way to quiet, but a cat-back will have to wait till I decide on a ECU.

I'll add some photos of local cars and coffee and meets once I'm home and on my personal computer. Trying to do it from mobile is a pain.

Other than that the car has been great and I forgot how much I missed being in the Rx7 community.

I don't plan to do anything crazy build wise. Just a nice simple street car that keeps the car pretty true to its roots. I'd like to keep the twin turbos for as long as they'll let me, and only go to BNRs when they fail.

So looking forward, this is what I have in mind:
- Rear Pillowballs. Have the infamous rear-end clunk. Waiting for J-Auto to get some dust boots back in stock place an order.
- ECU: Either a PowerFC or a Haltech PnP. Still researching and weighing options.
- Exhaust: The Tanabe Medallion is on my mind. But finding an "old school" period correct piece would be ideal
- Intercooler: Some sort of SMIC
- Coilovers: Leaning towards Ohlins, because I want to do this car right. I had a variety on my FC but the Fortune Autos were my favorite, so maybe I'll see what their recent products are like
- Body cosmetics: R1 lip (ideally in carbon if that even exists), Shine/Feed sidesteps, maybe a rear diffuser, '99 spec tails, RE-A tail light cover, etc.
- Wheels: Thinking Gramlight 57DR in 18x9.5.

Hoping I can get the pillowballs in before I park it for the winter and have a clunk free fall. Biggest decision will be either coilovers or ECU first, but neither are a necessity.

That's right! I was told by another owner what they were and it slipped my mind. I don't think it has spring since I believe it's factory ride height.

Coilovers will happen at some point for sure cause stock wheel gap is :icon_tdow

For your goals a Haltech is total overkill. PowerFC will work wonderfully. You aren't far from Banzai Racing in Indiana, they can get a PFC set up and tuned in for you very nicely.

Tanabe Medallion is a nice exhaust, that's a solid way to go. There's a whole world of exhausts out there for sure. Only ones I'd stay away from is the N1 Dual (fits terrible/melts bumper and sounds awful) and Blitz Nur-spec (sounds horrible).

For the lip, Shine has a really sweet copy of the Mazdaspeed front lip that bolts to the 93 bumper. Looks like the R1 lip but just a little more "umph", you can get it in fiberglass or CF. I got it in fiberglass and had it wrapped in satin black vinyl, looks great and fits great.

Dale

The only reason I'm considering Haltech is due to the modern safeties it can be equipped with. Was watching some FDs drift over the weekend and those features probably saved a guys car (oil temp got too high and shut the car down automatically). Granted, far from my application or setup (ported, single, etc.) but a nice feature. Not to mention their CANBUS gauge is a nice piece. But you're probably right about the PowerFC and going through Banzai.

I really want to do the ECU first just so I can do an exhaust lol. But I'd pass on the N1 duals for sure, just doesn't look right. I want to keep that oval shaped muffler over a cantaloupe canon unless it was that style RE-A dolphin tip.

I saw that piece on Shine's website but I think I've seen one other example of it on google. I'll need search out some photos of your car. I had a roof wing from them on my Rx7 and their products are fantastic.

My recent thread on Plastidipping has pictures of my car, you can see it there. I think all of them are after I installed that lip. It's also one piece so you don't have the seam in the middle like the R1 lip.

On exhausts, don't forget the Racing Beat exhausts, they are really nice and canister style. Unless you want something more JDM.

The safeties on the Haltech are nice, but again you are wanting a nice street car, not a 10/10ths track or drift car. Get a real water temp gauge and boost gauge and go drive it. I've been running a PowerFC on my car for 15 years or so, zero problems with a someone sloppy tune by myself. With a good tune from a shop like Banzai you'd have a great, fast, fun car.

Dale

I saw that thread after you mentioned that you had it. I kinda like the R1 how it's a bit more curved and flows with the pre 99 bumper. But like you said, no seam which is really nice.

Yeah RB is always a good choice. And guilty of wanting that JDMness, yo.

That's a valid point. You would recommend a water temp and boost gauge in addition to the PFC commander?

Yep. The commander is OK for checking on things but it's an awkward size/shape and nothing you can easily put in a field of view.

I have a dual gauge pod in my car with old school Greddy boost and water temp gauges and they are a great asset to have. If you wanted to go more minimal you could de-linearize the stock water temp gauge and do something else for a boost gauge, or just have a boost gauge mounted somewhere. It's worth keeping an eye on both since there's a number of things that can cause boost problems or overheating problems.

Dale

Yeah I currently have a boost gauge in the a-pillar. It's tacky, but gets the job done... except at night. It doesn't have any kind of back light -_-
I saw that speedhut has some that match the stock gauge design , which would be ideal.

Nice car and super clean!

I highly recommend the Speedhut gauges if you want to stay close to stock appearance. I have one of their boost gauges mounted in the steering cowl and it looks like it came from the factory.

Were sunroofs optional on base models? I was almost certain they were not. Leather seats were optional, however they were rare.

Anyways, car looks real nice.

Looks like a 1994 PEG (Popular Equipment Group) not a base
At least thats my window sticker calls it--1994 sunroof leather no wiper no bose
Either way very nice car and even better to start with a clean example than a beat up one and have to replace everything!!

Plate have anything to do with this? https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/RX-0_...dam_02_Banshee

Thanks.

This is good to hear! Could you send me a picture of it at some point?

It was listed as a base, when I bought it so that's what I've been going off of. I'm not super familiar with all the factory trim levels, apart from the R1s differences.

Gotcha, good to know! But thanks, I really wanted to find one that was nearly stock with and well maintained even if I had to but a bit more down up front.

Hit the nail right on the head!

I've been thinking about another Gundam related plate for this one down the road. Maybe Sinanju or Sazabi...

Also I see you're in Cinci as well. Which part are you in?

Rear UCA's and LCA's with new OEM pillows & seals.
Pic on post #32:
https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...1146410/page2/

Jim T

i thought I might be close. My son-in-law is into Gundam and I was pretty sure I’d seen it before.

I’m over in the west side in Delhi.

I’m happy that you got this. It was a great choice and is a spectacular car!

Ah that'll do it lol.

But cool! I'm in the Mason area.

If you are replacing the pillows, you may want to think about the other bushes. 74k isn't alot, but it's getting close to when they may need changing (and if you've got the control arms out anyways....)

I recommend stock or mazda comps if you want a little tighter suspension. Poly is cheaper, but at the price of NVH

Car looks clean, I second the MS lip, I'm running the CF version, took 5 months to get from the time I ordered it but it is well worth it. You do need the side steps and rear diffuser to complete the look tho, otherwise R1 lip might be a better suit.

Thanks man. I appreciate all of you help and answering my dumb question along the way :nod:

Good call. How/where can you get the Mazda comps? I've gone through Ray for a couple things, I just didn't know if he can get them.

Here you go, the details on the gauge are:

GR-BOOST-05
2-1/16" Boost Gauge 0-20psi (w/ warning)

• Colors: Day - Black dial // White font
  Night - Numbers Red Glow
• Font Style: Swis
• Tick Style: standard
• Pointer: Black Blade RACER Red (Glows Red)
• Bezel: Chrome Smoothie
• Window: Flat

I thought this version most closely matched the OE gauges. I elected to not have a vacuum/boost combo, it has worked out pretty well although the 0-20 scale is a bit much for my setup since my upper boost is about 13. But that is a small issue.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d7c227b870.jpg

That looks great! Definitely will be keeping this in mind. Thanks for the specs!

So I was getting the infamous EGR CEL since my car is a '94. Picked up a '93 ECU from a local owner last week. Finally swapped it over last night. Did a small test drive, and so far no CEL. Hopefully it stays that way for years to come.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...f2e5c4a661.jpg

Not too much going on with the FD recently, but picked up a set of pillowballs from J-Auto and some of the other arm bushings for the rear. Going to try and get them installed before winter comes but have some other priorities at the moment.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...cbd731e99c.jpg
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Not really build related but did pick up some Rx-7 swag from an auto enthusiast. 4 page spread of a FD nearly identical to mine, and the 1993 Motor Trend magazine featuring the FD. Also a 1/10 scale Tamiya Model I made to replicate my FD.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...18bbc38fda.jpg

Took the FD in for an end of the year service before a possible Ohio winter gets here. Found that the turbo is weeping a bit of oil from what I'm going to assume are all original gaskets and parts, and that whoever installed the downpipe stripped the hell out of one of the studs and it's no longer sealing properly. Mechanic recommends just leaving it as is for fear of snapping the stud upon removal and then having to drop the turbos, drill the stud out, tap a fresh hole, etc. It's not causing any issues save for it stinking up my garage on start-up, and I've been keeping track of my MPGs and I'm sitting just below 20mpgs combined driving so I don't think it's causing me to run excessively rich.

So going to to continue to drive it on the weekends till they start salting/the white stuff starts falling from the sky, and I'll weigh my options over the winter on what to do next. I'd love to find some known good condition OEMS or '99 specs to swap in but those seem to be few and far between. I guess it's still the case that these can't really be rebuilt very well? Otherwise I'll probably go with a BNR setup, but with comes the cost of needing some sort of ECU and tuning. Not that I'm opposed to it, just more than I wanted to spend and have done at this point.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d4eb4a88cb.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...2d03de0e0e.jpg
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Awesome thread, great progress so far. And I love that boost gauge recommendation

Been lacking on updates. But back in March I took the car in to have the rear suspension bushings replaced. Went with all OEM Mazda for the bushings, and J-Auto for the pillowballs and the one you can't get from Mazda anymore. Unfortunately in transit back from the alignment shop, the car was bumped into while stopped in traffic. The bumper was got scuffed and deformed, and the license plate bulb bracket was all bent up. No one was hurt, frame and crash bar are totally fine but unfortunately I wasn't driving the car so we had to go through insurance and now the car has a "mark" on it's record. Fortunately it means I didn't need to pay for anything. So found a local shop that's been in business for over 50 years and does some incredibly high value cars. So we sourced a bumper, a set of Efini badges and got it done right. Also took the time to respray my original and very faded mirrors. Got the car back last week and it looks incredible. Next stop is our local Concours event in a couple weeks.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c7ca06bd2e.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...3534945ac2.jpg
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Casually kept company by a 911 GT2.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...2a6f3c9adf.jpg

Sucks that it got bumped into, but looking good with the new emblems.

I have a similar boost gauge along with a few other Speedhut gauges for sale, they have the Swiss font that match perfectly with stock gauges which is no longer available from Speedhut.

....

Participated in our local Concours event, it was a great experience but good lord was it hotter than hell and the cicadas were buzzing. Didn't win, thanks to the 15,000 mile white glove special NSX parked next to me, but it was great chatting with people who knew the car. Not to mention seeing a 1964 LeMans Winning Ferrari and a 1965 Ford GT that competed and... crashed.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...43af72f229.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...4563b02938.jpg

Quick shot from a local car show
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...ec57fbe014.jpg

Where's the lip?

I know. I got that a week late sadly. But here it is. R1 lip fresh from Ray.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...5dfd8b5c70.jpg

great looking car, great thread

Beautiful FD. Love the VR now (def not biased lol owning one now).

The R1 lip really sealed the deal.

Nice car!
How much was the R1 lip?

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Thanks for the kind words everyone.

I think the R1 lip was like 160 + shipping. New from Mazda and shipped from Ray Crowe.