DECADE build and my RX-7 ownership diary!!!!!!!
12-06-13, 02:53 AM
#26
By the time nice weather rolled around it was all bout the car clubs and meets.
This was a local group that was called JGTCA (Japanese Grand Touring Cars of America) and was really fun while it lasted. Stipulations were the car had to be Japanese and either be RWD or AWD just to limit some of the civics and random cars from coming and ruining our meets. Good times
This was a local group that was called JGTCA (Japanese Grand Touring Cars of America) and was really fun while it lasted. Stipulations were the car had to be Japanese and either be RWD or AWD just to limit some of the civics and random cars from coming and ruining our meets. Good times
12-06-13, 02:59 AM
#28
It was cool because on at least one occasion the local Chicago rotary club at the time (R.I.P. RC3) would have a meet earlier in the day and then the guys who wanted to keep hanging would all cruise and meet up with the JGTCA guys for another meet/cruise
12-06-13, 03:10 AM
#29
Here's some pictures from the Grand Opening meet at A-Spec's old shop
Getting ready for the epic cruise!!!
and unfortunately, as you can tell from the last pic, I was following in a minivan. Followed the group for all of maybe 2 minutes before they were GONE! Like I mentioned earlier....my car was actually in the shop having the turbos,dp, and catback put on. Bitersweet....
Getting ready for the epic cruise!!!
and unfortunately, as you can tell from the last pic, I was following in a minivan. Followed the group for all of maybe 2 minutes before they were GONE! Like I mentioned earlier....my car was actually in the shop having the turbos,dp, and catback put on. Bitersweet....
12-06-13, 03:38 AM
#36
Now somewhere during these years I started experimenting with editing videos. Now This was still before youtube was a big hit I'm pretty sure and I was using a shitty camera so don't expect 2013 quality and editing ha....but here are some random videos from some of the meets. Most of the time I had my GF or friend recording so I had to use whatever shots they got for the videos...but WHATEVER they were cool at the time haha
http://www.streetfire.net/video/rotary-car-club-of-chicago-bbq-2004hosted-at-as_60177.htm
http://www.streetfire.net/video/aspec-grand-opening-2005rotary-car-club-of-chic_60207.htm
http://www.streetfire.net/video/aspec-grand-opening-2005rotary-car-club-of-chic_60239.htm
http://www.streetfire.net/video/drift-avenue-grand-opening-2005rx7_59770.htm
http://www.streetfire.net/video/drift-avenue-grand-opening-2005-mazda-rx7-cruis_60102.htm
I eventually lost all this footage...even the original edits on the hard drive that crashed....this is all that remains
http://www.streetfire.net/video/rotary-car-club-of-chicago-bbq-2004hosted-at-as_60177.htm
http://www.streetfire.net/video/aspec-grand-opening-2005rotary-car-club-of-chic_60207.htm
http://www.streetfire.net/video/aspec-grand-opening-2005rotary-car-club-of-chic_60239.htm
http://www.streetfire.net/video/drift-avenue-grand-opening-2005rx7_59770.htm
http://www.streetfire.net/video/drift-avenue-grand-opening-2005-mazda-rx7-cruis_60102.htm
I eventually lost all this footage...even the original edits on the hard drive that crashed....this is all that remains
12-06-13, 03:25 PM
#39
haha....it actually was closer to a green to match the dress that she and he cousin made from scratch.....I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the final design :-). I couldn't find any shots of the other proms but rest assured those were the some of the better ones.
12-06-13, 03:43 PM
#40
SOOOOOO.....all the above was pretty much the first leg of life with the FD. I had graduated high school and was going to a community college while my girl finished up her senior year. At this point I was pretty happy and content with how the car was (didn't have much choice as I didn't have much money) and just enjoyed daily driving it and going to meets.
The RX-7 gods would have other plans for me though and a careless choice would come back to haunt me...but also be a blessing in disguise.
One day during a JGTCA meet/cruise, where I had been stretching her legs all day with the group she decided she had had enough. Oddly enough she was fine the whole day until I split off to drive home. On the way home...just cruising (no horseplay as she already had enough that day) she decided to die once again. :-(
Going up a nice steep incline I started feeling the car slip until the point where she wouldn't move under her own will anymore. Engine was still running happy...which was a relief....but I suspected the trans again. I was MORE than a little pissed seeing as I had just paid for a full rebuild not even a year ago.
Oddly enough...I had documented the whole day as the group wanted me to shoot a little video for the meet which is below. Nothing really exciting...I was doing is as a favor for the group and also was using it to play around with some editing software some more. Again, I didn't do most of the filming so I had to use whatever shots were taken.
enjoy
lol watching that after so many years almost makes me cringe
The RX-7 gods would have other plans for me though and a careless choice would come back to haunt me...but also be a blessing in disguise.
One day during a JGTCA meet/cruise, where I had been stretching her legs all day with the group she decided she had had enough. Oddly enough she was fine the whole day until I split off to drive home. On the way home...just cruising (no horseplay as she already had enough that day) she decided to die once again. :-(
Going up a nice steep incline I started feeling the car slip until the point where she wouldn't move under her own will anymore. Engine was still running happy...which was a relief....but I suspected the trans again. I was MORE than a little pissed seeing as I had just paid for a full rebuild not even a year ago.
Oddly enough...I had documented the whole day as the group wanted me to shoot a little video for the meet which is below. Nothing really exciting...I was doing is as a favor for the group and also was using it to play around with some editing software some more. Again, I didn't do most of the filming so I had to use whatever shots were taken.
enjoy
lol watching that after so many years almost makes me cringe
12-06-13, 04:10 PM
#41
Now was time for me to really figure things out. Around this time there was lots of talk of people who had done manual swaps on the forum. I just couldn't bare spending the money to just put another automatic back in the car. I was fairly comfortable with the car and power by this point that a 5spd swap seemed to be the most logical thing to do.
Being a HUGE task in itself I opted to have A-Spec do the conversion. By this time they were at their new shop which was maybe a 20 min drive from my house.
I purchased a full conversion kit from somebody on the forum who bailed on his swap which made the process much quicker as I really needed to have the car back on the road ASAP. I elected to help my friend's dad rebuild the used 5spd I purchased so there would not be any surprises. I was still a little skeptical about what happened with the automatic but for now it would be left as an unknown.
yada yada yada
Ended up with a new 5spd, swapped the rear to the standard 4.10, purchased a 9.5lb ACT flywheel, ACT S/S clutch kit, short shifter, and I believe that was it. I would later find out that the torque converter had taken a dump and the automatic trans was good all along. That's what I get for reusing a 100,000mile converter but like I said, it would be a blessing in disguise as I now had a MANUAL TRANS RX-7!!! I ended up selling the fairly rebuilt automatic transmission for something like $1400 which was awesome to help with the swap costs! Not sure how I did it but it sold!
While the car was in the shop getting the conversion I had NEVER driven a stick before! Not good...so I scrambled trying to get a few friends to let me try and learn on their cars and things went well but I knew this was going to be a little different with the upgraded parts.
I remember Charlie7 on the forums here, who was local, was nice enough to let me get a feel for the setup, since his was almost identical. I was more confident after this. When the car was all said and done I went to pick it up at A-Spec and wouldn't you ******* know that it would be POURING out.
Foregoing the test drive this time....I hopped in and made my attempt to bring her home. Maybe the 10th time I had been behind the wheel of a manual car but I had put HOURS into the theory of driving a manual. It's pretty scarey trying it for the first time as I'm sure most of us remember.
Good news is I didn't stall it ONCE the whole way home...in the rain and all. I was grandma-ing it though. For the days and weeks that followed I got more and more used to it just driving around my block till I was completely comfortable.
The thing pulled like CRAZY too! I thought now THIS is what all the fuss is about. Going with the higher gears (3.90 t0 4.10) and with all the trans/clutch work made this feel like a completely new car!
Looks like I got some redline goods as well at this time. The second din guage thing was also a temporary thing as I had plans to remove the switched and light for 2 more gauges.
Being a HUGE task in itself I opted to have A-Spec do the conversion. By this time they were at their new shop which was maybe a 20 min drive from my house.
I purchased a full conversion kit from somebody on the forum who bailed on his swap which made the process much quicker as I really needed to have the car back on the road ASAP. I elected to help my friend's dad rebuild the used 5spd I purchased so there would not be any surprises. I was still a little skeptical about what happened with the automatic but for now it would be left as an unknown.
yada yada yada
Ended up with a new 5spd, swapped the rear to the standard 4.10, purchased a 9.5lb ACT flywheel, ACT S/S clutch kit, short shifter, and I believe that was it. I would later find out that the torque converter had taken a dump and the automatic trans was good all along. That's what I get for reusing a 100,000mile converter but like I said, it would be a blessing in disguise as I now had a MANUAL TRANS RX-7!!! I ended up selling the fairly rebuilt automatic transmission for something like $1400 which was awesome to help with the swap costs! Not sure how I did it but it sold!
While the car was in the shop getting the conversion I had NEVER driven a stick before! Not good...so I scrambled trying to get a few friends to let me try and learn on their cars and things went well but I knew this was going to be a little different with the upgraded parts.
I remember Charlie7 on the forums here, who was local, was nice enough to let me get a feel for the setup, since his was almost identical. I was more confident after this. When the car was all said and done I went to pick it up at A-Spec and wouldn't you ******* know that it would be POURING out.
Foregoing the test drive this time....I hopped in and made my attempt to bring her home. Maybe the 10th time I had been behind the wheel of a manual car but I had put HOURS into the theory of driving a manual. It's pretty scarey trying it for the first time as I'm sure most of us remember.
Good news is I didn't stall it ONCE the whole way home...in the rain and all. I was grandma-ing it though. For the days and weeks that followed I got more and more used to it just driving around my block till I was completely comfortable.
The thing pulled like CRAZY too! I thought now THIS is what all the fuss is about. Going with the higher gears (3.90 t0 4.10) and with all the trans/clutch work made this feel like a completely new car!
Looks like I got some redline goods as well at this time. The second din guage thing was also a temporary thing as I had plans to remove the switched and light for 2 more gauges.
12-06-13, 04:35 PM
#42
The years after this start to blur as I would leave for college and not have much happen or go wrong with the car. I was studying to get my BA in Automotive Technology....which was awesome! I went to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
The positive was that I was no longer around crazy Chicago. I was now in a mostly rural country area with lots and LOTS of twisty roads that went to national parks and forests. I was also surrounded by young gear heads who all had their own flavors of cars and bikes around so there was never a dull moment. I also now had direct access to like 7 full buildings of every type of tool and product (including a dyno) known in the automotive industry. While learning in class I was always able to use my own car to do whatever labs and assignments needed which made going to class a LOT more tolerable....at least the auto classes that is.
I tidied up the interior a little bit more and then just enjoyed all the togue runs, meets, cruises, bbqs, threesomes..(wait..whut?)..and parties...at college!
I wanted to have/keep a clean looking interior and these gauges were a perfect fit. They were fairly inexpensive but quality gauges. The back lighting matched the factory gauges and they had the chrome rings. Couldn't ask for a better gauge set.
They are VDO vision chrome series.
The positive was that I was no longer around crazy Chicago. I was now in a mostly rural country area with lots and LOTS of twisty roads that went to national parks and forests. I was also surrounded by young gear heads who all had their own flavors of cars and bikes around so there was never a dull moment. I also now had direct access to like 7 full buildings of every type of tool and product (including a dyno) known in the automotive industry. While learning in class I was always able to use my own car to do whatever labs and assignments needed which made going to class a LOT more tolerable....at least the auto classes that is.
I tidied up the interior a little bit more and then just enjoyed all the togue runs, meets, cruises, bbqs, threesomes..(wait..whut?)..and parties...at college!
I wanted to have/keep a clean looking interior and these gauges were a perfect fit. They were fairly inexpensive but quality gauges. The back lighting matched the factory gauges and they had the chrome rings. Couldn't ask for a better gauge set.
They are VDO vision chrome series.
12-06-13, 04:48 PM
#44
Now a little pic dump from the years I was at school
Now a little bit on that last picture. Being at school I no longer had a garage and had to park outside for 4 years. NIGHTMARE i tell you. I was thankful that noone ever messed with my car but I also made a lot of friends and if I wasn't keeping an eye on it...chances were someone else was, including a campus police officer who had a FD. He said he always kept a eye on it when I lived in the dorms (SWEET!)
But when I moved to an apartment I didn't have that luxury and I was pretty much near the ghetto area of the city. On this particular day some idiot I guess had parked in the wet grass the night before since there was no other spots and got stuck trying to get out. So he decides to just rip em to get out causing all kinds of **** to go covering that one car. I come out the next morning in shock of what I'm seeing. HOW CLOSE WAS THAT!?
My car had 2 dime sized drops of mud on the hood and that was it. Talk about a close call
Now a little bit on that last picture. Being at school I no longer had a garage and had to park outside for 4 years. NIGHTMARE i tell you. I was thankful that noone ever messed with my car but I also made a lot of friends and if I wasn't keeping an eye on it...chances were someone else was, including a campus police officer who had a FD. He said he always kept a eye on it when I lived in the dorms (SWEET!)
But when I moved to an apartment I didn't have that luxury and I was pretty much near the ghetto area of the city. On this particular day some idiot I guess had parked in the wet grass the night before since there was no other spots and got stuck trying to get out. So he decides to just rip em to get out causing all kinds of **** to go covering that one car. I come out the next morning in shock of what I'm seeing. HOW CLOSE WAS THAT!?
My car had 2 dime sized drops of mud on the hood and that was it. Talk about a close call
12-06-13, 05:01 PM
#45
It was around this time that I started experimenting with photography on my crappy little $80 camera. The abundance of beautiful areas around Southern Illinois just made me want to explore more and more. It also gave me an excuse to take the car out on the back roads and really enjoy it. There are a couple mixed in when I was home in Chicago for various holidays and such.
The power of photo editing to make up for a super shitty camera! Love it
Shame I can't put up the high-res due to size restrictions....kills the pictures in my opinion but it's better than nothing I guess
The power of photo editing to make up for a super shitty camera! Love it
Shame I can't put up the high-res due to size restrictions....kills the pictures in my opinion but it's better than nothing I guess
