Formal Intro: Moderu
 

First and foremost, this thread will be more of an update thread vs. "build" thread. I do NOT have the knowledge, expertise, or $$$$ for a build thread. Hence, this will be more of a progress/maintenance log along with general car stuff.

Prior to RX7club, I spent time on Clubroadster.net because the Miata (NB) was my first track car.

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Additionally, I frequent m3forum.net due to ownership of the e36/e46/e90. In fact, our space grey e90 is our family hauler.

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Last but not least is nsxprime.com (genuinely one of the best car communities I've been privileged to be a part of). I kept a maintenance log for quite some time, but haven't updated due to a few projects along the way. I go by moderu (m0deru on IG) on nearly every forum, so if you're on them please give me a buzz.

You can spot how long I was away from the car scene prior to the NSX with my 90s thought process.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showth...l-Intro-Moderu

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psfwhg80nq.jpg

Prior to purchasing my acquaintance's SSM FD, I was actively searching for about 1/2 a year and non actively searching since Highschool.

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I was very hesitant to purchase the car because it was a Rebuilt Title vehicle. It was in good condition mechanically and cosmetically, but I never owned a branded title car before. I ran the carfax and it showed the car was STOLEN / RECOVERED in 2001. Furthermore, the ignition key differed from the rest of the car. Upon inspection of the suspension components, everything was also original. The car was repainted when my acquaintance took over, so panels were difficult to access. I reluctantly pulled the trigger since it was someone I knew and condition of the vehicle was better than most I've previewed.

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Upon delivery, I gave it the once over with new coolant, ATE brake fluid, Castrol GTX, Eneos MTF, and OS Giken gear oil.

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After the once over, I tried to enjoy the car as is, but it was far too obnoxious for street driving. I got the car with a single turbo conversion (Turbonetics 60-1) and a WG that dumped to atmosphere. Good lawd! Loud is NOT loud enough to describe it.

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Aside from the deafening noise, the car didn't feel 100%. It bogged during idle and didn't feel linear. For that reason, I never fully revved up the car to see what it could do. Luckily for me (bitter sweet), I took the car to Neptune Speed to address an oil leak. While in Yoshi's possession, he fixed a lot of little gremlins including: new master/slave cylinder, new Exedy clutch, resurfaced RB flywheel, new clutch switch, new gas door stopper, new hood latch, oil filler and misc o rings, DEI blanket, Cusco oil catch can, and obviously new oil pan gasket. Most importantly, he retuned the car's Power FC and got it running very smooth and consistent. 350WHP @13psi

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Back in my possession, I decided to clean out and replace some interior pieces. The car squeaked and rattled too much for my taste.

JB weld is your friend.

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Everything out for vacuum and cleaning.

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I found these washers effective for tying down your panel screws. Keeps the screws from tearing through the foam.

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Ended up purchasing a new gauge cover/hood, defrost vents, and door handle covers as well.

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Finished with the interior for now. Lotus Elise seats have been sold and replaced with OEM black leather seats.

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I had a very good experience with Ohlins, so I decided to give it a try on my FD with Swift Springs.

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Addressed the broken front outer tie rod ends, swapped trailing arms and rear toe links to TCS from Banzai Racing, and added a Super Pro poly kit with steering rack bushing. Alignment was completed by Impex Motorsports in Temple City, CA.

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My buddy, Sheldon Ortega (superchargedrange on IG) even addressed the external WG dump issue.

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Everything was starting to look good, sound good, and feel good.

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And then I met Kento............................

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Welcome sir

Thank you sir!

What IC is that? Water-Air?

and if you are doing any welding, it's a build thread

The Liquid/Air intercooler is an Australian company called PWR. There's an external heat exchanger mounted parallel with the aluminum radiator.

https://www.pwr.com.au

Sheldon is a great welder so wanted to display his work.

Welcome mate! Good luck with your build

Can I say that NSX is stunning ! Love the 7 too. You're basically living my dream haha I would love to add an NSX to my collection one day

Welcome, nice progress on the SSM. Can't beat the sleek evil of brilliant black though :devil:

Thank you! Good luck with your build as well.

:nod:

Bunch a nice cars in this thread. Sweet...

but seriously...what up with Kento?

What's up Kenny beautiful collection my Friend

Kento kept the Brilliant Black FD....Brilliantly maintained. Hence, forcing me to own 2 FDs at the moment.

Thanks Tim! I appreciate the support.

Awesome, bringing one to sevenstock?

Yes, I'm trying to make it out to my first sevenstock.

Nice fleet!

Would love your NSX vs RX-7 thoughts. I had a pair of NSX (a NA1 and a NA2) prior to getting a FD.

P.S. I'm still active on Prime...

Making me want to purchase your silver one lol

Thank you! I noticed quite a few Primers also own RX7s (FDs in particular). I'm guessing it has to do with our taste in a timeless design. :lol:

Here's a quick update on the BB FD.

-Castro GTX 20w-50 w/OEM filter
-Eneos 75w-90
-ATE Typ 200
-OS Giken 80w-250
-Installed Speed Bleeders and Stoptech SS lines

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Yesterday, while the car was getting the "once over" done, we noticed a slight speed bump.

When it came time to perform the coolant flush, we noticed the right side bracket on the radiator mount wasn't properly secured. Additionally, the drain plug was capped off with a rubber grommet and filled with plastic epoxy of some sort.

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My AC is working fine but the condenser is bent.

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We also removed a lot of custom ducting pieces.

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My under tray was in rough shape. Luckily, I have OEM 99 spec items on the way, so the 99 tray will replace the damaged USDM tray. We'll address the radiator mount / drain plug when the bumper is off the car.

Next will be suspension swap from the SSM FD and new Pads/Rotors. I prefer the ride quality of the Ohlins/Swift vs Koni/Hyperco.

Lastly, Kento was very generous with his unused parts, so keep your eyes on the classified section for stuff I'm not using. I saw his attachment to the car as I was driving away. It really sucks he had to sell, but he did a great job keeping it clean and simple for the past 18 years.

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Suspension swapped from the SSM to the BB.

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After the suspension swap, I decided to raise the car and make it a little easier to drive around town. Here's a test fitment for my street/track wheels.

Prodrive GC-07C 18x8.5 +44 18x9.5 +44 w/Toyo R888 235/40/18 265/35/18
Prodrive GC-05F 18x8.5 +23 18x9.5 +27 w/Bridgestone 225/40/18 245/40/18

Love the Face 2 on the GC-05Fs. They were sourced by my friend at JP Aero.

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After the wheel fitment test, headed straight to Impex for a much needed alignment. Since I'm still very new to the FD world, I decided to go with Howard Coleman'a suggestions.
F: -1.2 camber 1/16" toe in
R: -1.2 camber 0 toe

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Lastly, my wing is done from Shine Auto.

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Wing looks good. I remember a few years ago, it was all the rage

Thank you! It's a nice simple design that should be functional.

Ended up at Willow Springs International Raceway yesterday with a few of my friends. I didn't realize it was Mazfest, so that was kind of cool. I've been wanting to shake down the FD after the suspension swap.

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Unfortunately, I was only able to run 2 sessions due to water temps climbing too high. I didnt want to break anything on my first track day with the FD.

I'm very pleased by the amount of support from Mazfest attendees offering help when we had the FD on stands. Great community we have here!

Overall impression of my first track experience with the FD is very positive. The car was very light, agile, and easy to drive. When the rear came loose, it was very predicatable and easy to correct. It only lacked power when compared to some of the exotics on track (911s, Viper, Ferrari, and Corvettes) during the front and back straights.

Can't wait to get it properly set up and get out on track again.

Were you on clubroadster and parted out the miata?

Yes, I was a long time CR member with the Emerald Mica Green NB.

How was your Oil temp ? I found that was my worst area