GoodDreams/Nightmares 1994 R2
 

Well I was starting to fill my intro thread with Tech details so I figured it was time to start a separate build thread.
Let this be the record of my naivety.
I'll try to keep a list of what's been done in this first post. but don't expect too much from this bulid. I respect what the Mazda engineers were trying to do and have no plans to go far beyond a working version of the FD.
this is my first RX-7 and my first time working on a rotary. there is nothing like learning a new car. you get to pick up so much stuff so fast its exhilarating. we'll i'm knee deep in this rotary stuff now, so far this is what I've found and what I've done.

August 2013:
-Bought the car
-drove it home (overheated on the way)
-checked compression to find two bad seals in the front rotor
-removed poorly installed inactive alarm
-removed HKS turbo timer that doesn't work
-installed proper front air directing pieces for 99 front bumper (under tray brake ducts etc.)
-replaced worn rear pillow balls
-fixed broken passenger side door pull

Here is the car the day i bought it.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3...815_185500.jpg

Nice 7 what are your plans?

Please tell me those headlights are in a garbage dump somewhere.

:nod::icon_tup:

Sharp looking FD otherwise, but the frog lights are like a huge wart in the middle of Scarlett Johansson's forehead :D

Yeah, hood and headlights are gone as soon as i can find some stock ones. the paint and body are just flawed enough that i don't have to feel bad about leaning on it or setting my bag down on it. all in all decent. wheels don't suit my taste or needs either so they will be replaced soon.

As for goals. I bought it to be a track toy and to run some errands around town. most of my modding resources will be aimed at beyond OEM reliability and durability. as far as I'm concerned it had just about all the performance it needed from the factory so if i can make stock power and not blow it up i'm happy. Maybe down the road I'll look at some of the 99+ updates, 16bit ecu, simplified vacuum, 4 channel abs etc. but for the time being I just want to drive a healthy car that i'm not afraid to put through its paces regularly.

I'm loving my Mazda Motorsports account. its been really easy to start checking things off the list.

You sound like you've got your head screwed on right :) Thats the best game plan I've heard in a while on here. No huge aircraft turbos. No space shuttle billet fuel system, no clunky aftermarket Ebay parts to fail. Just reliability and durability.
You get a thread a week about people's big single turbo cars having this problem or that, or some aftermarket part failing, and some catastrophic event related to a wildly modded car. Meanwhile you almost never hear about the cars that are built for reliability and durability ever being a problem.

My car has followed the same path as you described, and because its not wild and anodized billet everything, it doesnt get the love that the big single turbo cars get. But it also doesnt get all the problems either, and I can daily drive it with no issues, and I dont remember the last time I asked for help about the car, because its been very good to me. I just want 99 spec turbos, OEM rebuilt engine when the time comes, stock ECU and stock boost. A few additions for reliability, and some handling work to make it fast in a corner. And thats all I'll ever need.

Sounds like you got a winner and a game plan. I'm interested to see what she turns out like :icon_tup:

Thanks SA3R. I've been a big fan of the FD for years and I admire and respect the engineering that went into them, I'm mainly interested in correcting the compromises that may have been made in order to mass produce such a potent and unique car.

Well, I did some more work (if it can even be called that). I've been frustrated just staring at the car when i want to be fixing it, but parts are slow to arrive and some vendors are slow to respond, so i do what i can with the knowledge, tools and parts i have available.
I've been reading a lot of threads about engine fires and it got me spooked, so i got down to biz on the engine bay with de-greaser and washed of any oil I could reach. I did the best i could until the engine comes out. I now keep a fire extinguisher in the diver side storage bin, so my mind is slightly more at ease.
I also tried cranking down the idle just to see if I could get it low enough to even consider a Smog check. I'm still trying to wrap my head around all the adjustments on the TB. by just turning the Air adjustment screw under the intake arm i got it down to 1500 steady. Not what i was hoping for, but better than 2300 and searching.
I'm currently trying to source a new (used) engine that will hold together while I learn to rebuild this one. ordered about 60ft of nitrile vacuum hose. hings under the UIM are pretty crispy so I'll go over that when i get the motor out. I'm starting a list of everything wrong with the car and things to fix, it's getting kind of long.

-Engine: low compression on two chambers in front rotor, high idle, hard hot start, coolant overflows into resevoir, stalls below 900rpm
-Transmission: 3rd gear grinds on fast shifts, second and fourth are hard before warmed up
-Brakes: ebrake cable is loose, RR caliper ebrake mechanism is seized, Faded pink paint on front calipers, needs flush and bleed
-Wheels: 18s rub front fenders during cornering, fenders have been "modified"(pulled, think oposite of rolled) to accommodate oversized/wrong off set wheel tire combo, wheels have locks and I don't have the key (yet)
-Interior: missing driver's door armrest pocket cover, some fitments issues with plastic panels, needs A/C service
-Body: Horrible hood and headlights (must go), drivers side fender has a small tear( cut?), rust spot in floorboard, oil cooler ducts don't fit 99 front (might be doing more harm than good)

started in on the linearization water gauge mod today. so far i've got this
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...ps2a7b6276.jpg
Attachment 661631

Front end ducting kouki compared to zenki
Attachment 658724

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...psa53e8a08.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...ps21c81a11.jpg

Even thought the engine is coming out, I decided to freshen up the cooling system a bit and see if it helps alleviate any symptoms.

Attachment 658725
Attachment 658726
I have a bad habit of getting too curious when I'm doing tear down for an install, this is what my car looked like an hour before i was planning to drive it to work.
Attachment 658727
I opted to take another car.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...ps33791921.jpgAttachment 658728
In the time I've owned it, the car has done one lap at an auto cross, the tires rubbed, the coolant overflowed, and the battery leaked.
Attachment 658729
I fixed the battery issue with an Optima and the rubbing issue with these
Attachment 658730
Attachment 658731

weighed the car out of curiosity, I was quite surprised to see both the weight and bias were pretty much as advertised.
Attachment 658732

I'm interested to see how this comes along. Good base to start though.

You've got good taste!
Change the turbo coolant lines while you're in there.

What size RG-Rs? Keep the pics coming :icon_tup:

17x8 +40
17x9 +42
my first set of new wheels.

no pics today, but hopefully some more coming soon, front clip is coming this week with any luck and i can get some stuff checked off my list.

looks like you are going in the proper direction! Love the new wheel setup

and how was before transfer?

the coolant coming out when you autox is common. the filler neck that goes into the overflow reservoir just sits in it. It happens to my car when I autox as well. maybe some plastic cement would help but i havent worried about it.

if the only issue were the cornering forces splashing the coolant out of the reservoir, I'd be less concerned, but the reservoir will overflow just about every time i drive it in boost for more than a few miles. I'm pretty sure the issue is with the water seals letting exhaust gas pressurize the cooling system.

not sure I follow. the car is pretty much stock with a 99 front bumper but no bumper support, the headlights and hood are aftermarket, i'm not sure what the weight difference is to stock, but when i get the aluminum hood and OE headlights, i'll compare the weight. since i weighed it, I've put on lighter wheels and a different battery,not sure if there is a significant difference in overall weight.
total was around 2806-2808 with 3/4 tank of gas and spare, cross weight was 48.4%

it does sound like coolant seal failure

today was full of fail. I decided to replace the right rear caliper since the e-brake engagement lever was broken, After waiting 10 days for the re-manufactured part to arrive i find out that it is warped and i'll have to return it and probably wait another 10 days and probably endure some BS hassle along the way. i also kinked one of the stainless lines i was installing while I was fighting the caliper, so i ordered another set. spent about an hour trying to talk to a human on the phone who could tell me where the hell my front clip is and why its been sitting, for almost 2 days, 3 hours from the shop it was supposed to be delivered to five days ago. unsurprisingly no answers were had.
well with that out of the way tomorrow should be a better day.

finally got the brake lines installed, caliper replaced and air bled out. I ended up bleeding the brakes thrice, since the first time was unsatisfactory, and the second time accidentally got air in the MC, so the 3rd time around I bled the MC by itself then the rest of the system. brakes feel the same as before, not bad, but not great. I think I'm going to have to rebuild the master. now I've got an ABS light that comes on when i start moving, I'll have to check the sensors tomorrow.
The clip I bought is still sitting on a loading doc in LA just a few hours from me, so close yet so far. Apparently the shipping company was not OK with a clip being shipped without a crate or some protective barrier. The owner of the company I hired is now making a half assed attempt to convince the 3rd party he pawned it off on to complete the shippment by submitting a waiver of liability, I remain un-amused.

Damn those RG-R's look mighty fine!! Good luck with your build :icon_tup:

Very interesting to see the physical differences between the early and later plastic engine bay undertray. Valuable info there.

yeah, I did a search but couldn't find anything conclusive about which bits were functionally different. in a pinch the older under tray and upper air dam can be modded to work, the brake ducts a pretty different though.

Still trying to get the shipping fiasco with the front clip sorted, apparently the carrier that was supposed to bring it the rest of the way didn't like the idea of moving something packaged in shrink wrap and floor mats.
Attachment 656558
In the mean time I am keeping busy with smaller jobs.
the brake lines are on and the new caliper lets me finally set the parking brake.
Attachment 656559

i greased the hinges on the door handles, I highly recommend this, it takes about 10 minutes to do and the handles no longer feel like they are going to break off when i open the door.
Attachment 656560

Front clip arrived

Attachment 655934

First thing i took was the headlights.

Attachment 655935Attachment 655936the paint was from a rattle can mixed by Touchupdirect.com, it was ordered to match Mazda color code PZ but in direct daylight it has a bit more red in it than the factory color.

and then the airbox

Attachment 655937

then back to work stripping the clip down

Attachment 655938
Attachment 655939Attachment 655940http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...psc1de311a.jpg


Tomorrow I hope to get the engine and transmission out and compression test.

My god, looking at that photo of your door handle... You must have possibly the only undamaged/unbroken original key barrel light wires left on an RX7... Be gentle with them!!!! :p

It was one of the first things i checked when i looked at the car before buying it. they were a little harsh but after a mild cleaning and re greasing they feel really good.

Motor is out of the clip, compression has been tested, rebuild kit will be on order tomorrow:(

Did a front end conversion on my forklift today, let me know what you guys think.
I might still go with S15 headlights for more JDM cred.

Attachment 655836Attachment 655837


some pics from the engine removal part 1

Attachment 655838Attachment 655839Attachment 655840Attachment 655841Attachment 655842http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...ps1f977d44.jpg

motor has been separated from the PPF
Attachment 655696
Then stripped down
Attachment 655697
then I took a peak into the rotor housing to see what the problem was.
Attachment 655698
^ this is the good rotor with three apex seals that have spring tension and makes compression


The other one... not so much. two apex seals were MIA
Attachment 655699

tomorrow I will tear it all down and see if the rotor and housing are salvageable.

wow, Pretty busy for a few days there. Here's what's going on.
-I tore down the engine and inspected the front rotor and housing, unfortunately they are damaged beyond repair and will serve only as trophies to commemorate my first rotary build. I got in touch with a Rotary engine builder not too far away and made the trip down to Porterville to Palm Tree Rotary to pick up a used rotor and housing. Moe from Palm tree was VERY helpful and gave me lots of advice as well as inspecting and measuring a bunch of engine parts for me, I'm feeling a lot more confident in this build after having some face to face time with someone who knows what they are doing.

Here are some pics from the last few days.

The Flywheel was pretty difficult to get off, wasted a lot of time on this thing
Attachment 655488

Finally off

Attachment 655489

the E Shaft Pulley bolt was no easy task either, i had to use the big impact for that one.

Attachment 655490

rear rotor and housing looked fine and after measurement, turned out to be in very good condition

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...ps757e1058.jpg

the same could not be said for the front rotor.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...ps0c6cfad4.jpgAttachment 655491

while disassembling and cleaning the housings i must have cut myself about a dozen goddamn times

Attachment 655492

after putting everything through the parts washer at least once I packed it all up and took it home to hunker down and start the reassembly process.

Attachment 655493

I bought a Nardi Steering wheel from ZE Power MX6. install was pretty simple, especially since He'd already modded the connectors to plug right in to the s6 US airbag and horn. At first i was a little disappointed that the diameter difference between the nardi and the stock 94 wheel wasn't greater, but after putting it in and driving for a bit, just the little difference there is makes for a much more comfortable driving position and feels much better in my hands.

Before

Attachment 655421
After

Attachment 655422

a comparison of forward visibility over the dash (this was an issue for me, the steering wheel was the highest point in my line of sight)
Attachment 655423Attachment 655424
and Leg room
Attachment 655425Attachment 655426
All in All, I love it

Some pics from Palm Tree Rotary:


weighing the replacement rotor
Attachment 655369
measuring the Eccentric shaft for journal thickness and straightness.
Attachment 655370Attachment 655371
various measurements.
Attachment 655372
the new (Used) rotor housing
Attachment 655373

then back in my lair:
Attachment 655374
giving the rotors a nice bath in diesel to loosen up the carbon in those hard to reach places
Attachment 655375
then taking measurements to select the right bearings
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...ps560d4143.jpg
bearings got pressed in, getting ready to set the side seal clearance here
Attachment 655376
as of right now the rotors are assembled and ready for the long block to be put together.
Attachment 655377

Looking good.

Rotor in its housing

Attachment 654933

Apex seal going in

Attachment 654934

Assembled longblock (does that term even apply to rotaries?)

Attachment 654935

I tried the grease impact method to remove the pilot bearing, but it isn't really optimal for this style of bearing. so i bought a blind hole puller set and it worked like a charm.
Attachment 654936

no bore damage whatsoever

Attachment 654937

I got the flywheel resurfaced, apparently it was so warped that it started taking down the ring gear a bit on the machine.
Attachment 654938
checked end float and it was a bit tight, so i ordered then next two smaller sized spacers to see what worked. For reference, smaller will make the clearance tighter, so i had to re order the larger spacers.

Attachment 654939

I've been ordering a lot of things from Mazda Motorsports lately, and I am convinced this it the smallest box they have.

Attachment 654940

what could be inside?

Attachment 654941

just these two spacers, Seriously, that's all that was in the box, two spacers and an invoice

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...psdbe92d23.jpg

Meanwhile, back at the shop


10:00am

Attachment 654929

10:05am

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Some time later

Attachment 654931

Now I'm faced with the task of repairing the slow roasted wire harness and rats nest.

Attachment 654932

12/16 - 12/17
 

had some more set backs over the weekend but managed to get the motor buttoned up.

here it is mostly assembled

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427579315/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427579315/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

Exhaust manifold on,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427592846/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427592846/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

and fully assembled

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427597616/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427597616/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

I came up with a plan to transport the motor in my commuter since the timing didn't allow for me to borrow a truck.

step 1: remove passenger seat

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427596806/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427596806/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

step 2: remove pin from door hinge checker. This will allow the door to open wide enough to accept the engine on the stand.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427576915/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427576915/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr
At this point i ran into some interference issues with the engine hoist loop and the engine stand foot.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427711804/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427711804/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427732423/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427732423/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr


Both issues can be solved by...

Step 3: Jack up the car.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427595024/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427595024/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

Step 4: roll engine right into place. (almost)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427595854/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427595854/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

It was about then that my roommate woke up and mentioned that my GF was home sick so we might as well use her SUV, so we did that instead, Helluva lot easier but it didn't make me feel as clever and innovative.

nice job!

best part was your friend had to mention to you that YOUR gf was home sick...haha

ha ha, yeah. I have been kind of oblivious to anything besides prepping this car for the last few weeks,

from where did You ship it and how much did it cost?

the clip? It came from GA. via Frontline freight, Cal Top, and S3 Logistics booked through U-Ship.com. price was quoted at $450USD and has been held by U-ship but currently has not been released to S3. I figured, they took a month to get the thing to me and had to call and remind them to do their jobs just about every day, maybe I should let them do the same. However, a month has come and gone and no word from them. Kinda takes the piss out of it. the whole thing was a giant cluster F#%k.

Update: the rebuilt engine is in with the JDM transmission from the clip. I am currently diagnosing the no start condition that is inherent in almost any engine R&R. Compression is a little low (I've read it tends to be on rebuilds with used housings) but consistent and even. I'm getting no signal to switch the fuel pump relays, and even when I jump them it won't run, same on starting fluid. I missed my second deadline on completion so the pressure is not as great, but i still need to get this thing out of my friends bay soon.

12/21 no start diag day 3
 

Code 23 Fuel Thermosensor. of course it would be buried under the rats nest. getting towed home tomorrow, hopefully I'l get it figured out soon and start putting some miles on.

compression numbers on both motors (as read cold with a cheap piston engine gauge with valve open)

Old motor:
front 70,30,30
rear 70,70,70

rebuild motor at 0 miles
front 60,60,60
rear 60,60,60


also of note, i took a look at the clutch, it has slipped the entire time I've owned the car. Not badly, but if you get after it in a low gear or shift too fast, rpms will shoot up and it starts to smell like to many evo launches. This is what it looks like when you don't break in your clutch properly.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427729523/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11427729523/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

almost no wear, just glazed and hot spotted.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11476321113/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11476321113/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

same with the flywheel

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11476288826/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11476288826/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

Do you have all your ground wires hooked up correctly?

I wish i could say with certainty that i did, but poor grounding has crossed my mind. i had to replace a few connectors when i was putting the harness back on before the install mostly due to cracking or hardened insulation. I replaced one of the ecu grounds under the manifold, i cut and soldered the ring terminal and the two wires that bolt to the solenoid rack using a fresher JDM harness as the donor. I've cleaned and check each ground on the chassis in the engine bay. I am curious about what was bolted to the stud on the oil filter pedestal, not sure if it was just support for the harness or if there is a ground missing.

Awesome skill!

engine install - 25 miles
 

Some progress has been made, though it has been a battle.
what looked like a simple fuel system fault turned into a trouble shooting spree. the engine started right up once i put some more oil in the rotor housings (all the oil from assembly burned off during cranking) so after a few warm up cycles to check for leaks and one more compression test, i got it ready and took it around the block. Immediate CEL, limp mode, and a very rough idle that got worse with headlights and being put in gear. two more days of probing sensors and i found the cause of the thremo sensor code. the X14 connector had a bent pin and was not fully connected, easy fix. then the ECU stopped flashing codes when 10 and gnd. were jumped, this one was a huge PITA. I swapped in the JDM ecu and started it up, got an OMP code. my friend spotted one branch of the OMP harness draped across the crank pulley cleanly severed. guess that'll do it. I forgot to re install the wire retainer under the water pump that holds the metering lines and harness, so one of the looms got snagged by the pulley reluctor and cut in half. I soldered in and extension and connectors , routed it away from moving parts and plugged it in. low and behold, no codes. The rough idle in gear was from an unplugged clutch switch. tomorrow i'll swap ecus back and see if the problem was just with the OMP wires or if the short fried the ecu. either way I'll be looking for a spare CA ecu.

here are the pics:

engine in but won't start

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11559376245/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11559376245/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664957764/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664957764/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

Hitchin a ride back home.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664856153/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664856153/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

Found this little bugger pinched off while i was checking the thermosensor wires

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11665383556/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11665383556/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr


so as of tonight I've got about 25 miles on it, the idle is still searching a bit.

while the bumper was off i decided to do some upkeep. one of the previous owners had removed or substituted a lot of OEM bits so i used what i had from the JDM front clip to replace them.

the 99 bumper had no bumper support behind it, so i took the one from the efini and modded it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664599315/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664599315/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664598365/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664598365/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664845623/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664845623/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11665539153/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11665539153/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11666073406/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11666073406/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

The skin was fastened to the aluminum mounting bracket with some old rusty home depot nuts and bolts, so i replaced them with aluminum rivets and added the weather srips that were missing as well.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664594725/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664594725/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664952144/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664952144/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664592875/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664592875/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

the lip was held on with the same rusty home depot treatment, so it got some speed clips

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664592225/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664592225/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

the little wind deflectors between the healight and the fender were missing so i installed those.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664946474/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664946474/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664951634/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664951634/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664844623/http://www.flickr.com/photos/111893829@N08/11664844623/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/111893829@N08/, on Flickr

after riveting the mounting bracket and weather strips on, i was surprised at how much rigidity the bumper skin gained, without them, it would sag and droop when it was off the car, now it feels pretty solid.

to do list:
-swap RHD shifter to original LHD one (they have a different angle)
- replace and repin beat up ecu plug
-Swap back to US ecu and check for code reading ability
- continue break in
-100 mile oil change
-possibly do diff fluid change with friction modifier (seems pretty harsh)
-strip paint off aluminum hood and fix dent
- fix exhaust leak (warped flange at the cat)
-smog the damn thing (least favorite activity ever)