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Greetings all. This will be my final update for the summer, as today is my last day a free man.
No, I have not been incarcerated, but I have to go back to school (which I have been advised is pretty much the same thing but with slightly better food).
I think I will have to shell out for a new heat gun soon, as the one I commandeered from my father's garage has gone poof! It still works but doesn't heat very well. I have a pretty good idea of what's broken and how to fix it but I can't get it apart without destroying it, so it looks like I will be procuring that fancy dewalt model that has a digital temperature readout and several attachments for a mere $40 more than the craftsman one that I ran into the ground.
about a year ago I got a "Coleman Precision Rotaries" turbo manifold and downpipe from a forum member that had relocated here from Washington (state) for work and had bought one but ended up never using it as he elected to go with the HKS GTIII-4R kit and thus had no use for it. He asked me if I wanted, and it just so happened to be exactly what I was after. He was kind enough to give it to me (and a GReddy RS race catback that was getting to be too loud for him at his age (he's not that old ) for the small sum of $0.00 (I did some work on his car) The only condition was that if his wife enquired, I was to report to her that I paid several hundreds of dollars for it.
I recently just got around to test fitting it.
The plan is to retain my "series 8" stock port engine and just bolt an AGP "S261SXE" which is an S200SXE with a S362SXE compressor wheel and use a larger area/radius turbine housing. Alternatively, it they're available when the time comes and the budget allows, an EFR 8374 may be in the cards.
Wastegate will be a Tial V60 and I will be (attempting) to fabricate a mica heat shield for the lower intake manifold and also either an inconel or whatever sheet heat shield for the turbine housing. Peter from Rice Racing has a very informative video on it over on youtube.
I believe that for my application and with the amount of times I'll probably be taking it on and off, a "turbo blanket" may not be the best idea. I am also concerned about it being a textile and being able to wick up oil in the event of an oil feed leak and turning the car into a very expensive (and fast) candle. I will have fire suppression system nozzles in that area too but I digress.
Exhaust will be a 3" downpipe with a Borla XR-1 3" I.D. and a 16" OAL. I'll probably have my wonderful local fabricator (that probably charges less than he should for the quality of the work that he does (seriously, go look at the fab work on AArkaah's car(s). It's pretty cool.)) cut off the greddy muffler and replace it with a repackable 3" I.D. 16" OAL muffler with steel wool and acoustafil, and a v band 60 degree turndown.
While Pocono does not have any sound restrictions, some other places I'd like to go to do and I also don't want the folks who live in the apartment above the garage to have their floor, windows and dishes ratlling every time I fire the thing up and limp out of the parking lot. I'll probably have another muffler that I can attach when just moving the car around.
As you are likely aware, I procured some (approximately 25 year old) Penske 8100 double adjustable dampers made for a 3rd gen application by Guy Ankeny back when he was with Tri-point Engineering. As one would expect of 25 year old dampers, they need some new hardware and also need to be rebuilt because they're blown. I will also need to have them revalved because they initially valved for a "mildly modified" seven and I want to start with approx 900lb front and 800lb rear springs (16k F 14k R) on account of the new 200tw and DOT R offerings being able to provide more grip than anything that was around when the chassis was developed could.
(inb4 spring rate equates to ride quality instead of damping. I was in a JZA80 the other day that was on HKS hipermaxes that iirc had 16k springs and that thing rode like my hand me down Avalon.) On a second note, I can have these rebuilt/revalved with new spring rats for less than what a single adjustable long stroke DFV set would cost me and having to send them out for rebuilds instead of just driving to Reading for service.
I was able to take all of the old hardware and get measurements for it so that I can replace everything there with AN bolts and lock nuts. Hardware store stuff might work but it also might not, and the AN hardware doesn't cost that much for the quality control standards that they are built to. I'd also be a little upset if I ended up putting the thing in a ditch or off the side of a cliff because I had a hardware failure. Also see my very cool fountain pens.
As of late, I had been thinking. I am known as "scope creep Simon" around these parts (for a reason) While I am purely conceptualizing at this point.
"do I run my R15M-D (stock FD box) until I inevitably destroy third gear with all of the heat, torque and power that a single conversion is known to subject a transmission to in a road race application? "
it seems like some folks have managed to keep them alive for a little longer by adding coolers, extended transmission pans and in more extreme cases, upgraded gearsets. From what I understand, the problem is the transmission case and short of a redesign, nothing can be done to mitigate it.
The T56 seems to be the favored solution for this problem. but there is also the CD009. I have read that the ratios of that gearbox necessitate the addition of a 3.9 final drive, which I already have in the car.
The third, and most extreme option is either a Jerico (Ford toploader based) and/or a G-force/Tex Racing 101/101A (Muncie based) 4 speed dog boxes.
I'd need an T2 bellhousing, an adapter plate, and a few other things. It would also necessitate some fab work to the transmission tunnel. (I am at the stage where cutting and welding doesn't bother me like it once did). G-force is somewhat local to me so I could in theory just take it over there for service or learn how to replace dog rings since I am planning on dismantling it (the car) regularly. They appear to be dead simple to take apart on account of being based on a 1950s transmission.
I probably won't pursue a transmission upgrade for some time, but hearing of people going through 4-6 stock transmissions in a calendar year is kind of nuts. I guess it made sense when you could get them for 2-300 dollars but for what they go for now it makes zero sense. Kind of wish I had kept my auto rear iron and bellhousing.
No need for it at this point in the game, but somewhat unsure if I just sell my transmission/clutch/flywheel setup now to fund a conversion or wait until I break it and start from scratch? I suppose I will have to answer that question when I get the rest of my chassis preparation and engine build done.
Another update from the site of the United States' first and only nuclear reactor meltdown! (not exactly, but a couple miles down the road. I can see the cooling towers from here and I feel great!)
Sometimes stuff just falls into your lap. This was one of those experiences.
I had long been planning on purchasing a Tilton 600 overhung brake and clutch pedal assembly (for reasons that will become apparent in the future. The short of it is that I am doing a manual brake conversion because I didn't like the OE boosted setup very much)
MSRP was $375 from Tilton, which was reasonable for what it is and the standards that they are manufactured to. I went on good old Ebay and typed in "Tilton pedal assembly" for the heck of it and it turned out someone had one that they presumably acquired in a box of parts after buying a race vehicle and had no use for them. they had the usual blemishes from being stored for many years but had never been installed, and the starting price was $19 usd. I put in a max bid of $30 and won it for $26 (exc. shipping and tax)
Will update when it arrives. There are a few ways to mount this. I will more than likely be attaching it to the dash bar on my roll cage (when the time comes for me to have one fabricated)
Went to a show with Aarkaah this morning and met a lot of cool folks, some of them 7club members. One brought his (very very nice) T2 that he had put an EFR 8374 on. Really cool guy, forgot his name but he told me stories of being my age and being offered a c-series 20b for $1500 about 10 years ago. He tells me that he is still kicking himself over not getting it.
Also met a guy who went by LJ. Think he's hksgt2835 on the forum who brought his JPR imports built 20b third gen. The thing had a t6 flange bullseye and a pro-jay bully intake that probably makes eight quintillion at the wheels. Also met some of the people who helped build the car and later learned that they had a fabricator who manufactures a bracket that allows you to adapt a dbw pedal from an RX-8 to your third gen, which was really neat as I had been looking for someone who made such a thing. Very cool group of guys!
Anyway, it's back to school for me and I should really go do my homework that I would have done earlier had I not had to spend the entirety of Saturday loading and unloading furniture into a cargo van. (It was in my best interest to do so, as this will in part fund my questionable development efforts)
One of my professors has a habit of assigning 50+ page readings for class discussions. Time management is no joke. Naturally, I need a (real) job so that I can continue this debauchery at a much larger scale, so I will continue with my academic efforts. I've been able to do some work on the car over the weekends, but I have no clue how you guys with families find time to do this kind of stuff . One of these days you may see me making a fool of myself in some government hearing (I hope not but you never know) or on some television program about hoarding because they found me living in a large shed in the middle of nowhere full of broken RX-7s.
The DeWalt heat gun showed up. Much nicer to use than the craftsman unit I appropriated. Highly recommended.
I am almost done w/ the seam sealer removal in the passenger compartment. As referenced earlier this build is/will be heavily influenced by the track-prepared third gens of decades past both in form and function (I want it to look half decent because it will be visible). The time has come for me to have some fabrication done to address some of the shortcomings of the work the PO had done during his 16 years of ownership and some quality of life stuff.
Earlier in the thread I referenced the hole(s) in the spare tire well facilitated by water ingress as a consequence of a particular weather seal failing (I will be addressing that too. Many thanks to Molotovman for info regarding fixing it). I will be having my fabricator replace part of the trunk floor with a flat piece of sheet metal.
Some factory spot welded brackets will be removed. Some necessary for the installation of certain equipment and others because they are no longer being used.
I also have many self tap holes left from questionably installed modifications that were received with the vehicle that can be seen earlier in the thread. I will be having these filled in.
I also took the time to re-review the rulesets of the sanctioning bodies and classes I want to run with.
Penna. Hiillclimb Assoc. recently changed some of their rules. SCCA Hillclimb uses both AutoX and road race classes so some things are a bit odd. While it is under the SCCA Time Trial board, it is really its own thing. This brings us to my first relevant discovery.
I wanted to run this car in the SPO class. they also have SMX which is their own street modified class where you can pretty much do whatever the heck you want. As of this year, fuel cells are required for all GCR classes and also SMX. Fuel cells are really expensive and periodically and replacing a bladder to the tune of $800+ is not something I am ready for, not to mention the addition of a firewall because it would place it in the passenger compartment. No thanks!
After more research I discovered that I can compete in ITE w/o a fuel cell . This is very nice because the other organization I would like to run with (NASA) does not mandate them for Super Touring or Time Trial. (Neither does EMRA) Wheel to wheel and competitive time trials are likely many years away, but the only thing more expensive than building a car is building the same car multiple times when you didn't have to.
Some browsing of decade old thread topics got me thinking about the addition of aero. At this stage I have no business with front splitters or wings, and I really, really like the non-wing S6 look, but I have been conceptualizing the addition of one in the future. A member recommended a company called "Mallen Alley" who apparently makes a great deal of the wings seen in SCCA GT fields. Their GT1/2 wing (12" chord) looks very nice and they also offer a specific model for GT3 cars. They seem to be priced very reasonably for how well they are made also when compared to some of the more well-known offerings.
Anyway, that's my update. Hope to have the fabrication done in the next month or two. I might actually be able to start working again after we get the family business licensed by the state and everything. Build limbo (referred to as vehicle construction purgatory by me) gives you a lot of time to think about how you're going to do things and sometimes improve them (I think the engineering folks call it "iterative design")
I posted this link earlier, but I am no longer just working on electrical stuff and am now using it to organize all relevant build stuff. You can check it out here if you are so inclined: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing
Well this is funny.
About a month ago back when I started pulling the seam sealer, there was a guy standing by my garage when I opened it. He saw the FD and freaked out. Turns out he had been working on getting into road racing, (WRL) particularly with an FC. Spoke with him for about 30 minutes and gave him the run down. The other day, I got a message from him asking if I knew where to find a 5.12 rear end. For what, I asked? turns out he actually went and did it. He got an ITS prepped FC from a guy in Florida. It's going to need some work and we'll be looking everything over, but now I've got an opportunity to employ the practical application of what I spend far too much time conceptualizing.
Hopefully he'll get on the forum sooner or later. It looks like I'll be branching into the FC (and road racing) world.
More developments have been made. With the help of Turk82, I was able to get a technical drawing for some bushings that I will be using to adapt my 8100 dampers to a Cusco pillowball mount. Will still need to figure out the situation regarding upper spring perch ID and spacers (if applicable). Will be made out of 316 stainless and secured with a jam nut. Will most likely be of the nylon locking variety.
Earlier today, I also removed the fuel tank with the help of Aarkaah, or at least he watched me take the thing out. Fuel was drained a week prior so it was approx 130 lbs less than it would have had it been full, which is nice.
Planning on cleaning up the surface corrosion before I put the thing back together. Surprised that the rust holes in the spare tire well did not go all the way through.
"Why is the fuel tank coming out?" one may ask.
Well, I wanted to address the rust holes on the top of the trunk floor, as I couldn't stand to look at it. I also wouldn't be using the spare tire well anymore, as an 18x10 wheel won't fit there and I am quite certain that even if I were to track down an OE spare, it likely would not clear my front brake setup.
As referenced previously in the thread, I have no grievances with the OE fuel tank when used with the radium surge tank. It's probably the best commercially available solution out there short of a 22 gallon cell with a Radium FCST.
OE safety standards and aftermarket fuel starvation mitigation has proven to be an extremely effective solution. So why am I doing this?
The answer is that I may find myself having to install a fuel cell down the road, and everything that comes with it including the firewall. This makes a little more sense than having the trunk floor sheet metal replaced w/ a flat section and then just cutting it right back out in a couple of years. The OE/Radium setup is sufficient for my application, and is what I will be using until someone tells me I must use a fuel cell, which very well may happen sooner or later with the amendments that are being made to the PHA rulebook.
I will be having my fabricator cut out all of the sheet metal in between the frame rails in the trunk floor and replace it with a (sealed w/ flame retardant foam, probably UL94 or something) aluminum sheet that is fastened with riv nuts. There will also be a support spanning from where the trunk floor starts and ends in order to better support the fuel tank. While it is an odd shape, I believe that the design required is rather simple. This will (in theory) make it easier to perform maintenance in that area.
Why am I going to such lengths to increase the ease of maintenance? Quite simply because I will be the only person working on it 90% of the time and I really don't want to spend a nontrivial amount of capital dragging this thing to an event only to have something break and not be able to fix it because of how I put it together. I learned my lesson with this stuff when I tried to take apart some of my work that I had initially assembled with the main objective of being "clean" instead of easy to work on. This is merely a consequence of such a design philosophy.
Waiting to hear back from my fabricator with a quote and when I can drop the car off. The following fabrication related updates will more than likely make some of you want to have me blindfolded, put up against a wall and shot with a towed artillery piece or something like that.
Please keep in mind that this really isn't all that different than those "90's "JDM inspired" builds where someone spends some outrageous amount of capital on JDM everything because they felt like it. This is my "Big list inspired track-prepped third gen build" (if you could not already tell) because I thought all of the folks who were running these things around road courses all those years ago went through a ton of trouble to get all of us to where we are nowby pushing the envelope of what was previously not believed to be possible should at the very least have their efforts remembered, and this is how I wish to do it.
My recommendation is that if you see the car in person, refrain from looking at the interior, or you could seek me out and tell me how much of a moron you think I am for doing this. Either one is fine . It will look like your run of the mill S6 otherwise! (apart from the numbers and class designation on the side)
Hope you all enjoyed the read. Excited to be able to start fabrication.
Here is a neat little throwback to the "Rotary Spirit" meet on September (I think) of last year at Pocono on their north course. This is the event that pushed me over the edge. Usually when I am having that much fun doing something, I later learn that it was illegal or something.
Some of you may recognize this car as the one seen in numerous social media videos doing burnouts everywhere. I can assure you that I was not present when any of this took place.
(I forgot who to credit w/ the photo)
Here you can see me puttering around in someone else's third gen. This particular one was making 550 wheel on ethanol and had a large street port with an s366 bolted to the engine. First single conversion I'd driven and even with the s366, it had pretty good response if you kept it in the proper gear. It didn't have the low end of a sequential twin setup but I very much enjoyed being able to drive w/o managing the secondary transition in turns. I once got mine sideways going up a mountain (Blue Mountain road in Palmerton for those who are familiar) on some damp pavement and my flintstone tires, which will be addressed before it moves under its own power again.
(side note, if I ever win the lottery I am buying several sets of CCW classics or c14s)
I have also procured some 2nd hand unused and used parts over the past few weeks.
Scored a new Radium primary fuel rail for $75 from a guy 40 minutes away. Also got some used FFE engine mounts tomsn16 for $250. Wasn't planning on getting that specific model, but they came up for the right price and I knew I would likely not find them again for that much for some time.
I feel lucky to have had one set of Classics once upon a time, but that's still the goal for a lot of us track rats
Some have lived the dream - I believe Victor Masch holds the current FD record for CCW Classics on hand at 14
I have a feeling you might be a fan of his build with the direction you are headed and a shared appreciation for those who have come before you
All business to perfection
Keep up the great work!
Thanks Rick!
That thing looks super nice. Now I've got some more horrible ideas to implement! (If I could figure out how those side windows were mounted, I would probably rip my window regulators and all of the glass right now, but that can wait!)
I got a hold of Brad Barber a couple months ago and he was kind enough to send photos of his "Killer Bee" from an event at VIR in 1999 and I have come to realize that Victor's car is also present in many of the photos. Super cool to see it up close!
That's about how I want mine to be set up when complete (but silver). Really interesting how the windows can be snapped in and out and also how the fuel fill hose goes into the fuel cell. I may have to steal that idea if I ever end up installing one.
I'd like to avoid butchering my '94 dash for the a-pillar bars but probably wouldn't cry as much if I could find a ratty '93 that needs reupholstering. Have also been thinking of having an aluminum one made since it'd be easier to mount since I will no longer have the OE dash bar in place (how the heck are people attaching OE dashes to roll cages anyway?)
Scheduled with the fabricator. Almost done getting the car ready for the first round of fabrication! looks like I'll be dropping it off on either the weekend(s) of the 10th or 17th of November.
Met dgeesaman the other day. Super cool guy, was also humorous to find out that we actually played on the same high school ice hockey team, but 21 years apart! He was kind enough to show me his '94 R2 that had been in his care since 2002 and is working to get back on the road. Also extremely knowledgeable about transmissions. Gave me the rundown on the R15M gearbox and how to rebuild one.
I will also be at NJMP on the 12th supporting the FC that dracks2000 acquired. I'd be driving too, but safety equipment costs money and it isn't a priority at the moment since I am preparing this chassis. I'll get the helmet/HANS/fire suit and everything else in order later. If you see a black/red/gold FC numbered 02 and a guy with a horrible mustache putting it back together, feel free to say hello. You will know me when you see me.
Last summer I procured an M2 AP racing front brake setup for pennies (for what I was getting). I thought I was set. Then I learned about everything that goes into braking systems and all of the stuff you have to go through to get them to work properly (i.e. not bolting stuff together and saying it is good to go) Most notably, the fact that the brake bias is shifted so far forward that the rears are barely doing any work. I don't think I have to go into further detail as to why this is less than ideal and potentially hazardous. (slightly related rant: the lack of understanding regarding vehicle dynamics by some individuals whom I have come across is alarming)
So how does one address this?
Generally with the addition of the "rz rear brake bracket" and a larger dia rear rotor. While this does shift the bias a little closer to where it should be, it still could be better.
So what did I do?
I went and got those Performance Friction ZR22 calipers that I had previously put on the back-burner to further research the merit of such a project. I recently concluded that the criteria for me to adapt them had been met, after carefully considering several factors (that I would be glad to talk you to death about should you wish to enquire).
These utilize a 323x32mm rotor. What will these allow me to do that my AP 5200's will not?
Smaller piston sizes (36.5mm and 29mm respectively) will have less torque about the rotor annulus for a given line pressure. Less torque generated than the 5200s which it will be easier for me to account for front bias with my rear caliper/rotor selection. (I am shooting for a baseline of 65F/35R w/ my (dual) MC sizing so I can fine tune w/ balance bar)
29mm thick v. 17mm pads. (That sell for similar $ new) I can also procure 2nd hand unused and barely used pads from stock car teams for a fraction of the cost. Even paying full price, I could probably get through an entire season of track events and hill climbs on the same set of pads and might even have a lower brake consumable cost than I would had I retained the stock calipers.
Can sustain higher rotor temperatures before it starts heating up brake fluid although my wheel bearings may not like it... Also features ceramic insulators on the pistons.
Better pad options for my application. Uses the PFC 7823, Pagid 8093, and Winmax/Circo 1328 pad shapes among others. I may also stay w/ G-LOC as they advertise custom pad shapes as does Porterfield.
How will I adapt these? This is where the M2 brake setup comes in handy. After some measuring and basic math I was able to figure out what would need to happen to get this thing to fit. New rotor hats and caliper mounting brackets will be required. I spent some time getting all of the dimensions required to make the aforementioned parts and will be consulting the engineering department (Turk82) eventually.
I will have Coleman Racing doing the rotors and hats given that they need to be milled down from a huge piece of material. Will more than likely be of the floating variety.
Below are some photos of my process for your perusal.
Calipers came from the now defunct Hscott motorsports NASCAR team. Naturally, I purchased these used as PFC wanted $2987 for one caliper.
Currently evaluating a solution for the rear caliper. Not thrilled w/ the OE rears. If I can procure the "Brembo GT" parking brake, I can use whatever fixed caliper I want (probably a ZR20) on the rear. Or I could just do what we do with the FC and chock the wheels wherever it goes.
Will be listing my M2 setup in the classifieds once I have the brackets/hats manufactured. Will also be adding more photos of the ZR22(s) upon arrival.
PFC sponsored us for a minute, and we did some datalogging for them on a Honda. the PFC pads are magic, they last forever, are easy on the rotors (no real wear, although eventually it will get like a scaling)
the interesting part though is that the drivers like the feel. in the series we run, we can get hawk pads for free, and the drivers complain about the hawks still
Sometimes being "dumb" and jumping in is more fun than knowing what to do before tackling a problem.
You are not wrong! I have learned over time that for some, certain things must be learned through experience. I think we often forget that there are multiple ways to do things like in this case, "fixing" something until it is broken (hence the thread title). Sometimes you've got to throw everything you know, or thought you knew out the window in order to find different ways to do things that may very well proving to be beneficial depending on what you wish to do.
Originally Posted by j9fd3s
PFC sponsored us for a minute, and we did some datalogging for them on a Honda. the PFC pads are magic, they last forever, are easy on the rotors (no real wear, although eventually it will get like a scaling)
the interesting part though is that the drivers like the feel. in the series we run, we can get hawk pads for free, and the drivers complain about the hawks still
I don't think I've heard anything but good things about them. The 08 and 12 endurance compounds look very promising. Might check out the 01 and 11 when the time comes also. At $599.95 for the 12 compound for the front, it still beats the Endless MA45B that go w/ the OE front calipers at $785. Could probably use the 12's for HPDE's and the 11's for hill climbs and time trials.
SE,
It is so great to know that younger people are in the hobby!!!
My son (43) is into AMC's as I am, and also into low rider Ford trucks.
It really makes little difference what marque you are into.
Us old car devotees (old car, not old devotees at least in some cases) are a special breed.
This is especially true when our marque does not have beaucoup (pardon my French) of followers. They have repops of almost every part.they will ever need.
Do you ever go to Carlisle or Hershey? Not a lot for Mazda or AMC, but still a lot of fun for people who like cars.
Regards,
Adolph
SE,
It is so great to know that younger people are in the hobby!!!
My son (43) is into AMC's as I am, and also into low rider Ford trucks.
It really makes little difference what marque you are into.
Us old car devotees (old car, not old devotees at least in some cases) are a special breed.
This is especially true when our marque does not have beaucoup (pardon my French) of followers. They have repops of almost every part.they will ever need.
Do you ever go to Carlisle or Hershey? Not a lot for Mazda or AMC, but still a lot of fun for people who like cars.
Regards,
Adolph
There are a few young(er) owners on here w/ third gens (probably 8 if you include me) and a few more off of the forum. Not the most active but they will pop in from time to time. I think the demographic might be slightly different with the recent rise in popularity of "jdm culture" and everything it entails. It's super cool to look back 10-15 years through posts here and see how things change. Even better is the fact that many of those who were making those posts are still around on the forum. Those who got into these cars back then in their 20's are now in their 30's and 40's. I'm going to try to hang onto mine until they put me in the old folks home and take my license away, and then give it to another 20-something. Can't put a price on this kind of fun! Though I hear Roger Mandeville, Jim Downing and many of the rotary racers of days bygone are still in the game so to speak.
This is most likely more of a demographic-related observation than anything, but I have found that some of (what few younger folks we have( that are not on the website)) tend to not do their due diligence before messing with the car, even after being advised as to exactly what is going to happen if they do something. One guy I know is running stock twins with a mid pipe even after I told him what was going to happen. I really hope he doesn't break it because I don't think he'll be able to put it back together. If he spent half the time doing research as he did making social media videos and posts of his car, he would more than likely be very knowledgeable. (side note: contrary to what some internet folks/"influencers" will profess, a car is a poor replacement for a personality )
I think most of our site members are between 30 and 70-something and might have a tendency to scare off new/uninformed owners who do not appear to be attempting to do their due diligence.
I sometimes (very often) wish we had as many resources in the aftermarket as the Mustang and Porsche people do, but there are so few of these cars that until we see a major demographic change in ownership to something reminiscent of the classic 911 people (which might not be advantageous for everyone), we'll be doing a lot of stuff on our own.
As you likely know, there is a ton of knowledge and experience in the automotive restoration and modification community, particularly with the domestic classics we have over here. I think that for many of us in RX-7 world, we probably don't give them as much credit as we should as it is a tremendous resource on learning how to do things the correct way. The amount of work people put into some of those things is insane. I am hoping that the restoration industry doesn't fade away as many of the people in it grow older. A lot of them are some of the best in their craft(s).
I was at Carlisle earlier this year for the import show. I'm right down the road from Hershey so I could more than likely be persuaded to make my way over there.
I don't think I've heard anything but good things about them. The 08 and 12 endurance compounds look very promising. Might check out the 01 and 11 when the time comes also. At $599.95 for the 12 compound for the front, it still beats the Endless MA45B that go w/ the OE front calipers at $785. Could probably use the 12's for HPDE's and the 11's for hill climbs and time trials.
we for sure ran the 08's, maybe the 12's too, our favorite was either the 06 or 90, it was hand written so not sure which way was up!
This is most likely more of a demographic-related observation than anything, but I have found that some of (what few younger folks we have( that are not on the website)) tend to not do their due diligence before messing with the car, even after being advised as to exactly what is going to happen if they do something.
That isn't exclusive to RX7s. It is human nature and part of one's mental development cycle.
Originally Posted by SETaylor
I think most of our site members are between 30 and 70-something and might have a tendency to scare off new/uninformed owners who do not appear to be attempting to do their due diligence.
Yep. Again, human nature imo. I see that on other forums too. If you have any suggestions on how to improve that, please start a thread on it.
The older guys who get tired of answering the same questions will definitely behave differently than an enthusiastic younger person.
The enthusiastic younger person has more energy and time on their hands and may type up a good response.
The knowledgeable older guy has less energy, patience and time and may not take the time to type a response beyond it's been discussed before; check the FAQ or search. Mahjik (aka Mr Links) was excellent at this as he had links readily available to respond to people. Although, people often didn't actually read what was in the link...
I bring you more photos of the newly acquired calipers.
Because the RX-7 front and rear brake calipers are held in the trailing position as opposed to leading, I had to remove the bleed screws and crossover tubes and flipped them so it would work. It might be beneficial to keep that in mind if you wish to adapt calipers from other applications as some of the new stuff features integrated crossover tubes which would not allow you to change the orientation. This is only an issue if you have differential bore pistons.
I also was able to remove the ABS unit and most of the brake hardlines. Cleaned up nearly 30 years of stuff from under it, which was nice.
Only things left to do before sending it off is to finish removing the fuel hardlines, rear harness and probably the rubber seal on the firewall as I could see that getting melted when welding is being performed on the holes near it. I also need to go get a jack and put it back on the ground.
I am back with more exciting news from across the river from Three Mile Island.
The spacers I needed to adapt my Penske 8100's to a cusco pillowball mount are done! Many thanks to Turk82, as he did the majority of the work. I just gave him dimensions and a general shape.
We ended up using 304SS because there wasn't enough 316SS on hand and I didn't care to order more.
Also made a very crude drawing of the caliper bracket we are working on. Naturally, this will be prototyped with one of those fancy 3D printers because 7075-T651 (that high-dollar aircraft stuff) costs enough that I don't want to get the measurements wrong.
The M2 bracket I had on hand made this exercise a whole lot easier. Will have a nice CAD drawing for it in the future.
More development photos. Will make changes as needed. (may also add speed holes) Caliper bracket drawing.
Here is what we will be starting with. This is a 22x4.625x2.195" piece of 7075-T651 alloy that you might find in an aerospace or defense (read: no incentive to be cost-conscious) application. Might have been overkill but this is a safety-critical system and the differences in material costs are still less than the average hospital bill/funeral/terminal care.
In the evaluation stage of some unconventional methods of oil cooler placement to allow for ducting of the front brakes. I might need to get my hands on a differential pressure gauge and find someone running a similar radiator and intercooler setup who can actually drive their car.
Saw your mention of unique oil cooler placement. I’ve been struggling with the normal location because my FMIC is so large, and the bumper I have (GTC) has side vents. So the oil coolers would either hit the intercooler pipe or be close to rubbing the fiberglass bumper.
saw a pic of this the other day and think I’ll take some inspiration. It would definitely leave room for break ducts.
Can’t remember what car this was on. But never occurred to me to mount it so it exhausts outwards into the side vent on the front bumper. Nice ducting too. My bumper, you can see how the bumper angles inward on the sides leaving little room for the cooler on the outside. Intercooler width Similar on my other car. But the intercooler is a little smaller, still wide because of the radiator setup I run. Knightsports bumper on this car also has side vents in front of the wheels. So I might do it on this one too. You can see in my initial oil cooler mock-up I instinctively went to try to line the front up with the bumper openings and point the exhaust side more toward the center of the car. But makes a lot more sense to flip this around given the rest of my setup.
Saw your mention of unique oil cooler placement. I’ve been struggling with the normal location because my FMIC is so large, and the bumper I have (GTC) has side vents. So the oil coolers would either hit the intercooler pipe or be close to rubbing the fiberglass bumper.
saw a pic of this the other day and think I’ll take some inspiration. It would definitely leave room for break ducts.
Can’t remember what car this was on. But never occurred to me to mount it so it exhausts outwards into the side vent on the front bumper. Nice ducting too. My bumper, you can see how the bumper angles inward on the sides leaving little room for the cooler on the outside. Intercooler width Similar on my other car. But the intercooler is a little smaller, still wide because of the radiator setup I run. Knightsports bumper on this car also has side vents in front of the wheels. So I might do it on this one too. You can see in my initial oil cooler mock-up I instinctively went to try to line the front up with the bumper openings and point the exhaust side more toward the center of the car. But makes a lot more sense to flip this around given the rest of my setup.
I would think that as long as you can find a way to place the oil coolers where it would exploit the pressure differential between the bumper and the engine bay (and/or) under the vehicle. If you look at what BMW did with their oil cooler mounting on the F8X and G8X platforms I think it could be quite effective. It works with the undertray to pull air through the heat exchanger as the area below the undertray has low(er) pressure airflow.
If you look at a lot of tube chassis road race cars, you'll find that they tend to have the oil coolers perpendicular to the radiator, forming a U shape. It seems to be very effective but, unfortunately we don't have the space to do that unless we go and tube the front end.
What I was planning on doing was taking a setrab 72 row which has over 2x the surface area of my current 19 row setup (the 1 series, not the 6 series most of us use) that is comparable in size to the FC oil cooler and placing it either held perpendicular to the undertray (saw this setup work to great effect on a road race FD over in either Australia or New Zealand. I believe our very own Bumpstart was the one who suggested and implemented the idea). Or, I could place it flat on the undertray with a hole under it to a allow air to be pulled out. I have the greddy v-mount radiator and have enough space for it and purely by coincidence, sits directly in the path of the radiator cooling fans.
I know it's a little out there but it does seem to work, though I do want to get more data on how the air entering the engine bay is interacting with the oil cooler and if changing the orientation will affect it and if so, how much. If I can bribe someone into measuring pressure differential for me, I'll be sure to share my findings so you can get an idea of what air is going where so you can determine the best place to put them with your packaging constraints.
I know heat soak of the intercooler is a concern, but perhaps you could put it either in between the intercooler and radiator or just put it behind the radiator? Have seen it on some 20B FCs though this is with an FC oil cooler or two.
I found this video to be a good starting point. While it is geared towards intercoolers, the fundamentals can still be applied to oil coolers.
this may not be an option, but the way Mercedes used to do it, is they just put the oil cooler next to the radiator. from 1968-1982 Mazda essentially did the same, except the cooler is on the bottom
this may not be an option, but the way Mercedes used to do it, is they just put the oil cooler next to the radiator. from 1968-1982 Mazda essentially did the same, except the cooler is on the bottom
Interesting!
Since my radiator spans the width of the frame rails, I don't think I'd be able to implement that (though I could try if I were starting from scratch)
I test fitted (and thoroughly cleaned) my newly acquired 72 row oil cooler that came from a NASCAR team. ($175 v. $650 new!) with a set of fabricated mounts that will save me some trouble. I think this is actually a tiny bit larger than the FC oil cooler that I had initially been thinking about.
I found an area directly behind the cooling fans that will hold it at the same angle as the radiator. It would require me to have a 1/4" piece of metal to be welded onto the radiator mounting tabs of the sway bar mounts (isolated by rubber, of course) while also using the mounting points of the cooling fans near the leading edge of the radiator to attach another set of brackets that will attach it to that.
I got the idea from the Brandt Motorsports road race/tarmac rally FD that is said to be rolling around with 500 (Australian) hp at the wheels. I believe it was actually built and tuned by bumpstart from here.
Also notice how the fender liners are not present. I'd imagine that this lowers the pressure in the engine bay and helps "pull" air from it at speed.
Myself and dracks2000 were at NJMP yesterday (I forgot which track) in an attempt to figure out what his car needed. We found out very quickly.
You might also notice my Momo head restraint seat. It now rests in this second gen.
It seems that the exhaust hanger had been damaged somehow when being loaded onto the trailer the night before. It let go halfway through the first lap of the day. It hit the right rear tire and would have sent the vehicle into a spin had dracks2000 not known what he was doing. Managed to save it and also do some lawnmowing.
Came back in and realized we would need to wire the exhaust to something so it wouldn't move around and get the car back out there. This is where things get interesting. dracks2000 and his father went and took the truck to go to the parts store and get some metal wire for the exhaust. Unfortunately, his father left his phone on the truck bed. It stayed on until they got to the main road where it flew off at about 45-50mph and was subsequently run over by several vehicles.
We thought the phone was still at the track, so we went looking for it to no avail. We were later able to spot the phone on the side of the road on the way from the track!
Had issues with the transmission either grinding or just not working in certain gears, suspension and engine calibration, but now we know what we need to fix.
Managed to get two half-decent photos of it on track.
There was also some other very nice equipment there. Met an FD owner from NY. Someone also brought a P1 that I forgot to take a photo of. I think it would look a lot nicer without the interior and a six-point cage installed.
There were also a few road race vehicles. An ST1 Corvette rolling on R7's and some PCA GTB1 Caymans. If they didn't cost stupid money to procure/prepare/maintain, I'd buy one. (maybe later!) One day... (or a ratty 996 cup!)
08-20-23, 01:33 PM
) for the small sum of $0.00 (I did some work on his car) The only condition was that if his wife enquired, I was to report to her that I paid several hundreds of dollars for it. 
