ImStillOnJava: belated Project thread
11-20-10, 06:49 PM
#102
Oompa Loompa Doopity Doo!
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Another thing I wanted to try to do, was duct my N-tech brake backing plates. The FEED bumper has such small openings to duct from...they're great for the IC/radiator/oil coolers...but such a small inlet is left available for the brakes.
I decided to try my hand at fiberglassing. I remember the guys making the carbon seat for Formula SAE maybe 4 yrs back in school. How hard could it be? I tried to find the cheapest DYI writeup on it, to tried my hand at budget duct making.
Fabricated myself a "mold" with my $2 glue gun, leftover corrugated board, solo cups, and a coke can....plus generous amounts of duct tape. "Ghetto" much? hahaha.
I read somewhere that duct tape was a good enough surface to free the fiberglass from, so...resin, hardener, and sheets of leftover fiberglass from an old project were put to the task.
I made a top and bottom, snipped off the excess with my do-everything-tin-shears...
Checked for some type of flushness between the halves..
Fiberglassed the two halves together, and then did a lazy man's job of sanding and painting them black.
It actually ended up slipping quite well over the lip of the FEED opening (GO ME!),
And it looks like it has relatively good ground clearance. I'd prefer if the duct ended up being more flexible instead of rigid, I decided to soft mount the duct with zipties so that it has some give if I do end up scraping it somehow....we'll see how long it works out for!
Unnoticeable, right?
I'm currently testfitting the hose to get the right length down and figure out a good place to secure it without interferring with the wheel at full lock. But I'm a slow worker since I've been distracted with going out, studying, gym, and Black Ops :X Hopefully that gets done this week, and I'll have more updates!
I decided to try my hand at fiberglassing. I remember the guys making the carbon seat for Formula SAE maybe 4 yrs back in school. How hard could it be? I tried to find the cheapest DYI writeup on it, to tried my hand at budget duct making.
Fabricated myself a "mold" with my $2 glue gun, leftover corrugated board, solo cups, and a coke can....plus generous amounts of duct tape. "Ghetto" much? hahaha.
I read somewhere that duct tape was a good enough surface to free the fiberglass from, so...resin, hardener, and sheets of leftover fiberglass from an old project were put to the task.
I made a top and bottom, snipped off the excess with my do-everything-tin-shears...
Checked for some type of flushness between the halves..
Fiberglassed the two halves together, and then did a lazy man's job of sanding and painting them black.
It actually ended up slipping quite well over the lip of the FEED opening (GO ME!),
And it looks like it has relatively good ground clearance. I'd prefer if the duct ended up being more flexible instead of rigid, I decided to soft mount the duct with zipties so that it has some give if I do end up scraping it somehow....we'll see how long it works out for!
Unnoticeable, right?
I'm currently testfitting the hose to get the right length down and figure out a good place to secure it without interferring with the wheel at full lock. But I'm a slow worker since I've been distracted with going out, studying, gym, and Black Ops :X Hopefully that gets done this week, and I'll have more updates!
11-21-10, 07:12 PM
#104
Oompa Loompa Doopity Doo!
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I almost would rather play with fiberglass again than route the duct piping. But its done! Tested the wheel lock to lock, looks like it has plenty of room to spare. And I think it won't interfer with the VMIC thats yet to be installed (or the Sakebomb oil coolers)!
WE have LIFT OFF! haha
I wish I had a lift to capture the routing better. OH well.
WE have LIFT OFF! haha
I wish I had a lift to capture the routing better. OH well.
11-22-10, 10:01 AM
#107
Oompa Loompa Doopity Doo!
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I bought a universal PC680 mount, cut a cardboard outline of the footprint I wanted for it to mount to the chassis, and went to a local shop to have them weld that onto the universal mount.
I may be selling mine in the next two months or so, since I have a knightsports battery tray to go along with the vmic to install..
I may be selling mine in the next two months or so, since I have a knightsports battery tray to go along with the vmic to install..
11-22-10, 12:59 PM
#109
Oompa Loompa Doopity Doo!
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I'm working on it! I had a blast driving around the Autospeedway in Fontana last month in the Mario Andretti Race experience. I most def want to run my car as soon as I can get my parts installed, and my tags :X
11-22-10, 02:43 PM
#111
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Both ends taper down to a smaller size than the center. I couldn't think of how to remove the mold if I made it one piece, so I just did two halves instead. I suppose it would be more awesome if I made a carbon one, especially once I had the fiberglass molds...but I really hate working with this stuff, I liked that it only cost me the materials I had laying around, and although I'll keep my duct taped molds in storage, I'm hoping I won't have to ever do this again
11-22-10, 11:34 PM
#112
Trust me on this one, esp. since I live in hot & humid Florida!
And I don't work, or own stock in any window-film company, distributor, etc.
:-) neil
PS: the build is looking great.
11-23-10, 12:13 AM
#113
Oompa Loompa Doopity Doo!
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Carol- don't use the 3M tint. Huper-Optik Ceramic. It doesn't cut into microwave signals (e.g., GPS, cell-phones, etc.), has better heat-rejection, etc. The 3M is very cheaply made and very little technology compared to Huper-Optik or V-Kool, and I believe still has dyes in it (dye is bad).
Trust me on this one, esp. since I live in hot & humid Florida!
And I don't work, or own stock in any window-film company, distributor, etc.
:-) neil
PS: the build is looking great.
Trust me on this one, esp. since I live in hot & humid Florida!
And I don't work, or own stock in any window-film company, distributor, etc.
:-) neil
PS: the build is looking great.
I have the same LSD waiting to go in my car....nice job with the DIY brake ducts, definitely one of my favorite rx7s. 
12-06-10, 03:53 AM
#125
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Wow. Can I just say you are like the dream girl for every guy FD owner on this site. Heck I wish you were my gf rite now. I'm in awe at how much attention to detail, effort and dedication you've put into the build of your car. It's been a while since I've last been wanting to tinker with my FD but you have sparked my fire again. Thanks for sharing your build and keep the updates coming. I've had my FD for almost 7 years now and have only focused on the motor aspect of the build. After reading this, I think it's time for me to start on the body and interior.