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Project Zoom Zoom Boom: a long term project
I figured I’d document the ongoing changes to my ’93 Rx7. I’ve never done anything like this before, so having a record of everything will hopefully help me figure out where i’ve made mistakes, and maybe will be of use to others doing similar projects of their own. Hopefully i either get it right, or my mistakes are useful. Feedback is appreciated. I'm an enthusiast, not an automotive professional. In fact, I teach High School Music, so this undoubtedly about as far from my professional life as I could get.
I'll post progress in segments. There's a bunch already done, but i'll start at the beginning I believe it was summer of 2007 that the car arrived from the U.S. with a blown engine. I had purchased it as a running car and even had a forum member go test drive it for me just outside of Arlington TX, so this was a bit of a shock to me. Brent Clement of BSC motorsports rebuilt the motor, put in a PowerFC, and tuned it. Money was definitely an object, so it was done as a stock rebuild, with no porting, and we kept the stock turbos and all the emissions stuff. It had some power adders and we ran the turbos to the ragged edge. It was never dyno’d but given a fresh engine, it was fun. It got lots of autoslalom time, and lapping days at Mosport's DDT. Stock twins are damn fun, and on a more compact course like the DDT, the response was appreciated. Nothing is more fun than showing up to your first track day, and seeing the look on the marshal's face when he's putting a noob sticker on your rear window as you bolt up a set of R-comps... and then proceed to chase down pretty much anything else on track. Also, the DDT is a nice low-consequence track, so there's plenty of runoff, and unless you go into the tires, the most that goes wrong is a slide off into the rhubarb. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9420858678/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9420858678/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9418085297/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9418085297/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9418097539/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9418097539/ |
Suspension arrives, pre engine pull
Currently looks like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9150358031/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9150358031/ I sold the intercooler & intake, and the mishimoto rad, my suprisingly effective and cheap suspension setup, and anything else i could strip off the car. First thing to arrive: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9152585638/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9152585638/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9152586376/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9152586376/ They went in pretty easy. My alignment and ride height are pretty screwed up, but it’s not like it’s going anywhere for a while. I’ll add in some installed pics later. Once the engine is in, i’ll be taking apart all the suspension bits, replacing bushings, and checking pillowballs for wear. I guess they’ve been in there for 4 years of abuse. They might need to be changed out again... |
Winter 2012 - it's too cold to work outside sooo..
I got bored last winter. Nothing to do outside without heat in the garage, sooo....
Interior Work! I figured I’d try my hand at some leather work. I bought the recovering kit, matching shifter and e-brake boot from redlinegoods.com. Some Permatex contact cement and a bazillion little clamps later, i think it came out alright. Their kits are complete, high quality, and i think it worked out well for a rookie job. There’s one spot that i didn’t get quite right, but it’ll be hidden under the passenger seat. All the before pics i snapped on my lunch in my music/rehearsal room. Note the 36" bass drum... and the set of timpani being used as a table. Before: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9418365089/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9418365089/ Gotta love 90’s plastic interiors http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9418366329/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9418366329/ Leather laid out on top - Checking fitment and alignment. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9421130552/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9421130552/ Leather pattern has all the darts and cuts needed to glue down easily through all the corners and curves http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9418367897/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9418367897/ Here’s the finished product. There’s a matching e-brake boot to go with the shift boot. Looks slightly crooked, but it’s not. The centre console is just really bendy. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9418420457/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9418420457/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9421184998/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9421184998/ |
And the project sat for 6 months. Fast forward to summer 2013
Big plans for this weekend! I know it doesn’t look like much, but I got a fair bit of preparation done today for the engine pull.
Still have to get the exhaust unhooked, fuel lines disconnected, and unplug the ECU and pass the harness through. Then the engine will be done. It’ll just be a matter of unhooking the trans, and grabbing the cherry picker. I hope.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9416788393/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9416788393/ Thought i’d get out the intercooler and take a look see at how much real-estate it’s going to eat up.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9416789455/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9416789455/ It’s got a knock in the bottom where it must have taken a bang in shipping. The guy i bought it off of didn’t seem to care much about packing it well. It was also caked with oil, bugs, and crud. i don’t know how it was actually functioning, but whatever. It’s been pressure tested to make sure there’s no leaks. The only one is up in the top left where you can see the rad shop marked it with a sharpie (grrr). Oh well, i’m going to polish that bad boy up a bit anyway. I believe it's the OLD Rx7store.net v-mount kit. Correct me if i'm wrong. It uses a Greddy front mount that has had the inlet and outlet cut and re-welded for use as a v-mount. It should do the trick, but it might be too big - pressure drop across the IC may be substantial. Hopefully it won’t affect response too badly. |
August 4 2013 - great way to spend a long weekend!
Sunday August 4 2013
Today was the big day to get the engine and trans out. There’s always a few hiccups when you haven’t done it before (last time i helped Brent, but i was more or less following directions.) I’m glad I bought the balancing bar to lift it out with, because there were lots of moments when just tweaking how things were tipped allowed us to clear stuff easily. Here’s some pics of the day’s work: Engine bolted up and ready to be hooked up to the crane. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9438950181/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9438950181/ John trying to figure the best way to get the somewhat crispy 20 year-old engine harness out of the car. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9438951203/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9438951203/ Shit, I think we forgot to unhook that ground wire... yep, totally forgot. Last minute save! http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9438951855/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9438951855/ Almost out... snagged on something. I’m sure it’s important and/or expensive. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9441735434/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9441735434/ .... Aaaand the gaping hole where the car’s soul used to be. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9441737558/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9441737558/ I think my power steering pump had a significant leak. On another note, my driveway has seen better days.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9441738536/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9441738536/ I’ll have some more pics of progress up later. We got the trans and engine separated, which I found somewhat challenging. I'd never had to separate the 2 before, so mucking about with the clutch release took me a bit. We also yanked off the stock twins, and did a quick test-fit of the manifold and turbo. The air pump is going to have to go. Emissions are going to be an issue, and i’ll have to buy an idler pulley. I don’t like the minimal wrap the water pump gets without the air pump in place. Tomorrow, we’ll tackle the upper intake manifold, and rip out the rats’ nest of solenoids and vacuum lines! Then it’s just a matter of waiting for the block-off plates and picking up the assorted fittings and fasteners I need. It’s going well so far! |
August 6 2013
August 6, 2013
Well, the rest of the weekend the pace slowed down a little bit. We did make some significant progress however: We pulled the clutch and flywheel off of the engine. I guess it’s off to Princess Auto to raid their shelves. Found the right imperial equivalent socket, and then a good find - 8 piece set of impact adapters. They were on sale for $8. That was a nice surprise. My sh*tty impact gun was actually able to knock the flywheel nut off, which was surprising. Looking at the flywheel and pressure plate, i think there might have been a little bit of heat in there... http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9461107202/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9461107202/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9458327621/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9458327621/ We got the new clutch and flywheel installed. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9461106738/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9461106738/ Rammed the nut onto the end of the e-shaft with a whole lot of impact gun and a generous dollop of threadlocker. I don’t think it’s going to come off. It’s pretty tough to torque it down properly with the engine out of the car though. Safety first, and last thing i want is the flywheel to come off. Worst case scenario is the pressure plate comes off, the nut gets backed off, and I try again. We removed the stock twin turbo setup, and started to test-fit the new manifold and turbo. Unfortunately one of the main studs came out of the rotor housing when we were undoing the stock manifold. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9461105782/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9461105782/ I even called ARP and as soon as I mentioned ‘Rx7’, they said “we don’t make stuff for those, because the application is just too extreme. Here’s the number of our custom department, maybe they can make something for you out of inconel or L19 or something.” Um, no. Time to call Mazda and order some OEM studs. If they’re good enough for the OEM application, they should certainly be sufficient for my needs. While i was at it, i ordered some M10 and M8 copper locking nuts. That should keep things from backing off. We did, however, waste a ton of time going from brafasco to fastenal, etc, trying to find them. Ended up having to order online instead, because no one stocks that stuff apparently. Kind of a wasted afternoon, but whatever. Can’t win em all. Overall it was a good day. Time spent with a good friend, and at least SOME progress. |
August 7, 2013
Today’s progress was a little stalled. I drove my friend John to Union Station in Toronto so he could catch the GO train home, and then stopped off at Tiger Japanese while i was ‘in the area’.
Here’s the find: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9461109628/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9461109628/ $250 gets you an FD transmission. It’s a bit of a crap shoot as you can’t really tell if they’re total crap or not, but for that kind of money, you can roll the dice a number of times before you get to the cost of a rebuild. Also poking out from under the tarp - a second steel motor mount. (You'd be surprised how effective a Toyota Yaris is at hauling parts. My wife however is not impressed by the status of her car right now. At least I thought to bring the tarp) http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9461110458/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9461110458/ |
Well, i thought about it. I'm not really comfortable with leaving the flywheel on there without knowing that the one nut that holds it all together is torqued properly. It's a little ghetto, but we've ratchet-strapped the engine to the garage wall, and we're going to make a couple of stop-bars to bolt up to keep the engine from rotating, and then a friend of mine is bringing his torque wrench from work. We'll aim for 320 lb/ft which is right in the middle of the range of torque specs.
I just had a bad vision of the flywheel nut backing off at 8000rpm. I think with that much energy in it, it'd tear through the bell-housing pretty easily and hurt someone. I'd rather keep my legs, so we're going to take it off and do it again. I'm waiting on new turbo manifold studs from Mazda, and then the turbo goes on. Idler pulley is in the mail, and so is the other half of the fuel system, so I suppose the next part is the vacuum line removal. Well, a friend came over to re-install the flywheel nut. He's a heavy duty mechanic at a local bus company, so he grabbed this out of his toolbox... http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9490816600/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9490816600/ 4 ft long, 3/4” drive, goes up to 700 lb/ft. That should do it. We ratchet strapped the engine to the garage foundation wall, broke the nut free, cleaned up the threads, put fresh Loctite on it, and torqued it down again. I was pretty surprised how easy it was, but i suppose when you have a lever that big to work with.... As they say, right tool for the right job. Time to take off the motor mounts next, clean them up and get the new poly pucks on, and then tackle that vacuum line rats’ nest. |
August 15, 2013
August 15, 2013
Well, summer is winding down, and I’m a little under the gun to get the engine done and put back together. I’d like to have it back in the car by the labour day weekend, so that I can put the whole thing in the garage and work in there when the weather turns a little cool. I don’t want to be trying to do a reinstall in the cold. yuck.... Here’s the updated progress.... Pulled off the engine mounts and stripped the stock rubber pucks, and put on the new polyurethane pucks. I took a picture with my leftover stock aluminum mount. That can go in the ‘to be sold’ pile i suppose. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9515948199/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9515948199/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9515948827/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9515948827/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9515955771/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9515955771/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/98160892@N08/, on Flickr As you can see in this shot, I’ve already yanked the double-throttle control out of the UIM. Block off plate to follow. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9518746968/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9518746968/ Next step, block off plates everywhere, and vacuum line delete/simplification! |
I did run into a bit of a snag. During disassembly, 3 of the 4 exhaust studs backed out. 2 holes were fine, but the 3rd took half the threads out of the aluminum. I was going to just drill it and put in a helicoil, but i’m scared to do it. You only get one chance at it, really, and it’s right into the rotor housing. There’s no replacing it without a rebuild if I screw it up. Brent’s got a better solution anyway, so I’m going to wait on him first.
On a more positive note, more stuff arrived! Copper-clad locking exhaust nuts! They should take the heat and not back off! http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9516392669/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9516392669/ Also the rest of the fuel system arrived: Aeromotive 340lph fuel pump Injector Dynamics ID2000’s (2200 cc/min @ 43psi) http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9516393369/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9516393369/ I now have just about everything I need to finish. Only thing i’m waiting on is an oil pan brace from Banzai Racing - Hopefully i wont’ have any more oil leaks. Won’t be quite like an Rx7 though without them.... |
Well, i’m solidly into the rats’ nest removal. It’s amazing how much stuff is stuck onto the top of the engine. I imagine it’s largely a packaging / manufacturing issue. I don’t think there’s any other way to mass produce it in this way, but man, cooking up all those solenoids on top of the engine...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9518746128/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9518746128/ Here’s the after pic. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9561430884/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9561430884/ Here’s a cleaned up pic of the Lower Intake Manifold. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9558640437/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9558640437/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9561431730/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9561431730/ I know a lot of you guys cut the connectors off of the engine harness, but i don’t like anything that can’t be reversed in a pinch, so i’m going to wrap everything up well in the harness and leave them attached just in case, although i don’t think there’s any going back now. After this, it’s time to remove the secondary fuel rail, and start running some -AN lines, installing the new injectors, and then place an order for fittings, proper vacuum lines for the FPR, wastegate, BOV, and the evap. emissions line. Then it’s just a few miscellaneous gaskets, a couple of new sensors, and I can start reassembly! |
Oil Pan brace & turbo mock up
There's a big gap of time between this update and the last, but i’ve been a little busy. Some of you guys might know what i mean, when I say that 2 kids under 2 years old really makes for a busy house.
Anyway, here’s the latest... http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9616311911/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9616311911/ The kit is fantastic, comes with comprehensive instructions, longer motor mount bolts, and a full stud kit. Hopefully it does the trick! I decided since I needed to measure to have an oil line made up, i should probably hang the manifold and turbo to check. A mock-up. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9619553694/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9619553694/ And a side view: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9616309679/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/9616309679/ |
Fuel system revision.
I spent some time with the fuel kit, and decided i didn’t really like the way it was routed. Maybe it doesn’t matter as much as I think, but i decided to hook the fuel rails up in parallel rather than in series like the stock arrangement. Next stop, putting together fuel lines!
On a side note, Performance had glycerine filled fuel pressure gauges on sale for half price. $20 for an 1/8” NPT gauge that mounts right to the regulator! |
Nov-Dec 2013
I haven’t made a lot of progress since the fall. About all I managed to do was a little bit of painting, got the sensors from my trans that I know to be good and put them into the new-to-me transmission. I painted everything up, hit the UIM and LIM with some paint, and put those back on. Now it’s a matter of getting a warm day to start back to work out there.
Between work, 2 kids, and everything else in life that competes for time, I find it harder and harder to get the perfect storm of ‘free time + kids napping + wife approved. Here’s the old Trans: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/11651775105/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/11651775105/ “New” Transmission painted w old sensors still in there: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/11654103436/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/11654103436/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/11653332675/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/11653332675/ Pineapple Racing idler pulley installed: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/11653693804/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/11653693804/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/11653695874/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/11653695874/ I decided to order up a Sakebomb Garage ignition kit. I was going to use an HKS Twin Power and stock coils, but decided that this would be an option that would allow me to change away from waste spark with an ECU upgrade in the future, and support everything I can throw at it. That was the Rx7's Christmas present this year. |
Bringing this build back from the dead!
I clearly haven't updated in a while. Life got the better of me for a while, but the car's mostly finished now! Here's the results. I'll post a bit at a time...
FUEL PUMP! Here it is on my jam-packed and disorganized workbench. Clearly i haven’t been out here working lately. I’ve just grabbed tools for whatever odd job i’ve had to do, and then dashed out to the garage to chuck them on the bench when finished. I need to clean! http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/12072200836/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/12072200836/ Step 1: The stock arrangement has the pump wired into a couple of terminals on the top of the pump. Disconnect those, remove the bottom of the bracket, and then pull, and the pump should come out nicely. Step 2: Grab the cutoff tool and cut the end off of the hard feed line. There’s not enough space to get a flaring tool on there, so I just pushed a length of fuel hose as far down the hardline as possible and clamped it securely. Then the bottom bracket piece goes back on and holds the pump in place. It’s not perfect, but it’s still secure. I don’t think it’s going anywhere. Step 3: solder the connectors. I’m not going to lie, this pissed me off a little. I didn’t want to use a butt connector, since the insulator probably wouldn’t hold up to gasoline. That left me with soldering. No problem, right? I practiced on copper wire, and my splices were clean and strong with no pitting, but when it came time to do the job, it went horrible. I asked the electronics teacher at work and he had a pretty good answer…. nickel-plated copper wire doesn’t solder well without some pretty awesome flux. Rosin core solder alone isn’t enough. I pulled apart my soldered connections, and let a more experienced hand do it. Here’s the finished product: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/12071857793/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/12071857793/ I covered the whole thing with fuel-safe heat shrink. It’s expensive, but it’s worth it in the long run. I use the regular stuff all the time, but not this. The difference is this is tolerates abrasion and high heat, and has an inner and outer layer. When you heat it up, the inner layer melts and forms an air & watertight seal resistant to most chemicals including petroleum based fuels and solvents. The only other tip i can give is when you’re making these connections, make the power wire connection as close to the connector as you can so that if there is an abrasion, it can’t short out against a fuel line or the pump hanger. Stagger your connections so that there is no way the ground can contact your power wire in the event of the coating abrading or heaven forbid, disintegrating from long-term fuel exposure. Especially if you’re force-induced, losing fuel pressure under boost could result in an expensive outcome. |
Battery Relocation
Battery relocation started.
The stock battery attaches to a fuse panel by the left front fender. That’s the starting point. I’ve taken off the wiring harness connection. The wire loom on the right is for the stereo amp, which doesn’t exist anymore, so it’s gone. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/13154679383/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/13154679383/ I trimmed off the top of the battery connector. I’ve drilled an M4 sized hole and the new battery connection will be made just to the left of the stock harness connector. I had to leave for Hamilton before i could finish the job. I ran 1 GA copper wire into the fender well, and through a rubber plug into the driver’s footwell. It’ll go behind the dash, along the tunnel, and then into the storage bin behind the passenger seat. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/13154683703/http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/13154683703/ While I was at it, I ran the harness for the PLX wideband through the same location. Unfortunately i couldn’t get any good pictures, because i had to yoga myself in there with a half-removed fender liner bent out of the way. Battery Relocation part 2 Here’s where it’s going to. The bin behind the passenger seat. I went with a Odyssey PC680 AGM. It should be sufficient for what I need it for. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/13279442303/ In the interests of not having it become a 20lb projectile in a crash, I have come up with a battery mount that fits and can be bolted to the chassis through the bottom of the bin. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/13279447153/ mockup for welding: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/13279450413/ With Battery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/13279453003/ I made a tray out of steel based on my mock up with hold downs that bolts through the bottom of the bin to the body. Right beside the battery goes the new fuse panel. It gives 7 additional ignition-switched fuses, so there won’t be any more hacking into the wiring harness or fuse panel to install new gauges and accessories. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98160892@N08/13280071995/ I'll take a finished picture of the bin. It is a little hard to see everything in there, and there are additional wires going to the battery as I've wired the fuel pump directly to the battery with a relay. |
Brent’s loaned me his hoist, and the engine’s off the stand:
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2920/...ef744e6d_c.jpgUntitled https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5500/...51fbd6c4_c.jpgUntitled Transmission ready to go: https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7303/...64056397_c.jpgUntitled Everything’s all mated up: https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5560/...491c0aa0_c.jpgUntitled |
June 21, 2014
I had everything in there, drivetrain hooked up, and I thought to myself… hey, i have these replacement bushings for the diff… how tough could it be to change them out? Famous last words… Getting them out without popping the axles out of the diff is actually surprisingly difficult, and it probably would have been easier in the long run to drain it and drop it properly, but what can I say. I’m nothing if not persistent. I pulled the diff carrier off, but didn’t have the right sized sleeves for my press to press them out. My friend pressed them out at his shop for $20 and a McFlurry. They weren’t in bad shape, just a little cracking, but being liquid filled, they had way to much compliance. Hopefully this solves some of the hopping in the rear. https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2917/...007db8d8_c.jpgUntitled The replacement superpro bushings went in with a bench vise. When the bushing is bigger than 2.5”, and it has a lip on both sides, it’s gonna put up a fight. I ended up having to put a steel bar underneath the carrier in the vise to keep it from popping down out of position and shooting the bush across the garage. At that point, it’s a matter of just applying pressure until it pops into place. https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2916/...7d1f70ca_c.jpgUntitled https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3859/...f08f3cc2_c.jpgUntitled by heeley_matt@rogers.com, on Flickr |
Update: No pics for this one, it’s pretty mundane stuff.
Diff is back in place. I needed a couple of extra hands to get it back into place. Definitely a job to be done on a hoist with a proper trans lift instead of on my back under the car. Next time i drop the diff, i’ll do it right. (drain it, pop the axles out, disconnect everything so that i can put it back without crap binding and getting in the way.) Diff and Transmission are full Clutch slave cylinder is back in Starter is in RE-Amemiya short shifter installed. |
Friday July 25th 2014
I’ve been making some solid progress on the car. The individual coil setup from Sakebomb Garage is installed. It’s quite a nice piece, and it’s well thought out. Since the stock igniter is getting chucked, it bolts up to those mounting points with a custom bracket, and just requires a little rerouting of the MAP sensor harness. Easy. It’s out of the main heat, not strapped to the keg. https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3921/...1ab97f1f_c.jpgUntitled The toughest thing was de-pinning the old sumitomo connector. Man, I didn’t think that would be a problem, but i guess 22 years of heat-cycling the plastic made everything brittle. Unfortunately i ended up having to hack up the connector to get the pins out in one piece, after i broke one pin and bent another. I’m pretty careful with stuff, so i was surprised how difficult this was to take apart successfully. The new connector was pinned without too much drama, extra wires taped out of the way, and everything assembled. I made sure to run a tap through my ground connections, and put a little dielectric grease in there too. Hopefully i have strong grounds and a good spark. The nice thing is that down the road if/when i upgrade the ECU to an ADAPTRONIC, i can upgrade to direct-fire instead of the stock waste-spark setup. I just have to run 1 extra wire, and cut a jumped connector. Back to the battery relocation project. I got a little tired of things taking forever so i just bolted down the fuse block and the breakers and i’ll move them later. As it sits, the battery box is bolted through to the chassis so it won’t be a projectile in a crash, and the system is wired with 1ga cable. I’ll put hard sheathing on it where there are rubbing concerns. There’s a 200A breaker in the box as well, so that should give plenty of headroom for the starter, while still giving protection against a short, and providing a battery cutoff to boot. https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2916/...a180d39f_c.jpgUntitled by heeley_matt@rogers.com, on Flickr Fuel lines have been started. A friend of mine had a great idea for cleaning up the look of things down by the firewall, and i have to say, i like it. When you’re cutting braided line, it helps to tape where you’re going to cut so the braid doesn’t fray everywhere. Down at the firewall we’ve cut the line, peeled the braid back a bit and cut it further up so that we’re clamping on the rubber part where it attaches to the flared hard lines from the tank. He wrapped the whole thing with some tape so that the braid doesn’t fray and peel back, and the clamp will hold the tape in place for a cleaner installation. Plus i won’t be poking myself with stainless wire every time i have to do something down at the firewall. |
Alright, Engine is in, and there's lots of space in front for the V-Mount!
https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7383/1...d156e436_b.jpgUntitled I was looking at maybe replacing and upgrading my oil coolers, but since i have an R1, I already had 2 stock ones to work with. My budget decided I would have to make do with the stock ones. So, break out the slot screwdriver and a pick and it's time to get to work! Before: https://c6.staticflickr.com/1/267/19...0480fac5_k.jpg After: https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/320/19...355a6dee_k.jpg Installed: https://c5.staticflickr.com/4/3749/1...be98d6da_k.jpg |
Great work on the Oil Coolers. What paint did you use on them?
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just a little bit of black engine paint. I don't recall what brand, but likely something i picked up at Canadian Tire. This is a budget build after all... sort of :)
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I decided that if I was going to do a V-Mount intercooler, i'd better have a way to get the air out, so i started looking into carbon hoods. I decided on the Mazdaspeed style vented hood, which Roninspeedworks.com was selling. They were hesitant to sell it - they said they were having some problems with quality control and were switching composite houses but i gave them the go ahead anyway. It was sold as an 'unfinished' hood which meant it needed polishing and clearing, but i figured that would be it.
It's my fault really, because i had them go ahead with it despite the reservations they had about the part, but there were a few things that really irked me. Here's some pics: https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/701/21...3768b0f6_k.jpg Lots of boogers on the edges that need cleaning up. That's not such a big deal i suppose, but i was led to believe it would need some polishing and a hit of clear coat, and that would be it. https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5641/3...cf4f4321_k.jpg https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5605/3...97baf4b0_k.jpg Panel gaps aren't bad for a carbon hood. I've seen worse. Had to hog out my hinges in order for it to fit. Also someone got a little excited with the cutoff wheel when they were taking it out of the mold. the driver's side contour matches up with the fender / A-Pillar line, but the passenger side doesn't come close. It rounds off the wrong way. https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5350/3...c56d87ea_k.jpg Once i installed the hood and got it to latch, it still didn't sit right, and I was a little nervous running a composite hood with just the centre latch, so it's time for Aerocatch! I installed the pins in place of the rubber bumpers just above the headlights. Used them to mark the spot to drill through for the pin holes, and place the templates. Measure a bunch because once you cut, you can't go back! Marked them out, masked off the edges and went to town with the rotary tool. https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5641/3...56500fb0_k.jpg The biggest pain was cutting out the bracing under the hood enough for the latch system to clear. Here it is finished on the car, but not cleaned up: https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5759/3...67d7a5a1_k.jpg |
Fuel System
Here's how things looked for the fuel system after i finished:
https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5718/2...4202a2ae_k.jpgIMG_0579 by heeley_matt@rogers.com, on Flickr I ran my rails in parallel instead of series like the stock arrangement. all lines are -6 braided stainless, feeding into a modified stock primary rail with stock 550cc primaries, and an FFE secondary rail with ID2000's. Running an Aeromotive FPR which attaches to the front of the UIM. Cheap gauge in the front to set and check static pressure. Aeromotive stealth 340lph pump. Wired in with a relay and direct feed from the battery. |
V-mount
I started installation of the Rx7store v-mount. I got everything in, but i just didn't like the way it was sitting in the car. The leading edge of the radiator was hanging just below the bottom edge of the bumper.
https://c3.staticflickr.com/1/384/19...902dec4e_k.jpg With bumper on: https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5631/3...7cba95bd_k.jpg https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5669/3...f9627983_k.jpg The kit uses a modified Koyo N-Flow, but it's black because i had to spend time straightening fins and hit it with some spray to tidy it up. The kit came out of a wrecked car i think. Soooo... i decided i was going to redo the brackets, and i got impatient and rather than removing the whole thing and doing it on the bench i was going to cut and weld it on the car. Stupidly. I used a sawzall.... yeah, i know. I was impatient and not thinking properly and ended up poking a hole in the core.:cursing: Time for a new plan... At least i can build it the way i want to without fixing someone else's stuff. |
New Welding Table!
Here's a bit of a segue - I had been using a cheap old work bench that I tossed a piece of 3/8" steel plate on top of as a welding table. It wasn't bad, but the height sucked, and there was no way to clamp to it. Weldtables.com had a sale on their pro table kit, and i jumped at it. I wanted to get a big fab block from them, but i couldn't justify the cost as a hobby welder, but this has served me really well. Everything is laser-cut and goes together great, and then you just fill the slots with weld and grind it smooth. I also took some time to clean the mill-scale off of the table top to make it look pretty.
Here's the assembly: https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5764/3...1f31c2ee_k.jpg The webbing underneath is tapped into place, clamped and then you flip the whole thing over to fill in the tabs with weld. I also put a bunch of weld under the table at each join to make sure things couldn't move. The only trick as an amateur welder is to try not to put too much heat in and warp things. Clamp everything tight! https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5734/3...04f1bddc_k.jpg The top's holes are laser cut, and are 5/8" to accommodate most fixturing clamps from strong hand tools and others. I have yet to invest in the fixturing clamps, but c-clamps, my bench vise, and some big open vide-grip clamps have made things pretty easy. I took an air sander to the top to clean everything up after i had ground down the weld flush. I also bought the leg kit, which went together easy, and comes with high quality locking casters. https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5795/3...2972c7bc_k.jpg I love this thing! It puts the work surface at a good height for either standing or sitting on a raised stool, and i can clamp to it or through the vise for holding work. https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5662/3...ab1fcbeb_k.jpg |
Summer 2015
This takes me to summer of 2015. I got everything together, and was able to start the car. I had big dreams of having the whole thing together and tuned, but i couldn't let it go. I had a dump tube on my wastegate, the rad was hanging too low, i hadn't hooked up a boost control solution, and the intercooler wasn't mounted properly.
I was about ready to throw a match at the whole project, so I put it away and started brainstorming solutions. Radiator hanging low - well, my solution was to cut and re-weld the brackets. punctured the Rad, and there's a Koyo down the tubes. New Rad needed. Clearance issues with the HKS racing wastegate. New solution needed. Downpipe 1.0 has some fitment issues. It was going to leak for sure, so I had to cut and weld it again. Also needed a bung for the wideband, and a 2" v-band flange for the wastegate plumbing Issues with the wiring harness - some bits were crispy, and some of the connectors had failed. Solution needed Greddy Profec B boost controller: I wanted something that was integrated into the ECU control for safety. PowerFC: I wanted to move to something that would give really solid boost control and have a bunch of features, and not require the use of a tuning box like the datalogit and adapters to get it to talk to a modern computer. Power steering - I hate the way most v-mount arrangements just have the power steering loop flopping around under/behind the rad. Solution needed. :banghead: the list kept getting bigger, and i was more frustrated. Time to take a break. |
Fabrication sucks, unless you are good at it ;)
Can totally relate to what you are going through. I'm just getting back on the road after a 3 yr build ordeal Regarding the PS loop, have you looked at replacing it with a finned cooler? Of course, that would require fabrication :) |
Power steering cooler
I ended up using a finned cooler from Derale, I originally had it mounted behind the front bumper, but afterwards i TiG'd it to a piece of 1" square aluminum bar and used some existing chassis points to mount it behind the new rad. Here's a pic of the one i used
https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5830/3...3225109c_c.jpg It's actually listed as a trans cooler, but who cares? A heat exchanger is a heat exchanger. I just used flexible hose to go from the existing hard lines to each end of the cooler. Works great! |
Well, over the winter I had a couple of choices. I came pretty close to packing the whole thing in and selling the project, but i couldn't bring myself to give up. After punching a hole in the rad core with my impatience and a sawzall, I needed an inexpensive alternative. eBay to the rescue! If you search eBay for "rx7 v mount radiator" this is one of the first options you get... from Speed Daddy.
https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5545/3...c158e65f_z.jpg Here it is on the weld table, along with some 1x2" AL tube and some big angle brackets. https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5474/3...49640f5c_b.jpg I decided that if it was going to be that low on the car, I'd build a frame for it that would include a bash bar for the bottom end tank. I put rubber isolators on the side mounts, and drilled holes in the sides of the frame to match. Rubber isolators on the top mounts too. Everything bolts together and mounts to the angle Al on the side, and then to the crossmember brackets above the P/S rack https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5585/3...557a022d_c.jpg https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5810/3...ef4a281e_c.jpg I don't own pipe clamps, so i used a ratchet strap to help keep things square while i tacked them in place. [url=https://flic.kr/p/NpckgC]https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5445/3...9516f5f8_c.jpg The rad comes with the nipple on the top for the AST. I cut it off and welded it shut since i was going to eliminate my AST and just use a TII neck and cap. https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5689/3...d2c2a3cc_c.jpg The fans i had were already modified for the V-mount as part of the kit, so i didn't have to extend any harness wiring. I did have to cut and modify the plastic frame for the fan so it would clear the inlets and outlets. Not all of the mounting holes lined up perfectly, so i used some 1" flat stock to make a retaining bar. I also had to modify the feet of the fan shroud so they would fit the tabs properly. All in all though, it wasn't too bad, just a bit fiddly. https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5565/3...740f6a6a_c.jpg Forgive my crappy TiG welding, this was my first welding project after doing practice lines on steel plate. |
Radiator fitment
Test fitting the whole setup: It's really tight to the frame rails... very little ducting will be necessary!
https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5582/3...07d62d94_c.jpg This is my shop pal. Zoe has spent almost as much time under this car as I have! It's nice to have her around when you're freezing your ass off under the car on a cement floor in winter. https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5763/3...993e49c7_c.jpg The more I thought about it, the more I like the frame idea.
My friend Brent says it's probably overkill / unnecessary but I feel like I came up with a solution to my problem that works well, and didn't involve spending a ton on a kit. |
Test fitting radiator and intercooler together:
https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5507/3...ec952c6a_c.jpg Test fitting with the front bumper on: https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5774/3...3b69a6fe_c.jpg |
Downpipe and Wastegate
Not one to take the easy path, i decided i wanted to plumb the wastegate back into the downpipe. I also decided to use a Synapse 50mm. I could have used a TiAL 44, but I was thinking bigger=better. I didn't want boost creep, and I've seen setups using dual TiAL 44's and that wasn't an option with my old HKS cast manifold, so this was the next best thing.
I had no idea what I was getting into though. There are adapter flanges made for HKS 4 bolt to v band for a TiAL 44, but i couldn't find one for a 50mm. Maybe the flange is the same, i never really thought of that, but my solution was to get one made. You can kind of see it in this photo: https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5800/3...e3f05cd4_c.jpg I took the manifold and the v-band flange to a local machine shop, and they made one out of billet stainless for me, with a 1/2" flange so I wouldn't have warping issues. It wasn't cheap, but at the time i didn't think i had any other options. I suppose I could have made my own out of a stainless flange, some tubing and some weld, but this ended up being nice and compact and i don't have to worry about cracking. Here's a decent shot of the downpipe installed: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5599/3...57b917cf_c.jpg https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5518/3...3f4e4900_c.jpg Once again, Flamesuit on about my TiG skills. Basically i would do a pass, blow a hole, have to go and seal it up, continue on, blow another hole, lather-rinse-repeat. I would like to think i'm getting better now after a year or so of hobby welding. Still not really pretty though, but at least they seem to be strong and don't leak. Here's a shot of the downpipe and the wastegate tube when it was all done. A grinder makes my welds look a lot less like shit, and i wrapped the ugliness up behind some DEI Titanium wrap. https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5538/3...00b8f8cf_c.jpg I originally had put a flex joint near the turbo, but i removed it because of interference with the wastegate |
Just looked up the difference. Tial 44 uses a 1.75" v-band, whereas the Synapse 50mm uses a 2" v-band.
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After much deliberation, here's my solution for an ugly, crispy wiring harness:
Rywire mil-spec harness https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5618/2...d9e41cdf2f.jpg And my solution for an integrated control solution for engine management, boost control, and eventually meth/water injection: https://www.adaptronic.com.au/product/e440d/ This arrived a little while after... https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5592/3...87bbdc44_c.jpg Right now i'm just using the wastegate spring pressure, which amounts to about 6.8psi max with no creep. MAC valve and ECU boost control coming for the spring :egrin: |
Finishing the IC piping
Once I got the radiator mounted in the car, I had to solve a piping issue. I was able to cut use one of the stock hoses for the hot side of the rad. Cold side I used a piece of 1.5" aluminum tube, and then went to my local parts store and browsed through their stock of rad hoses. I picked something that had a couple of different angles in it so I'd have some different bits to choose from to make couplers. I think the one i bought was for an Escalade.
Once I got it put together and leak free, I could move on to the intercooler piping. I used some different pieces from vibrant to get the job done. A 90deg silicone coupler for the compressor outlet, and a 45deg AL bend cut to the right length on the hot side, with a straight reducer to mate up with the intercooler inlet size. https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5618/3...c6844615_c.jpg On the other side, I hacked a 45 deg silicone bend to fit, and used a vibrant 90deg AL bend for the cold side pipe. Things didn't line up properly at the Greddy elbow, so I had to do a a pie-cut joint. Once again, pardon the somewhat sloppy TiG work, but you can definitely see a progression in just these three welds. I suppose i can always file and polish the join, but in all probability i'll redo it to make it prettier, with more practice. https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5732/3...31ed6728_c.jpg https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5648/3...16380a5a_c.jpg https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5560/3...30390a5d_c.jpg Here's the completed IC and piping, with the Synapse WG mounted on the hotside pipe. I know typically the closer to the throttle body the better, but there just wasn't enough room on the cold side piping or the elbow. https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5625/3...eb0eb8f5_c.jpg |
Wheels & Tires
Time for new shoes! I kept my RPF1's from my old street setup. 17" +45 offset. It seems the best deal around here is to order from Costco.ca
I think it was $185CDN each for a set of Bridgestone RE71R's in 255/40/17 https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5477/3...811a9762_c.jpg |
First day of work/school!
I ran into some drama when i was first trying to get it running with the new ECU. I was having problems getting a stable idle, presumably because I didn't have an IAC valve on the car anymore (seemed to be a standard delete with block off plates)
I also had trouble getting the coolant system purged properly and i had some overheating problems because of air in the system, but i couldn't get it to purge properly because i could barely keep it running. I was at a loss. Luckily my friends Aaron and Brent came through again. The next day after i texted them for help, Aaron had the system purged, and Brent came to help get the idle straightened out, and get a rough street tune happening, as I was totally green to the tuning game. I drove it to work on the first day of school, coughing and sputtering at streetlights, loud and raw with some exhaust leakage, but with a smile on my face!:nod: Here's the car as she sat on the first day of school (i teach high school music and history) https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5835/3...9b0ee158_c.jpg https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5797/3...c83bf7db_c.jpg |
Not boosting, stupid loud exhaust, and a headache!
So apparently the standard exhaust gaskets that you can buy for a Greddy 4 bolt wastegate are not a good idea on a rotary. Or maybe i just bought a crappy one. It took a couple of days of driving and some solid pulls and I felt like things were getting louder, and the car was down on power. I looked at the logs and i wasn't boosting much at all. This turned out to be the culprit:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5469/3...9c2ea134_c.jpg https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5477/3...caa5a4a4_c.jpg I had the car at work when it finally blew right out, so i nursed it the 30km back to home, stopping at my local Metal Supermarkets to buy a small sheet of copper. Holy crap, driving that car with a bad wastegate gasket, i thought i was going to have a fire by the time i got home. The firewall/tunnel and my feet were pretty damn hot. Later that night i pulled off the wastegate, traced the shape with the WG adapter onto the copper, cut it out, and then put it all back together. It's been holding nicely with no problems since! Homebrew solutions FTW! |
Winter hit here in Central Ontario, so the car is off the road until spring. We did have a gift of a day though last friday with temperatures of nearly +20C, which was fantastic. I snapped a few rushed pictures to share as I was losing the light.
https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5742/3...089b94db_h.jpg https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5462/3...2752b7fc_h.jpg https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5566/3...d966b06b_h.jpg https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5337/3...15a96440_h.jpg https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5536/3...3a935989_h.jpg https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5625/3...bd6c10ce_h.jpg https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5529/3...0ed880d9_h.jpg https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5747/3...aa2c5e61_h.jpg https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5656/3...9ea9e82e_h.jpg |
That's a pretty clean FD man! :icon_tup:
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nice
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Originally Posted by 4g63rotary
(Post 12126329)
That's a pretty clean FD man! :icon_tup:
Originally Posted by Johnny Kommavongsa
(Post 12126360)
nice
Matt |
1 Attachment(s)
question about the ebay VMIC radiator:
it looks like it doesn't have a separator to force the coolant to flow through "top to bottom to top," like it could allow the coolant to skip straight across the radiator along the top. is there a provision for this? i noticed this same thing with the cx racing vmount radiator they sell, and I've held off buying it... on a previous FD i had the rx7store vmic which uses an altered stock-style radiator, and it worked amazingly, like i almost didn't even need fans. do you know anything about this? it seems like an easy manufacturing step to skip that most people won't notice, like unless you actually drive your car hard. https://www.rx7club.com/attachments/...e-vmic-rad.jpg |
Originally Posted by jacobcartmill
(Post 12127247)
question about the ebay VMIC radiator:
it looks like it doesn't have a separator to force the coolant to flow through "top to bottom to top," like it could allow the coolant to skip straight across the radiator along the top. is there a provision for this? i noticed this same thing with the cx racing vmount radiator they sell, and I've held off buying it... on a previous FD i had the rx7store vmic which uses an altered stock-style radiator, and it worked amazingly, like i almost didn't even need fans. do you know anything about this? it seems like an easy manufacturing step to skip that most people won't notice, like unless you actually drive your car hard. https://www.rx7club.com/attachments/...e-vmic-rad.jpg to have the inlet and outlet both at the top. Each one of those rads had the lower outlet welded up, and the top tank had to be cut and a baffle welded in and a new top tank fabricated on top for the outlet. Somewhere on the forum there's a thread on how to modify a Koyo for v mount and it's a lot of work. The eBay rad is made from the start with the inlets in the right spot. A split tank probably wasn't necessary as the baffle would have been put in when the tanks were fabricated. I drove this car a lot on the street after I put it together and with aggressive driving I never saw temps go above 190. As soon as the thermostat opens the temps drop like a rock on the ecu readout. I did autocross it in September with no issues. A track day will likely expose any weaknesses, as Will turning up the boost. I'll know for sure next season. Is is it as robust as the modified Koyo? No. but the price was right, ease of fabrication was decent, and thus far it has been problem free |
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