Rotary Amuse Build and Photoblog
04-14-15, 11:01 PM
#176
We're officially unthawed in Rhode Island after a brutal winter, and I was chomping at the bit to get our E92 out for some much needed seat time
With the weekend kicking off in the 70*s, my wife and I decided to take a trip down to Sakonnet Point in Little Compton for a walk on the beach with some rock skipping. Beautiful views with a good 100 mile round trip drive - thanks sweetheart! <3
Great start to a long weekend
The McParlands were looking to get some testing in on the new AP1 engine in before we head down to New Jersey Motorsports Park for SCCA's Devil in the Dark 12 hour endurance race in a few weeks, so they signed up for a track day with BMWCCA yesterday
Buttoning up a few items in between Hugh's ridiculously funny jokes - Moton reinstall, hunting idle research, wash, loaded up the truck, and had an amazing dinner courtesy of Mary
Ready for the early morning ride up to New Hampshire
Pete and I set up shop and finished up a few things before tech in
Hunting down a voltage issue with the TPS
Sorted and good to go
Ready to head out to scrub the NT01s for NJ
Ran a session on our NJ setup, then swapped over to an older set of RA1s for the rest of the day
Paddy was instructing two drivers in different classes, so we had a balancing act of getting the S2000 out on track.
We were able to get in about 30 laps without any hiccups
With the weekend kicking off in the 70*s, my wife and I decided to take a trip down to Sakonnet Point in Little Compton for a walk on the beach with some rock skipping. Beautiful views with a good 100 mile round trip drive - thanks sweetheart! <3
Great start to a long weekend
The McParlands were looking to get some testing in on the new AP1 engine in before we head down to New Jersey Motorsports Park for SCCA's Devil in the Dark 12 hour endurance race in a few weeks, so they signed up for a track day with BMWCCA yesterday
Buttoning up a few items in between Hugh's ridiculously funny jokes - Moton reinstall, hunting idle research, wash, loaded up the truck, and had an amazing dinner courtesy of Mary
Ready for the early morning ride up to New Hampshire
Pete and I set up shop and finished up a few things before tech in
Hunting down a voltage issue with the TPS
Sorted and good to go
Ready to head out to scrub the NT01s for NJ
Ran a session on our NJ setup, then swapped over to an older set of RA1s for the rest of the day
Paddy was instructing two drivers in different classes, so we had a balancing act of getting the S2000 out on track.
We were able to get in about 30 laps without any hiccups
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-20-17 at 08:42 PM.
04-14-15, 11:15 PM
#178
White Mountain BMWCCA's endless supply of eye candy
Here's a link to the rest of the set
We should be just about wrapped up for The Devil. Anyone else making it to New Jersey Motorsports Park for the endurance race April 24th - 25th? If so, swing by our paddock and say hi. I'll most likely be the guy with the firesuit, headsock, goggles, and extinguisher and most definitely the guy behind the camera lens
Cheers!
*On a sidenote, I stopped by on my way up to see Tommy . I checked out his NSX... oh em gee is all I can say about the new look, feel, and sound! Look for a photoshoot soon
Good to see you Tommy - looking forward to a fun season with you and the boys
Here's a link to the rest of the set
We should be just about wrapped up for The Devil. Anyone else making it to New Jersey Motorsports Park for the endurance race April 24th - 25th? If so, swing by our paddock and say hi. I'll most likely be the guy with the firesuit, headsock, goggles, and extinguisher and most definitely the guy behind the camera lens
Cheers!
*On a sidenote, I stopped by on my way up to see Tommy . I checked out his NSX... oh em gee is all I can say about the new look, feel, and sound! Look for a photoshoot soon
Good to see you Tommy - looking forward to a fun season with you and the boys
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-20-17 at 08:44 PM.
05-18-15, 10:20 PM
#179
We made it down to New Jersey a few weeks ago to try our hand at SCCA's The Devil in the Dark 12-hour endurance race on Thunderbolt
We got into our trackside villa a little past midnight, made a plan for the morning, and tried to get some sleep
Not a bad view to wake up to!
John, Paddy, Mike
Pete and Jason
Friday was an open track day, with SCCA practice and qualifying starting for us at 6:30
One of our crew members, Mickey, brought his Civic down for some pre-season testing
We practiced driver changes, tire changes, and fueling throughout the day, and made a few setup changes on the car
Pete, Paddy, and Mike all got some night practice - we had a strong set up for qualifying
We got into our trackside villa a little past midnight, made a plan for the morning, and tried to get some sleep
Not a bad view to wake up to!
John, Paddy, Mike
Pete and Jason
Friday was an open track day, with SCCA practice and qualifying starting for us at 6:30
One of our crew members, Mickey, brought his Civic down for some pre-season testing
We practiced driver changes, tire changes, and fueling throughout the day, and made a few setup changes on the car
Pete, Paddy, and Mike all got some night practice - we had a strong set up for qualifying
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-20-17 at 08:46 PM.
05-18-15, 10:27 PM
#180
Mike qualified us with a low 1:37. His pace picked up greatly race day, setting our fastest lap with a 1:33.0 during one of his night stints
Brought in safely and ready for race day
We returned to the villa to find this waiting for us - brownies made in a pot top. Mary is quite resourceful and awesome to have around!
Up and at 'em!
Tony and Jason swapping rotors
Getting set for a noon start with Paddy getting geared up for the first stint
Mary and Hugh on our way over to our paddock with the safety car getting the cars lined up for the parade lap
Brought in safely and ready for race day
We returned to the villa to find this waiting for us - brownies made in a pot top. Mary is quite resourceful and awesome to have around!
Up and at 'em!
Tony and Jason swapping rotors
Getting set for a noon start with Paddy getting geared up for the first stint
Mary and Hugh on our way over to our paddock with the safety car getting the cars lined up for the parade lap
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-20-17 at 08:47 PM.
05-18-15, 10:28 PM
#181
Green green green!
Until one of the E1 E46 M3s blew a motor coming down the front straight
About to go yellow after forty minutes waiting for cleanup and figuring out who pitted when they shouldn't have and what the running order should be
Paddy back at it, keeping it out of the kitty litter, having some great battles in E2
With about three hours left, we were running as high as third in class forth overall with about three hours left when misfortune struck
Here's Pete's take on it:
Until one of the E1 E46 M3s blew a motor coming down the front straight
About to go yellow after forty minutes waiting for cleanup and figuring out who pitted when they shouldn't have and what the running order should be
Paddy back at it, keeping it out of the kitty litter, having some great battles in E2
With about three hours left, we were running as high as third in class forth overall with about three hours left when misfortune struck
Here's Pete's take on it:
With about 3 hours to go, I had an off in turn 4 at over 100mph when the rear locked up. I wasn't really sure what happened so I collected myself, called into our crew chief Jon to tell him I was alright and that I was coming in. The left front tire was chorded, but other than that everything looked good.
Jason went to work swapping all 4 tires and we put Paddy back in the car. With 2 hours left we caught a caution that we desperately needed. This let us pit under yellow, fill the car with enough fuel to get us to the end. Mike was able to get back out in front of the pace car and we hardly lost any time at all.
Jason went to work swapping all 4 tires and we put Paddy back in the car. With 2 hours left we caught a caution that we desperately needed. This let us pit under yellow, fill the car with enough fuel to get us to the end. Mike was able to get back out in front of the pace car and we hardly lost any time at all.
After another hour of great driving by Mike and with one hour remaining in the race, we were 3rd overall and 2nd in class. Mike called in saying that there was hardly any grip in the rear of the car and he was limping around going about 10-15 seconds a lap slower. We called him in thinking it might be a puncture, swapped the rear tires and sent him back out. The tires we took off the car looked fine and we started to think what else could be causing our issue.
A few laps later we watched as Mike went skidding off in turn one. He came back in with 45 minutes to go and we made the decision to swap the rear differential.
Paddy and Jason made a gallant effort and when the trashing was over the checkered flag was flying and we had dropped to 6th in class and 17th overall.
A few laps later we watched as Mike went skidding off in turn one. He came back in with 45 minutes to go and we made the decision to swap the rear differential.
Paddy and Jason made a gallant effort and when the trashing was over the checkered flag was flying and we had dropped to 6th in class and 17th overall.
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-20-17 at 08:48 PM.
05-18-15, 10:31 PM
#182
My heart sank when we had to bring Mike in, but I jumped over the wall and gave Paddy and Jason a hand with the differential. They worked their asses off as quickly as possible, and we were able to get the car running just about as the checkered flag waved. We pushed the car down pit lane to get Mike going and got him out for a lap for the valiant effort our team made
Although we didn't get the checkered flag, getting the car out to finish that one lap was a victory in itself for me
That's racing, right? I believe all's well that ends well
Overall I am very proud of our drivers (Paddy, Pete, and Mike) and our crew (Mary, Hugh, Jon, Tommy, Tony, Jason, and Mickey). We're getting much better as a team and our drivers are getting faster and more consistent - it is honestly a privilege to watch and to be a part of the progression
We'll be back to fight again soon!
There's a new series, American Endurance Racing, hosting a race weekend with back to back Saturday and Sunday 9-5 races in June in my mother-in-laws backyard at Whiskey Hill Raceway in Palmer, MA
We are currently working towards getting the S2000 ready for then: June 19th practice and qualifying, June 20th Race 1, June 21st Race 2
I am also working to get the RX-7 ready for a HPDE June 6th - more on that later
Cheers!
Although we didn't get the checkered flag, getting the car out to finish that one lap was a victory in itself for me
That's racing, right? I believe all's well that ends well
Overall I am very proud of our drivers (Paddy, Pete, and Mike) and our crew (Mary, Hugh, Jon, Tommy, Tony, Jason, and Mickey). We're getting much better as a team and our drivers are getting faster and more consistent - it is honestly a privilege to watch and to be a part of the progression
We'll be back to fight again soon!
There's a new series, American Endurance Racing, hosting a race weekend with back to back Saturday and Sunday 9-5 races in June in my mother-in-laws backyard at Whiskey Hill Raceway in Palmer, MA
We are currently working towards getting the S2000 ready for then: June 19th practice and qualifying, June 20th Race 1, June 21st Race 2
I am also working to get the RX-7 ready for a HPDE June 6th - more on that later
Cheers!
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-20-17 at 08:48 PM.
05-20-15, 05:46 PM
#185
Sleep depravation aside, race weekends are always a great time
You should definitely try to make it to the 24 Hours of Daytona if you ever get the chance. I have yet to make it down, but my friends tell me it's a blast. Maybe I'll see you there
Anyone free June 20th and 21st and up for working the pits at Whiskey Hill Raceway in Palmer, MA? PM me - we need the help
You should definitely try to make it to the 24 Hours of Daytona if you ever get the chance. I have yet to make it down, but my friends tell me it's a blast. Maybe I'll see you there
Anyone free June 20th and 21st and up for working the pits at Whiskey Hill Raceway in Palmer, MA? PM me - we need the help
05-25-15, 09:22 PM
#186
I appreciate itI finally got around to getting the RX-7 out of hibernation and hit the ground running getting ready for a track day in June
I've made it a habit to wash the car before putting her away for the winter, but I am always amazed at how dirty she is after I take the car cover off
I threw the wheels on, loaded our Subaru up with tools and parts to head over to garage #2 to get cracking for the season, but figured I'd stop at Palmer Motorsports Parks for the grand opening weekend. Tony had taken his S2000 out for the inaugural running (lucky!) the day before, and I knew there were events all weekend, and I was anxious to check it out.
I headed to the garage and dropped everything off out of 3.6R and grabbed the FD to head back to the track. I knew whatever plans I had for the garage were being tabled for later
I was happy to meet up with Brian and to see a few familiar faces and fellow rotary enthusiasts trackside from Wankel Works and Team-GP Racing
There were definitely more rotaries per capita this track day
The track still needs some work (curbing, brake point markers, paved working areas, proper barricades), but there's enough for what should be some good times
Unfortunately my plans for garage work were out for the day, but Charlie the track manager took Brian in his WRX and me in the RX-7 out on track for some touring laps - well worth the wait! The touring laps were good because I felt the track building up to be a monster in my mind from the pictures and videos I've seen being built cliffside with minimal runoff. The track has some great flow and the drastic elevation changes make for a fun layout- can't wait to get out there for some proper runs.
I think I said it before, but my mother-in-law lives 5 minutes away making it that much more exciting. PM me if you are interested in racing the track and I'll see if I can put you up for the weekend.
Good people and a great time
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-20-17 at 08:53 PM.
05-25-15, 09:31 PM
#187
I finally made it to the garage and my mom and I gave Bianca, Mia, and the wheels some much needed baths - this pollen is killing me
Ended up throwing the house slippers on after giving the Volks a bath - doesn't make sense but I wanted to keep them clean for the trackday
I grabbed some parts from my mom's garage and mother-in-law's attic (we need our own house - we've been looking, but it's been a tough market) and headed back to Providence
I have been putting off my aero, but I knew I had one man in mind once it was go time - my friend Joe is one of the most talented, precise, and meticulous craftsman that I know, and I knew he'd make easy work with giving me a hand assembling the carbon fiber hatch and rear window once I stopped putting it off. With the rear polycarbonate window now being obsolete, I knew I needed to make sure the window was on there for the long run
I did some research on assembly options and ultimately went with some 3M Window-Weld (#08609) urethane and 1" 10/32 head allen screws with nylon lock nuts from Pegasus (I had to order a lot more hardware from them, otherwise that would have been a ridiculous order - more on that later)
Some minor fitment issues in the middle, but we added a few extra holes and hardware and were good to go
Thanks for the help Joe!
Ended up throwing the house slippers on after giving the Volks a bath - doesn't make sense but I wanted to keep them clean for the trackday
I grabbed some parts from my mom's garage and mother-in-law's attic (we need our own house - we've been looking, but it's been a tough market) and headed back to Providence
I have been putting off my aero, but I knew I had one man in mind once it was go time - my friend Joe is one of the most talented, precise, and meticulous craftsman that I know, and I knew he'd make easy work with giving me a hand assembling the carbon fiber hatch and rear window once I stopped putting it off. With the rear polycarbonate window now being obsolete, I knew I needed to make sure the window was on there for the long run
I did some research on assembly options and ultimately went with some 3M Window-Weld (#08609) urethane and 1" 10/32 head allen screws with nylon lock nuts from Pegasus (I had to order a lot more hardware from them, otherwise that would have been a ridiculous order - more on that later)
Some minor fitment issues in the middle, but we added a few extra holes and hardware and were good to go
Thanks for the help Joe!
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-20-17 at 08:54 PM.
05-25-15, 09:37 PM
#188
I headed up to the McParland's new garage a few weekends ago to get some much needed work done for the season
Paddy and I tackled the harnesses and Pete swapped the transmission and differential fluid (Neo Synthetics 75w90HD for reference)
I went with clipping assembly on the harness hardware so swapping them out when they expire will be much easier in the future
I cut a slit in the carpet and we installed the eye-bolts through the floorboard - pretty straightforward but it was great having help
We ended up dropping the EVO a half an inch, so that should make me a little more comfortable when I have my helmet on. I believe the Touring package doesn't get as much headroom as a base or R1 with the roof helmet hump design
The Profii II-6 Hans are surprisingly comfortable and a lot lighter set than my last ones
Thanks Pete and Paddy - much appreciated!
I ended up swinging by Tony and Tommy's on the way - they've been busy!
Tony's S2000 and Tommy's NSX with some new kicks - beautiful set of RGIIs with a really nice facing
Tommy's new carbon fiber NSX-R wing
Tony and his new titanium 275mm wing stands
Tony's new carbon fiber hardtop is good for some decent weight savings - looks pretty slick!
The McParland's had a new ducted oil cooler set up for New Jersey and Tony just got a kit as well... long story short, you'll never guess what I ordered - more on that in a week or so. Hey - when all the cool kids are doing it...
Paddy and I tackled the harnesses and Pete swapped the transmission and differential fluid (Neo Synthetics 75w90HD for reference)
I went with clipping assembly on the harness hardware so swapping them out when they expire will be much easier in the future
I cut a slit in the carpet and we installed the eye-bolts through the floorboard - pretty straightforward but it was great having help
We ended up dropping the EVO a half an inch, so that should make me a little more comfortable when I have my helmet on. I believe the Touring package doesn't get as much headroom as a base or R1 with the roof helmet hump design
The Profii II-6 Hans are surprisingly comfortable and a lot lighter set than my last ones
Thanks Pete and Paddy - much appreciated!
I ended up swinging by Tony and Tommy's on the way - they've been busy!
Tony's S2000 and Tommy's NSX with some new kicks - beautiful set of RGIIs with a really nice facing
Tommy's new carbon fiber NSX-R wing
Tony and his new titanium 275mm wing stands
Tony's new carbon fiber hardtop is good for some decent weight savings - looks pretty slick!
The McParland's had a new ducted oil cooler set up for New Jersey and Tony just got a kit as well... long story short, you'll never guess what I ordered - more on that in a week or so. Hey - when all the cool kids are doing it...
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-20-17 at 08:55 PM.
05-25-15, 09:40 PM
#189
I brought my wing back with me to Providence since I figured it would be easier to install it on a work bench with the hatch off
Joe gave me a hand with it after we gave the silicon a few days to cure on the hatch
Pretty straightforward install
We laid the Juran gurney flap down and Joe trimmed it up to make it visually flow a little better
It's starting to get exciting!
Thanks again Joe
Joe gave me a hand with it after we gave the silicon a few days to cure on the hatch
Pretty straightforward install
We laid the Juran gurney flap down and Joe trimmed it up to make it visually flow a little better
It's starting to get exciting!
Thanks again Joe
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-20-17 at 09:13 PM.
05-25-15, 09:43 PM
#190
I took the wing off and wrapped everything up to bring it up north
This past Saturday, my wife and I woke up early, strapped the hatch on the roof of the Subaru, packed the wing in the Subie hatch, and we headed up to the McParlands garage with me following her in the BMW
We dropped the wing, hatch and bimmer off at the garage and headed over to my mother-in-laws for some lunch and to pick up the TCP Magic front bumper, front diffuser, canards, and diffuser end plates to bring back down to Providence (continued underlying theme of these posts: more on that later)
Headed to my mom's garage and picked up the RX-7. My wife headed back to Providence and I headed back to the garage
Thank you very much beautiful - I know that is not necessarily what you wanted to do with your Saturday morning, but I really appreciate the help <3 I hope the multiple beach days and lobster roll made up for it a little bit
I swung by the Le's house on the way to the garage to meet up with Tommy. My timing was utterly terrible and I inadvertently interrupted their lunch. Mr and Mrs Le are too sweet and invited me in for some clams - so good! Thank you very much for your hospitality - always a sincere pleasure! My great friends have some really great families - really makes for some of the best company around!
Tommy and I headed to the garage to get cracking on what was supposed to be a half hour job. Andrew was just about right on timing in the end - multiply any car project by three or four and that's just about more accurate
The McParland's new garage isn't too shabby at all! I miss seeing the McParland Realty Mini out on the road - hopefully we'll see it out and about soon
Our newest father Alex (congratulations bud!) swung by to check out what we were up to and jumped in to give us a hand. I didn't get the chance to get any shots of his AP1, but he has some new goodies as well. We'll be doing a cruise soon, I'll show it off then
Replacing the rear hatch should have been as easy as taking the hatch plastic hardware off, removing the rear defroster and wiper wires, dropping the rear section of the headliner, and removing the four nuts attached to the hinges
My rollbar has the unfortunate positioning to be placed perfectly below those four nuts attached to the hinges. Tommy and I were able to barely get our fingers under the headliner to get three different styled wrenches in to eventually get the nuts off
We took the factory hatch off, trimmed, wrapped, and pulled through the factory wires and put the rubber grommets back in, swapped hardware and tried our damnedest to get the four nuts back on for the carbon fiber hatch
Some time, patience, and tiny adjustments on the hardware later and we were able to get the hatch on. We shifted the hatch lock up and boom! it locks! An absolute victory after the valiant effort all around!
The fitment isn't perfect but I don't think it is all that bad - I mean, I am okay with raw carbon fiber fenders so I might not be the best person to ask what is good or not for bodywork...
Next up: the wing. A much welcomed, easy four bolt install
I believe this is the part of my story where most will say my shark has been officially jumped - that's fine with me!
We ended up getting a lot more work in to get me and Paddy set for doing work hopefully this Wednesday (assuming everything comes in by then). We took the intercooler and bumper off.
The generator running the lights eventually ran out of gas around 1:30am so that was a good time to call it quits. We headed back to the Le's and and Tommy and I had some much needed late night dinner - amazing beef noodle soup with the perfect amount of spiciness that was waiting for us.
I packed up and headed back down to Providence, showered, stared at a few pictures of the new set up with an ear to ear grin, and easily fell asleep.
That closes that chapter. The new one will be picking up again shortly - track days June 6th so I have a lot more work to get in for then.
Much gratitude to everyone who helped over the past few weeks!
Ginnie - thank you for watching Mia over hibernation; it is greatly appreciated!
Mom - thank you very much for giving me a hand in giving the girls a bath; I always appreciate your company! <3
Brian - thanks for coming out to Whiskey Hill Raceway and sorry about the uncertainty of how my garage day was going to go; I knew all plans were off as soon as I got the wrist band to get into the track. That tracks so much fun - hope to see you out on it soon
.
Joe - thanks for your help with the hatch and wing. You seemed to have made easy work out of it, and I really appreciate it! Also, thank you very much Kiera for your patience as I kept your husband out in the garage. Also thank you for not eating all the nachos and saving us some while we were out there
Pete and Paddy - thank you very much for your help. You guys know your way around these kind of projects and I am learning a lot working with you both. Thank you also very much for letting me use the garage space - it definitely makes it easier to have a lot more room
Mary and Hugh - thank you very much for your help with the electricity at the garage. Long story short, I wanted to move the generator inside the garage, exhausted outside to quiet it down for the neighbors, but I ended up knocking a wire out in the process. Not wanting to muff up all of Hughs hard work on the lighting, I thought it better to head to their house and see if he could give us a hand. Thank you for your continued hospitality!
Mr and Mrs Le - thank you very much for your continued hospitality as well - always a pleasure seeing you guys!
Alex - thank you very much for coming out and giving us a hand in the garage - definitely made it a lot easier with an extra pair of hands. Congrats again on fatherhood - can't wait to meet the little guy! Can't wait to get out for another cruise
Tommy - thank you so much for your help and patience with the hatch install! I am so sorry I kept backing out the nuts after you got them on - so frustrating! But we got through it, and I really appreciate it! I can't wait to get the NSX back out and to hear it full tilt with the new exhaust, and to feel it out with the new shoes and alignment. Can't wait to see it out at an autocross and hopefully out on track soon! You're going to be a natural out there!
Heidi - thank you so much for your continued unwavering patience, help and support! <3
More updates to come shortly
Cheers!
This past Saturday, my wife and I woke up early, strapped the hatch on the roof of the Subaru, packed the wing in the Subie hatch, and we headed up to the McParlands garage with me following her in the BMW
We dropped the wing, hatch and bimmer off at the garage and headed over to my mother-in-laws for some lunch and to pick up the TCP Magic front bumper, front diffuser, canards, and diffuser end plates to bring back down to Providence (continued underlying theme of these posts: more on that later)
Headed to my mom's garage and picked up the RX-7. My wife headed back to Providence and I headed back to the garage
Thank you very much beautiful - I know that is not necessarily what you wanted to do with your Saturday morning, but I really appreciate the help <3 I hope the multiple beach days and lobster roll made up for it a little bit
I swung by the Le's house on the way to the garage to meet up with Tommy. My timing was utterly terrible and I inadvertently interrupted their lunch. Mr and Mrs Le are too sweet and invited me in for some clams - so good! Thank you very much for your hospitality - always a sincere pleasure! My great friends have some really great families - really makes for some of the best company around!
Tommy and I headed to the garage to get cracking on what was supposed to be a half hour job. Andrew was just about right on timing in the end - multiply any car project by three or four and that's just about more accurate
The McParland's new garage isn't too shabby at all! I miss seeing the McParland Realty Mini out on the road - hopefully we'll see it out and about soon
Our newest father Alex (congratulations bud!) swung by to check out what we were up to and jumped in to give us a hand. I didn't get the chance to get any shots of his AP1, but he has some new goodies as well. We'll be doing a cruise soon, I'll show it off then
Replacing the rear hatch should have been as easy as taking the hatch plastic hardware off, removing the rear defroster and wiper wires, dropping the rear section of the headliner, and removing the four nuts attached to the hinges
My rollbar has the unfortunate positioning to be placed perfectly below those four nuts attached to the hinges. Tommy and I were able to barely get our fingers under the headliner to get three different styled wrenches in to eventually get the nuts off
We took the factory hatch off, trimmed, wrapped, and pulled through the factory wires and put the rubber grommets back in, swapped hardware and tried our damnedest to get the four nuts back on for the carbon fiber hatch
Some time, patience, and tiny adjustments on the hardware later and we were able to get the hatch on. We shifted the hatch lock up and boom! it locks! An absolute victory after the valiant effort all around!
The fitment isn't perfect but I don't think it is all that bad - I mean, I am okay with raw carbon fiber fenders so I might not be the best person to ask what is good or not for bodywork...
Next up: the wing. A much welcomed, easy four bolt install
I believe this is the part of my story where most will say my shark has been officially jumped - that's fine with me!
We ended up getting a lot more work in to get me and Paddy set for doing work hopefully this Wednesday (assuming everything comes in by then). We took the intercooler and bumper off.
The generator running the lights eventually ran out of gas around 1:30am so that was a good time to call it quits. We headed back to the Le's and and Tommy and I had some much needed late night dinner - amazing beef noodle soup with the perfect amount of spiciness that was waiting for us.
I packed up and headed back down to Providence, showered, stared at a few pictures of the new set up with an ear to ear grin, and easily fell asleep.
That closes that chapter. The new one will be picking up again shortly - track days June 6th so I have a lot more work to get in for then.
Much gratitude to everyone who helped over the past few weeks!
Ginnie - thank you for watching Mia over hibernation; it is greatly appreciated!
Mom - thank you very much for giving me a hand in giving the girls a bath; I always appreciate your company! <3
Brian - thanks for coming out to Whiskey Hill Raceway and sorry about the uncertainty of how my garage day was going to go; I knew all plans were off as soon as I got the wrist band to get into the track. That tracks so much fun - hope to see you out on it soon
. Joe - thanks for your help with the hatch and wing. You seemed to have made easy work out of it, and I really appreciate it! Also, thank you very much Kiera for your patience as I kept your husband out in the garage. Also thank you for not eating all the nachos and saving us some while we were out there
Pete and Paddy - thank you very much for your help. You guys know your way around these kind of projects and I am learning a lot working with you both. Thank you also very much for letting me use the garage space - it definitely makes it easier to have a lot more room
Mary and Hugh - thank you very much for your help with the electricity at the garage. Long story short, I wanted to move the generator inside the garage, exhausted outside to quiet it down for the neighbors, but I ended up knocking a wire out in the process. Not wanting to muff up all of Hughs hard work on the lighting, I thought it better to head to their house and see if he could give us a hand. Thank you for your continued hospitality!
Mr and Mrs Le - thank you very much for your continued hospitality as well - always a pleasure seeing you guys!
Alex - thank you very much for coming out and giving us a hand in the garage - definitely made it a lot easier with an extra pair of hands. Congrats again on fatherhood - can't wait to meet the little guy! Can't wait to get out for another cruise
Tommy - thank you so much for your help and patience with the hatch install! I am so sorry I kept backing out the nuts after you got them on - so frustrating! But we got through it, and I really appreciate it! I can't wait to get the NSX back out and to hear it full tilt with the new exhaust, and to feel it out with the new shoes and alignment. Can't wait to see it out at an autocross and hopefully out on track soon! You're going to be a natural out there!
Heidi - thank you so much for your continued unwavering patience, help and support! <3
More updates to come shortly
Cheers!
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-20-17 at 09:14 PM.
05-28-15, 10:34 PM
#191
I took yesterday off to try to tackle a few things in the ongoing uphill battle to get the FD ready for Palmer track day with COMSCC next Saturday June 6th - crunch time for sure!
My wife and I woke up Wednesday to run out to the post office to pick up a special delivery from the very talented (and most on-point timing perfectionist!) Mr. Dan McVicker. In my rationally irrational thought process, I knew I was squaring away my front aero this season, and thought it would make more sense to throw a dual oil cooler kit in now versus waiting and having to take the bumper off again down the road - completely rational right? So Dan's package number one arrived earlier in the week, I've got package number two in the car, and I am ready to head up to the garage.
At this point, I've got the Subaru packed: front bumper, front diffuser, front canards, diffuser end plates, black mesh grill for the oil cooler openings, Lamin-X for the '99 turn signals, oil cooler kit, a headlight cover for paint matching, a small arsenal of hardware from Pegasus, and the Craft Square bases (I'll circle back to this in a future post). I needed to swing by the garage on the way and pick up the turn signals, then I was good to head up to the bodyshop.
After attempts to lock down a bodyshop, my friends recommended Phil Jr at Sansossio Autobody in Natick. I had been making a few calls trying to figure out the best approach for the project, and his wheel to wheel racing background (E30 M3) helped to solidify my choice of building the front aero functionally spot on as well as well formed. We came up with a pretty good game plan and it is all coming together now with the front diffuser lined up and the bumper sanded with a few primer coats. Honestly can't wait to see it!
After dropping off the aero, I grabbed Paddy and I some lunch and headed to the garage. First things first, we ate then laid out the contents of the oil cooler kit to see what we were working with. I would recommend that anyone who is looking to tackle one read or scan through the instructions - I don't know what I initially had in mind, but I don't think I fully realized the breadth of this project until we were well into it. Definitely grab a friend, store up some patience, and set out at least a full day to work through it.
We had a good amount of work to go to get to the factory oil lines: we had removed the power steering cooler, the power steering pulley and pump, and the throttle body elbow. Really doesn't look like much on paper, but it took us some time before we could get to installing the new gear. We were able to get the factory oil cooler (just one with the Touring) out with the lines attached. Relatively straightforward once you could access it, but refer back to the line above about patience.
So bare with me, Paddy and I chipped away at it for the day and I didn't get many pictures of the installation process
Here's what I've got:
Paddy making room for the '99 Stanleys before bracketing the oil coolers
I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the oil thermostat: Improved Racing 185* with -10ANs
We eventually got to a good spot on the RX-7 and jumped on the S2000 - not sure if I mentioned it, but Pete is heading up next weekend to run the Palmer trackday as well
Pete and Paddy noticed some chatter in the transmission out on Thunderbolt, and were having clutch pedal return discrepancies in it sticking before, so we needed to drop it and take a look
This took some creativity...
...but eff yea we got it out! This was my first transmission drop, and I definitely learned a lot in addition to getting a damn good work out (with the help of a jack on the transmission as well of course - safety first!)
We still have some work to do, but we'll keep chipping away at it over the next 8 days
More updates to come on the track day prep as well as a plenty of photos from an awesome evening from a Newport car museum shmooze-fest that my wife and her work got us into (thanks Heida!)
***Separate note - anyone noticing any discrepancies in my photo quality or the lack of oh-so-annoying watermark (don't bootleg my stuff!) - please bare with me, I am currently out photo editing software with my hand-me-down Lightroom subscription expiring with my Mac having to be swept clean. I am also down an 18-55mm lens currently on the frittz - time to upgrade some of my much appreciated hand-me-down equipment!
Cheers!
My wife and I woke up Wednesday to run out to the post office to pick up a special delivery from the very talented (and most on-point timing perfectionist!) Mr. Dan McVicker. In my rationally irrational thought process, I knew I was squaring away my front aero this season, and thought it would make more sense to throw a dual oil cooler kit in now versus waiting and having to take the bumper off again down the road - completely rational right? So Dan's package number one arrived earlier in the week, I've got package number two in the car, and I am ready to head up to the garage.
At this point, I've got the Subaru packed: front bumper, front diffuser, front canards, diffuser end plates, black mesh grill for the oil cooler openings, Lamin-X for the '99 turn signals, oil cooler kit, a headlight cover for paint matching, a small arsenal of hardware from Pegasus, and the Craft Square bases (I'll circle back to this in a future post). I needed to swing by the garage on the way and pick up the turn signals, then I was good to head up to the bodyshop.
After attempts to lock down a bodyshop, my friends recommended Phil Jr at Sansossio Autobody in Natick. I had been making a few calls trying to figure out the best approach for the project, and his wheel to wheel racing background (E30 M3) helped to solidify my choice of building the front aero functionally spot on as well as well formed. We came up with a pretty good game plan and it is all coming together now with the front diffuser lined up and the bumper sanded with a few primer coats. Honestly can't wait to see it!
After dropping off the aero, I grabbed Paddy and I some lunch and headed to the garage. First things first, we ate then laid out the contents of the oil cooler kit to see what we were working with. I would recommend that anyone who is looking to tackle one read or scan through the instructions - I don't know what I initially had in mind, but I don't think I fully realized the breadth of this project until we were well into it. Definitely grab a friend, store up some patience, and set out at least a full day to work through it.
We had a good amount of work to go to get to the factory oil lines: we had removed the power steering cooler, the power steering pulley and pump, and the throttle body elbow. Really doesn't look like much on paper, but it took us some time before we could get to installing the new gear. We were able to get the factory oil cooler (just one with the Touring) out with the lines attached. Relatively straightforward once you could access it, but refer back to the line above about patience.
So bare with me, Paddy and I chipped away at it for the day and I didn't get many pictures of the installation process
Here's what I've got:
Paddy making room for the '99 Stanleys before bracketing the oil coolers
I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the oil thermostat: Improved Racing 185* with -10ANs
We eventually got to a good spot on the RX-7 and jumped on the S2000 - not sure if I mentioned it, but Pete is heading up next weekend to run the Palmer trackday as well
Pete and Paddy noticed some chatter in the transmission out on Thunderbolt, and were having clutch pedal return discrepancies in it sticking before, so we needed to drop it and take a look
This took some creativity...
...but eff yea we got it out! This was my first transmission drop, and I definitely learned a lot in addition to getting a damn good work out (with the help of a jack on the transmission as well of course - safety first!)
We still have some work to do, but we'll keep chipping away at it over the next 8 days
More updates to come on the track day prep as well as a plenty of photos from an awesome evening from a Newport car museum shmooze-fest that my wife and her work got us into (thanks Heida!)
***Separate note - anyone noticing any discrepancies in my photo quality or the lack of oh-so-annoying watermark (don't bootleg my stuff!) - please bare with me, I am currently out photo editing software with my hand-me-down Lightroom subscription expiring with my Mac having to be swept clean. I am also down an 18-55mm lens currently on the frittz - time to upgrade some of my much appreciated hand-me-down equipment!
Cheers!
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-20-17 at 09:15 PM.
06-08-15, 06:52 AM
#193
I have a good amount of photos to edit from what had become a countless amount of hours between a few garages and then a track day this past Saturday, but here's a teaser for now
I'll have the full story with photos up in a few days
Cheers!
I'll have the full story with photos up in a few days
Cheers!
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-20-17 at 09:16 PM.
06-09-15, 03:50 PM
#194
It's taking me a little longer to get through the full edits than expected and I'm heading back out to the garage tonight to prep the S2000 for back to back endurance races next weekend - photos will have to wait
Here's another teaser until I get around to finalizing them all
Cheers!
Here's another teaser until I get around to finalizing them all
Cheers!
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-21-17 at 07:16 PM.
06-10-15, 04:19 PM
#196
Haha, no I was using my old trusty 18-50 from my Rebel XT on my new 5D. This lens is currently on the fritz, so that should be it for unwanted vignettes for a bit
I'm down to a nifty fifty and 75-300mm for the new body, and have been eying an 18-250mm macro to wide lens to add to the hardware
I'm down to a nifty fifty and 75-300mm for the new body, and have been eying an 18-250mm macro to wide lens to add to the hardware
06-11-15, 09:58 PM
#197
Finally getting a night to breath and chip away at the photos and story
Paddy and I thought we were in good shape with the oil coolers until it occurred to me that it had to clear the headlights and bumper. We checked it earlier in the process, but I neglected to keep tabs on it over the few nights back and forth
We cut Dan's supplied brackets (he sent a few sets in different configurations - good man!), drilled a few holes and made it work - crisis averted!
I wasn't able to tie out the forth corner yet, but I'll be coming back to it down the road
I took the new garage cruiser / pit bike out for a ride - I've wanted a moped for city cruising for years, and Brian almost got me into his Ruckus when he was trying to sell it, I just never got around to it. This might have reignited that fire though...
Tucked the car in, headed the hour back to Providence
Back at the garage to get the car wrapped up for the bodyshop the next morning and a track day the day after that
I believe my factory rear lower spoiler may have been causing more drag when coupled with the diffuser, so I trimmed it off. Doesn't look as clean, but should help in the high speed sections
Tony awesomely/randomly stopped by the garage; showing the slightly noticeable size difference from a factory to 25-row oil cooler
I ran the car for a bit, got the temps up, revved it and assessed. I had a little metal on metal noise, so dug in. In discussing with Paddy, we realized we forgot a few bolts through the power steering core to the engine block. I threw those two in and reassessed - still making some noise
I loosened up the power steering belt and tightened up (apparently not enough- more on that in the next post) the front power steering bolts, and boom, noise was gone!
I bootleg set up the license plate and turn signals to try to stay under the radar - GT wing entirely killed that option though. Not driving like an jerk around the street generally helps 100% of the time with that as well
We zip tied the oil lines to the rebar to keep movement to a minimum
Paddy and I thought we were in good shape with the oil coolers until it occurred to me that it had to clear the headlights and bumper. We checked it earlier in the process, but I neglected to keep tabs on it over the few nights back and forth
We cut Dan's supplied brackets (he sent a few sets in different configurations - good man!), drilled a few holes and made it work - crisis averted!
I wasn't able to tie out the forth corner yet, but I'll be coming back to it down the road
I took the new garage cruiser / pit bike out for a ride - I've wanted a moped for city cruising for years, and Brian almost got me into his Ruckus when he was trying to sell it, I just never got around to it. This might have reignited that fire though...
Tucked the car in, headed the hour back to Providence
Back at the garage to get the car wrapped up for the bodyshop the next morning and a track day the day after that
I believe my factory rear lower spoiler may have been causing more drag when coupled with the diffuser, so I trimmed it off. Doesn't look as clean, but should help in the high speed sections
Tony awesomely/randomly stopped by the garage; showing the slightly noticeable size difference from a factory to 25-row oil cooler
I ran the car for a bit, got the temps up, revved it and assessed. I had a little metal on metal noise, so dug in. In discussing with Paddy, we realized we forgot a few bolts through the power steering core to the engine block. I threw those two in and reassessed - still making some noise
I loosened up the power steering belt and tightened up (apparently not enough- more on that in the next post) the front power steering bolts, and boom, noise was gone!
I bootleg set up the license plate and turn signals to try to stay under the radar - GT wing entirely killed that option though. Not driving like an jerk around the street generally helps 100% of the time with that as well
We zip tied the oil lines to the rebar to keep movement to a minimum
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-21-17 at 07:19 PM.
06-11-15, 10:04 PM
#198
I arrived at the McParland's a little past midnight Friday morning (thanks Mary and Hugh!), woke up at 6:30, headed back to the garage, warmed up the FD, headed out, and mentally prepared myself to fight my way up Route 9 with the morning commute
My OCD, or whatever spidey sense, was tingling and had me wondering if I latched my hood pins in my un-caffeinated state and pulled over shortly after my departure. They were latched. I popped my hood to assess the coolers, double check for oil leaks, check the power steering pump - and sure enough, the power steering block loosened itself up with the bolts backing themselves out. I snugged them all down (two lower into the block) and the one up front behind the pulley, and re-latched my hood pins (which were latched the hole time, but I am definitely glad I stopped before my power steering found its way into some expensive stuff hanging out in the engine bay)
Grabbed a coffee, and eventually found my way to Sansossio Auto Body in Natick, Massachusetts (yes, this is a plug and well worth it!)
Met up with Philipo Sr and Phil Jr, checked out Phil's awesome job in prep work on the bumper, diffuser, and canards, then unloaded the RX-7 and got to it
Fun fact, my bumper, headlight covers, and fenders were sprayed with a Maserati black paint code. I knew the factory PZ code would be a little hard to match after a few decades, but not sure how we ended at Maserati black at the last trip to the bodyshop.
Either way, Phil was able to match the headlight covers spot on
This was my plan for the day, so I hung out and gave Phil a hand. He is a retired racer, having owned an HMS Motorsport / Schroth sponsored widebody and caged BMW E36 M3 LTW, so it made for some insightful and interesting conversations
We had a few fitment attempts, a few fitment issues with the carbon fiber fenders, trimmed some fiberglass out of the bumper and rebar, and eventually got it where we wanted
We ultimately ended up having to ditch the rebar due to clearance issues, and zipped the oil lines up and out of the way
Hardest decision of the day was figuring out how to trim the diffuser endplates. I initially thought I'd go with a Voltex style slash, or the Craft Company / TCP Magic styling, but ultimately mirrored the canard angles. Completely subjective, and I don't have the full science detail of what the best aerodynamically sound option was, but I like how it came out
I also thought a little investment in keeping rocks out of my new fangled oil coolers was a good idea. I called up a gentleman from Custom Car Grilles, talked to him for a bit about racing and his new C7 and my racing needs, and ordered a black aluminum mesh sheet
I have always hated grills, but function trumped form with this so I ended up throwing some mesh in front of the radiator / intercooler opening as well. I could have gone with smaller openings, but this will definitely help and not block too much airflow
After we got the bumper and diffuser relatively lined up right, Phil hopped under the car to brace the diffuser and worked up top to bolt on the bumper while I tackled the Craft Square mirrors
I had attempted it, but didn't like how they came out; so Phil plasti-dipped the polished mirror bases black for me
We zip tied and painters taped the grills in place to hold against the urethane; I'd trim them the next morning before heading out on track
Came out pretty damn well!
Thanks Phil - I am looking forward to doing more work with you in the future
My OCD, or whatever spidey sense, was tingling and had me wondering if I latched my hood pins in my un-caffeinated state and pulled over shortly after my departure. They were latched. I popped my hood to assess the coolers, double check for oil leaks, check the power steering pump - and sure enough, the power steering block loosened itself up with the bolts backing themselves out. I snugged them all down (two lower into the block) and the one up front behind the pulley, and re-latched my hood pins (which were latched the hole time, but I am definitely glad I stopped before my power steering found its way into some expensive stuff hanging out in the engine bay)
Grabbed a coffee, and eventually found my way to Sansossio Auto Body in Natick, Massachusetts (yes, this is a plug and well worth it!)
Met up with Philipo Sr and Phil Jr, checked out Phil's awesome job in prep work on the bumper, diffuser, and canards, then unloaded the RX-7 and got to it
Fun fact, my bumper, headlight covers, and fenders were sprayed with a Maserati black paint code. I knew the factory PZ code would be a little hard to match after a few decades, but not sure how we ended at Maserati black at the last trip to the bodyshop.
Either way, Phil was able to match the headlight covers spot on
This was my plan for the day, so I hung out and gave Phil a hand. He is a retired racer, having owned an HMS Motorsport / Schroth sponsored widebody and caged BMW E36 M3 LTW, so it made for some insightful and interesting conversations
We had a few fitment attempts, a few fitment issues with the carbon fiber fenders, trimmed some fiberglass out of the bumper and rebar, and eventually got it where we wanted
We ultimately ended up having to ditch the rebar due to clearance issues, and zipped the oil lines up and out of the way
Hardest decision of the day was figuring out how to trim the diffuser endplates. I initially thought I'd go with a Voltex style slash, or the Craft Company / TCP Magic styling, but ultimately mirrored the canard angles. Completely subjective, and I don't have the full science detail of what the best aerodynamically sound option was, but I like how it came out
I also thought a little investment in keeping rocks out of my new fangled oil coolers was a good idea. I called up a gentleman from Custom Car Grilles, talked to him for a bit about racing and his new C7 and my racing needs, and ordered a black aluminum mesh sheet
I have always hated grills, but function trumped form with this so I ended up throwing some mesh in front of the radiator / intercooler opening as well. I could have gone with smaller openings, but this will definitely help and not block too much airflow
After we got the bumper and diffuser relatively lined up right, Phil hopped under the car to brace the diffuser and worked up top to bolt on the bumper while I tackled the Craft Square mirrors
I had attempted it, but didn't like how they came out; so Phil plasti-dipped the polished mirror bases black for me
We zip tied and painters taped the grills in place to hold against the urethane; I'd trim them the next morning before heading out on track
Came out pretty damn well!
Thanks Phil - I am looking forward to doing more work with you in the future
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-21-17 at 07:21 PM.
06-11-15, 10:12 PM
#199
I headed from the bodyshop to Tony's garage with about 13 hours until we needed to be trackside ready for tech in
Tony had some minor things to tackle: passenger harnesses and GoPro brackets, and a major install with a chassis mounted splitter
Items one and two went well, ran into some snags with item three
I installed Tony's harnesses and set up the GoPro, then did some last minute checks on the RX-7 while Tony, Tommy, Nguyen, and Andrew worked on the splitter
T-minus ten hours until track time: this is where I left them
Headed to Garage Rotary Amuse to swap shoes, throw the numbers on, and pack the car - thanks for the help Jared
Wrapped up around 11:30 then headed over to my mother-in-laws, where some fresh shepherds pie and dessert was waiting for me - thanks Ginnie!
Finally got to bed for about 5 hours of sleep - way too last minute for my comfort, but thats usually how the first events of the year go for me
Tony had some minor things to tackle: passenger harnesses and GoPro brackets, and a major install with a chassis mounted splitter
Items one and two went well, ran into some snags with item three
I installed Tony's harnesses and set up the GoPro, then did some last minute checks on the RX-7 while Tony, Tommy, Nguyen, and Andrew worked on the splitter
T-minus ten hours until track time: this is where I left them
Headed to Garage Rotary Amuse to swap shoes, throw the numbers on, and pack the car - thanks for the help Jared
Wrapped up around 11:30 then headed over to my mother-in-laws, where some fresh shepherds pie and dessert was waiting for me - thanks Ginnie!
Finally got to bed for about 5 hours of sleep - way too last minute for my comfort, but thats usually how the first events of the year go for me
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-21-17 at 07:30 PM.
06-11-15, 10:15 PM
#200
All the trips between garages, countless hours in the garage, numerous phone calls and coordinating plans, and I finally ended up where I belonged - Palmer Motorsports Park / Whiskey Hill Raceway for COMSCC's first Palmer HPDE
We set up our paddock space, teched in, had our driver's meeting, then our friends started to show up
Friends left to right: Pete and Paddy and the black S2000, Tony and the white S2000 doing some work (more on that in a bit), someone I've raced against with Rally America back in the day but never met with Emilio and his Mustang, Nguyen and his red S2000, Jared and his S4, Tommy and his NSX, and Brian and lil G and his WRX on the way
I met up with a familiar endurance friend as my instructor in Carl Fossum who we have run The Charge of the Headlight Brigade down at VIR and The Devil in the Dark down at NJMP against. The McParlands have also done a few 24 Hours of LeMons races with his team. It was weird seeing him so close to home for once
Session one went well as we were more out for discovery laps over fast laps, so I wasn't entirely over thinking complexes
Track photo credits to Jared Houle (thanks bud!)
I had a class room session, then discussed the track a bit with Pete, Tony, and Emilio
Calmed down, tried to get the track down mentally, then unwinded a bit and took the camera out for some shots. Call it vanity, but I could not get over how sexy the new look on the RX-7 was next to Tony's bad *** S2000. I have honestly dreamt of getting my FD to this level for well over a decade; it is a pretty gnarly feeling to see my dream finally come to fruition. I'm already thinking of what's next though... we'll see in due time for sure
In typical me style, I went overboard with the camera
We set up our paddock space, teched in, had our driver's meeting, then our friends started to show up
Friends left to right: Pete and Paddy and the black S2000, Tony and the white S2000 doing some work (more on that in a bit), someone I've raced against with Rally America back in the day but never met with Emilio and his Mustang, Nguyen and his red S2000, Jared and his S4, Tommy and his NSX, and Brian and lil G and his WRX on the way
I met up with a familiar endurance friend as my instructor in Carl Fossum who we have run The Charge of the Headlight Brigade down at VIR and The Devil in the Dark down at NJMP against. The McParlands have also done a few 24 Hours of LeMons races with his team. It was weird seeing him so close to home for once
Session one went well as we were more out for discovery laps over fast laps, so I wasn't entirely over thinking complexes
Track photo credits to Jared Houle (thanks bud!)
I had a class room session, then discussed the track a bit with Pete, Tony, and Emilio
Calmed down, tried to get the track down mentally, then unwinded a bit and took the camera out for some shots. Call it vanity, but I could not get over how sexy the new look on the RX-7 was next to Tony's bad *** S2000. I have honestly dreamt of getting my FD to this level for well over a decade; it is a pretty gnarly feeling to see my dream finally come to fruition. I'm already thinking of what's next though... we'll see in due time for sure
In typical me style, I went overboard with the camera
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-21-17 at 07:39 PM.