so clean, want to see it in person!! awesome work man.

 

Hey, thanks! Would be great to get together at a local event.



Knocked out the center caps and found some cool comics!

 

I always enjoy your posts, because of the interesting unrelated things you throw in!

 

Excellent. The plan is working!



I cracked my windshield and need to have it fixed, but otherwise the car is great. I've been super busy. I've got a pile of parts I need to sell or install, but am currently just hoarding.

I did pick up some really cool JDM FD brochures. I think it's cool to keep some OG literature with the car. I'll have to try some translation later, but they are awesome picture books. Would love to get some english maintenance manuals to keep with the car also, like the FSM and similar.








I'll have to bump the thread with some scans on a rainy day. The Optional Selection catalogue is out of control awesome. Have you seen these wheels?

 

More cool stuff. You should post in the rare parts thread as well.

 

Those door handles look awesome! She is looking great. I need to start collecting parts in preparation for my paint. Windshield and window trims are one of them. Hopefully it wont be too much of a pain to find them.

 

Thanks, you can still get an OEM windshield from Mazda for around $650, or you can get an aftermarket glass for much less. All the moldings and stuff are still available too.

 

FIRE BAD!

 

Had my thermostat housing tapped. Took it to a machine shop, was hoping they would end-mill the face flat. But, that was unnecessary since NPT is tapered and doesn't flush mount like the level sensor. I sent the sensor in for reference, and they epoxied the sensor in permanently which I didn't request but I suppose it's a good idea. Wouldn't want it leaking, or to over-tighten it and crack the aluminum.

Since it's PITA to do-over, tested the sensor accuracy. Lined right up with my meat thermometer. Super scientific lol. Good enough. I'm not clever or determined enough to leak test it, so we'll test that in production. Seems legit, anyways.

I was trying to do this nice like factory and get an accurate reading at the outlet source, but I kindof understand why everyone hits the easy button and splices the throttle body coolant line or the hot side radiator hose. YMMV.

 

And, since my build thread is slow and weak: here are some lucky strike extras...

 

I pioneered the TB line placement for the temp gauge back in the day. Big problem with having it in the thermostat housing is you get no or almost no reading until the thermostat is opened up. So, you're driving around for 15 minutes with the temp gauge at zero, then all of a sudden it springs to life and comes up to 82 deg. C. You have to get the reading from behind the thermostat and there aren't many good places to pull that from.

You could drill/tap the water pump housing for a spot to put that sender I imagine, not sure of placement. If you didn't have the TB hose you could remove the nipple for that hose from the water pump housing and drill/tap that hole.

When I first bought my FD I drilled/tapped the t-stat housing since that's how everyone did it. When I saw how poorly it worked I had the hole welded up and moved it to the TB coolant hose. That sensor has been there for ~14 years with zero problems.

Dale

 

Dale, that's what i did on mine that i am puting together. I had it on the thotle body hose too, but since the rear iron has been capped, i did it this way.

 

 

Thanks, Dale. I agree the TB line is a great option. There's really no good/convenient location behind the thermostat. I won't mind the dead time (hopefully) because it will show my thermostat is working, and I'm primarily concerned with what's happening when it's already wide-open. Worst-case I'll learn a lesson the hard way and change it later.


Right? Never seen a set of those anywhere. I really want the roof rack.

In other news...Finally got my windshield replaced. You can get an aftermarket windshield for a good deal. Oem windshields are also available for a few hundred more. I heard they recently did another run of production. I think they only produce the blue tint ones now. Luckily mine was blue from the factory. I waited until it was mostly almost sunny here in the bay area and splurged on an oem winshield.

The folks at Perfection Auto Glass in Pleasanton, Ca did a really excellent job for me. Would definitely recommend.





I feel like my paint looks really good in those photos. But, trust me it's original. The folks at Perfection Auto Glass also set me up with a solid paint reference for the hatch and will help me get the glass out for paint. So maybe this summer we'll get some of the fun parts on. Stupid windshield was expensive and there's always a couple grand worth of updates/upgrades/repairs in contention...welcome to Rx-7 life. Could be worse, I guess. Could be Italian or spendy-German.

Now just needs to replace everything that touches the windshield...install the thermostat housing to get the temp gauge working, re-do the brakes, everything else I wrote down but haven't did yet...

 

YOLO m2 intake. Should've slapped this on a while ago. The OG carbon top fits meh and has m2 vinyl on it. So, I made some new tops "nothing to see here officer" plastic, "wtf is going on in there" acrylic, and "don't be silly baby that's not lipstick" carbon.

I've run one of these before and they get dusty pretty fast, so I used some K&N prechargers, which I think will do the trick. Some people have trouble with the filters popping off, but you just have to get the clamps on right, put them near the back edge of the filter flange and make sure they don't torque off when you're tightening. I tried pulling mine off, and they're stuck. I got some comp cams worm clamps and they worked so good I think I'll switch some more intake side hoses. I like the stock spring clamps, but sometimes they're absolutely awful.

I used duct tape on the intercooler duct because this is literally exactly what duct tape is for, and because this is supposed to be super temporary. Moved my boost sensor to a sneakier spot. New new AGM battery.

I took it for a ride and the fans move so much more air without the stock stuff in the way. Increased turbo, bov, and crv noises. A bit peppier. Some light moo'ing at low speeds, if you're really listening for it. Probably need to move away from stock boost control.

Stay tuned.

 

Hey @Narfle , did the glass people give you the option of getting OEM windshield or would that have to come from the dealer? I'm overdue for one...
Also, I recognize that parking garage. I worked there last year.

 

Hi, @gracer7-rx7. The glass shop ordered it straight from Mazda. They mentioned Mazda had a few in stock in various locations. It's a small valley! Hoping to get out to some local events this summer.

 

Stripped down, you get a good appreciation on how tiny the stock intercooler is

 

Yep. And, they put holes in the duct. It never stood a chance. Especially in s6 trim.

 

Look, ma! No duct tape!




Got this really clean, second hand Knightsports Super U (Type 3?) SMIC from Rx-7 Rockstar @MattGold a good while ago, and @Shizat hooked me up with a set of replacement brackets, which were necessary and are perfect.

I really like the fit and finish on this IC. The high side piping, secured duct, and cross member brackets are really nice. It requires to relocate the AST, and with the intake installed I have somewhere to put it. So, I cleaned it out with gasoline, a brush and soapy water, and acetone in no particular order. A decent amount of oil and junk came out (second hand intercoolers: clean them).

I need to make the AST bracket to sit it where you see it (metal on order), and I'd like to thermal coat and black it out similar to what @mikejokich did recently on his similar intercooler. Got a blocks and angles motif going on in the engine bay. I kinda like it.

 

^^^Looking really nice Narfle. I’m liking the look of the engine bay. It looks a little different than most (SMIC). Unique and clean. Are you going to need a tune with this setup? I don’t suppose it’s mandatory but it would be of benefit if you have a ECU already. I’ve been surprised how much you can get out of the car even with emissions in tact.

 

Very nice! I was amazed at how much the radiator was blocked myself. Then I relocated the battery and wow. Anyway, it is looking very, very nice!! Love what your doing with her!

 

Thanks, guys. If I can keep the boost under control, the stock tune will do fine for now. I was overboosting on 100oct after I installed the intake, and I'm pretty sure I melted/clogged the precat. Car starts and scoots around OK, but running hot and struggling to make boost. Waiting on a downpipe to arrive before I try to sort it out. Brakes are on the indicators, which is forcing the wheels/brakes decision a little. Maybe just a turn and pads until we rebudget. Rawr.

 

Really looks great! I feel like the Knightsport Super-U is the pinnacle of the SMIC. Such an ingenious design.

Glad you liked it and ecstatic to see it on the car!

 

Hey Narfle.

Glad to see you got the ride together Bro. It looks GREAT !!

Glad I was able to assist. Enjoy.

Drew.