You guys with the welding skills impress the hell outa me.

How do you make sure that everything is aligned and balanced? Structural integrity high enough to be load bearing? Etc.

:bow: much impressed

 

Very carefully.

Can't speak for anyone else, but I try not to compromise the structural members of the car if I can help it. If I have to change something like that, I put the replacement supports in BEFORE I cut the old out.

In the case of the rear suspension I left all the stock control arms in place and welded the third member control arm in before I removed the stock upper control arms while at ride height. The lower arms will be removed after I tack a framework in place from the rearend to the frame to make sure nothing moves.

Even then things do go wrong. You have to measure and remeasure over and over as well as trial fitting at each step and remeasuring. Takes lots of time.

I also use heavier gauge metal than the factory would, I'm not up to the caliber of the factory engineers so I have to make an educated guess and over-build things just to be on the safe side. A real engineer could use a lot lighter materials for equivalent strength. I'm just a hobbyist, I'm not that good.

 

Check out the inspirational video on you tube about a nineteen year old that messed with his first gen RX7. Love it! "The zero F**ks Given RX7- Tuned".

 

Saw that, the concept was funny as hell, but I wouldn't want to drive something that unsafe much of anywhere. The guy almost crashed it twice just on camera. Driving a car that actively tries to kill you is rather idiotic in my opinion. Driving a car that could kill you because it's so dang fast on the other hand, falls into the category of good clean fun.

 

That's basically the approach I take. I too am just a hobbyist, not much in the way of engineering training etc, although I think I have a pretty mechanical/engineer type brain... Measuring is the key, and overbuilding it is never a bad thing.

When I do all my rust repair and body work I try to keep the repairs to one particular area, rather than cutting out ALL the rusted pices and risk something moving/warping etc. Once one patch is done I'll cut out the adjacent part or whatever and work my way on from there.

ioTus - just buy a deent welder and start messing around, that's how I started!

 

Oh and looking very good on those wheel wells. I'm curious too about what you plan on doing for interior panels.

 

Actually I'm curious too.

Hopefully the underlay and carpet over the wells will tie into the trimmed side panels OK. Have my hands full in the meantime though.

 

i love the fabor work at.......great job.. more pic ser

 

More pics? You are a glutton for punishment aren't you? Here I thought I was overdoing it.

Todays progess. Got my springs back in, a shock mount fabbed/tacked in, and a shock mounted. Then put on a wheel and started checking suspension cycling. No go. Have an interference problem with off camber movement. Going to have to modify the wheel wells some more to move the shocks further inboard, I didn't move them enough. Figures. I'll post a pic or two of it when I get it figured out and fabbed up.

 

I hadn't check your thread for ages, but i'm so glad i finally did.
That work is is very well thought out and well exacuted Sargent!

Keep it up, i'll make sure i get on here a bit more too ;-)

 

lol..thats great keep us posted... a person never over dose it not....

 

I keep checking your thread, one of the few I keep a subscription on, because I really like the way it's turning out. Had a few problems with getting the parts I needed, so had to come up with alternative methods. If I'd just quit hitting snags along the way I would be a lot further along. Where would be the fun if everything always worked perfectly though?

Will do, just glad you guys are actually interested in what I'm up to.

 

Well I've pretty much started again on mine., but bigger and better and all that stuff :-)

 

I love seeing build threads with lots of fab work. Keeps me motivated on my own projects

 

cant wait to see this .. hope ya get it done in time for DGRR .. got 2 more months.. but hurry up so u can get it tested out hahah . keep up the good work

 

Thanks guys.

As promised, a few more pics from weekend progress, it's a real shocker (sic). Had to notch the wheel well housings and rotate the bottom mounts slightly to angle the shocks inboard.

inside of wheel well
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8482739313/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8482739313/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/gysgtfrank/, on Flickr

interior mount.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8482741015/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8482741015/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/gysgtfrank/, on Flickr

on ground at full drop, tires hit sheetmetal slightly.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8482746643/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8482746643/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/gysgtfrank/, on Flickr

At desired ride height.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8483835638/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8483835638/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/gysgtfrank/, on Flickr

Found that the rear axle was not centered from the factory, offset slightly to the driver's side. Planning on replacing the lower arms with Maximum Motorsports arms that use a captured Heim style joint. Adjustment shouldn't be a big deal with my panhard rod once I get rid of the bind.

Don't look at the puddle of oil under the car. Left the driveshaft out and it emptied from my transmission when I lowered the car back down to the ground.

 

Had a couple of requests for shots from the rear to see what a 275/40 17 looked like when tucked in.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8484208668/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8484208668/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/gysgtfrank/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8483116587/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8483116587/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/gysgtfrank/, on Flickr

Not the best shots, but it's starting to get dark.

 

Whoa! Righteous.

 

A couple more requested pics.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8486485256/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8486485256/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/gysgtfrank/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8486486966/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gysgtfrank/8486486966/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/gysgtfrank/, on Flickr

just a leeetle bigger.

 

Great build, great thread! I'm thinking of transplanting a stock 86 engine into a first gen too. I will be referring back to this thread often. Thanks for the ideas.

 

That's coming out real nice! Those fat tires look badass stuffed in there lol

 

Thanks guys. I stayed with a bone stock engine setup for the reliability. Wanted to get everything else done to support big power before I start messing with the engine. Have to go cut the tack welds on my panhard mount loose AGAIN!, only about the 4th time now. I'll get it right eventually. Need to get that done so I can center the axle for the rest of the mods.

 

Are you running the engine with functional 6 ports? Wired open? I can't tell from the pics. And just so I get a gauge, how does the car feel power wise?

 

6 ports are functional, using the RB 6 port FC header for the actuation. It has good power. Enough to where I needed to source the LSD rear end and more tire as it had a tendency to break the tires loose in corners when you punched it in second. Definitely not up to TII or REW levels, but fun in a car this light. 1-2 shift also got a little squirrely.

 

i love ALL the custom work you've done with this thing and the best part is it still keeps a stock vibe. even the 17s, which i'd usually scoff at, look "at home". brilliant job so far, Bro.