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RXSE7EN – Building a Killer FB Mazda RX-7 REXOMOD
RXSE7EN – Building a Killer FB Mazda RX-7
Hey guys, I’m ‘Right Back at it Again’! (ADTR song reference, great band) Since I have been away from the game for so long now I figured I’d take a different approach to a build thread. I’m going to focus on giving as much useful information as I can. This thread will have as many pictures as people can handle. This way if someone needs to reference how to do bearings, brakes, a wire tuck, anything that I’ll be doing – they can come back here and find useful information. It will almost be a ‘How To’ build thread of sorts. I did that with my first build when I did the TII swap in my first car ( Austin’s FB TII Swap – Details and Pics Aplenty ) and I think that turned out pretty well. The first RX-7 I ever bought was purchased on 08/01/2011 and it’s all been a journey from there. Over the last 5 years I’ve learned more than I ever thought I would with these cars specifically and with automobiles in general. I’ve been collecting RX-7’s for the last 20 months now and not a single one of them has actually ran and drove. This red one was the 5th RX-7 that I had owned up to that point. Since I acquired this car I’ve had 6 more RX-7’s for a total of 11 RX-7’s so far. I also currently own a 2004 Winning Blue RX-8 with the 6 speed manual that I’m rebuilding as a daily driver right now Here’s a quick timeline rundown (mainly for my own enjoyment):
For those who have paid attention, this is my old thread with this same car that I felt was getting way too cluttered up with my old aspirations and all the other cars I owned in the time period: Widebody Turbo Swap – My Dream FB Build is Finally Happening So here I am now! RXSE7EN came to me when thinking of vanity plates and I thought it would be a cool hashtag to use on social media that would be easy to find and remember. It is a compound of the RX from the car and SE7EN from the movie with Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt and Kevin Spacey. So I’m going to go about this build thread using the following seven areas in order to keep it somewhat orderly and easy to follow. SE7EN Categories: 1NE – Engine 2WO – Drivetrain THR3E – Suspension 4OUR – Wheels 5IVE – Wiring SI6 – Interior SE7EN – Body |
8 Attachment(s)
1NE – Engine
Originally this car had the old trusty 12a with a Nikki carburetor and had an automatic transmission behind it. This of course was blown because the apex seals were extremely stuck in the rotors. I tried getting this to start and run on its own power but it just refused to work. So I had grand plans to swap in a TII motor again but that didn’t pan out in the end. Now it’s getting an S5 N/A 13b motor out of an FC that I’m going to use a DelLorto DHLA 48 for fuel delivery. Short, simple and sweet – the easiest and best way for an FB to be in my life at this moment. Original 12a in the car Attachment 606080 Attachment 606081 Original 12a pulled out of the car Attachment 606082 No more 12a, but cool shot with the auto transmission still in the car Attachment 606083 S5 N/A motor out of an FC supposedly that ran, we will see Attachment 606084 Attachment 606085 DelLorto DHLA 48 side draft carb and Racing Beat side draft intake manifold setup as I got it Attachment 606086 Attachment 606087 |
6 Attachment(s)
2WO – Drivetrain
This car was originally an automatic but will be ran with a S4 TII transmission setup instead. This car originally had the automatic transmission in it so the transmission mounts are different than they would be in a manual car. OS Giken twin disc clutch setup that I'm going to rock in this car Attachment 606074 Attachment 606075 Using the Mazdatrix flywheel stopper to install the rear flywheel nut Attachment 606076 Installing the pilot bearing using the Mazdatrix pilot bearing install tool Attachment 606077 S4 TII Transmission redone with new seals, still should get a rebuild eventually though Attachment 606078 Attachment 606079 |
9 Attachment(s)
THR3E – Suspension
Since this car was originally on GS suspension I knew that this wouldn’t be good enough in the end. So it’s had the GSL-SE suspension swapped into the chassis so it’s now 4x114.3 bolt pattern with the best stock FB brake setup you can get. Some nasty old brake components that sat for way too long! Attachment 606065 All new braking components except calipers Attachment 606066 Stainless steel brake lines from Apex Attachment 606067 Repainted calipers Attachment 606068 Redone brake calipers Attachment 606069 New wheel bearings, retainers, repainted dust covers and axle shaft retainers Attachment 606070 New studs pressed in and new bearings installed Attachment 606071 GSL-SE rear axle installed and hung Attachment 606072 Axle shafts and third member installed Attachment 606073 |
11 Attachment(s)
4OUR – Wheels
Of course I’m going to be running my Epsilon Centerlock 16” wheels 8” fronts and 9” rears as my main set, and I have a set of Enkei 16” wheels that will most likely turn into track wheels when I can finally justify it. Front 16" x 8" 4x114.3mm 4 3/8" backspacing +10mm offset Rear 16" x 9" 4x114.3mm 4 3/4" backspacing -6mm offset Front wheel backspacing Attachment 606054 Front wheel width Attachment 606055 Rear wheel backspacing Attachment 606056 Rear wheel width Attachment 606057 Wheels all done and ready for tire installation Attachment 606058 All four tires installed on the wheels Attachment 606059 Rear wheel after tire installation Attachment 606060 Rear fitment without flare Attachment 606061 Attachment 606062 Rear fitment with flare mocked up Attachment 606063 Attachment 606064 |
9 Attachment(s)
5IVE – Wiring
In the way that I can’t leave anything alone, I decided to do a wiring tuck and modify most of the harness to accomplish this. Engine bay before wiring tuck Attachment 606045 Engine bay after wiring tuck Attachment 606046 Attachment 606047 Ignition cylinder replacement Attachment 606048 Broken ignition switch Attachment 606049 Relay wiring for fuel pump and cooling fan Attachment 606050 12a ignition wiring in the process of being redone Attachment 606051 12a ignition wiring setup almost finalized Attachment 606052 Sound system wiring installation Attachment 606053 |
7 Attachment(s)
SI6 – Interior
I wouldn’t be continuing this build without modifying the interior along with the rest of the car. Stock interior, as it came to me Attachment 606038 Attachment 606039 Attachment 606040 Attachment 606041 How it sat for a very long time Attachment 606042 Attachment 606043 What it's starting to look like now, more pics later of course Attachment 606044 |
8 Attachment(s)
SE7EN – Body
The exterior of this car will remain mostly stock besides a few tasteful mods that make it look much better. Stock body, as it came to me Attachment 606030 Finally had the rear axle installed in the car Attachment 606031 In this pic you'll see the 04 Durango that I traded for the RX-8 hiding in the background Attachment 606032 IMSA Wing mocked up on the car Attachment 606033 IMSA Wing mocked up on the car with the ZG Flares Attachment 606034 Attachment 606035 Attachment 606036 Attachment 606037 |
Originally Posted by DreamInRotary
(Post 12137797)
1NE – Engine
Originally this car had the old trusty 12a with a Nikki carburetor and had an automatic transmission behind it. This of course was blown because the apex seals were extremely stuck in the rotors. I tried getting this to start and run on its own power but it just refused to work. So I had grand plans to swap in a TII motor again but that didn’t pan out in the end. https://photos.google.com/album/AF1Q...UXBjn1_BuG5_sK Now it’s getting an S5 N/A 13b motor out of an FC that I’m going to use a DelLorto DHLA 48 for fuel delivery. Short, simple and sweet – the easiest and best way for an FB to be in my life at this moment. Use the Nikki with an RB holley intake manifold. Or make an adapter plate to bolt the Nikki manifold to the 13B. That's what I'd do. But you said easy not cheap ;) DHLA's are cool but expensive. gonna direct fire it? |
Originally Posted by Qingdao
(Post 12137813)
Use the Nikki with an RB holley intake manifold. Or make an adapter plate to bolt the Nikki manifold to the 13B. That's what I'd do. But you said easy not cheap ;)
DHLA's are cool but expensive. gonna direct fire it? This will not be direct fired yet, unless I find a few good ignitors and change up some wiring on the ignition setup I already made up. I have the ignition set up as a stock 12a that should work out alright for now. Eventually I'd like to do an MSD and just run the leading plugs with two MSD coils. But that's a while down the road yet! |
[QUOTE=DreamInRotary;12137804] 4OUR – Wheels
Of course I’m going to be running my Epsilon Centerlock 16” wheels 8” fronts and 9” rears as my main set, and I have a set of Enkei 16” wheels that will most likely turn into track wheels when I can finally justify it. Front 16" x 8" 4x114.3mm 4 3/8" backspacing +10mm offset Rear 16" x 9" 4x114.3mm 4 3/4" backspacing -6mm offset [\quote] Just a quick correction for you. The wheels are 7 and 8 in width (front and rear respectively). Measurement is taken from inside the barrel. |
nice work
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This is gonna be EXCITING to follow! :nod:
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Welcome back!
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About time you posted about this! (said the guy who's hasn't posted about his last 3 builds....)
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Looking good.
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Looking good.
ETA? |
Hey he's back....
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Nice looking build!👍
I like the flares and wheels. |
Originally Posted by craaaazzy
(Post 12137868)
Just a quick correction for you. The wheels are 7 and 8 in width (front and rear respectively). Measurement is taken from inside the barrel.
Originally Posted by ROTARY_ADDICT-1
(Post 12137898)
nice work
Originally Posted by woodmv
(Post 12138142)
This is gonna be EXCITING to follow! :nod:
Originally Posted by SirLaughsALot
(Post 12138290)
Welcome back!
Originally Posted by 82transam
(Post 12138322)
About time you posted about this! (said the guy who's hasn't posted about his last 3 builds....)
Originally Posted by Johnny Kommavongsa
(Post 12138336)
Looking good.
Originally Posted by Jager
(Post 12140494)
Looking good.
ETA?
Originally Posted by cfamilyfix
(Post 12141680)
Hey he's back....
Originally Posted by eprx799
(Post 12142280)
Nice looking build!👍
I like the flares and wheels. |
Nice build.
any further updates? |
Originally Posted by Mr N4SA
(Post 12194599)
Nice build.
any further updates? I'll update later this week hopefully once the picture issue is resolved, making some seriously great headway on this project lately and I aim to drive it within the next week or two here :biggrin: |
12 Attachment(s)
Let's do a huge update!
The engine got all put together for it's intended purpose on the stand: https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503610958 The engine was then put in the car! https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503611029 https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503611051 I also ditched the DelLorto DHLA 48mm sidedraft setup and ended up getting a Mikuni PHH side draft carb. It measures out at 48mm for the body but they only say the PHH carbs go up to 44mm, so I call this thing a bastard carb - like Jon Snow! https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503611146 https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503611345 https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503611345 Here's the jetting size that I'm using for a Mikuni PHH 44mm (really a 48mm bore) side draft carb in my RX-7. Just for keywords I'll put that it's not a 12a, it's a stock port 13b S5 NA motor in here (not S4 REGI or GSL-SE SE motor, an S5). I looked around for this information for forever and never found anything so hopefully I can help someone out here. https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503611345 I also had to find out the hard way that an S4 or GSL-SE REGI NA lower intake manifold is indeed different than an S5 NA intake manifold (I cannot confirm which one I have, it's either an S4 or SE). The way that they take in exhaust gasses for all of the EGR crap is different. Turns out that the S5 has a much larger port in the iron designed for reusing those exhaust gasses. The other intake manifold that I used first left a gaping hole shooting exhaust out at the fender of the car. Pictures to follow of course: Here's what the wrong lower intake manifold on an S5 NA motor looks like: https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503611105 Here you can clearly see the differences in the S5 NA lower intake manifold and an S4 or GSL-SE REGI lower intake mani, very evident when side by side. https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503611105 Making the swap in this picture: https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503611105 Ahhhh, that's better! https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503611146 Emissions system all blocked off of course. https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503611146 |
10 Attachment(s)
Let's make a super cool custom tranny mount that'll stiffen up the chassis!
This whole thing was made out of 1/8" mild steel components. I drew the brackets myself, allowing for bend allowances (since I worked in sheet metal up until last week), and had them laser'ed out of a sheet of 1/8' mild steel I bought. The square tubing came from the same distributor and I just bought a 4' section of it from them. It's 1" OD tubing with 1/8" sidewalls, super stout stuff. Brackets for the frame rails: https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503612083 All jig'ed up and ready to weld: https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503612083 Some welding done: https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503612083 Welding completed: https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503612083 Pass welds added on top of the structural ones, wanted to make sure it wouldn't break free! https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503612083 Ground the bottom flat, just in case I want to drag the frame in the near future (lower it to SLAMMED status...nah, I prefer function over form). https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503612083 Concept of how to mount the tranny in the car with some polyurethane bushings from eBay: https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503612738 Some cutting and drilling... https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503612738 It's slowly coming together, after a lot of cutting and drilling... https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503612738 Another angle of the whole setup: https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503612738 The final render of what I thought would work amazingly well: |
12 Attachment(s)
YouTube video associated with this part of the build:
So I decided to replace the super old, saggy, nasty suspension components here. A set of barely-used Tokico Blues replaced the blown old struts on all four corners. https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503613230 Gross old front subframe, steering components and suspension came out in one piece...more or less. https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503613230 This is a different front subframe from another FB that I had which I chose to refurbish. This car had no rust on the components whatsoever, whereas the one out of my car here was in terrible shape. I would still be fighting with the parts to this day trying to get them to come apart. The only difference I can conceive is that the parts car I had was sitting on concrete and this red car of mine was sitting on grass or dirt. Every part was so corroded together there was no way I was going to be able to get them to separate. Thank the Lord for parts cars! https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503613230 In case you wanted to see what a whole lot of money in suspension components looks like sitting on a bench top: https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503613230 Here they're all unboxed: https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503613230 Trying to put the puzzle back together: https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503613317 Here it is in the car finally! https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503613317 https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503613317 https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503613317 https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503613317 First time on its wheels, was a big day for me! https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503613317 https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1503613317 |
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