Valentine Rx7 (Time Attack build)
08-08-17, 08:56 PM
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Valentine Rx7 (Time Attack build)
Hello! My name is Derek. I'm from Fort Wayne, Indiana and I've owned my Rx7 (that I've dubbed "Faye") for just over a year and a half now.
My friends and I have a grassroots racing team that we call "Afterburner". Along with racing our own cars, we like to take photos. Then write stories about our adventures, the cars, and people we meet along the way. All of this goes up on our website (theafterburnerblog.com). I've always been into racing and have been doing all I can to race cars since I graduated high school a few years ago. It takes up all of my money and extra time. I wouldn't have it any other way......I'm getting off topic.
The reason that I picked up an Rx7 is because I had always been intrigued by the rotary engine. So when I saw one for sale at a local swap meet. I knew I had to at least test drive it. Sure enough, it was love.
Conveniently, I needed something to daily drive at the time, as I was in the middle of rebuilding the engine of my BMW. So Faye served as my DD for a few months.
Let me give you guys a quick rundown. Faye is a 1984 GSL that is 50 shades of brown. She is slow, loud, and guzzles gas. When I picked the car up. It had just shy of 75k on the odometer and was completely stock. Save for a set of fog lights.
Now, for a while. I had felt the itch to go racing. Specifically, in the discipline of time attack. Coming from a rally back ground, owning and driving a couple cars in local rally and rallycross championships. I don't know why, but I just felt drawn to time attack. Maybe it is was my growing affection for all things Japanese. OR it was the GridLife time attack events that were run in my general area that piqued my interests.
Either way, I had a need the could be fulfilled. So I signed up for a couple track days with the Rx7 to get my feed wet and begin my journey towards attacking the clock.
Before I could get on the track however, there were a couple of things that needed to be addressed. After a few months of daily use. One of the cats in the exhaust had developed a nasty leak. That was never going to fly on track and thus, I wouldn't pass tech to even enter the track to begin with.
So I placed an order for a Racing Beat complete exhaust system. Then, with the help of my friend Brenden (also an FB owner) we set about prepping the car for it's maiden voyage out on track.
Unfortunately. The exhaust (and a T3 front tow hook) was all that my funds would allow me to do at the time before I had to set off for my first track weekend, and man. What a weekend I had.
More on that in my next post.
My friends and I have a grassroots racing team that we call "Afterburner". Along with racing our own cars, we like to take photos. Then write stories about our adventures, the cars, and people we meet along the way. All of this goes up on our website (theafterburnerblog.com). I've always been into racing and have been doing all I can to race cars since I graduated high school a few years ago. It takes up all of my money and extra time. I wouldn't have it any other way......I'm getting off topic.
The reason that I picked up an Rx7 is because I had always been intrigued by the rotary engine. So when I saw one for sale at a local swap meet. I knew I had to at least test drive it. Sure enough, it was love.
Conveniently, I needed something to daily drive at the time, as I was in the middle of rebuilding the engine of my BMW. So Faye served as my DD for a few months.
Let me give you guys a quick rundown. Faye is a 1984 GSL that is 50 shades of brown. She is slow, loud, and guzzles gas. When I picked the car up. It had just shy of 75k on the odometer and was completely stock. Save for a set of fog lights.
Now, for a while. I had felt the itch to go racing. Specifically, in the discipline of time attack. Coming from a rally back ground, owning and driving a couple cars in local rally and rallycross championships. I don't know why, but I just felt drawn to time attack. Maybe it is was my growing affection for all things Japanese. OR it was the GridLife time attack events that were run in my general area that piqued my interests.
Either way, I had a need the could be fulfilled. So I signed up for a couple track days with the Rx7 to get my feed wet and begin my journey towards attacking the clock.
Before I could get on the track however, there were a couple of things that needed to be addressed. After a few months of daily use. One of the cats in the exhaust had developed a nasty leak. That was never going to fly on track and thus, I wouldn't pass tech to even enter the track to begin with.
So I placed an order for a Racing Beat complete exhaust system. Then, with the help of my friend Brenden (also an FB owner) we set about prepping the car for it's maiden voyage out on track.
Unfortunately. The exhaust (and a T3 front tow hook) was all that my funds would allow me to do at the time before I had to set off for my first track weekend, and man. What a weekend I had.
More on that in my next post.
08-09-17, 10:53 PM
#2
Banned. I got OWNED!!!
Cool. Any big plans for converting the car to a specific Time Attack class?
08-14-17, 06:41 PM
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Alright. Continuing from where I left off with the first post. I had just gotten my feet wet at my first track day. Keep in mind, this is back in 2016.
On the second day of the event. I started to have some problems with the car fuel cutting when I would go to full throttle. So after a couple of laps, sputtering and popping down every straight. I decided to call it a day. I pulled the car back to my pit and began to check everything I could to figure out why the fuel cut was happening.
I couldn't find anything wrong. So I decided to limp the car home. Miraculously, the cutting problem seemed to had remidied itself during the drive. Until I got about an hour from my home. The car started completely shutting off. So I pulled off in a closed service station and my friends and I tried diagnosing the problem once more.
After tracing our way back from the carburetor, we followed the fuel lines. Looking for anything suspicious as we went. That's when we came upon what was causing my issues. The fuel filter had fallen out of it's bracket underneath the car. So every time I would go full throttle. The g-forces would pull the filter backwards, pinching off the 30 year old fuel lines underneath the car. Thus, cutting off fuel flow. After re-attaching the filter to it's bracket and throwing a zip-tie around it for good measure. It completed the drive home without any issues.
You can read about the whole weekend here --->
Part one:
https://theafterburnerblog.com/2016/...y-derek-james/
Part two:
https://theafterburnerblog.com/2016/...y-derek-james/
On the second day of the event. I started to have some problems with the car fuel cutting when I would go to full throttle. So after a couple of laps, sputtering and popping down every straight. I decided to call it a day. I pulled the car back to my pit and began to check everything I could to figure out why the fuel cut was happening.
I couldn't find anything wrong. So I decided to limp the car home. Miraculously, the cutting problem seemed to had remidied itself during the drive. Until I got about an hour from my home. The car started completely shutting off. So I pulled off in a closed service station and my friends and I tried diagnosing the problem once more.
After tracing our way back from the carburetor, we followed the fuel lines. Looking for anything suspicious as we went. That's when we came upon what was causing my issues. The fuel filter had fallen out of it's bracket underneath the car. So every time I would go full throttle. The g-forces would pull the filter backwards, pinching off the 30 year old fuel lines underneath the car. Thus, cutting off fuel flow. After re-attaching the filter to it's bracket and throwing a zip-tie around it for good measure. It completed the drive home without any issues.
You can read about the whole weekend here --->
Part one:
https://theafterburnerblog.com/2016/...y-derek-james/
Part two:
https://theafterburnerblog.com/2016/...y-derek-james/
08-14-17, 06:57 PM
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After making it through my first weekend at the track (mostly). I set about replacing the fuel tank, level sensor, filter, and lines. The reasoning behind this. When the tank would be full of fuel, the gas would slosh around in the tank. Somewhere around it's perimeter, Indiana winters had taken their toll. Rust had formed in between the two halves of the tank.
Rather than chancing anything with getting it repaired. I just ordered a completely brand new tank and threw it in the car.
You can read all about that, and watch the video I made along with it here----->
https://theafterburnerblog.com/2016/...k-replacement/
A couple of weeks after that. My second track day rolled around. This time, I was a little bit more prepared. New brakes and a new steering wheel made their way into the car. Again, even though I would've liked to had some better, more track oriented tires on the car. Budget didn't allow with the fuel tank replacement happening so soon before the event. So I had to make due with what I had. Below is the link to the video Afterburner made. Chronicling the process of replacing the brake pads.
Rather than chancing anything with getting it repaired. I just ordered a completely brand new tank and threw it in the car.
You can read all about that, and watch the video I made along with it here----->
https://theafterburnerblog.com/2016/...k-replacement/
A couple of weeks after that. My second track day rolled around. This time, I was a little bit more prepared. New brakes and a new steering wheel made their way into the car. Again, even though I would've liked to had some better, more track oriented tires on the car. Budget didn't allow with the fuel tank replacement happening so soon before the event. So I had to make due with what I had. Below is the link to the video Afterburner made. Chronicling the process of replacing the brake pads.
08-15-17, 04:53 AM
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October 2016. Gingerman Raceway. Gridlife Fall Special stage.
I can honestly say. Nothing feels as amazing as pushing a car to it's limits. I had an awesome time that weekend. I leaned a lot about not just myself, but the car as well. Having no real problems throughout the weekend was also a plus. I ran nearly all of my sessions all the way through. I only spun out in the dry once (due to my own overconfidence in how late I could brake).
The rain on Sunday however, was a different story. Being that I was on the worst possible street tires, let alone track tires. I had a hell of a time going quick in the wet. I spun a few times......but, I learned more about driving in those few sessions with a wet track, than I had during all of my other time on track.
I can honestly say. Nothing feels as amazing as pushing a car to it's limits. I had an awesome time that weekend. I leaned a lot about not just myself, but the car as well. Having no real problems throughout the weekend was also a plus. I ran nearly all of my sessions all the way through. I only spun out in the dry once (due to my own overconfidence in how late I could brake).
The rain on Sunday however, was a different story. Being that I was on the worst possible street tires, let alone track tires. I had a hell of a time going quick in the wet. I spun a few times......but, I learned more about driving in those few sessions with a wet track, than I had during all of my other time on track.
