Widebody Turbo Swap - My Dream FB Build is Finally Happening!
02-03-15, 12:18 PM
#1
Widebody Turbo Swap - My Dream FB Build is Finally Happening!
Well guys it's finally time that I start building the car I've always wanted. Since discovering these cars over 3 years ago now I've always dreamed of building a:
Widebody
3-piece wheeled
Turbo-swapped
Immaculate
Beast of a first gen
Clean enough to win a car show or two
Here's the synopsis of what will be happening to these two cars over the next few months in an easy to read, clean and concise format.
Chassis Information
The Black Widebody Donor
The Red Recipient Austin's Red RestoMod - You Just Wait and See...
Chassis Goals
Drivetrain Goals
This build is going to take me months to accomplish with countless hours of constant work to both cars. I'm aiming to have it done before June 1st of this year in order to enjoy it during the summer months, but my rushed deadline is May 1st in order to catch the first few nice days of summer. I'll be documenting all of my work here and making sure to be as detailed as possible in order to help others along the way.
S4 TII Engine
S4 TII Engine Parts
S4 TII Transmission
83 Widebody Interior Swap
One of the first pictures I ever got of the car
Epsilon 3-piece wheels
Structural rust underneath driver's side floorboard
Rust on passenger's side storage bin area and differential arm mount
Another view of the rust on the passenger's side rear fender
Cool picture of when it finally made it home
The staredown of the two cars, soon to be one
Widebody
3-piece wheeled
Turbo-swapped
Immaculate
Beast of a first gen
Clean enough to win a car show or two
Here's the synopsis of what will be happening to these two cars over the next few months in an easy to read, clean and concise format.
Chassis Information
The Black Widebody Donor
- 1983 Mazda GSL RX-7
- 12a Rotary Engine with 5 speed manual transmission
- 04/01/83 Build Date with H1 "Metallic Black" Paint Code
- Unknown exact mileage because of interior and cluster swap
- Sadly it's rusted out underneath and isn't a reliable chassis anymore
The Red Recipient Austin's Red RestoMod - You Just Wait and See...
- 1984 Mazda GS RX-7
- 12a Rotary Engine with 4 speed Automatic transmission option originally
- 04/01/84 Build Date with RH "Sunrise Red" Paint Code
- 70,815mi on the Odometer
- Squeaky clean interior and awesome condition body-wise for a widebody swap
Chassis Goals
- Mold the Pacifica Widebody Kit from the black car onto the red car
- Fix the damage to the whale tale wing and re-use that, or get a big Group C 3-piece wing instead
- Repair all body damage on the car, back to flawless factory condition
- New door and window seals from Mazda to get that satisfying "thump" door noise of a new car
- Sand, fill and paint prep for respray after kit installation in RH "Sunrise Red" FB paint code
- Add sound deadener to the interior to keep the road noise down and provide that more exotic-feeling quite ride
- Clean up the interior to better-than-new condition with GSL-SE seats, new sound system, aftermarket gauges and some other personal touches
Drivetrain Goals
- Swap the GSL-SE suspension over from the black car, front and rear
- Get the Epsilon 3-piece wheels redone with a brushed-aluminum powder coated colored center and polished lips
- Put the S4 TII engine into the build
- Redo the wiring harness to my liking, making it a very clean-looking and fully-functional wiring installation
- S4 TII transmission with a custom FB driveshaft (just ask Mazdatrix to put a TII yoke on an FB shaft, easy to do)
- Front mount intercooler and cold air intake
- Try to push at least 200hp to the rear wheels, but I'm aiming for around 250rwhp or more (that can only be accomplished with some good mods though since the S4 TII stock engine is at 182hp)
This build is going to take me months to accomplish with countless hours of constant work to both cars. I'm aiming to have it done before June 1st of this year in order to enjoy it during the summer months, but my rushed deadline is May 1st in order to catch the first few nice days of summer. I'll be documenting all of my work here and making sure to be as detailed as possible in order to help others along the way.
S4 TII Engine
S4 TII Engine Parts
S4 TII Transmission
83 Widebody Interior Swap
One of the first pictures I ever got of the car
Epsilon 3-piece wheels
Structural rust underneath driver's side floorboard
Rust on passenger's side storage bin area and differential arm mount
Another view of the rust on the passenger's side rear fender
Cool picture of when it finally made it home
The staredown of the two cars, soon to be one
02-03-15, 01:32 PM
#4
).Thanks man, it should be a fun build for sure. You'll get to see plenty of it!
Should be a fun time, I'll be taking some pointers from your build as well!
~Austin
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02-06-15, 12:33 AM
#11
My 2,000th Post!
This is my 2,000th post - pretty cool milestone for me!
I sure hope so - I'll need some help from you for sure!
I've got one here tonight, and I'll have a bunch of them coming up hopefully!
Thanks man, it'll be a bunch of work for sure - but it'll be worth it in the end!
Yeah, I wish the chassis could be saved in some ways. But in more ways than those I'm glad that it can't be. There's so much wrong with it though that I'm glad I won't be trying to band-aid everything on it.
Borrowed this baby from the soon-to-be-father-in-law, it's 150,000BTU's of pure kerosene madness! Heats up the space ridiculously fast to say the least.
Picked up an air compressor, 25' hose and some fittings to make everything work. Finally have my own to work with now!
I had to push the widebody into the garage with the Impala because the front right wheel is locked because the brake cylinder is stuck shut, while the left one has an extremely flat tire.
Added a jacket for a soft bumper, it actually worked quite nicely!
When first starting work on the car, everything still attached.
Stupid locking lug nuts - only good for when you can find the key!
Finally got those pesky front locking lug nuts off! Just had to pound a 22mm socket onto them and they came off very easily - I'm still pretty amazed by that.
My favorite picture of the disassembly so far - just love this shot!
No fenders anymore.
Much more racecar look with no front nose piece, front fenders or front bumper cover.
Front fenders and air dam are off the car already and on the roof until I can find a better spot to store them.
I sure hope so - I'll need some help from you for sure!
I've got one here tonight, and I'll have a bunch of them coming up hopefully!
Thanks man, it'll be a bunch of work for sure - but it'll be worth it in the end!
Borrowed this baby from the soon-to-be-father-in-law, it's 150,000BTU's of pure kerosene madness! Heats up the space ridiculously fast to say the least.
Picked up an air compressor, 25' hose and some fittings to make everything work. Finally have my own to work with now!
I had to push the widebody into the garage with the Impala because the front right wheel is locked because the brake cylinder is stuck shut, while the left one has an extremely flat tire.
Added a jacket for a soft bumper, it actually worked quite nicely!
When first starting work on the car, everything still attached.
Stupid locking lug nuts - only good for when you can find the key!
Finally got those pesky front locking lug nuts off! Just had to pound a 22mm socket onto them and they came off very easily - I'm still pretty amazed by that.
My favorite picture of the disassembly so far - just love this shot!
No fenders anymore.
Much more racecar look with no front nose piece, front fenders or front bumper cover.
Front fenders and air dam are off the car already and on the roof until I can find a better spot to store them.
02-11-15, 09:24 AM
#13
Gotta love the Mazdatrix driveshaft. When I ordered mine a year ago I mentioned that they should have it available on their site. They agreed, but doesn't look like they actually did it lol.
btw, before you scrap the rusty shell let me know. There's a few patch panels I need and they might still be good on there
btw, before you scrap the rusty shell let me know. There's a few patch panels I need and they might still be good on there
02-11-15, 02:04 PM
#14
Gotta love the Mazdatrix driveshaft. When I ordered mine a year ago I mentioned that they should have it available on their site. They agreed, but doesn't look like they actually did it lol.
btw, before you scrap the rusty shell let me know. There's a few patch panels I need and they might still be good on there
btw, before you scrap the rusty shell let me know. There's a few patch panels I need and they might still be good on there
I'll let you know before the shell gets sent off to the scrapper, you've got first dibs at whatever patch panels you'd like. I'm going to have to get pretty creative with which car gets pulled out of the garage and so on, should be pretty interesting in a few weeks here to say the least.
*Note* When ordering the driveshaft don't say the following, "Hi, I'm calling to order a custom FB driveshaft for the FC TII engine that I'm dropping into the FB chassis. So I need an FB driveshaft with the FC TII/Auto front yoke installed on that FB driveshaft." The guy helping me on the phone was like, "Hold up, quit saying FB and FC because it sounds like the same thing over the phone. Just say the year - you're putting a TII engine in an 84 car, so you need an 84 driveshaft with the TII/Auto front yoke installed. Right?" I was instantly on the other side of the phone making a face somewhere along these lines
I know there's no way that I could understand someone saying FB and FC like that over the phone either, I was really glad he called me out. The guy I had on the phone was super cool though and made sure to reiterate what I wanted and said they'd have it going out the door via UPS Ground by the end of the week most likely. And he also stated that he was going to try and push for the $306 retail for an aftermarket FB driveshaft price instead of the $353 custom driveshaft price. Hopefully that's what I get billed since every little bit saved helps out!I'm heading out to spend a few hours with the car here now to hopefully make some more measurable progress!
02-11-15, 02:15 PM
#15
Yeah that's why I emailed them and avoided the FB/FC naming. Most people (you'd think them of all people) would be familiar with the chassis codes, but not everyone is. Easier to just say it's an 83-85 big flange rear end and a 87-91 Turbo trans
Thanks for the offer too, I'll text you some pics later of what I want, to see if it's even any good on your shell.
Thanks for the offer too, I'll text you some pics later of what I want, to see if it's even any good on your shell.
02-12-15, 12:43 AM
#16
Yeah that's why I emailed them and avoided the FB/FC naming. Most people (you'd think them of all people) would be familiar with the chassis codes, but not everyone is. Easier to just say it's an 83-85 big flange rear end and a 87-91 Turbo trans
Thanks for the offer too, I'll text you some pics later of what I want, to see if it's even any good on your shell.
Thanks for the offer too, I'll text you some pics later of what I want, to see if it's even any good on your shell.
Feel free to send some pics of what you're looking for and I'll send some back to see if it'll work for ya or not.
On to a real update finally!
I put in three new shop lights today that each use 4' fluorescent bulbs and that made a huge difference in the brightness of the work area! So that's got me pretty stoked, I can actually see where I'm walking now
I decided to do some shop cleaning and ended up tearing down the 12a that was in the red car (the car that's getting the body kit). Turned out that two of the apex seals on each rotor were frozen stiff - only one was freely moving as it should. It was clear that the engine wasn't stored correctly and left outside so the condensation pooled at the bottom of the rotor and housing. Of course the housings are too flaked to use so they'll become decorations - second set of unusable 12a housings I've had already this year!
Then after all that was done I was able to clean up around the garage and organize parts. Took some pics of the stock S4 turbo and I'm shopping right now for fittings to make my own custom stainless braided lines for coolant and oil to and from the turbo.
The two new shop lights over the car, I did another one by the door to the garage. Such a difference in light - I highly recommend them!
Torn down 12a that was in the red car. Look at the sludge in that oil pan!
Stock S4 turbo compressor housing.
Stock S4 turbo side view.
Stock S4 turbo rear wastegate and exhaust compressor housing.
02-12-15, 12:07 PM
#17
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the Japanese use the vin number, which is like our SA vin code, and then usually early or late, except for the FD, where they will use a version number. I-VI. keep in mind that even a 2003 FD in japan has a vin that is FD3S-5xxxxxx
why the internet settled on the Australian version is a bit of a puzzle, but that is why the Mazdatrix guys don't understand you, they aren't on the forums, so they use model year, like we did before teh internets
if you looked at older car sold in America, they don't all have model years, my old Tr3 for instance. from triumph every Tr3 made from 1957-1962 is a Tr3, even though there were enough differences that we have posthumously added a Tr3, Tr3A, and Tr3B to differentiate them.
02-12-15, 12:36 PM
#18
The first time I ever heard anyone use the terms FC or FD in real life, it sounded weird. This was just back in 2003 or 04. I used to always use the model year. Now I use 1st gen, 2nd gen and 3rd gen. Or I use S4 NA or S5 NA when describing FC stuff, but rarely ever say S1 S2 or S3 because it's easier just to say the model year of the 1st gens. For FD I either say FD or 3rd gen. I don't really call it the 93 RX-7 anymore. Too clunky to say all that.
02-14-15, 05:39 PM
#19
there are a few different naming conventions floating around, and they vary by how the cars were originally sold. in the US we use model years, as this is how the cars were sold. in the rest of the world, they do not use model years as such. the S1/2/34/5/6/7/8 convention seems to have come from Austrailia.
the Japanese use the vin number, which is like our SA vin code, and then usually early or late, except for the FD, where they will use a version number. I-VI. keep in mind that even a 2003 FD in japan has a vin that is FD3S-5xxxxxx
why the internet settled on the Australian version is a bit of a puzzle, but that is why the Mazdatrix guys don't understand you, they aren't on the forums, so they use model year, like we did before teh internets
if you looked at older car sold in America, they don't all have model years, my old Tr3 for instance. from triumph every Tr3 made from 1957-1962 is a Tr3, even though there were enough differences that we have posthumously added a Tr3, Tr3A, and Tr3B to differentiate them.
the Japanese use the vin number, which is like our SA vin code, and then usually early or late, except for the FD, where they will use a version number. I-VI. keep in mind that even a 2003 FD in japan has a vin that is FD3S-5xxxxxx
why the internet settled on the Australian version is a bit of a puzzle, but that is why the Mazdatrix guys don't understand you, they aren't on the forums, so they use model year, like we did before teh internets
if you looked at older car sold in America, they don't all have model years, my old Tr3 for instance. from triumph every Tr3 made from 1957-1962 is a Tr3, even though there were enough differences that we have posthumously added a Tr3, Tr3A, and Tr3B to differentiate them.
The first time I ever heard anyone use the terms FC or FD in real life, it sounded weird. This was just back in 2003 or 04. I used to always use the model year. Now I use 1st gen, 2nd gen and 3rd gen. Or I use S4 NA or S5 NA when describing FC stuff, but rarely ever say S1 S2 or S3 because it's easier just to say the model year of the 1st gens. For FD I either say FD or 3rd gen. I don't really call it the 93 RX-7 anymore. Too clunky to say all that.
Got some new parts in for the beast! More are on the way...I'll take pics of the parts as they arrive
Pineapple Racing engine mount adapter and Greddy throttle body adapter.
Some used Racing Beat springs!
02-15-15, 10:09 AM
#21
The first time I ever heard anyone use the terms FC or FD in real life, it sounded weird. This was just back in 2003 or 04. I used to always use the model year. Now I use 1st gen, 2nd gen and 3rd gen. Or I use S4 NA or S5 NA when describing FC stuff, but rarely ever say S1 S2 or S3 because it's easier just to say the model year of the 1st gens. For FD I either say FD or 3rd gen. I don't really call it the 93 RX-7 anymore. Too clunky to say all that.
02-15-15, 11:39 AM
#22
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yeah but those are universal, Mercedes uses them, if you look the W108 number is all over the car. also like Mazda, Mercedes uses the W111 number as the first part of the part number. in fact Mazda's parts catalog and Mercedes' parts catalog are almost the same.
02-15-15, 12:49 PM
#23
Wow austin, this is awesome. Naturally, I have a bunch of questions lol.
Where did you find the wide body car?
Are you planning on painting it yourself?
How is the harbor freight compressor working out? I bought the 21 gal. one a couple months ago, brought it home, put the oil in it and the damn motor would turn over super hard until the fuse popped. Wired it up direct with no fuse and it would make the fire alarms go off inside the house for some reason. I ended up returning it to harbor freight and they gave me back more money than I bought it for! That's the first thing I bought from harbor that didn't work (well, that I couldn't make work anyway). I ended up going to northern tool and shelling out $500 for one of their fancy compressors.
Where did you find the wide body car?
Are you planning on painting it yourself?
How is the harbor freight compressor working out? I bought the 21 gal. one a couple months ago, brought it home, put the oil in it and the damn motor would turn over super hard until the fuse popped. Wired it up direct with no fuse and it would make the fire alarms go off inside the house for some reason. I ended up returning it to harbor freight and they gave me back more money than I bought it for! That's the first thing I bought from harbor that didn't work (well, that I couldn't make work anyway). I ended up going to northern tool and shelling out $500 for one of their fancy compressors.
02-15-15, 01:48 PM
#24
Thanks man, I'll try to make some progress on this beast soon!
I learn something every day! I wouldn't have guessed that the Mercedes and Mazda parts people would have had very similar ideas on parts naming. I'm a fan of German cars most of the time (when they are maintained right and are reliable), especially the four-ringed ones.
Widebody car was found in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The owner had it for a year or two I believe and never got around to really getting it to run or drive. The owner before him had it for a longer period of time and it was just sitting around if I remember our discussion correctly.
Yeah, I'm planning on painting it myself. If you've got a hookup for a good paint guy who can help for cheap I'd appreciate it though! I desperately need some help with it, I've never painted a car before and I want it to be at least somewhat presentable when finished.
I bought this Harbor Freight compressor because it has the same motor as the big 21 gallon tank installed the 8 gallon small tank. I don't need a whole bunch of compressed air most of the time, so the small tank should work fine for me. I also didn't want to have a huge compressor sitting around in the corner since every corner is filled up with something right now.
My dad bought the 21 gallon compressor with the same motor as mine over a year ago now and we've had no issues with it. That's why I went with this one, I knew it had the same motor. Their tools are perfect examples of the old adage, "You get what you pay for." My grandpa also always says, "You buy junk, you get junk," which is along the same lines. So far I've been impressed with the quality of their tools and I continue to buy them when I find a good coupon for something I need or get a 20% off everything coupon. My engine lift, engine stand, and probably 75% of my toolbox is filled with Harbor Freight tools right now. It's because I can't afford much better and they've worked out well so far for me. Maybe once I get into a career and can afford nicer tools I'll fork out the money for some, but even then I'll probably still be cheap and just use what works
I got my heater and propane tank from Northern, as well as their cheap auto-darkening welding helmet. I guess for $69, or whatever it is now, it can compete in many ways with the really expensive $200-300 helmets. I need to get to practicing with that thing soon though, since there is some welding in my future
Wow austin, this is awesome. Naturally, I have a bunch of questions lol.
Where did you find the wide body car?
Are you planning on painting it yourself?
How is the harbor freight compressor working out? I bought the 21 gal. one a couple months ago, brought it home, put the oil in it and the damn motor would turn over super hard until the fuse popped. Wired it up direct with no fuse and it would make the fire alarms go off inside the house for some reason. I ended up returning it to harbor freight and they gave me back more money than I bought it for! That's the first thing I bought from harbor that didn't work (well, that I couldn't make work anyway). I ended up going to northern tool and shelling out $500 for one of their fancy compressors.
Where did you find the wide body car?
Are you planning on painting it yourself?
How is the harbor freight compressor working out? I bought the 21 gal. one a couple months ago, brought it home, put the oil in it and the damn motor would turn over super hard until the fuse popped. Wired it up direct with no fuse and it would make the fire alarms go off inside the house for some reason. I ended up returning it to harbor freight and they gave me back more money than I bought it for! That's the first thing I bought from harbor that didn't work (well, that I couldn't make work anyway). I ended up going to northern tool and shelling out $500 for one of their fancy compressors.
Yeah, I'm planning on painting it myself. If you've got a hookup for a good paint guy who can help for cheap I'd appreciate it though! I desperately need some help with it, I've never painted a car before and I want it to be at least somewhat presentable when finished.
I bought this Harbor Freight compressor because it has the same motor as the big 21 gallon tank installed the 8 gallon small tank. I don't need a whole bunch of compressed air most of the time, so the small tank should work fine for me. I also didn't want to have a huge compressor sitting around in the corner since every corner is filled up with something right now.
My dad bought the 21 gallon compressor with the same motor as mine over a year ago now and we've had no issues with it. That's why I went with this one, I knew it had the same motor. Their tools are perfect examples of the old adage, "You get what you pay for." My grandpa also always says, "You buy junk, you get junk," which is along the same lines. So far I've been impressed with the quality of their tools and I continue to buy them when I find a good coupon for something I need or get a 20% off everything coupon. My engine lift, engine stand, and probably 75% of my toolbox is filled with Harbor Freight tools right now. It's because I can't afford much better and they've worked out well so far for me. Maybe once I get into a career and can afford nicer tools I'll fork out the money for some, but even then I'll probably still be cheap and just use what works
I got my heater and propane tank from Northern, as well as their cheap auto-darkening welding helmet. I guess for $69, or whatever it is now, it can compete in many ways with the really expensive $200-300 helmets. I need to get to practicing with that thing soon though, since there is some welding in my future
02-15-15, 02:35 PM
#25
Widebody car was found in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The owner had it for a year or two I believe and never got around to really getting it to run or drive. The owner before him had it for a longer period of time and it was just sitting around if I remember our discussion correctly.
Yeah, I'm planning on painting it myself. If you've got a hookup for a good paint guy who can help for cheap I'd appreciate it though! I desperately need some help with it, I've never painted a car before and I want it to be at least somewhat presentable when finished.
I bought this Harbor Freight compressor because it has the same motor as the big 21 gallon tank installed the 8 gallon small tank. I don't need a whole bunch of compressed air most of the time, so the small tank should work fine for me. I also didn't want to have a huge compressor sitting around in the corner since every corner is filled up with something right now.
My dad bought the 21 gallon compressor with the same motor as mine over a year ago now and we've had no issues with it. That's why I went with this one, I knew it had the same motor. Their tools are perfect examples of the old adage, "You get what you pay for." My grandpa also always says, "You buy junk, you get junk," which is along the same lines. So far I've been impressed with the quality of their tools and I continue to buy them when I find a good coupon for something I need or get a 20% off everything coupon. My engine lift, engine stand, and probably 75% of my toolbox is filled with Harbor Freight tools right now. It's because I can't afford much better and they've worked out well so far for me. Maybe once I get into a career and can afford nicer tools I'll fork out the money for some, but even then I'll probably still be cheap and just use what works
I got my heater and propane tank from Northern, as well as their cheap auto-darkening welding helmet. I guess for $69, or whatever it is now, it can compete in many ways with the really expensive $200-300 helmets. I need to get to practicing with that thing soon though, since there is some welding in my future
I was actually going to ask you if you had any experience with auto paint because I'm planning on respraying my bay to get my feet wet. So far I've collected all the necessary tools and supplies to get it done, just waiting for time to do it. So if you need anything when you do your car, I should have it. Which brings me back to air compressors. ...from what I hear, you need at least a 25 gal. Tank to run an hvlp gun, that's why I was wondering about your compressor.