Bet you've never seen someone build an S4 N/A!...
05-13-13, 10:42 PM
#1
Bet you've never seen someone build an S4 N/A!...
Being inspired by the other 19,000 build threads on here I've decided to begin one of my own.
First off let's give a simple back story:
Bought October 2012
Pulled engine and dismantled May 12-13 2013
Between those two dates I have been working to get the car titled, ordered tons of parts (still not enough to be the build I want), stripped the car, began sanding/paint prep and bought and sold too many used/new parts to list.
The expectations:
I'll be keeping the stock ECU, Large street port, Medium exhaust port, Headers into REV II exhaust, port matched intake, Weapon R CAI. On those thoughts I'd be ecstatic to put 170 HP to the wheels but we'll see.
As for the interior it has been gutted and cleaned and is awaiting paint to be reinstalled.
I promised my mom when she got divorced that I would make sure my brother got a car, I'll be giving him my 2008 Focus for his Birthday this September which means this FC need to get done ASAP. If I had the extra time or money or I would do it MUCH different but unfortunately I have neither so I'll focus on what I want most out of the car and go from there.
I'll post pictures of things I've acquired for my relatively low budget build over the next week.
First off let's give a simple back story:
Bought October 2012
Pulled engine and dismantled May 12-13 2013
Between those two dates I have been working to get the car titled, ordered tons of parts (still not enough to be the build I want), stripped the car, began sanding/paint prep and bought and sold too many used/new parts to list.
The expectations:
I'll be keeping the stock ECU, Large street port, Medium exhaust port, Headers into REV II exhaust, port matched intake, Weapon R CAI. On those thoughts I'd be ecstatic to put 170 HP to the wheels but we'll see.
As for the interior it has been gutted and cleaned and is awaiting paint to be reinstalled.
I promised my mom when she got divorced that I would make sure my brother got a car, I'll be giving him my 2008 Focus for his Birthday this September which means this FC need to get done ASAP. If I had the extra time or money or I would do it MUCH different but unfortunately I have neither so I'll focus on what I want most out of the car and go from there.
I'll post pictures of things I've acquired for my relatively low budget build over the next week.
05-13-13, 11:03 PM
#3
And then what...? I don't have a grand to throw into a standalone, Wiring Harness, and tuning time at the moment. The little things like getting away from the 6port backpressure tube, a standalone, coilovers, and rims are just going to have to take a back seat. At the moment the goal is to get it painted, Port and install the engine, Hook up the interior, Clean and paint the stock rims, and update the brake, cooling, and fuel system. From my understanding the ECU won't be able to gain significant power gains from the porting/ modding and will eat gas but will still run and drive while I save money to upgrade.
Once built the upgrades will be as follows, Mod 6 port backpressure to solenoid actuators, Standalone ECU (haven't decided on any one type ; advice?), coilovers, lightweight rims (5 lug); 5 lug swap and 4piston front brakes, master cylinder, brake booster, and SS brake lines. Updated oil cooler. Once all that's done it should be a pretty reliable FX if I don't F something up.
Once built the upgrades will be as follows, Mod 6 port backpressure to solenoid actuators, Standalone ECU (haven't decided on any one type ; advice?), coilovers, lightweight rims (5 lug); 5 lug swap and 4piston front brakes, master cylinder, brake booster, and SS brake lines. Updated oil cooler. Once all that's done it should be a pretty reliable FX if I don't F something up.
05-13-13, 11:12 PM
#4
Things I have collected:
CF hood
Koyo radiator
HID headlights
Primer
Viper Blue Paint
Slow dry clear
Black Bucket seats
New driver's seat belt
Energy Suspension Master Bushing Kit (Black)
Racing Beat radiator hoses
Weapon R coolant overflow reservoir
Earls SS oil cooler lines
Weapon R Intake
Spectra MAF adapter and SS intake tubing
OMP rebuild kit
New OMP lines
Atkins master rebuild kit (will be reusing side seals)
s4 N/a irons
S4 turbo housings
S4 ECU and wiring harness
Kicker and Infinity Speakers
New Head Unit
S5 radio surround
Glow shift Vacuum, Air/Fuel, and Oil Temp gauges
Atkins upgraded 6 port actuators tubes
4 piston front brakes (won't be using)
18" Enkei RSV rims (selling to further fund build)
Ebay clutch kit (will sell and get Exedy if I can find the money)
Shortened shifter
Shifter bushing kit
Battery relocation kit
CF hood
Koyo radiator
HID headlights
Primer
Viper Blue Paint
Slow dry clear
Black Bucket seats
New driver's seat belt
Energy Suspension Master Bushing Kit (Black)
Racing Beat radiator hoses
Weapon R coolant overflow reservoir
Earls SS oil cooler lines
Weapon R Intake
Spectra MAF adapter and SS intake tubing
OMP rebuild kit
New OMP lines
Atkins master rebuild kit (will be reusing side seals)
s4 N/a irons
S4 turbo housings
S4 ECU and wiring harness
Kicker and Infinity Speakers
New Head Unit
S5 radio surround
Glow shift Vacuum, Air/Fuel, and Oil Temp gauges
Atkins upgraded 6 port actuators tubes
4 piston front brakes (won't be using)
18" Enkei RSV rims (selling to further fund build)
Ebay clutch kit (will sell and get Exedy if I can find the money)
Shortened shifter
Shifter bushing kit
Battery relocation kit
05-13-13, 11:14 PM
#5
Things I still need
Working with the DMV to finalize my title
send out injectors to RC
Optima battery
Battery enclosure
Fuel pump
Fuel filter
Spark plugs
Spark plug wires
Oil filter
Fluids
Possibly an Exedy clutch and heavy duty throw-out bearing from Pineapple racing
send out injectors to RC
Optima battery
Battery enclosure
Fuel pump
Fuel filter
Spark plugs
Spark plug wires
Oil filter
Fluids
Possibly an Exedy clutch and heavy duty throw-out bearing from Pineapple racing
05-13-13, 11:19 PM
#6
Still to come in the future
Mod 6 port backpressure to solenoid actuators
Standalone ECU (haven't decided on any one type ; advice?)
Stance coilovers
Lightweight flywheel and counterweight
Rebuild transmission
Corksport short throw shifter
Lightweight rims (5 lug), 5 lug swap, 4piston front brakes, master cylinder, brake booster, and SS brake lines
Updated oil cooler
New motor and transmission mounts
Megan racing outer tie-rods
Racing Beat front and rear sway bars
Racing Beat front and rear Strut bars
.... We can all dream ...
Standalone ECU (haven't decided on any one type ; advice?)
Stance coilovers
Lightweight flywheel and counterweight
Rebuild transmission
Corksport short throw shifter
Lightweight rims (5 lug), 5 lug swap, 4piston front brakes, master cylinder, brake booster, and SS brake lines
Updated oil cooler
New motor and transmission mounts
Megan racing outer tie-rods
Racing Beat front and rear sway bars
Racing Beat front and rear Strut bars
.... We can all dream ...
05-14-13, 08:13 AM
#7
For an NA the best bang for the buck is probably a Megasquirt 2, or MS3 system. It can be built for under $500 and has all the capabilities and requirements if you ever choose to go with forced induction down the road.
Another option is the Rtek 2.0 system since you can modify fuel and timing, but its more basic.
Rtek is kind of like an old palm (heh it uses one.) basic, outdated, very limited. MS is like android, very open source, many mods and hacks for cheap.
Another option is the Rtek 2.0 system since you can modify fuel and timing, but its more basic.
Rtek is kind of like an old palm (heh it uses one.) basic, outdated, very limited. MS is like android, very open source, many mods and hacks for cheap.
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05-14-13, 08:59 AM
#8
For an NA the best bang for the buck is probably a Megasquirt 2, or MS3 system. It can be built for under $500 and has all the capabilities and requirements if you ever choose to go with forced induction down the road.
Another option is the Rtek 2.0 system since you can modify fuel and timing, but its more basic.
Rtek is kind of like an old palm (heh it uses one.) basic, outdated, very limited. MS is like android, very open source, many mods and hacks for cheap.
Another option is the Rtek 2.0 system since you can modify fuel and timing, but its more basic.
Rtek is kind of like an old palm (heh it uses one.) basic, outdated, very limited. MS is like android, very open source, many mods and hacks for cheap.
05-14-13, 09:15 AM
#9
It wouldnt hurt to do it that way. Wiring in the MS is pretty straight forward. If you have no electronics experience it could be a bad idea... It takes anywhere between 6-10 hours of soldering in components, and then a couple more hours cutting/wrapping the harness.
There is a Turbo II base map for fuel and timing you can start off with. Then you scale down the VE table so that it only goes up to 100% VE (atmospheric pressure). Since you do not have any forced induction anything higher is a waste and makes for a less granular tune. Again with a lack of forced induction you can practically tune the car yourself as there is little chance for knock and detonation. Most N/As are happy around 13.5:1 AFR under load, and the timing table shouldnt require to many modifications.
Here is the guide I followed. It is a great resource if you choose to go with the MS.
How To Megasquirt Your 2nd Gen RX-7
There is a Turbo II base map for fuel and timing you can start off with. Then you scale down the VE table so that it only goes up to 100% VE (atmospheric pressure). Since you do not have any forced induction anything higher is a waste and makes for a less granular tune. Again with a lack of forced induction you can practically tune the car yourself as there is little chance for knock and detonation. Most N/As are happy around 13.5:1 AFR under load, and the timing table shouldnt require to many modifications.
Here is the guide I followed. It is a great resource if you choose to go with the MS.
How To Megasquirt Your 2nd Gen RX-7
05-14-13, 06:48 PM
#10
Mega Squirt
It wouldnt hurt to do it that way. Wiring in the MS is pretty straight forward. If you have no electronics experience it could be a bad idea... It takes anywhere between 6-10 hours of soldering in components, and then a couple more hours cutting/wrapping the harness.
There is a Turbo II base map for fuel and timing you can start off with. Then you scale down the VE table so that it only goes up to 100% VE (atmospheric pressure). Since you do not have any forced induction anything higher is a waste and makes for a less granular tune. Again with a lack of forced induction you can practically tune the car yourself as there is little chance for knock and detonation. Most N/As are happy around 13.5:1 AFR under load, and the timing table shouldnt require to many modifications.
Here is the guide I followed. It is a great resource if you choose to go with the MS.
How To Megasquirt Your 2nd Gen RX-7
There is a Turbo II base map for fuel and timing you can start off with. Then you scale down the VE table so that it only goes up to 100% VE (atmospheric pressure). Since you do not have any forced induction anything higher is a waste and makes for a less granular tune. Again with a lack of forced induction you can practically tune the car yourself as there is little chance for knock and detonation. Most N/As are happy around 13.5:1 AFR under load, and the timing table shouldnt require to many modifications.
Here is the guide I followed. It is a great resource if you choose to go with the MS.
How To Megasquirt Your 2nd Gen RX-7
05-15-13, 04:01 PM
#14
Small update.
Was just able to come up with an $1000 and will be purchasing a Megasquirt kit, necessary components, and a wideband O2 gauge to get the most out of the engine setup. All of this should run about 7-8 hundred dollars and will give me some cash to put towards a set of coilovers.
Was just able to come up with an $1000 and will be purchasing a Megasquirt kit, necessary components, and a wideband O2 gauge to get the most out of the engine setup. All of this should run about 7-8 hundred dollars and will give me some cash to put towards a set of coilovers.
05-19-13, 05:03 PM
#15
with the right tune you should come close to 200hp. when i had my stock s5 motor tuned on my apexi pfc, i put down 190, had no emissions full racing beat exhaust, msd amplifier, corksport intake pipe, light weight flywheel, solid motor mounts and trans mounts with diff and subframe mounts. your build will be nice when its done.
05-30-13, 08:52 PM
#16
with the right tune you should come close to 200hp. when i had my stock s5 motor tuned on my apexi pfc, i put down 190, had no emissions full racing beat exhaust, msd amplifier, corksport intake pipe, light weight flywheel, solid motor mounts and trans mounts with diff and subframe mounts. your build will be nice when its done.
05-30-13, 08:55 PM
#17
Today I spent a good amount of time prepping the body for primer. Will be getting its first few coats of paint this weekend. By the end of next week it should be painted, and the interior should be all put back together with it's redyed carpets and new upholstery. Still have to refab. the seat brackets because I don't like how high they sit right now. Will have some pictures up by the end of the month to show the drastic differences.
06-03-13, 03:11 PM
#20
Engine, Not Motor
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I would highly NOT recommend puchasing a MegaSquirt as a kit if you don't have any experience in electronics.
If you want to go MS, get an MS3 w/MS3X fully assembled. No mods needed inside the case, but more money than a kit of course.
If you want to go MS, get an MS3 w/MS3X fully assembled. No mods needed inside the case, but more money than a kit of course.
06-04-13, 08:48 AM
#22
Engine, Not Motor
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Nope, it's not. But you're welcome to prove me wrong.
Haltech is a good suggestion in this case. It's a known system with a long history in the rotary world. Though we can say the same thing about the MegaSquirt, as one of the firmware authors happens to enjoy some rotary. I think you'll find that both TunerStudio and Haltech ECU Manager have their strengths and weaknesses. For example, ECU Manager's configurable "tuning pages" are quite cool, however TunerStudio's AutoTune feature is simply amazing.
Go with haltech. better support and software as well.
06-15-13, 10:17 AM
#24
Alright, it's over due for an update and it's a bittersweet one at that.
So I bought the FC without a title , blown engine, horrible wiring, dented fenders, leaks all over back in October of 2012. It's been months of prep work and filing with the DMV but I finally have made a big leap with the arrival of my NCS number ( basically a new VIN number). So, I should have the title in about a month so that I can really tear into the car.
On to the bitter sweet news. I'm not happy with my job and am really not accustomed to the civilian world. So, I went to a recruiter last week and am now in the delayed entry Spec War program. Can't say much more than that on a forum. Anyway, I'm scrapped for cash and want this thing running before I leave because training will be close to two years before I'm back. With all that being said I'm putting all of the modified pieces in my closet for safe keeping and am going to rebuild a stock s4 n/a motor with supporting mods to keep it running properly for as long as I can. I'm not scrapping the project but will instead use this one as a DD and rebuild, restore, and upgrade A Turbo model when I get back.
With all that being said here is the new plan list.
Title
Paint
Rebuild
Install interior
Build dash and speaker components
Install one of the CF hoods
use all support mods (radiator, hoses, lights, exhaust, etc...)
Stock ECU with properly rebuilt stock engine
Need:
Still have to find a set of coilovers as my suspension is CRAP
New pads and rotors
New clutch and clutch plate
For now this build will be of a modified stock N/A 5 speed. Later I'll build a Turbo in another FC. Just don't have the time right now as I should leave within the next 4 to 6 months.
So I bought the FC without a title , blown engine, horrible wiring, dented fenders, leaks all over back in October of 2012. It's been months of prep work and filing with the DMV but I finally have made a big leap with the arrival of my NCS number ( basically a new VIN number). So, I should have the title in about a month so that I can really tear into the car.
On to the bitter sweet news. I'm not happy with my job and am really not accustomed to the civilian world. So, I went to a recruiter last week and am now in the delayed entry Spec War program. Can't say much more than that on a forum. Anyway, I'm scrapped for cash and want this thing running before I leave because training will be close to two years before I'm back. With all that being said I'm putting all of the modified pieces in my closet for safe keeping and am going to rebuild a stock s4 n/a motor with supporting mods to keep it running properly for as long as I can. I'm not scrapping the project but will instead use this one as a DD and rebuild, restore, and upgrade A Turbo model when I get back.
With all that being said here is the new plan list.
Title
Paint
Rebuild
Install interior
Build dash and speaker components
Install one of the CF hoods
use all support mods (radiator, hoses, lights, exhaust, etc...)
Stock ECU with properly rebuilt stock engine
Need:
Still have to find a set of coilovers as my suspension is CRAP
New pads and rotors
New clutch and clutch plate
For now this build will be of a modified stock N/A 5 speed. Later I'll build a Turbo in another FC. Just don't have the time right now as I should leave within the next 4 to 6 months.