That is a hard thing about the FC. Parts availability and cost have appreciated equal pr greater than a FD but, the value of a car itslef has not really matched it. Sure the costs for a good chassis is higher overall but, it hasn't scaled proportionately. In 2025 it feels like anyone will 100% be upside down in a FC with basic upkeep and or mild restoration work. Can't focus on thay though, just the smile you get everytime you get behind its wheel.

 

I don’t plan on letting this one go ever. My life is stable enough that I’m pretty confident that this car will disintegrate in my possession or I’ll be long gone.

Progress is going to slow down somewhat because my wife told me today that we should build a garage for me to work in. So I’m going to be puckered up ready to kiss cheeks for a good while 😂

 

I believe that’s the color they painted it. Or that’s what it’s supposed to be. I had a 2H car some years back, but sadly it was rusted beyond repair. At least for me.

 

Currently at a stand still waiting on an alternator. I have a pile of parts to throw at it but have a ton of around the house work to do. Have a water leak that I have to dig up, a deck to tear down so I can prep for the garage footer and slab.

Currently in my wife’s hobby room I have: a header, resonator and muffler, coilovers and a radiator. The e-fan and shroud should be here within the next few days along with my alternator, Mazdatrix short shifter, LRB cooling panel and antenna delete and most excitedly for me the OE sport lip and mud guards.

If I can find a set of OE mud flaps, I’d just be happy. But those are few and far between. I think I was lucky enough to find a lip and mud guards.

I need to do a 5 lug swap, but I keep getting mixed info on the bare minimum to do the conversion. This isn’t going to be a fast car, just something fun to cruise on weekends and shows. So the 5 lug swap is mainly to use my Starion wheels I’ve got laying around or find a set of Crown Vic’s.

I did put new headlights in though. So there’s that.

 

Put the new alternator on and now that’s sorted out. Sadly I think the battery is a little toasted now. I have it on slow charge and I’ll check it tomorrow and see if there’s any progress.

My sport wing and front lip are hanging out waiting to go on. The turbo, manifold, upper and lower intakes are here. That’s a project for a while down the road.

I ordered a carbon TII hood, but I’m not sure if I will get it as it comes from B Magic, and I’m not sure they are even in business anymore. I found one a few states away that I’m going to pick up just in case, along with some S4 turbo mirrors and I’m going to grab a red rear seat this weekend.

I’ll do a pic dump sometime this weekend as well.

 

DGRR this year?

 

I’d love to, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it. I did take the car and drive it quite a bit and it ran great. I’ll try to put some more miles on it this weekend and see how she does. If I feel comfortable enough, I will try to make it for sure.

I am going in the morning to grab a TII hood and S4 turbo mirrors.

 

I'm curious to see if the hood shows up, and what the quality is like. I looked at carbon hoods for several months before I found my current aluminum one (which was trashed when I got it). I'd love a carbon one, but I've seen mixed reports on the fitment and it looks like many of them don't accommodate a hood latch which means you need to run pins. I like my car stock looking, which means no pins.

 

I was window shopping hoods after looking at this thread the other day and wondered about the hood latch. Retaining a latch would be nice, but I think I could live with pins like these rather than the traditional ones. These also lock.
AeroCatch Plus Flush Mount Hood Pins - Locking, Set of 2 | Pegasus Auto Racing Supplies

I know it's not real life, but I always put the flush mount pins on my cars in Gran Turismo because I think they just look better than the classic ones.

 

Andy’s Auto Sport sent my money back and didn’t give me any explanation, so I’m assuming the hood is no longer available. Sadly, I did not know until I made the 4 1/2 hour trip to get the hood that it has pins. Disappointed me for sure, but I bought it anyways. It’s steel, I have a scrap steel hood, maybe I’ll plug the holes considering I have to paint it anyway.

I will post a pic when I get home, this hood has those same exact pins.

 

Been a minute since I have given an update. Had a blizzard. Still haven’t gotten my garage built. My wife got promotion at work so we have had to readjust our entire schedules. Had a bad experience with a well known… Problem child in the RX7 community.

Anyways. I have my coilovers, sport wing, glass wing, turbo mirrors, Mazdatrix short throw installed. Had been putting some miles on the car and I blew an injector seal I do believe.

Filled the tank, left the fuel station and noticed the car felt like it didn’t want to go and was running very rough. Needless to say I did not make it home. Had to have a shameful 1 mile tow.

Got the car here and got it to start back, but it was idling rough and revving rough. Got out and was checking things over and noticed fuel spraying under the intake manifold. So I shut the car off, pulled the intake and found no busted lines or anything. Pulled the injectors to do a rebuild on them and the seals were basically plastic, so hard you could barely squeeze them together. So I’m assuming that an injector lost its seal and was spraying fuel and compression out around it.

My injector kit did not have the right size pintle caps. So I am now waiting on those to come in. The turbo hood will go on today as well.

Don’t mind the sleep eyes, my headlights were basically 24/7 high beams and I had to do a quick adjust at work and haven’t touched them since.

I also installed a rear seat. Forgot to mention that.

 

Very nice S4. Seems like there's always something going on with those OE harnesses/seals/vacuum lines.. items showing their age. Button it up and bring it to DGRR.

 

I’m trying my best. The typical one thing after another going on with it 😂

Did get the turbo hood on. It looks alright, I just wish it were aluminum.

 

Looking good man, great progress.

 

Well, I had a major fuel leak, fixed that. Started the car up and it doesn’t sound right still.

Just for amusement I did a compression test, cold of course because I don’t want to let the car run too much. Even 40 psi pulses on the front rotor. 50 on the rear. 80 overall on the front, 100 on the rear.

So I am assuming that I’m in for a rebuild.

 

Get it soaking in some ATF or marvel mystery oil. My FD engine sat for a really long time and had really low compression on one of the rotors. After letting it soak for a while, then getting it running, the seals loosened up and it's been a great running engine since. Maybe give that a try before tearing it down.

 

Mines only been sitting for about 2, maybe 3 weeks. I drove it quite a bit before I blew an injector O ring. I may try to let it warm up, check for some vacuum leaks and do a warm compression test.

At least the pulses are even, so at least it hasn’t eaten a seal.

 

Well, I did the MMO soak. Let it warm almost up until it decided to die and not start back. Checked the front rotor and got 50psi pulses and not much higher on the overall.

So I am going to say it’s rebuild time already. I am in between taking it to be rebuilt or giving it a shot myself.

 

I was really hoping to see it this year.

 

I was hoping to have it ready to go.

My garage is finally done, so in between finishing the inside I’ll be trying to figure out what is going on with this thing.

I’ll be pulling the engine for sure and probably taking it to Rotary Resurrection for a rebuild and a good port job. I really am considering on going with a half bridge, but I didn’t plan on going with a standalone. But man do I want the brap!

 

The Stinker and the wife’s Sportage. I never imagined being in a Kia family.

Currently resting on rollers so I can move it around.

 

I'll reserve judgement on the KIAs, but the FC is looking great!

 

The Stinger is 480whp currently. It cares not for judgement 😂😂😂

 

You've got about 20 days. There's plenty of time to rebuild and drive it to DGRR.