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FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build

Old 08-10-17, 10:20 PM
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FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build

Hey Everyone

So I've been working on an 1986 FC RX7 since February 2017 and updating a build log on Ausrotary, but since that forum isn't public I've decided to run the build thread on RX7club as well

It'll be a few weeks to transition everything over and catch up, it really has been an emotional rollercoaster so far but it should be ready for its tune in a few months time.

Ben
Old 08-10-17, 10:27 PM
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Mon Feb 20, 2017

So after 10 years (babies, a wedding, a home purchase, multiple careers) I finally bought another Rotary!

My first rotary was an FD RX7 but I always had a soft spot for the FC's so when this little project car came up for sale I couldn't say no.

After having a good look at this car, it's really odd, Someone OR multiple people have definitely put in some cash at some point in it's life. New control arms, Suspension seems new'ish but railed, microtech with hand controller, all the signs that a great big front mount existed at some point.

But then the rest of the car has been completely neglected or butchered and needs some love (and money)

Moving forward my overall goal for the car is a mean streeter with occasional Sprint/Time Attack in mind so Handling, Cooling & a happy engine are at the top of my list. Once those bases are covered I'll worry about Aesthetics.

First things first, I'll chat to the tuner a get an action list so I can get this thing tuned.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-fb_img_1487102518304.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-20170217_173637.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-og-engine.jpg  

Last edited by Reckless_Panda; 08-20-17 at 10:00 PM.
Old 08-10-17, 10:32 PM
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Tue Feb 21, 2017

I need to get this car running healthy before anything else, so I spoke to the workshop and came up with an action plan prior to tuning.

- FMIC or V-Mount Intercooler + Piping
- Larger Injectors
- Fuel Pump
- New Fuel Hoses
- Electronic Boost Controller
- 3" Intake (Currently Open Turbo)
- Fresh fluids including fuel filter

I'll be running mostly on eflex but will go for a Dual Map tune just in case I'd like to go for a larger drive

Time to get to work!

Ben
Old 08-10-17, 10:55 PM
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Wed Feb 22, 2017

Spent the afternoon swapping out all the fluids. I got to say that doing the fluids in an RX7 is a lot easier than in the wife's Evo, although the four ports on the gearbox stumped me for a bit till I read the manual

All the old fluid seemed relatively new'ish, I forgot how much Rotary engine oil smells like petrol! WOW. Gearbox Oil had a slight bronze shine to it, so I'll keep an eye on that next flush. The diff fluid smelt off somehow, it's hard to explain but I've never come across diff fluid with that smell, so I'll definitely monitor that one.

Never mind, Fresh fluids in to set my base line for maintenance and tomorrow I'll look at the IC & Piping or the Injectors install.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-20170218_094333.jpg  

Last edited by Reckless_Panda; 08-13-17 at 09:01 PM.
Old 08-10-17, 11:23 PM
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Mon Feb 27, 2017

I wanted to attack the FMIC mounting and piping just so I knew what silicone joiners to order. But when I removed the front bar I saw the front bar/bonnet support was a write off and the crash bar had been cut with what I can only imagine to be a steak knife. (And I guess the car was blue at some stage or was from a donor car)

I modelled up in 3D a sheet metal solution to replace it but I managed to source a donor car (Thanks Pete) to cut off the front bar support so I could fish plate or use it as a skin over the original and it worked out a lot better than I had planned. Such a neat simple solution and it even utilised the OEM bolts holes in the plates.

Next on to the Crash Bar, this thing needed a bit of work to bring it back, so I welded up the Gusset/Support bars as they had snapped or been cut off. and I cleaned up all the cuts into nice radius edges and made the front bar symmetrical to look at. I painted it all Satin Black but it turned out really Matte, so I might go with gloss next time the front end is off the car.

While I was on a roll I also mounted the Aeroflow FMIC to the Car as well. I went with a 450x300 as I was originally going to V-Mount everything but I just don't have time, I need the car running ASAP and then I can start designing up the V-Mount later on. Hopefully it's big enough to cool the car when it's being tuned.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-front-end-before.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-crash-bar.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-front-end-after.jpg  

Last edited by Reckless_Panda; 08-13-17 at 09:04 PM.
Old 08-10-17, 11:43 PM
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Mon Feb 27, 2017

On Saturday I managed to mock up the Intercooler Piping and install the 3 port to some degree (Wiring left to do)

Intercooler Piping is the godspeed ebay special (I think it's greddy knock off) and for the price I paid I didn't expect anything less than the Chinese Puzzle I received in the box. After mocking up the piping I then realised why gaping holes existed in my front wheel arches. and this is where the piping routes to. Again I think the same steak knife was used to cut these holes so I cleaned them up and started piecing this kit together.

Now maybe someone can tell me but the Hotside piping looks like the kit intends for me to run it straight under the headlight, or bend the **** out of the reducer from the turbo. Either way I'm not doing that and putting more holes in my chassis, godspeed can get F*&ked. I ordered some 2-1/4" 45 degree bend silicones and reversed the bottom pipe so I can use the hole that already exists in the arch. this then allows me to use a 90 degree reducer into the Intercooler. I'll address mounts for the pipes this weekend.

Cold Side I removed the battery because my mount isn't OEM and I'll need to find a new solution for it or mount it in the boot. Either way no big drama there.

3 Port was easy, Turbo, Wastegate & Intake (Which I haven't installed yet) Routed the wiring zip tied to the oem chassis and through the firewall. Drilled a 6mm hole in the rear of the single DIN unit and a bit a blue tac for now to hold it their for tuning. Just need to find some power and earth for it and I'm done.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-intercooler-piping.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-hks.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-3-port.jpg  

Last edited by Reckless_Panda; 08-13-17 at 09:08 PM.
Old 08-10-17, 11:47 PM
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Mon Feb 27, 2017

Sunday was a bit more relaxed but still managed to pull the Fuel Pump out and see what I was dealing with. I had to snip the wire from the microtech as that bastard had been soldered on and couldn't removed the fuel pump cover without doing it (I'll put a proper plug on it or some connectors so I can remove it next time)

Being an idiot and not using CRC from the start I fu*&ked one of the little screws into the fuel tank cover plate. I managed to file a channel to fit a flat blade and get the ***** off. But that will need replacing. The rest were a breeze after the CRC worked in.

After getting the cradle out, (Full tank of fuel, I was high as a kite) I knew kind of what I needed to do to fit the Walbro 460. so marked it up, cut the hard line at a reasonable length and re fitted some new fuel hose. The barbs on the 460 are massive and had to use some brute force and spit to get the hose on. :? To my surprise the car already had a Walbro 255 from the looks of it so someone had replaced it at some point, but not knowing how old it is means replacing it is a better option prior to the tune.

In the end I got it done, just need to connect the new plug and drop it back in.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-fuel-pump-before.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-fuel-pump-after.jpg  

Last edited by Reckless_Panda; 08-13-17 at 09:12 PM.
Old 08-10-17, 11:49 PM
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Wed Mar 08, 2017

Another big weekend working on the RX7 although she threw a few spanners in the schedule. I had hoped on getting to turn key stage with all the new mods fitted but we had to fix a lot of other **** just to get to that stage.

Invited my mate Rob around so we could blitz through the work required, started by finishing off the fuel pump wiring and replacing the Phillips Head screws with new button head M4x10mm screws. They look great and will be much easier to remove next time!

I also decided to replace all the fuel hose & hose clamps on the pressure side (Running a Walbro 460 now I don't want to take the chance of the hoses popping off)

The hoses from the fuel pump are a little tricky but once you remove the fuel tank bash plate it made it a bit easier. As I worked my way forward replacing all the lines from hard line to fuel filter and up to the engine bay Rob and I both noticed something strange.

The whole system was plumbed up backwards. The fuel filter went into the fuel reg and then on to the fuel rails and returned straight to hard line. Not exactly sure how this thing was running without fuel pressure, but I can only assume because they left the OEM fuel reg on the Primary Fuel rail that the Aftermarket fuel reg was redundant.

Ended up plumbing up the hoses the correct way and removing the stock fuel reg, and using the Aftermarket Malpasi
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-fuel-rail-complete.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-banjo-bolt.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-fuel-pump-cover.jpg  

Last edited by Reckless_Panda; 08-13-17 at 09:16 PM.
Old 08-11-17, 10:41 AM
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A lot of people strip those screws because SAE phillips head screw drivers are not the same as JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) that are used on RX7s. You can also do yourself a favor and get a bag of M5 stainless socket head cap screws off McMaster Carr for cheap and save yourself any headache in the future.

BTW, I used a Walbro 400 on my last build and loved it. It was nearly silent and pushed enough fuel for 540whp. Although after about 450whp, it started dropping pressure with the stock fuel lines.
Old 08-11-17, 05:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Shainiac
A lot of people strip those screws because SAE phillips head screw drivers are not the same as JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) that are used on RX7s. You can also do yourself a favor and get a bag of M5 stainless socket head cap screws off McMaster Carr for cheap and save yourself any headache in the future.

BTW, I used a Walbro 400 on my last build and loved it. It was nearly silent and pushed enough fuel for 540whp. Although after about 450whp, it started dropping pressure with the stock fuel lines.
Thanks for the advice mate. If I can make 250kw atw with my setup I'll be stoked.
Old 08-13-17, 04:02 PM
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Wed Mar 08, 2017

Now that the fuel system was taken care of from Fuel Pump to Fuel Rails (Injectors yet to be installed) we decided to tackle the Wiring & ECU.

All I can say is what an absolute mess. Wiring changes colour minimum 5 times, Power has been hijacked or piggybacked from everywhere to run a multitude of different things in it's lifetime that now no longer exist. We found Turbo Timer plugs, Central Locking, Stereo wiring, Boost controllers, And heaps of other wiring just plain cut, left exposed and not terminated. No Wonder this thing was draining the battery in 3 days.

This one was a time killer for our schedule and we both knew there was no chance of starting the car this weekend. But Rob got stuck in and started cleaning up the wiring as best as he could.

Something else quite dangerous the fuel pump primer relay had been removed and was running continuously (God forbid I have a crash), but power for the radiator fans and something else that no longer existed, had been spliced with elec tape into the Fuel Pump ECU harness.

After a stressful two days we ended with 20 dead plugs/harnesses that went in the bin. But also a much neater, correct & safer wiring solution for the ECU and power for ancillary equipment. (Wiring will continue to be an ongoing project as there is a lot more to fix)

In all the mayhem of ripping out wiring, and fixing it up. We managed to Wire up the HKS Boost Controller (Just need RPM & Speed Input) & also Trev came over to help install the battery in the boot as well. Used 2 Gauge for Power, and hefty 0 Gauge for Earth. Shouldn't have a problem with power now!
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-ecu-before.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-ecu-after.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-battery-installed.jpg  

Last edited by Reckless_Panda; 08-14-17 at 04:35 PM.
Old 08-13-17, 04:05 PM
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Tue Mar 14, 2017

Had to work this past weekend on Sunday so didn't have a lot of time to work on the 7!

But on Saturday I decided to tackle some easy ones the radiator and thermostat install. Radiator is just an Aftermarket 'OEM' replacement and I used the existing thermo fans still wired up to a switch in the cabin. I am looking to change this over to a simple temp sensor in the radiator but for now the switch will do the job as long as I remember to turn it on when I'm in traffic :? :?

I was honestly keen to just use the OEM radiator but this thing was beyond help.. chemi-weld and and maybe sikaflex or some other compset used to hold pressure. I couldn't risk it.

After the radiator install I decided to quickly install the new 82deg thermostat! And that's when she decided to give me a big "F&*K YOU" by shearing the bolt in the filler snout. I literally tried all the tricks to get this sucker out, filed it down for a shifter, welded a nut to it... Every time it twisted and sheared. So I cleaned it up and left it to the professionals. Danny from Prothreads came out at short notice and plucked it out like he wasn't even trying. Retapped the hole and helicoiled.

Now I'm not sure but I don't think the thermostat is supposed to look this grubby, either way. New one will go in as soon as I can source a replacement bolt.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-radiator-installed.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-bolt-fucked.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-bolt-not-fucked.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-rotten-thermostat.jpg  

Last edited by Reckless_Panda; 08-14-17 at 04:33 PM.
Old 08-13-17, 04:17 PM
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Mon Mar 20, 2017

This last weekend I wanted to get the UIM & Injector install sorted and also the IC Piping if I had time.

Thanks to the advice from KYPREO & bumpstart I decided to re-install the OMP and run it full time. I had originally planned to make the new lines following the write up in tech forums but managed to pick up a used one local with the lines in great condition (Thanks Josh).

Everyone wasn't kidding when they said the OMP Install is a 5 minute job! Existing OMP seemed to function, two of the lines had gone brittle and cracked off the banjo fitting. Also two of the oil injectors were slightly blocked so first things first I cleaned up the injectors, degreased and tidied up the top of the block where oil had been spilling out and then re-install the new (used) OMP. I figured it was safer just installing a known working OMP as a good baseline.

After the OMP I decided to install the New Injectors on the Stock S4 Fuel Rails! Pew Pew! 1000cc for Primaries / 1650cc for Secondaries

For anyone interested, these are Raceworks (Flow matched) EV Bosch Stubby Injectors with Adapter Top Hats to have the 11mm O-Ring. Bottom pintle I just trimmed off the plastic and installed new Mazda Seat Grommets. They end up slightly taller by 3mm but this doesn't seem to affect install at all.

Only thing that threw a spanner in the the works was I was provided with two different types of plugs. Primaries are US Rounded Style and Secondaries are the correct square style. F*&^%%K So I've ordered two Denso --> US Style Adapters so I don't have to muck around with wiring.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-omp-lines.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-injectors-omp.jpg  

Last edited by Reckless_Panda; 08-13-17 at 04:25 PM.
Old 08-13-17, 04:20 PM
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Mon Mar 20, 2017

After the Injector and OMP Install this last weekend I also managed to get the Hotside Piping and Intake all tightened up.

Now as per my previous post I actually ordered the wrong style of FMIC Piping by ordering the Godspeed (Greddy Style) Piping kit. This kit as I have now learned requires the piping to go under the headlight. I already had existing holes for the CX Racing style of piping that go 90deg down.

Being a bit cranky about that and not wanting to put another hole in my RX7 (or pay for more piping) I managed to rotate the bottom hot side pipe 180deg and used a 45deg silicone (pipe to pipe) and then used a large 120mm leg length 45deg silicone (Pipe to FMIC). It took a lot of back and forth but it eventually worked. It's not ideal as the front bar support had to be re-formed to fit it in, but it worked quite well after that.

Once I get the UIM back on the car (thanks injectors ) I'll be able to get the cold side all buttoned up nicely too!

Intake was a cheap find and it's actually for an R33 Skyline. I was hoping to make it fit and it might need re-adjusting once the radiator pipes go on but it seemed to work quite well!

Getting closer to giving this thing some spark and getting her running again! Only things left to do are get Pirtek out to rig up some Power Steer lines for me.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-hot-side_intake.jpg  
Old 08-13-17, 04:24 PM
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Mon Mar 27, 2017

This build is still moving slowly.. Not as fast as I'd like but we're the little train that could at the moment.

I noticed the Service Manual I was using had the FPR on the Secondary Fuel Rail, but mine was on the Primary! So I did some reading and apparently the S4 1986 model was reversed or some ****. So it feeds the Secondary's and Returns on the Primary.

I figured I'd be awesome and switch it around, putting the dampener on the primary and running the 90deg barb out the Secondary! Awesome! It all fits, M12 x 1.25 thread on both the FPR and Dampener! I angled the barb fitting slightly upwards to avoid the Primary Injectors Adapters, gave myself a pat on the back and tightened it all up!

Only when I came to put the UIM back on, that's when Ben knew..... He F*&ked up!

The UIM has F*&k all clearance from the top of the block to the bottom of the manifold and it ended up resting on the barb, leaving me unable to install the manifold.

Righto. Take 2! Since the barb fitting had to be parallel to the block, I had to switch the fittings and put it back to Feed Secondary's, Return Primary's as per OEM.

This took me a lot longer than I had planned but in all the mayhem and swearing I managed to get to SCA pick up some Blanking caps and Vac Line. Tidy up all the open nipples/vac ports and also replace the OMP Air Supply lines (The other ones were super brittle)
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-injector-install-complete.jpg  
Old 08-13-17, 04:28 PM
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Mon Mar 27, 2017

After having no one to yell at but myself for the time wasted on the Fuel System, I thought with the UIM back on and sitting pretty I'd see about installing the Cold Side FMIC piping.

I managed to pick up a used Power Steer pump in excellent condition and mock installed it to know just how much room I was playing with.

"Now this kit is sold as straight bolt in, keep factory air con and power steering" I call bullshit on that one!

Most of you probably already know this, but I feel compelled to say, this kit IS NOT straight bolt in. I quickly realised that the strut tower was WAY too close to the power steering pump and some modifying was about to happen! So I gently massaged the pipe with my vice, sweating bullets that I was going to crack the alloy. Slowly but surely I turned a round 2.75" pipe into a rectangle pipe and it slot right in with some persuasion. (Oh I also had to move the Fuse Box as well)

So much for keeping the piping nice and shiny, I'm going to have to sand it all down and paint it black to hide the bloody scratches.

All I need now to finish this kit is another 2.75" 45deg silicone and potentially cut the middle pipe slightly. But we'll get there.

Next Weekend I'm hoping to have the whole FMIC piping done so I can start looking to get it running again & over to the tuners.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-uim-installed.jpg  
Old 08-13-17, 04:31 PM
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Tue Mar 28, 2017

Behold the vacuum line bukkake party!

Now I'm no expert but I assume all the valves I just blanked off on the UIM I'll be needing to rip off to accommodate all my gear because I'm not keeping this abortion of a setup!

Plan is for now.

ECU
Will Run standalone off the top port (One of three) front of UIM - I will blank the bottom two. (I'd prefer to use the Injector Bleed Valve above OMP valve but I think that's a no go)
FPR
Will run on it's own line off the OEM FPR position behind the Secondary Fuel Rail.
BOV & Boost Controller
I'll Run a vac line and tee port on the drivers side outer UIM (The one where the party is already)

That should neaten up those Vac Lines and also hopefully give me minimal trouble getting accurate signals. I also noticed the Brake Master Hose (I think it is) is crushed to F*&k so that will need fixing before I try and hit any corners at speed, or even drive it on the road for that matter.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-vac-line-gang-bang.jpg  
Old 08-13-17, 04:39 PM
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Mon Apr 03, 2017

Long weekend was just what I needed to get this thing all buttoned up! 8) 8)

Kick off by ripping off the UIM again and fixing up the vacuum lines to be neater and more functional. Still not sure about the routing but it will do the job for now until I can have an actual action plan for all the **** in this engine bay... (so messy )

With the UIM back on the car I re-installed all the earth, plugs, sensors, OMP actuator and also a hose line that connects to the throttle body? Might do some reading on that because it looks like a coolant line but I'm not entirely sure. It might correlate to the hose at the bottom of the UIM. Anyways, it went back on where I took it off... It is ugly and I'd prefer to remove it but it will stay for now.

Now on to attack the Cold side piping! This was pretty straight forward, just cut the middle section where I needed and re-bead the pipe. Hot Tip: For those of you who can't cut a straight line for **** like me, just wrap a hose clamp around the pipe and use it as a guide, works 9 times out of 10

I'm not 100% happy with the piping at all, especially where it routes so close to the Coil Pack.. Might look at relocating the Coil Packs in the future so clean that area up.

But God it feels good to get to turn key stage! Only 4 weeks behind schedule!

***Insert Pic of Bead Pipe here***
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-cold-side-cut.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-engine-bay.jpg  
Old 08-13-17, 04:46 PM
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Mon Apr 03, 2017

After getting everything tightened up (Radiator left to fill with coolant)

I used my new found motivation to start attacking the Interior and Seat Install! Now I've been putting this off for quite a while as a seat wasn't as important as a working engine, but also because I know how painful seat installs are.

First things first, my wife used the wet vac on the entire carpet and passenger seat! 30 years of Bum juice just came oozing out of this car it was foul! Took two good cracks at it before we let it dry. It will need a lot more hits with the wet vac but I'm really happy how it's turning out so far. ($160 from SCA for anyone interested)

As for my new drivers seat, I managed to sweet talk the Mrs into letting me steal her Sparco Pro 2000 from the Evo! Yewwwww. Downside is the rails will need to be modified to fit the FC! Game on.

I cut the mounting brackets off the Bride Sliders and mocked up the seat in position. Biggest problem I'm having is the floor pan isn't sqaure at all. the front LHS near the trans tunnel flares out hardcore and the seat ends up on the ****. Move it too far right and the steering wheel is off centre, too far left and you can't slide the seat forward! FFS! More thought is needed on this one prior to installing the seat.

I may just go hard mount for now until I can install the sliders. On the Plus side it's going to look bloody awesome once it's installed with an OMP steering wheel!!
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-bum-juice-20.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-sparco.png   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-sparco-car.png  
Old 08-13-17, 04:48 PM
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Wed Apr 05, 2017

Little mid week clean up job that needed to be done. I quickly made a stand off bracket for the FPR. It was previously just flapping in the breeze zip tied to some brake lines so figured I'd find it a home. Nothing fancy but It'll work for now.

Next time you hear from me the car will hopefully be running.... Not tuned, but at the least, running.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-fpr-bracket.jpg  
Old 08-13-17, 04:54 PM
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Mon Apr 10, 2017

SHE LIVES!!! I'ts so bloody exciting to finally hear it Brappin!!


Even though I knew I was being methodical & systematic in fixing this car the last 8/9 weeks. When it comes time to turn key, it's still really hard not to start second guess yourself.

So Saturday I got my mate Rob round to help me out with turning spanners and getting this car cruising! Will be easier to list in bullet form as a story will turn into a novel by the time I'm finished

- Radiator up with fresh coolant,
- Fixing the throttle dampener (I never actually looked at it when I installed the throttle cable :? and the TPS sensor was either all open, or all closed..... My Bad)
- Installing the BOV (It is currently Atmo for now as the Intake needs to be re-welded in the right position)
- Fix Kinked Brake Booster Hose (Found a cool shaped power steer hose at SCA that worked very well)
- Tighten up all IC piping clamps (Boost leaks suck)
- More and more, blah blah blah.

There was a lot of misc stuff that needed tidying up like open vac ports and **** but that stuff is boring :P

As for tuning, Rob had previous experience tuning his Turbo Astina (WTF323) and we had an old Microtech dongle from the 90's laying around! 90's were the BEST!! hahahahaha Factoring in that the car had 550cc injectors previously, he scaled up the fuel trim roughly x2.5 to account for the larger injectors.

Moment of Truth! Fuel Pump Primed, the fuel was clearly audible flowing through the hoses.....WIN.... No Leaks, always a good sign.... 3 Bar on the FPR.... Here goes!!

She cranked 3 times and a blip of the throttle came to life!! \/ \/

With the car running we buttoned up all loose radiator clamps (Cheap clamps FFS) and went for a very slow drive to tune the Cruising Load Map! God I love Live tuning! After getting so used to having to ignition off for a stock ECU, live tuning is so damn beautiful!

Now time to book in that tune at the workshop to feed her some boost and corn juice! YEWWWWW!

NOTE: After running the car, the fuel pump wiring was super hot to touch... Not ideal at all because I don't want to die a fiery death. So we installed a larger earth closer to the source and it worked a treat. Bit ghetto but for now it will save the car burning to the ground and constantly blowing fuses.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-rob-tuna.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-rob-tuna-2.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-hot-wiring-fuel-pump-20.jpg  

Last edited by Reckless_Panda; 08-13-17 at 05:05 PM.
Old 08-13-17, 05:15 PM
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Mon Apr 10, 2017

On top of getting the car running on Saturday (which was our main focus) I also managed to install the Sparco using the stock rails! And it Looks Badass!!

As you can see, the Seat that came with the car was looking a bit worse for wear, or someone's dog had been using it as a chew toy.

I fabbed up some L-Brackets out of 40x3mm Plate and welded them to the stock rails. RHS was 90x40mm and LHS was 90x20mm. Both tabs faced inwards toward the passenger side. (If you'd like pictures or a drawing let me know I'll be happy to show you what I did)

This was a particularly painful seat install as the LHS rail is on the **** so the brackets needs to be on the **** as well. Too far right and the seat protrudes past the door, Too far left and the seat won't slide forward enough hitting the Trans tunnel. And if you think of being smart and installing a flat square base to get around it all, the seat ends up WAY too high and you feel like you're driving a 4WD! ](*,) ](*,)

Would have been so much easier if I could just weld the brackets in situ.

I got there in the end, and it looks really good, but I still feel like I ended up a little too high (Maybe 5-10mm) for my liking but it will do the job for now and I'll get used to it. I can always address the rails later on by doing a proper fixed mount seat base.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-fucked-seat-20.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-sparco-seat-1.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-sparco-seat-2.jpg  
Old 08-13-17, 05:23 PM
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Mon Apr 10, 2017

Sunday was going to be a sleep in day, because I earned it! :P

But my wife wanted to wash and detail the car because she's been itching to wash it ever since I bought it!

Alright let's do it.... my initial impression from the paint work was it was a bit average.. Scratches and imperfections everywhere but hey **** it... My wife was offering to wash and claybar the car so why not! So I grabbed a cup of coffee and watched her work her magic!

I have to admit after seeing the first panel after just a simple wash and clay bar, I got a bit excited. The scratches all buffed out, the sika or filler compound on the door polished off, and the paint had a deep clear coat that just shines! I was honestly thinking of ditching the colour and getting it resprayed. Now the colour is growing on me!

Don't get me wrong it will still need a lot of work to bring it back and there's orange peel on the front quarter panel, but for the moment it can stay.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-sar-1-90.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-sar-2-90.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-rear-shot-90.jpg  
Old 08-13-17, 09:47 PM
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Tue Apr 18, 2017

Easter Holidays! Gotta love a 5 day weekend! 8) :bounce:

Had a few action items to tidy up before the tune so I thought I'd use this time to knock them over (And sink copious amounts of chocolate & beer)

First up was fixing up the dodgy wiring for the fog lights and indicators in the front bumper. Not sure what was going bad here cause everything looked OK but I figured I'd crimp all new connections on and see if it fixed the problem.... It did, thank god cause I didn't want to run new wiring!

Now on to the hard part, lining up the front bumper. This was super painful (Or I'm really ****) as every time I got one side perfect it pulled the other side out of alignment... surely Mazda never intended it to be this hard!

In the end I waved the white flag and put it back together as best I could. I'm still not happy with its alignment but it'll do for now as I'll be going with a GP Sports kit in the near future anyway.

I still feel like the FMIC sits too far forward and that's the reason why the original owner cut the front lip.... is this a common practice? I really don't like the look with a open bumper so once I go the GP front bar I think the FMIC will have to move backwards a few inches which may mean cutting down that cooler piping.... I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-wiring_crimp-20.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-front_end-20.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-front-end-bumper-20.jpg  

Last edited by Reckless_Panda; 08-13-17 at 09:54 PM.
Old 08-13-17, 09:52 PM
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Tue Apr 18, 2017

Another quick job over the weekend was securing the turbo intake and pod filter so it wasn't slapping around the engine bay! Everytime I moved the car or it hit a bump you could hear it knocking around.

I really wanted a tab welded on to it so I could have a pick up point, but I don't have a Alloy welder and my fab guy is busy for a few weeks!

So I ended up using a T-Bolt clamp and used it as a pick up point for a little alloy bracket I made. I made it out of 2mm at first but it was floppy as hell, so I remade it from 3mm and it did the trick. Still moves a bit but at least it's not rattling around now.

Last job prior to tune will be to attach the Clutch/Gearbox Cover plate! The car didn't have one when I bought it and the thought of getting a rock or projectile in my flywheel or clutch makes me cringe... So I sourced a used one (Thanks Grant) and I'll mount that up this arv.
Attached Thumbnails FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-pod-filter-brkt-20.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-brkt_installed-20.jpg   FC RX7 Project Car - Street/Time Attack Build-clutch-cover-plate-20.jpg  

Last edited by Reckless_Panda; 08-13-17 at 09:56 PM.

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