The Grumpy Old Bitch: my '86 GX(ish)
 

well here we go.

i've had this car for a few years now, but i've never really been an active member here (as you can see by comparing my join date and post count if you were so inclined)

i decided that since i'm planning to get a little more involved with my brave little mazda, i should probably become a little more involved here as well.

actually i guess i've had the car for 4 years now, but it's been a very long process so far, due to myriad reasons that i won't go into too much detail about.

so the story begins:

one day in the summer of 2008 i was browsing the local car forums not looking for anything in particular. i come across a for sale thread a few pages deep for an '87 rx7 - project car'. thinking to myself that i've always liked those cars, i decide to take a look and see what kind of project he's made out of this. i message the owner, find out he needs the space badly for a new car and that the poor mazda is going to be junked if nobody buys it this week.

not being one that can let a classic car go to waste, i go to take a look at the rx7, fully expecting to find a rotted lump of ex-sexiness that really needs to go play on the big highway in the sky.

what i find when i get there is this

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/IMG00495.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/IMG00494.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/IMG00531.jpg

it has 2 1/2 wheels, some of an engine, the remnants of an exhaust, and a nasty burgundy interior.. but it's in great shape! (for a 20+ year old car in central canada)

i love this thing immediately despite the obvious issues and i get up the nerve to ask the guy how much i need to give him to rescue it from impending junkyard doom.

"$350"

..

..

"what?"

so needless to say, i go to the bank. immediately.

i make use of some unused winter steelies for my current honda accord (same bolt pattern! what are the chances?), arrange a flatbed to haul her home, and i couldn't be happier. i still know nothing about the car, but i don't care

once she's back home i give her a good wash, and i feel really good about what i've done.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/IMG00518.jpg

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first big step is done :)

-sean

fast foreward a bit:

i know that mostly everything involved in making the car move is going to need to be replaced. i go on a frenzy of research, networking, begging favors, joining clubs (like this one) etc.. and it pays off! i find a young gentleman in my city who is putting an LS motor in his JDM-swapped FC! i go into negotiating mode and end up scoring the entire engine/turbo/drivetrain/hubs/brakes etc in one shot for a very fair price!

out with the old, in with the new

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...nx/exhaust.jpg


for some reason i have basically zero pictures of the whole swap process, and i'm not sure why.. but everything goes in. i acquire a racing beat rev II exhaust, RE-amemiya damping adjustable coilovers with front camber plates, some beautiful old-school ray's Peyton Place rims from a toyota soarer, etc etc, and it all comes together over one winter

235/40/17 tires go on the 17x8.5 front wheels and 255/45/17 go on the 17x10 rear

an apexi s-afc is wired in as well as a boost and narrowband afr gauge to help keep things in check

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...thepunx/m9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...thepunx/m8.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...thepunx/m5.jpg

i also stick on a really strange vertical-flow HKS front mount intercooler.. i don't like it much, but it does the jerb

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...hepunx/m37.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...hepunx/m27.jpg


the previous owner of the turbo engine etc mentioned something about the turbocharger not being stock, but he didn't know much about it either. after getting everything in and running, i can see why he mentioned it. this thing pulls like a bat out of hell.

i'd been cavorting with some fellow local rx7 enthusiasts (and indeed gotten quite a few parts from them) and knew immediately that this thing i just built had quite a bit more poop than the near-stock turbo II's they were driving.

more..

-sean

next up, making it look as fast as it drives (a little bit anyway)

more parts are ordered, including a hood from japan (it was actually cheaper and easier than trying to convince anyone local to give theirs up), a corksport front lip ( i hate fiberglass, but hey it looks good) and a few other knick knacks

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...unx/mazda1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...DSC_0050-1.jpg

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all this has happened in a very short time frame and i'm still in the stage where i'm fixing up and tweaking out bugs from the install. in goes a koyo aluminum rad, dual mishimoto e-fans, walbro 255 fuel pump. and LOTS of new wiring.

this is where the tale of the grey FC comes to a screeching and prolonged halt...

my aforementioned honda dies. i have to suddenly focus all my time/energy/money on getting a new daily driver.

this happens

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very shortly after, i get transferred away with work. i have to get the rx7 up and running reliably enough to get the shipping company to accept it. (i dunno about you guys, but i cant drive 2 cars at the same time..)

so unfortunately the new town is small, northern, crappy and expensive. it's a little oil town in northern BC where winter lasts 20 months a year and the roads feel like you're driving on the surface of the moon. the mazda gets ignored :(

for a good year and a half :(

next..

-sean

WONDERFUL THINGS HAPPEN!!!!

i move to a new apartment, and i meet my new neighbors! it turns out that they are huge gear heads like me. it also turns out that they've driven by my poor FC a number of times and wondered why it's always parked and never out driving.. for the most part, it's because the transfer with my company put me into another province and i would have to get a pretty hefty inspection done on the mazda to be able to register and insure it. the subaru passed without even blinking an eye, but i didn't have the same expectations of my little rotard.

i get to know my awesome neighbors more, and find out that they have their own shop space that they're renting because they are currently building crazy race cars! one is building an RB30/RB26 hybrid R32 Skyline GT-R, and one is building a Version 8 STi swapped GC8 subaru impreza! wicked awesome!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...DSC_0032-1.jpg

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somehow the stars align and some higher force starts taking an interest in my lack of attention to my poor poor rx7.

the lease on the shop my neighbors are renting runs out, and renewal is not an option because the building is being sold to make offices. they start looking for a new shop, and find some nice ones but they are much bigger and would be more easily afforded with a 3rd person in on the rent. after an embarrassingly small amount of persuasion by my neighbors i agree that i'll go in on the shop with them, and the adventure begins all over again!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/3d668185.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/01842be2.jpg

the grumpy old bitch has a new home!!!

not done quite yet..

-sean

well now i have a nice warm, flat, well-lit area to work. i have lots of tools, and 2 welder/fabricator shopmates to help me out. i have no reason at all not to make the most of this situation.

i decide to rebuild my perfectly good engine. part of my reasoning is that i don't really know anything about it. i know the turbo is bigger than stock, and i know it pulls like a freight train, but even the previous owner had never cracked her open to see what was going on.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/6945a03b.jpg

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so this is where i stand now. i've pulled a perfectly good engine out of a perfectly good car to rip it apart for curiosity's sake and i couldn't be happier!

the plans as of now are to do a nice strong rebuild (myself), do some porting if it's not already done, do some tuneable engine management (power FC), and try to do something about that horrid maroon interior..

i may go nuts with the car at some point, but for now i have a bunch of little stuff to get done to have the car inspected so i can insure it and drive it as a nice summer toy like it was always meant to be.

thanks for taking the time to read all this, i'm really excited about where this car might take me

-sean

Cool story....can't wait to see it done.

thanks bud, i appreciate it! i can't wait to get her done either ha ha

on a side note: can anybody take a guess off the top of their head as to which turbo that is? just doing some quick research and judging by the general shape/EWG actuator size etc, my best guess is a BNR stage 3. however, there's a .70 stamp on the inside of the compressor outlet, and i think the BNR stg3 is a .60

i'll get some better pictures of it and post them up

-sean

not jealous, envious. good luck. please post pics when your done so we can see the before and after.

Will do buddy, and I'll make sure to take as many 'during' pics as I can as well.
Thanks for the comments :)

-sean

Love the story. It's amazing how some people save these old cars from the junkyard. Mine was a whole 'nother story but I'll definitely be following this. Nice job!

Nice rescue. I say keep that awful interior because that is hardcore 80's!!

Thanks man. And I think that there was more than enough hardcore 80's in the 80's ha ha ..

Seats have already been changed out for black leather 10th anniversary ones, school bus steering wheel changed out for a smaller and beefier black leather wrapped one. Carpet and the silly excuse for rear seats can be dyed black, but the rest will have to be dealt with somehow

-sean

looking good

ha. just noticed the gx on the side

Good looking Tornado silver! I hope mine looks half as good as yours when I'm done with it!
P.S. PM me when you plan on getting rid of the red interior. I will gladly take it off your hands. :)

thanks guys, much appreciated :)

driftxsequence - i live in northern BC, so i'm pretty damn sure that anything i pull out of this car just wouldn't be worth the shipping ha ha

-sean

well kids, i spent some time at the shop today cleaning and snapping a few pics of the mystery turbo. if any of the turbo guru's can point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/ac1e4692.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/4acf28f0.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/80b37e5c.jpg

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/a0ebfe90.jpg

more..

some hot side pics. the turbine inlet flange matches up to the oem twin scroll manifold, and the outlet matches up to a racing beat 3-bolt downpipe (never tried it with an oem dp, but i assume it would fit)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/438fd6d2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/6bf02daf.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/499f76ca.jpg

one interesting thing i found when i pulled off the backing plate deal that covers the wastegate ports was that there was no gasket used.. weird.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/1a28e00c.jpg

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this turbo is in great shape, pretty much nil shaft play, and worked very well when the engine was still in the car. not much lag boosting to 10psi, but it felt like it was capable of more.

i'd really like to use it again with the new build if i could find out more about it. like i said before, at first glance it looks quite similar to a BNR stg 3, but the .70 A/R stamp in the compressor outlet has me thrown, as well as the relative lack of other exterior markings.

thanks everyone

-sean

i took a few current interior pics as well while i was at the shop checking out the turbo.

please excuse the nastyness. car is up on jackstands and half apart, and hasn't been driven in about 2 years.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/27b60a72.jpg


old and ripped and cracked, but so comfy. i'll be reupholstering these
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/3e391dbf.jpg


megan racing boost and narrowband. i'll be replacing these and adding a couple more
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/b6556f25.jpg


a little nod of the hat to the old-school-ness of the car :P
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/c8e7e81f.jpg


that old tupperware is for racing purposes.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/076ff7d2.jpg


hmm.. well i guess it's technically a back seat.. i guess..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/109c688e.jpg


soooo burgundy.. soooooo ugly!!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...x/fcc122d1.jpg


interior will be getting re-vamped. don't have any real set plans yet, but i gotta do something haha

-sean

make the interior BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK

Looks like a hybrid built with an S5 hotside.

thanks for the info man, the more i have to go on, the better

no pics, but i started pulling the interior out yesterday. i think i'm gonna have some fun figuring out what to do with it

-sean

Try and find some black interior pices or just leave it gutted and caged if your only going to drive it on the weekend.

That's an S5 hybrid. Looks just like the one I got done blowing up. Probably a v-trim T04b. Take the compressor cover off and measure (yes, with a caliper) the big and small diameters of the compressor wheel. Easily identifiable if you have those numbers.

Slowgxl - yeah I've got some leads on black carpet and replacement black leathers for the front seats, i have some of my own ideas for the dash, door panels, headliner and rear seats. Some of the other stuff like pillar covers etc. will have to be sprayed with plasti-dip. If I'm REALLY lucky I can find some black seatbelts and vents etc on eBay to finish things off.

While she may be gutted and caged further down the line, I do still have to get the car inspected and registered at some point so the stripped down race car deal will have to wait until after then at least. Plus it will be nice to be able to put some sort of interior in the car when I won't be tracking her.

AGreen - thanks bud, helpful info is always much appreciated! I'll pull it apart when I get a chance to find my digital caliper, I've moved a couple of times now since the last time I used it, so it's probably stuck deep in a box within a box somewhere ha ha

-sean