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Thanks! I'd love to find a set. Maybe we could do an exhange lol.
The Corbeau's sit a little high, especially on the passenger side due to the rail position on the trans tunnel. Overall, they are great seats and look period correct, but I'd like a tad more comfort from the OEM seats.
I paid 200 for my Torsen. Got it from a friend of mine who is a miata guy.
During my interior revamp project, I decided to pick up a few other odds and ends that came up for sale recently.
First is an RE Type IV rear spoiler. This is not authentic, but someone in the community is making high quality reproductions of this discontinued spoiler. I was extremely impressed with the overall quality and surface finish of this FRP item. It's basically ready to paint.
I also picked up an RE style rear diffuser from Ebay. Normally, I like to go with authentic parts but a diffuser goes under the car and will get sprayed with rocks...so I didn't care and went with the cheap one. Overall, the quality isn't terrible. It will require some sanding and a little bit of bondo here and there, but other than that it should be good to install. I'll probably use riv nuts and tamper proof hex bolts to secure it. To tie together the look I'm going for, I'm going to make some small side skirt extensions in the future.
I also need to find a goddamn S5 rear bumper so I can get my car painted.
Finished the diffuser install. Ended up installing with riv nuts and using black M6 plastic washers/security torx bolts to secure it. My goal was to make the hardware appear visible but less of an eyesore. I also made some side skirt extensions out of 1/4" ABS sheet and installed them with riv nuts and the same hardware. another angle with everything installed Finally washed the car for the first time in 5 months. One more, just for funsies New Redline custom shift boot to replace my crappy old one. Also installed a matching e-brake boot to help clean up the interior a little bit.
Not much of an update, but I'm planning to build a subtle front splitter for the car. While I built the car for cornering versus high speed, I've been noticing quite a bit of front end wiggle when exceeding 120mph (in Mexico of course). I have a feeling this is due to my aftermarket bumper funneling a bunch of air into the engine bay and the fact that the front of the car is substantially lighter than from the factory.
Last week, I decided to tackle a project I've been putting off for quite some time. Central locking!!
All of my key cylinders in the doors are getting worn out from age, and I really don't want to change all the locks in my car. So, one day I stumbled across a youtube video of a guy installing a central locking kit into his FC. Since the kit was only ~$30, I figured why the hell not?
This is the kit. It comes with Q=4 door lock solenoids, two fobs, a very long harness, and the control unit. Now, if you have power door locks already (GXL, Turbo II), you only need to use the master solenoid (4 wire vs 2 wire) and the control unit.
To install, I took the door panel off. Oh yeah, you also need to feed the wiring harness through the rubber boot that connects the door to the chassis. I don't have any pictures of this, but this process sucked as the FC boot is basically an S curve and feeding wires through it is nearly impossible. So, I had to take the entire goddamn door off and have a friend hold it out and away from the car to make it easier to feed the harness through. Definitely recommend having a friend help with this job.
The wiring harness is super vague, but then again it is a universal kit. Either way, I ended up tapping constant 12v (+) from the white/red ignition switch wire. Grounds are grounds, easy enough to figure out on your own.
The one issue I did run into, is I really wanted to the lights to flash when the door was locked or unlocked. The youtube video I watched, the guy responded to my comment about this and stated he didn't get that feature to work. Seeing as I'd like a visual cue for the car being locked or unlocked, I was determined to make this functional.
After staring at the FSM for a while, I figured the easiest place to get signal for the hazard lights would be the hazard switch as that sees constant 12v signal. After messing around with a multimeter, I found one pin that did in fact operate the hazards. The issue, is that due to the way the switch works, it only turns the right side turn signal on. The left side is controlled by the CPU. SOOOOOOOOOO, I found that in the FSM, there are two wires coming off the CPU (green/white, green/black). I tapped into these wires and connected them to the two hazard output wires of the central locking unit and VOILA! both sides flash when locking and unlocking the car.
I also ran into some issues here. I first installed the solenoid on top of the hole in the door. However, my door panel would not install as the solenoid stuck out too far. To fix this problem, I mounted it inside the hole and ran the new locking arm (metal rod) behind the door skin as well. There is just enough clearance between the window and the solenoid, that it does not hit the window.
And that's it! Here's a quick video showing the flash function
I still have three solenoids left over from this kit, and I'd like to attempt installing them at the hatch (since this kit has a "pop the hatch/trunk button"). I'm not sure if they are strong enough to do so, but I'll report back if I can make that work.
I will say the range on the fobs is kind of disappointing, but it is a cheap kit. I may message the seller and ask if they have any longer range units.
Last week, I decided to tackle a project I've been putting off for quite some time. Central locking!!
All of my key cylinders in the doors are getting worn out from age, and I really don't want to change all the locks in my car. So, one day I stumbled across a youtube video of a guy installing a central locking kit into his FC. Since the kit was only ~$30, I figured why the hell not?
This is the kit. It comes with Q=4 door lock solenoids, two fobs, a very long harness, and the control unit. Now, if you have power door locks already (GXL, Turbo II), you only need to use the master solenoid (4 wire vs 2 wire) and the control unit.
To install, I took the door panel off. Oh yeah, you also need to feed the wiring harness through the rubber boot that connects the door to the chassis. I don't have any pictures of this, but this process sucked as the FC boot is basically an S curve and feeding wires through it is nearly impossible. So, I had to take the entire goddamn door off and have a friend hold it out and away from the car to make it easier to feed the harness through. Definitely recommend having a friend help with this job.
The wiring harness is super vague, but then again it is a universal kit. Either way, I ended up tapping constant 12v (+) from the white/red ignition switch wire. Grounds are grounds, easy enough to figure out on your own.
The one issue I did run into, is I really wanted to the lights to flash when the door was locked or unlocked. The youtube video I watched, the guy responded to my comment about this and stated he didn't get that feature to work. Seeing as I'd like a visual cue for the car being locked or unlocked, I was determined to make this functional.
After staring at the FSM for a while, I figured the easiest place to get signal for the hazard lights would be the hazard switch as that sees constant 12v signal. After messing around with a multimeter, I found one pin that did in fact operate the hazards. The issue, is that due to the way the switch works, it only turns the right side turn signal on. The left side is controlled by the CPU. SOOOOOOOOOO, I found that in the FSM, there are two wires coming off the CPU (green/white, green/black). I tapped into these wires and connected them to the two hazard output wires of the central locking unit and VOILA! both sides flash when locking and unlocking the car.
I also ran into some issues here. I first installed the solenoid on top of the hole in the door. However, my door panel would not install as the solenoid stuck out too far. To fix this problem, I mounted it inside the hole and ran the new locking arm (metal rod) behind the door skin as well. There is just enough clearance between the window and the solenoid, that it does not hit the window.
And that's it! Here's a quick video showing the flash function
I still have three solenoids left over from this kit, and I'd like to attempt installing them at the hatch (since this kit has a "pop the hatch/trunk button"). I'm not sure if they are strong enough to do so, but I'll report back if I can make that work.
I will say the range on the fobs is kind of disappointing, but it is a cheap kit. I may message the seller and ask if they have any longer range units.
stick the fob under your chin for range
i was looking at the trunk mechanism and its two rods and two latches. those actuators might work with just one for a while but they tend to die easily if there's too much force or binding. maybe one on each rod? we usually used a solenoid on trunks with more oomf.
i was looking at the trunk mechanism and its two rods and two latches. those actuators might work with just one for a while but they tend to die easily if there's too much force or binding. maybe one on each rod? we usually used a solenoid on trunks with more oomf.
I was planning on using two actuators, one for each side. I already ran the harness to the back, so it's basically plug and play.
After looking more at the wiring diagram for the central locking system, it looks like I need to run a relay in order to get the rear actuators to work. At this point, I am not taking my door back off to run wires, so that idea has been shelved for now.
After ~6-8 years of disliking the ride quality of my car, I finally decided to do something about it. We happened to have quite a few sets of Eibach coilover springs around the shop that we use for testing purposes, so I figured "why not?" Most coilovers have the ability to handle spring rate changes of +/- 2k before re-valving is necessary. The current rates on the car are 9k/7k and as my car is much lighter than stock, I find them to be too stiff. After digging around, I found some 7/6k springs and went to it! (before someone yells at me, I know shock valving/damping plays a bigger part in overall ride quality, but I wanted to try a lower spring rate instead of purchasing new coilovers).
EDIT: Before doing all this, I inspected the coilovers for leaks and verified they are all still in good, working order.
Conveniently, Stance coilover springs for the FC are 200mm in length, with a 65mm inner diameter. Which is exactly what I had in the shop! Here you can see they are the exact same length and ID.
Both fronts were then reassembled as shown below. I also noticed the ride height was off by 10mm from the driver to passenger side, so I fixed that.
Here are the rear coilovers. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that I had EXCESSIVELY preloaded them back in the day.
For those who may be wondering, Stance GR+ coilovers use 200mm springs for both the front and back.
Installed the new springs, set the preload correctly, and adjusted the ride height.
I have yet to take the car on the highway but around town, the suspension "seems" more compliant. Bumps are more easily absorbed and the car seems less disturbed under motion. I'll give it a more thorough test some time next week.
In other news, I picked up some LS1 smart coils in preparation for the Adaptronic install I'll be tackling in the next few months. I'll probably create a custom mounting bracket and locate them where the factory trailing coil sits.
Took the car for a longer drive today. Overall, I'd say the spring change was worth it. The car feels better, less bouncy, and seems to skitter less around corners. Until I buy a proven set-up, this will have to work for now (miles better than what it was).
Got bored, did some things. Installed the RE Type IV wing.
Placed tape on the car and made some templates off the base of the wing. Measure 80 times, drill once.
Wing installed on one side, one side still taped up to get the mounting perfect.
The wing is fully bolted to the car in this photo (forgot to take tape off).
Also, found some "aero"? mirrors locally. I cleaned them up a bit and re-painted them black. You can't really tell in this picture as the paint is wet, but I used a flat black. I think it looks better than gloss (on my car, at least)
I did manage to get a quote for paint, put a deposit down, and will be getting the entire car redone this fall
Also, found some "aero"? mirrors locally. I cleaned them up a bit and re-painted them black. You can't really tell in this picture as the paint is wet, but I used a flat black. I think it looks better than gloss (on my car, at least)
Looking good! Those are S4 TII Aero mirrors specifically, S5 models have a rounder opening at the front. If you need new glass for those, let me know and I can provide you the eBay listing where I recently acquired a set.
Your car already looks great, it's going to look even better after it gets its new paint. Are you going with the same colour?
@WondrousBread Thanks! I thought they were S4 specific based on how "brick-ish" they are in comparison to S5 mirrors. The glass is actually in perfect shape, but I'll keep that in mind! As for the paint, it will be the OEM S4 Arctic Silver (J5 code) paint, but with a little added gold flake to pop in the sun.
@Jager Thanks! Really, it just needs a few more things and it's done. I have an S2 Rx8 6 speed that I'll likely install this winter, get the paint and body work taken care of, and install/tune the new adaptronic ecu. Other than that, she's finally "finished". The P-Port runs great, although my old haltech e6x is the main limiting factor in terms of fun (no additional baro correction for elevation as I'm using MAP based tuning). I don't DD it, but do try to drive it once or twice a week.
Went for a drive recently and discovered I had a massive chip in my windshield. Seeing as this windshield is heavily pitted (can see it in the sun), I went ahead and had a new windshield installed. It seems FC windshields are getting harder to find, so I also purchased an extra to hold on to.
Decided to take my S2 rx8 transmission over to Rob and cracked it open for inspection.
Lucky me! There was no metal debris in the fluid that remained in the box and the gears/synchros look to be in great shape. This trans has ~120K on it, per the wrecking yard I got it from. It definitely was a Minnesota car though! All that surface corrosion Oh well, I'll sandblast the case, replace all the hardware and paint it.
I'm temporarily relocating, so I needed to move my car from the shop to my backyard. I'm building a car port, but I also need a car cover. Good thing CorkSport Mazda 3 car covers fit an FC (with a wing) perfectly! These are pretty high quality and should hold up fine, assuming the car is under a carport and not directly exposed to the elements.
Mind saying what you paid? The glass guy I used for our last couple has me one waiting and I think it's running me around 260ish?
I have a cracked passenger trim but from what I'm seeing they are 400 for the set.
I didn't replace the trims after install as I'm painting the car soon, and installing new trim at that time. I could've reused the trim I had if needed.
The glass ran me 280 installed with warranty against defects. As for the trim, it's not cheap. I paid approximately ~150 per side. The center wasn't bad, but I don't recall the price off the top of my head.
@WondrousBread I've noticed the glass in my driver side aero mirror vibrates a bit. When driving, it's difficult to see due to the movement of the glass; whereas, the passenger side doesn't do that. Since you've taken these apart, any advice as to what could be causing this? It is securely mounted to the chassis.
@WondrousBread I've noticed the glass in my driver side aero mirror vibrates a bit. When driving, it's difficult to see due to the movement of the glass; whereas, the passenger side doesn't do that. Since you've taken these apart, any advice as to what could be causing this? It is securely mounted to the chassis.
I can possibly provide some pictures of the inside that might help (if I can find them) but there are a few things I can think of.
The glass is adhered with a hot glue type adhesive to this plastic surround. Under the glass in the center is a Philips head screw holding a small ball-joint. This holds the surround to the center of the motor housing, while giving it freedom of motion in both axes.
Then you've got these two worm-gear looking plastic shafts on the back of the plastic housing, each with their own little ball joint. One is for the up-down motion, one is for the left-right motion. The shaft goes through a grommet into the motor housing where a set of gears with small metal arms in the center grab the worm-gear part of the shaft. This way the spinning of the motor is turned into linear motion on the shaft.
So if you have looseness in any of these joints or the Philips screw has worked its way loose, I could see it causing what you're talking about. Otherwise, the entire mechanism is held in using a few more screws which are only accessible by removing the glass and surround I mentioned, so if these are loose that could do it too.
To remove the glass you can use a hairdryer to carefully melt the adhesive and a feeler gauge with masking tape around it to gently pry up the glass. Start at the center and work your way to the edges, it's only adhered on the left and right. Unfortunately unless the problem is apparent from the outside removing the glass is the first step to actually accessing anything.
I can possibly provide some pictures of the inside that might help (if I can find them) but there are a few things I can think of.
The glass is adhered with a hot glue type adhesive to this plastic surround. Under the glass in the center is a Philips head screw holding a small ball-joint. This holds the surround to the center of the motor housing, while giving it freedom of motion in both axes.
Then you've got these two worm-gear looking plastic shafts on the back of the plastic housing, each with their own little ball joint. One is for the up-down motion, one is for the left-right motion. The shaft goes through a grommet into the motor housing where a set of gears with small metal arms in the center grab the worm-gear part of the shaft. This way the spinning of the motor is turned into linear motion on the shaft.
So if you have looseness in any of these joints or the Philips screw has worked its way loose, I could see it causing what you're talking about. Otherwise, the entire mechanism is held in using a few more screws which are only accessible by removing the glass and surround I mentioned, so if these are loose that could do it too.
To remove the glass you can use a hairdryer to carefully melt the adhesive and a feeler gauge with masking tape around it to gently pry up the glass. Start at the center and work your way to the edges, it's only adhered on the left and right. Unfortunately unless the problem is apparent from the outside removing the glass is the first step to actually accessing anything.
Thank you for the detailed response! I was afraid the answer was to take the glass off This information helps though and gives me an idea of what to look for.
Thank you for the detailed response! I was afraid the answer was to take the glass off This information helps though and gives me an idea of what to look for.
No problem
This is the only photo I found, but it shows what I mean. The white glue on the sides is the hot glue type adhesive, like I said it's only adhered in the two areas. So you can heat and pry the middle and it will pop out.
The screw in the center is the middle ball-joint I was talking about. Take out that screw, plug it back in and use the power motor to turn the surround all the way down and to the right and the worm gears should pop off. You can pull it straight out, but I don't like that because it puts stress on the gear.
Once you've found the problem you can get it back in by popping the worm gears in by one thread and then using the motor to do the rest. And I found after reassembly I had to help the mirror by hand a few times until everything sort of "resettled". That's assuming the ball-joint itself isn't the issue, which would be the ideal solution since you can just tighten it and go on your way.
Thanks @WondrousBread . That helps to highlight the inside of the mirror. I ended up replacing my LRB mirror trim with new OEM pieces. After reinstalling everything, the driver side mirror doesn't rattle nearly as much as it did. I think there was some contact or binding which may have resulted in the vibration/rattling I was experiencing.
In other news, the countdown to paint is starting! I think I'm going to take the car for one last drive and then start stripping it apart.
Started reassembling the rear of the car (it's rainy season where I live and I'd prefer the car doesn't get completely soaked.
Rear completely assembled minus side markers, badges, and diffuser.
I'll get a better photo later, but you can see the gold flake I added to the stock Arctic Silver paint. It really pops in the sun, but looks stock in the shade.
Unfortunately, the car is going to sit for a couple months before I can put the rest of it back together, as I'm out on a work contract. Once I get back, I'll put everything back together and then install the new ECU
04-27-21, 02:33 PM
Oh well, I'll sandblast the case, replace all the hardware and paint it.
