From Junkyard to Hillclimb car - My FC TII build
06-04-13, 07:15 PM
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From Junkyard to Hillclimb car - My FC TII build
So I’ve had this car for about six months now and I figure it’s time to start documenting my build.
First, a little background on how I got this car...
I found the car on craigslist under “parting out RX7 Turbo”. It had a bunch of vague modifications listed, like “greddy turbo, stage 4 clutch, exhaust, etc.” I asked if the seller was interested in selling it as a whole. The response: “$1000 takes the whole car”. To keep the story concise, I called and found out the car belonged to a towing and auto salvage company somewhere way up in NH. The car originally belonged to a student, some kid that totally took it for granted. He modified it (and did some very shotty work – almost everything is held together by zip ties and duct tape). One night he tried running from the police, and they arrested him and had the car towed.
Well the kid didn’t pick it up in 30 days, so the car then belonged to the company. (I don’t know how long it was sitting for, but it seemed to me like years. The last valid registration in the car was from 2011). The guy from the company I spoke with said it wasn’t running – and here’s where the story got a little confusing.
He said it was running when parked, however, the kid that owned it came back and took some parts out of it. He said there was some fancy computer in the glove box that the kid wanted, and he let the kid take it. It should run, he said, if I replaced the “computer doohickey”.
So for $1,000 (and free delivery), I rationalized that even if I couldn’t get it running, I could always part it out and make my money back. It was 140 miles away, and I couldn’t go look at it. I used a friend’s AAA card and had it towed right to my house, sight unseen.
(The only photo I was given prior to buying the car)
I had mixed feelings when it rolled off the flatbed. It was dirty, needed some body work, and had two flats in the front and a set of NT555 extreme drag radials in the back. After giving it a good cleaning and a thorough once over, I put it up on my lift (an old benwil 7,000 twin post) and took full stock of what I had purchased. Here's the known list of modifications- I'm discovering new stuff every day:
Full 3" exhaust with 2 magnaflow mufflers, single exit
cone filter
home made FMIC kit with a Greddy BOV
720cc primaries, 1000cc secondaries
Fuel pump? probably a wally 255
stainless brake lines
Stage 4 clutch (on/off switch)
turbo timer, boost gauge
poly motor mounts
short shifter
emissions/ smog delete, A.C comp removed, manual PS conversion
OMP delete
Wired for a Microtech LT10S
...
Oh yeah, and a HUGE turbo. It doesn’t have any markings and I’ve had trouble identifying it. The hot side looks stock, but the compressor side is much bigger than the Hitachi H18. I measured the compressor inducer wheel diam. And it’s 2.2” (compared to 1.7” stock). The cold side outlet is 1.75”. Ought to make enough power to keep me happy
So I let it sit for most of the winter while I researched, schemed, and collected parts. I checked the compression and it had good numbers on both rotors. The car has 216,000 miles (yikes!) so I’m guessing it was rebuilt at some point. A carfax shows the car was in Florida for 200 of those 216, and it shows in the lack of rust. Minimal rust for such an old car.
(the vitamin water catch can zip tied to a loose bracket was not a confidence builder)
Dirty dirty engine bay on arrival:
Next up - the work I've done so far, and the plans for this track fiend....
First, a little background on how I got this car...
I found the car on craigslist under “parting out RX7 Turbo”. It had a bunch of vague modifications listed, like “greddy turbo, stage 4 clutch, exhaust, etc.” I asked if the seller was interested in selling it as a whole. The response: “$1000 takes the whole car”. To keep the story concise, I called and found out the car belonged to a towing and auto salvage company somewhere way up in NH. The car originally belonged to a student, some kid that totally took it for granted. He modified it (and did some very shotty work – almost everything is held together by zip ties and duct tape). One night he tried running from the police, and they arrested him and had the car towed.
Well the kid didn’t pick it up in 30 days, so the car then belonged to the company. (I don’t know how long it was sitting for, but it seemed to me like years. The last valid registration in the car was from 2011). The guy from the company I spoke with said it wasn’t running – and here’s where the story got a little confusing.
He said it was running when parked, however, the kid that owned it came back and took some parts out of it. He said there was some fancy computer in the glove box that the kid wanted, and he let the kid take it. It should run, he said, if I replaced the “computer doohickey”.
So for $1,000 (and free delivery), I rationalized that even if I couldn’t get it running, I could always part it out and make my money back. It was 140 miles away, and I couldn’t go look at it. I used a friend’s AAA card and had it towed right to my house, sight unseen.
(The only photo I was given prior to buying the car)
I had mixed feelings when it rolled off the flatbed. It was dirty, needed some body work, and had two flats in the front and a set of NT555 extreme drag radials in the back. After giving it a good cleaning and a thorough once over, I put it up on my lift (an old benwil 7,000 twin post) and took full stock of what I had purchased. Here's the known list of modifications- I'm discovering new stuff every day:
Full 3" exhaust with 2 magnaflow mufflers, single exit
cone filter
home made FMIC kit with a Greddy BOV
720cc primaries, 1000cc secondaries
Fuel pump? probably a wally 255
stainless brake lines
Stage 4 clutch (on/off switch)
turbo timer, boost gauge
poly motor mounts
short shifter
emissions/ smog delete, A.C comp removed, manual PS conversion
OMP delete
Wired for a Microtech LT10S
...
Oh yeah, and a HUGE turbo. It doesn’t have any markings and I’ve had trouble identifying it. The hot side looks stock, but the compressor side is much bigger than the Hitachi H18. I measured the compressor inducer wheel diam. And it’s 2.2” (compared to 1.7” stock). The cold side outlet is 1.75”. Ought to make enough power to keep me happy
So I let it sit for most of the winter while I researched, schemed, and collected parts. I checked the compression and it had good numbers on both rotors. The car has 216,000 miles (yikes!) so I’m guessing it was rebuilt at some point. A carfax shows the car was in Florida for 200 of those 216, and it shows in the lack of rust. Minimal rust for such an old car.
(the vitamin water catch can zip tied to a loose bracket was not a confidence builder)
Dirty dirty engine bay on arrival:
Next up - the work I've done so far, and the plans for this track fiend....
06-05-13, 04:23 PM
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Plans for this build:
The car is set up to be a very fast drag car… but I don’t have much interest in drag racing. To be honest, I find it kind of boring. It only lasts for a matter of seconds, and it puts so much stress on the drivetrain. Don’t get me wrong - I will definitely take it to the strip and do a couple shakedown passes to see what it runs, but I’m not looking to break the 10s or anything.
I did my first autox and HPDE events last year, and got bit by the bug. I used my current sports car - a 92 3000GT VR4 that I’ve been building for 5 or 6 years. I love the 3s platform - but they’re not exactly corner carvers. It’s very wide, kinda heavy, and prone to understeer. I was beating the **** out of it, and I like to use it as a daily driver, so I quickly realized I would need a dedicated track car that I could break without feeling bad.
An FC just seemed like the perfect choice. They’re cheap, handle great, the rotary loves seeing high rpms all day, etc.
New England is a pretty terrible place to be a car enthusiast. Tracks are only open half the year, and if you drive during the cold months the salt and snow just eat your car like crazy. There is one good thing about New England that you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the country though – we have a great Hillclimb series.
The New England Hillclimb Association hosts 6 or 7 events at mountains in NH and VT throughout the season. An event lasts three days and costs ~$150 – super affordable for any kind of racing. The participants camp out at the grounds located at the foot of each mountain. Day one is cleaning and walking the course; next two days are practice and timed runs.
The events are time trials –one car at a time goes up the mountain as fast as possible – courses usually last 1 and a half to 3 minutes depending on the car/driver.
For those of you who aren’t farmiliar with the NEHA courses, here’s a nice video:
As with most racing associations, they have all sorts of rules and regulations for competing cars. Some things I still need to do to pass tech:
- Get the horn working
- all cars need to have a working heater. The previous owner bypassed the heater core and ran a line from the lower rad hose to the block. The only reason I can think of it that the heater core leaks… so I’m not looking forwards to that. Also, the logicon does nothing.
- the battery is just loose in the trunk, so I need to come up with a tie down, vent to atmospehere, and external disconnect switch.
- fuel pump relay needs to be rewired to turn off when the car is off (it’s wire to IGN right now)
ABC fire extinguisher mounted with a metal strap
And finally, I need to buy an SA rated snell helmet.
So I clearly have my work cut out for me!
I'm going to keep the suspension stock for now, maybe front and rear strut tower bars. I chose hankook ventus RS-3 tires for their great prices, exceptional reviews, and good life expectancy for R compounds. I'll be mounting them on mustang 17x8" rims, which I already bought for $100 on CL.
Future plans include a 6 point cage, racing seats and harnesses.
The car is set up to be a very fast drag car… but I don’t have much interest in drag racing. To be honest, I find it kind of boring. It only lasts for a matter of seconds, and it puts so much stress on the drivetrain. Don’t get me wrong - I will definitely take it to the strip and do a couple shakedown passes to see what it runs, but I’m not looking to break the 10s or anything.
I did my first autox and HPDE events last year, and got bit by the bug. I used my current sports car - a 92 3000GT VR4 that I’ve been building for 5 or 6 years. I love the 3s platform - but they’re not exactly corner carvers. It’s very wide, kinda heavy, and prone to understeer. I was beating the **** out of it, and I like to use it as a daily driver, so I quickly realized I would need a dedicated track car that I could break without feeling bad.
An FC just seemed like the perfect choice. They’re cheap, handle great, the rotary loves seeing high rpms all day, etc.
New England is a pretty terrible place to be a car enthusiast. Tracks are only open half the year, and if you drive during the cold months the salt and snow just eat your car like crazy. There is one good thing about New England that you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the country though – we have a great Hillclimb series.
The New England Hillclimb Association hosts 6 or 7 events at mountains in NH and VT throughout the season. An event lasts three days and costs ~$150 – super affordable for any kind of racing. The participants camp out at the grounds located at the foot of each mountain. Day one is cleaning and walking the course; next two days are practice and timed runs.
The events are time trials –one car at a time goes up the mountain as fast as possible – courses usually last 1 and a half to 3 minutes depending on the car/driver.
For those of you who aren’t farmiliar with the NEHA courses, here’s a nice video:
As with most racing associations, they have all sorts of rules and regulations for competing cars. Some things I still need to do to pass tech:
- Get the horn working
- all cars need to have a working heater. The previous owner bypassed the heater core and ran a line from the lower rad hose to the block. The only reason I can think of it that the heater core leaks… so I’m not looking forwards to that. Also, the logicon does nothing.
- the battery is just loose in the trunk, so I need to come up with a tie down, vent to atmospehere, and external disconnect switch.
- fuel pump relay needs to be rewired to turn off when the car is off (it’s wire to IGN right now)
ABC fire extinguisher mounted with a metal strap
And finally, I need to buy an SA rated snell helmet.
So I clearly have my work cut out for me!
I'm going to keep the suspension stock for now, maybe front and rear strut tower bars. I chose hankook ventus RS-3 tires for their great prices, exceptional reviews, and good life expectancy for R compounds. I'll be mounting them on mustang 17x8" rims, which I already bought for $100 on CL.
Future plans include a 6 point cage, racing seats and harnesses.
06-13-13, 10:35 PM
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First tasks were new plugs, oil change, fuel filter, drained and refilled the gas tank and a new cone air filter (a knockoff k&n from autozone, hey this is a budget build).
Then I hooked up a spare battery - it was time to see if it turned over. It did not. In fact most of the electronics – windows, sunroof, horn, interior lights… etc. did not work. Turns out it had a bad power source to the ignition switch. I ran a new (+) wire, replaced some blown fuses, added some oil to the plug holes and she turned right over.
The P.O hardwired the fuel pump to run with the key on, so I quickly noticed a gas leak at the lower rail. I bought new (used) upper and lower rails and stock 550s. I pulled the rails, did new hoses and clamps. The car had 720cc primaries and 1000cc secondaries. I put the 550ccs in the primary spot and the 720ccs for secondaries. I don’t know rotaries well but it’s my understanding when you stagger injectors you put the bigger ones as secondaries. I wanted to get the car running on stockers before I started messing with injector size anyways.
With the car turning over and not leaking fuel… I focused my attention on getting the thing running, which meant buying a microtech. I found an LT10S on ebay for $650 and scooped it up. Also got a laptop dongle.
I redid all the wiring, which included wiring in new factory coils. It was all loosely wrapped, poor connections, basically a demo on what not to do in car electronics. just a mess all over the engine bay. I had to screw around with the microtech a TON to get it to finally sputter. I ended up adding like 60% more fuel across the whole curve to get it to idle right.
With it running, albeit a bit rough, I pulled it into the light of day and immediately took it around the block. The tranny shifts smooth. Has a short shifter with no centering springs. Im not sure if I like it. The clutch is a friggin’ on/off switch. Its tough to get used it but will come in handly. The brakes are non-existant. (Ordered new rotors today)
Engine bay cleaned up, new wiring harness, and a few other little details like painted IC pipes:
^^^^As my friend put it, "wow, I actually wouldn't be embarrassed to open this hood anymore"
Then I hooked up a spare battery - it was time to see if it turned over. It did not. In fact most of the electronics – windows, sunroof, horn, interior lights… etc. did not work. Turns out it had a bad power source to the ignition switch. I ran a new (+) wire, replaced some blown fuses, added some oil to the plug holes and she turned right over.
The P.O hardwired the fuel pump to run with the key on, so I quickly noticed a gas leak at the lower rail. I bought new (used) upper and lower rails and stock 550s. I pulled the rails, did new hoses and clamps. The car had 720cc primaries and 1000cc secondaries. I put the 550ccs in the primary spot and the 720ccs for secondaries. I don’t know rotaries well but it’s my understanding when you stagger injectors you put the bigger ones as secondaries. I wanted to get the car running on stockers before I started messing with injector size anyways.
With the car turning over and not leaking fuel… I focused my attention on getting the thing running, which meant buying a microtech. I found an LT10S on ebay for $650 and scooped it up. Also got a laptop dongle.
I redid all the wiring, which included wiring in new factory coils. It was all loosely wrapped, poor connections, basically a demo on what not to do in car electronics. just a mess all over the engine bay. I had to screw around with the microtech a TON to get it to finally sputter. I ended up adding like 60% more fuel across the whole curve to get it to idle right.
With it running, albeit a bit rough, I pulled it into the light of day and immediately took it around the block. The tranny shifts smooth. Has a short shifter with no centering springs. Im not sure if I like it. The clutch is a friggin’ on/off switch. Its tough to get used it but will come in handly. The brakes are non-existant. (Ordered new rotors today)
Engine bay cleaned up, new wiring harness, and a few other little details like painted IC pipes:
^^^^As my friend put it, "wow, I actually wouldn't be embarrassed to open this hood anymore"
06-14-13, 02:47 PM
#5
Rotary Enthusiast
Well, if you're looking to get more power (over 250HP or more) out of a rotary engine over stock, that's where a standalone comes in. A standalone like the MegaSquirt 3 gives you more tunability, critical if you're adding a lot of boost and need to get the air/fuel ratio right.
Otherwise, there's no benefit to changing out the entire stock ECU and wiring for a new system, especially if it's working properly and being well maintained. If there's an issue, it's better to follow the FSM, troubleshoot and fix the issue rather than rip it all out and start from scratch.
In this case, the car's factory system was already removed in favor of a Microtech, bigger injectors and a bigger turbo than stock.
I wouldn't go and rip the factory system out, especially if you're only looking at stock or modest power gains.
That said, I recommend a MegaSquirt over the Microtech. Great tech support, easy to understand software, and you can either put it together yourself with a soldering iron or get a professionally manufactured and sealed unit with all the bells and whistles for less than a Microtech.
Otherwise, there's no benefit to changing out the entire stock ECU and wiring for a new system, especially if it's working properly and being well maintained. If there's an issue, it's better to follow the FSM, troubleshoot and fix the issue rather than rip it all out and start from scratch.
In this case, the car's factory system was already removed in favor of a Microtech, bigger injectors and a bigger turbo than stock.
I wouldn't go and rip the factory system out, especially if you're only looking at stock or modest power gains.
That said, I recommend a MegaSquirt over the Microtech. Great tech support, easy to understand software, and you can either put it together yourself with a soldering iron or get a professionally manufactured and sealed unit with all the bells and whistles for less than a Microtech.
06-14-13, 03:13 PM
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/threadjack
A buddy of mine (fd driver) was telling me to go haltech over microtech. As I plan to go TII single turbo setup with mine (86 fc). If I plan to do autocross, street, etc.
/threadjackover
A buddy of mine (fd driver) was telling me to go haltech over microtech. As I plan to go TII single turbo setup with mine (86 fc). If I plan to do autocross, street, etc.
/threadjackover
06-14-13, 04:50 PM
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haha, that's alright, I'm just glad someone is posting in my build thread 
Yes, a microtech completely replaces the factory ECU. it's called a "stand alone" because it runs the whole show. Some other aftermarket ECUs work in conjunction with the factory ECU. these are called "piggyback" ecus because they kind of hook onto the stock computer and make changes to it.
The benefits of a microtech are the ability to add or remove fuel, change timing, and a whole bunch of other stuff.
The microtech would not have been my first choice for an ECU, but it was the cheapest and simplest solution to getting the car running.
Right now I'm out in the shop working on customizing the front bumper - pics to come. I'm really bad at keeping up with posting progress pics, lol
Yes, a microtech completely replaces the factory ECU. it's called a "stand alone" because it runs the whole show. Some other aftermarket ECUs work in conjunction with the factory ECU. these are called "piggyback" ecus because they kind of hook onto the stock computer and make changes to it.
The benefits of a microtech are the ability to add or remove fuel, change timing, and a whole bunch of other stuff.
The microtech would not have been my first choice for an ECU, but it was the cheapest and simplest solution to getting the car running.
Right now I'm out in the shop working on customizing the front bumper - pics to come. I'm really bad at keeping up with posting progress pics, lol
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06-14-13, 05:40 PM
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haha, that's alright, I'm just glad someone is posting in my build thread
Yes, a microtech completely replaces the factory ECU. it's called a "stand alone" because it runs the whole show. Some other aftermarket ECUs work in conjunction with the factory ECU. these are called "piggyback" ecus because they kind of hook onto the stock computer and make changes to it.
The benefits of a microtech are the ability to add or remove fuel, change timing, and a whole bunch of other stuff.
The microtech would not have been my first choice for an ECU, but it was the cheapest and simplest solution to getting the car running.
Right now I'm out in the shop working on customizing the front bumper - pics to come. I'm really bad at keeping up with posting progress pics, lol
Yes, a microtech completely replaces the factory ECU. it's called a "stand alone" because it runs the whole show. Some other aftermarket ECUs work in conjunction with the factory ECU. these are called "piggyback" ecus because they kind of hook onto the stock computer and make changes to it.
The benefits of a microtech are the ability to add or remove fuel, change timing, and a whole bunch of other stuff.
The microtech would not have been my first choice for an ECU, but it was the cheapest and simplest solution to getting the car running.
Right now I'm out in the shop working on customizing the front bumper - pics to come. I'm really bad at keeping up with posting progress pics, lol
06-15-13, 05:02 PM
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Tasks recently completed:
- drained and refilled transmission. Fixed a slow leak with some RTV.
There was also an oil leak making a mess all over the front of the engine. I tracked it down to the OMP. The previous owner had deleted it - but instead of doing it the right way with a blockoff plate, he just stuffed the OMP with RTV silicone and put it back on the front cover. He used bolts with no copper gaskets to plug the banjo ports, and they were leaking pretty bad.
I made a blockoff plate out of some 3/16" galvanized plate steel and painted it silver.
While I was researching OMP blockoffs, I noticed something curious - My RX7 appears to have an S5 OMP and front cover - but it's an 87, and everything else is S4.
Does this mean the engine internals are also likely from an S5? Or is this maybe an indication that someone did an engine swap in the past? Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.
>>>When I first got under the car I saw the previous owner had fixed the dual vane turbo actuator lever in position with a tangled mess of metal wire. It was sloppy, dangerous, and didn't actually hold the lever in place. I fabbed up a bracket that bolts to the motor mount and holds the lever snug in the down position.
This is how it was wired before, but for all I know the PO could have wired it shut and not open. I tried researching but couldn't tell which is which, so some confirmation would be nice
Next up maybe I'll show some progress on the madd custom front bumper!
- drained and refilled transmission. Fixed a slow leak with some RTV.
There was also an oil leak making a mess all over the front of the engine. I tracked it down to the OMP. The previous owner had deleted it - but instead of doing it the right way with a blockoff plate, he just stuffed the OMP with RTV silicone and put it back on the front cover. He used bolts with no copper gaskets to plug the banjo ports, and they were leaking pretty bad.
I made a blockoff plate out of some 3/16" galvanized plate steel and painted it silver.
While I was researching OMP blockoffs, I noticed something curious - My RX7 appears to have an S5 OMP and front cover - but it's an 87, and everything else is S4.
Does this mean the engine internals are also likely from an S5? Or is this maybe an indication that someone did an engine swap in the past? Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.
>>>When I first got under the car I saw the previous owner had fixed the dual vane turbo actuator lever in position with a tangled mess of metal wire. It was sloppy, dangerous, and didn't actually hold the lever in place. I fabbed up a bracket that bolts to the motor mount and holds the lever snug in the down position.
This is how it was wired before, but for all I know the PO could have wired it shut and not open. I tried researching but couldn't tell which is which, so some confirmation would be nice
Next up maybe I'll show some progress on the madd custom front bumper!
06-16-13, 01:57 PM
#12
If you are looking down on the actuator for the twin scroll, pulling it up/forward towards the front of the car, the valve shuts. So if it's just flapping in the breeze there, it is open.
A functioning twin scroll does help! If you can, make it work again. Most people ditched them because of the whole "emissions removable craze". However, most will agree that the S5 manifold and turbo is the way to go. Not least because most S4 manifolds have cracked by now.
If the car has an S5 omp, then something is wrong... Using the aftermarket ECU, its unlikely that omp was functioning (unless they programmed the microtech to run the omp, but I doubt that). I hope they were premixing, otherwise that engine was not properly lubricated internally!
A functioning twin scroll does help! If you can, make it work again. Most people ditched them because of the whole "emissions removable craze". However, most will agree that the S5 manifold and turbo is the way to go. Not least because most S4 manifolds have cracked by now.
If the car has an S5 omp, then something is wrong... Using the aftermarket ECU, its unlikely that omp was functioning (unless they programmed the microtech to run the omp, but I doubt that). I hope they were premixing, otherwise that engine was not properly lubricated internally!
Last edited by beefhole; 06-16-13 at 02:02 PM.
06-16-13, 06:16 PM
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Thanks beefhole (<lmfao), that helps. I pulled the lever down towards the back of the car and locked it in place, so that means it's open.
Yes, I would like to get the twin scroll functioning again... but right now I'm trying to get the car in decent shape and able to pass tech without spending too much $$. The simplest solution was to lock it in the open position. Once I have some seat time I'll probably go with a whole different turbo setup anyways.
The last owner was premixing, as evinced by the bottles of 2stroke oil in the trunk.
I realize the OMP was not functioning.
What I suspect is that at some point in the car's history, the original S4 motor was removed and replaced with a (possibly) S5 block - hence the S5 front cover and S5 OMP. I believe the S5 had a higher compression ratio and some other improvements, so I'm hoping it's an S5 motor.
Instead of hooking up the S5 OMP, which would be difficult on an S4 chassis, the person that did the engine swap plugged it up with spare bolts and RTV and called it a day. At least that's the only explanation I can come up with in my mind for how an S5 OMP made it unto my S4.
Are the front covers interchangeable? maybe the PO just changed over the cover.
Yes, I would like to get the twin scroll functioning again... but right now I'm trying to get the car in decent shape and able to pass tech without spending too much $$. The simplest solution was to lock it in the open position. Once I have some seat time I'll probably go with a whole different turbo setup anyways.
The last owner was premixing, as evinced by the bottles of 2stroke oil in the trunk.
I realize the OMP was not functioning.
What I suspect is that at some point in the car's history, the original S4 motor was removed and replaced with a (possibly) S5 block - hence the S5 front cover and S5 OMP. I believe the S5 had a higher compression ratio and some other improvements, so I'm hoping it's an S5 motor.
Instead of hooking up the S5 OMP, which would be difficult on an S4 chassis, the person that did the engine swap plugged it up with spare bolts and RTV and called it a day. At least that's the only explanation I can come up with in my mind for how an S5 OMP made it unto my S4.
Are the front covers interchangeable? maybe the PO just changed over the cover.
06-16-13, 06:47 PM
#14
The front covers will swap. Why the previous owner did that is probably because the car is possibly an S5, and at the time, was still using the S5 ECU/wiring. They blew the motor (?) and could only find an S4 motor as a replacement. They swapped over the S5 OMP because the S5 ECU MUST "see" the omp or it will go into limp mode.
It's hard to tell from the pics. Sometimes it's an S5 (stock mesh wheels, some trim, mirrors), but sometimes it's an S4 (the other trim, front bumper, tail lights).
What year is the chassis? Should have a door jamb sticker.
It's hard to tell from the pics. Sometimes it's an S5 (stock mesh wheels, some trim, mirrors), but sometimes it's an S4 (the other trim, front bumper, tail lights).
What year is the chassis? Should have a door jamb sticker.
06-16-13, 07:07 PM
#15
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Funny finding a fellow 3S owner here, Lat42 no less. I just picked up a FC as well (though mine looks worse than yours and has bad wiring all over). Any chance we will be seeing Lat42 products for the FC?
Benn
Aka blue3kgtsl
Aka unknownvr4
Benn
Aka blue3kgtsl
Aka unknownvr4
06-18-13, 05:25 PM
#16
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It's an S4. The chassis is an 87; It has S4 tail lights, S4 moldings painted red, S4 aero mirrors, manual belts, etc. The original S4 Turbo ECU (N332) was even still under the carpet, so I doubt it was ever running an S5 ECU.
Your "S4 motor in an S5 chassis" idea doesn't really work. I suppose someone could have replaced the front cover with S5, but I don't know why...
Anyways, enough of that.
Hey there Ben, sounds like you have some good taste in cars! As Ben pointed out, I run a small business as a 3000GT/Stealth parts vendor called Latitude 42 Motorsports. (Home) I'm still feeling out the FC3S community and platform, but there is definitely a chance I'll make some parts for the FC. I'm not going to jump in just yet, but I have some ideas. I already have one product for the FC - my headlight controller would work on all mazda flip up headlights.
Custom body work is kind of my thing. The front bumper on my TII was pretty rough and the molding didn't match the rest of the car, so I already knew I was going to paint it. I figured with the bumper off I might as well put my resources to work and do something radical.
Here's a picture of my 3000:
The projector HIDs are one of my products. I'm thinking of doing something similar on my FC in the future. I also made the front bumper; it's a one off based on a factory bumper.
I got somewhat inspired by this picture and cut out the spaces for the FTP lenses:
I'm kind of regretting it now, but there's no turning back. We'll see how it turns out...
I also decided to eliminate and smooth over the molding strip in between the orange turns signals. should look interesting... :/ lol
crappy photoshop-
And of course I cut the lattices out of the center opening. much cleaner.
Your "S4 motor in an S5 chassis" idea doesn't really work. I suppose someone could have replaced the front cover with S5, but I don't know why...
Anyways, enough of that.
Hey there Ben, sounds like you have some good taste in cars! As Ben pointed out, I run a small business as a 3000GT/Stealth parts vendor called Latitude 42 Motorsports. (Home) I'm still feeling out the FC3S community and platform, but there is definitely a chance I'll make some parts for the FC. I'm not going to jump in just yet, but I have some ideas. I already have one product for the FC - my headlight controller would work on all mazda flip up headlights.
Custom body work is kind of my thing. The front bumper on my TII was pretty rough and the molding didn't match the rest of the car, so I already knew I was going to paint it. I figured with the bumper off I might as well put my resources to work and do something radical.
Here's a picture of my 3000:
The projector HIDs are one of my products. I'm thinking of doing something similar on my FC in the future. I also made the front bumper; it's a one off based on a factory bumper.
I got somewhat inspired by this picture and cut out the spaces for the FTP lenses:
I'm kind of regretting it now, but there's no turning back. We'll see how it turns out...
I also decided to eliminate and smooth over the molding strip in between the orange turns signals. should look interesting... :/ lol
crappy photoshop-
And of course I cut the lattices out of the center opening. much cleaner.
06-19-13, 05:58 PM
#19
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Yes, but just the middle section between the turn signals.
I replaced the logicon today. All the speed settings and positions work properly now. The heater core was bypassed; I ran new heater hoses to it. God knows why the PO went so far out of his way to make the heat NOT work. I'm afraid the heater core leaks but no signs of it yet.
I started the car to warm it up and make sure the HC wasn't blocked. It immediately ran like garbage and was blowing huge plumes of smoke!!! It ran fine when I parked it several days ago, but now it has a bouncing rough idle that has dropped below 1000rpms. The whole car shakes like it's missing a "cylinder" and doesn't rev smooth. I can't tell if the smoke is oil or unburnt fuel or coolant. it smokes right on startup and doesn't stop.
I took a video. If I can't fix it tomorrow I'll post it.
I'm going to pull the plugs tomorrow, clean them up and try the unflood procedure to see if it helps. Hoping there isn't anything majorly wrong!
I replaced the logicon today. All the speed settings and positions work properly now. The heater core was bypassed; I ran new heater hoses to it. God knows why the PO went so far out of his way to make the heat NOT work. I'm afraid the heater core leaks but no signs of it yet.
I started the car to warm it up and make sure the HC wasn't blocked. It immediately ran like garbage and was blowing huge plumes of smoke!!! It ran fine when I parked it several days ago, but now it has a bouncing rough idle that has dropped below 1000rpms. The whole car shakes like it's missing a "cylinder" and doesn't rev smooth. I can't tell if the smoke is oil or unburnt fuel or coolant. it smokes right on startup and doesn't stop.
I took a video. If I can't fix it tomorrow I'll post it.
I'm going to pull the plugs tomorrow, clean them up and try the unflood procedure to see if it helps. Hoping there isn't anything majorly wrong!
06-24-13, 08:10 AM
#21
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^ true.
I figured out my problem the next morning. While working on the dash, I had disconnected the vac line to the boost gauge. Well, that vac line Ts into the line the microtech uses for it's map signal... So the ECU was getting wacky air signal readings and dumping wayyy too much fuel. Oops.
I decided I need to get the dash squared away, so I found an S5 radio trim and vents in the classifieds. Should look much better!
I figured out my problem the next morning. While working on the dash, I had disconnected the vac line to the boost gauge. Well, that vac line Ts into the line the microtech uses for it's map signal... So the ECU was getting wacky air signal readings and dumping wayyy too much fuel. Oops.
I decided I need to get the dash squared away, so I found an S5 radio trim and vents in the classifieds. Should look much better!
07-10-13, 07:04 AM
#22
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Haven't had any time to update this, but the build is going well.
The brakes are looking much better. I pulled the calipers, cleaned and inspected them, and painted them. stoptech pads, slotted rotors, and a brake flush with ATE super blue should make this car competent at braking again.
The interior is stripped and cleaned, the engine bay has a battery tray wedged in there... I'm still waiting on my S5 dash vents to put the center console back together. Oh, I got the horn to work!!! I had to pull apart the CPU and resolder the joints. I wish RX7s used a normal replaceable horn relay like most other cars...
I patched a spot on the front fender that had rusted through. It looks like just yellow body filler in the picture, but there's good metal behind it I promise. I also found a red S5 front bumper at the pick and pull junkyard. I like it better than the S4 bumper I was making, so I'm going to stick with it for now. It's in very rough shape, but I can always sand and repaint it in the future.
So next up it's off to the DMV to get this thing on the road!
kjkj_zpsea033563.jpeg?t=1373456524
pixqaes_zps9c43d4e3.jpg?t=1373456524
Let me know what ya think!
The brakes are looking much better. I pulled the calipers, cleaned and inspected them, and painted them. stoptech pads, slotted rotors, and a brake flush with ATE super blue should make this car competent at braking again.
The interior is stripped and cleaned, the engine bay has a battery tray wedged in there... I'm still waiting on my S5 dash vents to put the center console back together. Oh, I got the horn to work!!! I had to pull apart the CPU and resolder the joints. I wish RX7s used a normal replaceable horn relay like most other cars...
I patched a spot on the front fender that had rusted through. It looks like just yellow body filler in the picture, but there's good metal behind it I promise. I also found a red S5 front bumper at the pick and pull junkyard. I like it better than the S4 bumper I was making, so I'm going to stick with it for now. It's in very rough shape, but I can always sand and repaint it in the future.
So next up it's off to the DMV to get this thing on the road!
kjkj_zpsea033563.jpeg?t=1373456524
pixqaes_zps9c43d4e3.jpg?t=1373456524
Let me know what ya think!
07-10-13, 07:08 AM
#23
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Here's how the S4 bumper was coming before I nixed it:
knnn_zps84907330.jpeg?t=1373456524
It was looking better with the center cut open, but still not my best work. I like the S5 front better.
knnn_zps84907330.jpeg?t=1373456524
It was looking better with the center cut open, but still not my best work. I like the S5 front better.
07-20-13, 10:03 PM
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Took the RX7 for it's maiden voyage this week!
I finally slapped some tags on it and took it to the gas station. I put in 9 gallons of premium and 10oz of premix. The gas gauge crawled up to a quarter tank. (I was starting to get a bit worried the gauge was broken!)
Then I took a short drive to the nearby lake to take some pictures. I can't wait to get rid of the mismatched wheels; they drive me crazy. Here's the car with the junkyard S5 bumper. I didn't realize that the turn signals were different shapes, and I couldn't find a cheap set of S5 front turn signals. so I made my some out of a sheet of plastic ceiling tile from home depot. Ya know, the stuff that covers fluorescent lights? cost me $8 and looks pretty damn good if I do say so.
drivers side needs some body work :/
So while I was driving home there was an open stretch of road, and I couldn't help but give the car a bit of throttle. Not much, maybe 1/4. The car started to build boost, and something gave way. it suddenly lost power, wouldn't rev as smoothly, and the idle dropped and became noticeably rougher. I limped back home and haven't looked at it yet. I'm hoping it's just a vacuum leak or something stupid.
DYNO TUNING SOOON!!!!
I finally slapped some tags on it and took it to the gas station. I put in 9 gallons of premium and 10oz of premix. The gas gauge crawled up to a quarter tank. (I was starting to get a bit worried the gauge was broken!)
Then I took a short drive to the nearby lake to take some pictures. I can't wait to get rid of the mismatched wheels; they drive me crazy. Here's the car with the junkyard S5 bumper. I didn't realize that the turn signals were different shapes, and I couldn't find a cheap set of S5 front turn signals. so I made my some out of a sheet of plastic ceiling tile from home depot. Ya know, the stuff that covers fluorescent lights? cost me $8 and looks pretty damn good if I do say so.
drivers side needs some body work :/
So while I was driving home there was an open stretch of road, and I couldn't help but give the car a bit of throttle. Not much, maybe 1/4. The car started to build boost, and something gave way. it suddenly lost power, wouldn't rev as smoothly, and the idle dropped and became noticeably rougher. I limped back home and haven't looked at it yet. I'm hoping it's just a vacuum leak or something stupid.
DYNO TUNING SOOON!!!!