The rotaFLA GXL S4 build
 

Hi, my name is Felix and this summer I bought a 1986 GXL automatic with 90k km (about 56k miles) as a project car. After a couple of days only, it got a coolant seal problem so I parked it and didn't work much until last week because school started so time was missing.

The project for now is to convert it manual and rebuild it for next summer so I can go to the track or autocross with it. I also planned on porting the engine and running it on a standalone ecu (probably a megasquirt 3). It will probably not be a very fast build as I am a student and my budget is not as big as I would like...haha

A couple of picture from when I bought it

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Started to strip the interior

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Also, I don't have a garage so I have to work outside. The problem is this:

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Also got my first interior part for the RX

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So this is pretty much it for now, I will try to keep updates

Maybe not a big update for most of you, but it is for me. Weather for the last days was better so I pulled the engine and trans out.

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Small update, picked up those yesterday
(sorry for bad quality picture, didn't have my camera)
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Starting back my build. I have not worked a lot on the car since I bough it for many reasons, but I'm now back on the project, and let's hope it's for good.

Also, I realised the car was not as clean as I tough, but because of my pretty low budget it's gonna have to do the job.

Now, lets get into the couple things that have changed on the car.

First I sold the cheap wheels and bought a set of 255/40/17 pilot sport cup, still need wheels but the time will come.Then found a new home for the car.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...77520f119d.jpg

Because the car was outside and not moving for the last 2 years, it was not very clean when I first started back the project...


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...572efcc85e.jpg

But slowly


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...b2b5785029.jpg


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...35fd239b7c.jpg


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...62ba21014d.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...5be015e13e.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...fcf4956577.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...b7459437f9.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...968ef7503b.jpg

New bushings

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d0017a436f.jpg

And putting the parts back together

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c26af2eb24.jpg


That's it for now, hoping to have the car back on the road for spring 2017

Tonight I cleaned and painted calipers, and started to depower my steering rack.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...42e557bff1.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...9d9a02f4f9.jpg

I really like how it looks, soon gonna start working on the interior

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...83877fb305.jpg

New wheels, TE37's in 17x9.5 et40 and 17x8.5 et30. Sould be nice with the 255's


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...5506fe8070.jpg

Well, I'm gonna need 5mm spacers for the front wheel to clear the coilovers, so I have to add studs and spacers to the (never ending) list...

Started to work on the interior

Before


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...35f938acd0.jpg

After


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c8fa5357a8.jpg


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...f131c998e8.jpg


Also started removing sound deadening. Still need lots of work and stuff like completing and welding the rollcage and putting the dashboard back (I have to flock it before).

I also bough a manual pedal box and an aluminium hood to save some weight. Had to strap it to the top of my parents car to bring it back home...


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...5284192e53.jpg

Small update, I installed the pedal box so it now has the right number of pedals.

Also did some research about my bolt in roll cage. I don't really like where the main hoopp sits, so I'm gonna get rid of the front tubes (which were not really rigid anyway with all those bends) and modify the main hoop so it sits right (further back). Then it's all gonna be welded.

For the engine, I'm going in the turbo direction. I'm planning to buy a S5 turbo engine this winter but i'm still not sure what standalone ECU I want to run.

Finally, the car is going in a different direction as it's almost gonna be a track only car. So stereo is gone and probably a lot of the other confort stuff.