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This will be the build thread for my '87 base model rx7. I originally picked it up for $1300 with "bad coolant seals" but came with a spare "good" engine and trans. This is my first rotary and even though I've wanted one ever since I was 13, I didn't know much about them. So after swapping in the spare engine and getting it driving I decided to open up the original engine to see what was wrong. Needless to say it wasnt just coolant seals.
I was lucky enough to come across a jdm S5 T2 engine and trans locally so i had to pick it up. It'll be a while before Im ready to do engine work but Im glad i have it.
Eventually the clutter in the engine bay was starting to get on my nerves so I decided to do a wire tuck. I may have gone a little overboard...
Picked up some LRB hood louvers and a Retro-Spec CF shifter trim from a buddy. I used a red shift boot for a miata. Id say it fits pretty good
I have the whole S5 race dash on order from Retro-Spec but it'll be a few more weeks before it shows up. I originally wanted the S4 dash but that mold was destroyed in the fire. Progress has been slow but I have a small pile of parts for the car. Exedy twin disk clutch with chromolly flywheel, Villans modified knuckles, 5lb CO2 bottle, rebuilt T2 calipers, Steel braided brake and clutch lines, Mazdatrix angle kit among other things.
Most recently Ive been working on the 5 lug swap and DIY big brake kit. the wheels I got are 17x9 +17 Work Kiwami with 235/40r17 Toyo R888Rs. The rears are 18x10.5 +22 and will have either 295 or 315. The big brake kit is from an Evo 10. The front disks are 350mm and Im using 300zx 4 piston 40mm brake calipers as they are cheaper and easier to find the the brembo evo calipers. Its a tight fit but they do work behind the 17's. The rear will be 330mm evo disks with the front T2 calipers along with audi S4 calipers for a hydro and use of the stock parking brake. Currently just waiting for pay day to roll around so I can have the front caliper brackets made up. Then the front will be done and I can move on to the rear.
Looks like you’ve made some good progress on the car!
How much clearance do you have between the front caliper and wheels? I have 355mm front rotors and Brembos and the only 17”s I tried that would clear were some 17x8.5 +40 TE37s and only with spacers. What did your caliper brackets end up looking like?
What over fenders are you planning to run with a 295 or 315? That’s a lot of rear tire, especially for a rotary car.
Looks like you’ve made some good progress on the car!
How much clearance do you have between the front caliper and wheels? I have 355mm front rotors and Brembos and the only 17”s I tried that would clear were some 17x8.5 +40 TE37s and only with spacers. What did your caliper brackets end up looking like?
What over fenders are you planning to run with a 295 or 315? That’s a lot of rear tire, especially for a rotary car.
BTW, what’s the CO2 canister for?
I have about 3mm between the caliper and the barrel of the wheel. The wheels have a pretty deep concave so I have miles of room between the face of the wheel and the calipers. I’m still in the process of mocking up the caliper on the knuckle so I don’t have brackets made just yet.
I was was looking at the Shine 30mm overs. I know the 295 will clear but I doubt the 315s will. The ultimate goal for this car is 650-700hp on high boost, hence the massive tires.
I plan on using CO2 boost control for the waistgates.
Gotcha. I run an air compressor and 1/2 gal. tank for dome boost control with an MS3 Pro Ultimate. It works phenomenal. I can run as low as 4psi or as high as literally whatever I want. FWIW, 700whp in an FC is hairy. I highly recommend some form of boost by gear and traction control. With ~650whp and pump gas, I can spin 285 tires in 1-3rd whenever I want. It's bananas.
Gotcha. I run an air compressor and 1/2 gal. tank for dome boost control with an MS3 Pro Ultimate. It works phenomenal. I can run as low as 4psi or as high as literally whatever I want. FWIW, 700whp in an FC is hairy. I highly recommend some form of boost by gear and traction control. With ~650whp and pump gas, I can spin 285 tires in 1-3rd whenever I want. It's bananas.
I thought about using an air compressor but didn’t want the added completely. I’ll be using a Haltech Elite 2000 with both boost by gear and traction control for that exact reason.
Did a little more mockup yesterday with the front tires on. Still need to roll the fenders. I cant decide if I should get the 295s and overs now or just stretch on some 235s and run stock rear fenders. It'll be getting 30mm overs front and rear soonish. My biggest problem with the 295s is the diff is welded and with sticky tires my NA axles will be not long for this world lol. 17x9 +17 and 18x10.5 +22
Something disappointing happened today. Got a package from retro-spec that should have been my S5 race dash but instead it was a fiberglass duckbill spoiler for not an rx7 lol. Ill see what he says tomorrow I guess.
Mocked up the caliper mounts this last weekend. Just doing little things and twiddling my thumbs until payday next week. Then I can get the brackets made and start fabing up the back brakes.
I taked with Retro Spec and they are working with me to get things sorted out about the race dash.
Next up is getting the hydro calipers that will also be the park brake and hydro handle. Still don’t know how I want to mount it. Ideally I’d like the handle to be removeable and the reservoir to be as discreet as possible while still being ergonomic. Realistically timeline wise the car will be driving on all 4 new wheels in January/February. Tires, over fenders and brakes are expensive. Also still not sure what to do about the diff. I’ll probably try to find somebody local that wants to trade my welded diff for their open. I have the 8.8 to mount up but I still need the mounting kit and a custom driveline for the NA trans. Which will just be replaced again when I install my T2 trans. Plus with the Toyo R888Rs I’ll keep the rain driving to a minimum lol. With it being November in Oregon, I’ll probably see my next sunny day somewhere around June lol.
Didn’t have much going on this weekend so I decided to remove the dash and take out the HVAC. All the heater, speakers, and sound deadening under the dash weighed in at 40lbs. Currently working on trimming out the body harness now
How do you make a car faster without adding more power? Lose weight. About half done trimming the chassis harness and I’ve already tossed out 4 lbs. In total I’ve shaved about 140lbs off the car in the time that I’ve owned it. And that’s already starting with the light weight base model. And this is without all of the major items I plan on getting like Carbon fiber hood, lexan windows, carbon fiber or fiberglass rear hatch and doors, lighter seats, lighter battery. Now a lot of this weight will be added back on like a roll bar and big turbo. Even the new front wheels each weigh 11lbs more then stock.
Looks awesome, but my big question for you is how are you going to handle everything from behind the engine (trans, diff, and axles)? Even Turbo II components won't hold that power. Honestly curious.
Looks awesome, but my big question for you is how are you going to handle everything from behind the engine (trans, diff, and axles)? Even Turbo II components won't hold that power. Honestly curious.
For the diff I have a Ford 8.8 to swap in. The axles will be Thedriveshaftshops pro level kit that come with new hubs for larger diameter axles. The trans will be a T2 for now. I don’t expect them to live for very long but I have a few spares. When I get tired of changing the trans I’ll get the Grannas racing GR1000 which is a T56 magnum on steroids. Rated at over 900ft lbs of torque which is far more then I’ll ever make. Plus then I have the option to go to a sequential shifter. But the trans alone is $6200 so it’ll be a while before I get that lol.
Just the DSS 8.8" axles are $2200! FWIW, I haven't had any issues with the Ronin Speedworks axles that come with their $1250 install kit. That $1250 also includes with their mounts and weldments for the subframe. I don't drift or drag launch my car, but I'm still putting down considerably more torque than a 700whp 13B will make and haven't broken anything yet. Only thing that's annoying about the Ronin kit is that it reuses TII outer CVs. I broke 2 axles trying to remove the outers, they're ON there tight. The big advantage to the 8.8" are the huge variety of final drive ratios and lockers. IMO, the 4.11s were too short for the TII trans when making decent power. When I had a 13B and ~540whp, first and second were still useless on the street with drag radials.
Just the DSS 8.8" axles are $2200! FWIW, I haven't had any issues with the Ronin Speedworks axles that come with their $1250 install kit. That $1250 also includes with their mounts and weldments for the subframe. I don't drift or drag launch my car, but I'm still putting down considerably more torque than a 700whp 13B will make and haven't broken anything yet. Only thing that's annoying about the Ronin kit is that it reuses TII outer CVs. I broke 2 axles trying to remove the outers, they're ON there tight. The big advantage to the 8.8" are the huge variety of final drive ratios and lockers. IMO, the 4.11s were too short for the TII trans when making decent power. When I had a 13B and ~540whp, first and second were still useless on the street with drag radials.
Thanks for the info! I’ll probably just go with the Ronin kit instead then. Do you know if the NA axle shafts are the same spline as the T2?
Regarding the driveshaft, hit up Six States in PDX. They made my custom driveshaft (T2 trans to NA rear end) with serviceable u-joints for around $200.00. You'll need to provide the measurements though.
Regarding the driveshaft, hit up Six States in PDX. They made my custom driveshaft (T2 trans to NA rear end) with serviceable u-joints for around $200.00. You'll need to provide the measurements though.
Thats really cheap! Do you know if they use new yoke ends or reuse the old ones? For my Subaru I went to driveline services of Portland and it was $400 a piece, they reused the yoke ends, and I had to wait 2 months to get it back. But in their defense I was asking them to make weird Subaru/Samurai hybrid drivelines lol
Thanks for the info! I’ll probably just go with the Ronin kit instead then. Do you know if the NA axle shafts are the same spline as the T2?
The NA CVs are different than the TII. I've also heard conflicting things about "new" aftermarket TII axles having non-standard TII outer CVs also. Your best bet is to find a set of used OEM TII axles. I believe 929 axles also work.
You need to add roughly the following to the price of the kit
$250 for used TII axles
$300-400 for a driveshaft
$200ish for the explorer diff
$150 if you want to change gears (explorers came with 3.73s (LSD) or 3.55s (open))
$200 if you want to rebuild the diff (if you're changing ring and pinion or the locker, you basically have to rebuild it)
$500 for a quality locker (Detroit TruTrac is popular for the street/track V8 guys)
I have about 3mm between the caliper and the barrel of the wheel. The wheels have a pretty deep concave so I have miles of room between the face of the wheel and the calipers. I’m still in the process of mocking up the caliper on the knuckle so I don’t have brackets made just yet.
I was was looking at the Shine 30mm overs. I know the 295 will clear but I doubt the 315s will. The ultimate goal for this car is 650-700hp on high boost, hence the massive tires.
I plan on using CO2 boost control for the waistgates.
I've cleared continental wets 325/35R18 on my old fc fine with no rubbing, and slightly rolled fenders as a precaution when car tucks.
11-03-19, 10:59 PM
