My sympathies, though for me it's crap PolyB plumbing that's 25 years old - curses on Dupont and Shell for pushing that turd product in Canada long after they were getting their asses sued off in the US for failures starting just a few years after installation. Water pipe and fittings that break down with exposure to chlorinated water. Like every municipal water supply in the semi-civilized world. Brilliant.

 

Episode 25 of my '76 Mazda RX-5 Cosmo restoration is another long one, covering in its entirety the fabrication of the turbocharger manifold. Suddenly the engine bay started to look a little cramped when I began to position the GT3076R, so it took some plumbing to build the required manifold. Constructed out of 1.5" SCH40 304 stainless steel pipe, it was fully TIG welded with an argon back purge. Yes, this is another long episode because I wanted to show the manifold fabrication process in glorious detail so that this video would be a useful resource for anyone wanting to build a custom turbo manifold. So as I say, grab your favourite adult beverage, sit back, and enjoy. Included in this episode: fabricating a 13B exhaust flange, fabbing a merge collector, positioning a turbo in the engine bay, measuring, cutting and fitting stainless pipe and els, tacking in position, setting up a back purge, final welding, port matching, custom heat shields.

A huge thank you to ATP Turbo ( ATP TURBO - The Premiere Provider of Turbocharging Components ) for helping out with some of the parts used in this episode.

 

Episode 26: How to install pina coladas in Port Stanley

 

OMG!!!
At least post a picture....bikini, big sweaty glass of ice, umbrella and straw, anything

 

As in the last few weeks I've experienced some significant automotive setbacks (unrelated to the Cosmo) I'm not quite in the mood for pina coladas. I'll likely make a more detailed thread sometime during the week since I think people would be interested in the current status of Project Tina.

 

Please tell me nothing has happened to Tina!

At least this project is coming along nicely.

 

Something has happened to Tina. Not the end of the world, but with wanting to get the work on the Cosmo I will likely park the RX-7 for the summer and then make the repairs over the winter. At some point during the week I'll make a thread for it when I have a few minutes to type something up.

 

that really sucks, is it fatal?

 

Short of a serious accident, nothing is fatal - I'm going to assume blown motor or tranny - something big, but fixable, since he says he will do just that. Hopefully not sheet metal damage - we know Prof. Cake has managed to become pretty talented curing sheet metal cancer, but like most of us, I'm sure he'd rather fix mechanical issues than body repair.

 

With the turbo manifold finished and the turbocharger installed, it seemed logical to continue on that route and finish the rest of the exhaust. So in part 26 of my '76 Mazda Cosmo Restoration, I do just that. Starting with the downpipe, I build the full stainless steel exhaust piece by piece to include a catalytic converter, resonator, middle muffler and rear muffler. It was a bit of challenge to fit all that equipment under a car never designed to contain it, however I believe I have achieved my goal of an above OEM quality, long lasting and quiet exhaust system. In this episode you'll see me: build a downpipe, cut and fit tubing, weld to a v-band, build a midpipe with O2 sensor bung and flanges, position exhaust components, cut tubing bends to fit resonator and mufflers, loads of TIG welding, set up exhaust hangers.

 

Wow. So much work. I'm lucky if I touch my car one a month.

 

what happened to tina?

 

I will get around to making a thread at some point when I have some time to write it up. Just don't want to derail this thread with somewhat unrelated stuff.

 

Sucks to hear man. Hopefully Tina will be up and operational soon.

Here's another RX-4 seeing some action.

 

In part 27 of my '76 Mazda RX-5 Cosmo restoration, I focus on the cooling system. It seemed an appropriate thing to do with the hot summer weather. The stock Cosmo rad was leaking, small and hard to obtain so I installed a universal aluminum radiator after modifying it to fit. With the new rad, the oil cooler had to be relocated, the engine water inlets/outlets modified, and a number of other changes had to be made. Once all that was done, it was time to install the dual cooling fans. Now that the cooling system is new, modern and overbuilt, I should have no problems even under the worst conditions. Included in this episode: modifying a universal rad to fit, TIG welding brackets, making oil cooler brackets, MIG welding them in place, modifying thermostat and water pump housing, mounting the oil cooler, trimming and modifying an electric fan shroud to fit the rad, welding mounting fan mounting brackets, wiring up the e-fans, testing the fans.

 

great video!.
where did you get the stainless tubing for your turbo manifold? i remember you saying something about getting it from a food service place or something i cant find where you talk about it in the video

 

Saw your message on YouTube but just haven't got there yet.

The pipe for the manifold came from Metal Supermarkets. They don't stock it but can order and have it in a few days.

In the past I've also purchased from Crane Supply however they are an industrial supplier and don't typically deal with small volumes.

 

What hydraulic supply do you buy from? I could use new rad hoses as well.

 

Typically Hose Technology. That silicone hose isn't cheap though. Depending on the size, about $25 a foot and it's sold in 4 foot lengths.

 

Ah, so might as well just order the direct fit ones from racing beat, and be done with it. Thanks anyway.

 

Ey the adjusted filler space looks OEM and hell you like Vaseline :P

 

I don't think the 1st gen hoses are straight anyway so the RB direct fit hoses might be a better choice. I had the benefit here that I could point my water inlets/outlets to any direction I want, so I set them up to keep the hose straight.

That's one of the things I'm trying to do with this car: keep things as generic and simple as I can. Sure, I can get FC/SA/FB rad hoses from Mazda and with luck, an auto parts store might have them in stock. But if I'm in the middle of nowhere and a rad hose fails (which it won't, because the silicone stuff lasts forever) I can get a piece of straight 1.5" hose from any hardware, auto parts store, tractor store, etc.

I'm hoping to do the same thing with most of the suspension and brake stuff. Move to a more generic set of parts, from a modern car.

 

Episode 28 of my '76 Mazda RX-5 Cosmo restoration is a sheet metal episode. Yes, I said sheet metal. In this episode I repair and reinstall a new set of front inner fender panels (removed all the way back in part 19). I was able to acquire another set in far better condition and they have been sitting in the car for several months. While I was waiting for other unrelated parts to arrive (perhaps a hint for next episode?) I decided to tackle the inner fenders as it is one of the last major sheet metal repairs and thus a big milestone in the project. And I was reminded of how much I don't enjoy sheet metal work. So to make the episode a little more interesting, I took the opportunity to include some great info on how to use POR-15. Included in this episode: media blasting, patch panel fab, welding, grinding, hammer and dolly work, fitting sheet metal panels, spot welding, using seam sealer, weld primer, prepping for POR-15, using metal ready, POR-15 tips, applying POR-15.

 

A/C?

Nice... I dont see an RX-5 Kit so I'm going to have to assume you will be doing something awesome for A/C controls.

 

They most certainly do not have an RX-5 Cosmo kit. I will (or rather am in the process of) be using one of their universal kits in combination with a few RX-7 parts. I don't want to give away too much but unfortunately the kit I chose based on size doesn't offer a "universal" control adapter so I won't be able to use the Cosmo dash controls. However they make a panel which will fit the dash with minor modification.