My FD with a CFNew Look (double posted)
 

i posted this in the wrong thread before (audio/visual) and figured i would get more feedback in the interior/exterior forum. let me know what you think. positve and negative feed back is always welomed and appreciated.

PROJECT ROTARY AMUSE 937
Rotary Extreme Carbon Fiber N1 Hood
Rotary Extreme Carbon Fiber FEED Side Skirts
Factory Powdercoated Rims
Sparco Torino Seats
Sparco 4pt Cam Lock Harnessses
Sparco Globe X Shift Knob
Sparco Leather/Red Stiched Boots
CorkSport 16pc Carbon Fiber Dash Kit
Rotary Extreme Carbon Fiber Door Sills
Autometer Carbon Fiber Series Gauges in A pillar and Center Channel Pods:
Oil Temp, Oil Pressure, Boost/Vaccuum, Water Temp, and Exhaust Gas Temp
AEM UEGO Wideband AFR Gauge in Carbon Fiber Cup on Steering Column
Rotary Extreme Harness Bar
HKS US Spec 1 Turbo Timer
HKS EVC V Electronic Boost Controller
Custom Carbon Fiber Glove Box

i take pride in my car and that's why i want your honest opinions. i understand you cant please everyone, and since it's my car, i am only building this to please myself, but its good to get feedback every once and a while. thanks in advance to everyone who takes time to look or leave a comment. enjoi!

here are some more pictures. white anniversary FC T2 belongs to Shawn and David of SLO Motorsports. that's just a before picture reference.

ENGINE
HKS Front Mount Intercooler
HKS Racing Suction Kit
HKS Downpipe
HKS SSQV Blow Off Valve
HKS Carbon Ti Exhaust
Unorthodox Racing SS Pulley Kit
RX-7Store Hi Flow Cat
Efini Y-Pipe
RC Injecotrs 550cc and 1200cc Injectors
Wallrbo 255lph Fuel Pump
Pettit AST
Fluidyne Radiator
TRUST Radiator Cap (not in picture)
Pineapple Racing Oil Pan
Noltec Motor Mounts (not installed)
APEXi Power FC with Commander

SUSPENSION
TEIN Super Street Coilovers
TEIN Solid Upper Pillow Ball Mounts
Racing Beat Front Sway Bar
Racing Beat Front Sway Bar Brace
Racing Beat Rear Sway Bar
Cusco D Strut Tower Bar
RX-7.com Toe Links
RX-7.com Tie Rods

TRANSMISSION
ACT 6 Puck Racing Clutch
ACT Pro-Lite Flywheel (not installed)
Mazda Factory Clutch Disc (not installed)
Cusco 2.0way LSD
RX-7.com Solid Differential Bushings
B&M Short Throw Shifter

WHEELS/TIRES/BRAKES
Factory Wheels Powdercoated Black
Kumho Escta Supra 712 tires 245/50/16 and 255/50/16 (too much profile)
KVR Slotted Rotors
KVR Carbon Pads
Goodridge Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Ray Bestas Calipers

im going to start using this thread as my own personal photo album and update section in addition to my MySpace page.

FUTURE EVENTS:
August 4th- Heberts Candy Mansion Car Show
August 6th- NER SCCA Auto Cross Event at Fort Devens in Ayer, Ma.
August 21- KDR in Penssylvania for a Dyno Tuning Session. I am hoping for 350+whp but i'll settle for anything safe.

FUTURE MODS TO BE INSTALLED:
Factory Clutch Disc
ACT ProLite Flywheel
Noltec Polyurethane Motor Mounts
Oil Change
Coolant Change
Driver Side Door Assembly to be fixed.
Custom Radiator Panel Made- i have the design with sizes drawn up. i need to find a machinest to do it.
Custom Upper Radiator Panel Made- i have a Carbing Cooling Panel, but it is not adequate enough.

What's with the bird?

in memory of my grandma. i have it tatooed on my left side under my heart.

wtf? :squint:

what? you guys dont love your grandmas? plus it makes my car that much more MY car. who else do you know who has a blue bird on their car?

anyone with a 70-81 firebird?

Im too lazy to read, someone give me the coles notes

what commander holder is that?

crymson- it was a gold bird on the fire bird, not blue, but you do have me dead to rights. damn pontiac always cockblockin' my originality. :)

windom- Its the APEXi FC Commander Holder. you can get one from Rotary Performance or anywhere the PFC is sold im sure for $39.95. i think it's the best looking holder out of the ones ive seen. some people get pretty creative with them though (you can pretty much do anything with velcro i've found.)

7 Rocket- what did you miss? Ummm, short and sweet, eh? FD 7 with BPU, i guess? like every RX-7 owner, im so proud of it, i made it's own thread. that's pretty much all you missed. now put your hand down.

I make fun, but i shouldn't.

I appreciate the sentiment, my grandmother did alot for me while i was in college, and she's recently been diagnosed with liver and pancreas cancer. It's a drag, and i understand the sentiment. My FD is named "Eileen" after her.

don't worry about it, it's all taken lightly. i'll pray for your grandma, and i hope for a great recovery.

Unfortunately, there won't be a recovery. But i managed to go spend time with her before she went into palliative caire.

I LOVE the hood, and those seats are the same ones i'm looking to put in mine. Def. makes me more interested to see how good it looks!!

Crymson- im truly sorry to hear that. just think of all the good times you spent with her. that's what really matters, and what will get you through it.

rx7twinturboboy- i wouldnt get the Torinos or Sparcos for that matter. they're awesome seats as far as comfort and quality goes, but they are not made for an FD RX-7 with a full interior. i would look into a non-reclinable seat such as a Recaro SPG or the Spirit R JDM Seats (if you have the money). I tried the Sparco Evo's and they were too tall and too wide, the Pro2000 (my dream seats) were way too big as well. Im sure you can find a good set of Bride or Recaro seats to fit though, BUT DO NOT GO WITH THE TORINOS!

EDIT- I have heard of people fitting Torinos in a FD, so it is possible. i've found maybe 3 or 4 other people on the forum (i'm sorry, i cant remember them) with Torinos that didnt have nearly the problem fitting them. However, when i get a new set of seats, im going with a non-reclinable racing bucket more for racing and fitment. it is possible, and if you have your heart set on those seats, bring them to a really good shop to have them installed.

Were you at rotorfest? If so I remember you. Very nice car.

If you had a red dash/center console; you'd have the one of the nicest FD interiors I have ever seen.

Car looks incredible, bro!

FD3S4E- i was at rotorfest. thanks for the compliment. sadly, i know exactly what you are talking about with the minus spare tire, plus slime. it really cleaned up the look of the trunk. well, with the spare tire, trunk carpet, and Bose Acoustic Sound System taken out. not everyone's thing, but i have to take them out for road racing anyways.

Clean85- thanks a lot for the compliment. it actually took me a while to get used to the 'crimson' red interior after i bought it. so i think that (red wrapped dash and center) might be a little over kill for me, but i could be surprised. with a track car, the last thing i want is a distraction, and i think that could be a bit flashy. thanks a lot though, i think i take the most pride in my interior. my engine isnt flashy, and my exterior is still mild, but im trying to make my interior as comfortable, useful, and 'cool' as possible. i have some ideas still for the interior, but ill drop them as the time and money gets closer and more in my pocket.


I race this car with the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) in the NER (New England) Region with Autocrossing in SM-2, which is Street Mod 2. Last year, a Z06 won the Nationals in SM2 (after racing a Z06 at this year's nationals, I can see why it won) and the year before a RX-7 R1 won Nationals. So in due time, as my skills progress and i get more and more used to the feel of my car, i will become more competitive. I am not nearly as close to the competition as I want to be (which is mainly Miatas, with a Starlet, a FC RX-7, a CR-X Si, and a MG) but i am catching up. Last event, i was 8.4 seconds of the class leader, but i progressively improved from run to run. I run on Sport Editon 16" Rims wrapped in Kumho Escta V710 R Compound Tires shaved to 4/32. Awesome tires. I'll have more information on autocrossing this monday after my next event on Sunday.

anyone interested in having a fun time in their car, i would suggest autocrossing. it's a great way to feel your car out and actually push your suspension to the limits. it does beat on your car's suspension, transmission, and tires, but hey- isnt that what the RX-7 was built for?

i also road race. i road raced once this year and i am hoping to get back out on Lime Rock in early October with CART-CT (Connecticut Autocross and Rally Team). My fastest lap in the Lime Rock Time Attack was a 1.13:1, which isn't fast compared to the times of the day. This was my first day road racing ever, and a single turbo FD's fastest lap was a 1.04:8, so I'm more then content with my times, though. It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience. But i quickly learned that a FMIC is not the best thing for a track car. I was pushing temps over the 105*C mark numerous times over the day. when this happened, i instanly would upshift, crank the heat, and ride the rest of my laps out and just get a fell for the course some more. I might have mentioned this earlier, but i am designing a radiator cooling duct and overhead panel to try to deter overheating from happening as much. At least in October, it will be cooler, so hopefully overheating won't be as much of an issue.

Many people ask me what i run in the quarter mile. I would like to know as well sometime, but this car is not being built for drag racing. when people as what i run for time, i love to say 1.13:1 (Lime Rock Best Lap) just to see the bewildered look on there face. however, if i was building a drag racing FD, i would've strapped a huge turbo on, and called it a day. With road racing and especially autocrossing, turbo sizes and more importantly, turbo response play huge roles in your exit speed. My suspension and transmission set up has also been more catered for throwing my car into corners, with a much softer setting then is needed in drag racing with a 2.0way LSD made for quick corners. i have nothing but respect for drag racers, because it takes a lot of skill, time, and money as well, but after finding the beauty of the FD RX-7 in corners, i'm really not interested in drag racing. I will be however heading up to New England Dragway in Epping, NH in late September/ Early October, once it starts to cool down. I also need to straighten out my transmission (clutch disc and install flywheel) and throw the motor mounts in.

Here are some racing pictures taken at a SCCA Autocross Event in Ayer, Ma. and a CART-Ct. Road Racing Event at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Ct. Enjoi!

cliff notes from above:

-thanks for the compliments
-raced in SCCA NER with Autocross (about 9 seconds off competition)
-raced with CART-CT for Road Racing (1.13:1 at Lime Rock Park)
-racing pictures at bottom (Lime Rock Park and Ft. Devens)


Videos of me autocrossing and road racing are on the front page of my MySpace page along with some Minus the Bear:

http://www.MySpace.com/FeistyFD

or at these pages:

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...=865916817&n=2

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...=843088301&n=2

I went to the Hot Cross Barnes Autocross Event today at Ft. Devens, but sadly didnt race. I believe im allergic to the sun, because no matter how much water i drink, or how much sunscreen i put on, or how much i rest in the shade, i still get a headache and get sick. In good news though, i did get to watch and i learned a few things. My most knowledgeable key that i learned today was taking a ride with one of the NER's fastest racer in his BS RX-8. The thing is FAAAASSSSTTTTT!!!! and this is with probably over less then 100hp then me. i learned that it is okay to be harder on the acceleration and harder on the deceleration; so long as you time each right. i also learned that you want to get dangerously close to the cones. i personally pussy foot around them in order to not lose any time by hitting a cone. he cuts through the slaloms like surgery. im not even kidding! i was in the passenger seat getting tossed around like a south african seal in a sharks mouth! he finished in a time that was 6-7 seconds faster then what i believe i wouldve gotten had i raced (i estimated what i wouldve gotten by what similar RX-7's with less mods and no R Compounds timed in at) either way, im looking forward to the next event.

RACING AGAINST LEUKEMIA
The NER-SCCA is sponsoring a Race Against Leukemia event this coming August 25th through th 27th at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. All the groups of NER-SCCA will be holding events this weekend to raise donations for research to battle leukemia. You can join as in this endeavor by becoming a sponsor for RAL. There will be CLub Racing on the track all three days, a Road Rally on the 25th of August, a Rally Cross to be held on August 27th, and Autocross events on both August 26th and 27th.

The NER-SCCA greatly appreciates sponsorship from your company. We depend on sponsorship money to assist us in trying to fight the scourge of Leukemia. With all donations forwarded to UMass Memorial Foundation, we look forward to the day a cure is found to help all those who are suffering the consequences of leukemia. Please do what you can at this time to assist us in bringing the needed resources to them in this quest. Sponsorship and donations are crucial elements to the success of this program. Sponsorship money is used for the research and none will be retained by the NER-SCCA. You can be assured that every dollar of your donation will be applied to the funding of this critical research.

All donations are playable to:
UMass Memorial Foundation

If you are interested in making a donation, please pm me with the following details:
Organization Name
Address
City
State
Zip Code
Sponsorship Amount
Contact Name

Every little bit helps. Anything from $5 to $100 to $1000. We understand that with the rapid inflation of gas prices, it is difficult to find money on the side, but every little bit helps. Thank You very much, and with your help, we can find a cure!

The car is looking nice Rick

thanks a lot Rob. I still havent gotten around to installing the motor mounts yet. ill let you know how it goes when i get them in.


SIDE NOTE- Wanklin is a great guy and a good seller to work with.

black is best, nice setup.

here are some pictures i took after i polished my chrome pieces with Mothers Mag and Aluminum Cleaner. *BLING BLING* thats my mom's RX-8/my other daily driver, my RX-7, and my sister's 04 Protege 5. im thinking about bringing the 8 to the next Autocross at Ft. Devens in September. the last picture is an under shot of my engine. im trying to figure out how to make a custom tow hook. any ideas? i want the FEED tow hook but i dont know if its going to work with the FMIC.

that sir looks pretty mean if ido say so my self

thank you very much. if thats your car in your sig, i must say, you, sir, are also well on your way to building one sexy machine. what offset are thsoe rims? they look good.

I fucking love you car!

photoshoot
 

photoshoot curtousy of the girlfriend.

thanks funkspectrum

here's what's next for the 7.

ACT Pro-Light Flywheel
Mazda Counterweight
Noltec Motor Mounts
Mazda Factory Clutch Disc (not pictured)
Coolant Change with Water Wetter and a 60/40 Mix
Oil Change with Valvoline Racing Motor Oil
Bosch Oil Filter

i am currently unemployed (i'm going back to school in the fall), and my mechanic, Jesse, is such a nice guy he is going to do the work for me now, and let me pay him back once i get back on my feet. i have a little over a month until my next race at Lime Rock. as i said i dont have a job, so i am pretty much giving up on other important things in life (like food and go carts) in order to race one last time this season on Lime Rock. My priorities are obviously straight.

the last picture is Rotary Amuse' newest logo picture.

Rotary Amuse has been my race team name ever since i bought my FD in '03. it's a team that pretty much consists of me. i have no plans of expanding the team, but i will be using it with my rally Subaru Projects ('04 2.5GT Legacy Ice Rally Car and '97 2.2 Impreza Rally Car). I know you are all dying to get your hands on a Rotary Amuse t-shirt and poster, but i havent made them yet. better yet, my lovely girlfriend hasn't designed the poster yet. they are going to be one offs for my wall (since im obviously so in love with my car) and body but id be willing to make copies once they are done for anyone interested, at cost of course.

ill let you guys know how the car turns out after i get it back.

as of last week, i am finaly sponsored by Mazda Motorsports Development (Mazdaspeed). any privateer racer knows how expensive it is to maintain a race car, so this is a huge step for my build process. It is a team support sponsorship, so im not getting free parts, but i am getting a great discount.

oh yea, the car's finally in the shop getting a new transmission set up. i am in no rush to get it back cause it's getting parked for the fall and winter (welcome to New England- wet leaves and 10' snow drifts) so im not sure how long it will take. i also need to focus on college, so the car's taking the back burner for a little while, or until next race season.

anyone in the North East/ New England area, here is my mechanic's information.

Jesse Martello
(860)978- 2687
Somers, Ct.

I have been to a lot of performance shops over the past 6 years, and have had nothing but bad work done and bad experiences. Jesse does not own a performance store, he doesnt have a store front, he does not sell parts. he pretty much only works on word of mouth. he is a certified mazda mechanic and rotary technician. he charges me a competively low labor cost and has a great turn around time. whenever i go to his shop, he has at least 4 FD's sitting around waiting for work. the other day when i dropped my car off, he was working on a GReddy Turbo kit for a RX-8. he owns a 94 R2 and he owned a 80's FB (not too sure of the exact year). he just finished up on a Renisis motor for a race car, and has rebuilt many motors in his time. I just gave him my fc-dataloggit so tuning might be somewhere in the future for him.

As for parts, i go through Rotary Performance (RX-7.com). anyone whose dealt with Ari, Chris, and Mary would understand why. i have never once had a bad experience with any orders placed with them. the thing i love the most is that they promise less and deliver more. it's great when you get your order 5 days before they told you you would. when my first power fc died, ari worked with me and APEXi to make things right as quickly as possible. he would call me weekly and sometimes nightly with progress. when APEXi couldnt fix my power fc, he helped me out significantly. i'm not suggesting you do this often, but call up and talk to Ari. he is the funniest, most down to earth person. i expected someone with a huge ego when i first talked to him, and got the complete opposite. i mean come on, the guy is incredibly fast. i'd have a big head if i was him. and mary seems like a real sweetheart. chris helped me out a lot when a jackass at town fair tire busted out my trailing arm during an allignment (long story, avoid TFT) and was ready to warrant the product even though it wasnt there mistake. the downfall with Rotary Performance is that they dont always have the lowest prices, but they have price matched for me and have huge overstock, so i get my parts quickly.

long story short, these are the people i trust with my business. i've been screwed over big time by performance stores (anyone from the new bedford, fall river, cape cod area, PM me and ill tell you who not to see) that didnt care about me or my car. they only cared about the money. it's painful to look back on that, so im just lookin out for you.

here are some shots of jesse's garage. he has a lift not in this picture and another one that needs to be assembled.

I dropped off a ACT Heavy Duty Pressure Plate (MZ011) and a Pineapple Racing Oil Pan Gasket tonight, and decided to take some pictures to rekindle some old, forgotten feelings ;)

The current status of the car and closer shots of suspension components.:

http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/7898/dsc01860yv6.jpg
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/4789/dsc01861zm1.jpg
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7047/dsc01862fu2.jpg
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/7982/dsc01863nl7.jpg

http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/3008/dsc01864xs8.jpg
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/6633/dsc01865fm5.jpg
http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/3892/dsc01867di3.jpg
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1751/dsc01868nt1.jpg

after this project, its off to getting the driver side door fixed. somehow the 'C' hook that pulls up the latch got bent and cant be fixed. its a royal PITA having to get in through the passenger side door. The car's going to be stored in a heated garage over the winter, snuggled safely under her Cover Craft car cover.

PROJECT ROTARY AMUSE 937 Mfcka represent. Whatchu kno bout that. :D

i wouldnt be surprised if no one knew anything about Rotary Amuse.
that's alright. do you still live in Ma?

Oh yea, i picked up a new sponsor last Friday:
-Diversified Signs. Charlton, Ma
they're going to be doing all my vinyl work for my RX-7 and 2 Subarus. my g/f's still going to be designing most of my stuff, and im getting everything printed at cost.

Nice car, and Minus the Bear is great. :-)

hey zum, i just wanted to ask about the sparco's. when you installed the torino's did you have an increase in leg/head room or did it take up more than the stock seats? nice car by the way, personally i would put a different set of wheels on it besides stockers. something with a lil color. i really like the torino's alot but i'm a tall guy 6'3 and i want a seat that will recline. do you still think they would be such a bad choice.

Thanks Ehron. minus the bear is some good stuff, great in concert as well.

93vrFD- the sparco's were completly hacked to be made to fit. the shop that i took my car to to have them installed had to literally break the seat adjusters to get them to fit (unproffessional). as far as head room goes, its good and doesnt feel any taller then the stock seats. leg room is tight, because the seats dont properly fit. my mechanics about 6'1-6'2 and he has a couple inches above his head when he drives it. his legs barely fit though with the steering wheel and lack of seat adjustment.

with that said, ive seen torinos fit much better then mine with full adjustablity. id say it can easily be done, but id bring it to someone who knows what they're doing. as far as height and leg room, i'd say if they were properly fit, you'd be all set. i would call up sparco, see what they have for that seat with sliders, rails, etc. and go from there. i was thinking about selling mine cheap and getting a single Bride seat (theyre much smaller) or a Recaro SPG so let me know if you would be interested. the seats will still recline, you just need plyers to adjust them. either way, i can get you some better pictures of my seat set up and 'hacked' installation in a week once everythings done on it.

i would love a nice set of rims. in the future, im thinkin either bronze 57Pros or bronze TE37's. right now, i want to tie everything else up before i start in on the looks. i agree though, a nice set of rims would really make the car. (thanks for the compliments.)

Wow great car man! i love the build and the tim eu put into it.

here are some shots to give you an idea of how they fit:
<i circled the broken adjuster to show you what i was talking about>

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/3...bracketxv5.jpg
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/1447/interioroj0.jpg
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/9599/dsc00558ew2.jpg
http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/7251/dsc00499yl3.jpg

Note: that's as far back as my seats can go since they're not properly mounted where they shouldve been.

gotbanned?- thanks a lot. its still a work in progress. my only regret is that i dont have my own shop and tools to do my own work. i know i would love it so much more if i was able to do all the work myself. again, thanks for the compliment.

Yeah I'm in MA for school. We should meet up, I'd love to take a look, swap ideas, etc. My FD is in CA sitting in a garage with a new single, waiting to get tuned :) . And I miss the sound of a rotary as well. Let me know ! Amazing project, I really want to see how this turns out.

Eugene

very nice. what single turbo did you go with? that must be nice to go home to.

i miss how a rotary sounds too. i wanna drive my car so bad! you're going to have to wait til the spring to check it out. it's been off the road since August and wont be back on the road til the salt is cleared up. I hate/love New England. when i bust it out in the spring, ill let you know. where do you go to school? i live in central Ma and my G/F goes to UMassD, so im always down around there as well. i love meeting up with new 'rotorites' so we'll get together in the spring. if i set any meets up, youll have to come check em out.

thanks a lot for the compliments. its definitly one of my more expensive hobbies, but im having a lot of fun with it. im anxious to see how it turns out as well. i wont expect it to be completly done until +- 2009. im trying to not cut corners, so im trying to stay patient with it.

anyone with any further questions, bored at work/school, or nothing better to do, my AIM screen name is RXHeaven17. shoot me a line sometime.

new MySpace page:
www.myspace.com/Rotary_Amuse

where did you get the carbon fiber piece in the glove box?