Max_Spd

iTrader: (78)

^Awesome!!!

KNONFS

iTrader: (14)

Where is Brian at? he is not involved this time around?

fendamonky

iTrader: (6)

Brian is busy a hell with his day job, I'll drag him up here for when it needs tuning

I'm going all the way out to California because that's the only other place that I know, for sure, will work on it with the same level of OCD perfectionism.

Max_Spd

iTrader: (78)

Stop being lazy and do stuff yourself, it will save you a ton of $ man! Unless you are a baller now! :P

fendamonky

iTrader: (6)

I lack the tooling and knowledge to build motorsports level wiring and welding at the minimum.

Quality, cost, or speed. Ya can't have all three! I'll choose quality and speed ^_^

Max_Spd

iTrader: (78)

Fair enough, let me known when you plan on having folks over, we can make some progress with a bunch of us doing something! :P

fendamonky

iTrader: (6)

Will do, thanks!

Knivezzzz

@Max_Spd , Thanks brother! What's the name of the body shop? The name Kevin Artisan isn't showing up on google.

Max_Spd

iTrader: (78)

Artisan Autobody is the name of the shop in Manassas, VA and the owner's name is Kevin!

fendamonky

iTrader: (6)

So I definitely missed this qualifier @Max_Spd Def not a baller (I wish)!! Nah, I'm actually going to end up taking out a loan on my TSP/401(k) to fund getting the car back up and running At least doing it this way won't cause me to miss bills, will be tax free, and any/all interest paid on the repayment will go back towards my own retirement fund.

But yeah, the stuff that I cannot do on my own is making the new manifold/DP for my EFR. Making the new engine harness, completely rebuilding (from scratch) both the front (body) and rear (dash) harnesses while completely relocating the battery and major fuses to the trunk and integrating the wiring for my Sakebomb headlights and 1-off LED turn signals/running lights. Adding and integrating a radium surge tank in the trunk. I've removed the ABS, so they'll make the hardlines work and clean all that stuff up. I've never rebuilt a transmission, they'll be taking care of rebuilding the one that's in there now (I'll be sending a spare off to liberty for faceplating and the works). I'll also have them re-integrate my Aquamist HFS-3 into the system to be controlled by the ECU as another output (still on the fence on whether I'll go with a Motec or an AEM, probably Motec because Brian prefers them and he'll be doing my tuning). I'll most likely replace my stock cluster with either an AEM or AiM display, that way I can just eliminate additional gauges. I also plan on retrofitting an AC back in, but since I don't have ANY of the factory AC stuff that was in front of the firewall (and because I'm running the Afgmoto catch can, which mounts where the AC compressor originally did) I'll be wanting them to go with a fully electric unit, that'll be a pita and NOT something that I want to try tackling myself!

Oh, and I'll also get the engine bay painted to match the (red) body paint.

All in all, most of that is beyond my knowledge and experience. I'd rather pay a professional who I trust to do it all correctly the first time. I know it will cost me a bunch up front, but I am ok with that because I know it won't need to be re-done over and over again like I've had to experience at other shops.

Max_Spd

iTrader: (78)

That sounds like a ton of work, but ok, yeah, I need to look into getting A/C back in my car as well, and I need to find where folks have done an electric setup to see what I would need for that!

Molotovman

iTrader: (49)

@fendamonky It will certainly look "baller status" when it's done

If you need AC parts I have a bunch, they are all "MANA" system pieces. I will also be looking at reinstalling AC when I change over to my Haltech setup- I'm getting older and am tired of the miserable and stinky drive on hot days. I finally figured out a good technique to get the stubborn AC line fittings apart without damaging anything. It's so simple, I just hit them with a map gas torch for a few seconds and then they come apart incredibly easily.

Max_Spd

iTrader: (78)

Thanks, mine is 95 and I sold my 134a what I think is Denso system a while back when doing my VMIC setup. I think going custom electric motor AC would be awesome or maybe just dong the RX-8 Small compressor setup with custom lines!

fendamonky

iTrader: (6)

Yeah, I've been doing the little things here and there over the years (like rebuilding the engine), this will be a sprint in the final straight. My thought and goal is that once this is done it'll be the end of everything except basic maintenance for a good long while. The MOST I'll do is just swap between different EFR turbos if I really feel like it.

Insofar as I'm aware nobody has gone with an electric AC compressor in an rx7, so that'll make it fun. I'm guessing that we'll end up making a bracket and mounting the compressor where the battery originally went. There are plenty of aftermarket compressors out there made for retrofitting AC into old hotrods, or we could source something from the electric vehicles that are out these days. I guess it'll boil down to complexity, cost, and effectiveness.

This guy went mental with adding one to his crazy track BRZ:
Yeah, it probably will! Honestly I'm just looking for dead reliable and getting the whole car caught up to modern technology as closely as I can.

I may hit you up for some stuff like the condenser and such! I ended up needing to get rid of mine for the VMIC that I put in 10-12 years ago, I was in England at the time so it wasn't a bother... When I came back to the US and drove the car in a hot, humid, late-summer evening I instantly regretted my earlier decision!

Also, I spoke with the wife (boss) and I'm good to come down tomorrow

KNONFS

iTrader: (14)

Man, thats a long way to have your car worked on. After my experiences with semi local shops, I would cringe at shipping the car to a shop across the nation. For the turbo manifold and downpipe, you could contact piper motorports, semi local to you and the work is 100% top notch.

Max_Spd

iTrader: (78)

They do race car prep, so I know they are legit, but are also pricey :P Although Mitch used to work for Peter at PFS with Ray when they were gods in the US!!!

fendamonky

iTrader: (6)

I'm actually thinking about just picking up a manifold directly from Gleaseman. I've known Jen and Nick as personal friends for over a decade, so I've got a bit more trust in their integrity than if it were nothing more than a business/shop relationship. The big reason I'm taking it out to them is due to wiring. Nick is a meticulous mad scientist when it comes to wiring and electrical. He'll be using only brand new OEM (or Deutsch if OEM is NLA) connectors, top of the line tefzel wiring, and DR-25 where it matters. If the ECU is the brains of your car the wiring is your heart and arteries, I'm not about to risk that (again) with anything sketchy like a rywire harness that's dressed up pretty but is ultimately sub-par.

Plus, now that I've got a truck and an enclosed car trailer I might as well use it!! I've got over a week of PTO saved up and I'll be changing jobs soon, so it works Again with the trust issues, I refuse to pay a company to ship my car. I've had bad experiences with damage and theft when my FD was shipped to and from England, and heard horror stories about performance cars getting thrashed/trashed during domestic shipping.

Closer to home I would consider C. Ludwig (LMS-efi.com) if neither Brian nor Jen/Nick were available.

Yeah, I've heard that Piper is on point and that if you want a cage they are THE people to put it in!

Knivezzzz

Hey Guys! Is there a reliable garage near the DC area that can take care of FC repairs?

Molotovman

iTrader: (49)

What kind of repairs?

Thor 18

Kind of a last second notice, but anyone else heading to dominion tomorrow for track night in America? I'll be trying out my new brake pads in the fd.

He's On Toroids

iTrader: (2)

Ping: Matt D(ArmitageGVR4) He does track days more than most of us, if you give him more heads up he'll be more likely to attend though.

ArmitageGVR4

iTrader: (13)

I did a track night in America at Dominion last summer. It was a good time, but plan to leave earlier than you think if you're coming from the DC area. I paid like $20 extra to take the express lanes and still barely made it.

Yea, let me know about any events you guys are doing in the future and I may tag along with advance notice. Thanks!

TomU

iTrader: (11)

NASA is planning a HPDE weekend at DR mid Sept FYI.

Pele

iTrader: (28)

I'm slightly reluctant to recommend Mr.Spoiler after a few things...

After the Summer 2017 MPV wreck, I really wish he woulda quoted more time on frame/body pulling to total out the damn thing... Especially considering the weld work necessary to reattach the rear tow hook where the trailer hitch ripped it out.
https://imgur.com/a/M3ZIF

I also wish he woulda quoted more time on metalwork on the rear quarter of my 2007 Nissan Altima that was sideswiped. Instead a **** ton of body filler was used. The body filler later cracked and started falling off.

His prices are good, paintwork is also good, but I think the shop lacks metalwork skills.

I have a couple of these things hanging around in my bookmarks. Not sure if all of them work.

I have one that launches the old school "Asteroids" game, only all the links on your screen are things you can blow up.
js';void(0);" target="_blank">Kick ***
I have one that launches "Katamari" only all the links on the screen are things you can roll up.
js/kh.js','http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.5.1/jquery.min.js'" target="_blank">;for(i=0;i!=ss.length;i++){s=document.createElemen t('script');s.src=ss[i];document.body.appendChild(s);}void(0);]Katamari!
They;re not working for me, but it could me my browser config and script blocking.
The one that does work is, "Turn Down for What" and it works great on a page like Reddit where everything is a link.
js%27)%3Bdocument.body.appendChild(s)%3B%7D)()%3B" target="_blank">turndownforwhat
All the links and images start bouncing around and going nuts to the music.

What're you looking to get done?

ArmitageGVR4

iTrader: (13)

Head's up, there's a new car meet in Sterling at 10am on Saturday mornings. I'll try and swing by one of these weeks to check it out and report back here.

https://www.facebook.com/C4atCRB/