bugs181

I am looking forward to building or modding a nice looking car but have no clue where to begin. I read the forum rules so iv posted my introduction and now im moving onto the technical questions. I used the search feature but had no clue what to search for so I didnt come up with any results.

I have a picture of a car that im wishing to build, attached to this post. I was afraid to upload it due to copyright issues or the such so if you are the owner of this picture and want me to remove it, please notify me ASAP. I am willing to do the homework and search for anything but I need a good push in the right direction. I understand that to build this car I would have to first purchase a used RX-7. Then to make it look like my dream car I would have to add some nifty "kits" to it?

I dont have the money to put all up front so ill probably be building it in pieces/parts one by one. If I get the go-ahead to upload my picture, it would be great if some friendly people pointed me in the right direction.. I am NOT asking for you to do all my homework for me, I just need a good place to start.

Thanks in advanced and im glad to be a part of Rx7-Club!
-Ken (Bugz)

Update: I do believe the car im looking at is a 3rd generation RX-7
I also believe the front of the car to be a VIS Racing Tracer Body Kit which fits
a 93-96 RX7 2DR.

Any more information or a point in the right direction is highly appreciated.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Yes, that is a 3rd gen. I can't help you on body kits since that's not my thing.

I'll highlight potential search terms in italic.

It appears this car has a front mounted intercooler, so we can assume that it has been converted to single turbo (check out the single turbo forum).

Almost any 3rd gen you buy will require an engine rebuild, and at the same time you will probably want to street port it. You'll need a standalone engine management system such as a Haltech. You'll need to totally upgrade the fuel system and the car will need supporting mods like the aforementioned front mount intercooler, a full exhaust, new cooling system and a few other things.

kalinakona

iTrader: (5)

Looking at the picture, it looks like the front fenders and bumper are molded together. Unless you can do your own work you will probably have to find a decent shop to do it. Also, the headlights are definitely not stock. If you want the exact look of that car some major modifications to the hood and fenders and bumper will have to be made. That is about the only thing I can think of.

bugs181

Thank you - your information is highly helpful. I understand most of what your saying as for the stuff I dont understand ill be doing some more homework, thanks for the point in the right direction, I really appreciate your help.

Again, thankyou -Ken

bugs181

Iv been checking out a few kits and I noticed the front 2 kits were molded together as well (on most of the kits I can clearly see the break in where the kits meet up). To answer your question, no I do not know how to do body work myself but im interested in learning and was curious if it was something a person could pick up if they invested enough time into it? The cost of the tools to do most body work would also help me a ton if you would be kind enough to take the time.

Thanks, I appreciate it. -Ken

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

A couple of things to think about: This car is custom. While it is using standard pieces of kits, it's not a single kit being used, but parts from other kits molded together. This is a LOT of work and not cheap work to do. You cannot make that car just by buying parts and sticking them together. Here's a list of what was done to the car:

Exterior
APR GT2 Wing
Quad Custom Exhaust
Custom Designed Hood
Custom Red Paint
Custom Ghost Flames
Custom Mounted Fog Lights
Custom Hood Scoop
Celica Head Light Conversion
Molded Side Skirts
Molded Front Bumper
C-West Front Bumper
Molded Rear Bumper
Erubuni Side Skirts
Custom Z3 Fender Vents

Interior:
Fiberglassed Interior
Racing Seats (2)
Molded Boost Gauge
Custom Steering Wheel Pod
Custom Gauges
Racing Steering Wheel
Razo Shifter
Razo E-Bake
Razo Racing Pedals
Nitrous Express 5lb Bottle
Greddy Turbo Timer
In dash 7" TV
In dash Cd/DVD Player
7" Flip Down TV
Legacy 600 watt Amp
Legacy 400 watt Amp
Legacy 10" sub (2)
Custom Fiberglass Enclosure

Suspension:
19" Rims
Upper Strut Bar
Rear Lower Strut Bar
Coilovers
Power Stop Rotors
AEM Brake Pads
Stainless Steel Brake Lines

Engine:
Greddy Side Mount Intercooler
Greddy BOV
Greddy Elbow
Custom Turbo Setup
Nitrous Express Direct Port
Nitrous Express Purge kit
Dual Chrome Intakes
Polished Dress Up Kit
All Brackets Chromed
All Bolts Polished
Polished Intake Manifold
Polished Alternator
Polished Misc. Brackets
Optimal Red Top Battery

bugs181

Wow, thats a really extensive list! When I first decided to take on this project I knew that it wouldnt be easy. You havnt discouraged me yet and I already knew it was going to be alot of work and time involved. I dont doubt you for a second since this is the most information iv seen and iv been scouraging this forum for a few days now. Would you mind if I asked how you knew all of this about this particular setup? Is this car perhaps one you've seen before or even better - is it yours? lol far fetched, but hey, that would be great!

Waiting eagerly for your reply. -Ken

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

The car has been posted on the forum, several times over the years. It was built and owned by someone in FL about 5 years ago. There was an old Florida forum which the owner had listed most of the modification done to the car:

http://tinyurl.com/2eb3fel

You can access the cache of the site using Archive.org. It had gone through a few different changes (which different rear wings, hoods and wheels). However, it's the only FD in the US to do a Celica headlight conversion.

bugs181

Thanks a bunch - got another minute, lol? I did notice that the rear wing in the picture was not as listed (APR GT2 Wing), I really dont care for the new rear wing too much as it adds an edge and I was going more for in the picture of a "smooth" kind of feel. It would be great if you could point me in the right direction again.. Sorry if im becoming a nuisance - just tell me to "back off". I have been looking for the correct wing (as in the picture I posted) for several hours now with no luck..

Thanks in advance -Ken

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

The one in the picture is an Abflug rear wing. Keep in mind that this car was build 5-6 years ago. A lot of parts for the FD3S are discontinued so you may not be able to locate the "exact" same parts.

http://www.fd3s.net/wing/index.html#ABF

bugs181

Alright, thanks for the heads up. If that is the case on some of the parts then I will just have to find similar parts. Right now I am in the process of getting everything organized and building a parts list - like I do before any project. I know im probably getting ahead of myself, but thanks to RX7 Club and all of the help iv been receiving I dont feel alone in the dark anymore and definitely couldn't of done it without you guys! My parts list is growing by the day and I seem to be finding most of everything I need.

Thank you all for all of your support. -Ken