Evil Aviator

Yes, because bridgeporting and ITBs are probably not going to be street legal in the People's Republik of Kalifornia. Also, you may want to try drifting the car as-is so that you can target certain areas for improvement as opposed to simply throwing money and parts at the car based solely on what the internet peanut gallery thinks.

The 88 GTU and Turbo II had color-keyed aero mirrors.

I normally don't recommend using synthetic engine oil in a street car because it is typically a waste of money, however if you plan on drifting at high engine rpm on a regular basis then I think the synthetic engine oil is a good idea to help reduce engine wear during the abusive cycles. I also don't recommend using reduction pulleys on street cars, but again, if you plan on revving the bejesus out of the engine then you would probably want to install these items too, but just keep in mind that they suck for street driving. Sorry, but what works well on a race car rarely works well on a street car, and vice versa. This is why those who are serious about racing have a dedicated race car that is not registered for street use. This is also one of the reasons why turbocharging is popular, as it is a good way to increase engine output without increasing the rpm range.

As for the proper viscosity, see the oil chart in Chapter 2 of the factory service manual and use the viscosity that best covers the temperature range for the region in which you drive the car. For Stockton, CA, I think that 20w50 is a good choice. You can download the factory service manual for free here:
Foxed.ca - Mazda RX-7 Manuals

The 88 LSD is a clutch type LSD, so it can be rebuilt and even customized by replacing the clutch plates. Racing Beat and Mazdatrix, both in California, can help you with this. The stock LSD is good for the street and would be OK for drifting. Most people consider an aftermarket 2-way differential to be superior for drifting, however they are potentially dangerous for street driving because they lock up under deceleration and could cause the car to veer out of control when trying to decelerate quickly, such as when trying to avoid an idiot driver in front of you.

The relevant RX-7 drift cars are turbocharged, so if you want to be different then that is fine, but you will not be relevant. Also, the relevant RX-7 drift cars typically have $50,000 to $200,000 worth of modifications, so if you want to be relevant then I suggest that you focus on getting a good job, a good sponsor, or a good sugar mamma. Most of us on this forum are not relevant, which tends to be more fun and less stressful than being relevant.

Yes, I recommend the Castrol brake fluid because it is inexpensive, has a long life for street cars, and it does a good job of handling the heat of lower-level racing events. On this chart you can see that it is nearly as good as some of the racing brake fluids.
https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/gr...pID=BRAKEFLUID

I would recommend that you change the transmission and differential oil since you don't know the condition of the current oil in there. Synthetic works well in the transmission and helps make the shifting smoother, and you can also use synthetic in the differential if you wish. Yes, there is often cabin heat and sometimes you can smell the oil, especially if the rubber shifter boots are torn. I'm not sure if this makes much difference, but broken shifter bushings drive me nuts so I always replace them and I figure that I may as well replace the rubber boots while I am at it.
https://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/shiftbsh.htm

LOL, right, the 88 factory service manual only has a picture of the 4-plug turbo transmission, which is terribly confusing for those with the 2-plug non-turbo transmission. See the 89 service manual for a picture of the non-turbo transmission. For both the transmission and differential, make sure you can remove the fill plug before you attempt to remove the drain plug. That way if any of the plugs are stuck you can drive your car to the auto shop as opposed to paying for towing. Also, make sure you have some method (gravity feed system, pump, etc.) to get the fluid into the transmission and differential before you attempt this job.

Silvia_Punk191987

I got to tell you, I have WAY more fun with more power than with awesome suspension mods.

NA you will go into a turn at the top of fourth at redline and come out of a 50mph drift in second. You waste so much time and effort clutch kicking and e-braking to keep a slide it sucks. You can't enjoy the perks of a nice suspension with nice transitions because your so busy keeping a slide.

I've drifted cars with blown suspension and all sorts of issues with high power and had way more fun because you can focus on feeling the car react and keeping it sideways THE WHOLE corse not just getting 1 or 2 good slides in.

I'd spend the $$$ on a turbo swap

my .02 cents.

Dom_The_Bomb

I swear I replied to this like a week ago lol. I must've forgot to post it -_-...

That's a good point, I remember watching the drift bible and the DK himself saying that would be the best route to go but I totally forgot about that. I got caught up in wanting to improve things before I even tested the current equipment.

What are the gains of using reduction pulleys and what exactly is the difference? I'm pretty green when it comes to cars in general but I've done some reading on certain topics like suspension, camber/caster/toe. I also get what you're saying there production cars are usually made to be efficient whereas race cars generally aren't, atleast not for daily driving. I might make this a dedicated car, but I don't think there's a track near enough for me to practice on, nor do I have anything to tow it at the moment.

Thanks for that, I didn't know that could happen... I originally wanted to go with the OS Giken LSD because of the adjustability, but if the stock LSD can be just as adjustable I'll spend that money elsewhere .

At the moment I don't really care what's relevant I just want to get out there and see what I can do with my car. I know there's a huge following for massively overpowered cars drifting but I want to take the harder approach and master technique first.

Awesome, thanks for the recommendation, I'll replace it when I change those fluids.

Question, is the differential oil as easy to change as the transmission oil? I've never dealt with one as I've always had FWD cars up until now. Is installing after market heatsinks onto the transmission common at all? I was thinking of something like that to try and keep the heat down or trying to install some sort of insulation so the tranny isn't serving as my main heater anymore lol.

Finally! I have been so skeptical about opening the wrong one lol, that explains alot. I'll check out the 89 FSM and I already have a transfer pump so I should be good to go.

I have a couple more questions because I was thinking about changing the majority of the suspension bushings out while I'm doing a bunch of stuff to the car.
Do you know which type of bushings are best for drifting? Pillowball/Delrin/Nylon?
Should I be swapping any other known pieces of the suspension like the end links?

Dom_The_Bomb

Won't that cost the majority of my budget stated earlier? The most power gains I'd get out of it would be like 30 HP right? I don't think that's a good price/hp ratio... I know I'll have alot more options for performance gains but with the budget I stated I can't make that happen so I think it's probably better to stay NA and learn on that, then when that engine eventually goes out on me I'll upgrade to a T2 swap hell maybe even go 20B if I really want to get serious. I normally throw money at things and I'm realizing its a bad idea especially with something that can get really expensive really fast.

I appreciate your advice though, I bet more power would be a ton of fun, along with the knowledge of turbos and everything associated with them.(I know hardly anything about turbos and boost at the moment, but I love to learn.)

Evil Aviator

Reduction pulleys run the accessories (usually the water pump and alternator) at a lower rpm relative to the engine output shaft. The advantage is that at higher engine rpm the accessories run properly. This is most important for the water pump because if the water pump turns too fast it will cause cavitation in the cooling system. Race cars that spend most of their life at redline need reduction pulleys to keep everything running properly. The downside to the pulleys is that the accessories will turn too slow at lower rpm, which means that there may not be enough cooling effect from the water pump at idle or low engine rpm commonly seen in stop and go traffic, and the alternator may drop off line at engine idle.

Yes. Actually, I think it is a little easier.

No, that is really more for automatic transmissions.

Sorry, I don't drift. However, I can tell you that it is a real pain to remove most of the old bushings because over time they tend to bond to the part. A bearing press may not work, so a blowtorch may be needed.

For the A-arms, my friend and I found that a mill works really well for removal. The trick is to remove the bushings without ruining the barbs, so making a few passes with a mill will wear a groove in the bushing to the point that it will pop open when there is just a little rubber left. Pics below. The stuff you see on the barbs is rubber shavings, not metal shavings.

https://www.rx7club.com/attachments/...l-arm-064a.jpg

https://www.rx7club.com/attachments/...l-arm-073a.jpg

https://www.rx7club.com/attachments/...l-arm-079a.jpg