peejay

Time to brag...

Last night I pulled a 15.475, with a crappy launch, REALLY bad tire slip on the 1-2 shift (like one and a half seconds of ripping up the right rear tire), and the clutch died on the 3-4 shift... I shifted before the 1000' mark and it was still slipping thru the lights.

Daaaaaaaaamn. Hey guys, I got the motor figured out! Now I gotta work on traction and clutch... and then blow up the tranny.

Based on previous runs where I had good launches, it should have been in the 15.2's. Heh heh heh. 14's here I come!

I tried to back-up the run but the clutch slip was awful... pulled a 15.9 and you could taste the Kentucky-fried clutch smoking up the interior.

Or maybe i should leave it as-is and work on a T04 propelled FC.... built on a pocketchange budget.

Max7

mo power! mo power!

peejay

According to the DSM.net horsepower calcylater thingy, I've got roughly 150hp at the flywheel. Most of which is spent creating rubber and clutch smoke. Paul Yaw says that's the most you can get from a dead-stock carb BUT I still have some tricks up my sleeve... I just hope the clutch lasts long enough for me to try them out!

I know the stock air cleaner is restrictive, the charcoal canister blocks half of the carb entry. Ditch it!

I'm experimenting with carb spacers again. Based on last night I'm going to move forward with experimentation. More stuff to try, only 2 more test-n-tune nights.

Plus I have some stashed Eagle ST tires that I might mount up on some spare rims and see what I can do about the traction problems.

I can go up a certain test hill at 25mph in 5th (heh heh heh) and the sucker just returned 28mpg. Daaaaaamn.

Max7

That means I only got 2 more chances to get off my lazy azz and go see what I can pull out of the car....... hmm.... What time do you get there on Friday nights?

peejay

I get there 'round 7 or so.

Last nite there were two 1st-gens there... the gold one w/ the body kit and rotor wheels, and a red GSL-SE that was all stock save for some body kittage. (I saw the SE run, he did a 16.8. First time out with the car)

Buschur was out last night too... saw him make two runs. That car is just plain SICK.

SilverRocket

Congrats Peejay!!

Godamn, that's a nice time for a stock carb... Let me guess that you have a ported motor??

What was your MPH?

peejay

Hehee, yeah, technically it's ported, although it's very minor. I opened up the exhaust ports just enough to match the steel sleeves, and I only touched the top side of the intake ports, just so the air doesn't make a series of 90 degree bends. It now has a nice flowing contour to it all, but port timing hasn't been "significantly" changed. (IE everything is still lots smaller than a RB street port, though techincally it's all bigger than stock)

The majority of the power comes from supplying sufficient fuel (better fuel pump - a MUST) and an upgraded ignition system (MSD/direct fire/cut-down Autolite 3923 plugs in the leadings) and an electric fan, which really does make a big difference when the stock one's locked solid.

Basically, absorbing all of the info on Paul Yaw's site and applying it in a low/no-buck fashion. IE found out that if you eliminate the return line and use a fuel pump designed to be run without one, you can use a much cheaper fuel pump instead of an expensive Holley/Carter unit. Ports are small to ensure air velocity is maintained... intake manifold was "ported" by filling the majorly offending deep spots and grinding down the big dimples, trying to keep a nice contour on all the runner walls and not altering the volume much. Car has low-end torque in spades and gets stupid MPG (28 highway on last run!) so I figure the loss of ultimate power is a fair tradeoff.

Oh yeah and open headers... forgot that part...

MPHs are tickling, but not yet hit, 90mph.

Max7

Damit, I guess I can't go to the drags Friday, or any day soon.
Everytime I "RIP" thru the gears my rear end "RIPS" more of the body away.
this is a pic in the passanger side storage bin area.
the blue thing is my Battery box
Yah thats a long nasty rip/crack

Man I really need to find myself a replacment, ain't no fun baby'n the car around town.

peejay

Trade ya mine...

Hey, a rusted out car is just an excuse to go back-half or tube frame, right? At least, it's a good chance to play with MIG welders...

Max7

Well its pretty much sold to a friend, he is going to be doing the repairs. I just need to find another 7 to turn into a terror.

RC51DRAG

When you ran the 15 and change what mods do you have. Is this the stock 1985 model. Your model isn't listed so I'm curious. I have a 12A 1985 model. I'm buying my mods for the next year. Mainly a exhaust system, pulleys, upgraded clutch, upgraded Tokico's etc. Hope to hit the 14's.

SilverRocket

RC51DRAG,

To get into the 14's with a 12A car you need serious mods. At the very least you need an aftermarket carb in addition to the mods you talked about, but more likely a nice port job. Lightening up your car as much as possible helps a lot too.

RC51DRAG

I just saw your mods list. can you tell me where you got the fan, seat, and wheels. pls. By the way who's the babe on the bottom of the page? THX

peejay

I pretty much listed the mods. Slight port job, much-modified intake manifold, upgraded fuel pump (to be honest I don't know what brand, it was given to me for free so I tried it and it worked), Pacesetter header (BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD do NOT do this) running through a dump pipe (open headers, not quiet), the ignitions mods (might be holding me back), and electric fan.

Rest of car is essentially stock. It's an '80 model car, '80 drivetrain, and '84-85 engine and intake manifold with the '80 carb and dizzy on it (matter of convenience - could use '80 wiring and cables. Late dizzy and carb much better performance-wise). The later engine has lighter rotors and higher compression so it was preferable.

I don't think you'll hit 14's on a stock engine... you'll need about 170-180hp or a LOT of lightening to get there. Or both. But I can tell you with some certainty that the stock clutch will crap out around 150hp and it seems like if you have the power to make a stock clutch slip, and you upgrade it, the transmission becomes the next weak link.

if your '85 is all stock, before you even start with performance mods, maybe you should first invest in an early-style air/oil cooler instead of the water/oil setup that came stock. When I pulled the '84 engine apart all of the O-rings on the top dowel (retains pressurized oil) were hardened and came out in little chunks and shards. The whole engine was coated with oil from the dowel O-rings leaking. This is because the factory oil cooler setup on the '83-85 cars runs the oil quite hot and cooks the engines. Doing performance modificatons would increase the amount of heat the already-at-the-limit cooling system has to deal with. The oil is 40% of the cooling system on our cars so we HAVE to take good care of it.

And then, I dunno, nitrous it till you blow the tranny up. Then you'll get at least a couple 14's out of it.

RC51DRAG

What do you think of the Daikan clutch for an upgrade. Have yuo dealt much with rx7.com. So far all I have bought from them is a Bonez intakev and K and N air filter. Any idea what the stock hp is? Any idea what the stock 1/4 mile times are? I had a 86 RX7 that was nicely done up till a Taurus decided to total it. Now I've got to start all over again. The plan is to be done by next spring when I take out the new 7.

RC51DRAG

What do you think of the Daikan clutch for an upgrade. Have yuo dealt much with rx7.com. So far all I have bought from them is a Bonez intakev and K and N air filter. Any idea what the stock hp is? Any idea what the stock 1/4 mile times are? I had a 86 RX7 that was nicely done up till a Taurus decided to total it. Now I've got to start all over again. The plan is to be done by next spring when I take out the new 7.

peejay

Stock is 100hp.

I really don't buy upgrade parts, because that costs too much money... if i can, I make my own, or adapt something else commonly available. That's what makes it so much fun! It's so cool to be going mid 15s in a car that I've spent under $2k on... total... including the price of the car!

I'm thinking about getting a stock replacement clutch for an '89-91 N/A... they're the same 225mm clutch but they're supposedly a bit stronger. Don't want to go overboard because the clutch and tires, in a way, are like the fuses of the driveline. They're there to slip first, instead of snapping output shafts or winding up an axleshaft like taffy.

Stock, 12A FBs were in the low 17's in the quarter. Generally, the newer the car the slower it was because Mazda kept making them heavier. Fortunately most of this stuff is the first thing to be removed I used a 2700lb weight for HP calcs, which is 2475 for car (loaded GS) + 180lb for driver + fuel and misc. car junk. '85s generally weigh 100-200lb more, depending on options.

RC51DRAG

Well all things considered that isn't too bad. I think with the mods I'm planning I'll hopefully beat a friend of mine who runs a 93 civic that runs 15s. I won't beat his best times (15.2) but I'll hopefully in time beat him with some more mods. I think i'll have to hit 150 hp in order to compete. The only think I'm thinking is to run stiffer shocks and offset the set up so that the front gives a bit so that the rear can hook up but without a bouncing effect. Since I can expect 17s off the bat The mods required to hit 15s is going to be major I think. I'm trying to get an idea of what hp I'll be looking at without the street port. I think a RB Holley carb set up plus full dual exhaust and pulleys may yield a hp rating of 150 to 160. What do you think?

SilverRocket

RC51,

You should remember that drag racing is really not where our cars shine. RX-7s were built for the race track and for the curvy backroads. You may find that building up your suspension yields just as much fun as the power stuff. Your buddy in his Honda may keep up to you in a straight line, but when the road gets twisty, you'll be miles ahead. Good tires are probably the best mod you can buy, followed by shocks and then springs, sway bars, etc.

Since we don't have IRS, you won't get much wheel hop out of our cars. It's not like the 3rd gens, which are horrible for this.

The fan I got from a shop in Cambridge, Ontario called Schilling Performance. They gave me a deal which was $100 better than anyone else. However, don't bother with this unless your stock fan clutch gives up. It makes a minor difference in 1st and 2nd gear acceleration, but seriously spend your money on something more effective.

The seat I got from the Toronto distributor for Corbeau Seats, who is a friend of a friend. If you live around the GTA, let me know and I could make some phone calls....

The wheels are old school CSA's (they still make wheels these days) which a local Rx-7 shop had come in by chance. I traded my shiny refinished stock wheels for them.

As for the babe... who knows? First non-nude pic I could find that I liked

Here are some things that IMHO you should consider in your quest for speed:

Concentrate on the main things that will get you the power, and then worry about the little stuff.

First things first, make sure all the systems on your car are in great shape. Take care of all the maintenance stuff before you even think about mods.

Number one, get a good full exhaust system. Racing Beat/Mazdatrix (same thing) is the best. Make sure you get a presilencer and a good muffler, because a straight pipe is so loud your ears will bleed. Don't believe me? Just try it and see.

Get rid of every single thing you don't need. That means air conditioning, power steering, all emissions equipment, etc. When you want to go fast, leave your sub box, spare tire, jack, tools, etc. at home.

Do the e-fan and pulleys if you want, but these won't really get you much hp. I'd say go for the carb before that stuff if you can afford it. I'm actually planning on doing the RB Holley setup next year. There are lots of other options as well.

Everyone will tell you to get an MSD or whatever, but personally I don't think it will get you much power on a relatively stock 12A. Your stock long-duration spark system is extremely good, they ran them on all the crazy factory race cars back in the day. Again one of the last things you should do, this is not where the real power is at.

With aftermarket carb and exhaust, I'd say you'd be pushing 150-160 horses, which should get you into the very low 15s. Maybe better if you lighten severely. You'll definitely be blowing the doors off your 86, that's for sure.

For real power, you could always swap in a T2

RC51DRAG

Yeah so the bottom line is I'll run with the Holley carb and RB exhaust from MazdaTrix. i hear MazdaTrix has better service. I still might put in the fan just so I can run it when I want. I found with my old car the 86 that it always overheated badly. Perhaps after the exhaust and cards I'll go for a aftermarket rad. Although i find that they run around the 1,200.00 to 1,5000.00 CDN range. Your in TO eh. I'm in Quebec just outside of Montreal. My home and car are in Windsor, Ont.. I'm working up here for the next year. My bike is already getting the mods done here by a professional shop, Ami Honda. I'll be going from 118 at the rear wheel to 140 to 160 at the rear wheel. They still aren't sure what my RC51 will yield but it will defintely kick *** at the strip. I know our cars aren't drag strip gods but like my Rc with a little massaging you can yield wonders. My buddy runs his civic up here and we now have a long winter debate going on who is going to top who with the cars next year. A good 150 with these mods should give me what I need at the line. Plus I am thinking of going with the aftermarket fiberglass hood, panels. etc to take off some real weight. Your right the lighter it is the faster. I forget the ratio but it is something like for every 50 pounds you gain significantly in the 1/4 mile. I really won't be running my car at the strip often. The bike is the real drag racer. Still i don't like civics beating me. But then who does.

peejay

Yeah, I'd definitely save the MSD for last, unless the car's a daily driver and you live where it gets cold. In which case do the MSD first! It makes cold starts sooooo much easier. No more fouled plugs and hard starting. Supposedly the MSD advantage is gone by 3000 and at 7000 it turns into a liability (losing power) so it's not the best racing setup. With a stock port you really won't be winding past 7000 though - I got my best times shifting at 7.2/7/6.5k and that's with some port work done. Stock port you might want to shift at 6k!

Who says we don't have wheel hop problems? I wreck U-joints from the wheelhop I get... polyurethane rear bushings did help a bit though, the rest is tire pressure tuning.

Earplugs are cheaper than high performance mufflers.

Suparslinc

low 15s? I'm thinking I want to get into the 14s!!!!
Whats your guys opinion on this???
12A, stock port. My mods will include (don't laugh)
K&N filter (got it)
Yaw Nikki carb
Yaw intake manifold
direct fire ignition
header/pre

probably some weight reduction but nothing serious.

what should this bring me down to ?

Felix Wankel

When I get my 45DCOE on I'll report my 1/4 times for you guys. My car has:

Weber 45DCOE (lost in shipment somewhere )
RB Streetport exhaust
Carter 7psi pump
MSD 6A with Blaster coils
dual alt pulley
electric fan
FC oil cooler
RB springs/Tokico blues
15x7 Panasports with Yoko AVS Intermediates

And a bunch of other ****, but its all minor. I'm shooting for a very low 15, but if I eek out a 14 I'd be happy

I think its gonna take a GSL rear to get it hooked up though.

speckamp

I'm jealous, my idiot driving skills net me w/ 16.4's with high 88MPH trap speeds on a g-tech. And I've got a -SE

I suppose eliminating the wheelspin in 1st and 2nd might help my ET a bit since my MPH is high enough for at least 15's.

oh well, something to play around with.

Max7

Already been into the 14's on a stock block, I want 13's!!
Oh the wonders of the 13B
I've seen a few run low 14's on the stock block, hmm... need a few more tweaks.