Improved FD

what's up with the oversize font every post?

anyway, David Garfinkle holds the "cleanest" engine bay title, easy...every single component is polished or powder coated

spooledUP7

Thanks for the kind words. I left the type of Avery label in the picture so anyone could duplicate it. Avery was nice enough to have a downloadable template on their website.
I sprayed the label sheet with several coats of clear paint prior to applying them to the solenoids. I don't think the labels would last very long otherwise. This whole label thing started with me simply wanting to replace the colored dots. I still can't believe Staples doesn't carry a wider variety of colored dots.
Most of the solenoids you see came from a 1st gen and 2nd gen RX-7 that I gathered during a club event garage cleaing. I have had them for a few years and I cleaned and tested all of them before throwing them in a cardboard box. I always new I would be facing a rebuild.

spooledUP7

Been there done that. It may sound funny, but I want to demodify my car and get it back to stock. Why? Because everything I have done to modify my car has in one form or another comprimised the driveability of the car, and or the longevity of parts.
I drove with Non-Sequential for about three years and I did like the smooth boost, and the lack of solenoids, but I didn't like the lag, and the louder exhaust.

When I bought the car I was 22 and I wanted the car to go faster without regards to longevity. Now I am 30 and I just want the thing to drive reliably. I feel old.

I am hoping that as the car ages it will be more valuable in stock trim than 'roided out. I could be wrong, but for now I am happy with my direction.

It's not totally stock. The motor is street ported, but that was not by my doing. It came with the block.

spooledUP7

If it's any consoation, I polished, or replaced every nut and bolt before reassembly.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

lol. I ended up replacing most of the nuts and bolts around the engine. Since I got about 90% of them from Westlake Ace Hardware; you need a few more sockets than just the standard 10, 12 & 14mm for my car now.

Improved FD

I'm 39, but simpler is always better imo...and I wear earplugs (midpipe)

if you have a lightweight flywheel and straight through exhaust with full non sequential, it really shouldn't be that laggy at all...anyway, "stock" set-up is likely more valuable to a typical noob buyer, I would agree with that

Improved FD

mcmaster carr is the only way to fly....I'm disappointed in you, mahjik

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

It's not worth when you can get pretty much the same thing the same day, locally. I use McMasters for the hard to find stuff (like the larger M10+ with 1.00/1.25 pitches).

spooledUP7

I was surprised by my local Do-It center, they had flanged metric bolts and nuts that matched the OEM pretty well. I like to see before I buy, and test fit to make sure it's right.

spooledUP7

Here's a neat little wire connector I picked up from McMaster Carr. I'm using it for the aftermarket coolant temp sensor where I have a connector on both ends of the run under the UIM.
These connectors are modular in that they slip together and form a multi-pin harness.
The only thing I don't like about them is the lack of a good lock. They snap together with a click, but it doesn't take a lot to pull them back apart.
They should work fine in this application.

recon fd

That is f**kin sweet!!!!

pugg57

that's all i can manage to say.... i'm so incredibly jealous

spooledUP7

I have been toying with the idea of lasering "RX-7" on the throttle body. I photoshopped this as an example.
Pump it or dump it?
I already mounted the TB, but it would only take a few minutes to remove and about an hour to build the PLT file and laser it.

scotty305

iTrader: (2)

Spooledup, I think your throttle body would look better without the RX-7 logo.

-s-

spooledUP7

I have a 9.5 lb flywheel, with an M2 Exhaust and Gutted Precat but it still was slow in 5th gear to spool up. Any other gear was fine, but I really miss the pull of the sequential in 5th.
I don't think the "stock" setup is more valuable to a noob, but rather the more mature buyer. Noobs are usually young, and all about boost controllers before radiators. The mature buyer is my target. This person would recognize the care and consideration to details and appreciate it for what it really is, a good car to buy, and not a smorgasbord of aftermarket soups.
I think the market will turn someday soon, and sloppy FD mod-rods will be a thing of the past…I hope.

Improved FD

for fifth gear rolls you probably have a point, but when racing, I always had to drop it in fourth anyway

anyway, to each his own, but the greatly simplified vacuum hose routing, solenoid elimination, etc far outweighs any small advantage sequential may have in street performance, in my book....I love the clean "race" appearance my engine bay has now...it's a race car for the street, which is my goal

let's face it, the stock sequential system is a complete train wreck...if Mazda would have put a little thought and engineering into it, as Toyota did with the Supra (which has comparatively few problems), there would be no need to chuck the whole mess in the garbage can where it belongs....most people don't have the patience or endless hours to spend tinkering with 500 vacuum lines, and you will likely be doing it all again in 4 years or so

also, were you running a midpipe? that makes a huge diff

spooledUP7

Actually, (not to be contrary to everything you have said) I think Mazda put a lot of time into the sequential system, and should be commended for their efforts. The system works well, and if anything they were insufficient in their ability to evacuate the under-hood temperatures. After all, it is heat that causes so much unpredictability within the system, and if they could have reduce the under-hood temps perhaps the components driving the sequential system would last.

On the other hand, if Mazda had used an electronic turbo control actuator in lieu of the vacuum/pressure monkey mess we probably wouldn’t have the problems we have seen. Of course what’s to say the electronic actuator wouldn’t die.

I agree about the simplicity of removing all the plumbing. In fact it was painful to open up all the boxes I had been shelving full of vacuum lines and solenoids, it was a bit overwhelming.


No, I had the stock cat, and I ported the wastegate.

Improved FD

look at a MKIV Supra turbo system sometime....or even a later model japanese FD, with the redesigned (simplifed) system

I beg to differ, the engineer who designed that mess should have been fired

nashman69g

iTrader: (3)

I like the RX7 logo on the first pic...The second one looks lost.

spooledUP7

I would like to see what they did to simplify the design on the FD. Do you have any links or information.

I did peak my head in a supra but I couldn't tell what was going on. I would be curious to see how it was tackled.

scotty305

iTrader: (2)

I've seen someone from these boards who installed a later-model engine in his car, and posted photos too. He goes by the user name 'puma' , but I don't think he posts much anymore.

-s-

HDP

iTrader: (2)

I think Improved FD is referring to the black box, which eliminated/replaced the mess of vacuum hoses under the manifold.

spooledUP7

Time for the show to begin.

Improved FD

lookin good

you must have a small fortune into Mazda replacement parts, right down to the dreaded y-pipe rubber coupler

I went with a flanged connection, I had numerous boost leaks there

spooledUP7

Actually, the coupler is just in really good shape, but I don't intend on using it for much more than passing smog. But you are right, I have a long list of OEM parts. I can't beleive the price of gaskets these days.

I plan on using Pi-THon induction couplers (in black powder coated black wrinkle). They are local to me and their stuff is very trick.
Here is a picture of their product, albeit this photo does not show the silicon coupler in place.