Not much to update. Been busy spending time with my son over the weekend and work.
But I was able to sand down my Mazdaspeed Carbon Fiber front bumper lip and clear it to bring the shine back. Than replaced my 99 lip from my SSM FD.

 

So sexy.

 

Update:

Over the weekend I was able to do some wrenching on the car.
First installation of Sakebomb garage upgraded swaybar mounts. These things are beefy and well made. I'll be using a new Tripoint swaybar with these.



Another thing I was able to do was check the compression on my 1973 RX-3. I recently got the Rotary Compression Tester (RCT)'s battery operated compression tester and wanted to compare to my Mazda Specialty tool compression testers (old thermal and digital).



After warming up the car, I've tested just the OE digital and RCT testers. RCT unit uses 9V battery and it has automatic altitude calculation. Its super well made and easy to use. All you have to do is warm up, kill the ignition and fuel pump, install the sensor in the trailing plug hole and crank the motor. I did a facebook live video ( ) hope some of you can view it.

Anyhow, here are the results from the RCT:
Front
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Rear


Not bad for 20+ year old engine

Here is the RX-3 warming up before the test.

 

yeah i'd be very pleased with those numbers.

i need to test my current car. it fires right up hot, so it must be around 100, but i'd like to know.

 

That came out good!!! Ive been MIA here for over 6 months and just catching up.

how does the back of the bumper looks like? i see the big flanges , im guessing its a multipiece ?

 

man phil that 3 looks great. awesome story behind it also. Cant wait to see it with the 3 rotor in it. i can see that vanity plate now RX 3RTR ahahhahaha

also didnt know that Marco moved out west....he must be loving all the old school cars out there?

 

Hey Jose!!! Its a 3 piece mold. I don't have any pics of the back of the mold but I'll try to get some later this month. Its currently at my friend's shop that's 30 mins away.

Hey Simon! Thanks!! I have so much going on these days, I wish I could go ahead and put a 3 rotor into the RX-3. I need to finish couple of projects and maybe next year I'll put a 20B in I can't wait to see your REPU though. That thing is amazing!!

 

Update!

Couple of months ago I ran into Facebook post about Champion Autoparts, "Search for a Champion 2017" promotion.



I've decided to enter and a week ago, I was chosen as one of the top 25 finalist!!!



I would greatly appreciate it if those of you following this thread to vote for me. I have an unique project that I'll be working on later this year and would be nice to win this to support that build. If I win, I'll share what that is the day of winner being announced... otherwise, I'll be keeping it hush hush for little bit longer

To Vote, goto: 2017 Search for A Champion Grand Prize Voting Now Open!

Voters can also win prizes from Champion. Thank you for your support!

 

Wow, looking at the fit of the real Mazdaspeed hood makes me jealous. If they could do it, how come nodody else can?

P

 

Financial backing, experience, and commitment. Making and breaking a bunch of molds, or hiring out tooling to someone more competent, isn't feasible for a small businesses. There are plenty of aftermarket hoods with great fitment, but not that many in the small market FD world.

 

I've thought about about replicating the MS hood but the cost, shipping, amount of material, and complains when and if the hood doesn't fit well, didn't think it was worth the risk. I found the guy who had tons of experience but at the end the fume gets to them.

True. cost effectiveness is one of the big issues.

 

Update:

I finally had a weekend to do some car related stuff.

First my daily IS300 Wagon...


My RedSport had ceramic/nano coating from previous owner and so far I was very happy with the results. So, I've decided to put the coating on my IS300.
I've decided to try 'Stay Fresh Car Care' as I've had great luck with their detailing products in the past.

Stay Fresh Car Care / Premium Car Care Supplies

I went with HCC9, 50mL kit with 8oz Quick Ceramic detailer. (less than $100).

First, I cut the car using a random orbitor and various pads and such (3-5 hours)


Wiped it down with isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) to remove any residue from wax, sealant, oil etc. I than started to apply the HCC9 using supplied applicator. This process wasn't bad. I was told to do small section at a time but the temperature was kind of cool and HCC9 wasn't drying that quickly so I did panel at a time. First layer of application including alcohol wipe down took me about an hour.


I had about 30-40% of the ceramic coating leftover so, i messaged the owner of Stay Fresh about if second coat is necessary. He said it will help. He suggested I use the remainder of the bottle on the car. He said you can apply the second layer after about an hour after 1st application. I decided to let the first layer harden overnight.
Oh, no water can touch the car during hardening process.
Here is the result:


Definitely shines pretty decent. I was driving home last night and it was raining. I could tell this stuff was working. In heavy traffic, everytime I came to a stop, a good amount of water from the roof of the car will rush towards the front windshield. Moving forward, I could see the water coming down on my rear window. This is first time seeing such a thing. To maintain, no waxing, no soap, just water to clean the car for the next 5 years! Benefit I see with this is daily driven cars and car that might be loosing little of clarity due to fade.

Anyhow, now about the RX...

I'm re-doing my RX-7 for a guaranteed feature with SuperStreet Magazine. So, I've decided to re do my turbo set up and support my friend Zach, Addicted Performance. He also supports my event, 'Deals Gap Rotary Rally' (DGRR) and helped me by answering many of my questions regarding turbos and tuning.



I've decided to go with his Borg Warner EFR kit. Craftsmanship on the kit is top notch!! Also, Zach is a great tuner and will be taking my car to his shop when its done for a tune. Hopefully during DGRR and unveil the car there.



Turbo is Borg Warner EFR 8374 IWG with Turbosmart upgraded Bypass valve and IWG actuator.



I've mocked it up on my spare 13B-REW motor, and this is using REW intake manifold. I'll be also mocking it up with Cosmo 13B-RE manifold later on.



Also, vote for me!!! You can vote daily!!
2017 Search for A Champion Grand Prize Voting Now Open!

Thank you all for reading this thread!!

 

To follow up on the ceramic coating, here are couple of video of my IS300 Wagon showing how water just beads off.

Water on the hood.

Close up on the fender.

Besides this, not much is going on. Spent most of the weekend hanging out with my son and dinner with close friend. Otherwise, not much of a car week

 

Couldn't find the specs of the ZE40 setup anywhere in the thread.

 

Anyone know if the 20b car was ever finished?

 

I don't believe so. He always has a handful of projects going, he keeps busy on his fleet .

Dale