Now that's a man that thinks things through!

 

After part 22.5 was posted, it took the remainder of November and December to finish the driver side sheet metal. I worked my butt off to get it done before January 1st, and indeed, accomplished that task so I was able to start the new year sheet metal free! So I am happy to say that episode 23 is sheet metal free! In this episode I fabricate the parts necessary for my unique combination of intake manifolds, combining an FD RX-7 upper intake with an GSL-SE RX-7 lower intake. Doing so requires the fabrication of a custom middle intake manifold out of aluminium, complete with provisions for secondary fuel injectors. You'll see me build flanges from scratch (using my new drill press), measure and cut intake runners, TIG weld it all together, port match the flanges to the gaskets and runners, install injector bungs, curse at the difficult welding I caused, add -6 AN bungs to a stock RX-7 primary fuel rail, and build a fuel rail for the newly fabricated manifold.

I'd like to thank DIYAutoTune ( MegaSquirt | Engine Management System | Electronic Fuel Injection - DIYAutoTune.com ) for supporting this project and providing some of the parts used in this episode.

 

Dude good work, u just keep plugging away.......tons of work on this project

 

I can't wait to catch up on the episodes...
You've been busy indeed!!!

 

Aaron, out of curiousity, how long does it take you to put together a 40 minute video; I mean just the editing part. (You must have to watch it a couple times before you post it, right?)

And how many hours of actual labour is 'on camera' that never makes it into the video?

Not to mention the days of work, without a camera looking over your should. You probably make twice as much progress when you are not running the camera, aiming it, or washing your hands before touching the camera.

Do you use multiple cameras?

 

Like I said on YT.
Your welding point on your tig is blunt, sharp it, if it gets blunt its harder to weld

Going to put this in my follow list

 

Most episodes take between 4 and 6 hours to edit. Some of the more complex episodes (the engine build with just loads of footage, and the interview which used three cameras and a separate audio track) take up to 15 hours or so.

There's probably 3 times the footage captured than what you see, but a lot of it is just futzing around with tools, measuring, grinding, welding, etc. I've gotten pretty good and knowing when to turn the camera on. And for repetitive tasks, I've started to "cooking show" it by only covering the last two. Often with something I'm not sure will work, I only turn the camera on after I've already been successful and film the remaining.

Lately I've not been watching them all the way through after editing. I watch it in segments while I edit so by the end I have a pretty good idea what the result will be. If they require a lot of narration after the fact I'll watch them at double speed and narrate when necessary.

I don't really wash my hands before touching the camera unless they are especially nasty. Just a quick wipe with a shop towel. There are many days at the shop where I may only generate a few minutes of footage. For example last Wednesday an interesting quirk of the MS3-Pro harness (I have a prototype unit so the names on the wires didn't match the functions) short circuited by brain, so instead of explaining my wiring plan on camera I just kept the camera off and took the time to load the latest firmware on the unit. The camera does suck up some time, but really not a huge amount normally.

The only episode so far I've used multiple cameras on has been the interview. Managing multiple cameras is quite a bit of work when it comes to editing.

When welding aluminum on AC using a transformer style machine, pure tungsten is the electrode of choice and it will naturally melt at the tip to form a ball. Newer welders use inverters instead, and they tend to prefer sharpened tungsten for AC as well, typically thoriated or ceriated. If I was welding DC, I would have used thoriated and sharpened a tip.

 

Loving the vids buddy..
Hope to see the project complete sooner rather than later..

 

Hahahaha

 

What rear end will you be using? I have a 85 gls-se parts car that will be scrapped soon and ill be removing the rear end and junk in the next two weeks

 

your slipping Aaron, there were numerous times where there should have been an obscene comment there, not even so much as an amy winehouse comment

 

Now that the sheet metal is done, things are progressing more quickly. There's of course some sheet metal still required, specifically around the front frame but I'm not going to repair that yet because I'll be modifying the area for other reasons and there's no sense doing the repair work then having to hack it up. Things now should only be limited by time, not the feeling of wanting to end it all in a spectacular suicide explosion that sheet metal causes.

I'll be using the Cosmo rear end. It's quite unique from Mazda. 4 link, LSD, disc brakes. The suspension location and geometry also make it a perfect candidate for air bags.

Well, it was something I noticed as too but I was providing so much information via the commentary that I just didn't have room for too many jokes. Around mid way through it also became very frustrating because I was off sick for a week, so when I got back into the game I just wanted it done. In part 24, which I am editing right now, things are very detail oriented and I do have to behave myself, so there may be only one or two (in)appropriate comments.

 

Hey Aaron, check out what I'm dealing with right now. This is the driver side frame rail, where the engine cross member/sway bar bolts to the frame. Ugly.



Now, my question is, should I attempt to repair this? The other side is perfect, but a leaky battery has devastated the drive side. I do have another Cosmo, and this section is in excellent shape, but I would rather not cut it up just yet.

Kisses

 

Does this mean I'll have something interesting to watch in the next week?!!?

 

Holy crap. There is very little left. I have the opposite issue. Passenger side frame rail pretty rusted presumably due to the thermal reactor baking away the internal rust proofing wax. Yours though is totalled. It's a multi-layer panel. If the damage is only that area, personally I'd repair it. Doesn't have to be exactly a 100% copy of factory. By pulling the outer panel off the rail you can probably get a good view as to how far the damage goes. Just make sure to get the engine mount threads back into the approximately correct position.

 

The rest of the car is in excellent condition, no other rust to speak of. I'm going to attempt to fix it before I cut up the other Cosmo.

Thanks!

 

Part 24 of my '76 Cosmo restoration is here! And I'm going to come right out and warn you; this is a long one. There is a lot of detail here, for you see, this episode covers in it's entirety the installation of the MegaSquirt MS3-Pro EFI system. Like the engine build in part 12, I decided to cover the entire process in a way that would help anyone performing a similar installation. And while this specifically covers the MS3-Pro, all the information is valid for any MegaSquirt installation and indeed, any other brand of standalone as well. In this episode you'll see from scratch the MS3-Pro installation from bare engine bay to fully wired and functional EFI system. Included is detailed coverage of making an ECU mounting panel, wiring in all the injectors and sensors, wiring up the 2nd gen RX-7 CAS and coils, boost solenoid, e-fan relays and other EFI related accessories. So pour yourself a big drink, get comfortable, and enjoy.

A huge thanks goes out to DIYAutoTune ( MegaSquirt | Engine Management System | Electronic Fuel Injection - DIYAutoTune.com ) for providing the MS3-Pro and other parts used in this installation.

Rotary MegaSquirt Links:
How To Megasquirt Your 2nd Gen RX-7
How to MegaSquirt your FC RX-7

 

There is one reason to keep your controlled fuel leak system in place. Money. As in I have none, otherwise there would be a 4 port turbo manifold sitting on my engine instead of 20lbs of Sterling Nikki.

As much as I dislike wiring, you did a fantastic job making it look fairly painless. I'll look to this video when it comes time to pull the car apart and re-wire the chassis.

 

That is a good point, and the MS3-Pro shown is at the total high end of costly MegaSquirts. With a little creativity it can be done very cheaply. For example, MS1 V3 kit ($200) and harness ($85). Used TBI unit from junkyard adapted to Nikki manifold ($??), junkyard/parts store fuel pump ($??), basic wiring supplies ($50?) and a few others things you can have a basic fuel only setup, ready to be upgraded. Now it won't be much better than the carb for some stuff due to the TBI, but will allow closed loop (use a narrowband), idle control, etc. and would be ready for boost if the desire is so desired. Then later on it can be upgraded. Swap in an MSII chip or MS3 daughtercard, use 2nd gen ignition (coils and CAS are cheap), eventually maybe go to port injection by welding some bungs onto the manifold and gutting the TBI throttle body.

I was hoping to show that wiring an EFI system isn't the great black hole that a lot seem to think it is. With a little direction and a few examples of how things are to be done (ie. splicing into the stock harness = bad, proper connectors = good) it doesn't have to be painless. Of course this isn't my first rodeo and I put a LOT of thought into how I was going to set everything up for a versatile and sanitary install.

I'm about 93.7% sure that I'll be using a Painless Wiring harness for the chassis wiring. Doesn't seem much point in figuring out the old Cosmo harness with all the crusty OEM wiring, past hack jobs, glass fuses...Those Painless Wiring harnesses aren't cheap but when one considers just the shear time it takes to make a harness from scratch, it starts to even out.

 

its not just the time you save with the painless harness, gotta think how many years of hassle free use you'll get out of it too
can't wait for the next video!

 

Aaron, you must have the patience of a saint. Nice job. What your ETA for completion?

 

Nice job, Professor Cake.

 

I do not give ETAs, primarily to keep myself sane by not working under an artificial deadline. However I'd like to have the car done this year.

 

I would like you to have it done this year too! However it's obvious that its a huge undertaking and to rush will only leave you unsatisfied with the result. I think I could wait til next spring.

 

All I gotta' say is that progress lately has been slower than I'd like. Too many things are keeping me unproductive. Not the least of which was 12 inches of water in the shop basement on Easter weekend due to a burst pipe. Anyone who has ever had to deal with flooding knows that getting the water out is only 10% of the battle. The cleanup is the real time sucker. And as if that lovely bit of plumbing wasn't enough, it looks like I will need to replumb the entire basement at my house as well. 100 year old pipes are a ticking time bomb which has begun its countdown. It started with a tiny rust hole in the middle of a hot water pipe in the laundry room, but replacing that run has put stress on all the surrounding fittings. These are now slowly seeping. The farther I go into it, the more is going to have to be replaced.