as for my "master list," i've come to the realization that trying to build an RX-7 with a plan in mind is like trying to put a square peg in a round hole; it's just impossible. things come up with these cars all the time; especially in trying to upgrade. one part always leads to another. after 4 years (as of 3 days ago,) i am finally accepting how prepared i need to be with this car; and realizing that anything can happen with a 15 year old car. after seeing her tonight, i also became grounded to the fact that she is 15 years old (build date)!! wow, incredible! the next plans (long distance plans; while i focus on graduating college) are dual oil coolers and a built rear-end with a 4.3 final drive ring and pinion and (unfortunately) a rebuilt Cusco LSD (thanks previous shop that didnt build my rear-end properly.) it's things like this that make me wish i had my own garage with my own tools. id like to think ill have time to actually build my own RX-7 sometime in the future when i can actually do it myself.

 

Damn, sorry to rear about the rear end problems.

If you're willing to bring your FD to NJ, there is a mechanic who owns a speed shop who is a whiz with trannies and diffs---he installed my TII diff and 4.3 gearset and you wouldn't know the car didn't come stock with the setup! He works on very expensive hotrods and musclecars, so he also knows how to treat our FDs right. When the time comes, if you're interested, I can forward you his contact info

 

thanks Rich. ill let you know when the time comes.

 

My car is now registered and insured. i was getting worried that it wouldnt be on the road in time for Rotorfest.

The downfall: daily driving an RX-7. it's going to be great to get to drive it again, but obviously daily driving causes more stress on the car. my mom needs to take my Daily Driven subie for the time being; so im going to have to drive the RX-7 to work and to class for a little while. i still live with my mom (laugh if you want; im saving thousands of dollars by doing so) so i can take the subie whenever shes not using it.


Im making plans for Rotorfest, so we'll see you down there.

 

i've got enough project pictures to shake a stick at (whatever that really means?):

 

 

I haven't seen your car of a pic in a long time Rick, but it's looking awesome! The black with red leather was so rare, I hate to see it messed with, but you've done some great things for the car. I remember when you first got it, and it was the boost-less FD.

Great work, I might have to join you at Lime Rock one day.

 

thanks a lot Jeff. thats what everyone said about the red leather seats. they looked good, but they didnt have the support i needed. the car is now boosting a healthy 10psi and 12psi. having it be the boost-less FD is where this project all started; it just kind of escalated from there trying to make it run right. now im trying to make it race right.

how have you been? you graduated from WPI last year, correct? i hope you found a good job and that all's well. We will definitely have to race Lime Rock sometime together. good luck finding another FD.

 

some more pictures for my project scrapbook.

NRG Quick Release Hub and Steering Wheel Adaptor:




Sparco 345 (350mm) Suede Steering Wheel:







Autopower 4pt. Roll Bar:

 

How's the NRG product, reccommend it?

 

so far, so good. i've only had it for a week, but so far i dont have any complaints. for the price that i paid (compared to Sparco's) id say it's a good buy.
ill let you know how it holds up in 6 months or so.

 

Nice car man. Simple on the outside, but gets the job done everwhere else.

 

thanks a lot. im more into function then form, so keeping the outside as stock as possible was a must. the hood, somewhat unfortunatly (its a damn nice looking hood, but it kills the whole sleeper look), was completely necessary with that front mount, and i couldnt turn down Chuck's deal on the side skirts. once she's single and street ported, i might do some more on the outside; nothing too far from stock and all aero mods fully functional.

 

i went autocrossing today for the first time of the season with the SCCA NER. it felt good to get back out there, but i really seemed to forget everything i knew last year. i was way too heavy on the gas which lead to me being way to heavy on the breaks. i had a game plan as i walked the course twice, but it seemed to go straight out the window.

i think im gonna stick with time trials. as for seat time and bang for your buck, its a much better deal. my car is set up more for a road course then for autocrossing as it is. im not gonna blame that on my lack of performance today, though. im sure with an experienced driver, my car wouldve been fast today. with a rusty novice behind the wheel, it was all drivers error.

as for set up for today, i set up my TEIN Super Streets to the hardest setting and i set tire pressure (on street tires) to 35psi front and 32psi rear. for my second run, i bled the tires to 33 front and 30 rear. it didnt seem to make as much of a difference as it did last year for me on the R comp tires. i still need to get a suspension tune and alignment and the car cornerweighed and balanced. i have an appointment set up to get all that done, plus get it pre-dyno checked and then get an appointment to get dyno and street tuned.

after that, im gonna sign up for a time trial around Lime Rock with NASA HPDE in November. the cold, crisp air should be great for my radiator/intercooler set up. im looking forward to that. i feel much more comfortable on a road course then in the autocross; but a lot of great road racers come from autocross backgrounds. ill just have to learn to be patient with autocross. then again, 7 minutes seat time per autocross day, im gonna need a lot of patience.

 

very nice man! your fd's one of my favorite performance FD. btw, never got to thank u for the add on myspace :P

so you got a additional CF duct/cover now. how did that effect your water temp on the track?

 

there are a lot of great performance built FD's, so i truly do appreciate the compliment. you're welcome for the MySpace add.

as for the custom carbon fiber duct, Carbing cooling panel, and FRP undertray, the new cooling capabilities are running much more efficiently then they were before. Before i was running without any of them, which was very dumb on my part. As for my racing temps, i noticed my air temp and water temps aren't as high as they were last year when autocrossing. Last year, i would pull into the grid after a run, and my car would be up towards 105-110*c and would take a while to cool down. This year, i brought my car in after the first run and my temps were at 95*c. I popped my hood, hosed off my FMIC with my makeshift tire cooler bug sprayer, cranked the heat, and the temps cooled down quickly. I saw over 100*c on the PFC Commander after my second run, but it cooled off much quicker then it did last year. Ducting is definitely the way too go.

i was stupid to be running without the undertray. since the benefits are so high; especially with the damage that can be caused by the rotary gremlin that is heat. I also installed some Red Line Water Wetter, and i have noticed a change in my temps as well from that. My street temps fluctuate from situation to situation (highway, traffic, city, etc.) but the temps are showing to be much better and cooling time is much quicker. i was completely frustrated with my FMIC set up last year. i knew the ducting was the way to go, and im not 100% done ducting everything in. Im hoping to eventually get something made that boxes off the radiator with a little lip that goes below the intercooler core. i also might add a little intake running from the passenger side duct sealed to the radiator ducts. we'll see. there's always something needed to be done on this car. i have a long way to go to get the cooling capabilities where it needs to be, but it's getting there.

 

did you have to rewire the radiator fan cables? because mine don't reach, so i had to put the cables over the radiator and they barely reach...

 

scorpnaz7- no, i didnt have to have the radiator fan cables rewired. when i did the HKS FMIC with upright Fluidyne radiator set up, everything hooked right up properly. im not sure why yours wont reach? does it look like yours have been cut at any point?

 

my grandma who was also my closest friend and the most amazing person ive ever met passed away december 5th 06. im getting a tattoo for her of 2 red roses and a white carnation crossing over a heart on my chest. so i understand the bird. and you wouldnt happen to still have to stock seats from yr fd kickin around would you?

 

cocobitzz- im sorry to hear about your grandma; a lot of people ask about mine, and i'm always glad to explain. as for the stock seats, i sold them over the winter.

ill have some updates up soon. i went to a new shop to get some things done, but ill elaborate everything once i get everything squared away. i'm not sure if i'm happy or not yet, so i'll wait for the outcome before i jump the gun.

 

here are some pics taken of my car from show i entered over the weekend up in New Hampshire:








and one of me, my special lady friend, and a couple of friends:


and a link to the rest of the series:
http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...11-07/?start=0

 

my girlfriend and i washed our cars together yesterday and decided to take mine out for a photoshoot. she has a degree in graphic design and is a free lance photographer, but i commandeered her camera for a majority of the shoot. so this is my first attempt at an 'artistic' auto photoshoot. i also tried my hand at PhotoShop for the first time as well, but to no avail. too many options for me to figure out. all photos were taken with a Cannon EOS Digital Rebel XT.

please let me know what you think; positive or negative feedback (as long as it's constructive criticism.) I have bigger pictures available (3456 x 2304) if anyone wants them. Thanks, Enjoy.












and my personal favorite:

 

LOVE the hood!

 

try shooting an *** shot from down low and at an angle with that building in the background....up the saturation and i think you'll dig the results

 

Car looks great

I love the sign with the 'rotary.'