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Introduction:

I must start off by saying, it had recently occurred to me that it had been several cars ago since I've last typed up a detailed progress thread.

I'm not sure where to start, but I have a notion that I'll just let my mind type away and explain the nature of my cognitive process.

I digress;

I have endured one very long and winding road to get me to this current state of life, admittedly, I regret many decisions I've made, many cars I've owned, and most of all, the precious time I had wasted to come to a realization of my mistakes. However, if all of these decisions really amount to the knowledge and experiences, I've obtained in the last two years to get me to where I am now, then I should be at peace with my past.

Though this is not the case at all, I am still very unsettled.

Roughly two years ago, I had sold a car that I, honestly, had never expected to haunt me. Through the S13, JZA80, and BNR32, among other chassis I don't like to mention, I couldn't seem to shake the one car out of my head. I made a choice, and sold off, mid-project, the Crystal White '93 V-Spec GT-R that had become my pride and joy for some time, and although it was a slow project due to sheer cost of parts, it was truly treated as a budget-less build without cutting a single corner. The time physically spend slaving over that car had rivaled that of the time spent on the SW20 I had owned over the course of four years.

It just wasn't enough, I knew what I needed and the BNR32 just...didn't cut it. Regardless of how much time I spent running numbers through my head, there is a certain aspect of a vehicle that could not simply be calculated in a mathematical equation. I needed something to take me back to my roots, the roots I pointlessly argued in adolescent rants flaring a controversial moniker, some of which I'm certain you may recall.

Most of all, I needed to scratch the itch that had caused sleepless nights. This decision would satisfy the being I was almost 8 years ago when I had first purchased a vehicle, by keep my integrity to when I was pure and untainted with the experiences I have today.

Maybe it's just nostalgia?

To deviate back to the topic at hand, this is indeed, none other then a build thread to my acquisition last summer, a '94 Mazda RX-7 Base with 80,000 miles of use. Though I have owned the car for roughly 9 months now, due to a couple different conditions I wasn't exactly able to start a build-up of what I envision, the final product, which is really just the start of a new chapter in my motor sports career.

Currently sporting HKS Intakes, a custom intercooler set-up with PFS ductwork, 1999+ Japan-spec Turbo set, no-name downpipe and a beautiful ARC Racing Titanium exhaust. The car had been previously modified before my ownership, the engine had been streetported, re-assembled and tuned on an Apex'i Power FC by a shop local to the North East US rotary guys, Peter Farrell Supercars or PFS for short.

The car had some decent modifications, which resulted in a impressive 351whp in street trim, making this a good base for me to build upon.

In my personal endeavors, one's worst enemy in none other then himself. I am fighting a value, known as time, in controlled environments on a road course.

We just call it Time Attack.

So here it is, in it's most original form since my ownership, the start of my Battle Evome and Fever Tsukuba competitor, a TC2000 warrior. Yes, I said that right. Tsu-ku-ba Cir-cuit, the track in Shimosuma, on the other side of this planet. *sighs*

Image size reduced, original size: 800 x 531. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

It's quite pitiful to know I am building a vehicle for a track I've never driven on, in an event that doesn't even take place in my country of residence. It's also a solid year's worth of work away from a condition I would consider adequate to even consider shipping the car overseas to privateer my way into an event that occurs every Wednesday morning for one month out of the year, which means I also have to plan out my stay accordingly.

We will tackle this mountain of a task when the time comes, for now, it is time spent in-garage until I can do some serious shakedowns with the car this summer running NASA Time Trial Unlimited on my local circuits.

I'm such a daft person with daft ideas and a daft train of thought.

I think this is enough of an intro for now, there is a high probability you think I'm insane and most likely have simply clicked their way out of this thread.

The following will be the actual text containing the build of an RX-7 that some kid is piecing together.



Chapter 1: The Basics
December 2013

I had been daily driving this car, by choice, over the last several months, nine to be exact. This chapter is a focus on the start of my suspension campaign, the necessary footwork needed to even begin such a task. Mostly enjoying backroad driving, and late night maximum velocity blasts, I have rekindled my love for both the Rotary Engine, and the FD3S chassis. I would be lying if I said I was disappointed with the vehicle I purchased.

Image size reduced, original size: 800 x 532. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Image size reduced, original size: 800 x 532. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

I have chosen, upon alot of research, Knightsport Aragosta coilovers, for this project. I have heard many a good review, and paying close eye to those running TC2000, the Aragosta coilovers seem to a popular choice, being both digressive and valved for track use, while retaining good shock characteristics for mildly bumpy and uneven track surfaces. Though at 12kg/mm front and 10kg/mm rear spring rates, I wouldn't call these optimal 'street' coilovers unless you pick and choose roads which are smooth and decently paved, I still found these were a lot different then the strictly track use only RE-Amemiya Quantum coilovers I had on my last FD3S. Combined with Improved Racing sway bar end links, and a small brake upgrade of stainless steel lines and Motul RBF650 brake fluid to improve overall pedal feel for the meantime before I revisit both my suspension and brakes later in the spring.

At this point I have also removed all sound deadening, airbags, radio and all speakers, both heat and air conditioning components, including the blower motor and all electronics and switches to operate them. I have installed an older Greddy gauge set-up in the place of the AirCon knobs, both 60mm Boost and Exhaust Gas Temperature to further monitor what my Power FC commander isn't set to display currently, along with a block of plate for the respective lack of radio.

I spend a solid day on the sound deadening, using the classic dry ice method, and chipped away at sound deadening for over eight hours, alas the method worked great, except for the fact that the tar laid over the transmission tunnel is thicker and much harder to place dry ice upon. I had moved on without doing those two sections, and will revisit them in the future when I work on paint and roll cage work, as I will be giving my interior an acid bath at that point anyways.

I have to say, this stage alone had really given me some incentive to keep pushing forward over the next few coming months as the chassis is overall very refreshing, reminding me of Colin Chapman's famous quote of 'Simplify, then add Lightness'. A quote I follow very strictly, as I believe weight is one of the most important factors in maximum velocity around corners, only being rivaled by proper suspension geometry, from the factory or otherwise.

[If you can read this, this is a placeholder for further pictures that haven't been posted yet. I will notify when complete.]




Chapter 2: Unexpected Failures and Teardown
February 2014

Well, though it was sooner then I expected, I had caught my car driving oddly very nearby my home after acceleration and very mild boost pressures. After some diagnosis, and minimal running time, the following day I had determined that my Side Seal on the rear rotor had started to fail, leaving me with only 60-70psi of compression. I had stopped driving my car immediately to prevent any further damage to my side housings.

Now to begin my first rebuild of a Rotary engine, at least during this time it snows every week and the sub-freezing temperatures allow me time to properly rebuild an engine without missing any events.

After four days, consisting mostly of 10+ hours a day, I have removed, disassembled and properly cleaned my 13B-REW. Needless to say, I am extremely tired, my hands are nearly eaten off by the parts washing solvent exposure over the past two days. Upon inspection, it was indeed a side seal failure, possibly a second side seal on the same side of the rear rotor as well. Otherwise, zero damage done anywhere else to the engine, both the side housings and rotors are in excellent shape.

After clean-up:

Image size reduced, original size: 800 x 600. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Image size reduced, original size: 800 x 600. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Image size reduced, original size: 800 x 600. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Image size reduced, original size: 800 x 600. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Image size reduced, original size: 800 x 600. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Image size reduced, original size: 800 x 600. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

I am choosing to send my rotor housings out to be hypersonic cleansed, resurfaced and ceramic coated for a fresh surface and proper compression. My current surface is barely passable for reuse, and I'm concerned it will come back to bite me in long term condition. I have already ordered a Atkins rebuild kit with Sold Corner Seals and a billet Thermal Pellet, E&J Race Works Rotor Seal kit.

I was disappointed with the port work done previously by the shop who assembled the engine. It appears that the machinist spent no more then one hour on the side housings as the template's outline was just quickly bled back into the factory cast port finish, without actually carrying the port work through the rest of the port like it was supposed to be.

I had contacted Pineapple Racing to ask them, in their experience, what port would be best suited for the '99 Spec twin turbos, and after a long discussion about Road Racing, class rules (or lack there-of) and my goals in driving predictability, we decided to step up to a large Intake Street port for more top end power, attempting to generate more turbo lag for predictability in corner exits, as the '99 Spec twin turbos spool very, very quickly, and a Exhaust port for a larger turbo application to complete the circle of flow.

Large Streetport and EP3A porting templates for both Intake and Exhaust ports were both purchased.

I'll be keeping up with the build as I collect enough to make a post, I will also edit Chapter 1, as I need to add pictures and some text of the progress made in late 2013 and notify you guys when I add those pictures in. I'll probably be doing updates in the fashion of 'Chapter 1.1' et cetera, if that makes any sense.

Look forward to a post dedicated solely for future plans and goals sometime soon, as I haven't exactly stated much of anything pertaining to my ideas yet and future developments such as Aero and Chassis modification along with my plans when I revisit my Suspension and Brakes shortly.

- Mike

this is going to be exciting. Should ask Rotella to sponser you lol

Awesome progress so far, sir! Looking forward to where this goes.

A...add another slab of rotor and make it a 3 rotor beast... :3

anyways...did the R-Magic WBK you ordered months ago arrived yet?

dude was about to buy it but the engine said no

/:

Chapter 3: Chassis Work, Chassis Work, and Some Porting
March 2014

I will be honest, the project at hand yields high intensity, and very little results, leaving me with very little to type about despite how involved I am working on this car on a daily basis.

I have recently completed the refinishing and cleaning of just about every engine piece on this motor, which you will see in Chapter 4, and with my housings shipped off to Freelance Motorsport for resurfacing and the exhaust porting completed, I have some time to focus on one of the many other tasks for the TA FD3S.

Partly peer pressure and partly my obsessive compulsive disorder, I've stripped down the entire engine bay, also deleting unnecessary systems at this time, such as the many crash sensors and wiring for the airbags I no longer have, washer fluid, etcetera. The next week of my life was wet sanding and taping things off, though, currently the engine bay and front frame rails are the only thing competed, I am pleased with my color choice, or lack there of. Sounds fancy doesn't it? Don't get your hopes up:

Image size reduced, original size: 1024 x 768. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Image size reduced, original size: 1024 x 768. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

It's actually quite boring.

Going for a more industrial, purposeful appearance, I've coated the front end in primer followed by more wet sanding to finish of a top coat of black low-gloss Lacquer paint. I warned you not to get your hopes up, though coming out of a spray can, it is impressive what you can achieve with a little bit of elbow grease. My secret, not that there is one; I really prefer Lacquer over Enamel, it lays down into more even, smoother coats and doesn't show off a streaky, unprofessional appearance, and wet sanding, copious amounts of wet sanding.

Moving along.

I managed to slow myself down for a minute to capture a picture of the exhaust porting I had completed just before boxing up the housings to send off to the machine shop. I would say the porting and polishing on these two subjects was completed in 12 hours (Thanks Dad!) and certainly appears to be held to a higher standard then my intake ports were at the shop that previously rebuilt this engine. The EP3A exhaust port is certainly larger then factory, and the polishing is top notch, the media surface has a much more fine roughness average then the factory casting and insert.

Image size reduced, original size: 1024 x 768. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Image size reduced, original size: 1024 x 768. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

The increase in turbo lag and top end power is very exciting, I'm fighting to have a a smoother power band for corner exit predictability and I think this will be a key to my victory. I'm a little in the dark on what to expect out of the turbo spool time, as very few people run such a large exhaust port on a factory turbo set and manifolds, but anything slower then factory will restore confidence when I'm at one hundred and ten percent.

This is my progress for now, this chapter will consist of two parts, as I will be completing both the interior and intake porting this week with similar thoroughness. I do need to type up the interlude consisting of future plans for those of you who aren't extremely familiar with my project, which is mostly aerodynamics and weight savings technical conversation.

However, after this following piece of Chapter 3, which is more high intensity/low progress developments, I will be left with the engine re-assembly and installation.

-Mike

Wheres the updates? Wheres the Pics?! Wheres the CAKE?!?!?!?!?!

this

y u no post more?

This post has been edited by WRX22B1998 on Jan 15 2015, 09:52 PM

Its because this whole section is dead. Even I have updates that i dont post because its so dead, theres no one to read them.