Joff and MrsJoff's Chaste White BorgWarner FD build [Archive]

joff

10-22-2009, 01:26 AM

Now that the weather is nicer and the garage is not +110 degF (I live in Phoenix) its a perfect time to start working on the FD putting in all the parts purchased over the last year.

A bit about the car as it is now:

* 1994 Chaste White FD RX7, 1 of 26 made in the "Base" package with no options/weight adders.
* PFS ported engine, PFS intake, exhaust, SMIC, and CAI w/ stock twins.
* aftermarket 17" wheels
* everything else stock except for computer which is PFC...

Our plans:

* single turbo conversion,
----- Borg Warner S366 turbo
----- AZRR manifold
----- CJM fuel system (4x 780cc, 2x 480cc, Bosch 044 pump, turbosmart FPR)
----- Xcessive/GZ LIM
----- devilsown water injection
----- black themed engine bay w/red SMIC & red throttle body.
* interior tweaks
----- different steering wheel (a Miata one probably -- undecided)
----- red Bride seats
----- repainted plastics in Spirit-R grey
----- some upholstery work on the center console, passenger door handle, gauge hood
----- red trim mats, shift boots, and shifter similar to Spirit-R
* exterior tweaks
----- Shine OEM fit FRP FEED hood painted Chaste White
----- KS-Auto Burnout front bumper
----- Carbon Fiber side-skirts, CF fender vents, and CF rear RE-Amemiya "street" diffuser
----- 99-spec spoiler with Autoexe Carbon fiber center section
----- custom red LED tail lights and every other exterior light tinted black.
* suspension tweaks
----- Tokico Illumina shocks/Racing beat springs
----- Superpro bushings
----- Racing beat F/R sway bars w/adjustable end-links
----- Enkei black RPF1 18x9.5 +45 offset w/285s front and back
----- drilled+slotted rotors

Like a lot of FD owners, I do not work fast. Both my wife and I have other daily drivers
(supercharged RX8, VW New Beetle, and lifted Jeep Wranger) so getting the 7 back on the
road is not super urgent. My wife and I will update this thread with pictures along
the way and I hope to be able to have everything we wanted done before Winter's over. I
spent 9 hours organizing tools/prepping the garage so I'm ready to get started!

Here's some pics:

The car as it is right now:
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build.jpg

All interior pieces have been removed and are at Unique Auto upholstery/interiors in Scottsdale, AZ for some paint and upholstery work. We actually bought the carbon fiber overlays from Corksport and put a few on but were unhappy with the appearance so took them off. Taking them off put blemishes in the finish though, so we decided to just repaint everything.
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build007.jpg

Removed rear lights for round 96 spec conversion and to replace with custom LEDs. Opening up those with the heat gun was quite the trick (especially the long center light)!
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build008.jpg

Removing rear suspension for pillow-ball + bushing + shock/spring replacement
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build009.jpg

New shock/spring combo -- even matches the exterior white/black/red accent color scheme! Ended up having to get new bump stops too since the OEM rubber was falling apart.
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build010.jpg

Some of the black go fast goodies: BW S366, HKS SSQV limited edition matte black BOV, Turbosmart FPR, CJM fuel rail, and turbosmart manual boost controller. I want to keep boost control as simple as possible and want to avoid extra electronics, wires, and computers because I don't trust them. BTW, I'm a computer engineer.
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build017.jpg

Our Bride seats + one of red floor mats. Wasn't sure about the shiny silver FRP backside of these seats, but its actually pretty neat.
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build019.jpg

We're putting a 99'spec spoiler with Autoexe carbon center insert on and have some carbon fiber fender vents. We liked these
specific fender vents because they were exactly the same shape as the stock ones. Not a big fan of the ones that are bigger and bolder looking. Megan Racing manifold is in the background-- boy was that purchase a mistake and I have a horror story about dealing with the company I'll tell later.
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build018.jpg

Decided to sand/polish off the lettering on the stock lens in preparation for tinting. This bumped lettering always ended up catching wax from waxing and looking bad. The one on the right is sanded, the one on the left is original.
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build002.jpg

bbade

10-22-2009, 09:13 AM

Going to be a great build! How did you sand off the lettering without scuffing, looks great.

Herblenny

10-22-2009, 09:23 AM

Nice build!

joff

10-22-2009, 09:39 AM

Going to be a great build! How did you sand off the lettering without scuffing, looks great.

Thanks!

By wet sanding 320 grit to 720 grit to 1500 grit and then finishing off with 3M polishing compound. Same process works great for taking out paint scratches that are only in the clear coat.

need RX7

10-22-2009, 02:05 PM

Nice! FDs look so sexy in white.

RCCAZ 1

10-22-2009, 05:41 PM

Looks Great guys. Can't wait to see more results!!

MrsJoff

10-22-2009, 06:29 PM

Nice! FDs look so sexy in white.

I agree :D

prrex4ever

10-22-2009, 08:48 PM

Great build, really like the white/carbon fiber/red seats look. Could you tell me where you got the CF fender vents? Thanks, good luck with your project.

RCCAZ 1

10-22-2009, 10:54 PM

Looks like I may need to get over to your house and test fit those BRIDEs in my car ;)

RCCAZ 1

10-22-2009, 10:58 PM

Our Bride seats + one of red floor mats. Wasn't sure about the shiny silver FRP backside of these seats, but its actually pretty neat.
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build019.jpg

Hey Jesse, can you post up a pic of the backside of the seat? Just want to see what you're talking about.

joff

10-23-2009, 12:10 AM

Hey Jesse, can you post up a pic of the backside of the seat? Just want to see what you're talking about.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build022.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build024.jpg

It looks almost gaudy sparkle-y in pics, but more metallic in person. Any time you want to come over to them out, feel free -- itll be a couple weeks yet before they're put in.

Great build, really like the white/carbon fiber/red seats look. Could you tell me where you got the CF fender vents? Thanks, good luck with your project.

One of my favorite 7's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I594HQCHgHc
White + CF + red interior with a loud monster T51R turbo. Anti-surge housing whistle FTW!

Fender vents are from Shine. $110

prrex4ever

10-23-2009, 08:18 PM

Thank you sir, much appreciated.

EJayCe996

10-24-2009, 10:39 AM

I want to keep boost control as simple as possible and want to avoid extra electronics, wires, and computers because I don't trust them. BTW, I'm a computer engineer.

:rofl: That's about right

Off to a good start

toyzzzz

10-24-2009, 11:38 AM

great choices and great taste. keep up the progress pics.

joff

10-25-2009, 11:36 AM

After 6+ months of waiting, the 18x9.5 +45 Enkei RPF1's in black have arrived! Pic of test fit on the rear without the rear suspension connected:

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build026.jpg

MrsJoff didn't like these rims unless we could get drilled/slotted rotors too since these rims show through to the rotors so well. I liked them because they are simple and not "busy" -- I didn't want overly showy/blingy wheels that might draw attention away from the body lines of the FD.

azlizard

10-25-2009, 03:43 PM

Nice !

FC3S Murray

10-25-2009, 08:41 PM

Going to be a great build! How did you sand off the lettering without scuffing, looks great.

I imagine they used i fine grit paper and then just buffed it with a compound like "Plastic X" by Meguires. That stuff does wonders to plastics.

NICE FD! I love them in white. Look forward to some creative building. BTW the wheels are sick!

joff

10-26-2009, 03:33 AM

I imagine they used i fine grit paper and then just buffed it with a compound like "Plastic X" by Meguires. That stuff does wonders to plastics.

I'll have to check out Plastic X-- thanks! Like I mentioned in a previous post, I started with 720 grit and ended with 1500 grit and then 3M rubbing compound.

Here's some pics of them now with how they look after tinting.

With camera's flash:

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/Picture006.jpg

Without flash: (more like what they actually look like -- black)

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/Picture007.jpg

BTW the wheels are sick!

And they'll look even sicker once I get the 285/30 tires on! BTW, this is a pic of the wheel/tire/shock/spring stance we're copying.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_3209.jpg

mazdamaniac

10-26-2009, 07:49 PM

Wow. That's not a lot of offset.
If you aren't gonna track the car at all, it probably won't matter though.
Same goes with the drilled rotors, but be careful because they are prone to cracking under even fairly moderate use with aggressive pads.

joff

11-01-2009, 02:58 AM

My SuperPro bushings finally came Friday so I got everything ready to take down to Scottsdale Automotive today to get new pillow balls and bushings pressed in. In the rear suspension I'm replacing 6 pillowballs with brand new OEM and 12 other bushings with the SuperPro polyurethane replacements. If all this doesn't get rid of the clunking in the rear I don't know what will.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build032.jpg

I had a heck of a time trying to get that 17mm nut off the swaybar endlink/lower shock mount. I broke 2 old socket wrenches, 2 3/8" drive 17mm sockets (splayed them apart), and 3 1/2" to 3/8" adapters before I finally got it apart with a 1/2" drive socket wrench with a 5 ft breaker bar. Some of the sockets and socket adapters I broke were name brand (Craftsman) "high end" impact ones too -- they broke with the same applied torque as the cheapo Harbor Freight ones. (it figures -- chrome vanadium is chrome vanadium)

There will definitely be more "survival of the fittest" going on in my toolbox as this project goes on. I've got some new Chrome-moly socket wrenches and chrome-moly sockets now so we'll see if I can't break them when taking out the 15 year old twins later on. :-)

Wow. That's not a lot of offset.
If you aren't gonna track the car at all, it probably won't matter though.

Not sure what you mean by being not a lot of offset.

FD Stock offset is +50mm on a 16x8 rim and thats what the suspension geometry was designed for. These are +45mm 18x9.5. +45mm is pretty dang close to keeping stock offset, scrub radius and still fitting some wider tires. Any more offset with the same size rim will hit my trailing arms. Any less offset and you end up with the 4x4 look and increased stress to wheel bearings which is also not something we're after.

Same goes with the drilled rotors, but be careful because they are prone to cracking under even fairly moderate use with aggressive pads.

We're keeping with regular pads. The drilled/slotted rotors are for aesthetics only. Here's a pic of them installed in the rear -- definitely better than the rust stained stock ones.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build030.jpg

RCCAZ 1

11-01-2009, 01:53 PM

Looking good! Just got my aftermarket IAT sensor yesterday. Can't wait to get that sucka installed. Making good progress Jesse!

joff

11-02-2009, 12:38 AM

Looking good! Just got my aftermarket IAT sensor yesterday. Can't wait to get that sucka installed. Making good progress Jesse!

Thanks! I got one of those too a few weeks ago. I'm hoping it will help with my hot start idle tune.

We'll be in Vegas for the SEMA show this week. All the nice cars are really good for motivation to get this buildup done. Since you're not going this year, this year will probably be the year lots of nice RX cars are on display. :) Although I doubt that I do hope its at least not as overrun with Nissan GTRs as it was last year.

RCCAZ 1

11-02-2009, 10:43 PM

Thanks! I got one of those too a few weeks ago. I'm hoping it will help with my hot start idle tune.

We'll be in Vegas for the SEMA show this week. All the nice cars are really good for motivation to get this buildup done. Since you're not going this year, this year will probably be the year lots of nice RX cars are on display. :) Although I doubt that I do hope its at least not as overrun with Nissan GTRs as it was last year.

Post up some pics from Vegas if you get the chance... Have FUN!

joff

11-09-2009, 01:16 AM

I really struggled to get this part off today for differential bushing replacement. I tried to do it without dropping the differential and disconnecting the PPF which may have been a bad move. It needed a small breaker bar to loose the 4 nuts holding this bracket to the top of the differential and there was just no room to get any leverage or length on the breaker bar.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build003.jpg

There is a pile of oily dirt underneath the car now in the garage from all the rummaging around I had to do get those nuts out. Between that and whats all over my hands, I figure I've shaved .1 second off my 0-60 just due to the weight reduction. :-) I had no idea it was going to be as messy a job as it ended up being.

prrex4ever

11-09-2009, 10:26 PM

Just a little messy.

joff

11-19-2009, 01:47 AM

Old wheels/tires (17" 235s) vs. new wheels/tires (18" 285s):

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_0389.jpg

Despite being a lot wider, the new wheel combo is actually 4 lbs lighter than the old. (44 vs. 48)

Other things I did last weekend:

- changed rear brake lines to stainless lines
- went over to a friend's who had a 12-ton press to press in rear pillow balls and bushings.
- botched putting another coat of clear on the tinted lights. Ended up with horrible orange-peel/crackling and had to wet sand, buff, and recoat.
- removed fuel pump for AZRR to modify bracket for Bosch 044:

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_0393.jpg

Brent

11-19-2009, 11:42 PM

project looks great!

joff

11-28-2009, 02:09 PM

Well, I finally got all the bushings replaced in the rear and put everything back together.

$4 home depot bushing installer since using a press here was an exercise in futility. It was about impossible to get the bushing started straight without this.
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_0397.jpg

Without the swaybar and shock/spring installed, I used a jack to check clearances at max travel. The first thing to hit is the fender lip, shown here. A slight fender roll/pull should fix this.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_0419.jpg

Front inside wheel well I have about a penny's diameter from the trailing arm to the tire. This is what I was most concerned about in the rears -- I found one spreadsheet online that said 285's on 9.5" rims w/ 45 offset would not fit and that I'd hit the trailing arm. Not so. The rotors ended up being slightly thicker than the OEM ones too which helped. I'm hoping having replaced the bushings in the trailing arms/toe links with stiffer superpros should keep any dynamic toe-in to a minimum since it would reduce this spacing.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_0418.jpg

Another pic of wheel/tire fitment:

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_0427.jpg

Overall, I am very happy with how the wheel fills the wheel well. I am not a fan of low offset wheels that stick out too much and give the look of a 4x4. This is the limit of what I consider still looks good.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_0431.jpg

After replacing the upper arm bushings, it was a major pain to get this piece reinstalled. I had to use a large flat head screw driver as a crow bar to even get this started and then had to pound it in with a 4-lb hammer. Since they are so tight, I'm worried about squeeking.

ubGT-CxPejw

Turbo II Rotor

11-28-2009, 03:58 PM

Try some silicone spray lubricant where the bushing meets the chassis.

dregg100

11-29-2009, 12:05 PM

the only problem with ballooned tires is the will have premature wear. i like the white on black though. nice project

joff

11-29-2009, 01:47 PM

Those squeeky bushings were bothering me and the silicone spray didn't help, so I thought to try using the small amount of this "Prothane" grease that came with the Racing Beat sway bars.

BH7Ohd0yk8c

Moral of story-- don't use the grease that comes with the SuperPro bushings.

TitaniumTT

11-29-2009, 02:13 PM

I love this build. Just goes to show you what a little planning and research can do for a project.

If you ever run short of that grease, you can order it from summit, or, call Energy Suspension and mention that you have a few of their bushings, give them some part numbers, that you need more grease, and they'll send it to you ;)

MrsJoff

12-12-2009, 08:24 AM

Well, since Jesse has been too busy working on the car, thought I would post some progress pictures. Jesse has taken the week off from work and we flew his Dad out for the week and they have been extremely busy on the car.

before:
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_0462.jpg

now: test fitting the turbo
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_0471.jpg

The cute little baby turbos are out and the rats nest is all over the ground. The garage is in a state of a somewhat organized chaos. I have a front bumper in my office, the living room couches are covered with body parts and you can not even walk into the spare bedroom since that has become the parts storage room. Hope this project does not take too long.
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_0469.jpg

They are working on taking out the wire harness. All the wires that were under the UIM sound extremely crispy when you move them. Good thing that is being replaced.

Well, time for me to get to work. Need to wake up the boys, feed them and kick them back into the garage :)

RCCAZ 1

12-12-2009, 09:06 AM

Well, since Jesse has been too busy working on the car, thought I would post some progress pictures. Jesse has taken the week off from work and we flew his Dad out for the week and they have been extremely busy on the car...

...The cute little baby turbos are out and the rats nest is all over the ground. The garage is in a state of a somewhat organized chaos. I have a front bumper in my office, the living room couches are covered with body parts and you can not even walk into the spare bedroom since that has become the parts storage room. Hope this project does not take too long.

You are SOooo funny. "Cute little baby turbos." Such a girlie comment ;) As far as getting your house back anytime soon, let's see... Jill has been asking me that same question now for (hmmmm....) at least a couple of years now, but we're gettng closer. Tell Jesse (and his Dad) good luck with the build. Take a break and stop down to Intense for the show today (12/13) 11 am to 4 pm. Funny how when you start digging into these engines (FDs), you find out just how crispy everything has become.

Force13b

12-14-2009, 03:24 PM

prrex4ever

12-15-2009, 07:10 PM

Great project, coming along nicely!

joff

01-10-2010, 02:36 AM

AZRR manifold was completed this week.

Equal length runners, schedule 40 pipe, beautiful welds and nice gradual bends. Only negative is this thing is heavy, but at least its extremely sturdy-- should hold up to being header wrapped better that way.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build001.jpg
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build002-1.jpg

joff

01-10-2010, 01:01 PM

Pics of powder coated Xcessive LIM with fuel rail/injectors.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build011.jpg

I JB-welded the injector adapter sleeves since I couldn't think of any reason to ever take them out and it'd just be another rubber o-ring to eventually age and fail.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build012.jpg

Tech B

01-10-2010, 03:34 PM

Looks like a streetorstrip made that turbo manifold. Nice lower intake manifold!

glenrx7

01-11-2010, 09:34 AM

NO streetorstrip is not someone we would ever do business with again. This manifold is done in house by our fabricator.

MrsJoff

01-19-2010, 11:25 PM

Happy day for me, our Nardi Deep Corn steering wheel came in today. I spent months searching for a Mazda Speed Miata steering wheel with no luck. So, we decided to go with the Nardi since it has the red stitching and it looks much more modern than the stock wheel.

It is slowly coming all together. :)

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build063.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build064.jpg

dregg100

01-20-2010, 12:53 AM

mind posting a link as to where you got that beauty from?

MrsJoff

01-21-2010, 10:50 AM

mind posting a link as to where you got that beauty from?

Why thank you, I also think it is beautiful :).

I had done quite a lot of research to find the best pricing. I knew I wanted to go with the NRG parts so this combo deal was the way to go.

http://www.weaksauceparts.com/store/home.php?cat=1930

joff

01-31-2010, 05:34 PM

I built the brackets for the new oil cooler and fan today. Went with a Setrab 25 row and SPAL 7.5" low profile fan. I used a 5$ strip of aluminum from Ace hardware, a hacksaw, and a hand riveter. It would have been nice to have a bending brake, but I was able to bend by hand using a vice as long as the bend was perpedicular to the strip.

I'm only going with a single oil cooler for now as I want to minimize plumbing and potential failure points/leaks. Plus, I'd like to keep the other side of the bumper open for a potential cold air intake if I can find a way to get a duct from there to the engine bay.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_0601.jpg
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_0603.jpg
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_0605.jpg

stever

01-31-2010, 05:53 PM

hey Joff,

Aluminum, as well as steel has a grain structure just like wood. You want to be sure to bend perpendicular to the grain. You can picture wood if you bend parallel to the grain, metal will also tend to fracture. Bar stock has grains running longitudinally so it looks correct in you picture.

Easy_E1

02-01-2010, 03:56 AM

Hi Jesse and Lynn! The 7 is looking good.

TitaniumTT

02-01-2010, 09:29 AM

Progress looks great guys!

I see ID injectors :D I'm ordering a set of 725/2000 myself for my twin turbo Cosmo. I'm very excited to use them as well as new coils.

What are you guys running for engine management and coils?

What are you doing with your cute little baby turbo's, are they up for adoption?

joff

02-01-2010, 09:27 PM

Aluminum, as well as steel has a grain structure just like wood. You want to be sure to bend perpendicular to the grain.

Good to know! I would have bent it at an angle if I could, I guess its good I wasn't able.

I see ID injectors :D I'm ordering a set of 725/2000 myself for my twin turbo Cosmo. I'm very excited to use them as well as new coils.

What are you guys running for engine management and coils?

What are you doing with your cute little baby turbo's, are they up for adoption?

Is ID what YawPower turned into? I'm running 4x 780cc and 2x 480cc injectors on a PowerFC. Using stock coils with the HKS Twinpower.

Haven't really thought about what to do with the twins. I suppose I'll try and sell them-- how much do you think they're worth?

Nismo

02-01-2010, 09:45 PM

Haven't really thought about what to do with the twins. I suppose I'll try and sell them-- how much do you think they're worth?

Give Brian "special pricing" Like $2000 LOL

TitaniumTT

02-01-2010, 10:25 PM

Is ID what YawPower turned into? I'm running 4x 780cc and 2x 480cc injectors on a PowerFC. Using stock coils with the HKS Twinpower.

From what I know YawPower still exists, they just produce the Injector Dynamics injectors. With such small primaries she outta be pretty easy to get to idle REALLY well depending on the ports. I've got to shoot Paul an email and order my 725/2000 combo. Unlike you FD guys, I can't make use of 6 injectors easily......... wait, I'm an FD guy now too :rofl:

Haven't really thought about what to do with the twins. I suppose I'll try and sell them-- how much do you think they're worth?

Depends on what kind of condition they're in. Are the blades all intact? Any seeping oil, smoke, cracks in the mani's etc etc. PM me if you want to sell them, I may be looking for a pair of cartridges.

Kev, the price on my injectors for you just went up 100 fold

Nismo

02-01-2010, 10:34 PM

Kev, the price on my injectors for you just went up 100 fold

Lol, I have 1680's and 750's, Lotsa Fuel little buddy!!

MrsJoff

02-03-2010, 01:42 PM

Just got this in from Shine. This is actually our second one. The first one had a slight chip in it but Ken stood by his product and sent us another one. After holding this up to the back of the car, I am sure Jesse is not looking forward to putting this on the car. Seems like it is going to be very difficult.

Don't mind the posers.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build003-1.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build002-2.jpg

WE3RX7

02-03-2010, 02:07 PM

Sweet!

azlizard

02-03-2010, 07:01 PM

MrsJoff

02-04-2010, 11:29 AM

Hey, I have the same furniture you have.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n175/azlizard/DSC_2148.jpg

Well, there is a novel idea, having a clear couch so that you can actually sit in them. If I had turned the camera up a bit you would have seen all the car body and parts all over the furniture.
We not only share great taste in cars and furniture, but also art. I LOVE Carol Griggs. We have a few of her pieces in the house.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build004-1.jpg

And since we are already totally off topic, thought I would add these pics. Tim, RCCAZ1 just celebrated a birthday. I won't say how old he is (OLD!!), but I loved his cake. Whomever made it included so many details. Check it out.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build041.jpg
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build040.jpg

Nice belt buckle Stever.

MrsJoff

02-04-2010, 06:56 PM

Since Jesse was not all that excited about all the girlie stuff going on in his car thread, I figured I would get it back on topic. The rest of our red stitch goodies just came in from RHDJapan today.

Here is a little sneak peak of our interior with some of the dyed plastics.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build007-2.jpg

This interior is going to be so damn Sexy!!

glenrx7

02-05-2010, 09:20 AM

Wow oh man Jesse and Lynn your not playing fair....Now I have to step up my fd projec:o11: great build......I what Bubba :o10: Bubba and sister should stay at a the shop we will dog proof it...

Hahaha keep up the nice build

toyzzzz

08-07-2010, 11:08 AM

progress is looking good.

RCCAZ 1

08-07-2010, 03:51 PM

We need more pics!!!! And newer pics. James has a suprise for eveyone as well, but I'm not gonna spoil it! So please, post up some new progress shots, OK?

Indian

08-07-2010, 04:27 PM

loving this build.... keep it up!

MrsJoff

08-13-2010, 12:31 PM

We unfortunately have taken a lot of time off from the build, lack of motivation I guess combined with the 115 degree weather. But, I did finally get the taillights painted. Jesse has plans to make special LED lights, but that will be a future job.

Followed the instructions from this website
http://www.jsott.com/rx-7/lights/index.html

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build072.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build077.jpg

I don't want to say how many hours it took me to line the damn circles up. They better look amazing on the car after all this work.

MrsJoff

08-27-2010, 10:20 AM

Here is some of Jesse's handy work with Carbon/Kevlar. We purchased the coil relocating kit from AZ Rotary Rockets and Jesse reworked the top part that shows in the engine bay. I think it looks incredible, should really look sharp in the blacked out engine bay.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build081.jpg

The plan was originally to have the FD done for 7Stock this year. But, it is going to be 8Stock for us instead. We will be representing the Pettit Supercharged 8's this year.

Some pics of how the FD is sitting now.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/Dogs015.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/Dogs014.jpg

Force13b

08-27-2010, 10:35 AM

ta4545

08-27-2010, 12:10 PM

Nice !

BigIslandSevens

08-28-2010, 08:53 PM

I look forward to seeing this one done. It is going to be sweet. I also recently saw a supercharged 8 at Road Atlanta. That is a nice set-up as well. Have fun at "8stock"

Dave

MrsJoff

08-29-2010, 05:39 PM

Did RHDJapan redo the leather on your steering wheel?

The only parts from RHDJapan in that picture are the shift knob and the brake lever. The steering wheel is a new Nardi Deep Corn.

Jesse has put a lot of time into redoing all the wire harnesses. He went through the main one, I guess the engine one and with 4 pages of schematics went through every single wire and ripped out ones we did not need, replaced bad wires, redid connections if needed and then wrapped them all up with new nylon braided sheath to make them look pretty.:)

He also relocated the battery to the rear passenger bin. I can't believe how tiny that battery is. I'll be getting him good jumper cables for Christmas because I bet he is going to have to use them a lot with that battery.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build084.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build083.jpg

A while back we had some different engine parts powder coated. The place did a great job. If anyone in the Phoenix area is looking for a good powder coater, I would recommend Glendale Powder Coat. Great company, fast and quality work.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build085.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build086.jpg

Well, that is all for now. Thank you everyone for your kind words.

Front 1ine

08-30-2010, 10:03 PM

Wow, great build so far. I'm eager to see it finished!

RCCAZ 1

09-06-2010, 09:18 AM

Some pics of how the FD is sitting now.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/Dogs015.jpg

Looking good guys. Wow, super high quality build. Love the attention to detail. Had to laugh at the camping lantern in the rear hatch area. Hard to see sometimes in those areas, plus 2-4 am is about the only time to work when you're not burning up in the garage. ;)

POPCORN

09-27-2010, 06:20 AM

good stuff

MrsJoff

09-30-2010, 01:53 PM

Nothing too special, but since the trunk has been torn apart, I decided to clean up and paint the vinyls. I used the Duplicolor Bumper Coating and it is almost an identical match to the original color, just cleaner and better. In the pic, the left side has been painted and the right side is yet to be done.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build089.jpg

Jesse is getting a little obsessive about this car, down to the washers matching the engine bay color theme, black and red.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build091.jpg
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build092.jpg

We dropped off the bins and all the stuff behind the seats to the upholstery shop to see about getting them wrapped in leather with red stitching. Hopefully it won't be too expensive (laugh). Will post up pics if we get them done.

prrex4ever

10-01-2010, 10:27 PM

Build is coming along nicely, looking good.

Pettersen

10-03-2010, 02:59 AM

Great work, i hope i'm able to build my FC to the same standards :)

SUBSCRIBED!

MrsJoff

10-08-2010, 02:22 PM

Well, got the estimate for wrapping the back bin pieces in leather and even thought we both really wanted it, it is not happening. They want over $4000 to wrap the four pieces, the bins, divider and the two side speaker panels. Wow! I would rather put that money into some R-Magic headlights.

The newest thing Jesse is adding to the FD to-do list is repainting the engine bay. I agree that it needs to be done, but he wants to paint it black. He fell head over heals for that winning yellow FD at 7Stock and his engine bay was painted black. While I think it looked great for his car, his paint was not an original color, while we are keeping ours the original CW.

What do you guys think, repaint it white or go all out and black it out?

Here is a pic of the engine bay Jesse is getting the idea from

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/5006550716_0d238ed0e3_o.jpg

Duffman692002

10-08-2010, 04:13 PM

+1 to keeping it white.

Prodigy

10-08-2010, 06:35 PM

Im with Duffman on this one... although the black on yellow looks superb, I would eep his white....

awesome build though, i might be stealing some of your ideas in the future...

J.

RCCAZ 1

10-09-2010, 12:05 PM

Keep it white and let's get this sucka put together. I need to have you guys back on the street cruising with me!! :) BTW, seeing the pics of that yellow car's engine bay again just reminds me of how unbelieveable his attention to detail was. For those who didn't see the car, it was hands down the best FD I've ever seen. Small attention to detail was OVER THE TOP! Simply spectacular!!

MrsJoff

10-09-2010, 04:14 PM

Keep it white and let's get this sucka put together. I need to have you guys back on the street cruising with me!! :)

So, what are you saying Tim......the RX8 is chopped liver?!!??

Are we not cool enough to roll with you and your FD when we are in the RX8?!?!!

Just Kidding :tongue1:

I have tried to tear Jesse away from his vacuum and vacuum bag experimenting so that we can focus this weekend on dismantling the engine bay and maybe getting it painted. Keep your fingers crossed that I can keep him on task. These darn engineers are so difficult to work with. :lol:

MrsJoff

10-12-2010, 09:20 AM

We did not get to painting the engine bay this last weekend, but you will never even notice the yellowing paint once Jesse's new project is done and in there. Here is a little sneak peak of his newest project.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build100.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build098.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build103.jpg

He had to clean up the PFS SMIC air duct by redoing some fiberglass sections and bondoing some imperfections. He spent over 4 hours wet sanding it last night and should be done with it in the next couple of days. This project looks incredible! Will post up some more pics once he has it finished.

MrsJoff

10-13-2010, 11:06 AM

It is all done (maybe)

Some stages through the process

After the 7th and final coat of resin

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build105.jpg

After 4 hours of course sanding

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build113.jpg

After another 4 hours of wet sanding to make it shiny and pretty. Up against the SMIC.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build115.jpg

In place in the engine bay

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build127.jpg

Jesse is not totally satisfied with the outcome. He may apply more coats of resin and start the sanding process all over again to make the shine a little deeper. Either way, he put a lot of hard work into it and it looks amazing.

jeffe19007

10-13-2010, 01:02 PM

Looks good to me!

Willing to take lessons any time.

NoDOHC

10-13-2010, 11:29 PM

joff

10-14-2010, 10:33 AM

Wow! That intake boot is a work of art! I like how the fabric shows through the clear resin. I am curious why the wrinkle partway down, does that go around something?

The car looks amazing. Nice work!

Thank you!

That wrinkle is there to form fit around the radiator and the reinforcement bar that slightly curves inward where the hood latch is. The pic above of it in the engine bay is slightly wrong -- its supposed to slide a little more (1") forward and fit flush against that bar.

RCCAZ 1

10-16-2010, 09:57 AM

joff

10-17-2010, 01:10 AM

Looking good guys. I have a special part coming for my car that I need to make you aware of. Will call you sometime today (Sat) so we can discuss some more. Jesse... looking incredible bro. I take it that this is the new higher temp epoxy on the duct, correct??

Yep -- I took some samples and did an experiment in the temp chamber I have at work for testing electronic circuit boards. This new resin (Silmar 249) should hold up far better to engine bay temperatures in Arizona. I should have taken a picture of the Kleer Koat epoxy sample at 80C -- it was about as flexible as a slice of cheese. Its too bad, that epoxy was by far the easiest to work with.

MrsJoff

10-22-2010, 03:53 PM

Some pictures of Jesses' next project

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build135.jpg

With a lot of resin and fiberglass that becomes this

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build140.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build137.jpg

Again, with a lot of resin and more fiberglass that becomes this

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build141.jpg

If it is not obvious, this new project is a water/meth reservoir in the spare tire well.

prrex4ever

10-22-2010, 06:19 PM

Very original, thinking out of the box.

MrsJoff

10-25-2010, 03:26 PM

My new project :hurray: It took a lot of convincing to get Jesse to agree to this. He was not that happy about having to remove the ABS, brake drum and everything else. But he did, and I think it is well worth it. Now we can also clean up all the stuff that was removed. I am a very happy camper now!

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build157.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build158.jpg

The white is not an identical match. But it is much better than the dirty, yellowed, burnt color currently in the engine bay.

YAAA!!

RCCAZ 1

10-30-2010, 12:16 PM

RCCAZ 1

10-30-2010, 12:21 PM

...<snip> Jesse is getting a little obsessive about this car, down to the washers matching the engine bay color theme, black and red.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build091.jpg
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build092.jpg

Where did you guys source these fastners? I'm definitely interested.

joff

10-30-2010, 01:51 PM

So, are you guys planning to paint the entire engine bay (around the shock towers and up to the front as well)? When are you going to be done with this project? Next Sevenstock? ;) Tell Jesse to start burning up some of his vacation time!!

Painting is done. We did the whole engine bay.

Taking some vacation next week but not working on the car-- going to SEMA again.

I had to stop my fiberglass water/meth tank because I ran out of the special methanol resistant resin and its not something you can find anywhere local. I got the internal baffling done though.

Fasteners I got through ebay. I changed my mind about using the red ones since I think they're just a little too showy for me and am planning on using only the black ones.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200523052460&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build161.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build165.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1146.jpg

MrsJoff

11-04-2010, 08:52 AM

This post is not about the FD, sorry. But, since we are in Las Vegas, it is about SEMA. Just having to brag a little bit. While walking around we ran into Tanner Foust and I got a sig and pic with him. I LOVE Tanner!!!

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/SEMA2010.jpg

I don't know who the little bald guy is, he kind of slipped into the picture. He is some drifter guy that competes with Tanner.

And for all you Petrol Heads, we were invited to an exclusive screening of the History Channels U.S. version of Top Gear.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/SEMA2010120.jpg

While Jesse and I were sitting there waiting for the show to begin we mentioned how we would never accept the new hosts since they would not be Jeremy, Richard or Captain Slow. Much to our surprise and excitement, one of the new hosts is TANNER FOUST!!!! Did I mention how much I LOVE Tanner?!!!?? They did not change a thing about the show. The great cinematography is the same, the same type of challenges and commentary while driving in the cars. I think they did a great job. And Tanner Foust is in it :biggthumpup: They went with the History Channel so they can give honest opinions of the cars, without bothering whether it hurts the car manufacturer. The show starts Nov 21st at 10pm. Set your Tivo's now!!

We also got video of Ken Block drifting in the parking lot. He was giving ride alongs in his bad ass little 650hp Ford Fiesta. That would be a blast, as long as they had a barf bucket in there. We will post all the pics and videos in the regional section once we get back home.

speedjunkie

11-04-2010, 07:45 PM

The "little bald guy" is Stephen Papadakis LOL!! AFAIK he stared out drag racing Civics back in the day and now he's moved on to drifting, an S2000 I believe.

That's cool you got to meet those guys though. I wish we could have made SEMA again this year :(

I love the water/meth tank btw, my roommate was going to have one made but the company quoted him about $8k, YIKES!!

joff

11-20-2010, 03:18 PM

The fiberglass water/meth reservoir is done. It holds 3.9 gallons and locks in perfectly to the contours of the spare tire well. I'm going to use the stock rear washer fluid reservoir with a hidden hose to the spare-tire reservoir too for convenient fillup and slightly increased capacity. The rear pickup and internal baffling should keep things safe when accelerating or cornering.

http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb442/LynnOff/DSC02376.jpg

http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb442/LynnOff/DSC02374.jpg

NoDOHC

11-21-2010, 12:11 AM

joff

11-21-2010, 11:17 AM

That is cool, did you use a black resin or paint that tank?

The baffles are a really good idea, not only do they constrain the fuel, they add strength and support for the rear hatch area.

Keep up the good work

No, I used vinylester resin which dries a semi-translucent amber. The black is a truck bed liner spraycan.

muibubbles

11-24-2010, 10:26 AM

awesome man. do u have abetter picture of how the baffles work? i love this idea because the spare tire well is such a waste of space... great idea!

joff

11-24-2010, 10:48 PM

awesome man. do u have abetter picture of how the baffles work? i love this idea because the spare tire well is such a waste of space... great idea!

There are four "chambers" as shown below.

Under straight line acceleration, the fluid will collect toward the rear and the pickup is in the rear, so no problem there.

Under lateral/cornering g-forces, the fluid on the sides must flow through the rear pickup chamber to get from one side to the other. The holes between the chambers are not big, so flow rate from one side of the reservoir to the other takes a long time.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/baffle.jpg

Prodigy

11-25-2010, 03:34 AM

Have you considered creating something so it makes the passageways one way? little rubber flap or something to discourage the fluid from exiting the pickup point....?

either way, looks great...

I'm currently considering removed my spare tire and getting a size appropriate battery, and mount it in the wheel well, As I have rear seats, and despise having the battery sitting out in open, maybe get a Braille battery that can be mounted sideways....

Looks great, waiting for more updates...

J.

joff

12-04-2010, 10:13 PM

Have you considered creating something so it makes the passageways one way? little rubber flap or something to discourage the fluid from exiting the pickup point....?

one way check valves sound neat, but I think I've overengineered this thing enough. :-) I need to move on and finish the rest of this.

One of the reasons I went with such a large reservoir was partially to compensate a small intercooler by spraying more water/meth. This is now moot as I've had to abandon that PFS intercooler because I didn't like how I was going to have run the ductwork. So I decided to just do a vmount. Rotary-works sells a good starting point for a semi roll-your-own vmount.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1497.jpg

Nice thing about this setup is I have a lot of room to run a cold/ram air intake into the turbo-- I had to change and make some of my own brackets because the stock brackets center the intercooler (I shifted it all the way to the drivers side), but no welding which is good. The radiator and intercooler already have some M8x1.25 screw bosses welded on to make mount tweaking pretty easy.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1498.jpg

The radiator did not have to be modified and is designed for this mounting configuration and has a nice clean looking bottom endtank:

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1496.jpg

One more pic: I header-wrapped my exhaust manifold with some lava-rock type header wrap that looks like carbon fiber and then painted it with some silicone-based header wrap paint. I also drilled & re-tapped the turbo flange to fit the expensive OEM inconel studs used on the stock twins.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1492.jpg

muibubbles

12-06-2010, 02:00 AM

awesomeness. im assuming the water/meth tank is 100% fiberglassed so there is no way of reopening it?

thanks for the explanation, always wondered how the baffle system worked and it makes so much sense lol

RCCAZ 1

12-06-2010, 03:23 PM

Hah.... I also detect a 99 spec nose? Nice. Let me know if you need me to stop over and assist with ducting. I really enjoy doing that part and definitely owe you some "labor" ;)

dregg100

12-12-2010, 10:14 AM

im gonna bet burnout on that front bumper...looking good guys, this will be one clean car when its finished.

joff

12-23-2010, 01:45 AM

im gonna bet burnout on that front bumper...looking good guys, this will be one clean car when its finished.

Thanks! And, yep, its a burnout front bumper.

I tried to use this formable inferno heat shield thing on the xcessive intake manifold and got it perfectly formed and even fabbed some riveted brackets to hold it perfectly on the LIM but when I put it back on the car, I didn't have enough clearance between the wastegate & LIM. So-- I had to scrap that unfortunately. I was quite proud of how simply and securely I had it mounted too.

So instead, I bought some of this thin stick-on heatshield from Jegs comprised of a high temp adhesive, a layer of fiberglass, then aluminum foil. First I formed it tightly around the curves of the LIM -- making sure to shield all the way to the bottom edge. Then I added a second layer towards the top where I had more clearance and where the downpipe will run. The second layer I wrapped straigt & tight and left a bit of an air-gap instead of following the curves.

Its ugly now, but hopefully pretty functional. I also have one of these phenolic spacer gaskets that act as a barrier for conducted heat transfer from the block to the manifold. Not sure how well it will be as a gasket since its pretty hard and inflexible, but thats what RTV is for anyway. There definitely seems to be a lot of surface area on the LIM for heat conduction from the block that should now be blocked.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1538.jpg

Also, I designed in CAD and mocked up my airbox for the vmount. I think it will end up working pretty well. I tried to make it match the end tanks of the intercooler both for aesthetics and because I want it to be a tight fit & seal. I'll be sending this design to an online machineshop to be cut and formed out of .062" aluminum

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1542.jpg
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1541.jpg
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1543.jpg

Prodigy

12-23-2010, 02:50 AM

Looking great Jeff... the build seems to be coming along nicely...

Its ugly now, but hopefully pretty functional. I also have one of these phenolic spacer gaskets that act as a barrier for conducted heat transfer from the block to the manifold.

I was reading a thread on 7club http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=803695 and it was talking about some guys having troubles with the LIM to Keg gaskets dis forming and melting, while the UIM to LIM worked fine... while others had not trouble at all...

not sure if you have the same brand or such, but figured I would bring it to your attention..

Man you do good work, waiting to see how that intake looks once done... :D

J.

speedjunkie

12-23-2010, 02:51 AM

EDIT: ^Yep, I wasn't one of the guys with a deformed one but mine didn't work for me anyway. I think mine was made of something different than the ones that were deforming, I think mine is sturdier than that. If only it had been cut right.

Thanks! And, yep, its a burnout front bumper.

I tried to use this formable inferno heat shield thing on the xcessive intake manifold and got it perfectly formed and even fabbed some riveted brackets to hold it perfectly on the LIM but when I put it back on the car, I didn't have enough clearance between the wastegate & LIM. So-- I had to scrap that unfortunately. I was quite proud of how simply and securely I had it mounted too.

So instead, I bought some of this thin stick-on heatshield from Jegs comprised of a high temp adhesive, a layer of fiberglass, then aluminum foil. First I formed it tightly around the curves of the LIM -- making sure to shield all the way to the bottom edge. Then I added a second layer towards the top where I had more clearance and where the downpipe will run. The second layer I wrapped straigt & tight and left a bit of an air-gap instead of following the curves.

Its ugly now, but hopefully pretty functional. I also have one of these phenolic spacer gaskets that act as a barrier for conducted heat transfer from the block to the manifold. Not sure how well it will be as a gasket since its pretty hard and inflexible, but thats what RTV is for anyway. There definitely seems to be a lot of surface area on the LIM for heat conduction from the block that should now be blocked.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1538.jpg

Your LIM wrapping job looks MUCH better than mine HAHA. I got the same kind of stuff to cover mine, I don't think I have pics on my computer though. It would just make you laugh anyway haha.

Also, I'd check that gasket first if I were you. Is it from Gizzmo or somewhere else? I got one from Gizzmo and it didn't match up exactly with the OEM gasket and ended up not completely covering the EGR port, which gave me an air leak. Before I figured that out I also tried red RTV, so that doesn't work either LOL. Just put the phenolic gasket on top of the OEM one and see if it's EXACTLY like the OEM one (you can see the difference of mine in the pics). I ended up getting some spacers made with waterjet that I'm going to use to space my fuel rails apart instead.

Here is the thread about the gasket...
http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_forum/showthread.php?t=12949

RCCAZ 1

12-23-2010, 09:24 AM

Looking awesome Jesse. Nice work. Where did you get that turbo blanket? Really fits nicely!! Keep it coming and let me know if you need help. I'm off now until the new year!

joff

12-23-2010, 11:41 AM

Thanks for the heads up guys -- a while ago I did a little research on this and did see a thread somewhere where some of the white plastic phenolic gaskets had warped.

The gasket I have is from gizzmo and is definitely from a different material. I'd guess its something like the FR44 material we use for manufacturing circuit boards.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1544.jpg

Is this the EGR port you were talking about?
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1545.jpg

It seems to cover it -- maybe by not much margin. I'll probably see about plugging that EGR hole with some aluminum or JBweld.
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1548.jpg

The turbo blanket I think I got from ebay. Its pretty thin actually, but that works for me because I'm a little worried about too much heat in the turbo. I painted it with the same 1500degF silicone sealant paint I painted the header wrap with.

Thanks Tim, I'd take you up on some help this week if it weren't for the fact we'll be in Tucson visiting family.

speedjunkie

12-23-2010, 10:43 PM

Yep, that is the exact same gasket I have with the exact same specs, not completely covering the exact same EGR port LOL. I guess if you cover it with JB Weld or something that would work too. Good luck with all that. Just wanted to give you a heads up so you didn't get it together and then try to figure out where the leak was coming from LOL.

Mine looked the same btw. It looked like it was covering, but air still came out of there.

Prodigy

12-24-2010, 12:12 AM

That last photo you can see a tiny little bit of the EGR port sticking out... I can see why that would warp and let create a leak....

interesting though that they make them out the same, or similar material as circuit boards...

J.

speedjunkie

12-24-2010, 01:26 AM

^I don't think these are the ones that warp, I honestly think these might have a good chance of standing up to the heat. That little bit of the EGR port is enough to leak enough air to make it sound like a motorcycle. So it's already bad just the way it is, it doesn't take warping to make it sound like crap haha. And the ones the other guys on 7club had were made by a different company I believe. So far no one that has had a Gizzmo one (that I know of) has had it warp. It's just not cut right.

joff

12-27-2010, 06:29 PM

I stuffed a wad of steel wool down the EGR passages and JBwelded them shut. I also did the other side too.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1560.jpg

I ported my extension manifold with a hacksaw and dremel. I removed the center support where the butterflies used to be then knife-edged and smoothed the exposed primary/secondary walls.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1562.jpg

Now theres a better chance of taking advantage of the bigger throttle body:

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1566.jpg

joff

01-01-2011, 08:14 PM

I used the OEM intake gasket to port match the LIM to UIM, and the gizzmo phenolic gasket to port match the LIM. It wasn't a lot of material but it sure did take awhile with the dremel.

Now that its done, I'm not sure if this was a good idea or not, as a local rotary expert told me that while it will help top end power by a few hp, it may create excessive intake reversion and low speed cruise backfiring/sputtering. Anybody else have any experience with this?

I'm hoping the effect is minimal on my mostly stock ports as I anticipate a bit of a driveability loss already by replacing the stock throttle body and loosing the way it opened up the primary butterfly first.

Xcessive LIM top (to stock UIM):
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1578.jpg
Xcessive LIM bottom:
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1574.jpg
stock UIM (to LIM):
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1584.jpg

Easy_E1

01-02-2011, 02:47 PM

Looks like you've been busy. Can't wait to see it on the road Jesse.

hades

01-02-2011, 04:47 PM

Also, I designed in CAD and mocked up my airbox for the vmount. I think it will end up working pretty well. I tried to make it match the end tanks of the intercooler both for aesthetics and because I want it to be a tight fit & seal. I'll be sending this design to an online machineshop to be cut and formed out of .062" aluminum

Can you give more info on the on-line fab company you used? I model parts in Pro/E all day long. The hard part is finding a fab shop that won't rape you to make the part.

Thanks,

hades

01-02-2011, 09:46 PM

CrispyRX7 port matched all of his manifolds with good results. I believe he made 422 @ 15 psi on a 35R T3.

http://www.reganrotaryracing.com/fdenginebuild.htm

http://www.reganrotaryracing.com/fdenginebuildoverview4.htm

TitaniumTT

01-02-2011, 11:00 PM

I think he's referring to Paul Yaw and his 12A port matched mani's that lost CFM.... It's odd I agree but makes me wonder none the less..... I've got a set of bone stock RE mani's that I should probably flow test.

joff

01-06-2011, 12:43 AM

Can you give more info on the on-line fab company you used? I model parts in Pro/E all day long. The hard part is finding a fab shop that won't rape you to make the part.

Thanks,

I use emachineshop.com. You have to use their free CAD tool which isn't nearly as sophisticated as Pro/E or Solidworks, but you order straight from the software and it quotes your design in realtime which is convenient.

Its not bad $$ if you can stick to simple sheet aluminum cuts and bends. Trying to do anything that needs to be 3d machined it seems overly expensive for one-offs with emachineshop though they can do it.

Another site that can do simple metal cutting is ponoko.com. They can't bend but you can hand bend if you use the laser cut to remove slits from the bend lines. Ponoko can also do 3d printing in stainless steel or ABS.

CrispyRX7 port matched all of his manifolds with good results. I believe he made 422 @ 15 psi on a 35R T3.

FWIW, I actually PM'ed him to ask him if he had any obnoxious cruise/low load driveability issues and he said he had none whatsoever. I guess I'll see.

Cleaning all the metal shavings and sandblasting material out of that UIM was a real pain. The small amount of carbon buildup from the PCV/purge solenoid acted somewhat as an adhesive for all the sand/metal shavings and made them resistant to being blown out. I was pulling shop towels through the passages with wires for quite awhile before wising up and blasting the entire insides with brake cleaner to get rid of the gunk.

TitaniumTT

01-06-2011, 09:40 AM

Another way to do it would be to soak a towel in acetone and pull it through with a line. Has always worked well for me.

I've thought about extrude honing the manifolds, but can't really justify the near $700

joff

01-06-2011, 10:51 AM

Another way to do it would be to soak a towel in acetone and pull it through with a line. Has always worked well for me.

Yep, I was doing exactly that with the shop towels. The acetone just was not cutting it as a solvent. I must have pulled about 5 towels through that way and each time the rags were coming out dirty from the PCV gunk. Whatever is in that brake cleaner is some strong stuff.

I've thought about extrude honing the manifolds, but can't really justify the near $700

I wondered how expensive that would be. I would think there would be a lot to gain by simply polishing the inside passageways to get rid of the casting texture, but I didn't see an easy way get a sander in there.

One thing about that UIM is that even after porting it, pulling stuffed towels through it it definitely seems the biggest constriction is right at the UIM exit as thats when I had to use the most pulling force. I'll bet that since using the Xcessive LIM, this spot is the 2nd most constrictive point after the engine ports themselves.

chickenwafer

01-10-2011, 08:11 PM

Looking good Jesse! Your attention to detail is awesome!

Doc-1

01-10-2011, 08:54 PM

Very Nice Very Nice Indeed

joff

01-11-2011, 10:57 PM

I got all my intake tubing cut and welded this weekend. I was able to keep all bends relatively gentle, but man I am really getting sick of having to use this hack saw. Cutting a 4" cast aluminum elbow in half by hand (and all the other pieces) was a major PITA.

I was able to get the fitment between sections within about 1/8" which should make couplers blowing off almost impossible. To minimize number of couplers, I also cut off the end of the cast Rotary-Works elbow and had pipe welded to that. I'm tempted to use Wiggins clamps on the intercooler piping, but don't really dig the purple anodizing.

Next I'm going to grind the welds down, find somebody to put a bead on the ends and get the pieces powder coated wrinkle-black. BOV mount is going on the intercooler hot side.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1608.jpg

Tried to position the air filter perfectly for a cold air/ram air intake. This pic is from the front looking into the V of the V-mount with the bumper off.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1610.jpg

I do like the more gentle angle of the Rotary-works TB elbow as compared to the >90degree Greddy ones, but I don't think I'll be able to reuse the stock strut bar now without some custom mounts-- it sits pretty high. RCCAZ and dregg100 gave me a heads up Saturday that cutting off the air pump mount on the water pump housing would clean up some of the fuel rail plumbing later so I cut that piece off too with the hacksaw.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1614.jpg

TitaniumTT

01-12-2011, 12:26 AM

Damn, that powdercoating looks fantastic. It really does. Gives me more motivation to redo mine.

The fitment on the intercooler piping is top notch, well done. I would suggest NOT grinding the beads down though. I did this with a few pipes that I had ceramic coated, and they cracked.... so now they need to be re-coated... damnit.

speedjunkie

01-12-2011, 10:35 AM

calicrewchief

01-12-2011, 12:56 PM

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1610.jpg

Your setup looks great, but I don't see many vmounts where the intake is in the same compartment as the radiator and intercooler. Now this is my simple minded theory, but wont the turbo at full boost be taking away much of the cfm airflow that would be forced throught the intercooler and radiator?

TitaniumTT

01-12-2011, 01:45 PM

No. Think about the surface area moving through the front bumper at a speed more than 10mph or 880ft/min.....

joff

01-12-2011, 01:55 PM

[
Your setup looks great, but I don't see many vmounts where the intake is in the same compartment as the radiator and intercooler. Now this is my simple minded theory, but wont the turbo at full boost be taking away much of the cfm airflow that would be forced throught the intercooler and radiator?

Heh, I never thought of that, but I hope so! That means it would also be reducing the extra aero drag I'm incurring by running the vmount. I'd prefer then to think about it as the turbo inlet sucking the car forward!

Thinking about the math though, I think its unrealistic. I think I remember reading once it takes around 2CFM of air at sealevel to make 1HP. If I go for 400HP, I need 800CFM of air. My bumper duct is probably (conservatively) about 3ft^2 area so at 30mph I'm "scooping up" up to about 8000 CFM of air.

hades

01-12-2011, 04:54 PM

where in the intake box you fab'd?

RCCAZ 1

01-12-2011, 05:13 PM

Jesse... are you planning to shroud that filter and the other open areas around the IC to force more air through the IC and radiator?

joff

01-12-2011, 05:28 PM

where in the intake box you fab'd?

The intake box goes over the top of the air filter assembly to provide a better seal to the engine bay but has a open bottom for the air filter. The pics I sent previous were mockups I made out of foamboard. I'm using the foamboard mockup to layup some red kevlar/carbon fiber for the visible portions of the top of the airbox that will be riveted to the mostly invisible aluminum bottom/rear end of the airbox where I will have the 4" turbo-inlet pipe welded to it. The rear/bottom aluminum portion of the box will also be attached to a piano hinge and another piece of sheet aluminum to act as a air splitter and also to seal up the small gap between the IC and radiator.

Its kind of hard to explain, but I hope to get a lot of that done this next weekend.

joff

01-12-2011, 11:15 PM

As for fitting the strut bar on, how much higher is all that sitting? I put washers under my strut bar mounts but I'm about to get some spacers made by waterjet to put on each side. Let me know how thick you need them and I'll have some made for you too. I personally wouldn't go so thick that you can't fit the nut fully onto the threads, but that's just my preference. I want at least 1 thread to show on the top side of the nut.

Wow, thanks! But I don't think spacers will be enough here. I think I'm going to have a different mount built:

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1617.jpg

Getting a good wrinkle black seems very much dependent on the prep work and process. A friend did his engine bay in the same wrinkle black powder and it turned out with a lot different texture. I used a local powder coater, Glendale Powder Coating and they did some sort of industrial chemical wash that just turned out awesome.

Jesse... are you planning to shroud that filter and the other open areas around the IC to force more air through the IC and radiator?

Yes, definitely. I don't want any gaps. Here's a couple shots of the airbox in CAD to explain a bit more re: my previous post. I'd like to make a small duct to direct a bit of air from the V right to the turbo CHRA, but I'm not sure it would do enough to make wortwhile yet.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/untitled.jpg

TitaniumTT

01-13-2011, 01:20 AM

Heh, I never thought of that, but I hope so! That means it would also be reducing the extra aero drag I'm incurring by running the vmount. I'd prefer then to think about it as the turbo inlet sucking the car forward!

Thinking about the math though, I think its unrealistic. I think I remember reading once it takes around 2CFM of air at sealevel to make 1HP. If I go for 400HP, I need 800CFM of air. My bumper duct is probably (conservatively) about 3ft^2 area so at 30mph I'm "scooping up" up to about 8000 CFM of air.

Soooo like I said, No :rofl:

Wow, thanks! But I don't think spacers will be enough here. I think I'm going to have a different mount built:

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1617.jpg

With a plasma cutter, a welder, and a some steel stock you could mod that mount to work just great. Had to do that with my greedy strut brace.... before I said eff it and built my own

Getting a good wrinkle black seems very much dependent on the prep work and process. A friend did his engine bay in the same wrinkle black powder and it turned out with a lot different texture. I used a local powder coater, Glendale Powder Coating and they did some sort of industrial chemical wash that just turned out awesome.

Aint that the truth. For the do-it-yourself guys, clean it, bake it, sand it, clean it, and that usually does it for me.

Yes, definitely. I don't want any gaps. Here's a couple shots of the airbox in CAD to explain a bit more re: my previous post. I'd like to make a small duct to direct a bit of air from the V right to the turbo CHRA, but I'm not sure it would do enough to make wortwhile yet.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/untitled.jpg

Bad ass man, really bad ass. I wish I was passing through Phoenix not at 6am and had some time to swing by and check this bad ride out. Epic trip ver 2.0

RCCAZ 1

01-15-2011, 10:48 AM

Wow, thanks! But I don't think spacers will be enough here. I think I'm going to have a different mount built:

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1617.jpg

You'll also want to watch your hood clearance closely. That strut bar comes pretty close to the underside of the hood. Not sure how much wiggle room there is for modifying the height significantly. If it were me I'd consider increasing the downward bend angle just out of the TB elbow (if possible). Just an FYI.

speedjunkie

01-15-2011, 11:22 AM

^Good point, hadn't thought of that. That is getting pretty high. I don't have a stock hood so I forget how low they sit. They do sit pretty low right? lol

TitaniumTT

01-15-2011, 12:01 PM

"Massage" the supports? Can probably gain an easy 1/2"

joff

01-16-2011, 05:05 PM

^Good point, hadn't thought of that. That is getting pretty high. I don't have a stock hood so I forget how low they sit. They do sit pretty low right? lol

I have a Shine FEED hood with no skeleton which should help a bit. I also did slightly angle cut the RW elbow down. If its still too high, there would be absolutely no way this elbow would work anywhere as unlike everybody else with this elbow, I at least don't have to fit a silicon coupler and hose clamp since I had the next sections of tubing welded on.

Some new pics on the airbox progress: The kevlar fibers in the carbon/kevlar are about impossible to cut cleanly. I got a $30 pair of special "razor blade sharp" scissors and they still can hardly cut this fabric. Pure carbon fiber is so much easier to work with than this carbon/kevlar.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1636.jpg
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1661.jpg
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1628.jpg

RCCAZ 1

01-16-2011, 05:29 PM

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1608.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1628.jpg

So, in looking at these two images, will your airbox butt up to the turbo inlet with the aluminum pipe running inside the airbox? Just trying to figure out what you have planned? Did you consider fabbing an airbox that starts at about your intercooler tube and runs forward to the front bumper support? Either way it's beautiful Jesse and an incredible job!!

joff

01-16-2011, 06:29 PM

So, in looking at these two images, will your airbox butt up to the turbo inlet with the aluminum pipe running inside the airbox? Just trying to figure out what you have planned? Did you consider fabbing an airbox that starts at about your intercooler tube and runs forward to the front bumper support? Either way it's beautiful Jesse and an incredible job!!

Thanks!

Yep -- once I'm happy with the carbon/kevlar finish, I'll demold and cut off from the top so its only about 2.5" tall. I'm really only using the carbon/kevlar as the top "lid" -- the sides, rear and a small bottom piece will be aluminum. The air filter pipe will be fed through a 4" hole in the rear aluminum part of the box and welded. Only about 1" of pipe will be sticking out of the rear of the airbox and thats all I need as the turbo inlet is right there.

I originally planned on using the passenger oil cooler duct for cold air intake, but once I got the bumper off I didn't see an easy way to fit 4" piping there without some major cutting and modification of the body.

NoDOHC

01-18-2011, 10:14 PM

That whole radiator/Intercooler/airbox is a work of art. If it wasn't so functional, you could enter it in an art show or something.

RCCAZ 1

01-21-2011, 01:55 PM

So Jesse, where are your fender liners bro? Covering those in CF weave as well?? ;)

Don't MAKE me do mine!! :)

chickenwafer

01-26-2011, 09:03 PM

Jesse you should sell me another one of those air boxes! No...seriously

MrsJoff

01-26-2011, 10:13 PM

So Jesse, where are your fender liners bro? Covering those in CF weave as well?? ;)

Don't MAKE me do mine!! :)

Damn Tim, that would look HOT!! But please, don't give him any other ideas, Jesse really needs to get this car done. :001_07:

Wonder if I could do that myself? I may need to try it.

joff

01-27-2011, 02:43 AM

I really like these nutsert thingies -- I needed to remount the relay box for the Vmount, so I cut off one plastic leg, bent the other metal bracket straight and mounted it upside down near the hood latch. Once I figured where to mount the thing, I drilled two small holes in the sheet metal and used a special rivet tool ($15 at harbor freight) to press in the two pictured threaded aluminum nuts.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1670.jpg

The other small detail needing taken care of because of the vmount was the power steering cooler. I got a $40 Derale cooler from Jegs, but the hose size and hose barb sizes are not a match for the stock barbs off the steering rack and fluid reservoir.

What I ended up doing to minimize fittings/adapters/couplers is cutting off the 10mm hard line on the rack near the drivers side and using a 10mm compression fitting on the end rated for about 4000psi coupled to a 1/4" NPT hose barb with the same size as the Derale cooler. From there I mounted the cooler on the Racing Beat sway bar brace with a couple more nutserts. The hose barb on the steering reservoir was also not the right size, so I drilled out the plastic barb, tapped the reservoir with 1/4" NPT and used some power steering fluid compatible resin to lock the metal hose barb fitting in the plastic reservoir.

I've seen some other RX7 Vmount kits with somewhat goofy hose routing for using an aftermarket power steering cooler. I'm probably being picky, but I don't like the idea of stock hardline off the rack going from drivers side to passenger side, brought back to the drivers side with rubber hose bent 180deg, then connected to a cooler with another 180deg AN fitting to change direction yet again. Meanwhile, the original outlet off the rack is pointing in the right direction only a few inches away from where the cooler is if you're willing to cut the line and use a $5 compression fitting.

Also, this other kit I saw was using aluminum AN fittings for the corrosive hydraulic fluid. Isn't that supposed to be trouble? I always thought aluminum and brake/hydraulic fluid is not good. The fittings I got from McMaster are stainless steel/galvanized steel designed for hydraulics and corrosive environments.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1681.jpg

speedjunkie

01-27-2011, 10:37 AM

OK we're pretty much on the same wavelength I think haha, because what you've just posted is what I've been looking to do with mine. First of all, where did you get those riv-nuts? I've been looking for those. I installed a bunch of them on our generators in Kuwait a few years ago when the bolt holes for the panels got messed up and I love those things. Second, I've been wanting to do a PS cooler like that but it's impossible to find one with inlet and outlet that match the hose size of the stock cooler line, which I see you've had problems with as well. I guess I'll have to just get the same cooler since I can't find one with the right size inlet/outlet and run it like you did. Do you have any pics of the hose going to the back of the PS reservoir? How did you work that?

joff

01-27-2011, 10:55 AM

(Like everything else in the engine bay, I painted the reservoir black:)
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1682.jpg

The rivet nuts, as well as the nutsert rivet tool, I got at Harbor Freight.

Here's my parts list from McMaster-Carr if you want to duplicate:
5350K34 - 2x - Zinc-plated steel Barbed Hose Fitting - 5/16" hose, 1/4" male NPT
5269K313 - Metric Steel Compression Tube fitting - 10mm tube, 1/4" male NPT
4464K212 - Stainless Steel 1/4" NPT coupler

The Derale cooler I got came with hose and had the 11/32" hose barbs ends.

JerryLH3

01-27-2011, 11:29 AM

Absolutely impeccable attention to detail. It should be a beauty once you're finished.

speedjunkie

01-27-2011, 05:02 PM

Thanks for the info! I had no idea you could get the riv-nuts at Harbor Freight lol. I love that place!

joff

01-27-2011, 05:33 PM

Thanks for the info! I had no idea you could get the riv-nuts at Harbor Freight lol. I love that place!

So do I!

Here it is, $16.99:

http://www.harborfreight.com/45-piece-threaded-insert-riveter-kit-1210.html

speedjunkie

01-27-2011, 09:24 PM

Thanks! I just spent about $70 there the other night getting everything needed to spec an engine for rebuild lol.

RCCAZ 1

01-29-2011, 10:20 AM

Argh..... too much detail, you'll never finish the build!! :). Damn perfectionists. Rasing the bar once again. Looks like I might have to get busy soon.... ;).

Looking GREAT Jesse!

MrsJoff

01-29-2011, 01:00 PM

(joff accidentally posting with my wife's login)

Jesse you should sell me another one of those air boxes! No...seriously

I may consider that, but definitely after I finish the rest of this. I would need to tweak my process since it took a ridiculous amount of time doing the CF/Kevlar demold. Basically I had to destroy the foamboard mold by chipping it out with a flathead screwdriver. For some reason my parting wax didn't work well on the foamboard.

Argh..... too much detail, you'll never finish the build!! :). Damn perfectionists. Rasing the bar once again. Looks like I might have to get busy soon.... ;).

Looking GREAT Jesse!

Ha Ha Tim! I just can't help myself. Check this out -- its my V-mount air splitter and because I had so much carbon fiber fabric laying around, I thought might as well use that and create it uber-lightweight. Its a non-visible piece, so I sort of slopped it together. Theres a few resin drips
running down the piece and its been really difficult for me to just accept leaving it alone.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/DSC02378.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/DSC02377.jpg

chickenwafer

01-29-2011, 02:40 PM

joff

01-29-2011, 03:46 PM

Who's your carbon fiber supplier? I would like to try making some items myself...namely the carbon fiber airbox. You have me eying the same Rotary Works v-mount now for myself...although I just bought an SMIC.. argh!

I'm sure you heard by now that I sold my 8 for an FD? It's a tight fit for me! I sure miss Arizona as well, but Colorado has been treating me well.

I did hear you've got an FD now -- thats great! Too bad though about no more 8 -- I hope it went to good owner. That was a nice car too.

I get all my carbon fiber/kevlar/fiberglass/resin supplies from US Composites (uscomposites.com). Theres also tapplastics.com

hades

01-29-2011, 06:53 PM

any good reading material on how to learn fiberglass / CF? I know just enough to get my self in trouble. I would like to read up before I try making an intercooler duct

joff

01-30-2011, 01:34 AM

any good reading material on how to learn fiberglass / CF? I know just enough to get my self in trouble. I would like to read up before I try making an intercooler duct

I bought this book a couple years ago:

http://www.amazon.com/Fiberglass-Other-Composite-Materials-Non-Metallic/dp/1557884986/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Also, I found a couple online forums that are good to lurk on and read the stickies:

www.fiberglassforums.com and www.racingcomposites.net

Expect a lot of trial and error-- theres lots of little details you only find out about when you try things. I've thrown a lot of failures away. It can be very time consuming.

TitaniumTT

01-30-2011, 07:21 AM

(joff accidentally posting with my wife's login)

I may consider that, but definitely after I finish the rest of this. I would need to tweak my process since it took a ridiculous amount of time doing the CF/Kevlar demold. Basically I had to destroy the foamboard mold by chipping it out with a flathead screwdriver. For some reason my parting wax didn't work well on the foamboard.

The very porous nature of the foamboard probably sucked up some of the mold release wax or the resin itself. I've had good luck covering it with wax paper or tin foil. Wax paper seems to work better as it doesn't want to crinkle as much.

I bought this book a couple years ago:

http://www.amazon.com/Fiberglass-Other-Composite-Materials-Non-Metallic/dp/1557884986/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Also, I found a couple online forums that are good to lurk on and read the stickies:

www.fiberglassforums.com and www.racingcomposites.net

Expect a lot of trial and error-- theres lots of little details you only find out about when you try things. I've thrown a lot of failures away. It can be very time consuming.

Ain't that the truth!

joff

01-31-2011, 10:43 PM

The very porous nature of the foamboard probably sucked up some of the mold release wax or the resin itself.

The foamboard had a glossy paper side which is what I applied the mold release wax to. I have some other stuff I probably should have used called "PVA" which is basically a thinner version of elmers glue that can be shot out of a spray gun. When it dries it ends up like a protective garbage bag around the part that peels off like skin on a bad sunburn. Its really awesome, I don't know why I didn't use it.

I got the aluminum bottom piece of my airbox back from the welder today. He only tacked the 4" piping in because I was afraid things may not line up right but it seems to all fit perfectly:

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1697.jpg

I also had him weld in a section of aluminum tube I rolled some 1/8" NPT threads on both sides as a water/meth injection nozzle coupler:

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1698.jpg

chickenwafer

02-05-2011, 07:41 PM

How do you feel about the quality of the Rotary Works v-mount Jesse? You have me eying it now...looks pretty slick, especially if I can fit a sealed and ducted airbox on the passenger side like you're doing.

My either idea would be to do the opposite and move the intercooler all the way to the passenger side so I could fit my full size group 57 Optima in the stock location. Would that work dimension wise?

RCCAZ 1

03-02-2011, 11:13 PM

Just checking in. Hey Lynn and Jesse.... no posts in almost a month? C'mon. Let's see the latest progress!!!

speedjunkie

03-02-2011, 11:45 PM

Yeah, do you have any pics of the fuse/relay box bolted to the front crossmember? I need some ideas, I already have the riv-nut kit LOL.

MrsJoff

03-13-2011, 07:14 PM

Little update. Jesse has been very busy with work so not much has been done to the FD. This weekend was dedicated to the 8. It got a full clay bar, wash and Zaino so it is looking pretty damn good.

He spent a lot of time perfecting the carbon/kevlar air box and it looks really good. We need to bring it to a painter and have it clear coated and then it will be finished. I had the radiator and the inter-cooler anodized black. They look pretty sweet all black.

We bought a huge roll of that 3-M carbon fiber wrap stuff and Jesse has been wrapping a few little things in that. He is also wrapping the backs of the Bride seats with the carbon fiber to get rid of that gaudy silver sparkly back. It has turned out to be a bigger project than he planned, so that may take a while before it is done.

I should have a package arriving from Japan this week. My project has been the interior and I just had to have this little goodie. Will post picks of it once it arrives.

Some progress shots

The black inter-cooler with the airbox

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1732.jpg

one of the fuse boxes wrapped in the carbon fiber stuff

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1728.jpg

And Speedjunkie, this one is for you. This shot of the fuse/relay box is from underneath the car.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/rx7build169.jpg

speedjunkie

03-14-2011, 03:44 PM

I like the black radiator and IC. I got my IC powdercoated black all except for the fins. Other than that my engine bay will look quite a bit like yours, sorry haha.

Thanks for the pic! I ended up mounting mine a bit different. I pulled it down and bolted it to the front of the crossmember with the lid facing towards the front of the car. But I did use the riv-nuts.

It's looking good Joffs!

RCCAZ 1

03-17-2011, 06:43 PM

Some progress shots <snip>

...one of the fuse boxes wrapped in the carbon fiber stuff

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_1728.jpg

Oh, now you've gone and done it. Gonna have to have that!!! ;)

MrsJoff

04-01-2011, 03:07 PM

My splurge for the FD finally came. Since I am doing the look of a Spirit-R interior, I thought I would put one true Spirit-R piece in there.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_0020.jpg

It looks amazing in person. The gauges are not white like they look in the picture. They are kind of a shimmery silver color. Very nice. I can't wait to finish the interior. It is going to look incredible.

hades

04-01-2011, 06:43 PM

NICE. Better not be some lame April Fools joke:smilielol5:

RICE RACING

04-02-2011, 12:24 AM

Holly Anal Cavity BATMAN !

How did I miss this thread :smash: Great work :drool5:

hades

05-20-2011, 08:19 PM

UPDATES!!!:bigear:

MrsJoff

12-02-2011, 01:28 PM

In keeping with the Spirit R interior, I got the Sake Bomb Spirit R footrest. It is pretty solid and the texture could rub calauses off the bottom of your feet. :ugh2:

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_2241.jpg

Thankfully going to SevenStock got Jesse motivated in working on the FD again. He made a promise to have the car completed by Feb of 2012. I don't think that will happen, but just having him in the garage is good enough for me at this point.

prrex4ever

12-02-2011, 10:34 PM

Nice piece, I should be getting mine in the mail next week. Good to see your project back on track.In keeping with the Spirit R interior, I got the Sake Bomb Spirit R footrest. It is pretty solid and the texture could rub calauses off the bottom of your feet. :ugh2:

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/IMG_2241.jpg

Thankfully going to SevenStock got Jesse motivated in working on the FD again. He made a promise to have the car completed by Feb of 2012. I don't think that will happen, but just having him in the garage is good enough for me at this point.

DriFD3S

12-03-2011, 01:07 AM

This build is fantastic.
'nuff said,
Keep up the solid work!

P.S. Your carbon fiber will probably be the reason I have wet dreams tonight.

joff

02-06-2012, 01:32 AM

Indeed, I am still working on this car when I get the spare time:

Rubber mounts for oil cooler:
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/7c11867c.jpg

air gaps blocked for radiator:
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/72addaad.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/0457d978.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/9a3fc7ab.jpg

Rubber mounting for V-mount radiator:
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/69c5613d.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/d2da5150.jpg

The stock FD fans are pretty good and not many after market fans seem to compare. However I did find one that moves more air, are IP68 all weather rated, and use a more modern electric motor design that should last a lot longer than the stock fan motors.

Making an all aluminum fan shroud with only materials from Home Depot.
Step 1, Frame:
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/a7710a09.jpg

Step 2, sheet aluminum top:
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/3ac474d7.jpg

Finished shroud: This sucker fits really snug and tight since I had the benefit of building it perfectly for the radiator I have.

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/b48a3f60.jpg
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/e63bb1a6.jpg

I used more rubber weatherstripping to seal/cushion the fan shroud:
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu325/JesseB0ff/2fffc213.jpg

RCCAZ 1

02-06-2012, 03:12 PM

joff

02-06-2012, 04:23 PM

Very nice! What's the purpose of the angle iron that separates the fans and the short pieces on the outside edges of the fans? Do they have a high/low fan speed like to stockers and will they operate off of the stock fan relays?
Thanks!

The sheet aluminum is very thin and won't support the fans weight. The angle pieces down the middle hold the nutserts for the fan mount point in the center. The other 3 of 4 mounts are around the perimeter in the aluminum tube frame. The short pieces in the corners are further reinforcement for the frame which I probably didn't need, but had extra material handy. I like using the "L" angle material since it is so much more stiff than regular aluminum straps for a given weight.

The fans are not two speed, which simplifies the wiring enough to allow me to simply get rid of the fan relays and the old sagging ugly rubber fan relay mounting that doesn't seem to age well. I'm going to use a big simple single relay and some simple electronics with a radiator fin temperature probe to turn on the fans.

I like the idea of switching the radiator fans based on a sensor more relevant to the radiator temperature rather than engine temperature. I can set the activation temperature to somewhere much lower than the coolant thermostat (and therefore at a lower temp than the engine wants to steady-state at) and still not have to worry about having the fans on 100% since the fan will be activated only when there is significant hot coolant flow through the radiator. This radiator is a 4-pass radiator so I should be able to play games with probe location to adjust hysteresis and whether I'm monitoring radiator inlet or outlet temperature easily too.