You're not going to have DOT knocking on your door wanting to know where their sign went are you? This is a kick ass project. :biggthumpup:

actually i got the sign legally! they sell off old signs for the price of scrap at the county road department (at least here). Or in my case, i just know some people who work they and they just gave it to me.

some updates!

vast majority of wiring is done! headlights, taillights, brakes, etc working. little more detail work left with chassis wiring. Gauge panel is done, ecu wiring is done. Trying to work to get the car started. Thinking i have a setting wrong with the Megasquirt causing spark to be 180 out.

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...ps206f4daa.jpg
http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...psfc027731.jpg
http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...psd1ac8d2a.jpg
http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...ps52272737.jpg
http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5f87e4a2.jpg
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helper springs installed!!

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...psbee4cb2a.jpg

I didn't get a chance to post a reply to your earlier pic when you showed how far off the spring was. I was going ask if you had a source for helper springs, lol.

On a side, we're running a megasquirt v3 on our Miata now. Just fired it up last thursday. Don't know if you got it fired up yet, but if you need some startup configs, just let me know and I'll send you what we're using. I now have about a total of an hour experience with these megasquirts, so I'm by no means an expert, but we can probably help each out getting them running. What software are you using to tune it?

im on MS2 with Tunerstudio. My friend had the super-bitching version of TS so we have been running auto tune. Which is basically awesome. The car was running big right with the 1.8 turbo map i found. But yea, drove it for the first time yesterday. Lots of tuning to do still. Need spacers to keep the wheels from rubbing the spring though.

actually the odd problem im having is that the output from the AEM 30-4100 is reading off on the megasquirt and we couldn't find a away to get it right... It was like a full digit off, so we just compensated in the map for now.

We're looking at the upgraded version of TS as well for the autotune feature considering there is about 4 days total to get this car ready for a track weekend.

I've heard the AEMs can be off like that as well. We're using one currently but will probably swap in an innovative just to see if it fact does read differently...

the guys at DIY gave me some information and I guess under "tools" then calibrate AFR you can give it voltage points to make it custom. Going to give that a whirl today.

post tune driving this weekend. Going to start body work this week. maybe paint this weekend.

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...psff868497.jpg

That's awesome man lol. So glad to see this coming to fruition.

thanks Eric! Hope to spend this whole weekend sanding like mad! Get her ready for painting.

sooo....

the stock geometry of the rx7 is garage. the MFR stuff doesnt use the weak sauce short top links because Mazda released they stuck too. Probably a product of packing the car and not have boxes and towers in the body work.

Anyway, that has to go. The small running of Rx7s in rally generally all suffered from sevrere oversteer issues at the limit. Millen's car was essentially a Ford Escort, atlas axle and all, with a rotary.

The plan then is to get my hands on a early 90s 4runner toyota axle, then clean it off, weld mounts and four link / panhard this car.

Also, the kia sportage pinion seal is leaking like a sive on my car, and gues what! you can't get replacement seals for it and its just different enough that the mazda one doesnt work! (fuck!)

Not looking good for Idaho Rally, but such is life, ill just codrive for the open light driver, Jeff, again. Having the car sorted and getting seat time is more important. Also Rally Car 3.0, may still be another Rx7 so i could transfer the bits. Maybe Rx8 engine!

well..... fuck

so i guess every wonky swap needs its problems. Mine turns out to be that i need to shorten the driveshaft...

The car was occasionally making a rattle / grinding noise. So i went underneath to take a look. The shroud thing was lightly grinding at the tail housing because the driveshaft is too long and slides all the way it possibly can. This also mean i had to pry rather hard to get the shaft off the pinion flange and its doesnt really like going back on... (crap!)

Since the diff was already leaking oil in a nice circle, and I was discussing doing a four link with another axle, I think this is the cue that it is time to make that happen.

The rear suspension is definitely less than ideal. Kind of fun changing things up though. I went with the three link because of simplicity. A lot of the guys that run them for road racing have been pretty happy with the setup. Whatever you run will have to be pretty stout for Rally racing I would imagine, and require a lot of travel while keeping pinion angle change to a minimum. Not strong points for the 1stGen rear suspension. :lol:

^ isn't that the truth!


Side note, and I apologize if you aleady said this somewhere, but what color are you painting the car?

Its getting sprayed white (sanding and masking today actually) then going over with a bright green vinyl for the livery. (then all the required sticker crap for events, door placards, mazda contingency, etc)

GySgtFrank,

Yea the stock geometry plain sucks. I'm basically doing what Rod Millen did which was copy the Ford Escort MkII Prep manual to the tee. Millen even used the Atlas axle (which the states never got) so im going with a Toyota 8"

Nothing like a little overkill! :lol:

I have run a few of the Fox body Mustangs and when I jacked up the SA I saw that the rear suspension setup was almost identical to the crappy Mustang rear. I knew then that the rear suspension was a high priority item.

I've spent too much time in the ditch because of that type of suspension setup. In Mazda's defense at least they did add the Watts link, even if it's not the best setup I've ever seen, unlike Ford.

the 50 dollar paint job is done! going to add orange vinyl between the green and white

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...ps03124337.jpg

Sweet!! I really wanted to build a FB for local rally events but never got around to it and now I dont think they host the local event any more.. Good looking build though and should be a blast on the dirt!!

schweet!

No details on the paint job / setup? Shame :) Looks good though....

i have some camera pics. its was kinda hokey. I use tractor paint (oil based enamel) thinned with paint thinner through a spray gun in a paint booth. No primer, but i did wet sand it some. Took quite a few coats. Then masked for the green and the black that you can't really see in the picture. all and all it was ghetto

mostly reassembled

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2b23eaec.jpg

since i am having to daily commute this turd 70 miles one way until i get my daily up and running.... some to do list items.

1. fix power steering. Rack is leaking from inside the boots and from what i can tell, my return fittings i cobbled together. Might need something better to seal it all up with...

2. exhaust needs to exit beyond the bumper. Seem to get a lot of fumes into the car and my chest feels funny.

3. car is slow. like damn. Needs more 13b. or a turbo. or a 13b with a turbo. then a bigger turbo. but probably just an Rx-8 engine.

4. diff pinion seal leaks.

5. driveshaft is too short, but if I ditch the miata engine, then i will likely not want to spend the money to deal with that crap (its always something... i swear)

6. needs pillow ball tops with speherical bearings. The caster i have induced is not doing good things to the stock strut tops rubber. Need to get my hands on a set of FC pillowball tops. Since the Rx2 needs coilovers from an FC... maybe I can get coilovers for that, use the FC tops on the rally car, then acquire tops to use on the Rx2 (which is radically different than the FB/C)

7. tach doesnt work... which is lame.

8. still have wiring i need to wrap up and finish.

Looks great man!

thanks Eric. She is coming along. Keep finding little things, making adjustments. Since I've been daily driving her (not by choice) I've been getting a feel for everything.

So i realized an issue, that needs addressed.... some what soon.

I never spaced the rear of the subframe off the car. whoops

So what that means i my lower A-arm is moving on the x-axis but from a negative angle whereas my caster is such that the strut is at a negative angle in the Y-axis. Which under movement... cant be good.

behold. a crappy, not-to-scale diagram!

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...psd06a384c.png

okay, so i either 1) suck and cant get this power steering leak to stop, or 2) dont suck, but still can't get this power steering leak to stop :rage:

Might require the use of a new rack, and either tap for a fitting or weld in something so the stupid crush washer thing is eliminated.

Also, the car still overheats. Its leaning towards a blown headgasket. Lots of small bubbles being produced in the car, pushed into the expansion tank. Does not stop bubbling...

pull the dipstic, if you see bubbles on it then yes, Also check the level if its higher for some reason fluid is being added to it :/

i have not checked the oil for bubbles yet. Do that running i assume?

Basically, i have to drive this thing to CA middle next month. So I am considering doing a headgasket on this car (and deck head to minimum spec). Unless when i open the car up it looks like WWIII inside. I am still concern about burned rings or pistons

I skipped a few pages to see that the car is prettier. Nice job, If there was a place to rally around here and I finally had my fc running I would like to try to build a rally FC.

I am also suprized you are willing to throw a renny in there. Most people want nothing to do with them. They are lighter then a S5 13B N/A

my friend has a 13b-msp in his FB and it has been one amazing swap! And would keep me within the Group 2 class, which porting would otherwise remove me from.

compression check on the B6

141-152-150-148

which is pretty damn good i would say. Min. is 135 and 28psi difference.

So that means the rings are probably fine. Looking at doing a headgasket to resolve various issues (oil burning, running hot)

Headgaskets are a "weak" area for that engine if you had to pick a weak spot. Had to deck a head and do a gasket on the last turbo 1.8 we built about 10 years ago, also had to do a head gasket on a 1.6 a few years later, so I wouldn't say its unheard of by any means.

i plan to deck to minimum spec to. get a couple extra .01% horsepower out of it!

so the list of things I need to finished to get racing:

Finish various wiring
brakes need done all around
Master Cylinder for clutch is dying (black fluid)
new 3 hole rack that wont leak
headgasket
figure out in which way i want to have a matching lug pattern.