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Mitchocalypse build V2
Normally i just use a forum to document my build thread, and last time I used a local one which always turns to a shit show, and I think this community will offer the most valuable feedback.
Anyways, I was planning on starting this build in the fall, but my car was pretty much destroyed by a hailstorm here last week. I was out of town for work and I left it outside since the garage was packed full of stuff (from moving).So there was nothing I could do. I have a friend who will help me do most of the body work. He works at a high end shop here but will be donating his time in exchange for beer. (will be done on weekends and in a rented booth/ garage.) He said to repair everything would cost about 12-15 thousand dollars so I'm really grateful for his help. Of course I will be paying for materials and everything but the cost will be nowhere near that. But here's the car before getting destroyed by the elements: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...g?t=1319422278 And here's the current state after a couple hours of tearing stuff off. (You can't really see the damage because pics were taken with iphone but everything was damaged somehow either by dents, paint chips, cracking in paint etc.. http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...8182C6E0B5.jpg http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...8189AC6C13.jpg Part pile: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...81912B0D7B.jpg http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...81A8AB463C.jpg Just one more rx-7 consumed by the garage. Will update tomorrow what I'm planning on doing with this build. Nothing that hasn't been done before but definitely a first for me. I'll need some help along the way, especially choosing some fuel parts but we'll get there later. |
Sucks about the storm. Have fun with the rebuild.
If that's your definitely of "completely destroyed", mine is probably in need of a full rebuild as well LOL. I don't have dents really, but my "new" paint job from 2009 was shit when it was pulled out of the shop lol. Good luck! |
pulled the engine and got it stripped down:
http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...9E699244B7.jpg http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...9E702B1C43.jpg http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...9E75E70EDB.jpg and the car just chills out on jacks. What do you guys use to hold the tranny up and be able to move the car? I just have a jack stand under it and a 2x4 wedged between the bell housing and a cross brace in the engine. Its fine just sitting there but I wouldnt tow it that way. http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...9E86F89C45.jpg Also ordered some parts from a vendor on here, T04Z turbo kit ultimate fuel system diff cover brake upgrade twin power catch can pulley kit side skirts and then found a new sunroof on ebay and a hood from a local "shop." |
When I was rolling my car around with no motor I made a little brace out of 2x4's that I bolted though the motor mount location in the subframe, and the transmission rested on that.
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My tranny rests on the lip of the subframe with the engine out.
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Wiring harness simplified for single turbo + all emission and other unnecessary electronic crap delete:
From this: [IMG]http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...665929A6F0.jpg[/IMG] Deleted: -Rats Nest -Fuel Temp. Sensor -Wastegate + Turbo precontrol sensors -Purge control -Air pump -Accelerated warmup system -Idle air control valve -Oil metering pump -Air control valve -O2 sensor And got this: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...6664569663.jpg Here's the engine chilling out on the stand waiting to get it's ass sent off for a rebuilt + large streetport http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...67324EFFB0.jpg And here's my shelf of parts that will likely find there way to the dump if no one needs them. http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...6675C30F64.jpg And went to clean the inside of the fenderwells, subframe, coilovers etc. and it looks so much better. Didn't get too far and the picture i took was garbage so that can wait. |
Not much progress because i haven't really gotten any parts yet. Mostly i've been cleaning things up and pulling more things off.
I finished looming up the harness then put some heat wrap on it. It looks ricey but you probably won't see much of it anyways. Started polishing the upper intake mani, but then gave up on it and just ordered a new, already polished one, as well as a polished t/b and alternator. My job wasn't THAT bad but it wasn't the look i was hoping for. I'm wrapping my uim with gold reflective tape right now. It's boring work but I'm not just gonna give up like I did on polishing. I've been doing this when its too cold out, cause its a job a can do inside since the manifold is nice and clean. If the weather agrees, I'm outside now working on tucking my body harness and fuse boxes. The fuse boxes and relays are getting tucked behind the oil coolers so I might have to delete, or at the very least relocate my wiper washer fluid tank. Doesn't really bother me though. I've also made arrangements to have my engine built at Banzai racing, as well as ordered a few other things from them. Block off plate kit, OMP delete, oil pan brace kit, SS clutch line, AEM tru-boost and uego wideband, 3-bar MAP sensor with harness and bracket, tanabe front and rear strut bars, Exedy twin plate clutch kit with flywheel and counter weight, and polyurethane motor mounts. For porting I just explained what my setup would be like, the cars purpose, and my power goals and they said an agressive streetport would probably be the way to go. The engine was supposed to get picked up yesterday but instead of coming during the scheduled 3-6 o'clock window, they thought it was a good idea to show up at 1 o'clock when no one was home. So I've rescheduled for today. I know this is useless without pics but here's some random pics of work being done. I expect this to pick up one I get some boxes in the mail. http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...9B27D73B3A.jpg http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...9B343A7E6D.jpg http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...9B114DBABB.jpg I really like this picture: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...22C2EA-1-1.jpg http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...9B19CCA36F.jpg My given up on polishing job: If anyone wants it, I can definitely sell it. Just note that the double throttle is deleted but hasn't been sealed up yet. http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...9B2032A8E6.jpg oh and here's a before and after of some cleaning: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...F16E7E326F.jpg http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...F174ACE3DD.jpg I'm trying to keep things moving. I'm starting to get some small things in the mail.. just some small things hardly worth mentionning lol. |
Figure I'd toss up an update:
My polishing sucks so I bought some already polished parts: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...1379C2BC14.jpg http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...13A415C993.jpg Painted the calipers and waterpump housing. There are a few places where I scuffed the front calipers sanding down the mazda logo but behind a wheel it will be impossible to tell: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...2165928FB2.jpg http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...260AA143C2.jpg http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...233124AAE4.jpg And last Friday I also got my engine back from Banzai as well as a few other parts: Large Streetport, ALS apex seals, banzai oil pan brace + OMP delete. NGK bur9eqp all around. And an exedy twin plate. http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...D692E3E45A.jpg http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...D69A1ACDE0.jpg Tanabe front and rear strut tower bars: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...D6A02D44BF.jpg Magnecore plug wires, poly motor mounts, SS clutch line, gm 3-bar map sensor, block off plates, new throwout bearing: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...D6A6837F54.jpg I also got an AEM uego wideband and truboost but they are up for sale now since i want to go with a Blitz sbc id for boost control. Priority now is finish tucking the body harness and fuse + relay boxes. Just really need to make brackets now but it's too cold out :( |
Mitch, I am jelly.
you are going to make me look like such a sissy driving around cruising with you. I need to beef up my FD! By the way, I'm almost a Mechanic! I just need to pass an exam. Oh yeah, and I get a $1000 grant for graduating! I might have to start my own build thread, and tear apart my FD. LOL. |
Looking good Mitch...
Its way to bad that the Exedy clutch will almost never be seen again!!! That bay is gonna look really good with all the black parts, and your few shiny accents... I think you should have kept on going with your Polish Job though... it was looking really good... Quote:
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Like I mentioned via Text... I may be up in that area during the week in between Christmas and New Years... will see later on here... Cheers J. |
CHip Clip.... Must have eating the bag for energy lol. Nice build. Awesome picture of the storm coming..
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You are doing a BIG job there, its great to see the pics, keep up the good work :bigear:
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Thank you for the kind words everyone!
I haven't been doing too much lately but i recently got a whole bunch of motivation to get the body work and paint done on at LEAST the rolling chassis part but probably a few more pieces as well so i can have the engine in before I go back to school. Also picked up a few more parts for it, Banzai-Racing diff brace and tranny brace, an abs delete kit, and a Blitz sbc i-Color spec-R which I impulse bought very very late one night when I got home from the bar. Looked at what I paid for it the next morning and I think I actually got a pretty good deal. So last night I had it towed to a friends place (prodigy and drifd3s might remember him from the last drift west event) where i continued stripping out the engine bay. All the abs stuff is out now, Ill take out the brake booster today, and then hopefully build the brackets that i drew up for the fuse boxes. Oh, and PROPERLY delete the power steering as per Prodigy's spec since i will have access to a welder :). Then next weekend I can sand it and hopefully the weekend after, have it sprayed! Thats the plan at least lol Oh and I also picked up what I thought was going to be just an unbroken passenger door handle, but it actually came with both full door panels! Black though, so now I have to pick. And when i dissasembles the passenger door handle to see what I could do to reinforce it, I was appalled at the quality of the piece. How mazda engineers thought it wouldn't break is beyond me. Just a piss poor design. However, it shouldn't be too hard to re-inforce and ill post up pictures when I do it so those of you who still have yours in tact came give it a bit more durability. I will try to take a few pictures today too! |
I said I'd post pics so here they are.
I tried taking off the brake booster but it was way more than i had bargained for so i just removed the master cylinder and called er a day. And wrapped up the remaining sensors: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...6933D5AE2F.jpg I didn't end up making the brackets for the boxes because I found a DIY a member on the other forum posted about moving them to this location and his brackets are much simpler. But I didn't have the materials for his design so I will have to get those. Here is where the main box is going though. Then the others will go behind it: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...694387D513.jpg Bye bye antenna! You can't really see it but around this area on the car there are a few dings from hail which will be filled/pulled.: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...6949E5757A.jpg Shop shot: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...695069A282.jpg Here is an engine my friend just finished building for his project. Upon looking at the picture, maybe i should have taped up his ports for him.. Looks pretty good though http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...695A2152B9.jpg And I think these turbos actually came off my car originally and he is going to use them for his car: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...695F58FDEC.jpg Messy workbench. Not sure what the things on the left of the picture would be used for.. http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...6967E40A4B.jpg Got a little fancy with the photography in the one. Lifted myself up with the crane and put my life on the line for this shot. :squint: jk.. just went upstairs. The engine is not mine: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...696EE6C0EA.jpg Was pleased to find this when i got home.. and didn't even have to pay duties! Thanks to not using UPS.. http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...6993851563.jpg Got a bit excited and unboxed it on the kitchen counter http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...699CEE7725.jpg MMM new parts :001_302: And lastly, the abs delete kit: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...69A297E924.jpg Not sure the lines to the rear brakes will be long enough since my MC is on the right side. But i guess we'll have to see. |
Well went to do more stuff tonight.
First i mounted the relays here: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...469D444C40.jpg Then took out the steering rack: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...46A298F309.jpg It will be nice to clean that up and have it out of the way for paint. And here is a shitty picture of the engine bay now.. need the fuse boxes mounted still but that should happen on wednesday. Then wrap up the rest of the harnesses: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...46A89F6C8C.jpg And here is me once i got home, grinning like an idiot. Sometimes when you are 1000s of miles away, it's nice to be able to put a face to a username. :auto: http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...46951F78E4.jpg Im actually really motivated to have the engine in and the chassis (and probably more) painted by the time I got back to school. |
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