My Intro!

Pele · 06-06-2011, 08:37 AM

I've always been into cars. I knew how a piston engine worked since being in elementary school. I always hung around with my father when he'd work on his cars.

Later, I had heard of these strange Mazdas with no pistons or cylinders in the engine. I was always curious about how they worked or what model they were offered in. Nobody could tell me and everyone said that they were very rare.

At 18 (In 2000) just after getting my license, but before graduating High School, my mom had a surprise for me; A graduation present. I was handed a single key and was instantly excited. My first car! I didn't care what I'd get to drive, so long as it had an engine and four wheels...

And so I found outside, a Sunbeam Silver Metallic (K3) 1985 Mazda RX-7 GSL with sunroof.

Put the key in and turned it on... Pulled the choke, tapped the gas, and cranked it up. It had a high idle and a bit of a missfire occasionally. I'd take care of that.

I popped the hood.

What.
The.
Fuck.

No valve covers. Where the hell are the valves? And why is the exhaust manifold BELOW the crank pulley... That's not right at all.

This is one of those weird Mazdas that I'd heard about... Cool!

And, Hey! The intake and exhaust manifolds are RIGHT next to each other. It'll be easy to put a turbo on this car... (I didn't know what an intercooler was.)

First things first, I need to get the car fixed and running properly.

I hauled it into the Auto Tech shop at school and the instructor was an Ex Mazda mechanic. He had an old blown S4 13B up on a stand with the front cover removed for demonstrations purposes. Seeing it move got me hooked.

I needed to find out more.

At the time, I don't believe you could Google anything. Google hadn't formed into a verb yet and wasn't the shit that Yahoo and AltaVista were... So I Yahoo Searched and joined the RX-7 club.

After getting the carb rebuilt, blocking off the shutter valve, and a tune-up, the engine it ran great until I wrecked it a year later.

Still, I've never driven a car that I've had more fun in...

I still have my old FB kicking around, deciding on what to do with it.
I also bought another that I'm prepping for Spec-7 class road racing... If home projects and other assorted priorities don't get in the way...

I also own a 2nd gen that I picked up for $250 when I needed a good daily in a pinch... That'll be another post.

Pele · 06-06-2011, 08:54 AM

So two years ago I needed a daily driver pretty bad one time. I had blown the timing belt on my Honda Passport (Isuzu Rodeo) because the valve cover gaskets were leaking oil onto the belt... It's a pretty crammed engine bay, so it'd take me a while to do it and I didn't really feel like doing it in winter...

Buddy of mine knew someone with an FC sitting in their front yard. They needed to get rid of it because the cops were starting to complain about it. I offered $250 to haul it off and backed my flatbed up to their yard that evening. (Flatbed or a trailer is MANDATORY for dealing with RX-7s like I do.)

The guy had bought it back in the Fall of 1985, it's one of the first FCs in the states. (Coolant reservoir is next to the leading coil, not in front of the radiator support like most FCs.) He taught his son and then his grand son to drive in it. Grandson wrecked up the front end a bit. Original owner planned on fixing it up again, but never got to it and it sat for a few years. It's an Arctic Silver GXL 2+2.

After hauling it home, I changed the oil and coolant, then charged the battery. Popped a bit of oil in the combustion chambers and spun it by hand a few times. Turned the key and she fired right up. A set of tires was all I needed and bam, Daily driver for under $300.

It's gotten a few more points of bodywork that need done since I've owned it... My flatbed overhangs my driveway a bit and I clipped it in the huge east coast snow storm of 2010... Then I nailed a white tailed deer at 75 MPH... Still, I'd trust the car to get me anywhere without a problem... And I used it to replace a vehicle with a Honda badge on it!

I've since picked up another rust bucked GXL with the original 1986 Mazda dealer authorized "Finish Line" ground effects package and plexiglass sunroof. Those are going on the car after I pull out a lot of the dents.

It's also my test car for when I rebuild wiper and headlight switches... Since Icemark died, I've been doing these repairs. It's a common FC problem, burning up headlight switches and having failed wiper switches.

Pele · 06-06-2011, 09:07 AM

I'm not too much a fan of the FC... It's bigger and heavier than the FB. It's also prone to understeer whereas the FB was not only more prone to oversteer, but it was very predictable when the back end would kick out. I dunno.. The FC just feels sloppier than the FB.

But it's a 2+2, so it's more practical and it's comfier.

I think my least favorite generation is the 3rd gen, which is kinda odd to people.
Yeah, it looks nice... But I don't like forced induction on rotaries... It complicates the engine bay and you've gotta use expensive fuel to avoid detonation.

Have any of you ever WORKED on a 3rd gen? You've gotta remove the intake manifold to replace ignition coils for Pete's sake... What kinda design is that?!

If I were to ever own a 3rd gen, she'd have a piston engine under the hood.

But that's all expensive. Figure what, you can get a clean FD for maybe $10g? Then you spend a good couple thousand on building a V8 and the mount kit...

I've never had a car payment and never intend to. My most expensive vehicle was $10g paid for in cash and I intend to keep it that way.

RotorDad · 06-06-2011, 10:28 AM

Hell of an intro man, Welcome to the forum.

BTW you wouldn't happen to be from VA, Woodbridge area?

jerd_hambone · 06-06-2011, 12:44 PM

I was sort of shocked to see Pele's name on here haha. Welcome over here too.

You're younger than me! I had no idea haha

wonner · 06-06-2011, 12:57 PM

Welcome noob.

Pele · 07-06-2011, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RotorDad

Hell of an intro man, Welcome to the forum.

BTW you wouldn't happen to be from VA, Woodbridge area?

Yep, Dale City.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerd_hambone

I was sort of shocked to see Pele's name on here haha. Welcome over here too.

You're younger than me! I had no idea haha

I've been on here for years, but rarely post... Feels weird going back to being a noob with no posts and no privileges. I've got thousands over at the other club and I'm a mod. (Though i have to bite my tongue on certain issues.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by wonner

Welcome noob.

oldfag incognegro.

Gotpam? · 07-11-2011, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pele

I've been on here for years, but rarely post... Feels weird going back to being a noob with no posts and no privileges. I've got thousands over at the other club and I'm a mod. (Though i have to bite my tongue on certain issues.)

.

That and the fact that every little post seems to count. Granted I didn't do much venturing out of the lounge anymore.

cool_as_crap · 07-06-2011, 08:33 AM

06-06-2011, 08:37 AM	#1
Pele The Newbie Join Date: Jan 2010 iTrader: (0) Posts: 8 Rep Power: 0	My Intro! I've always been into cars. I knew how a piston engine worked since being in elementary school. I always hung around with my father when he'd work on his cars. Later, I had heard of these strange Mazdas with no pistons or cylinders in the engine. I was always curious about how they worked or what model they were offered in. Nobody could tell me and everyone said that they were very rare. At 18 (In 2000) just after getting my license, but before graduating High School, my mom had a surprise for me; A graduation present. I was handed a single key and was instantly excited. My first car! I didn't care what I'd get to drive, so long as it had an engine and four wheels... And so I found outside, a Sunbeam Silver Metallic (K3) 1985 Mazda RX-7 GSL with sunroof. Put the key in and turned it on... Pulled the choke, tapped the gas, and cranked it up. It had a high idle and a bit of a missfire occasionally. I'd take care of that. I popped the hood. What. The. Fuck. No valve covers. Where the hell are the valves? And why is the exhaust manifold BELOW the crank pulley... That's not right at all. This is one of those weird Mazdas that I'd heard about... Cool! And, Hey! The intake and exhaust manifolds are RIGHT next to each other. It'll be easy to put a turbo on this car... (I didn't know what an intercooler was.) First things first, I need to get the car fixed and running properly. I hauled it into the Auto Tech shop at school and the instructor was an Ex Mazda mechanic. He had an old blown S4 13B up on a stand with the front cover removed for demonstrations purposes. Seeing it move got me hooked. I needed to find out more. At the time, I don't believe you could Google anything. Google hadn't formed into a verb yet and wasn't the shit that Yahoo and AltaVista were... So I Yahoo Searched and joined the RX-7 club. After getting the carb rebuilt, blocking off the shutter valve, and a tune-up, the engine it ran great until I wrecked it a year later. Still, I've never driven a car that I've had more fun in... I still have my old FB kicking around, deciding on what to do with it. I also bought another that I'm prepping for Spec-7 class road racing... If home projects and other assorted priorities don't get in the way... I also own a 2nd gen that I picked up for $250 when I needed a good daily in a pinch... That'll be another post.

06-06-2011, 09:07 AM	#3
Pele The Newbie Join Date: Jan 2010 iTrader: (0) Posts: 8 Rep Power: 0	I'm not too much a fan of the FC... It's bigger and heavier than the FB. It's also prone to understeer whereas the FB was not only more prone to oversteer, but it was very predictable when the back end would kick out. I dunno.. The FC just feels sloppier than the FB. But it's a 2+2, so it's more practical and it's comfier. I think my least favorite generation is the 3rd gen, which is kinda odd to people. Yeah, it looks nice... But I don't like forced induction on rotaries... It complicates the engine bay and you've gotta use expensive fuel to avoid detonation. Have any of you ever WORKED on a 3rd gen? You've gotta remove the intake manifold to replace ignition coils for Pete's sake... What kinda design is that?! If I were to ever own a 3rd gen, she'd have a piston engine under the hood. But that's all expensive. Figure what, you can get a clean FD for maybe $10g? Then you spend a good couple thousand on building a V8 and the mount kit... I've never had a car payment and never intend to. My most expensive vehicle was $10g paid for in cash and I intend to keep it that way. Last edited by Pele; 06-06-2011 at 09:12 AM..

06-06-2011, 10:28 AM	#4
RotorDad Big Ugly Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Fredericksburg, Va iTrader: (1) Posts: 591 Rep Power: 16	Hell of an intro man, Welcome to the forum. BTW you wouldn't happen to be from VA, Woodbridge area? __________________ *Boosted Big Body On 335's* PS3 ID: Rotordad 1986 Mazda RX7 GXL - Street ported 13BT, Haltech, 62mm, ect. 2006 MazdaSpeed 6 - Eagle, Wiseco, Cobb, ect.

07-06-2011, 08:33 AM	#9
cool_as_crap BIIZZZAAAARRRRO Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Frazier Park, CA iTrader: (0) Posts: 56 Rep Power: 17	__________________

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06-06-2011, 08:54 AM	#2
Pele The Newbie Join Date: Jan 2010 iTrader: (0) Posts: 8 Rep Power: 0	So two years ago I needed a daily driver pretty bad one time. I had blown the timing belt on my Honda Passport (Isuzu Rodeo) because the valve cover gaskets were leaking oil onto the belt... It's a pretty crammed engine bay, so it'd take me a while to do it and I didn't really feel like doing it in winter... Buddy of mine knew someone with an FC sitting in their front yard. They needed to get rid of it because the cops were starting to complain about it. I offered $250 to haul it off and backed my flatbed up to their yard that evening. (Flatbed or a trailer is MANDATORY for dealing with RX-7s like I do.) The guy had bought it back in the Fall of 1985, it's one of the first FCs in the states. (Coolant reservoir is next to the leading coil, not in front of the radiator support like most FCs.) He taught his son and then his grand son to drive in it. Grandson wrecked up the front end a bit. Original owner planned on fixing it up again, but never got to it and it sat for a few years. It's an Arctic Silver GXL 2+2. After hauling it home, I changed the oil and coolant, then charged the battery. Popped a bit of oil in the combustion chambers and spun it by hand a few times. Turned the key and she fired right up. A set of tires was all I needed and bam, Daily driver for under $300. It's gotten a few more points of bodywork that need done since I've owned it... My flatbed overhangs my driveway a bit and I clipped it in the huge east coast snow storm of 2010... Then I nailed a white tailed deer at 75 MPH... Still, I'd trust the car to get me anywhere without a problem... And I used it to replace a vehicle with a Honda badge on it! I've since picked up another rust bucked GXL with the original 1986 Mazda dealer authorized "Finish Line" ground effects package and plexiglass sunroof. Those are going on the car after I pull out a lot of the dents. It's also my test car for when I rebuild wiper and headlight switches... Since Icemark died, I've been doing these repairs. It's a common FC problem, burning up headlight switches and having failed wiper switches.

06-06-2011, 12:57 PM	#6
wonner The Newbie Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Hayward, CA iTrader: (0) Posts: 17 Rep Power: 0	Welcome noob.