October 2009 Rotary of the Month - RCCAZ 1

[N.RotaryTech]

Congratulations!


Q: Congratulations for winning Ride of the Month! Tell us about how you acquired this car?
A: I purchased the car back in March of 2000 off of Ebay. This was just after the Y2K scare and needless to say, buying something off of Ebay (especially a car) back in March of 2000 was a leap of faith. Also, the car was located in Mililani Hawaii, so I purchased the car off of detailed pics, maintenance records, and personal referrals. I wired funds to his bank in Hawaii, he placed the car is a shipping container, and I owned the car for more than a month before I even saw it. However, the gamble paid off. The car was immaculate. Just lucky I guess.

Q: Favorite stretch of road to drive your car on (location)?
A: Two stretches actually. From Phoenix into LA each year down I-10 (Sevenstock Caravan) with 20+ of my best rotary friends. My favorite Arizona twisty section would be Route 89A from Phoenix heading North into Prescott, AZ. 20+ miles of 20 mph turns and elevation changes. Great white knuckle ride... especially when you catch it right and the cops and local traffic are absent.

Q: Whats the biggest reason you chose a rotary powered car to modify?
A: The styling of the Gen 3 was my first attraction. I distinctly remember my first Gen 3 sighting. My fiance and I were heading to the Grand Canyon for a weekend getaway in the Fall of 1993 when a Montego Blue FD flew past us. I turned to her and said... "Wow, what was that? I've got to have that car some day." A few weeks later a co-worker of mine rolled into the parking lot with a brand new CYM. I think that definitely helped seal the deal. Also being that I work for an Aerospace Engineering Company, a turbocharged rotary was the closest thing I'd ever experienced to a turbine-powered car. The smooth throttle response and linear powerband were alluring and hard to resist. Even today, nearly 10 years since I first bought the car, every day behind the wheel is like a Holiday. I've never gotten tired of driving the car.


Q: What are the future plans on this car?
A: Since I just finished up a huge engine/custom IC project, the final item I'd like to get installed is my Aquamist HFS-5 water/methanol injection system. New wheels should be here within the month (WorkMeister 3 pc - chrome lip with black centers). Also planning a brake rotor upgrade at that time.

Q: What was the worst and best memory of this project?
A: Best memory was going through the process of designing my own Vmount setup to get everything optimized. Some ideas worked well right out of the box, while others did not and required some redesign. However, in the end I think the final result turned out incredible!! Worst memory was probably lacking motivation early on to work on the project. Also, the trial and error of designing my own Vmount was discouraging at times, but persistence and perseverance eventually paid off.

Q: Any other hobbies besides cars?
A: Golf, Bicycling and chasing my 2 grandkids

Q: Anyone you'd like to thank?
A: Basically, I'd like to thank anyone who's ever done a project in the past and posted their pictures and results in online forums. I was a mechanical novice when I bought my Gen 3, but through reading the FSM and posts by others over the years, I've gained the confidence to do much of my own work. That has been extremely gratifying!

Others I'd like to thank would be:
Glen and Tom from Arizona Rotary Rockets for building a great engine and coaching me through many of the decisions that went into my final project. Glen... thanks for building a monster motor, and Tom, thanks for helping me sort out several "electrical" challenges on the car. Many nights of efforts above and beyond the call of duty. Thanks to both of you!

Aaron Looft from Yawpower in Phoenix for hooking us up with Paul's latest state-of-the-art injectors! Thanks again!

Glenn Roberts from Finishing Touch Body Shopwho's team sprayed my RE Amemiya CF hood CYM to match the car as well as respraying the Nose and headlight covers.

Pete from Diversified Metals for the excellent polishing work on my engine and IC.

Q: Anything in the pipeline for another ROTM win?
A: Not at this point. Just trying to find time to enjoy driving the finished product!

Full specifications listing? (mods, etc)

Drivetrain:
AZRR Large Street port (Balanced Assembly)
Ground X lower intake manifold
Blowzilla TD61 Turbo (GT35R compressor with ball bearing cartridge and T4 divided hot section with 76 mm turbine wheel and 1.0 AR)
AZRR turbo manifold and DP
Dual Tial 38 mm wastegates with aluminum hardlines
Tial BOV
Primaries (2 stock 450 cc RX-8 Renesis injectors)
Secondaries (4 1000 cc Yawpower injectors)
AZRR primary and secondary fuel rails
Weldon fuel pressure regulator
Bosch 044 fuel pump hardwired to the battery
Tweak-It aftermarket waterpump pulley tensioner kit
Garfinkle oil pan brace
Competiton Clutch lightweight steel flywheel with new ACT street/strip clutch
Aftermarket tranny cooler to replace "stock" power steering cooler "snake" assy
Custom built and ducted undertray

Power Results (91 octane):
375 RWHP at 12.5 pounds of boost and ~290 ft-lbs of torque.

That number climbs to 439.2 RWHP at 16.44 psi boost and more than 340 ft-lbs of torque.

Engine Management:
Apexi Power FC (Tuned by Tony from UMS Tuning in Mesa, AZ)
New Mazda engine wiring harness
Coil relocation kit (to stock cruise control area)

Brakes/Suspension:
Stock brakes for now with stainless steel Goodrich hard lines
Tein Flex Suspension with EDFC controller

Interior:
Stock R1 interior with dealer-installed BOSE in Hawaii. Torasport carbon fiber twill weave overlay kit. Momo carbon fiber look shift knob. Innovate LM1 Wideband O2 Sensor with digita display and turbotimer. Aftermarket Autometer carbon fiber series gauges (boost, water temp, oil temp). RE Amemiya steering column boost gauge holder with matching Autometer carbon fiber boost gauge. Battery relocated to drivers side rear bin.
Passenger side dash signed by Takaharu "Koby" Kobayakawa, project manager for Gen 3 development. Kinda similar to having Carrol Shelby sign your Cobra



Exterior:
Body (new items):
RE Amemiya AD9 CF hood (painted to match body color)
Shine auto FEED replica sideskirts in CF twill weave
Shine auto old style Amemiya rear diffuser
Aftermarket hood struts
18x8.5 and 18x9.5 Enkei RP01s (45 mm offset all around)

[ZGN]

Congratulations!


Q: Congratulations for winning Ride of the Month! Tell us about how you acquired this car?
A: I purchased the car back in March of 2000 off of Ebay. This was just after the Y2K scare and needless to say, buying something off of Ebay (especially a car) back in March of 2000 was a leap of faith. Also, the car was located in Mililani Hawaii, so I purchased the car off of detailed pics, maintenance records, and personal referrals. I wired funds to his bank in Hawaii, he placed the car is a shipping container, and I owned the car for more than a month before I even saw it. However, the gamble paid off. The car was immaculate. Just lucky I guess.

Q: Favorite stretch of road to drive your car on (location)?
A: Two stretches actually. From Phoenix into LA each year down I-10 (Sevenstock Caravan) with 20+ of my best rotary friends. My favorite Arizona twisty section would be Route 89A from Phoenix heading North into Prescott, AZ. 20+ miles of 20 mph turns and elevation changes. Great white knuckle ride... especially when you catch it right and the cops and local traffic are absent.

Q: Whats the biggest reason you chose a rotary powered car to modify?
A: The styling of the Gen 3 was my first attraction. I distinctly remember my first Gen 3 sighting. My fiance and I were heading to the Grand Canyon for a weekend getaway in the Fall of 1993 when a Montego Blue FD flew past us. I turned to her and said... "Wow, what was that? I've got to have that car some day." A few weeks later a co-worker of mine rolled into the parking lot with a brand new CYM. I think that definitely helped seal the deal. Also being that I work for an Aerospace Engineering Company, a turbocharged rotary was the closest thing I'd ever experienced to a turbine-powered car. The smooth throttle response and linear powerband were alluring and hard to resist. Even today, nearly 10 years since I first bought the car, every day behind the wheel is like a Holiday. I've never gotten tired of driving the car.


Q: What are the future plans on this car?
A: Since I just finished up a huge engine/custom IC project, the final item I'd like to get installed is my Aquamist HFS-5 water/methanol injection system. New wheels should be here within the month (WorkMeister 3 pc - chrome lip with black centers). Also planning a brake rotor upgrade at that time.

Q: What was the worst and best memory of this project?
A: Best memory was going through the process of designing my own Vmount setup to get everything optimized. Some ideas worked well right out of the box, while others did not and required some redesign. However, in the end I think the final result turned out incredible!! Worst memory was probably lacking motivation early on to work on the project. Also, the trial and error of designing my own Vmount was discouraging at times, but persistence and perseverance eventually paid off.

Q: Any other hobbies besides cars?
A: Golf, Bicycling and chasing my 2 grandkids

Q: Anyone you'd like to thank?
A: Basically, I'd like to thank anyone who's ever done a project in the past and posted their pictures and results in online forums. I was a mechanical novice when I bought my Gen 3, but through reading the FSM and posts by others over the years, I've gained the confidence to do much of my own work. That has been extremely gratifying!

Others I'd like to thank would be:
Glen and Tom from Arizona Rotary Rockets for building a great engine and coaching me through many of the decisions that went into my final project. Glen... thanks for building a monster motor, and Tom, thanks for helping me sort out several "electrical" challenges on the car. Many nights of efforts above and beyond the call of duty. Thanks to both of you!

Aaron Looft from Yawpower in Phoenix for hooking us up with Paul's latest state-of-the-art injectors! Thanks again!

Glenn Roberts from Finishing Touch Body Shopwho's team sprayed my RE Amemiya CF hood CYM to match the car as well as respraying the Nose and headlight covers.

Pete from Diversified Metals for the excellent polishing work on my engine and IC.

Q: Anything in the pipeline for another ROTM win?
A: Not at this point. Just trying to find time to enjoy driving the finished product!

Full specifications listing? (mods, etc)

Drivetrain:
AZRR Large Street port (Balanced Assembly)
Ground X lower intake manifold
Blowzilla TD61 Turbo (GT35R compressor with ball bearing cartridge and T4 divided hot section with 76 mm turbine wheel and 1.0 AR)
AZRR turbo manifold and DP
Dual Tial 38 mm wastegates with aluminum hardlines
Tial BOV
Primaries (2 stock 450 cc RX-8 Renesis injectors)
Secondaries (4 1000 cc Yawpower injectors)
AZRR primary and secondary fuel rails
Weldon fuel pressure regulator
Bosch 044 fuel pump hardwired to the battery
Tweak-It aftermarket waterpump pulley tensioner kit
Garfinkle oil pan brace
Competiton Clutch lightweight steel flywheel with new ACT street/strip clutch
Aftermarket tranny cooler to replace "stock" power steering cooler "snake" assy
Custom built and ducted undertray

Power Results (91 octane):
375 RWHP at 12.5 pounds of boost and ~290 ft-lbs of torque.

That number climbs to 439.2 RWHP at 16.44 psi boost and more than 340 ft-lbs of torque.

Engine Management:
Apexi Power FC (Tuned by Tony from UMS Tuning in Mesa, AZ)
New Mazda engine wiring harness
Coil relocation kit (to stock cruise control area)

Brakes/Suspension:
Stock brakes for now with stainless steel Goodrich hard lines
Tein Flex Suspension with EDFC controller

Interior:
Stock R1 interior with dealer-installed BOSE in Hawaii. Torasport carbon fiber twill weave overlay kit. Momo carbon fiber look shift knob. Innovate LM1 Wideband O2 Sensor with digita display and turbotimer. Aftermarket Autometer carbon fiber series gauges (boost, water temp, oil temp). RE Amemiya steering column boost gauge holder with matching Autometer carbon fiber boost gauge. Battery relocated to drivers side rear bin.
Passenger side dash signed by Takaharu "Koby" Kobayakawa, project manager for Gen 3 development. Kinda similar to having Carrol Shelby sign your Cobra



Exterior:
Body (new items):
RE Amemiya AD9 CF hood (painted to match body color)
Shine auto FEED replica sideskirts in CF twill weave
Shine auto old style Amemiya rear diffuser
Aftermarket hood struts
18x8.5 and 18x9.5 Enkei RP01s (45 mm offset all around)