Shallow Pockets Rallycross Team's RX-7

[noisycricket]

Time for a thread. :)

I'll post pix and a short bio tonight.

Right now I'm just trying to decide if I want 150hp or 250hp... :D

[noisycricket]

Well I didn't have time to upload pics, and still don't, so here is a pic of the 299 car. (Why 299? It's one more than 298 which was the previous car. :) )

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb33/michmark4/Fowlerville%20Oct%2007/FowlersvilleOct07083_edited-1.jpg

I decided on 150hp. That's about double what it had before...

[BlackParis]

thats my favorite body style...

I used to have one ;) and yes the ~70hp is a big time downer...

[kreitz3]

I love your team name Pete. Long live this 7. (aka...don't kill it)

[noisycricket]

I estimate the engine that was in it was around 80hp despite the ported intake manifold, header, free flowing exhaust system, and a few certain ignition timing mods. The engine was just plain *wore out*. Stock is 100hp breathing through a severely restrictive exhaust system. (Rotary engines are VERY VERY LOUD. Mazda advertised the RX-7 as "The Silent Sports Car". You do the math!)

The 298 car had the same carb/intake on it, same ignition jiggery-pokery, and a better exhaust system - three straight-through mufflers and a custom 2 1/4" pipe setup along with the obligatory header. It was, er, fast. Not as fast as the ported engine I had in the one still before that ("White Trash") but still fast enough for one guy to think I was around 200hp. :) Gearing helps tremendously.

Watch this video... this was one of the final events where I ran the 298 car. There are a couple scenes were you can watch cars coming from all the way at the back hairpin to the finish. Time the festively colored 298 car versus, oh, the black STi or the header-equipped 2.5RS (i heard that he likes it sideways.) and bear in mind that it is seriously down on power.

TNEgmS039gk


Anyway, I learned some lessons from that car. One is that damping is way important. This means that you can't use the tires hitting the inner fender as a bumpstop (d'oh!). The 299 car has a pair of shocks installed in the front in addition to the struts, for a double dose of damping goodness. I will probably pull them back out after I install the Bilstein HDs. Those are awesome upside-down digressive valved struts at a very good price. I rode in a Neon with DMS suspension (DMS = Bilstein internals, shh!) and I was shocked.

Given the need for suspension, and *knowing* that I can kick ass with little power, I'll stick with the 150hp setup. :) I found an Eaton M90 supercharger locally for a good price, and was *sorely* tempted to go with it, but I couldn't trust forced induction anything + 200 mile journey to the rallycross site. I break things, and forced induction tends to break things in a way that prevent limping home. (Or easily fixing the problem like the time I broke an axle in my VW. That ruled)

So I am going to just stick with this:

http://a757.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/113/l_16d929b2557e9a4681fa4b8c52addd14.jpg

That is the larger (13B, 2.6l effective displacement) fuel injected engine from the top of the line model from '84-85. Factory rated at 135hp, simple modifications such as a cone air filter on the stock airflow meter and a (conservatively quiet) exhaust system + header are dyno-proven to bump this up to the 150hp range. Programmable EFI will have the engine up to the 165-170hp range. A 54mm sidedraft Weber-style throttlebody on an adapter that fits on the lower intake manifold (it's three pieces) with programmable EFI and a more free flowing but still streetable exhaust will be up into the 185hp range. I am going to *very* conservatively estimate my power will be in the 150hp range, but given the exhaust system that I'll be running, the programmable EFI (no AFM), the timing tricks that almost nobody ever does, it will probably be more. I also have a better intake manifold waiting in the wings :)

Mostly stock engine means more reliable as long as I keep it cool and keep from overrevving it, the normal modes of engine death for me. (I overheat engines a lot. The Subaru I overheated was *glorious* :) ) As soon as I get the pics off of my camera, those two topics will be addressed...

[RS-ti_Andy]

hahah..wow! im more of a newer style rx-7 like fc and fd but yeah i love the vid too... coheed and cambria..niiice.... and man nice house! holy crap.. geez.. im starting to notice most subaru drivers are very rich lol

[409industries]

sweet pic man... love the team name too! :)

[noisycricket]

http://a115.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/89/l_5c795b07ebaf25a5aabd97b5958d481a.jpg

That's about as much radiator as can be stuffed in the nose of the car. Plus I'll be using the biggest oil cooler offered.

http://a237.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/1/l_9837b870f065de38a90c72da1af7683c.jpg

Something doesn't look right...

http://a52.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/52/l_b676217ddb6563e3652faf7e2f51b923.jpg

And there's one on this side, too. :) Hey, I'm thrifty. Note the huge tire rub mark on the inner fender.

http://a55.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/113/l_1bbc5ca12f808e79ccdb736617cf6bc6.jpg

And that's even worse. Look at all of the paint missing on the body rail outboard of the strut tower. My tires are my bumpstops, hmm maybe that's why it feels so underdamped in really bumpy stuff. And makes lots of ugly noises. Fixing this won't be too bad, given a welder and a Sawzall and some spare 16-gauge. I could always just not use 65cm tires but there's no fun in that...

http://a553.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/106/l_a922e75ebaad90c308522186d47a6e88.jpg

I'm stupid for reusing this disc. At least it should outlast the transmission. (Because it will break it)

[noisycricket]

Until I find out what the RXB is going to determine with regard to the battery issue, I won't be using the GigundoRadiator. It will require moving the battery. Under current rules, it is illegal in every class (including Modified!) to relocate or resize the battery from factory size/placement. I would *prefer* to move the battery to behind the passenger seat to help the chronic weight balance issues (the left side is usually 100+ pounds heavier, *before* you put a driver in the car... makes turning right a lot slower than turning left!) but if the rules update says smaller is okay but moving is still illegal, I don't want to have to do everything twice.

In my home region, it wouldn't matter. I plan on doing Nationals this year, so now meeting the letter and intent of the rules matters.

This also means I cannot install the skidplate/bashguard yet. Enough is enough, I'm just going to finish my AN lines for the oil cooler and put the rest of the stock junk back in so I can at least start trying to make the MegaSquirt system work properly. At this point, I still don't even know if my box is any good! I can do the radiator and battery and skidplate after it's up and running and movable to a better work location.

I did finally pick up my fiberglass fender flares. (They were from a MkII Supra - pulled from the very Supra that won the 24 Hours of Lemons in Flat Rock, Michigan. Pulled before competition, at my request :) ) Part of my solution for the tire rub problem involves making the track a bit wider. Currently the fenders are rolled a LOT for tire clearance, widening the track will need fender surgery and flares.

And once there is tire clearance, it won't need to sit so high, so I can pull an inch or so of ride height from the thing. There is tons of suspension travel for a car of this size/wheelbase, roughly 7" in the front and 8-9" in the rear. (The front strut inserts are almost the same size as the rear strut inserts for a GD!)

Bio time:

I'm 29, live in Cleveland, Ohio, and I work in the exciting field of auto repair, for a small shop that also does a good deal of custom work. I get to do most of the custom work, a lot of which is engine swaps, tuning, restification, or general performance parts installations in 50s-70s cars, mainly GM products but we do get a Ford here and there. (And one, glorious time, I got to tune and drive a Stage III 426 Wedge powered Mopar. That *ruled*) We've also done a few F-bodies, C4 and C5 Corvettes (incl. built LS2 install into an early Z06) and a few late model turbo Subarus, oddly enough no other imports or RX-7s.

This is the second car I've built for rallycross. My first one was the 298 car, which was my third RX-7 and the first one I used for competition besides bracket racing. (I never raced any of my personal Subarus or musclecars) I've been running with the Western Ohio Region since 2004, first in U2, then RSR (uncontested champ in RSR ;) ), and now M2. I have also run one event in SSF in my ex B12-chassis Sentra (long gone), SF and M2 in my Mk2 chassis 8-valve Golf, and one glorious event in RP2 (I think, whatever the top 2wd class was in '05) in a borrowed stage rally prepped Omni GLH Turbo. That car was FUN except for the turbo. It was the first turbo car I ever raced and it suffered detonation problems to say the least, and it also would not build boost in 2nd gear with the tall tires he was running and the speeds we were at, but 1st gear was too low unless you were willing to risk throwing the engine away with no rev limiter. I wasn't!

Right before the engine in "298" finally expired and let me retire the thoroughly rusted, held together with angle iron and zip screws bodyshell, it gave me an FTD. Well, an FTD shared with an STi (we both ran a 60.1 clean), but FTD is still FTD and I finally got one. Three days later it died. I was overrevving and overheating it a bit :) I *was* going to transfer most of its bits to "299" and keep on trucking, but I discovered that the struts were blown, the rear shocks weren't much better, the radiator fell apart, etc, so I started running it in nearly-stock trim save for adding the shocks to the front and of course removing the otherwise pristine interior and transferring over the RCI camlock 5-point and my custom steering wheel and "wear molded" driver's seat. (By the way, I am 6'3-6'5 depending on how much sleep I got recently... interior room is a premium :) ) In this form, I won the M2 class at the Divisional at Fowlerville, MI. There were only two other cars in my class, a "the rules let me do it so I did it" supercharged MR2, and a stage rally Integra Type R. With a blower on it. (To be fair, he would have blown me away if he would have been doing the correct 2 1/2 laps instead of continuing past the finish... eventually they stopped giving him reruns and gave him DNFs) I was in excellent driving form that day with minimal cones and maximal smoothness, but the car was also just plain handling *awesome* and I hardly ever needed to actually slow down, just dab the brakes to set the chassis rotating and then power out... No chances this year, this year there's gonna be some power under the hood :D :D


PS - Right now I'm watching a French movie with English dubbed and Finnish subtitles. It's surreal! But at least I'm learning more Finnish, which will no doubt help my driving :D

[noisycricket]

Relocated batteries are now legal in Modified as of yesterday. THANK YOU EVERYONE!

Now I can get to work again... :)

[I Like It Sideways]

Holy jeez pete, thats quite the write up.
I hope to see you March 1st, if not in your car, then in Dave's!

Hopefully a WOR group can make an appearance and represent @ nationals this year!

[noisycricket]

http://a39.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/60/l_74e06496153dcd808706d6fb8cd660a6.jpg

Heh heh.

http://a911.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/64/l_1f711c127a32d5210182aaf42a8e315e.jpg

Thanks to the efforts of everyone who voiced how battery moving should be legal for M2/4 given that soo many competitors (including some Board members... woops :) ) have already done so... I could ditch the battery which was massively in the way of...

http://a944.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/1/l_3ac768cf7a95ce7f3416e32be44f29ef.jpg

Erk. Now to figure out how to retain the thing :)

[I Like It Sideways]

I just read about the battery issue on the SCCA forums.

Well done to all who contributed to the change.

Now good luck with that radiator.
mmm shiny

[noisycricket]

There's just no way the radiator will fit. I can put it *in* there, but there's no room for the lower radiator hose, or the oil cooler hoses. Wasted a whole day determining that, and I'm running out of days.

I discovered that the radiator from the later model RX-7 in the garage (the one that will be giving up its front suspension for 299) is the SAME SIZE as the mongo radiator I bought, only the outlets are in the correct spots (duh), there is no radiator cap to get in the way, and the tanks are smaller so the oil cooler hoses can snake by. Oh and it has mounting tabs built in so I don't have to fabricate nearly as much.


So, er, once again, I over-thought something when the correct solution was in hand the whole time.

[noisycricket]

What is all wheel drive with a 4 valves per cylinder front-mounted longitudinal "odd" ( :) ) sounding engine?

That ISN'T a Subaru? :D

Sorry Marty it's almost a done deal. Honestly it can't be much worse than the Golf.

[kreitz3]

Hey Pete. I'll sell you a white WRX!

[noisycricket]

Well it is a white 4 door with a wing...


...and bad power steering...

Maybe I should get a plate that says "TEH AUDI" ?

[kreitz3]

Haha.

Yes.

Yes.

And more yes!

[noisycricket]

F'ing spaghetti.

http://a592.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/7/l_caefcb1d6821c4d80d038f7a3a867b77.jpg

turns into

http://a117.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/65/l_393d7e2c9f21d9687ad9210ddf3e1ddc.jpg
http://a908.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/109/l_aecd264037b47773ba759bc025f08973.jpg

so I can get into the fun work of

http://a568.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/105/l_bafd427a7578716f71ae395b9187ceff.jpg

...

Wiring sucks.

But as it turns out, I have the 250 KPa MAP sensor. ECU is 20psi boost capable. Too bad the fuel pump, injectors, and transmission are not. But that can change :D :D :D

[noisycricket]

Thanks to Andrew Frick, I *can* has Hankooks. Michelins to be for sale shortly.

[noisycricket]

it's alive.

IT'S ALIVE !!!

Muhuhahahahaha

[I Like It Sideways]

Hankooks ftw!
Which hankooks?

I can't wait to see it, nice work on getting it running!

[noisycricket]

They are the R201 model, G70 compound (soft), 185/60-15.

They actually have the same treadwidth as the Michelins, but they're a lot shorter. They're roughly the same diameter as the 225/50-15 street tires I run. They also weigh about the same :( and they are just as stiff, so they're even more of a pain to mount than the Michelins were.

The Hankook "soft" feels like the Michelin "medium". The ones I got from him had six rallies (!!) on them and they're still pretty much there. He told me that for 2008 they have a new soft compound, G71, which is supposed to actually be soft and not hockeypuck.

I am not sure how well they will work when it is cold out. Are we allowed to do burnouts before a run, considering that we're at a dragstrip? :D

But they fit in the spare tire well and it looks like I can stuff six of them in the back. Good, it means I can put four in plus gear.

[noisycricket]

Pictures time!

http://a9.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/59/l_0ae0262e74b1e567d84f4bebff711450.jpg

http://a931.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/69/l_cf44cff5df4f260a64daabd1c989ae0a.jpg

http://a924.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/10/l_971b1d86f3f2f39fbc88a72e28383f33.jpg

http://a223.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/25/l_4b3b9afe740ac8b4d059ede1d4ae0446.jpg

View line 6 in step 5:
http://a880.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/56/l_ea9624b3c7f285ffed45b89c4e1a6d0f.jpg

It runs!
http://a979.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/10/l_b790a89464b3ce9d99d00face3aa6a4a.jpg

But it looks like this outside:
http://a911.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/121/l_f2b9e9579e850f0bab0653980164082e.jpg

And these are my tires:
http://a349.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/51/l_904e9372a116f46cb03cac6b8a83d2d4.jpg

So I gave it a bath underhood:
http://a468.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/113/l_16239ef8f8eacf7439488b7252504ad3.jpg

And started putting the interior back together, starting with the new spaghetti:
http://a479.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/15/l_69c3d49312d1a989184961bb56d57156.jpg

BTW - Launch control works, too :D

[noisycricket]

Roads clear today. A friend of mine came up and he drove my car around while I did some work on drivability and the cruise/light acceleration part of the map.

Then we stopped at the race shop, picked up some stickers, talked about stuff, and I got behind the wheel.

HOLY ...!!!

This is gonna be cool.

If the mixtures are half correct, going by the pulsewidths I was seeing about 160 crank HP.... heh heh heh

[kreitz3]

Did you get that fuel pressure dingle-bob?

[I Like It Sideways]

If the mixtures are half correct, going by the pulsewidths I was seeing about 160 crank HP.... heh heh heh

!!!!

I can't wait to see it back in action.

And...what Kyle said.

[noisycricket]

No never got it... so the fuel pump is a bit louder than it should be... we'll see how things pan out.

We got a bunch of snow up here last night, possibly more on the way. So driving it down is going to be "fun".

The guys I bought the tires from may be bringing his Spec Focus... ut-oh!

[noisycricket]

http://a708.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/77/l_a73fbd080080f352db92ef8f62a44f93.jpg

[I Like It Sideways]

^ I have one or two of you parked full of mud as well

Here are a few from the dusty rallycross

http://www.zoto.com/ilikeitsideways/img/600x600x0/160eb6a881a9fd94aeecdbbe33af8a99.jpg

http://www.zoto.com/ilikeitsideways/img/600x600x0/c9146ba2e27da4f609cbe8f8981724a0.jpg

http://www.zoto.com/ilikeitsideways/img/600x600x0/019e7f887cf1e88c8fbb14f2d8f1547e.jpg

And the rooster tail shot
http://www.zoto.com/ilikeitsideways/img/600x600x0/95eac723dbeafa5b25225324b7ea8f80.jpg

If you go here (http://www.zoto.com/ilikeitsideways/albums/11801/), when you click on the picture there is an option for original image, to get the full res

[noisycricket]

Crap this car has a ton of positive camber. Gotta fix that.

I have the EFI working pretty awesome at this point. It's getting pretty good fuel economy considering the ignition timing isn't working for best fuel economy.

Before I mentioned the "peripheral port" engine I built a year or two ago. I took it out because I needed the EFI actionz to make it work reliably.

I have reliable EFI now.

And then I found this video:

U42GmfeFHy0

and screw $4/gallon, I *want* this back again.

[rollo]

Damn.

That thing sounds like a 'cuda at idle and a 'busa at WOT :D (well okay not exactly)

RX-3s rule..

[noisycricket]

it's official.

The engine died on Saturday.

This is really, really frustrating, because there was absolutely no reason for it. These engines are simple, and basically if it's any good internally, it has good compression, doesn't use water, and doesn't smoke oil. This one had all three.

As it turns out, once you're up to the power levels where I'm at, misfires under high load will cause the engine to shred itself. If it misfired, it was so minor that I didn't notice it. Certainly this rules out using the two-step.

Current plans are up in the air. If I do the p-port thang then I will tow to events because I don't want to drive four hours (each way) with something with all of the manners of a manic depressive bull.

On the other hand, discussion elsewhere in this very forum made me realize that I'd be happy with a manual-shift automatic, and the easy way to get that also involves an engine swap, so I may as well go for something with, say, six cylinders and just under 4 liters of displacement. Something a little more like what my company works with every day (http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&q=weber+racing+equipment+buick&btnG=Google+Search) perhaps? :)

[noisycricket]

:waving:
http://a848.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/30/l_0c64e30bc252b8bae22e828bf6844d57.jpg

If you have myspace:

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=282829693&albumId=784515

[noisycricket]

Engine is assembled as of 11am :)

[kreitz3]

Nice. Are you going to be there this weekend?

[noisycricket]

http://a237.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/127/l_ea0c7a15360f8ef5ec5426c4d29dba24.jpg



I'm tryin'

[kreitz3]

That would be kick ass if you had the 299 car there!

Should I rally the lowered Escort GT?

[noisycricket]

Got it running today, and the MAP-based EFI is not happy with the engine and it just runs like ass.

Then the seals suck in their slots or something.

Anyway, I found a co-drive opportunity, so I'll still be in M2 but it's a white FWD car not a black RWD car.

[sebhockey]

That's a start at least. Keep up the work and it should be running well in no time.

[kreitz3]

So did you end up running the black RWD car? I thought I saw a pic of it.

[noisycricket]

Er? No I was running in M2 in a PF car on baldish street tires.

I got spanked but still had a ton of fun. Dave's car is really fun to drive and I can't thank him enough for the opportunity.

[kreitz3]

I'm glad he got the Neon out! I missed it!

[noisycricket]

Teh Neon = teh AWESUM!

Oh yeah and the car didn't want to run because the SPARK PLUGS were crap. Popped new ones in (my own special customized plugs) and it runs fine as long as you use starting fluid at first. Needs tuned!

But needing tuned is a hell of a lot better than the alternatives...

[WayBack]

we need youtubes Pete, show us! let us hear it. ;)

[noisycricket]

No video yet. Still farting around with it.

The intake is LOUD. Srsly.

[kreitz3]

Are you going to have this done by May 10th?

[noisycricket]

Not saying. I could have it running awesome and then blow something up before that. THAT's never happened before... except for last month...

The engine right now is just a factor of tuning.

I definitely want the hydraulic handbrake installed before running at S&M again. That will be a piece of cake, just need to tap some stuff and run new brake line and make a handle.

[soulbazz]

Love the video on the first page! Looks like an awesome course, very fast.

What/who was the first song in the first video?

[noisycricket]

That actually a pretty slow course... just fast driving :)

Eric you wanted proof:

Tr7vU3cbH6E

Sorry for the suck. I do not have the YouTube-fu.

[noisycricket]

Driving the car around, but I'm afraid to drive it very far. Call it dixicupphobia, the fear of driving long distance in an engine built with spit and chewing gum.

Also, it has a nasty misfire at full throttle and quick transitions, so I have a Fix in for the ignition system, but it should be badass as it is... We'll see.

Picking up an Eaton M62 for the VW pretty soon. We'll see what that, a 2.0-liter, and a T04 will do for the lack of power that car has.

[noisycricket]

I doubt I'll be playing with the VW much...

GRPqVkGC-4w

but the new engine is in the works for the RX-7 and should be done and broken in by the doubleheader. And I have a wideband to make tuning a LOT easier this time!

I almost bought an Impreza. Front drive 5 speed '93, just what I wanted... but the broken windshield was a dealbreaker. But wouldn't that have been neat to run in M2? Stuff all the WRX/STI suspension bits that fit underneath it and keep it front-drive...

Oh yeah and MY DOOR SHOWED UP TODAY! And it looks kickass... make the rest of the car look nasty in comparison :)

[noisycricket]

Marathon session with wrenches flying and Stella Artois disappearing (mmm, inexpensive Belgian beer...) and the new engine is ASSEMBLED. The short version is it's a Turbo engine without the turbo and with higher compression and some mild porting. The long version is that this engine should be good to about 180hp at the crank conservatively speaking, although shockingly similar have done over 200 at the wheels... it's nice to have more port volume and less surface area... mondo flow with conservative timing. It's a much less peaky powerband too, the dyno sheets usually read about 140-150ft-lb from 2000 on up.

And I used only new or very high condition parts in it. Not a dixiecupmotor. So it should last more than two months :)

My friend at Ohio Speed Works (where I put the engine together) says he wants to run his Omni at a rallycross or two this year. He likes the rules structure a lot better than hillclimbs, which was his goal after he realized how insane stage rally is. Every time he asked me a question, the answer was "Yeah you can do that" or "They don't care." So, I will have some competition in M2 this year after all :) By the way it's not just an Omni, it's a GLH (maybe an S, I don't remember) that I seam welded and he built some godawful altar of Mopar junkyardable performance turbo engine for it... probably more power than any of the other cars at the rallycrosses.

[noisycricket]

16.4 at 81mph shifting at 6k, 15.4 at 91 shifting at 8k.

And the intake manifold kills flow over 6k...

Heh heh heh

[noisycricket]

:eek:

:headbang:

Last rallycross (7/26 WOR) was the first one ever, I think, where I wasn't bumming about a lack of power.

It was weird, I could rotate the car by letting off the throttle *or* by applying it. But it was kinda controllable, too, like the powerband was shaped just right. I am happy with it.

But the tach only goes to 8. If I knew how high I was revving the thing, I wouldn't need to waste time and torque shifting into second gear.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-6/738485/RPM.jpg

[noisycricket]

So how hard does it launch?

Hard enough to open a foot long split in the rearend housing, that's how.

No pix. Dead camera.

[rollo]

:shock:

That doesn't sound good.

lol@ Initial D screen cap. You'll never beat the tofu delivery guy if you keep breaking it though :D

[noisycricket]

It's weird. I have 2wd partly because I'm afraid of how much I'd break AWD. And then I go and shred axles in the VW and shred a whole bunch of stuff in the RX-7. Over and over again...

There's a 2002 2.5RS for sale at a dealership here for $3500. Or a 1st gen DSM with 5 speed, AWD, and what looks like a tubular header and other performance mods, for $1100. The DSM at least would feel like the RX-7 :) And the DSM trans is strong, or at least strong*er*... I wouldn't try 6k full throttle clutch drops on rally tires, though.

But it was funny... my co-worker said "I am surprised you made it home!" (I live about 220-odd miles from the rallycross site) Then I told him that yeah, it had been leaking since before the rallycross *last* month... this recent one was just enough to split it enough to make the handling scary. How scary? It tried to change into the next lane right every time you accelerated. Semi-active 4 wheel steering!

Anyway, that's my story for why I lost to the Bug and I'm sticking to it :)

[noisycricket]

My rearend doesn't leak lube anymore! (And the winner for "wait, what" of the year goes to...)

Got the correct intake manifold on it. Got the wideband on it. Went tuning. Engine wanted more fuel compared to the old setup. Lots more fuel. Buckets and buckets of more fuel. Up to 40% more fuel. I am maxing out my injectors (2x680cc) long before running out of RPM, and by "maxing out" I mean it's calling for duty cycles in excess of 100%.

Dyno day is tomorrow. I bet it will do 180whp.

[rollo]

Congrats on getting your rear end sorted out!

So if it's that underfueled, isn't it running lean? I thought that was a cardinal sin on a rotary. Are you running some kind of external engine management, or is it old enough that it's tuned with ye olde screwdrivere magicke? (I don't remember whether this one is an FC or an FB)

Going back a little:
Picking up an Eaton M62 for the VW pretty soon. We'll see what that, a 2.0-liter, and a T04 will do for the lack of power that car has.

Wait.. an M62 and a T04? You're gonna do a turbo + supercharger setup on that thing!?

[noisycricket]

Well, part of the reason why it was hitting 100% (102% at only 8500) is because the VE table on my ECU (Megasquirt 1.01) stops at 7200. I will rectify that at the same time I convert to quad injectors. The way MS does fuel algorithm when it goes "off the map" is that it uses the last available V.E. figure. So if you are set at 93% VE at 7200, and you're on the downslope of the torque curve, it's gonna be *really* rich at the top end.

Which it was. On the Dynapack, I was showing a perfect 13:1-12.5:1 all the way across the rev range until the top end, where it started glugging on fuel until it was at 10:1 at 8500. (The dyno operator freaked when I told him I wanted the run to end at 9500, so we compromised, since 8500 is easy-peasy for any rotary.) As it turns out the exhaust system is really choking it at the top end, which I kinda expected. It's a very quiet system for as much power as it makes. I'm also leaving some power on the table because best power is often had in the 13.5:1 range, but I'll sacrifice a few HP for in chamber cooling.

And it makes... 154hp at the wheels. Torque is table flat from 1500 to 6000, where it jumps up another 10 or 20 ft/lb (it feels much more significant when driving) and tapers off. Not bad, but I was expecting more. The dyno operator had a similar engine make 206hp on his dyno... and I aim to beat that :) But he did have the benefit of a better header, better exhaust, and a much better intake manifold. As it is, it's a really nice powerband for rallycross. No massive dead points like the VW, and basically two choices of powerband.

I (now) have a Ford 2.3 Turbo engine that will be receiving the twincharging stuff. It's stout like a 2JZ. (Well, the other way around) Not sure what it will go in, although let's just say that any bad-engine E30s, 190D/E, or early 80's Celica notchbacks I find will have a new and interesting life :)

[noisycricket]

14.9 at 96. Really crappy launches, too.

This pig needs to lose some WEIGHT :)

[noisycricket]

Now with 100% less demolished door.

And a new radiator! I made a spiffy little X-brace to maybe keep from breaking so many radiators. The new one is a two-row, which may be nice to have.

[noisycricket]

The EFI woes still continue. It's running lean for some unknown reason. I'm worried about the injector drivers, and I won't know for sure until I can scope the injector current to see what's going on. It might also be the injectors, in which case, that's not so bad because it's finally a good excuse to go with those bigger ones I had planned for.

Meanwhile, today I picked up a 3.5" crank pulley to maybe solve the problems with running hot with extended high RPM use. This is important since after the 16th, all local rallycrosses in the near future are very fast, very long courses, and by this I mean National Trail Raceway. I've had lots of temp problems there in the past.

I also picked up a set of new-in-box Koni reds. I'm going to pull off the double damper setup since while it is just right on swells and big hits, it's just too stiff for stutter bump type work. Swapping struts will also allow me the opportunity to put in my modified strut tops and 200lb springs.

I'd *like* to have the hydro handbrake in by the SuperMotoRallyX on the 25th... we'll see. First things first, get the EFI sorted, then fix the handling, *then* worry about the handbrake.

[noisycricket]

It was lean because the wrong map was loaded. And I didn't realize this until after doing a bunch of tuning tonight... and then finding out that I was tuning on a map that stopped at 7200 like my original one... GRR! Had to redo everything.

But now it only goes to 90% pulsewidth, and is a lot leaner under WOT. (Leaner in this case means 13:1) And it idles actually smooth and is almost totally tractable around town. Kinda sorta, anyway. And then it pulls like the proverbial BMF. This is gonna be a lot of fun for the SuperMoto RallyX.

[rollo]

Handbrake? I didn't think you used such crutches :D It's not like that thing needs help getting the rear end out?

Good to hear that the tune is sorted out. Are there gonna be jumps at the upcoming SuperMoto RallyX, like the last one? Either way, the crowd demands video.

[noisycricket]

Should be. From the image evidence, it looks mild compared to a railroad crossing. Or, for that matter, the covered bridge on Pyrmont Rd. on the way to Smoke & Mirrors :D

Handbrake definitely necessary. Remember it's a short wheelbase, relatively wide rear drive with a limited slip that it barks and shudders when trying to drive it in town, and slow steering. It does not like to turn. I have been crutching that by shifting to first without rev matching, but that doesn't work if you're already in first gear. And it's hard on the drivetrain...

[noisycricket]

ZWmhmA0r9qc

Of course he got my WORST run on video :) In the afternoon runs I was running most of the first half in 1st gear since it was getting grippy. And my flat-shift wasn't working until after the lunch break, not that I used it all that much... because 2nd gear synchro absolutely hates me. I can upshift if I'm either real patient, or shift before 6k anyway. Fortunately it does make useful power down around 3k where I was lugging it in 2nd...

[martinus]

Cant hear the car, is someone runing a chainsaw by the camera guy ?

.
.
.

[noisycricket]

Marty! Where've you been?? Going to be at NTR next week?

PS - Driving on the street today I successfully was able to shift to second at 9000rpm, fast enough that the exhaust only popped once. Shifting to third sounded like a machinegun :D I might not have to switch transmissions after all, but I did buy a couple quarts of Shockproof on my way home just in case.

I did notice that the trans was puking oil from the front bearing retainer during one of my engine swaps... didn't bother to do anything with it :)

[martinus]

Marty! Where've you been?? Going to be at NTR next week?


Playing with VW's, trying NOT to think about the WRX ... ... & maybe...

Is a 260MM steering wheel TOO small, for a car with no pwr assist ? :mrgreen:

.
.
.

[noisycricket]

Not kidding: I had a customer with a '69 Bronco with the stock sloppy manual steering and a 10" steering wheel. Truck was on 33" mud tires.

Did I mention that it was a 3 speed? And that I had to drive it in rush hour traffic when transporting it?

High steering effort + about 1/4 turn of freeplay before anything happens = suckage. (One of the things we did to it was a power steering conversion)

Anyway, I found out that I twisted my rearend housing. Not bent, but *twisted*. This is probably why my driveshaft hits the floor kinda frequently, and why it shakes like a mofo over 80mph...

[noisycricket]

Rearend going into the car on Thursday. Will be swapping from 3.91 to 4.10 gears at the same time. Still no time to install the Konis in the front or the 3.5" crank pulley. But it's not overheating, either, so that's a plus.

Two events in a row I took First in M2 and fourth *overall*. I never normally place in the top half. It feels weird to be this fast :) At OVR I did not hit any cones, maybe I'm just finally taking it seriously and driving to win instead of sliding all over the place.


It's weird to have power. At OVR I was running the last half of the course basically as a set of linked corners, no real "not sideways" time, constantly at full throttle at about 5500-6500rpm in second gear except for when it was time to shift the load onto the other rear tire. I almost don't want to switch to the Konis since it handles so sweet, but it could be better.

[noisycricket]

Car is now hardwired for incar video. Camera is perma-mounted to the interior roof.

[noisycricket]

I doubt I'll be playing with the VW much...


What do Henry Rollins and I have in common?

After almost spending a ton of cash on an 80 Quattro (think just like the 90 Quattro except with a little more displacement, half as many cams/valves, and the number on the decklid is 10 lower. Even was white with a rear wing!) I realized that after all that money, I'd be right about at the point where I am with the VW, reliability-wise.

So I figure I'll sink that dough into the VW... probably first thing is going to be new axles. I'll fix the whole rattly valvetrain/tends to catch fire over 6000rpm problem all in one stroke. VW fans might recognize the solution as being brought to me by the letter G and the numbers 6 and 0 :headbang:

I already have some Winterforces on it. Man these tires suck in the snow compared to the old WS-50s. But they were only $112 for the pair and they work better in mud, which should tell you where my priorities for my "I'll never rallycross it again" car lie :)

[noisycricket]

I got to drive the RX-7 during the warm weather we had after Christmas. It was something like 4deg the weekend before Christmas, and 65deg the weekend afterwards. The key thing was, after it warmed up, it rained heavily for a few days and stayed above freezing, so for three days the roads were salt free! I drove it about 500 miles. It pulls STRONG and SMOOTH in the colder weather, enough so that I think I may have the timing too far advanced. (In warmer weather it seems to be breaking up slightly at higher RPM)

The car definitely needs more grip. I was having no traction in 1st gear on dry clean pavement, and 2nd was getting me tirespin over 6k unless I was going downhill. There's plans for more grip... should be a lot like the silver car, which had mad retard grip.

Things I picked up during my vacation:

New intake manifold upper plenum, so I can make a "Big Mouth" single plenum manifold with a 75mm throttle body. Should improve drivability - with the current progressive triple throttle setup it doesn't like running on the primary throttle, all three need to be open for it to cruise well. Top end power may improve, but probably not.

A handful of 2.5" mufflers, so I can put together a quieter exhaust system that also flows more than the current 1.75" (!) one. More power? Oh hell yes.

A wrecked front bumper skin from an IT racer, complete with WOR Games tech sheets taped to it. (Neat!) The purpose of this will be revealed later.

For the VW, ARP rod bolts and head studs. Nothing says badass like an engine block with studs sticking out. (Especially Subaru blocks, because there's studs at both ends!) Slowly amassing the parts for the heart transplant.

Also some custom body work on the VW... need yet another hatch since the white one got mangled. No more Golf STi :(

And for MYSELF... an Olympus FE-360 camera! Would have gotten better but I spent all that money on car bits I didn't have much left over for a replacement camera. Not bad though, $123 with tax and a 2-gig XD card.

[kreitz3]

Ummm...I need to see the 7 and what happened to the white hatch? That was quite possible the best part of the car!

[noisycricket]

Go to the rallycross on Saturday if you want to see the Golf.

[kreitz3]

I have to work all day.

[noisycricket]

So I am thinking of giving the RX-7 a vacation in 2009 and running SA all year.

Basically, the expense of keeping the car mobile is killing me. I estimate I spent between 5 and 8 thousand dollars last year rallycrossing. I didn't believe it at first, but now that there is an off season (and we're busy) it's shocking how much money I have now that I am not constantly battling the car.

[noisycricket]

Uploaded a ton of pics to MySpace. Well 20 anyway. Here's the juicier ones.

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/35/l_313b1d507c684729a2bcbd72cc9b7d3e.jpg

I ground the welds I did last summer away and here's what I found.

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/37/l_5948ee96849a4bbd8d13f96aec5e2753.jpg

This is the other end of the "mystery leak".

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/62/l_f4e3344ca23548458c312e06d3870aa5.jpg

Notched and ready to fill-weld. The boss and stuff that was cut off in this pic was for the Watts Link. My thinking is, a side hit damaged the housing *here*, probably from the collision that wiped out the left side of the car before I got it. My animalistic driving tendencies made the crack propagate.

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/45/l_aca5f33c8d24418d9e9ea0b22ed3bf9a.jpg

That's how far around it went under the spring. Oof. (After taking this pic I discovered that I wasn't done notching...)

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/49/l_a6cfe2d6e8d24020833d10b5b94bb0d8.jpg

Probably overkill. This is after I welded the notch shut, ground it smooth, and pressure tested for leaks.

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/48/l_818e449d676843a592022ab4d46ba063.jpg

Going back to a 3-link too. I tack welded the Watts pivot back on to use as a convenient grounding location.

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/59/l_6bb00e43900d4200a57728b736dedbf3.jpg

This is the next project... rack and pinion steering, aluminum control arms, and struts that bolt in to the knuckle instead of being all one piece. And bigger wheel bearings and spindle snouts, so maybe I will quit bending them. The stock crossmember is on the bottom.

[noisycricket]

I have a new daily driver. I couldn't decide on another VW or another Subaru, so I compromised.

When I say "sync", you say "ro"!
Sync(ro)! Sync(ro)!

(The Golf is going byebye.)

[noisycricket]

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/112/l_6aeda9ef225d430db08bb901980854a6.jpg


I have new struts/spindles/clean rotors/new front calipers all assembled as two big, ungainly assemblies, ready to throw on the RX-7. The struts are Koni Reds, the springs are 200lb-in by 12" (these were the rear springs from my old GL Wagon, note Subaru reference), and we'll see how long they last rallycrossing. Really, I just want to get it put together so I can make the annual WOR Dyno Day. We're insanely busy at work, though, so even this cut-back goal will be hard to achieve.

And the Syncro needs a new exhaust system... oy!

[noisycricket]

c2n7F452CJU

Almost ready for Dyno Day.

[noisycricket]

g6wwr773Uek

170 at teh wheels. More in it too :)

[noisycricket]

Friday: $40 to Micro Center for a USB to serial adapter so I can tune the Mazda with my new laptop.

Saturday: $180 to the State of Ohio to title and plate my new station wagon. (It's not a quattro)

Saturday, part deux: $40 into the Mazda to drive it to Columbus for a RX-7 BBQ. OMG!

Saturday, part zan: $60 for a pair of worn but lots better than what I got Hankooks, because I need shorter tires to get into my powerband at NTR.

Sunday: Did my taxes, ended up having to make out a $120 check.

Total expenditures over the weekend: $440, and I didn't even get to go rallycrossing :pissed:

Tuesday: Some kind soul came by and gave me $350 for my Golf. Now I has some moneys for which to go to Crystal this weekend with teh QSW :guitarist:

But here's two interesting bits of news.

Hankook, apparently is leaving the rally tire market, at least in the USA. What is available is all that will be, and when it's gone it's gone.

I now have four 185/60-15s. They will fit the QSW wheelwells as well as the RX-7, and between the suspension swap I will do Real Soon Now on the RX-7 and the 4x100 to 4x4.25 adapters that I got for the previous VW, I can even use the same wheels on both cars.

All is happening according to plan... muhuhauhaahaaa

[noisycricket]

The QSW is remarkably good rallycross machine. I think I will leave it stock except for SA legal mods, mainly comfort & convenience (hello, brake pedal pad?) and also some decent pads since I smoked the pads at the Crystal rallycross held by Detroit SCCA. Massive brake fade... OTOH I was pretty much running the whole course wide open and using the brakes to slow down, leaving the throttle bolted to the floor. :) Hey it's 115hp when *new* and it had 270k+ to "break in"...

But this thread isn't about that car, it's about the RX-7. New struts going in this weekend, and I discovered today while loosening a Strut Bolt from Hell[tm] that my trans is borked. Like, cracked and fluid blowing around so much that there is gear oil all over the back of my intake manifold. Left my camera at home so no pics, but there's nasty half-Shockproof oil everywhere.

Good thing I have about three good spares lying around, and I have the changeout procedure down to one hour... I was breaking trans on a regular basis with 120-ish horsepower, and peopel say they're normally good to 200, and I'm making 200 *now*, so I guess that means I'm going to go through those three fairly quickly.

[noisycricket]

New trans went in last week. This one actually *shifts*. So, there's that. It's the trans that was the last one in the 298 car, and was originally from a Series 5 (late FC) RX-7. So my drivetrain is turning into quite an amalgamation :) The engine is Series 4 (early FC) Turbo externals and non turbo internals, the trans is Series 5, the radiator and oil cooler are GSL-SE... next step will ve a Series 2 driveshaft (rebuildable!) and I really want to put that Series 1 dashboard in it, too. All I would need after that are some FD parts and I'd have something from every series of RX-7 on the car. Maybe a badge or something, I don't like FD. Silly fragile pavement-only cars :)

YESTERDAY, though, I finally did the struts. It goes really fast if you have the strut housings pre-loaded with a brake rotor and caliper hanger on them, just remove the caliper bolt and hose clip, four nuts on top, two bolts on the bottom, pry it out, pry in the new one, and reverse assembly. It really IS that easy!

And the result is, holy crap. For one the car is managing to actually sit lower. This isn't awful since there still is suspension travel. For two, the car no longer handles scary on pavement.. Instead of the front end leaning a lot causing a positive-feedback slewing oversteer event in the middle of a corner, followed by a tankslapper since there's no real good way to counter that, it just understeers mildly followed by an easily catchable oversteer event *if I stay in the throttle*.

Best of all, I can apply the brakes deep into a corner and it doesn't want to swap ends.

And my sweeper uphill on-ramp "test track"... the neatest thing happened. It didn't oversteer over the rise. The rear tires stayed planted because the front end is stiffer. And over the bumps, the revs were jumping a bit as the tires broke loose and then catch right away. When this is happening at 7500rpm it sounds exactly like a S1600 tarmac rally car driving over rough road. HEAVEN.

[noisycricket]

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/68/l_d04f5b756a6841c9983c54e3b5a88c49.jpg

And this is still with the quiet exhaust. Best shiftpoint is 8k, which gives me a nice 1k+ window.

[noisycricket]

First rallycross of the year is down in the record books. (OVR SCCA PE2) I'm going to try to keep track of my annual rallycrossin' expenses here.

Total costs:
Fuel: ~$80 ($65/gasoline, $3/2 stroke oil, $13/scent additive that did nothing :( )
Food/drink: ~$30. Lost count somewhere around my third Gatorade from Dan's Deli
Entrance fee: $35
Total one-day expense: ~$130

I'll say what I shouted after my first run:

I LOVE THIS CAR.

With the new struts in the front it is way controllable to drive. It doesn't do the random scary wobbles at "high" speed anymore, and when cornering you can lean the car on the outside front and it doesn't heavily unweight the rear. Rotation can be set up with braking or a bit of flicking before corner entry. And the power... holy crap. Nothin' says fun like driving over yumps at about 7500 in second gear under full power and hearing the engine scream up to 9k or so when the tires get light and lose grip :guitarist:

Unfortunately for my times, it was very dusty, and the preponderance of FWD in my run group meant that I was driving in their marbles much of the time, so a lot of time was wasted trying to slog through mounds of debris.

If I could change anything, I'd add torque in the 4000-6000rpm range, and give the rear tires some more thrust bite. I'll see what I can do about both of those.

Running with arm restraints was awesome because I could have the windows open. The dust intrusion into the cabin was horrific, though. Next up will be a pair of MX goggles. My eyes were actually bleeding a little. After one run, they teared up so much that I had thick stripes of mud running from my eyes to my temples to go along with the dust... yeek! But everything is MUCH better now.

[noisycricket]

Happy-handle: Installed.

Brake lines: Reversed.

D'OH

[noisycricket]

Pictures: Uploaded

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/90/l_132d9a715fad46319880b5be79764396.jpg
http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/68/l_f1815f0ac06148aabb52d08f88c58f03.jpg
http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/75/l_c2f00e39f28144cfb91f24995e0ff062.jpg

SuperRallyX: Entered

http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/13496464/sn/901002474/name/9_1.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/13496464/sn/259992762/name/9_2.jpg

Sebxm76ql-w

More in car videos including some from this weekend's OVR rallycross on the way!

[noisycricket]

I... er... forgot to keep track of the rallycross expenses the past few times.

I did register both of my cars on Fuelly. Apparently the RX-7 gets about 22-23mpg on the highway and 2mpg rallycrossing. :)

Killed another transmission. Something is screw up hardcore on the 3-4 hub. It kinda sorta goes into 4th but not quite and it will pop out. It goes into 3rd but the throw feels wrong and it's very "gritchy" to go in. New transmission is sitting in the back of the wagon, next to $35 worth of Shockproof. I'm still killing transmissions but at least it's not bearing failure.

If I don't get the new trans in the car in time for the SuperRallyX on the 9th, I'll either tow the car, or just drive 1-2-5. We still got three gears working for us, and that ain't bad!

[noisycricket]

As it turns out, a strict regimen of verbal and physical abuse has brought the trans back to well functioning order. Downshifting to 3rd is still a little funky but fine if you over-revmatch it.

So I replaced the funky thermostat and re-adjusted the wheel bearings and did something about the nasty mess of wiring under the hood. Still nasty but at least organized.

Essentially ready for the SuperRallyX on Sunday.

[RallyTaco]

Essentially ready for the SuperRallyX on Sunday.

:headbang:

[noisycricket]

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/105/l_2e2e94ecf961449d8d286c11ff931a67.jpg

Let's see if THESE tires will withstand all that (ahem) abusive power... :guitarist:

[noisycricket]

Brought car in shop today for pre-rallycross oil change and noticed that there was barely anything holding the right side upper link to the rearend.

Another one's down and another one's down... another one bites the dust!

First I panicked, then I started throwing a bunch of metal on it with a MIG. Handheld band saws kick ass for cutting metal, by the way. Just falls right through. In the space of about 45 minutes I had everything stripped off of the right side of the axle housing, the dirt/rust/weak metal cleaned away, three patch pieces cut, welded them into place, and put everything together except the axle and brakes.

I think I may have repaired my brake hop problem. But, the rapidity with which I am trashing drivetrain parts is starting to get tiresome.

[noisycricket]

17cm tires: Awesome.

Battery: Relocated.

Master cylinder: Replaced.

next up: Relocate front control arm mounting points, maybe see if the trans can be replaced.

[noisycricket]

Car status: Driven into the ground

I made a list of all of the car's major and minor maladies. It took up a whole sheet of notebook paper. Those are needs, not wants.

This winter will be a busy one putting the RX-7 together.

After the salt stops getting laid down, the spring will be busy as well. The long-term forecast for next season will be sunny and all wheel drive with highs in the low to mid 20's. (psi) But that is for another thread on a different forum.

[noisycricket]

I actually spent money on new struts. I've never done that before, ever.

KYB AGXs are $199 a pop through Mazdatrix. Hmm, spendy, but Bilstein doesn't make anything for these cars anymore, so it's this or super-expensive Konis, or mega-expensive rally suspension.

I got a thing in the mail from Summit that said I had a couple days left to spend a coupon they'd sent me. What coupon? I never got no coupon! Time running out for suspension, and no used parts in sight, I checked out what they sold, thinking that maybe I'd just get some Sensa-Tracs or some junk like that.

KYB AGX: $122 each.

Sold!

With tax, and minus the coupon, it came to four cents less than $250 for the pair. They can handle up to 400 lb-in springs, so they should work okay with the 300lb springs I plan on switching to.

[KeepitDirty]

i love that handbrake location!

[noisycricket]

I fixed the engine today.

Heh. Heh. Heh.

[noisycricket]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X9zvZr2fLc

[Fidelity101]

LOVE IT!

see you saturday!

[noisycricket]

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/121/l_42b621773dde4fc29d51046938aa8d6f.jpg
http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/131/l_8f2ae19284f843858262b4c57d5c3ba7.jpg

No springs, checking for how much beating I have to do

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/131/l_41f1c7b54bdf49c39a6b1987789bfe4f.jpg

There's something about taking a hard to find, rust free old Japanese car... and then wailing on it with a sledgehammer.

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/140/l_37b85423606a4d48bb5218b114d27ca1.jpg

New AGXs, new QA1 250lb springs (bottom 3/4 coil cut off for fitment), new bearing plate, SPRT-engineered spring hat

[Fidelity101]

nice s13 wheels

[noisycricket]

Yeah, they're phenomenally ugly.

HOORAY THREAD GOT MOVED TO PROPER SECTION!

[noisycricket]

So I got to drive the car with the new suspension.

Oh holy crap, this is going to be awesome. If I can put the power down on dirt, which I think I will, I'm going to be having a lot of fun this year.

BTW - Here's my other car:

http://www.clutchpics.com/Motorsports/Rally-Cross/2010-01-16-DR-SCCA-Rallycross/IMG5101a/771129523_4NCcF-M-6.jpg

http://www.clutchpics.com/Motorsports/Rally-Cross/2010-02-20-DR-SCCA-Rallycross/IMG7733a/798455777_de8gc-M.jpg

[noisycricket]

Okay, so the engine has stupid torque, the steering is really precise and quick, and the diff is so tight that it binds the car to a stop in parking maneuvers.

WHEN DOES THE SEASON START ALREADY OMG

[noisycricket]

http://i41.tinypic.com/2s16ekn.jpg

Almost ready...

[Rex_Saugerty]

this is the most unique rally project in my eyes :)

[noisycricket]

Andrew Havas's car is cooler IMO. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9sP4lRkCBY)

So, I found out, two shims in the diff is too much. Breakaway torque was somewhere over 200ft-lb. Didn't want to test any more because I was worried about breaking a wheel stud. Pulled the diff out, removed one of the (.010") shims from the clutch pack. It's got street manners again, and the breakway torque is still over 100ft-lb which is high as I cared to check. Basically I just torqued one of the wheels with the other one on the ground, and called that enough testing :)

In short, I saved about $400 in diff clutches by using a .010" shim that we were going to throw away...

[noisycricket]

175hp, 145ft-lb at the wheels.

Three interesting things:

Peak HP is at 6800rpm. Last year's engine was 170whp at 7400-ish.

Peak torque is at 6200. Last year's engine was 120ft-lb at 5500-ish.

That said, it makes more torque at 3200 than last year's engine did at peak.

So, I traded off a few hundred RPM at the top end, for a big fat load of everything in the midrange. Perfect for rallycross. Or, at least, this always felt like the direction where I needed to go.

[I Like It Sideways]

Jebus your car will rock in the dirt. The AGX's + springs look very nice.

[kreitz3]

Pete, I just read through this thread for the first time in a long time. I am loving the build!

[noisycricket]

It rocks on the dirt.

Not enough to keep up with ZB or Chris, who have moved to M2. But, it rocks on the dirt.

[RallyTaco]

Andrew Havas's car is cooler IMO. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9sP4lRkCBY)



That car is awesome. At 1:22 I'm 90% sure is MFR '01 and I got to stand there in person when I was still living in NH and watch-too cool never seen that vid before.

Your car looks great. It always seemed like you needed a little less of a binary engine in terms of power at times watching you. Should be even more fun to watch now.

Going to Adrian?

[noisycricket]

I'll be there if the car stops blowing up. :) It's a hand grenade that never stops exploding.

On the way to OVR #1, a radiator hose let go. Shame on me for not shielding the hose where it could rub against the steering rack mount.

One the way home from work on Thursday, the clutch hydraulics died. This is really common, the clutch master isn't a very good design, and I've replaced probably five or six of them over the years. (I have been driving these cars since 1998...)

One thing is for sure. The car IS going on a diet. I drove paktinat's Golf while waiting for a friend to special-delivery me a replacement hose. His car weighs about 1800 pounds. My Golf weighed about 2350. The difference was incredible.

The RX-7 weighed 2500lb last year. I may have lost as much as 50lb by swapping the front suspension out, but I did add a bunch of metal in the form of the new rear suspension and the re-addition of the skid plate, since the front swaybar is no longer there to protect the oil cooler.

I don't see getting it down to 1800 but I think I can shed a hundred or so pounds. First up is the front bumper, going to go from the thick aluminum extrusion to something a bit more hydrocarbon-based.

What sucks is, my '80 weighed 2200lb with interior and A/C, and it had steel bumpers and both sway bars. I know that the late model rearend weighs about 50lb more but that's "muscle mass", but I really don't know where the extra pounds are coming from.

[noisycricket]

High 13s.

[noisycricket]

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_OYCpWwPEECM/TAsS2j-w56I/AAAAAAAAABI/IweiVJgcfTU/s640/10-0522_Adrian_Eastern_National_RallyX_Car29M2_JT.jpg (http://lh6.ggpht.com/_OYCpWwPEECM/TAsS2j-w56I/AAAAAAAAABI/IweiVJgcfTU/10-0522_Adrian_Eastern_National_RallyX_Car29M2_JT.jpg )

(click makes it embiggen)

[paktinat]

I drove paktinat's Golf while waiting for a friend to special-delivery me a replacement hose. His car weighs about 1800 pounds. My Golf weighed about 2350. The difference was incredible.



We missed you at WOR PE1. M2 took first and second over all.

[noisycricket]

Yeah, I'm still kinda pissed that I could not make it, but a confluence of issues kept me from making it:

I broke my motor mounts at the ESC (just fixed that ~2 hours ago)
My starter only worked if you beat on it, concidentally cropped up at E.S.C. (fixed that ~5 hours ago)
My engine decided to start swilling coolant (patched that this week, K-Seal (http://www.solv-tec.com/pg/index.html) absolutely rules!)

but PRIMARILY...

I got paid on Friday, but got out of work too late to cash my check, so until 11am Saturday morning, I had $10 to my name. Roos' Farm is almost 4 hours, and most of a 93-octane tank of fuel, away from my house. You do the math...

[noisycricket]

Wow, have not updated in a long time. I've blown the car up twice since then...

New engine is in. It's slow but it runs, and it has oil pressure, so two out of three ain't bad.

Tires are cut.

New springs are installed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgzFMPPH340

[noisycricket]

So, uh.... I killed it again.

[kreitz3]

Holy crap Pete? What are you doing to keep blowing it up?

[noisycricket]

View pictures from last weekend.

Dust got past the air filter. Rotaries do not tolerate that.

I *was* able to make it home, barely. Got pretty iffy near the end.

[noisycricket]

Time of sleep
Has been upset
Hunter of the shadows is rising
Immortal
In madness you dwell

[noisycricket]

NEED: Repair/replace rearend, duct oil cooler better, new distributor cap, belt that fits pulley combo

WANT: Lighten nose, Neon radiator, underhood wiring clean-up, tweak Panhard height

DONE: Engine bolted in, assembled except for upper intake. No cooling system yet, old setup laying in place.

[noisycricket]

Aw man, this is gonna be cool. Was driving it around on snow tires. I think it handles and gets around on snow better than the (AWD) Volkswagen does...

Now if only it had HEAT. Which it doesn't. It sort of does, only not really.

[noisycricket]

..so, I never noticed it with the previous engine, but in 2nd gear this car torque steers BAD.

I think that means this engine is good, or something. And maybe I need to do some more chassis reinforcement.

[Rex_Saugerty]

vLSD?

[noisycricket]

Clutch diff and solid axle. As it should be.

I have a feeling the right side link has a sloppy bushing. Will know more the next time I bring it in.

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/134/l_30b6b091c7584c5db110394a165d14b6.jpg

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/136/l_5fe40e6a315b45de9cd0af0173fb2abc.jpg

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/126/l_d992ff0000774eaea733767e015a9065.jpg

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/116/l_bd9f5033ae9d4a839bc27b59a9d8153e.jpg

I fixed the floor. Now I can drive it with no floormat in the car. (I always catch hell for that in certain regions)

Fortunately, that is the only rusty spot on the car.

[kreitz3]

Don't blow it up!

[noisycricket]

Oh yeah? And where's your car huh? :)

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/140/l_1906f131ac7b40398c59b4a8643ad1be.jpg

Almost ready...

[noisycricket]

Don't blow it up!

Every time you say that the car blows up.

Next time I see you, you're going to have to cough up the voodoo doll you have.

(Why yes, the engine started fountaining coolant for zero reason the other day)

[noisycricket]

Stupid grass.

http://www.dirtyimpreza.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2637&d=1306693820

I have the pic of the debris I removed from under the pinion seal, too. It actually melted the seal from friction.

[cghstang]

Ouch!

Time for a driveshaft/diff guard of some kind?

[noisycricket]

Here's the pisser. I replaced the seal and the new one still leaks. WTF.

[noisycricket]

Status: Went ape-poopy on the rearend for leaks.

Also, the engine makes a confirmed 180hp. Not what I'd like, but it'll have to do.

[Rex_Saugerty]

180hp. not so bad for an rwd car :) still love this journal

[noisycricket]

All the guys on the RX-7 forum are like "dude a 13B bridge port should have 100 more horsepower." And they're right, but I don't want a loud car so I have to make concessions. Plus the current engine can't go over 8000rpm. The neat thing about these ports is the powerband doesn't really stop, so it's a matter of how tight you feel like winding the engine.

Better engine's parts acquisition phase is mostly complete. Need one more piece and I can start working at it. This one should make an honest 225-240hp. I really want 300, the Group B cars had 300.

Diff sealing is a success. No time to take pictures, but what I did was pull the centersection out, throw away the stretched bolts and remove what was left of the broken one (ya rly) and then install grade 10.9 bolts from the inside out. My diff is held in with studs! STUDS!

[Rex_Saugerty]

me yelly

[noisycricket]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4uuM3QlTRQ

[noisycricket]

http://www.aaronjphotography.com/Client-Albums/Events/Indy-Rally-12-3-11/i-NVd9LzT/0/L/12-3-11-Rally0612-L.jpg

[I Like It Sideways]

I love this car. So much.

[noisycricket]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVYWleeCrfc

[noisycricket]

More video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwZXZw4JlaE

[cghstang]

The HD GoPro footage is sooo much nicer.

What tire combo were you running there?

[noisycricket]

Falkens in the front and the cut Hankooks in the rear.

They were staying clear all day, which was very nice. I guess they like sandy clay more than they like mud.

[noisycricket]

Afternoon video finally up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY7QOoaTxW8

[cghstang]

Did the Mazda $ come in?

Still considering suspension upgrades?

[noisycricket]

No Mazda $, I was waiting for "official" results, but nothing ever got posted that I could see. Oh well.

Of course there will be suspension upgrades! Rear suspension that doesn't have a disturbing amount of toe-in is top priority. It doesn't look like I will have time to do it, however. If I'm lucky, I'll have time to properly re-engineer the Panhard setup.

[noisycricket]

Good news, everyone!

My new laptop (http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/fujitsu-lifebook-t4010d-tablet/4505-3126_7-31222343.html) has an SD slot and is beefy enough to play HD videos straight off of the GoPro.

So now I can bore everyone at the campfire with same-day in-car video :cuckoo:

[noisycricket]

Old exhaust system:

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/RX-7%202012/GEDC0636.jpg

Header, expansion chamber, muffler, pipe, muffler, turndown.

Rear suspension that I need to re-engineer in order for my new muffler to fit, since it needs the space where the drop-bracket is now:

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/RX-7%202012/GEDC0656.jpg

And I just like this one for the WTF factor. 1st-gen car and engine, 2nd-gen suspension.

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/RX-7%202012/GEDC0658.jpg

New exhaust system in progress. It's a Racing Beat system with three mufflers, and collects just in front of the rear axle.

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/RX-7%202012/GEDC0660.jpg

[EvanB]

Is it quieter than before?

[noisycricket]

Right now it just has an open dual-outlet header because something is bent and the midpipe won't bolt up, so.... no.

An open dual-outlet header is significantly louder than an open single-outlet header.

Butt-sound-meter says it is about 120-122db inside the car at idle.

[Subie_Slide]

is that a GNX in the backround?

[noisycricket]

No. It's a regular ol' Grand National with 17" Torq-Thrusts on it.

I've never seen a GNX, but see 10-15 GNs a year. I'm so jaded :) They're just regular Regals with nicer interiors and a better drivetrain. When we're through with them, they are regular Regals with nicer interiors and retarded-fast drivetrains ;)

Well, correction. I *may* have seen a GNX at a Dairy Queen in the mid-90s, but it was dark out and hard to see. Could have also been a GNX badge on a regular GN. I suspect 90% of the GNXen sold went straight into storage lockers, with the remaining 50 or so driven very sparingly. Given that they're coming up on 25 years old, they may start coming out of the woodwork with $100k+ price tags on them.

GN:GNX::STi:22B.

[Subie_Slide]

oh...still a nice lookin buick. there is an old guy round here that has one. He takes it up to the car show every friday in the Kroger parking lot during the summer. Its just a gathering really but there are a lot of old muscle cars there and sometimes newer nice cars. Something to do for an hour or two.

when its over some of them launch just for show nothin to crazy.

i do really like the mazda too would love to here that thing go screaming by.

[noisycricket]

That one is getting a fresh engine. It's stock appearing underhood, although the brake unit has been replaced with a standard vacuum booster arrangement. The original style units get scary when the accumulator goes bad and you have to wait for the pump to engage before you have any power brakes.

Snapshots I took from the Rallycross Nats are finally posted, now that I actually have an image host worthy of the name.

http://s1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/2011%20Rallycross%20National%20Championship/

I'm a Pro member and everything, because I hate ad-infested sites. My gift to the world ;)

[cghstang]

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/140/l_37b85423606a4d48bb5218b114d27ca1.jpg

New AGXs, new QA1 250lb springs (bottom 3/4 coil cut off for fitment), new bearing plate, SPRT-engineered spring hat

Does this picture or one like it still exist somewhere?

[noisycricket]

It does now.

This is the pic referenced, I think:

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/2010%20FC%20Suspension%20Conversion/P2220080.jpg

This is the spring hat being put together. It's just a plate with a big washer on the bottom to locate the spring from the inside, and a couple washers on top to locate the bearing unit. Maybe 5-10 minutes to knock 'em together.

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/2010%20FC%20Suspension%20Conversion/P2170053.jpg
http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/2010%20FC%20Suspension%20Conversion/P2170054.jpg

[noisycricket]

Last time, at the SPRT Skunkworks:

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/RX-7%202012/GEDC0671.jpg

I tried the rosebud tip on the torch to heat both tubes up bright orange and bend the header all at once. After much fighting (2 feet of .125 wall pipe takes a lot of time to get hot enough to STAY hot!) I was able to get the 6' prybar in there against the transmission... and I bent it OVER, but it was still off-angle on three axes.

Crap.

So much for Plan B, let's go back to Plan A:

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/RX-7%202012/GEDC0673.jpg

This is the same tube that I'd previously cut off to convert this 12A header to a 13B header. (The difference is the 13B is 10mm longer across the ports) The angles required meant that this tube needed to be shorter, but not MUCH shorter, so I killed a couple Sawzall blades by chewing through the nice pretty weld bead against the flange. The leftover tube in the flange was held in by a couple spots and popped out easily with a chisel.

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/RX-7%202012/GEDC0672.jpg

This is the result of much heating, bending thisaway with a prybar inside the tube, heating a different area, twisting thataway with giant channel-locks, heating another area, jacking the header up with a pole jack (needed to counteract the "thisaway" bend), which got me CLOSE. Then some long 3/8" bolts got started in the flange, the whole tube was heated orange, the bolts got snugged, tube heated some more, bolts snugged some more... When the flanges finally mated, I let it cool off, then heated the whole thing up bright orange again, figuring if there were any residual stresses, this would make them go away.

I must have been right, the flanges stayed true to each other after I unbolted it all.

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/RX-7%202012/GEDC0674.jpg

The #2 tube needed to have the final bend straightened out to make the angle fit better, and a maybe 3 degree bend put in halfway up the tube, but it fits now!

At this point, I'd been working on the exhaust system for six hours and it was time to go home, so I welded the bottom half of the tube to the flange and called it a day. Next time, the header gets removed from the car entirely and the weld finished up.

THEN I can drive it to see if this exhaust is a power improvement or detriment, so I can see in which direction I need to go when porting my next engine.

[noisycricket]

I'm going to have to change my screenname.

Racing Beat Long Primary exhaust system (http://www.racingbeat.com/RX7-1975-1985/Complete-Exhaust-Systems/16424.html) means the RX-7 is now actually quieter than my VW at idle, and at cruise, and at full throttle. I kinda miss the "angry chainsaw" sound already, but for the first time since about 1999, I have an RX-7 that sounds like an RX-7 with the characteristic smooth whirrrrr. Racing Beat makes good stuff.

Feels like it may be making more power too, but heck, even if it's not, the quietness is awesome.

No more BANG, too :thumbsup:

[EvanB]

You took away the only thing I love about that car!


...ok maybe not the only thing, but still.

[noisycricket]

So, I discovered a new failure point.

I discovered a year or two ago that high-strength pressure plates can break the throwout pivot ball. I now reinforce them by welding the undercut area of the ball solid, leaving a pair of notches for the release arm's retainer spring. Each pivot needs to be clocked for its particular transmission.

Anyway, that clutch problem that kept me from going to the Ft. Wayne rallycross? I thought the hydraulics were failing when the clutch started to not disengage earlier last week. Ordered the bits, threw them in on Saturday, bled system out fine, put the skid plate back on and generally prepped the car, went to back the car out of the shop, and... nothing. Can't get it into gear at all. Many, many unprintable words, because the words to express my frustration have not yet been crafted.

Today, I yanked the trans out to replace what I figured was a pressure plate with a bent finger. Nope.

I Y-cracked the release arm. The one part I do NOT have "in stock" at work.

Much welding ensued.

[noisycricket]

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/RX-7%202012/2012dyno_med.jpg

[cghstang]

Yo dawg you need lik at least 300hp in a rx7 what turbo is that you should turn up the b00st! itll be faster fur sure :p

Seriously though, the graph just shows graphically what the brain already knows is so nice about good NA rotary power: It is smooth, seamless, and doesn't stop pulling till the limiter kicks in. The sound is nice too :drooling:.

[noisycricket]

So, the exhaust got loud on the way to Coletti's. It's been getting louder. Well, I figured, it's probably the front flange leaking again. It's only held in by five bolts and, not having high-temp silicone to seal it after I unbolted it for the trans removal, I'd used Right Stuff as a kind of last-resort measure/science experiment, so I figured that it was leaking there.

Nope. The frontmost muffler was rusted through at the seam weld to the adjacent pipe. Trying to weld it shut, naturally, kept opening up the paper-thin metal, so where it was originally a hole the size of a pencil eraser grew out to a 4" long gash, and there's a nice huge blob where I used several yards of MIG wire.

Huh. I thought these things weren't supposed to rust out. http://www.rx7club.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

Weird thing is, there didn't appear to actually be anything in there. But, it's back to its absurdly quiet self. Literally can't hear the exhaust at all when cruising down the highway. Full throttle, or even just accelerating in city traffic, just gives intake moan more than anything else. It's surreal.

Do you remember John Dokler's RX-7? Orange thing he ran in PR a few times with WOR. He's local to me, as we did a bunch of work on his car. My co-worker drove it and what he said his impression was, was that there WAS no powerband. Just a smooth seamless pull from everywhere to anywhere. And that was on a stockport 12A.

[EvanB]

Is Colletti a good place to go for tuning? I need to get the Miata on a dyno eventually and have been looking for places to go. I emailed Slowmotion and they charge $500 for a tune on the steady state dyno.

[cghstang]

I only saw Dokler's RX7 run once in person. I have rather limited seat time behind the wheel of rotaries but they've all had the power delivery you described. One sticks out as having more to deliver than the others though:headbang:.

Evan: Pete can probably refer you to a good tuner or two in the Cleveland area which is twice as close to you as Colletti's. I've always heard that it's quite important to get a tuner familiar with the software your car is using. You also ought to be able to get a good safe tune without getting on a dyno (assuming you have a wideband and can datalog) and I'd bet that Mr. Cricket could help you with that.

[noisycricket]

I tune air/fuel on the street and tune ignition timing by general consensus (Mazda Motorsports says this port likes this much timing, Racing Beat has similar charts) backed up by testing at the dragstrip.

I don't really know of any tuners who specialize in Megasquirt. Well, besides me anyway.

[EvanB]

Slowmotion said that they had done a "couple" megasquirt tunes so I don't really feel confident with them.

The fuel I have no problem with, it is actually tuned pretty well right now but a little rich, I just need to play with the target AFRs a little more and do some more runs with autotune in tunerstudio.

The only thing I was concerned about is the ignition tuning. I have it set right now to pull a ton of timing under boost so it is safe but now the greatest for power. I may make up a pair of detonation headphones or hook up a knock sensor and try to do a bit of tuning from the passenger seat while someone drives.

[noisycricket]

The only thing I was concerned about is the ignition tuning. I have it set right now to pull a ton of timing under boost so it is safe but now the greatest for power.

Yah, but a blown engine makes even less power.

Makes me a little nervous about the tuning project I'm going to undertake later this year. What has a wheelbase shorter than a Miata, all wheel drive, five cylinders, two cams, and a turbo the size of a basketball shooting for 30psi?

Bear in mind that rallycross is a lot of time lugging the engine at full heat soak. Don't worry about making the same power that drag racers or even trackies can make, they have the benefits of short run times or plenty of airflow across the intercooler.

[EvanB]

Yes, a blown engine would make even less power.

Overall I am happy with how it is for now, the power is very linear with virtually no turbo lag. I haven't spent much time at full throttle (because I am breaking the law if I stay on it for more than a few seconds) so we'll see how the temps are on course.

I have a feeling that I am making more than enough power for rallycross as it is, it should displace a good amount of dirt.

[noisycricket]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUn3KNqnRTs

For reference.

[noisycricket]

New suspension bits on the way. Nothing fancy, just maintenance stuff.

Also noted that both struts are leaking. Will have to replace soon.

[noisycricket]

New suspension bits installed. Mild bummer: the cheap eBay ball joints are steel, not aluminum like OEM.

Ready to go for Saturday, assuming the weather holds up. If not, between the four local rallycross-running regions (the only ones that count :) ) there is a rallycross every weekend from now until the end of May :eek:

[EvanB]

Ready for some stiff competition on Saturday? I predict I will be no lower than 3rd in MR, that's how confident I am. :lol:

[noisycricket]

Oh, if it rains, it is going to suck hardcore :) Even if I borrowed a pair of the Secret Weapons for the rear, I'd still not be able to turn. Driving in slick snot is a real challenge, you can't use the steering to control the car's attitude, you have to set up a rotation, lean the car on the back tires, and HOPE you got the car's rate of rotation right for the amount of speed you can keep up. 95% of the time the car spins or washes out, but for that 5% of the time when you can hang the car perfectly off of the rear tires, it's glorious :)

[cghstang]

Yeah, you really suck at driving in slick conditions...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY7QOoaTxW8 :cuckoo:

Secret Weapons? I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. :twisted:

[noisycricket]

And that day, I made good times by driving clean and conservative and staying on the hard doubletrack.

Watch the morning runs and see what happens the moment I go off the doubletrack... wash out, slide, and waste half a lap waiting for the tires to clean off again.

We don't get doubletrack at NTR, we run nice wide courses with few gates, which prevents ruts on our soft soil, but it also prevents a clean line from developing.

[noisycricket]

The death-wobble was gone Thursday, gone Friday, gone for the trip down, came back on the way home.

WTF.

Thinking thermonuclear overkill is required. That fits my style, anyway :)

[noisycricket]

Death-wobble traced to a shifted belt in the right front tire. Oh well, it was free.

In other news.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucXWxp-Zz9E

[Rex_Saugerty]

every time i read your journal i wanna buy rx7

[noisycricket]

Exploded the transmission on the way to work today. Went for 5th, got a lot of horrible noises and vibration. Limped it to work in 4th gear (ever pull from a light in 4th gear? Clutch didn't like it).

Went to back the car up just now to move it to a "dead car" spot and the geartrain just locked up. Releasing the clutch just stalls the engine.

I dun blowed it up good.

And all I was doing was driving it to work.

[cghstang]

Exploded the transmission...
I dun blowed it up good.


Bummer :-(

Any spares in the stockpile? Time for a Miata 6 speed or TII trans?

[Rex_Saugerty]

dogbox? :) but that would cost a small fortune... well atleast it happened on way to work, not on race. and glad, that you're okey. cuz god know what would happen

[noisycricket]

I'm just going to keep treating the transmissions as maintenance items. This is #1 for 2012 :) Fortunately, they've always managed to get me back to the shop.

I need to start tagging my old transmissions. I don't remember anymore what's wrong with them. Despite the great garage theft of 2011, I still have five or six transmissions plus the one in the car, and a couple geartrains (no cases) sitting on the shelf here at work. They all need rebuilt, though. It's still cheaper to swap in a used one than to rebuild, but the time is coming, and I'm prepared for it :)

This one actually lasted me quite a while - it was an unknown-quality junkyard unit from a 12A car, that I put in shortly before Nationals in October. So that was a little over 10,000mi and five or six events ago. I've done far worse than that. I destroyed the 3rd gear synchro at the January event in Detroit (watch the videos - by the end of the day, the synchro wasn't doing anything) so I drained out the gear oil and installed ATF, which brought it back to life a little. I used to run ATF all the time back when I was running stockport and streetport 12As. I guess I'm making too much torque now for that to be viable anymore :)

The RX-8 and TII transmission options have some issues - I couldn't use my current flywheels and clutches, I'd have to get a custom driveshaft, and in the case of the RX-8 unit, I would not have a way of driving the speedometer.

Dogboxes are nice but I have something better planned for the future.

[noisycricket]

45 minutes. I'm getting good at trans swapping.

It helps that I finally remembered to beat the back of the shifter hole up so I can more squarely install the transmission. 15 minutes out, 30 minutes in.

[Rex_Saugerty]

the more you do it the better you get :) today i swapped rear knuckles. i did the other one twice as fast :D

[moto356]

the more you do it the better you get :) i did the other one twice as fast :D

thats what she said.


nice build by the way. im looking to pick up an gen1 rx7 myself

[noisycricket]

The transmission I broke after a particularly rough event at Roos' (the one where Draco-Rex lost both bumpers) gave up its tailhousing so I could bolt an FC transmission (thanks Miles!) into my FB chassis.

So, I finally got around to doing a postmortem.

This bolt:
http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/RX-7%202012/GEDC0730.jpg

Caused this carnage:

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w396/SPRTUSA/RX-7%202012/GEDC0729.jpg

No useable parts inside. Maybe the synchros are still okay, but to be honest, those aren't really much of a problem for me, it's the bearings that give out first.

I am experimenting with Lucas gear oils this time around.