Skinz180189's 1996 JDM Import Mazda RX7 FD3S [Archive]

skinz180189

19-02-2012, 13:33

Well, this has been a long awaited thread (for me anyway!). Last night, I finally had my RX7 sat in the garage. I put a deposit on it 3 weeks ago, was meant to collect it last weekend, and the seller finally brought it up to me this weekend.

So, some details. Imported from Japan around 6 months ago, it hasn't yet been used in the UK. Mileage is a massive 38,600km! I can't even use it as the DVLA are faffing about registering it . Recent Compression Test (13/01/12) showing: Front Rotor: 7.4, 7.4, 7.6 bar @ 250RPM Rear Rotor: 7.3, 7.6, 7.3 bar @ 250RPM, so a fairly healthy engine.

It came from Japan with an aftermarket "OMP" steering wheel, Tein Super Street Coilovers and a set of 17x9" ET20 Buddy Club P1 wheels.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7200/6902383441_71a02c537d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/6902383441/)
Mazda RX7 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/6902383441/) by gaz_roberts01 (http://www.flickr.com/people/gaz_roberts01/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6902374639_332e7f0ee3_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/6902374639/)
Mazda RX7 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/6902374639/) by gaz_roberts01 (http://www.flickr.com/people/gaz_roberts01/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6902367959_c4f1bf9e20_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/6902367959/)
Mazda RX7 3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/6902367959/) by gaz_roberts01 (http://www.flickr.com/people/gaz_roberts01/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7200/6902359225_4e6a0cba24_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/6902359225/)
Mazda RX7 4 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/6902359225/) by gaz_roberts01 (http://www.flickr.com/people/gaz_roberts01/), on Flickr
Excuse the picture quality, I can only work with the poor area I had for sunlight!

First thing I did was swap out the "OMP" wheel...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/c1792c3e.jpg

For my lovely Nardi wheel. Horn doesn't work as there's no earth, which I need to sort out.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/7b8bd188.jpg

Plus there's a few more immediate things I need to sort...
Needs a damn good polish, somebody has took a rotary to it and left me with scuffed off paint on plastics and lots of buffer trails.
Sort out the abortion DIY wiring somebody in Japan has done
Figure out why there's no reverse lights
Wire up a rear fog
Replace a couple of missing/damaged trim panels
Replace a snapped wheel stud, which I only noticed today
Sort the horn out
New gear knob, as it doesn't twist on far enough to show the gear shift pattern correctly, which annoys me

I also want to find an OEM front strut brace, as every other one I've seen has one, but this doesn't! I'm thinking about taking it to Hayward North too for a proper health check.

First impressions;

I might be a bit too tall for it, I feel like I'm hugging the windscreen but never mind. The Teins need to go, the damping is shockingly poor, it's like driving a pogo stick. Power wise it's very smooth and linear, seems to rev forever and ever too. Doesn't feel as quick as the Nissan but that may be down to the lower torque and a totally different power delivery. It's a nightmare to clean because water pours out of every panel gap after you've dried and driven it!

But I think I've got the bug already, I love it :D

MEL

19-02-2012, 13:52

Beautiful cars straight out the factory, very nice

Plans?

skinz180189

19-02-2012, 13:54

Sort the brakes and suspension out, get the most out of the factory turbo setup, stick some stronger fitment wheels on it and enjoy. Then come winter I'll polybush it, underseal it properly etc.

Chriscooke

19-02-2012, 13:56

Like that a lot. You planning on fitting your rims to it also?

skinz180189

19-02-2012, 13:59

Yeah, they're a fair push as these rub like hell, but I'll figure it out.

S14 Stu

19-02-2012, 14:26

nice looking rex there bud, glad you got something decent after your bad luck with the 200. Big power single turbo conversion on the cards?

-Marc-

19-02-2012, 14:42

Nice mate.

I do love a nice FD.

Mr G

19-02-2012, 15:24

Ooh that's rather nice. Looks sexual in that first pic. I quite like it on those wheels too.

skinz180189

19-02-2012, 15:31

nice looking rex there bud, glad you got something decent after your bad luck with the 200. Big power single turbo conversion on the cards?

Only if the turbos pop, and I can afford it once I've got my own house.

Cheers guys.

#Fake #Ben #Taylor

19-02-2012, 15:56

i know i said get the regas fitted, but i really like the p1's.........

lovely car dude!!

Ashleyyy

19-02-2012, 16:11

so cool want one next too ;)

skinz180189

19-02-2012, 16:28

Can't fit the Regas yet, these rub already so I need camber. The Regas also need new valves and a refurb.

dandan

19-02-2012, 20:24

Hey welcome to the voodoo spinny engine club! I've been offered a nice shiny new tein strut brace so you could potentially have my stock one, it is red but disassembles easily for painting. Want me to let you know if I get the new one? :)

KamS14A

19-02-2012, 22:40

that looks amazing

skinz180189

19-02-2012, 22:48

Oooh yes please DanDan, that would be brilliant.

Adam_L

19-02-2012, 22:51

Very awesome. I've never been a fan of them with rear spoilers though, I love the smooth rear end.

Quail

21-02-2012, 22:44

That's very nice indeed! Even on the P1s it looks great.

Rubix_Cube

22-02-2012, 18:22

Looking great bud. I can really see myself getting one in the future.

mattkeeber

22-02-2012, 19:21

Welcome to the joys of Rotary ownership. I'm coming up to 5 years with mine now!

Car looks brilliant, love the P1's

Vigilant teSte

22-02-2012, 19:25

Love it :nod: Mega jealous dude :thumbs:

skinz180189

22-02-2012, 20:15

Thanks guys.

Teggers

22-02-2012, 20:34

Many cars look nice, some are gorgeous but very few cars actually look sexy - this is one of them. In black its even better - moody and evil looking :D I seem to recall a phase of waht seemed like 99% of imports coming with Buddy Club P1's. It must have been a phase in Japan - like Venoms here... But with the bonus that the P1's look good!

Enjoy!!

@ndy

23-02-2012, 12:24

skinz180189

27-02-2012, 20:47

Been sorting the electrics out over a few spare hours.

First up, a lack of reverse lights. Whipped the clusters out of the bumper, found they were unplugged. Plugged them in to get a weird bluey green light, turns out I had these for reverse bulbs!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/4882e96a.jpg

So I swapped them for some proper bulbs, and that was one silly little job out of the way.

Ripped all the silly random wiring out too...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/d3ed3d52.jpg

The mystery switch turned out to just be wired into thin air behind the dash. The AT-015 "aircon remote control thingy" box didn't take much work once I unplugged the ignition. Fortunately I didn't have to solder as the scotchblocks had barely damaged the insulation, so a bit of 'leccy tape sorted that.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/b0088a1c.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/8ea62a35.jpg

All I have to do now wiring wise is wire in my km/h to mph converter, figure out the stereo (also find the aerial lead, that's disappeared), wire in a rear fog light, find if there are any horns behind the bumper/repair them and also get an alarm installed.

Ross.

28-02-2012, 19:20

Very nice dude!

What do you prefer though, the 200 or the FD?

skinz180189

29-02-2012, 20:41

Haven't been able to drive this enough to compare. I prefer the shape of the FD, far better looking.

skinz180189

29-02-2012, 20:42

Wired up a km/h to mph converter today, it's one of SVAspeedo's units. Haven't tested it yet but it should work...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/eb1421a6.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/03504341.jpg

Also a package finally made it's way home from the parent's business, so I promptly fitted one of the items from it...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/1c581003.jpg

Need to make a bracket for the top filter though, as the 2 filters are touching...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/be5a7570.jpg

They're a bit grubby but I'll get some new elements once I'm up and running. Also found this, a sender for a coolant gauge...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/65eff03c.jpg

skinz180189

08-03-2012, 16:31

Smallish update, it's now road legal :D

Only problem is, it's not drivable for another reason now. I had fitted an Apexi Power FC, which had been mapped for a single turbo. I wiped the data off it, had some idling problems which I resolved, and took it for a spin. It started flashing the exhaust temp light, which is a sign of knocking I believe. That coupled with the fact it wouldn't rev past 6000 rpm made me crawl home and leave it be. I'll have to put it back on the standard ECU, but not knowing the full engine spec it's not even worth risking to use hard, so basically it's now a toy I can't actually use properly.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/29a2e792.jpg

On the upside, I finally sorted a stereo out. On the downside, I pulled the aerial connector clean off the car by trying to get a bit more cable out from behind the dash. Hopefully the one out of my Nissan will fit.

I also had an alarm installed today to keep the insurers from crying. Couldn't get the central locking installed due to it being cable operated rather than by a link rod, so that's postponed for another day. I also found this pearler behind the door card whilst the installer had it off...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/31a1a774.jpg

It seems the previous owner liked their speakers so much they kept them.

The list of work grows ever larger, my patience wears thinner, and I'm starting to rue the day I ever thought about buying an imported RX7.

immy21

08-03-2012, 16:54

My mate had one for several years, awesome cars. If I had to break my SX because of rust etc and was looking to replace it, FD would have been my first choice too.

It will be worth it once it's sorted out :nod:

mattkeeber

08-03-2012, 19:55

The list of work grows ever larger, my patience wears thinner, and I'm starting to rue the day I ever thought about buying an imported RX7.

And the first time you use it in anger, all those troubles, hassle and strife will fade away and you'll be left with an awesome weapon on the road.

I'd leave the PFC on the car and get it over to a tuners for some mapping. Pip @ WGT does wonders - proper nice bloke too.

skinz180189

08-03-2012, 21:17

It's a time problem, I can't get over there for a good month.

It wants an alignment too, it drives like shit.

Rubix_Cube

13-03-2012, 18:47

It'll be worth it in the end!!

dandan

13-03-2012, 18:58

It will be worth it, you won't really know what we all mean until it happens, and then you'll wonder how you ever doubted it... :)

skinz180189

30-03-2012, 17:02

Not done much really, lost all interest.

I bought a flare, which falls out of it's holder all the time. So I need one of those panels as that's shagged.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/5dae49ad.jpg

I bought some steel internal drive nuts, because it needed some new ones.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/188a1652.jpg

I also sorted out a stock strut brace, so fitted that this morning.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/1c709f26.jpg

Then I drove over to AET Motorsport in Normanton where a good mate works, and we got it on their hub dyno to see what the crack is. The crack is this...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/BHPvsTorque.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/AFRvsBoost.jpg

Misfiring from around 5750rpm, that'll probably be why the Apexi Power FC went off it's tits around 6k. It's blowing out the spark on boost, so plugs, leads or coils. Fun times.

To cheer myself up I went over to Leeds and fitted my Regas. 18x9.5 ET18 all round. I'd lower it more as it needs it, but it turns out the front suspension is actually some "Potenza" shocks and springs, it's just the rears that are Tein coilovers. So that was that idea shagged, and also goes some way to explaining the bad ride.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/9b1d32cc.jpg

Rears still need spacing out, 15mm should suffice.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/c56e9575.jpg

Feels a bit better on the brakes and to drive now with properly balanced wheels and tyres that are somewhat more compliant than the Jap market stuff that were on it. Brakes are still shagged and it still wants a good alignment/ball joints or tie rod ends changing. And it needs the misfire sorting. Oh and the horn, rear fog, speakers, aerial, polishing, coilovers, misfire etc. Bloody cars.

FireStorm

01-04-2012, 22:28

i wish i had the bottle to run one of these.

such a ****ing cool car.

ps lower it.

skinz180189

02-04-2012, 06:48

I can't lower it, it has springs and shocks on the front rather than the coilovers it has on the rear.

Ashleyyy

02-04-2012, 07:22

Regas make that once you've got some coils era and spaced a smidge did it cheer you up at all seeing it on them?

skinz180189

02-04-2012, 18:12

A bit, until I discovered it didn't have coilies all round. The Japanese owner of this was one utter ****.

skinz180189

05-04-2012, 20:37

Just done the resistance check on my coils...

Leading: A-B = 0.6 Ohm (Tolerance = below 1 Ohm)
L1 - L2 = 13 kOhm (Tolerance = 9.6 - 16 kOhm)

Trailing 1: A-B = 0.7 Ohm (Tolerance = below 1 Ohm)
A-T1 = Infinity (Must read Infinity)

Trailing 2: A-B = 0.7 Ohm (Tolerance = below 1 Ohm)
A-T2 = Infinity (Must read Infinity)

So it appears my coils are within spec, nice and clean on the HT connections too so haven't been arcing.

Next potential culprits are the leads. They're Nology ones, but have had to be ziptied to the coils. Makes me think they don't fit properly, possibly the cause of the misfire. Also need to tear my way into the engine to get at the spark plugs.

skinz180189

17-04-2012, 15:55

Now I'm back on nights, I have afternoons to kill. Decided I'd replace the plugs seeing as the new ones were now in my possession.

Whipped the Nology HT leads off, some of them were rusty, and one had a split boot! They won't be helping matters then. Then toyed with which way to get the plugs out, had been told to get underneath but managed it from above, saved the ball ache of getting the jack under the car anyway.

New vs Old, the gaps are the same (I measured this, I didn't just rough it by eye)...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/8e778726.jpg

Rotor 1, showing a bit of a brownish tint...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/4b9968ce.jpg

Rotor 2, just carbon...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/76de518f.jpg

Those haven't been changed for a while. Also discovered my battery has gone well and truly flat as my charger won't even register it's existance. That didn't even manage 2 weeks :rolleyes:. The alarm must be drawing some current.

Oh, I bought some big front brakes too, they'll get fitted when I have accumulated some other pieces such as a Master Cylinder, braided lines, and the gear to remove the ABS...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/9c0ec9c4.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/f5094513.jpg

Ninja

18-04-2012, 18:22

Which are the leading and trailing plugs?
also the leading coils have a habit of breaking down under load but test ok
Fuelling is a tad lean on the second turbo, particularly where it goes to 12:1 at 5750 but that could be caused by a rich misfire due to ignition breakup.
I take it you know someone with datalogit then? you can send me a copy of the map any i'll take a look at it for you if you want :)

skinz180189

18-04-2012, 18:28

It's on the standard ECU again.

Leading plugs on the left, Trailing plugs on the right in the pictures.

I'm not swapping a coil until everything else is ruled out.

skinz180189

19-04-2012, 13:54

So my leads turned up today...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/66685a28.jpg

But, they're not 10mm R100 leads. They're 8.5mm KV85 leads

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/276c9387.jpg

So no progress can be made there. Not very impressed anyway as they were meant to be sent out on Friday, when they were in fact sent out yesterday. Now I have to wait for tomorrow, when the guy who boxed my order is in. Quality.

Clint

19-04-2012, 14:36

Ah the joy of owning imports! Keep your chin up pal, it'll be worth it in the end :thumbs:

skinz180189

24-04-2012, 14:51

Well I rebuilt it, took it for some fuel and...

It's worse than it was before. Coughs and splutters on idle once warm now on top of the original misfire. Going to try and get a known working set of used coils and a known working igniter chip, and try that.

Hopefully that will fix it, and whilst I'm waiting for my V5 I can deliberate whether or not to cut my losses and get something else.

suj

27-04-2012, 20:44

The Rega's look gash....just get rid....i'll take them off your hands for you :wack: lol

Na good work dude :)

skinz180189

27-04-2012, 23:35

Not a chance, I highly doubt I'll ever sell them.

skinz180189

28-04-2012, 17:16

Found out why it was idling bad, I'd forgotten to plug in the throttle sensor!

Anyway, set of good used coils arrived through the post this afternoon, so I whipped the UIM off, fitted them, and rebuilt it...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/66a73afb.jpg

New coils, even look in better nick than mine did...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/5c318a8c.jpg

Well, it feels like it's fixed anyway. Going to get it on the dyno when I can and confirm it, but it revved through to the limit a few times without the engine dying!

skinz180189

11-05-2012, 12:17

So, it's my weekend again. I was meant to be on AET's dyno this morning to confirm the misfire is gone, however they had to cancel on me.

So, I decided to fit my HSD coilovers as they had arrived. Spent about an hour trying to get a front shock out, realised the suspension arms would have to come off, it started raining, so I thought **** it, couldn't be bothered. I did however discover the car has been fitted with polybushes in Japan...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/a809a6c6.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/ef55e2b3.jpg

Got some bits from Japan last week. One got smashed up in transit (an R-Magic PFC Commander holder), but this survived. It's an R-Magic heavyweight shift knob, much nicer than the tat mine came with...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/a0b71ae5.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/09e9a8b8.jpg

Also took her for a quick run to put some charge into the battery, took some crap iPhone images whilst it rained...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/f062cb17.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/3fe197c7.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/ca69b71c.jpg

Badly needs lowering!

Clint

11-05-2012, 12:34

Badly needs lowering!

If that's you're biggest worry you're in pretty good shape! Looks near perfect mate, and I'm glad to hear the gremlins are gone :thumbs:

skinz180189

11-05-2012, 13:35

If that's you're biggest worry you're in pretty good shape! Looks near perfect mate, and I'm glad to hear the gremlins are gone :thumbs:

Oh things still need fixing, I just hate seeing a high car!

Ashleyyy

11-05-2012, 19:46

its lovely Gaz glad itll be lowered near on perfect with those Regas

skinz180189

12-05-2012, 18:21

I decided this morning I'd whip the coilovers on, before I had to go help a friend dismantle his car.

Didn't take many pictures, but here's one of the Teins from the rear (the fronts were just springs and shocks remember)...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/53a4ef18.jpg

And here's a nice lubed up HSD in...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/6e01f6e8.jpg

Bottomed the rear coilovers out, but the fronts can go another 20-30mm!

Crap pictures as I was rushing to go help my friend out. I'm unfortunately going to have to raise it, as I have to use full lock whilst dropping down a kerb to get off my drive. The wings aren't going to like that, plus it's sat on the arch liners and generally going to be a PITA.

Enjoy anyway...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/263ce905.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/082e4e54.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/48910353.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/24c5d1df.jpg

The Simps

13-05-2012, 02:54

Driveway a PITA? Easy solution - move house!

skinz180189

13-05-2012, 11:16

That's not going to be do-able until the Winter though.

Clint

14-05-2012, 10:41

In fairness, you could stand to raise it a bit and it would still look just as good. Ditch the rear wing too and it will make it look lower overall :thumbs:

Rubix_Cube

14-05-2012, 10:55

Looks fantastic man!! You coming up our neck of the woods for the BDC this year? Can stick the rex on the stand LOL

Your thread makes me want an FD more and more!!

dandan

14-05-2012, 12:45

Too low :(

Having to raise it up a bit to clear your kerb is a good thing, it's just a teeny bit too low like that, it looks odd, too much tyre tuck.
Good job on getting it up and running again though, well done for sticking with it :)

crazyshad1

15-05-2012, 21:19

This pic needs to be here to show its awesomeness.

77638

skinz180189

16-05-2012, 15:48

Cheers guys. I want to despoiler it but TBH I need to find a shit hot panel welder, as I also want the rear wipe and wash removing. Then it needs painting, and the rear window needs re-tinting as it's peeling off.

Raised it up yesterday so I could actually get off the drive. It's not 100% level but TBH it was pissing me off ****ing about with blocks of wood etc just to try and jack the bastard thing up.

Decided to wash it and take some decent pictures today, washed it and then found the camera battery was flat. So iPhone images with photobucket photo ruining it is again.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/4b34eb01.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/38a257d4.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/1e28e758.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/1d6ecb54.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/e17bcc38.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/4e275842.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/79a33aac.jpg

Dyno is scheduled for Tuesday to confirm the misfire has gone. IF that is the case, we'll stick the Apexi PFC on check it runs OK on that too.
Also been speaking to Matt at SlideMotorsport in Featherstone (I happened to buy my previous S14a from him) and because I can't really be arsed with what little spare time I have, I'm going to get him sort out the suspension woes, and have him fit the brake setup I have amassed. Might as well pay somebody seeing as I'm stuck at work so much, means I can actually enjoy the car then.

Also need to find somebody who wants a challenge detailing the thing. People need to stop trying to paint black cars and dragging rotary polishers across them :rolleyes:

skinz180189

16-05-2012, 15:49

Looks fantastic man!! You coming up our neck of the woods for the BDC this year? Can stick the rex on the stand LOL

Your thread makes me want an FD more and more!!

There's a high chance I won't be, as this year I'm on a double outage at work, which doesn't finish until the very end of September. I'll have to look at the dates and my rota.

Clint

16-05-2012, 19:56

Still looks bad ass sitting like that mate.

Get Jem (http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/member.php?6525-Jem) on the detailing job. He does wonderous things with black cars!

Ashleyyy

16-05-2012, 21:33

space tha rear! looks great :thumbs:

skinz180189

16-05-2012, 22:17

Jem's miles away.

Need longer studs to get it spaced. Besides, it might close up once I get it aligned.

skinz180189

23-05-2012, 15:07

Yesterday was the day I found out if I had truly fixed the misfire on AETMotorsport's dyno. I was there at 2PM, on possibly the hottest day we've had this year, so power was never going to be an amazing figure.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/983fd619.jpg

All I can say is, I fixed it :D However, the standard ECU was dog shit, it wouldn't hold boost after 6000rpm, power was down and the AFRs were in the high 14s/low 15s.

I'd taken my Apexi Power FC along, as last time I was there he said we'll try that once it's fixed. I had to fit the ECU from the driver's side and through the passenger window as the hub dyno was preventing the passenger door from being opened, which was an interesting method!

Anyway, we did a run on it, and everything was much better. The graph below shows the PFC power curves in bold, the OEM in faint. Massive difference.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/PFCvsOEM.jpg

The AFRs are also a lot better (although could be improved, but my blowing exhaust won't help those readings), as is the boost level.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/PFCAFRvsBoost.jpg

I don't think 222bhp at the hubs is bad considering how warm a day it was, and the fact that is just a Base map that comes on the ECU. I really enjoyed twatting it down the motorway on the way home, the way the second turbo kicks in is AWESOME. Pissed off a few rep BMWs and an Astra VXR too lol.

Car's off to SlideMotorsport in Featherstone on Friday to get my brake setup fitted and to hopefully find and solve the cause of my bad steering too.

Magicmat

24-05-2012, 11:12

Looking good bud ! the base setup is meant to be abit rich, so get it tuned and have some fun !! you can see about 300 out of the twins :)

Jonny Mac

29-05-2012, 10:31

car looks awesome i'd love one of these. that's a shame you're having so much trouble with it though mate, i guess that's the joys of buying an import.....good luck with the project!

Magicmat

29-05-2012, 10:42

Saw this at SlideMotorsport the other day. The car looks mint.

love the seat and the wheels, the Rega's really suit it !

skinz180189

29-05-2012, 11:29

Lol cheers dude. Following it the other day the rear camber is ridiculous. I doubt I'll need spacers once that's somewhere near normal.

Magicmat

29-05-2012, 11:45

well as standard you have all adjustable arms so you'll have to adjust them out :)

skinz180189

29-05-2012, 18:26

I know, I'd rather get a decent alignment done though.

crazyshad1

29-05-2012, 20:03

Wheel alignment Gaz?

http://www.tracktorque.co.uk/

skinz180189

29-05-2012, 22:00

They the company you mentioned on Friday?

Magicmat

29-05-2012, 22:21

I used a guy called Garry tamms, mobile bloke, either comes to your house or a local garage, very cheap and ****ing good. I was very impressed with him. hit me up on FB and i'll give you his details. cost me £70 for the alignment and i'd pay it again.

You have the bubble gauge you can get an approximate, its going to be way out anyway as you've dropped it to the floor

skinz180189

30-05-2012, 07:25

More to the point I can't be bothered making it approximate, it's no fun constantly jacking it up and crawling under it!

How does he do it? Oldschool gear?

crazyshad1

01-06-2012, 21:42

They the company you mentioned on Friday?

Yes, i'm getting mot'd tomorrow so i'll give them a call and report back.

skinz180189

08-06-2012, 15:20

Got the car back from it's short stay at SlideMotorsport. Dropped her off on a red hot Friday 2 weeks back...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/e62ce484.jpg

Don't be fooled by the appearance of their yard, the owner Matt is the first garage I've ever trusted to do any work on a car of mine, and that speaks volumes. His work is second to none, and he's a trustworthy mechanic.

So whilst it's been there he's done a few things I couldn't be bothered to do;

Mazda 929 Master Cylinder Swap
AP Racing 330mm Brake Conversion up front (EBC Redstuff pads, which will be binned soon as I dislike EBC's products)
Braided Brake Lines
ABS Delete
Swapped a front hub
Set the tracking
Noticed the exhaust leak so fixed that too.

He was also going to fit me a braided clutch line but it already had one, and he couldn't find any play in the steering system so nothing to repair there.

Front Brakes...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/bfba206f.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/534c4a27.jpg

Big old void left by the ABS pump, will make accessing the spark plugs even easier...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/b5219003.jpg

Master Cylinder/ABS removal...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/f05a969d.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/db22c285.jpg

So much nicer being able to brake without loosing my teeth, those brakes were shot. I need to fit some OEM rears when I get round to it, and desperately need an alignment doing as the car feels so damn twitchy on the motorway that you feel like it would swap ends given half a chance!

Magicmat

08-06-2012, 18:25

How does he do it? Oldschool gear?

No mate mate, proper laser gear, I was very impressed,

His details are

Gary Tamms
07957 498883

He's mobile and works all over the place doing race teams as well, give him a buzz

Jem

08-06-2012, 21:54

Jem's miles away.

No I'm not, you're only 5 miles over the 100 miles travel I do inclusive, so I wouldn't charge any extra :)

crazyshad1

10-06-2012, 13:04

No mate mate, proper laser gear, I was very impressed,

His details are

Gary Tamms
07957 498883

He's mobile and works all over the place doing race teams as well, give him a buzz

Problem being you need level ground

Magicmat

10-06-2012, 21:31

Problem being you need level ground

Well Obviously,

if he doesn't have a garage he can use with a fairly level floor, he'll have to meet him at a local garage, but due to the ride height it will have to be at a garage anyway I imagine.

I met him at one in garforth with a level 4 poster ramp and it didn't cost me any extra. And due to how stupid low he'll run the car, it will have to go on the ramp.

skinz180189

10-06-2012, 22:47

Sounds a load of hassle in all fairness. I've found a guy in Sherburn who does laser work for some Motorsport teams who are reasonable, I'll probably try him.

Magicmat

11-06-2012, 10:10

Sounds a load of hassle in all fairness. I've found a guy in Sherburn who does laser work for some Motorsport teams who are reasonable, I'll probably try him.

Not quite sure why all i've got is stick for saying, "heres a guy i've used, top bloke, he's mobile so you could have the work done at home, or you can have it done at a garage on a 4 poster lift" dont think i'll bother next time :rolleyes:

The garage I went to is 5-10 mins from Sherburn.

Let us know how you get on with this other garage as im interested, always good to know of another

ta.

skinz180189

11-06-2012, 12:40

Magicmat

11-06-2012, 14:13

How's that getting stick?

It's no use him doing it here as the drive isn't flat, the garage isn't big enough. It's also more hassle arranging a garage with a ramp and then him, than just arranging one place, is it not?

Just general impression

you dont have to talk to a garage and then him. You talk to him and he tells you which days he's available and does the rest. Your not expected to ring a garage and act as a middle man, That would be gay :wack: Gary does work at this particular garage often and i went when he was there for the day.

Local guy i've used for tracking before is a knobhead, Gary took the time to show me how all the gear worked, what the gauges said the tracking, camber, caster were at and then showed me them at the settings i provided. I was happy and impressed with him.

But anyway back on topic, who's this place in sherburn? If i cant get Garry when i need to, I may pop there next time :)

skinz180189

11-06-2012, 20:45

Sherburn rubber. He does the BMWs Metcalfs prepare for racing.

crazyshad1

11-06-2012, 20:55

Is this next to the old scrap yard?

My mates dad own the lad, remember seeing some race spec bimmers when i was a young en.

skinz180189

11-06-2012, 21:02

Not sure, it's next to Metcalfs but I've never been down there. I imagine it's on the estate Royal Mail are on.

skinz180189

12-06-2012, 14:28

Spent 10 hours of my life machine polishing the car, topped it with a coat of Poorboys Blackhole and a coat of Poorboys Natty paste wax to give it some protection...
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8001/7179962137_97020e2a91_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/7179962137/)
DSC_0090 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/7179962137/) by gaz_roberts01 (http://www.flickr.com/people/gaz_roberts01/), on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5113/7365119526_2f5e3b239a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/7365119526/)
DSC_0093 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/7365119526/) by gaz_roberts01 (http://www.flickr.com/people/gaz_roberts01/), on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5160/7365229618_292ac77fdf_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/7365229618/)
DSC_0087 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/7365229618/) by gaz_roberts01 (http://www.flickr.com/people/gaz_roberts01/), on Flickr

It's nowhere near perfect, but it's a lot better. I'll never be truly happy with the paint unless I get it sprayed, but I doubt that'll be happening so I've no choice now but to accept it. This image shows how badly it had faded...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/057559ab.jpg

I'll get better pictures probably tomorrow, some planks have been replacing concrete fence posts and I've had to hose the drive down of concrete & cement dust and also mud.

I decided to repair the R-Magic holder that was broken in transit from Japan, rather than risk the same happening again. Fitted it, and I now feel compelled to look at the hand commander a lot :o

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/7365154912_d7bb43ba03_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/7365154912/)
DSC_0092 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/7365154912/) by gaz_roberts01 (http://www.flickr.com/people/gaz_roberts01/), on Flickr

She's also booked in for an alignment at Sherburn Rubber, who align race spec BMWs so hopefully they'll do a good job, and fingers crossed it stops it feeling so damn unsettled. Still need to fit rear discs & pads but I haven't been bothered to paint the discs yet.

skinz180189

14-06-2012, 14:44

Just been towed home by the AA, oh the shame! :o

My plan was to go to the tip, get fuel, then get some images of it looking super slick in the sun. I got to the tip, turned it off, then turned it on. There was the squeal of belts, all the warning lights on the dash, and smoke. Alternator bearing has collapsed on me with no warning, there wasn't any squealing on the drive down to the tip bizarrely.

That's tomorrow's alignment ****ed now, and I imagine the windings have caught the casing so not much point repairing that baby, new alternator time.

Clint

14-06-2012, 14:50

Shit buzz mate. Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you'll pick one up cheap. i assume they're interchangable with some more common Mazdas you'd find in scrappers?

skinz180189

14-06-2012, 15:04

I'm just biting the bullet & getting a new one off eBay, 12 month warranty is worth the £160.

zeppelin101

14-06-2012, 15:08

£160 is almost reasonable. MR2 one cost me £260 or something daft a couple of years ago :wack:

Rubix_Cube

14-06-2012, 15:09

Bad news on the alternator. Car looks great all machine polished up. I think I've decided to have a go with one of these next year... :D

skinz180189

14-06-2012, 15:10

I know a place in Wakefield that repairs them, but the thing is the bearing has collapsed, so if it's been spinning with the windings touching the stator it's not a simple repair. A new rectifier and bearings fitted is around £90-100, I dread to think what rewinding would cost.

EDIT: For a collapsed bearing, it spins quite well now I've removed it and bought a new one :rolleyes:. Saying that, both the AA guy and me saw it not being driven (the belt was under tension). If not, it's either the air pump or water pump, but they both spin freely too, although the water pump has a little squeak. Good old cars!

mks

14-06-2012, 15:15

Awesome looking car :) always wanted one as well but kinda scared off by the engine hehe :)

skinz180189

15-06-2012, 13:08

Don't be put off by the engine. Be put off by the whole damn things!

At least it's shiny, so I've improved it's driveway ornament status...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/7374523928_ed5df55180_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/7374523928/)
RX7 Rear (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/7374523928/) by gaz_roberts01 (http://www.flickr.com/people/gaz_roberts01/), on Flickr

Man my D40 sucks, need a newer camera.

skinz180189

15-06-2012, 16:06

Spot the mistake...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/cf364690.jpg

Probably a blessing in disguise, because I don't think there's anything up with the current alternator. Bloke I got it from on eBay was sound enough so a refund is due my way.

Rubix_Cube

15-06-2012, 16:45

Thats cool.

If it wasn't the alternator what was it?

skinz180189

15-06-2012, 16:47

Something was stopping the belt from spinning, but everything on that belt line spins freely :wack:. MagicMat thinks it may be an intermittent fault with the air pump, which is a useless sack of shit Mazda fitted for emissions anyway so that can be done away with.

BTW, I'm not working when Knockhill BDC is on. It is 4 days before I go on holiday though so it's up in the air ATM.

Magicmat

15-06-2012, 16:49

Rubix_Cube

15-06-2012, 16:54

Fair play. You'd be more than welcome anyway. A thread will go up in the Scottish section when the time comes.

skinz180189

15-06-2012, 17:02

It could be the clutch in either the pump or the alternator, its just seems odd is all, throw another belt on and see what happens ! just have a spare with you :)

do you have to send the alternator back? if not, swap the casings over :D

Yeah it's off back, get my money back that way. Going to take mine over to Auto Generators in Wakey tomorrow, figured if it's off they might as well throw some fresh bearings in it for me seeing as they're 16 years old and sound dry. Saves me trying to get the bearings through work too, plus they can fit a new rectifier if it's not as strong as it used to be.

I've ordered some underdrive pulleys, but couldn't get through to Dragon performance to find out the belt I needed to use. I've got a potential belt number, but that's not with the Dragon pulleys so may be wrong.

OK cool, I'll keep my eyes on the Haggis & Methadone meet section ;)

skinz180189

20-06-2012, 20:54

I've not fixed it yet. Just waiting on some air pump blanks and I'm good to go. I've got new bearings in the alternator, some Dragon performance underdrive pulleys and a 5pk780 belt ready to eliminate the air pump though.

Whilst I'm waiting, I'd bought a few bits to tidy it up. Unfortunately, couriers love to break my shit, but these sidelight/indicator units survived.

They were a bit yellow and cracked when they arrived (although eBay images didn't show that), but nowhere near as bad as mine so I cracked on polishing them up.

I took one yellowy light...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/e062d619.jpg

Then wet sanded it with 1200 then 2000 grit, then polished it up with Sonus polishes on my DA polisher...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/a1e78985.jpg

Side by side, before & after (images don't truly show it.)...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/d8f7a9ed.jpg

And on the car, before & after with a coat of Zaino Clear Seal applied to protect them from the UV...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/f7574883.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/d559182f.jpg

Hopefully I'll get her back on the road this weekend with a few other bits sorted too.

skinz180189

23-06-2012, 10:53

I've rebuilt it this morning. Underdrive pulleys are on, and it now runs.

Water Pump pulley on...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/a0a859e9.jpg

Built back up...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/85e492fe.jpg

Just need my blanking plates to arrive for the air pump, and also need to go get a new tyre pump as I've got a very low pressure rear tyre, and my pump decided to shit itself after 30 seconds of use!

Was going to fit the rear brakes but after the pump failing I just thought sod it.

skinz180189

29-06-2012, 21:24

Yesterday, I fitted the rear brakes. Well that's not entirely true, I fitted the discs only. Reason being, I couldn't bodge a tool to wind the calipers in. Luckily the old pads were still full of meat (about 7-8mm), had worn evenly and were Lockheed Delphi, so hardly some pissball brand nobody had heard of.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/421c880a.jpg

About a mile later, I'd made the black paint perfectly circular!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/fb8ba1cc.jpg

Today has also been a busy day. After cleaning the car yesterday, I noticed some brake fluid on the drive. So took it over to SlideMotorsport and had it on the ramp, but luckily nothing is leaking. Then I picked up a stone chip on the motorway in the windscreen :rolleyes:

This afternoon I also managed to get it aligned. I'd put up the printout but frankly once I got home I just wanted to drink, and now I can't be bothered to scan it. It drives far better than it ever did (I was running daft camber all round ranging from -3 to -4.5!). I'll put the printout up in the near future. To make up for this, have a pre alignment image I took with my new camera midweek...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7455953282_3b02123879_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/7455953282/)
RX7 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_roberts01/7455953282/) by gaz_roberts01 (http://www.flickr.com/people/gaz_roberts01/), on Flickr

I might get some more bits sorted this weekend, weather and beer providing.

29-06-2012, 22:00

Nice, dont know how I missed this thread:confused: Welcome to the club, SXFDOC :thumbs:

Car looks super cool dumped over those Rega's :cool: I thought it looked good before the coilies, but damn it looks tasty now:D

skinz180189

29-06-2012, 22:11

Cheers mate. Funnily enough, I called this place RXOC the other day! We seem to have gone mental for the triangle engined cars!

Clint

30-06-2012, 02:28

Are you bringing this to the weekender?

Gary.

30-06-2012, 07:19

This is literally perfect.

skinz180189

30-06-2012, 08:55

Are you bringing this to the weekender?

I'm not at the weekender no.

Lol cheers Gary!

skinz180189

05-07-2012, 15:26

The week started out fairly well for the car and I, with a weekend of throwing it around thanks to the alignment, I was fairly content. I even had a tiny bit of internet fame...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/497a6a14.jpg

Then, once again it all had to go to shit. First off, it's started idling so badly that you'd be surprised it manages to stay running, shaking the hell out of the car. Haven't looked at that yet. Then it feels a bit gutless again and the PFC has occasionally started to flash the exhaust temp light at high revs, which is annoying. The small 10mm or so crack then grew to about 40mm, so a new windscreen is probably needed now.

I'd also grown mightily sick of my arch liners rubbing. I've chopped a load of plastic out of them today but left some in to protect key areas. Whilst at this, a small monsoon stopped action for a while...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/15d1201f.jpg

Noticed one of my so called "Mint" new sidelights was full of condensation, so took my old one and polished it whilst the rain bounced down. I also thought I'd fit my new condensation free headlights. That was until I found out they had no fixings with them, so I swapped mine over. All was going well until I came to refit them and found my fixings to be shagged. Then whilst trying to remove them from the new headlight, I managed smash the casing on the first one I touched, the passenger side...
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/gareth180189/Mazda%20RX7/16c7bc82.jpg

So now I've got a ****ed light, and one that lets in water held on by cable ties. Quality.

I'm very much in doubt I'll even bother bringing it to the weekender for Saturday now, such is my level of disinterest.