It's been a while...

So it has been a while since I last posted an update. I really haven't been motivated to work on the car a whole lot the past month (read: too many other hobbies to attend to), but I have got some work done.

The oil cooler setup is complete and installed. Bracket and hose fabrication was about as easy as I expected it to be and everything fits great. The oil thermostat mounting location was a little tricky though. Cleaning up the random wiring harness bits and lengthening the radiator fans wires is also complete. I cut so many wires out of the factory harness that if I ever even dreamed about making it twin turbo again I would have to buy an entire new wiring harness.

I ordered a full turbo-back 4" exhaust system from A-Spec Tuning rather than fabricating my own. It is made for their long runner manifold, so I will still have to cut and modify it to fit, but this will still save me the hassle of making one from scratch (one of the big reasons I wasn't motivated to work on the car). Little did I know that these systems are made to order and not kept in stock, so having a running car by next week just isn't going to happen like I had planned.

Anyway, the way I look at it, I have about 10-15 more hours of work to put into the car before it is back on the ground and ready to start again for the first time in 3 months. Then the tuning starts. Its funny how a broken ignition coil and seeing high intake temps at the track leads to a never ending saga of modifications....and to think...this is only the beginning.

Progress continues

HKS V-Mount is installed. It is a thing of beauty. My only complaint is that the intercooler and radiator should be sealed off more for airflow. the splitter is adjustable and guides the air between the two perfectly, but it needs either some more ducting or a plentiful amount of aluminum tape to seal it up to my standards.

The Delrin bushing installation is also complete. Just waiting to receive my steering rack from Maval and I can put the wheels back on. Exhaust fabrication is next.

A present from Japan

V-Mount Intercooler :)

Project Update...

Figured I would post a short build update...

Kirk Race Roll Bar arrived yesterday. Test fit it in the car and everything is awesome, just needs to be truly installed.

The interior is now fully stripped other than the dash, doors, and arm rest/shift panel. Who knew that you would have to remove the dash to get the carpet out though...the 350Z carpet removal was much easier.

65% of the suspension bushings are installed. I still have to do the left rear and half of the right rear bushings.

I still have not received the intercooler kit, but it should be here any day now. The stock turbo/exhaust/intercooler/oil cooler/ratsnest/fuel system is gone. I have test fit the manifold and turbo and need to order exhaust tubing next week. The new fuel system is installed. I can't finish the oil cooler mounting and plumbing until I know how the v-mount ducting is going to be.

So yea...looks like I still have a lot of work.

Deleted

Title says it...

HKS V-Mount just shipped from Japan

I was just notified that my HKS V-Mount that I ordered from Nengun at the beginning of the month has been shipped. Nengun may take a long time, but their prices are awesome and they always deliver. (www.nengun.com)

Broken Coil = No Fun at the Track

Prep'd and Ready

Not even a month after buying the new car and it will already be at on the track this weekend and playing double duty none the less (hope this is a sign of things to come). I will be driving it in yellow group and am letting Brandon drive it in green group.

I have spent the past couple of weeks getting the car to where I want it and finally feel it is safe to take this motor on the track...well almost. I replaced the pre-cat and stock airbox to let it breathe and get some heat out of the engine bay. The airpump, double throttle, and other miscellaneous parts were removed/disabled (was able to clean up the rat's nest a bit).

Since, all of that random crap was removed I was forced to go ahead and install my Power FC so it would drive smooth.The car already has a upgraded radiator and AST, so that was already taken car of, but I was able to better my current coolant temps with the FC-Datalogit's fan control. I used to see 100-105 degrees C on the street, but now it is a rock solid 85C, which is now verified with both the PFC and a water temp gauge (I am very paranoid about my coolant temps). The reason I said "well almost" earlier, is because the car needs an upgraded intercooler of some sort. After seeing the air temps on the PFC, I realized this is needed next. I should probably upgrade the oil cooler(s) at the same time.

Current Modifications: (as of 12am last night)
HKS RS Intake
RX7Store 3" Downpipe
Pulley Kit for Airpump Removal
Koyo Radiator
Pettit AST
Apex'i Power FC
Greddy Electronic Boost Gauge
Greddy Water Temp Gauge
Gotham Racing Short Shifter
Hawk HP+ Brake Pads
Russel's Stainless Brake Lines
ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid

Lube-Groove Bushings

I received my set of Lube Groove bushings earlier this week for the FD. They are made of Delrin® and have a internal groove machined into them for some PTFE grease which will greatly reduce any bushing noise and increase the life of the bushings. Delrin® bushings are stiffer than polyurethane bushings and offer a longer life. The 18pc. kit came with all these bushings:



-4 front upper control arm bushings
-4 front lower control arm bushings
-4 rear upper control arm bushings
-2 rear upper control arm shock mount bushings
-2 rear trailing arm bushings
-2 differential mount bushings

I am also replacing all (6) of the pillow ball bushings while I have everything torn apart. Hopefully I will have all of this done by next weekend.

FD RX-7 ver. 2.0

Yesterday was quite the eventful day. Had a good old 4am wake-up to make a 6am flight to Virginia so that I could pick up my new car. Sitting at the airport waiting to get on a plane on 9/11 and watching them talk about terrorism on CNN was a bit strange. But I arrived in VA and went to go look at the car. The seller, Fritz Flynn (anyone who messes with RX-7's or is on rx7club.com probably knows who this is), was an great guy to work with and was offering up an awesome deal. I am happy to say that I now own my second 3rd. Generation RX-7 and my first car that isn't silver. It is a '93 Black Base Model, 90k on the odometer, and extremely clean throughout. The car now sits in the garage waiting for tag, title, and registration. Hopefully be out on the road by Friday. Sorry the pictures aren't the best...but you get the idea.

135hp of Fury

A few weeks ago I got a new beater/parts hauler/whateverthehellyouwanttocallit...

...1996 Subaru Impreza Outback with 205k miles and worn out front axles. After driving it the past couple of weeks I have realized why most people aren't car enthusiasts. It is because most cars are fucking boring to drive. Massive body roll, zero response, and straight up slow. It is really sad when you have to turn the a/c off and put the gas to the floor just to pass someone to change lanes. Hooray for 135hp of fury.

350Z Sold and a new project on the horizon

3 years, a lot of money, and a ton hard work later, my 350Z is now gone to its new owner. The Z and Z community have been good to me and I have made a lot of friends that hopefully I will see again, probably at ZDayZ '08 in the new car.

The new project is still in the final planning stages. It looks like the RB26 that I built up earlier this year will end up in a '89-'94 240SX Coupe. I know, its been done a ton of times, but it seems like it is the best fit for the motor at this time and I can concentrate on getting my suspension setup exactly the way I want it. Included in the engine setup will also be a custom fuel system and oil cooler setup that I designed a few months ago that should do wonders at the track.

The plan so far includes stripping down the entire car inside and out, including paint, doing any patch work to the chassis if there happens to be any rust, and installing a roll cage (Probably just a 4-point roll bar with added door beams since it will be a street/track car). Then the chassis and all body parts will be painted (its looking like the silver used on the Mazda RX-7 Spirit-R might be the color). The suspension system in its entirety (all control arms, tension rods, traction bars, coilovers, swaybars, etc, etc) will be replaced with stronger, adjustable parts. The whole braking system will be upgraded using all new parts except for Z32 rear caliper bodies. The entire car will basically end up being a 1989-1994 chassis with a 2007 build date and for all technical purposes, be brand new.

Body modifications is where the project planning is at right now. I am trying to fit the most rubber under the fenders as possible to keep traction with 500-550whp. I would like at least a 275/255 tire setup, but 295/265 would be optimal. I will probably have to get widened fenders because rolling and flaring probably won't be enough, but I am going to do my best to not have to buy wide fenders. The car will also get a S13 Silvia front end with either the dual or triple projector headlights, a custom front and rear diffuser (made of FRP), and some small rear spoiler. I have never been a big fan of extravagant body modifications, so I won't be doing any.

With any luck, I should have a rolling chassis to start this project within the next week. Pictures of the progress and updates will most likely be on my main website http://mp-racing.net with major completions posted here.

My first project....

I was browsing through all of my old pictures today and ended up looking at pretty much every picture I ever took of my old RX-7. It was putting down 365rwhp @ 14psi on the stock ports and weighed 2740lbs when I sold it. Figured I would post a few pictures. I really want another one.

Anonymous Message

Saw this carved into a sidewalk....hope they aren't talking about me.

350Z For Sale

For Sale: Silverstone 2003 350Z Performance 6-speed. I am the original owner of this car. The car has 58,400 miles on it and still has a premium level warranty till 100,000 miles. It also has about $8500 in parts on it that make it a great base for a track or auto-x car. Here's what will still be on the car...

Engine Parts:
-AAM Return Fuel System
-Walbro 255lph Fuel Pump

Driveline Parts:
-Cusco RS 1.5-Way LSD (Currently setup at 80% lock with Motul diff oil)
-JWT Flywheel
-RPS Max Series 6-puck clutch
-Braided Clutch Line
-Forged Performance CNC Aluminum Shiftknob (sounds minimal but this thing is awesome)

Brakes/Suspension Parts:
-OEM Track Model Brembo Brakes (front and rear)
-Hawk HPS Street Pads
-PFC01 Front and Carbotech XP Rear Track Pads
-Stainless Brake Lines
-Hotchkis Front and Rear Adjustable Swaybars
-Hotchkis Sport Springs
-Tokico D-Spec Adjustable Struts
-BCR Harness Bar

Wheels/Tires
-Volk Racing TE37 (Gunmetal Gray)
-18x10.5 +22 Rear (295/35-18 Tires)
-18x9.5 +22 Front (265/35-18 Tires)
-Lightweight Lug Nuts

The wheels were special order from Rays Engineering, took 6-months to receive, and cost $2450 without tires. They are in perfect condition (no curb rash at all) and have been on the car for 1 year.

I also have all of the stock parts that these parts replaced except for the stock V-LSD and the stock springs. I have a set of test pipes as well that are not installed.

The car has no mechanical problems and was just inspected. The two imperfections on the car is the front and rear bumpers. The front bumper has taken abuse from small rocks on the highway and the rear bumper has some scrapes on it where someone backed into me a couple of years ago (can be seen in pictures). Then some minor blemishes on the plastic in the interior. But mechanically it is perfect.

Price is $21,500 with both the Volk wheels and the stock 18" wheels...or...$20,000 with only the stock wheels.

**Note: Picture of interior shows an aftermarket CD player...this will not be sold with car. The factory cd-player will be reinstalled.


CLICK ON PICTURES TO SEE FULL SIZE!

The executive decision...

Well...after long hard consideration I am ending the RB26 350Z project I started back in November. No, it isn't because I like the VQ more than the RB...no, it's not because it can't be done (see the bottom of this post for pictures of the test fit from last week), and no it isn't because it will overly upset the balance of the car (I still think that a RB26 with the modified oil pan or RB25 oil pan will be of remotely similar weight to a twin turbo VQ35). Anyway, the reason is simple...I will never be able to pass inspection with this motor in the car (at least in a quasi-legit way). I thought it would be fairly easy to get around with, but after months of research....it's not.

So I guess it is on to bigger and better things. I had the choice...sell the motor or sell the car. Needless to say, the car is now for sale and I am looking for an R32 GT-R. If anyone wants to buy my car or sell me an R32, let me know.


Fitment was pretty good. Would like the motor to sit a bit lower and a bit further back. Notching out the crossmember would be the best bet. There is a ton of room around the steering shaft for a 4" downpipe and the motor mounts would have been pretty easy to fabricate. Other thing is, a custom shifter would have to be made because it is nowhere near the shifter hole in the chassis.

M-P

Test (aka de-virgin-ization)

First blog ever....we'll see how it goes.