MP-Racing Blog

NSX in Tow

2009-11-02T20:21:00.002-05:00

On the way back to my garage to fix the transmission.

Cusco D Strut Bar and Dunlop Direzza Z1 Tires

2009-10-11T21:33:00.005-04:00

My old Dunlop SP8000 tires that were on the FD when I bought it have been showing their age. They were dried out and cracking. The dry traction was still ok, but in the rain I couldn't start from a stop light without spinning the tires on clutch engagement. I had planned on a set of Falken Azenis RT-615's, but after reading reviews decided to go with the newer Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Specs instead.

I doubt they will last very long, but I would like the car to hook up without buying wider wheels/tires. Here they are sitting in the living room before mounting them. Kitty is confused.

I also finally found a good deal on a used strut bar that wasn't an ebay special...a nice Cusco D-shape bar. After I got it, I sanded down the old flaking paint on the mounts and repainted them black. Installed it last night but didn't get a chance to take the car for a spin until today after I got the tires mounted. Everything feels very solid, but I won't know the true value of the tires until the tuning is finalized in a couple of weeks.

Boost controller installed

2009-10-03T23:54:00.003-04:00

Got the OG Profec B installed last weekend and did a custom double din gauge panel while I was at it. Now my wideband gauge isn't mounted super ghetto and I have a place for my Greddy EGT gauge (which isn't hooked up yet, just a place holder right now).

Now it would be nice to replace the stock oil pressure and coolant temp gauges in the cluster with aftermarket oil pressure and oil temperature gauges, but I'm saving that for another day.

MP-Racing.net is returning

2009-09-24T20:03:00.004-04:00

Not that I don't like the blog, but I feel that I don't post here enough. So I figured I would just keep the website updated and it would be simpler and in a more logical project format. I will still keep this site for news however. Check out the link below...

MP-Racing

More RX7 Pictures..why not.

2009-09-12T09:47:00.004-04:00

Few more RX7 pictures for the hell of it.

NSX Snap Ring Failure Confirmed

2009-08-23T17:35:00.004-04:00

Here is a picture of the little bits I found in the access port of my transmission.

And some metal shavings....

And this is the snap ring that I am speaking of....hopefully there isn't too much internal damage.

Fun with all the cars...

2009-08-22T17:44:00.003-04:00

Where to start? How about with the fact that my daily driven "super reliable Honda" (i.e. Acura NSX) decide to become unreliable last night. Just cruising home from the grocery store, I hear a pop. I get off the gas while still in 2nd gear and the shifter rocks further than normal while the transmission makes a less than pleasant grinding noise. Hmmm...it appears my car that already had a transmission replaced because of a snapring failure has once again had a snapring failure. So yeah, the car is now parked and won't be moving for a while...not fun times.

Move to the '93 RX7. After finally deciding to buy a set of track wheels (17x9.5/9.0 Enkei RPF-1's), it looks like that is now put on hold due to the NSX fucking up. I don't know if this car is ever going to be track worthy. At least the motor/drivetrain is strong and I can at least drive it even if it doesn't have A/C.

Which leads into the '83 RX7....which as of 1pm today, has air conditioning. I found a place that still had R12, which I was pretty excited about...but at the last second, I decided to retrofit to R134a because it is cheap and I figured that one day I would have to anyway when everyone runs out of R12. But I couldn't be happier with the R134a in this car. I replaced the drier and they pulled vacuum on it for 30 minutes, reoiled the system, and recharged it. Now it blows a nice 40-degrees on a super humid 85 deg day. Not too shabby.

So some good and some bad, but shit happens when you like playing with cars.

News just in...4" high flow cats are still loud

2009-07-21T18:01:00.002-04:00

Not that it matters because that was not the purpose of installing the catalytic converter on the FD. However, the exhaust is so excessively free flowing as a whole, the addition of the Random Tech converter didn't change the exhaust note even slightly.

It did change the smell of the car though. No longer will people driving behind me want to kill themselves due to the aroma of my car's exhaust. I guess that means it works?

RX-7...soon to be street legal?

2009-06-04T16:48:00.006-04:00

That's right. I just found out that Random Technologies makes a 4" In/Out stainless steel catalytic converter. I will be ordering one, chopping out the resonator in my exhaust and welding in the cat in its place (hopefully the weekend of July 4th).

The first question one may ask is....why would I do this? Well, there are two reasons. First and less important, I will actually be able to get my car inspected without biting my nails about whether or not they will actually look under the car...which is to be expected when you drive in with a car that is entirely too loud and smells like death. Second and much more important, I will be able to compete in Redline Time Attack events in Street Class (even if there are only two events close enough to attend). Yep..a FD weighing roughly 2600 lbs with 400whp in street class will be fun.

On another note...the NSX is am absolutely amazing daily driver....comfortable and an absolute joy to drive.

NSX

2009-05-14T19:28:00.003-04:00

A week ago I picked up a 1992 Acura NSX with only 64k miles on it to replace my '83 RX-7 as my daily driver. I'm still keeping the '83 RX-7, but instead of driving it everyday I might turn it into a project car. Maybe put a FD motor in it or an engine/dash cluster out of a wrecked RX-8. Time will tell what I do with it, but I am most definitely not selling it.

The NSX is a beautiful car that I have always wanted. Most people think I am crazy for buying one as a daily driver, but I'm not into garage queens or cars you only drive on nice days. I buy cars to drive them and enjoy them 24/7. This is one of those cars that I feel will accomplish this with ease.

I don't plan on modifying this car much at all. All I want is a NSX-R rear spoiler, some front lip, a set of black wheels, some lowering springs, and maybe hi-flow cats. It already has headers, and RSR exhaust, UNI filter, and a downforce intake scoop. The RSR exhaust is just a bit too quiet, I'd at least like to hear the car a little more.

Anyways, here are some pictures.

Even after 16 years my paint still looks amazing

2009-05-02T13:39:00.014-04:00

I'm not a person who is super picky about detailing a car, but I have to say that every time I wax my FD with Zaino I am impressed with how deep my 16 year old black paint looks. Just spent some time on the paint the past couple of days since it was in the garage getting oily fingerprints all over it all winter. It needed the TLC...bad. So a couple of coats of wax later, these are the results. (Click on the pictures for full 1600x1200 resolution.)

And an updated shot of the engine bay since the battery relocation. It looks much cleaner now.

Video of my old 350Z

2009-04-29T12:44:00.002-04:00

A friend found a video I made a few years ago showing the difference of atmospheric wastegate dumps on my twin turbo 350Z to the stock Greddy wastegate setup. The open wastegates sound so much more violent...I love it.

He emailed me the video, so I figured I would post it up on YouTube to share with all.

Looking to pick up an NSX.

2009-04-18T13:55:00.003-04:00

I have been browsing and researching the NSX for a couple of months now. This week I decided that I am going to buy one in the next couple of weeks if I can. I am keeping the RX-7's, but need something a bit more docile yet still fun to drive everyday and it seems the NSX fits the bill perfectly. They are rare, quick, extremely fun to drive, and reliable with good gas mileage. What else could you want out of a daily driver (other than more room)?

I am looking for a 91-94 with under 100k miles (preferably under 75k miles, but under 100k will do). I have looked at a few in the past couple of weeks...all red though. The one I looked at yesterday is the one that I like the most at the moment because it actually has black interior, only 64k miles, and a well known service history. At the end of the day, this will definitely do and I am seriously contemplating buying it. However, I feel like I should hold out for a silver car.

I absolutely love the way the NSX looks in red with a black roof and black wheels (like the one pictured below), but I never saw myself buying a red car.

I have owned a silver FD RX-7, silver 350Z, and have a silver FB RX-7...so maybe silver is getting too played out. I also have a black FD RX-7 and since the RX-7 and NSX look pretty similar, I'm not sure if a black NSX would be the best choice even though they do look sick. Of the NSX's the colors I would choose (in order) would be silver, black, then red and green tied. But since only 29 green/black cars were made in '94 only, my chances of finding one are slim to none.

Maybe red is my best option...I guess we will see.

Drycell Battery...Out with the old and in with the new.

2009-04-11T23:36:00.007-04:00

After killing my Odyssey PC680 and realizing that it might not be the best battery for my car, I decided to pick up a new Odyssey PC925 and get a little extra storage room without sacrificing too much weight (like I would have if I had gone with a Optima Red Top).

It weighs 24 lbs vs. the old battery's weight of 14 lbs. The only problem is that with the HKS v-mount intercooler setup, there isn't enough room in the engine bay for the battery anymore and I had to relocate it. I decided on putting it behind the passenger's seat where the rear bins used to be, running a cable from the fuse boxes back to the bin area with a 150 amp circuit breaker mounted just before the battery for extra protection.

To make sure that everything was electrically kosher, I used 1/0 welding cable. Welding cable is much more flexible, abrasion resistant, and conductive that similarly size power wire for speaker amplifiers. It also costs a bit less too; at $1.92/ft, I got 15 feet for $30 after tax at a local welding supply shop. I do have to say that 1/0 wire isn't light though, weighing in at 0.415 lb/ft adds about 6 lbs in wiring. So now we are up at 16lbs additional weight to the car. Then you have to add weight of the battery tray I whipped up, which I would guestimate to be about a pound and we have a total added weight of around 17 pounds. The weight distribution should be a bit better though with the new location.

Here a few pictures of the completed setup...I know the welds aren't pretty on the battery tray, but I haven't welded 22ga steel before and I suck anyway.

I have always thought California was crazy...

2009-03-27T16:30:00.004-04:00

...now I know I'm right. They want to ban black cars. They have held the opinion that black rifles are evil for a while, but now apparently black cars are evil too.

California Air Resources Board (CARB) wants to ban Black cars

Why I don't trust anyone but myself...

2009-03-25T12:53:00.003-04:00

Last Thursday I received my new tires for my '83 RX-7 from Tire Rack. I just got a set of Kuhmo Solus 185/70-13's (there aren't many options for this car) for daily driving and a bit of snow traction if I need it next winter since I will be in Virginia. On Friday I called up a local tire shop, who seems to have a pretty good reputation, to get the tires mounted and balanced. They told me to bring it up and they could do it while I waited that afternoon, so I did.

About an hour later they told me the car was done and the keys were in it. I paid my $65 and was on my way. Left turn out of the shop and I get to about 30mph, feel a bad vibration, and think "Shit, they forgot to balance one of my wheels." I slow down to pull off the road and turn around, but as I slow down the vibration still exists, but now I realize it isn't a vibration...it is a wobble and my lugs aren't tightened down.

I come to a stop and get out of the car to check it out. One lugnut is almost all the way backed out and the other three are over half-way out. My wheel now looks like it is at 15 degrees negative camber and I am not very happy. I call the shop and tell them whats up, so they send a guy to tighten my wheels back down. Takes him a good 5-10 minutes to go a half mile down the road and what does he show up with....a jack, a breaker bar, a socket, and NO torque wrench. I couldn't believe my eyes.

I tell him to take the wheel off completely because I want to see if there is any damage to the wheel, rotor, etc. Luckily, everything is good to go. He puts the wheel back on and torques the ever living hell out of it. He says that he is sorry and that it was the owner's son (not a certified mechanic) who torqued my wheels. Finally he says, if there are any other issues to let him know and he will take care of it. I say thanks in a completely dissatisfied tone and just leave because I don't want them around anything I own again.

I was beginning to think I was being paranoid that I didn't let anyone else work on my cars but me. I used to carry a torque wrench in my car to retorque my wheels in the parking lot of a shop after similar work was done. Then the one time in my life that I didn't do this, it bites me in the ass. So the moral of the story is that sometimes paranoia is necessary to not get fucked over by the morons in this world.

I don't ever post anymore...

2009-03-17T15:29:00.003-04:00

...but I graduate in May and have a job lined up. Therefore, I should have some extra money so that I can play with my cars soon.

Here is a new picture of my FB...

And a Rotary Haiku I wrote while bored in class...

Rotary Engines
Like Doritos on a stick
Dorito Kabob?

That is all.

R1 Rear Spoiler....pictures

2008-10-03T18:34:00.008-04:00

I know it isn't much, but I personally can't stand FD's without a spoiler. I found a perfect condition used R1 spoiler on the forums, so I bought it and installed it last night. I swear it transforms the look of the car in my eyes.

And a couple of the two RX-7's together

Long time no update...

2008-09-17T01:33:00.005-04:00

Its been a while, but my final year of engineering school is eating away at my time...plus no job my last year of school = no money to put into any projects. I drive the FD a few times a week when I feel like annoying everyone (4" exhaust and w/g dumps will do that) and then drive the FB the rest of the time...both are running like champs.

The FD motor now has ~1500 miles on it and is about 75% tuned (~11.5 psi and 6000rpm). Pulls extremely strong and hearing the wastegate open never gets boring. When I finally find the time I am going to finish up the tuning on wastegate spring pressure to 8000rpm and just drive it like that for a while. Then maybe when I get some money I can tend to some other things like wheels/tires. Weighing the car is on my to-do list as well.

The first gen has turned out to be an incredible investment. I took the gas tank out, completely cleaned and resealed it, cleaned the pickup/return tubes and reinstalled everything. Now the fuel starvation problem it was having when I bought it is completely gone. Also on that note, I have to recommend POR-15's tank repair/reseal kit. It took a while, but man it works wonders...I should have taken pictures.

Once I sell the Subaru, I will need to put a little bit of money into the first gen and hopefully be able to put the rest into the FD. The first gen needs a full brake overhaul (rotors, pads, lines, fluid), new tires, and could use some new suspension bushings as well. Luckily everything for this car is dirt cheap, so this should happen soon.

Maybe at that point I will have a more useful post.

Bought another RX-7....

2008-07-19T23:44:00.005-04:00

Just picked up this 83 RX-7 GSL to keep my FD company. Paint is pretty bad, but the body is great and so is all of the mechanical parts on the car. It has 101k miles on it and incredible compression. Only one real problem with the car that I am going to figure out shortly...not bad for $650 if I have to say so myself.

Engine and more parts!!

2008-06-18T18:36:00.006-04:00

Got my motor in from David Jerome at Speed4Sale yesterday. It is a rebuild using good condition parts sourced by David, who then sends the parts to Kevin Landers of Rotary Resurrection to do the rebuild. These engines are by far the best deal you can find right now. They are priced cheaper than a Mazda Reman and are higher quality. Here are a few pictures of the engine I received.

A picture of the street porting on the exhaust port...

Other parts that I just received include the Banzai Racing oil pan brace and polyurethane motor mounts...

...also the ACT HD clutch (with sprung 6-puck disc) and ACT Streetlight flywheel.

I also have other parts as well but these are the most significant to the build right now. Everything else is either supplementary to existing modifications or maintenance related. I'm not sure if the car will be running this weekend or not, but it should be damn close.

I didn't lie...

2008-06-12T16:16:00.002-04:00

...when I said things would be happening fast with the FD. It's only been a week and I have a ported engine on the way from David Jerome of Speed4Sale. Also ordered a ACT flywheel/6-puck clutch, Banzai Racing oil pan brace and polyurethane motor mounts, Rotary Performance fuel pump and braided clutch line, G-Force harness hardware, and a bunch of OEM gaskets to make sure I do have any loose ends. I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures next week once everything is here.

RB26 in an S10.....

2008-06-05T21:25:00.003-04:00

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..
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.....
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....oops, guess I should have specified that it was in the bed of the truck.

But yes, this does mean that I have sold the RB26 and am ready to finish up the second installment of the saga that is the RX-7....new engine, motor mounts, clutch/flywheel, and a few other cool things. I haven't driven that car since February, so this should start happening very quickly.

As for the sale of the RB....I couldn't ask for a better transaction. The buyer is a great guy who has big plans for his car. Keep an eye out for pictures of it sometime down the road.

Been slow, but more progress made...

2008-05-26T15:54:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since my last post, but since I actually did some work on the RX-7 this week I figured it was time. I still have not rebuilt the engine yet, which really means that I still have not sold the RB26 yet. Once sold, everything I am trying to do will be given the green light, oh well. Anyways...

Last week I finished installing the racing seats into the RX-7 (I only started about a month ago...please visit lackofmotivation.org). I do however still need to order the eye bolts for the lap and submarine harnesses. So the seats will come back out for that in the next couple of weeks. Then I can finally say that the interior is finished for a while.

I also decided to drain the gas tank and install my fuel surge tank cover (thanks to Hyperion on rx7club). Draining gas sucks, but the installation of the cover was a breeze (took 30 minutes MAX). Here is a picture from the group buy...

The one high note of draining the fuel is that I was able to put ~10 gal. of 93 octane into the Subaru DD before it got too old (the gas not the Subaru). This leads me to my final point....my '96 Suburu Impreza Wagon shit-box with 217k miles and fucked up axels must have felt pampered yesterday.

It isn't often that a beater gets almost a full tank of 93 octane fuel (~$4.05/gal. right now), gets washed and waxed, and gets an oil change. The fuel and oil speak for themselves at this point, but the washing and waxing is a different story. This is the first car that I have ever had that I truly don't care much about (refer to my post 135hp of fury)...if it gets me where I want to go I am happy. The trouble comes when the clear coat starts to disappear off of the hood and roof. That is when resale value enters my head and I think....hmmm maybe it would be a good idea to at least wash this thing and get a good coat of wax on it. Now I didn't use the Zaino that I use on my other cars, but a fresh coat of Mother's carnuba sure did make that car look a hell of a lot better.

Saturn GT-R

2008-04-02T18:50:00.001-04:00

Awesome car I saw today....the infamous Saturn GT-R....

....some people

Pictures of the damage...

2008-03-18T15:17:00.003-04:00

Broken Apex Seal (aka...bringer of death)

Bad Rotor Housing....

Bad Rotor....(and shitty picture)

Broken Apex Seal = Bad Rotor and Rotor Housing

2008-03-13T14:20:00.006-04:00

...but the turbo is still good (such a relief).

I got the engine tore down last weekend and began to inspect the damage. It took a minute to find the broken apex seal, but didn't take long at all to find the gouges in the the rotor and rotor housing. I'll take pictures of the damaged parts tonight and post them up.

Oh yea,
Someone buy my RB26 please, so I can get to rebuilding the 13B...

RB26 FOR SALE

Tired of rx7club....join the new rotary forum...

2008-03-10T22:58:00.004-04:00

Rotary Car Club

Engine=Broken

2008-02-27T10:05:00.002-05:00

While tuning this past weekend the motor blew. It seems that trying to make power on a rotary that has 92k miles on it isn't the best idea in the world. Everything in the tune was safe when it blew and my logs have been reviewed by others to say the same. Oh well....shit happens....now it is time to rebuild and port.

Here are videos of testing compression. As you can see rotor 1 is a good consistent pulse, while rotor two is basically non-existent. (*This is a cold motor, so the actual numbers are useless).

Rotor 1:

Rotor 2:

Complete sans tuning...

2008-02-12T17:58:00.000-05:00

Been a slow winter it seems, but the car is finally 99% complete. Currently driving/tuning it, but thought I would post a few pictures I took during the final work...

...and a few specs

Garrett T04R Ball Bearing (.84 A/R)
Tial 46mm W/G
Tial 50mm BOV
Exoticspeed Manifold
A-Spec 4" Turboback exhaust (had to modify to fit my setup)
HKS V-Mount I/C
Dual 19row Oil Coolers w/ thermostat
Removed A/C and PS (Sent my steering rack off to Maval)
RX7store fuel system (550/1680cc injectors, Aeromotive FPR, etc)
Denso fuel pump
...etc (other stuff like removed emissions, cruise, double throttle, etc etc)

It's been a while...

2007-12-13T09:04:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-05T10:56:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-03T21:39:00.000-04:00

V-Mount Intercooler :)

Project Update...

2007-11-01T10:20:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-24T13:10:00.001-04:00

Title says it...

HKS V-Mount just shipped from Japan

2007-10-23T10:28:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-11T08:10:00.000-04:00

Prep'd and Ready

2007-10-04T08:19:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-20T09:51:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-12T08:44:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-05T10:40:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-28T08:22:00.000-04:00

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....

2007-08-02T19:20:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-24T14:53:00.000-04:00

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

350Z For Sale

2007-07-17T11:03:00.000-04:00

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...

2007-07-12T15:58:00.000-04:00

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)

2007-07-10T20:05:00.000-04:00

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