¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said: noThe FC RX7 has a sort of similar setup to what you've got going on, but with a rubber mount that likes to fail:
On our FC rally car, I plated the whole thing with 1/8" steel and reinforced the mount on the subframe too- it outlived the rest of the car. This is a nicer one than what I made but you get the idea:
What is that link that is attaching to the front diff mount? I have never seen that on an rx7 before.
In reply to wvumtnbkr :
No idea, I just grabbed the first image that showed the mount.
In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) :
No idea which rear yet, but likely one of the ford options as they are known quantity with rebuild able limited slips.
Wvummtnbiker: im blessed to have her. And have thought about the sway bar end links, but no idea what would have close enough dimensions and be cheap. Nor any idea how to find out.
Dusterbd13-michael (Forum Supporter) said:Wvummtnbiker: im blessed to have her. And have thought about the sway bar end links, but no idea what would have close enough dimensions and be cheap. Nor any idea how to find out.
Back in my Jeep days I wanted a disco sway bar. I just grabbed some links that I had laying around cut them then made them the correct size with a bit of an old bent tie rod. Welded them up and ran them.
Seems like a trip to a pick-n-pull with a tape measure is in your future.
Dusterbd13-michael (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) :
No idea which rear yet, but likely one of the ford options as they are known quantity with rebuild able limited slips.
Wvummtnbiker: im blessed to have her. And have thought about the sway bar end links, but no idea what would have close enough dimensions and be cheap. Nor any idea how to find out.
Give me a measurement. I think I have a pinion snubber too. Can you wait a week or two? I can get them in the mail.
Edit to say that I will make you a link with the leftovers I have here. No big deal and it will force me to get out my welder! Lolzers.
Edit Edit to add... I was talking up the gm 60 degree engines as good swap candidates for somebody looking for a compact 150 to 200 hp engine. Another person (on the champcar forum) pointed the OP to THIS thread. I lol'd.
(Lol'd because you and I have had a few chats about this and I followed from the start)
I'm internet famous! Glad to know that this build is generating traffic to the site.
And we are some of the biggest champions of the swap around. Think i made a convert out of stampie, brother Dustin and brother Dallas. They've driven it.
I want to try the 3500.....
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael (Forum Supporter) :
My 3500 isn't quite stock... fully ported, tuned, etc. Stock parts, just modded.
Made 187 at the wheels.
It's a beast comparably.
Oooo.....
Now im even more jealous-er.
Still using the mail order guy to tune?
So, its been a long time since a real update.
I think its time to correct that.
After stampie brought it back from the challenge last year, I hit a deer carcass. Ripped the splitter off, wrecked the ac condenser, bent a tie rod, broke the bumper, and mangled a headlight. Not cool.
So, we had to fix it. Especially since the season starts saturday.
The parts list: led driving lights, mini H1 projectors, two newer headlight housings, 55 watt h1 hids, condenser, lines, o rings, thermostat housing, thermostat, hvac panel, plywood, bumper lip, ducktail spoiler, stickers, aluminum lug nuts, new tie rod ends, extended ball joints. Door edge guard, expanded aluminum, black rivets, new wheel well liners, and probably some other stuff im forgetting.
So, lets get to it.
First up, parts. Inline thermostat housing from amazon. Nice piece of equipment.
20210106_133857 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
then, painted my black knockoff rfp-1s silver. I like them way better.
20210107_083010 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
and the $20 ducktail I bought from a CSP autocrosser
20210107_142305 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
step one, which has absolutely nothing to do with fixing the car, was installing the ducktail. I have always wanted one, and Im stupid happy to have it! Used stainless button head bolts and nutserts and double sided tape. Seemed like a good use of overkill.
20210113_105527 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
then, tore the front of the car down. Took my new to me headlights upstairs and baked them at 250f for 20 minutes to separate the lens from the housings. Took them back down to the shop, pulled the shields and retainers.
20210115_191404 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210115_191452 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
prep the mini projectors by attaching the shrouds to the projectors with four screws. These projectors came with them, but most dont. #6 by ½ screw usuallt does the trick.
20210115_191956 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
then, install. Use the large washer between the projector and housing, then the projector through the factory lightbulb hole, smaller washer, metal washers, nuts, and bulb retainer.
20210115_192146 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210115_192038 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210115_192134 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210115_192415 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
seal it off with the factory rubber bootie, and adjust the horizontal line prior to gluing them back together.
20210115_192757 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210115_192849 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210117_175902 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
that out of the way, I went ahead and redid the AC system. Rebent the aluminum lines, crimped fitting for the sanden compressor, etc. swapped the factory switch on the high pressure side for a standard binary switch I could work with. Vacuumed the system, and added some freon. I also had to replace the AC switch, as it had failed.
20210121_191227 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210122_122647 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
to fix a belt interference problem, had to modify the throttle body.
20210122_192727 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
while I was doing all this, I had the body apart and at the painters.
20210117_110153 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
received_728814067818834 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
when it came back, I got to reassembling. First was the hood. Using black expanded aluminum, door edge molding, and rivets, came out pretty good!
20210122_174948 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210125_123615 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
I also added some more light. I got a pair of LED driving lights and mounted them in the bumper opening, and wired to the headlight circuit.
20210122_200324 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210125_192452 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
finished engine bay off with an inline thermostat housing, 180 thermostat, factory overflow bottle, new, functional radiator cap, aluminum turnbuckle adjuster for the AC compressor, and a good cleaning.
20210223_132135 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210223_132139 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
went ahead and reassembled the car, adding the new lip and ducktail as I went. Remade the broken lexan on the ducktail too.
20210125_192426 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210204_165808 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
while I was at it, I had the challenge spoiler remade into a sticker on the new ducktail.
20210130_145303 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210208_181919 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
I then remade the splitter and got it mounted up
20210205_084814 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210208_181727 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
then, went ahead and built a floor for the trunk. Seemed like a good idea to cover everything over, and I had some leftovers from the splitter. Packing for this weekends autocross proved way easier now, despite actually having less accessible space. The flat floor makes more usable space for things like tool bag, helmet, etc. just simpler all the way around, and way less worrying since there's no battery just hanging out there waiting to be shorted by a ratchet knocked loose over a pothole. It required a double carpet hunge cover on that side though, which took a little head scratching. But not bad overall!
20210209_083033 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210221_121230 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210221_121243 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
no idea why, but I dont have pictures of the new rotors and stoptech pads, bouer ball joints, r package tie rod ends. However, visually, they just look less scruffy than the old stuff. However, I was able to get 3.2 degrees negative camber, 5.5 positive caster, and zero toe up front. Rear is negative 2 camber, and 1/8 toe in. most aggressive alignment ive ever been able to put in, and on the street it feels MUCH more stable, planted, and smooth in both aggressive transitions and steady state cornering. Wont know for certain until closed course, but I think I just narrowed my gap between being DFL and next to DFL which last season was 10 seconds.
any which way, we took a test drive. mid February and my daughter and I went with the top down. With heat! Its actually turning into a real car....
20210209_173539(0) by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
so, to finish out the updates, and season prep for the car, I washed and waxed and cleaned it all up for the upcoming season. Turned out fairly OK for a rustoleum painted, stickered up hackjob racecar!
20210221_171307 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210221_171017 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20210221_171316 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
In reply to wvumtnbkr :
I still need to get you that dimension. The truck blew up, and ive been preoccupied with piecing it back together to get it off the lift and back under me.
I think you just took it a step above. Detail level went from 11 out of 10 to 12 out of 10.
Stampster said it, I'll give a gazillion thumbs up er well done bro!!!
good luck on Saturday!
Looking for a codriver Saturday. Thread in main forum
Mr and mrs. Shawneecreek are in town for tomorrow. This gonna be fun!!!!
Good day. Damn good day.
Car has a LOT in it that im not getting out, which tells me focusing on the driver is the correct course of action.
Shawneecreek beat me by a consistent 8 seconds, and was brutal fast. Wow!
But, even though i couldn't put together a clean run, my runs are getting better. Still DFL mind you, buy a respectable DFL. he was fifth in class against brand new "200tw" tires. On federal rs-rr. In a car hes never driven before.
And it was FUN to be with him.and mrs Shawneecreek, and a fun event.
All WINNING. Im sunburnt, sore, and tired. Cars unloaded. Time to go help a friend with a wyllis jeepater and take a nap.
Those knock-off RFP1's look fantastic. Good work returning the car to service.
In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :
Thanks! They really came out nice. Whole thing did, really.
Dusterbd13-michael (Forum Supporter) said:Good day. Damn good day.
Car has a LOT in it that im not getting out, which tells me focusing on the driver is the correct course of action.
Shawneecreek beat me by a consistent 8 seconds, and was brutal fast. Wow!
But, even though i couldn't put together a clean run, my runs are getting better. Still DFL mind you, buy a respectable DFL. he was fifth in class against brand new "200tw" tires. On federal rs-rr. In a car hes never driven before.
And it was FUN to be with him.and mrs Shawneecreek, and a fun event.
All WINNING. Im sunburnt, sore, and tired. Cars unloaded. Time to go help a friend with a wyllis jeepater and take a nap.
Can concur, it was a very good day. The Miata that Michael has built is a really capable and fun to drive car. It just wants to dance on the edge of grip, there is plenty of torque, and the exhaust note is something to be heard. It sounds great to start with and then around 3 or 4 thousand rpm it does some GM version of "the VTEC just kicked in, yo!" and SCREAMS to redline. It's positively spine tingling.
I've got video of all of our runs and some exterior pictures that my wife took. I just have to get back to Michigan first before I can process them to upload. I'll do a full write up of the weekend's activities then.
- Sean
In reply to ShawneeCreek (Forum Supporter) :
Cool glad you got video. I think that'll really help Michael to see the difference in runs. Wish I could have come up and hung out.
Mike, you should sell drive time in exchange for Challenge parts
Excellent outcome. Boy, if you could back woods distill some of your motivation, I'd most certainly get a bottle. Glad to hear Dad's truck is rumbling.
Thanks all!
We are stojed to hear the flattie fire!
And, if people want to run an event here with me, let me know before you register with ccrscca. Im generally ok with having co-drivers!
First up, I want to thank Michael for being a gracious host for my wife and I on a last minute trip. We ate at the second best burger joint in town (the best place was still closed because of COVID) and got to try buttermilk pie. Turns out, it tastes kind of like pecan pie, without pecans. Also, we got to see ZMax Dragway with it's four wide drag strip.
A bit about our trip next (sorry, post whoring a bit to get the main post on the next page. You'll live). I decided we were going to take the Fiat 124 because I wanted to show it off and get a feel for long trips in it. Obviously, I needed to change to the fancier summer wheels and tires. And the world decided to give me a laugh as it started snowing at that moment. I pushed on and got them mounted anyway (17x8 Konig Ampliforms for the curious).
Thankfully, we were able to fit four days worth of clothes, a helmet, camera bag, and laptop bag in the trunk with a little space left for snacks.
The Fiat works well enough, but stops every couple of hours are required for back health. We averaged about 30 mpg over the nearly 1,500 mile round trip.
Alright, on to the real meat of this story: how was the car and what can Michael do to improve his driving? With pictures and videos!
- Sean
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