NoRotors.com - RX7 Engine Swap Forum
Technical Information => Build Threads => Topic started by: Venom13132 on April 03, 2019, 09:15:57 AM
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Background:
In 2007 I bought a shell of a 1995 RX-7 and did an LS1/T56 swap. I loved that car. Drove it for 4 years before selling it to a buddy so I could go back to school. The car needed to be tuned after an engine rebuild and cam/intake install when I sold it. The car has been sitting where I left it since 2012. My friend owns 8 FDs, yes 8, and non of them run! So he is paying me to get the 5 that have V8 swaps running for him. My payment is a 1993 model with a 5.3 and T56 setup. My goal was to buy my old 95 back after selling the 93 I get for payment.
Between 2012-Now I had a few other cars. After getting a new job I bought a 2010 370Z Touring Sport. Black on Black with all the bells and whistles. It was a fun car to drive and looked great but didn't have that "I built this" feeling I needed. After a horribly disappointing trip to the drag strip I cut my losses and sold the Z. A few months later I bought a 1998 BMW Z3 M Roadster. That car was a fun little go kart that I could work on. I fixed it up pretty nice. I was going to do an LS swap to it but the FD was always on my mind.
July 2018 I was just casually searching craigslist and came across a 95 LS swapped FD in North Carolina. I reached out to the guy and gave him a low offer and he took it. So I flew out and drove the car back. I ended up selling my BMW for parts as the market wasn't what I needed for the whole car. I still have to finish my buddies cars, get the 93 FD as payment and sell it.
Specs:
1995 RX-7 already swapped with an LS1 and T56.
Clean title but unknown mileage
Stock RX7 Sub-frame with home made square channel mounts
home made trans mount
home made diff mount
pretty standard home job on the mounting/ cooling/ intake and such
Missing a bit of the interior
SpeedHut gages
Aeromotive Fuel pump
Some aftermarket Cruise control setup
Stock wheels with bald ass tires
Here are the photos of the car from the Craigslist Ad:
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The current car is MB with black/tan interior.
It is missing the carpet currently but I have all the other interior pieces now
The paint is pretty shit (failed clear coat) and it has a white Fiber glass hood.
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So after flying out to Wilmington and driving the car back (stopped in a hotel half way at like 1am)
Got the car home and started to clean it out and order parts.
OEM 99 Spec Spoiler (shipped it in from Australia)
Feed Wide body Front Fenders
Feed Wide body Rear Fenders
Feed Front bumper
Ray's Gram Light 57 18x9.5 front 18x10.5 rear
Yokohama advan A048 295/30r18 tires for the rear New Yokahamas for the front 235/35/18
ProSport Complete Bushing Kit
Eastwood heat shield/sound material for the interior
Adjustable front sway bar mounts (only because my stock ones were missing)
KSport Coilovers
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Starting to get the Feed Parts on.
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Also got some carbon Feed Side Skirt/Blade things waiting to go on.
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Widebody matches the cowl, looking forward to the progress.
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Widebody matches the cowl, looking forward to the progress.
Thanks. How's your car coming along? I have ran though your build thread a couple times in the past.
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Did some work over the weekend. Installed my Feed Front bumper and Feed Wide front fenders. I also put a sway bar in the car (didnt have one when I bought it) I used some adjustable mounts because I didn't have the stock mounts and these were cheaper than new mounts. I am going to roll my rear fenders and maybe move my suspension up in the back so I can drive the car. I will put the Feed rear fender overs on hopefully next month.
I also did a bunch of work cleaning up the interior but didn't get any photos yet. I put my Efini steering wheel in and swapped out my tan seats for black seats. I replaced the home made shifter cover with a nice one I bought here a few years ago. Slowly but surely she is coming along. Gonna just get it in good enough condition to drive and enjoy for the summer before really digging in this winter and prepping for paint and such.
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Still no carpet. But I put some heat insulation to "flatten" the floor for now so my Bride floor mats sit flat and it feels better under your feet
got the Efini steering wheel installed.
Went from crappy tan to these lovely black seats. I have rear bins and the passenger side rear trim. I need to move the battery from the drivers side to the pass side and clean up some of the wiring. I am not going to put carpet in till the winter when I have time to do it properly and remove the dash. Not doing the short cut method of cutting the carpet. That's what the previous owner did so there is still old carpet under the dash.
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rolled the shit out of my fenders last night so my car is actually drivable with my wheel setup.
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That's a lot of FDs, haha. That's a shload of fender rolling! Haha
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That's a lot of FDs, haha. That's a shload of fender rolling! Haha
hah yeah it was a workout to get them that stretched. I am still on the fence if I am going to cut out the fenders for the wide body.
My buddy has 8 FDs bit of a hoarding problem. I think he just sold one on ebay though. So call it 7 7's
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Got my most important upgrade in this weekend.
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I got my full interior installed and put the Feed Carbon Fiber Side blades on this week. I also replaced the motorcycle battery with an Oddessy P1200.
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Dog is ready for a ride!
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Dog is ready for a ride!
Thanks, I wasn't quite sure if that was a dog or a bag with a bowling ball inside. LOL
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Dog is ready for a ride!
Thanks, I wasn't quite sure if that was a dog or a bag with a bowling ball inside. LOL
She is shaped like a bowling ball for sure.
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Installed the TwinZ designs Rear diffuser while I was at Fontana Village visiting the Tail of the Dragon last week. I didn't have enough fasteners to install it properly but the fitment looks good and will look great once I install properly.
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Here is a shot of the car on the Dam. I just spray painted the hood so it didn't stick out so much like when it was white.
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Omg that dog lol <3
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Here are some low res photos from the tail of the dragon.
Decent shot of the new diffuser
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Tow rig pulling through the Dragon at 9.6mpg! Got 13mpg highway on the trip. Pretty good for the V10
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Awesome! I like the diffuser but kinda wish it fit more "flush" with the bumper. Any chance you can take a pic of what if looks like from above?
Thanks!
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Awesome! I like the diffuser but kinda wish it fit more "flush" with the bumper. Any chance you can take a pic of what if looks like from above?
Thanks!
yeah it has a little bit of a lip in the rear opposed to the stock trim or even the RE Street diffuser. If I remember I will grab some photos tonight when I get home from work.
these will probably help you see it. Photos from the manufacturer.
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One of only a few diffusers I would consider putting on a FD. Looks 8)!
-groovin
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One of only a few diffusers I would consider putting on a FD. Looks 8)!
-groovin
thanks. I wish they had a carbon fiber version but I am pretty happy with this.
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This car has a home made mounting kit on it from the P.O. I am not a fan of his fab work but am waiting for Ronin to come back out with a new kit. anyway.
I was driving the other day and started getting some clunking while taking off in 1st and when shifting into 2nd. It progressively got worse and worse. I couldn't see anything just by looking under the car. No missing control arm bolts no missing bolts on the drive shaft no broken CV shafts. I finally got way under the car and saw that the torque arm snapped in two! I took some photos but none of them came out very well (posted below). When I get some time I will get the car up, drop the exhaust, and pull the turd home job torque arm out.
I am waiting to hear from Ronin too see if their new kit will include a diff brace or not. If not I will likely pick up a Samberg unit from someone that has one laying around, or worst case get the sikky one for $500 :barf:
here are some photos of the builders lovely work. :'(
Trans brace which gets caught every time I put the thing on the trailer. (cant wait to get one that tucks up in the trans tunnel)
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Tried to get a shot of the diff with the random cross bar and you can see a bit of the torque arm.
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Hard to see but you can see the broken torque arm there.
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New diff brace looks like a good idea as soon as you can get it, as well as the trans brace. My car has a GSS trans brace that may be coming off soon if you end up needing to replace yours sooner than later.
+1 on patiently waiting for the Ronin subframe, I don't dig looking at my cracks on my current one D:
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Updates. My torque arm broke so I got a Samberg diff brace from a member on here.
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Due to my rear diffuser blocking my exhaust hanger I had to pull the rear bumper to lower the exhaust. Also the PO of this car put a brace across the exhaust that was bolted to the floor that required me to pull the carpet up so I had to take half the damn car apart for this.
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This car has a home made kit and the flange on the Differential where the drive shaft mounts is rubbing just so slightly on the diff brace. I am going to have to drop the brace down and grind out a few mm of material so this will stop rubbing.
Always something!
I am installing some aluminum fuel rails since I had them laying around. Should have them in tonight.
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Got the car ready for one last cruise in 2019
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Went down to Brown County Indiana with my buddy in his STi for some curvy road driving then stopped at Big Woods (quaff-on) brewing for lunch and a pint.
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The RX-7 is parked in the barn for storage now. Big plans for this winter.
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Tucked the car away for the winter and for its refresh. Not sure how much I will be able to accomplish this year. Really hoping to get the new Ronin subframe and trans mount when it comes out and maybe their headers. I have a bunch of parts I have collected to install. I want to remove all my suspension components clean them up and powder coat and install the superpro bushings. Installing A/C, making my own lines and such. I want to get the rear widebody molded in also. I plan on shaving the side mirrors and going with a corner triangle mount style that Draklore sells. Hopefully get the car painted too. We will see how $$ goes this year. Could always use more!
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my running lite got cracked some how. Will have to replace that :(
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Keep up the great work improving. That’s half the fun of these cars IMO.
I really want to get to Brown County to do some mountain biking. Maybe I should bring the 7.
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Keep up the great work improving. That’s half the fun of these cars IMO.
I really want to get to Brown County to do some mountain biking. Maybe I should bring the 7.
Yeah I love riding down there. It’s only about 45min away for me. I have a sea sucker bike rack that works on the 7 without damaging anything.
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Ok so I spent a few hours with the car this past Friday. I've got basically everything removed in the front of the car: Fenders, suspension, headlights, bumper, radiator, brake lines, brake MC.
The radiator support was the biggest heaviest piece of junk I have ever seen. So glad to not have that in the car any more. I will be pulling the engine next time I am out in the garage (Feb 7th).
I bought the last Samberg Sub-frame and Trans Mount that Justin had. I am painting it in an anodized orange color. I am going to sand blast all of my suspension parts and paint them the same as the sub-frame. I also have a full set of SuperPro bushings for all that stuff. You might be able to see in the pictures the fire wall is pretty beat up. I am going to try and repair that as best I can and prep the engine bay for paint.
PHOTOS!
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Looks like good progress. I like the color for the subframe/parts.
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i made an instagram to keep up with the work I'm doing on the car VenomSpeedShop is the handle.
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What's your plan for replacement radiator, suspension and filling up that big cowl hood!
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What's your plan for replacement radiator, suspension and filling up that big cowl hood!
The radiator is good. Its a Griffin radiator just need to mount it forward more. the suspension is getting painted the same as the subframe, SuperPro bushings all around and I already have some K-sport coilovers. last to fill up that cowl hood. I would really like to put a nice supercharger up in there. I just bought a house built in 1870 and it doesn't have a garage so my funds are going to go towards a garage this year. So just getting the RX in a decent state is the goal for this year. I really want to upgrade the LS1 to an LS3 or LT1 and TR6060 combo also. I just need to find a way to make some extra cash on the side haha.
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Continuing to strip the car down and clean up everything. Prepping to paint the engine bay and anything else that looks rough.
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I have most of the interior out already as well. I will get some more pictures later this week when I am back out in the garage.
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Still moving along with the strip down of the car. I need to decide how I want to prep the interior. I have a bunch of the rubber/foil heat/sound insulation to put down. I don't really want to take the time to remove the old rubber that's in there if I don't have to. Just trying to think of a good way to get the inside of the car looking good before putting everything back in. There are some holes I want to weld shut and clean up. I also am changing the color of the car to black so I'd like all the montego to go away. Was thinking I would just spray it with the engine black or get the body color black and not use clear.
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Should i remove that heat shield on the fire wall and put up the dynamat or put dynamat under it/over it?
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started getting my superpro bushings installed. I used to be able to use a press at work in a machine shop with lots of scrap pieces of metal that made it easy to rig up support and press items. They got rid of my machine shop so i had to get my own press and make fixtures and stuff out of random tools and what not. I got my trailing arms and my front upper control arms done yesterday.
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I got the old hack job subframe and trans mount out. Here is a nice comparison photo.
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Lastly, I got everything out of the engine bay so now I need to repair the firewall before cleaning then painting.
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Here is the extent of the damage to the fire wall from the PO. I sanded the paint off to use a stud welder to see if I can pull some of it out and it works.
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Ugh that’s a mess to sort out on the firewall.
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Ugh that’s a mess to sort out on the firewall.
yeah. I'm thinking maybe cut it all out and get some maybe 1/4" or 1/8" plate and try to make it look nice and weld that in there before paint.
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That's how I'd do it. I'd use 1/8", 1/4" is huge.
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That's how I'd do it. I'd use 1/8", 1/4" is huge.
yeah 1/4 is way too much. I am going into work today We have a closed down machine shop that has a bunch of scrap in it. I am going to see what I can find in there.
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Got the firewall mostly sorted. Doesn't look amazing but much better. I will clean it up some more with a grinder and some body filler. Should be painting the engine bay soon. Maybe in the next couple weeks.
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Not much news on my car. I have been working on my buddies RX7 that was my original one I built. It was out for tuneing and had some issues. I had to redo all the wiring for the starting system with some new relays and such. My "Cold air intake" setup i made for it is getting hot air! One of the O2 Sensors isn't reading so I need to replace that. It also needs new valve stem seals so I am going to do those too. I will get some photos up when I get out there next to work on it.
I bought a 2010 Escalade last weekend to replace my BMW 650i and my Ford Excursion.
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Looks like the Escalade is in nice shape!
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Looks like the Escalade is in nice shape!
Thanks! It is in much much much better condition than the two vehicles it replaced!
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I am almost finished with the 5 FD LS builds I have been working on over the past few years for a friend of mine. I am gearing up to start working on my car again finally.
I have the Reverse Pop out issue with my T56 so I am going to replace the Reverse synchro/gear/shift pads. I took a couple photos of the gear with the tail housing off. I couldn't really tell anything from this. Still planning on just replacing the parts and hoping that fixes the issue.
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My magnum has popped out of reverse since brand new. I’ve had the tail housing off of mine and it looked just fine. No idea what the deal is.
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My magnum has popped out of reverse since brand new. I’ve had the tail housing off of mine and it looked just fine. No idea what the deal is.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/transmissions-drivetrain/395377-tonys-t-56-reverse.html
I found this thread a while back describing a "fix" for the issue. Looks like there just isn't enough engagement on some of these?
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Yeah I looked when I had it apart and visually it appears like there’s enough engagement but maybe with the shifter there isn’t enough travel.
Even holding the shifter in reverse it kicks it out and then grinds the syncros. The best strategy I have is just really shove it hard into reverse and be very gentle on the clutch.
Hope you get it fixed! Nothing like being in front of a ton of people and you’re crunching gears and can’t move your loud ass car out of the way lmao.
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Well got some more progress on the car. I hope to keep posting updates here now that I have some time to work on this thing.
Got the Rear end out and ready to clean up.
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Started grinding off the rock guard crap in the paint and used my harbor freight stud welder to pull some dents out.
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Oh bodywork, how I loathe thee.
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Oh bodywork, how I loathe thee.
I can bring it up to Ft Wayne and let you do it.. it’s only a 2.5hr drive :D
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Hard pass, haha!
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Nice to see you're back working on your own build!
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Nice to see you're back working on your own build!
i know! Finally. Been working on 5 LS swaps for my friend. I still have a little to do here and there but getting moving on my car finally.
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After spending too much time hunched over trying to scrape dirt out of my wheel wells. I started looking into Car rotisseries to make cleaning and painting this car easier. I found a local Titan distributor that had a 4500lb rotisserie in stock so I picked that up today. I ordered the Uni-body mounts for it also, those are coming from Texas this week. My car is sitting stripped on 4 jack stands and its tucked away in the corner of the garage. I can't move it currently and it's not in the best spot. With this i will be able to move the car around. Get it outside to pressure wash it. Will be able to wash it after getting everything sanded. Will make it much easier to coat the bottom of the car and paint some areas. I got a quote for having the car chemical dipped. They said $1500. Not a bad deal but I don't have a good way to get the car to them and I don't think i want to have the car stripped that far. It would be less work in the long run but Id lose all the seam sealer and some of the plugs and such in the body that are hard to remove. Plus on this i can still install all the suspension and such and it won't ever hit the weight limit of the rotisserie.
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Rotisserie’s make life so much easier. You can probably sell it for near what you paid when done… if you don’t foresee using it again.
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Rotisserie’s make life so much easier. You can probably sell it for near what you paid when done… if you don’t foresee using it again.
That's the plan. I think I will be done with it once I have my car off of it. I looked for a used one and couldn't find any locally.
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Got my rotisserie put together. I am still waiting on Eastwood to ship me the unibody mounts for the rear and I need to drill some holes in the front frame mount to match the holes in the frame rail on the front.
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I also got rear ended in the Cadillac Friday on my way down to the shop to work on the FD. It didn't do too much damage at least. Nothing I can't fix myself. Probably see how much I can get out of her insurance then find some parts at the scrap yards that are already painted to replace the damaged parts on my car.
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Nice
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Oh damn, that rotisserie is going to make so much work possible. Nice pickup there, fuel and so much underbody work is going to be a breeze.
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Oh damn, that rotisserie is going to make so much work possible. Nice pickup there, fuel and so much underbody work is going to be a breeze.
yeah that was my thought. I was crouched in the rear fender trying to clean 26 years of dirt off the bottom of the car. That was going to take forever. This really will make things much easier and I can sell it when I'm done and hopefully recoup most of the $$ I spent on it.
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Did a bit of work on the car Friday. I got like 28lbs of dry ice and definitely made quick work of the sound insulation in the car. I still have to do the sides of the trans tunnel which is a little difficult to keep the dry is up against that surface. It's crazy how easy it is to remove that stuff with the dry ice compared to areas where i couldn't get dry ice to sit. I may get some more dry ice once I have the car properly mounted to the rotisserie. I also got the hatch and doors off the car and started stripping them down a bit further.
Little before and after removing the old insulation
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The drivers floor board had a decent amount of surface rust under the sound material. There are also a bunch of round plugs that were held in with that crap. I am probably just going to clean those up and maybe put some seam sealer or just let the lizard skin hold them in. I wont be out in the shop again till the 25th. I hope to finish up the inside so I am ready to spray the lizard skin.
Got some stands from harbor freight. Removed the doors and hatch from the car.
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The day got cut short. I was making a bracket to mount my car on the rotisserie and it caught the drill and swung around and took my knuckle skin right off. Was able to get it stitched back on in a timely manor. I spent the rest of the weekend drinking with friends instead of working on the car.
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Dump a little beer on it. You’ll be back in no time.
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Stitches are out and thumb still works. I mounted my bench vice and drilled the holes in my other mounting bracket without hurting myself.
Finally got the car mounted on the rotisserie. It's amazing how easy it is to move this thing around. I need to do some adjusting to get everything lined up properly before I attempt to turn this thing on its side. I bought one of those sand blasting attachments, from amazon, that mount to a pressure washer. I am going to blast the whole underside of the car. I hope to do that next Tuesday (July 6th). I need to rent a good 4000-5000psi power washer (home depot has one to rent).
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I need to get a glass person out to remove the windshield and hatch glass. I was trying to get the rearview mirror off and the whole mount broke off and took some glass with it. So I will likely have to replace the windshield. I might be able to glue it back together but I will see what the glass people say.
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I would be very hesitant to remove the hatch glass. I have heard it is really difficult to do without breaking and they are hard to find. The windshield will be tricky as well but at least it is fairly easy to replace if it break.
Rotisserie looks good.
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I would be very hesitant to remove the hatch glass. I have heard it is really difficult to do without breaking and they are hard to find. The windshield will be tricky as well but at least it is fairly easy to replace if it break.
Rotisserie looks good.
yeah. I suppose I could leave it in and still paint. I definitely don't want to damage the rear glass. The front glass I can deal with if it brakes.
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few photos from when i started the sand blasting/pressure washing. My sand wasn't super dry so it was a bit of a pain at first. I am going to do another day of power washing. It's pretty messy.
here are some photos when i got the car outside.
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Here is a photo of my Escalade and Trailer towing my friends 06 Z4 M Coupe. We went down for a long weekend in Fontana to run the dragon and hang out in cabins also some boating days on the reservoir there.
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Well I am still working on the car. I finally got the wheel wells all cleaned up and coated with POR-15. I got the rear gas tank area done as well. I have a welder coming out this week to fill in a bunch of old holes in the body from the previous owner. Once those are filled I will get the rest of the bottom of the car coated in POR-15 then I will move to getting the interior prepped for Lizard Skin.
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POR progress looks good!
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I got the holes in the floor board welded in and finished up the Por-15 coating. I got the engine bay done as well with the por-15. I have a few areas inside the car where there is some surface rust that I am going to finish cleaning up an coat with the Por-15 before spraying the lizard skin.
On the bottom of the rockers where all those rubber plugs are i have a couple spots of rust damage. I am going to have to get someone to repair those for me I think. I plan to get some of that eastwood internal frame coating with the spray hose that you can snake into areas to coat internally.
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Slowly chugging along.
I got the underside complete. It is coated with a truck bed liner along with the wheel wells.
I got the hub assemblies off the knuckles and pressed the rear wheel bearings out. I have a table full of parts that i need to sand blast and clean up along with the rear sub frame.
I need to figure out a good way to press out the differential mount bushings with my harbor freight 12 ton press. That's the last SuperPro bushing i need to install.
I am going to order the following items from Rock auto:
Rear wheel bearings
Rear wheel studs
Front Hub assemblies
Inner tie rod ends
Rear Half shafts (CV Shaft)
Rear diff shaft seals
Front calipers hardware kits
Rear calipers hardware kits
new break bleeder screws for all 4 calipers
Rear caliper seal kits
Trying to find some rebuild kits for the front calipers.
So next steps for me are:
Get the rest of my suspension parts and subframe sand blasted, cleaned up and painted/coated
Paint the engine bay
Clean out the interior and spray with Lizard Skin coating.
From there I can start putting parts back on.
My goal is to have it off the rotissery in May. I will probably run the fuel system while I still have it on the rotissery so I can use rivnuts to install good mounts for the fuel lines. I have basically all new parts for my fuel system.
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Progress is looking great! Rotisserie FTW
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Progress is looking great! Rotisserie FTW
x2, would make so many of those little underbody jobs easier hehe. Nice progress.
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ordered some wheel bearings. I got a lot of parts sandblasted and painted. I ordered my wheel bearings and wheel studs. I sandblasted my rear subframe and coated it with Por-15 then painted it with a frame coating paint. I installed the subframe on the car. Woo 1 part installed!
I sprayed the engine bay with Eastwood 2 part epoxy primer and a nice Harbor Freight $10 spray gun. After that I did two coats of Eastwood engine bay top coat. Looks pretty decent. I could have done a little more sanding before hand but i am putting the gold heat tape on the firewall that will hide that. Definitely would not be happy with this if this was the body of the car but for the engine bay its good to go! Time to get the suspension back on this thing and get it off the rotissery.
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Nice progress, that rotisserie is really looking good for a lot of the work you're doing and future plumbing.
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Nice progress, that rotisserie is really looking good for a lot of the work you're doing and future plumbing.
Thanks, I finally feel like I am moving forward on this car instead of backwards. The rotisserie was 100% worth the $1200 for the level of detail I am going for here. I plan on running all the fuel lines and brake lines before taking it off the rotisserie.
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That’s looking fantastic!
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Got my gold heat shield done on the firewall. Reinstalled the wiper arms and motor. I ordered some new grommets and clips for the cowl cover. Hopefully those will arrive this week. First mazda dealer i ordered from just cancelled my order with no reasoning. So I reordered from Tasca auto parts. Got all the grommets for the cowl cover and the little screw covers along with a new weather strip for the back of the hood and a new weather strip for the cowl itself.
Installed the gas tank. Started to put the rear suspension on. I am waiting on a new rear wheel bearing and new half shafts still. I will be out in the garage this Friday and should be able to get a number of parts installed. I still need to press out the old diff brace bushings. Having trouble finding things that work for pressing them out.
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here are the cowl parts i ordered new if this helps anyone
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Do you have a hydraulic press? You can burn bushings out but it's very dirty lol.
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Do you have a hydraulic press? You can burn bushings out but it's very dirty lol.
yeah I have the harbor Freight 12 ton press in the garage where my car is. I found a piece of schedule 80 2"ID pipe at work that should do the trick for pushing the diff bushings out. Will give it a shot tomorrow.
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Little more progress this weekend. I welded those little moon pieces onto my control arm bolts so I was able to install my front control arms, hubs, struts.
Just to be a little extra I got some rainbow Titanium nuts for my struts.
I got my windshield cowl done. All new clips and such. Put a new rubber seal on it also.
Last I started getting the Por15 on the interior.
Next step is spraying in the lizard skin after I get the Por15 down. Hope to have that done this month.
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Awesome.
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Some nice gold foil work there sir, makes me want to re-do mine haha.
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Some nice gold foil work there sir, makes me want to re-do mine haha.
Yours was probably my inspiration.
Did a little work last week. Spent most of the day moving stuff and organizing. There are 4 cars in the garage I'm working in. 3 on the left side then mine on the right plus all my car parts all over. My buddy needed the car that was in the far back corner out because he is selling it (FD roller). I had to move everything to one side and put that car up on castors and push it up front. Then I cleaned up that back 1/3 of the shop and put my car back there and cleared off some shelfs and got my parts off the floor and somewhat organized. I finished up cleaning the front inside of the car and got POR-15 done forward of the rear struts. So next time I'm out there I'll be able to finish off the Por-15 work and get prepped to spray the Lizard Skin in there. Hope to get the lizard Skin in before I go on vacation July 7th. Going down to The Tail of the Dragon for an event I go to ever year. Still going even though I wont have a fun car to drive. Unless I borrow one from my buddy.
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was out in the garage yesterday and thought I would get a few photos of the mess out there to share.
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I got the Por-15 done on the inside and am about ready to lay down the Lizard Skin Coatings. I was reading that Lizard Skin recommends a primer coat over any rust encapsulator so I ordered some of the Por-15 self etching primer and some scotchbrite pads. So I am going to scuff up the Por-15 and hit it with the primer before I coat the Lizard Skin. I am hoping to get all of this done over the holiday weekend.
I am headed down to the tail of the dragon Wednesday - Monday next week. Obviously wont be bringing my car down. I go to this event every year though. www.blueridgegathering.com if anyone is interested in going in the future. You can still register and go this year but you wont get a T-shirt!
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Got the inside primed and ready for the Lizard Skin. I was going to spray that in this past weekend but turns out I bought two buckets of just Ceramic coating. So I had to order the sound coating because it has to go down first. So if anyone wants to buy some ceramic and my spray gun kit when I'm done let me know.
I got my diff all cleaned up and the SuperPro Bushings installed. Finally got it into the car. I lost the bolts so I had to go buy some new ones. I really should have done a better job organizing bolts and such when taking the car apart.
I ordered some Improved Racing rear sway bar links. Should have those Tuesday. I already have the IR front sway bar links.
So the rear end bits are almost done. Installed my new half shafts. Waiting to install the rear struts till after the Lizard skin is done.
Photos below.
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If I could go back I would lay down some POR-15 before Lizard Skin too.
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Got the lizard skin in this weekend. Which was a big step forward. Did the rubber coat Friday and the Ceramic coat Saturday. I would have got some other things done Friday but I had to spend some time fixing the drain on my air compressor.
I put some riv nuts in the firewall to install my FPR. I need to figure out how I really want to run this system. I'd like to run my fuel lines before I take the car off the rotisserie. Same with the brake lines. Would like to get them done fist as well.
last two photos are of some rust on the drives side rocker panels. I will probably need a body person to fix those for me.
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I wish I had lizard skinned mine, i'm sure it makes the ride way more enjoyable
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I wish I had lizard skinned mine, i'm sure it makes the ride way more enjoyable
Good to hear because that is the goal haha. Trying to make this thing comfortable to be in!
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throwing up some content here. Got the fuel lines ran from the tank to the engine bay. Need to remount my FPR still, waiting on a fitting. I am going to make all my brake lines and I need to clean up my factory heat shields and get them installed. After that I'm pretty much ready to take this thing off the rotisserie and put it back on jack stands.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-210922141655.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-210922141429.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-210922141520.jpeg)
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Nice, doing it right from the start... jealous haha!
What FPR? -8AN unit? I am looking at getting something -8AN but I haven't seen one I like so far with a gauge outside of the Radium rail mount one.
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Nice, doing it right from the start... jealous haha!
What FPR? -8AN unit? I am looking at getting something -8AN but I haven't seen one I like so far with a gauge outside of the Radium rail mount one.
Everything I have is -6AN right now. I just have a stock LS1 so that will be plenty for now. I've got all Aeromotive stuff: Fuel Pump, Filter, FPR and all Russells fittings. The PO of my car welded AN -6 fittings onto my Fuel Hat. Down the road it will be a pretty easy job to upgrade everything to -8 if I need it. I would likely ditch the stock fuel hat setup and go with Radium at that point.
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Got the heat shields cleaned up a bit and installed
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-181022081818.jpeg)
Finished all the brake lines from the engine bay back. I still need to mount my Wilwood Brake proportioning valve somewhere. It came with a mount but it wont work for me so I need to come up with something. I am running all soft lines in the front.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-181022082058.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-181022082133.jpeg)
Car is off the Rotisserie now and back on jack stands as I am done with the underside of the car. It would be nice to have some quick jacks or a lift but this will work. I sold the rotisserie for $100 more than I paid for it in 1 day so that was nice. Cleared up some space in the garage.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-181022082226.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-181022082252.jpeg)
Again need to get my Wilwood Proportioning valve mounted somewhere some how.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-181022082336.jpeg)
next step is to put the engine/trans back together and set the trans mount. I need to replace my Reverse syncro also. So will probably do that real quick before putting the engine in. I guess I don't need to take it back out after that so may leave it in.
I got some new inner tie rods for my steering rack. So i'll get that all cleaned up and installed before dropping the engine in.
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got the steering rack all cleaned up and installed. Put new inner rods, new boots. Removed the hard lines and cleaned them up. Repainted the rack made it all pretty.
I was able to sell my rotisserie for $100 more than I paid for it only took 1 day to sell. Probably should have asked for more but I was going out of town and wanted it sold and out of the garage.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-311022125510.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-311022125806.jpeg)
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IT IS SO SHINY!
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To quote Lil' Wayne. "Bling Bling"
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This is my favorite phase of a car build, taking a clean bare engine bay and adding everything in. Looking very nice!
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Got the engine installed. Still need to put the trans mount in.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-151122113302.jpeg)
Got new MWG shifter and Poly Diff mount
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-151122113358.jpeg)
Replaced my reverse gear and synchro while I had the trans out. Wasn't too hard to replace.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-151122113452.jpeg)
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Black Friday sales. I got the Chase Bays Radiator. Seems like a really nice piece. Fits pretty tight under the cross bar.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-131222070702.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-131222070722.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-131222070702.jpeg)
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Radiator looks slick, so tight into that space will give some nice space for the fans. Interested to see how it works with the LS. Will you run a tank on the right hand side head for the cap and fill?
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Radiator looks slick, so tight into that space will give some nice space for the fans. Interested to see how it works with the LS. Will you run a tank on the right hand side head for the cap and fill?
I have the water neck they sell with it. I need to get the adapter that allows me to mount it right there on the radiator. If I have air issues with that I'll probably to the right head mounted tank.
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1923/0325/products/Chase-Bays-Tucked-Radiator-RX7-FD_1_540x.jpg?v=1649775440)
I love the fitment. I sat my AC condenser in front of it also it it fits nicely. I need to get a plan together to mount the AC condenser. I opted not to buy the fans chase bays sells because they are overpriced. Just going to get some off Amazon. Should have plenty of room between the fans and the engine with will help with Intake routing.
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Very nice! I wanna pull the trigger on the rad as well, but how will you route the intake?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Very nice! I wanna pull the trigger on the rad as well, but how will you route the intake?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
With there being all sorts of room, I will probably bring the intake down and to the right or the left to get it next to the radiator and getting air from the front corners. I wanted this radiator because I hope to go LSA supercharger in the future and the Samberg style intake wouldn't work for me.
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Did you not have to trim the upper bar the bumper skin bolts to for the radiator to fit? I did and the pics in their site shows minor trimming.
Also, did you hard mount it to the frame?
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Did you not have to trim the upper bar the bumper skin bolts to for the radiator to fit? I did and the pics in their site shows minor trimming.
Also, did you hard mount it to the frame?
I didn't need to trim but the radiator is touching that surface in the middle. I might trim it just so they aren't rubbing on each other. I put some rubber gasket material between the mount and the frame of the car to help isolate it a bit. I might see if I can find something with a little more bushing to try and keep any stress from the frame going into the radiator. I used to have the Hinson setup in my old car and I went through 2 radiators before getting a hold of the company that made them for Hinson and they added reinforcement to the bottom of the radiator and that has kept it from failing.
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I made an order from RHD Japan over the break. To spread out the crazy shipping cost I got a bunch of stuff.
Odula 99 Spec Spoiler Inserts. I have an Odula Carbon Fiber wing section coming as well but I got that from ebay. Will post a photo once it arrives.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030123115711.jpeg)
I got a bunch of KTS parts as well.
KTS Super Tower Bar Front
KTS Super Tower Bar Rear
KTS Super Lower Arm Bar Front
Hopefully all of this will fit, or you will see it on eBay shortly. :)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030123120617.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030123120703.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030123120854.jpeg)
Will do some test fitting this Friday when I'm off work
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Fancy!
Those braces remind me a lot of the bracing I added on my Mustang.
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Nice! does the brace clear the intake well?
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Nice! does the brace clear the intake well?
I hope so! I will test fit it on Friday when I'm back out in the garage.
Fancy!
Those braces remind me a lot of the bracing I added on my Mustang.
Nice! That means I am doing things right! or at least the Blake McBride way
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I mean, I do some real dumb stuff from time to time, so I’d recommend higher goals than my way. Hahah
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Well the front strut brace looks awesome. But I need about 1/4" more clearance on the intake manifold. I may take it to a fab shop and see if they can rework that center bar to give me maybe half an inch in the 6" area in the center. The lower cross brace will not clear the t56 transmission, so I am going to sell that one. The rear brace should work just fine. I need to decide if I want to have it re-powder coated in like an orange color or something that matches my color scheme better. Possibly go with black maybe to keep the interior more neutral in colors.
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Have any idea yet on ground clearance with Chase Bays vs Samberg?
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Have any idea yet on ground clearance with Chase Bays vs Samberg?
I can look. My car is at a friend's garage and his FD has a full Samberg setup. I'll be out there Monday and look. I'll have to measure it from the frame rail cause my car is up on stands and not together enough for a better reference point.
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Have any idea yet on ground clearance with Chase Bays vs Samberg?
The chase bays does not hang below the front lip. Not exactly what you're asking for.
Mine is moved back to fit a condenser that is the same height at the radiator. 14"
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Thanks for the pics. Is that a remote water pump? Looks like the 55GPM model? What are you using the extra space for in front of the engine?
I was asking about ground clearance because Samberg rad v1 had to be shortened. People were hitting the radiators on stuff and breaking them.
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I did have the Samberg v1. It's not that low.
It's a Meziere -20 single in/out with a racetronix clickable male-male adapter. I do believe it's 55gph. I had a DeltaPAG brushless pump that is rated at nearly 70gph but it was just too cumbersome to mount and route. That 50k hour mtbf would have been nice.
I don't really have plans for the space of which there is ample. A good bit will be taking up by the intake tubing until I can save my pesos to get a Jenvey DBW ITB setup.
It's a 440LS7 with an M5 DCT. Adding ITBs just seems like it would sound incredible but that's a long way down the road. The DBW setup is something like £5k.
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This thing is looking awesome. If you were close I could help you with that center brace, should be easy enough for a good fab shop to modify
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This thing is looking awesome. If you were close I could help you with that center brace, should be easy enough for a good fab shop to modify
Yeah, thanks. I figure it shouldn't be too bad. I have a few spots on the body I need to have welded as well. Once it warms up out I will find someone local to take a look at that brace and see if they can modify it and have them weld the holes in the hatch from the old spoiler, the antenna hole, and a small rust hole on the rocker.
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I did a test install of the rear cross brace. Looks pretty good! I am going to add the hatch cover mounts to it so I can still use that.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-170123073453.jpeg)
I have the mount brackets for the rear seats I need to have welded onto the shock towers back there before final install. I also want to find another set of those rear plastic covers that go over the shock towers because I might need to cut them, and I don't want to cut my nice ones I have.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-170123073742.jpeg)
Threw the carpet in.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-170123073904.jpeg)
Started to get the front and rear seat belts installed.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-170123074150.jpeg)
Things I got done that I didn't take pictures of. I had to trim the fire wall a bit and rear foil tape that area.
I got the transmission mount installed.
I installed the hatch and gas door release system.
Parts that are on the way.. I have an Odula carbon center section for my 99 Spoiler coming.
Lastly. I got sick of the old balls chrome wheels that were flaking and causing my tires to leak. So I downgraded to some 20" wheels to get a bigger sidewall and get rid of the chrome. I wanted the tire size to be as close to the same as possible so 285/55/20 is as close to 285/45/22 as I could get but that size only comes in an AT. I opted to get a stiffer "E" rated 10ply sidewall so it can handle the extra weight of the caddy and my car hauler when I move the FD around.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-170123074950.jpeg)
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I can't say enough good things about towing with E rated tires.
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I just signed up for the Shift Sector 1/2 mile event in Indy in August. Could be a good target date to get this thing done, and be in the FD gang for the event 8) sign up!
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That brace looks nice, i got to make a harnesses bar to use my seat belts cause i am doing the roll cage later on
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That brace looks nice, i got to make a harnesses bar to use my seat belts cause i am doing the roll cage later on
Nice
I just signed up for the Shift Sector 1/2 mile event in Indy in August. Could be a good target date to get this thing done, and be in the FD gang for the event 8) sign up!
Sweet! I think the car will be running/driving by then. It may need paint still but that's ok! Going to put that event on my calendar!
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That brace looks nice, i got to make a harnesses bar to use my seat belts cause i am doing the roll cage later on
Nice
I just signed up for the Shift Sector 1/2 mile event in Indy in August. Could be a good target date to get this thing done, and be in the FD gang for the event 8) sign up!
Sweet! I think the car will be running/driving by then. It may need paint still but that's ok! Going to put that event on my calendar!
I think there are only a few spots left:
https://airstripattack.co/event/indy-airstrip-attack/
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I think there are only a few spots left:
https://airstripattack.co/event/indy-airstrip-attack/
OOh it's on my Birthday. I won't register unless my car is done. So worst case I will come as a spectator if it's sold out before my car is running.
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Hoping to go spectate that event. Hopefully the 2JZ Camaro I built will be there swinging for close to 200 MPH.
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I did have the Samberg v1. It's not that low.
It's a Meziere -20 single in/out with a racetronix clickable male-male adapter. I do believe it's 55gph. I had a DeltaPAG brushless pump that is rated at nearly 70gph but it was just too cumbersome to mount and route. That 50k hour mtbf would have been nice.
I don't really have plans for the space of which there is ample. A good bit will be taking up by the intake tubing until I can save my pesos to get a Jenvey DBW ITB setup.
It's a 440LS7 with an M5 DCT. Adding ITBs just seems like it would sound incredible but that's a long way down the road. The DBW setup is something like £5k.
I have lost probably a year of productive life daydreaming about ITB setups and different intakes for this car lmao. My buddy and I have each drawn up some ITB's in CAD trying to fit under a reasonably low hood. The biggest challenge is feeding them filtered air, especially the cross ram. I honestly think I could fit a harrop hurricane under my VIS "scoot style" hood I just got, but I can't get air filters on them. Any filters in the trumpets just murder power and don't filter that great either. I want ITB's that are enclosed in a common plenum like an OEM solution so I can feed it from a single air duct.
I asked about the extra space because standing the radiator up like that would likely make room for a fairly reasonable rectangular drysump tank.
I've also thought about a ducted airbox in front of the engine, but filter size gets tricky. Where are you going to put an air filter and get cool air from?
I have the Meziere street EWP - same 55gph but with the giant pulley on the front. I got it used and had them rebuild it for me. We race against them here in Socal. Great family. I'm going to research this remote 55gph pump you have the street pump does nothing for me and I'd love to simplify my accessory drive and free up some space.
Oh, with the EWP manifold are you going to just Tee off some smaller lines for the heater core?
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Hoping to go spectate that event. Hopefully the 2JZ Camaro I built will be there swinging for close to 200 MPH.
I signed up for both days, so I will see you guys there!
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Replaced the foam in my air box
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030423102608.jpeg)
Got the rear wiring harness installed along with the speakers, seat belts
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030423102109.jpeg)
Got the firewall harness installed along with the air box. I threw the dash bar in just to support the steering column so I can move the car if I need to.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030423102148.jpeg)
Brake lines are complete. I tightened everything down and mounted the prop valve.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030423102233.jpeg)
Shot of the engine bay in its current state. Finished up routing the fuel lines. I need to get some brackets to support all the lines. Turns out I mounted my FPR too high and need to move it down an inch or so to clear the hood. Ill have to pull the brake booster to have room to drill and put rivnuts in the sheet metal over there to remount the FPR. So that will take a bit of effort.
I also dropped my radiator and installed the filler neck. I forgot to install it before hand the first time.
I bought some 12" fans from amazon and I need to sell them as they don't quite reach the mounting points. I'll probably just pony up and buy some name brand ones that are meant to fit this radiator.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030423102320.jpeg)
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So Next steps. Continue to put parts back on. I need to get a few things welded.
1st I need the rear seat brackets welded in.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030423104229.jpeg)
I have a rust spot on the drivers side rocker that needs repaired.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030423104359.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030423104505.jpeg)
Then I have two holes in the hatch from the original spoiler and the antenna hole in the rear fender I need welded in.
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I also got a carbon center section made for my 99 spec spoiler.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030423104833.jpeg)
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Lots of work going in to that. Clean that poor engine :D
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Lots of work going in to that. Clean that poor engine :D
lol yeah. I haven't got to the engine yet. I am hoping to swap it out with an LS3 but have made little progress towards that! Rest assured the engine will be just as clean as everything else!
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got some more Carbon fiber stuff. Ordered these from "FD Carbon Wheel Covers" on Facebook. I got on the wait list for these back in December then finally was able to order them in March and got them yesterday. They look really nice. I can't test fit them till next week though.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-050423065016.jpeg)
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Nice!
Looking forward to seeing how you like them with all the accessories, I have the bigger versions that I ordered waaaay back that cover from the inside rather than come up from the outside like yours which have a much more OEM look. I suspect I am going to have some buyer regrets when comparing the too lol.
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Nice!
Looking forward to seeing how you like them with all the accessories, I have the bigger versions that I ordered waaaay back that cover from the inside rather than come up from the outside like yours which have a much more OEM look. I suspect I am going to have some buyer regrets when comparing the too lol.
Yeah. I am redoing wiring and such and wont have most of the stuff that these would cover so I hopefully wont have to modify them at all. I'll be out in the garage a week from tomorrow and will get some photos of them installed.
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Nice wing? Where you got it from? Ebay? I got one just like that one off ebay
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Nice wing? Where you got it from? Ebay? I got one just like that one off ebay
Yes from Frodogarage on eBay. They friended me on FB too, haha. She sells the mount sections also in Fiberglass. I reached out too see if they could make them in exposed carbon fiber and they can so I am having her make me a set in exposed Carbon Fiber as well. It should be shipping in the next week or two, hopefully will have it by the end of the month. I ordered it 2/17. She said they were going to make new moulds for this one. I sold my OEM 99 Spec spoiler in January after receiving the center section and seeing that it was really good quality.
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Nice wing? Where you got it from? Ebay? I got one just like that one off ebay
Yes from Frodogarage on eBay. They friended me on FB too, haha. She sells the mount sections also in Fiberglass. I reached out too see if they could make them in exposed carbon fiber and they can so I am having her make me a set in exposed Carbon Fiber as well. It should be shipping in the next week or two, hopefully will have it by the end of the month. I ordered it 2/17. She said they were going to make new moulds for this one. I sold my OEM 99 Spec spoiler in January after receiving the center section and seeing that it was really good quality.
Nice i bought this one
https://www.ebay.com/itm/325404819043?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=j8LoCcz4Rta&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=zQAdN--eThy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
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Nice wing? Where you got it from? Ebay? I got one just like that one off ebay
Yes from Frodogarage on eBay. They friended me on FB too, haha. She sells the mount sections also in Fiberglass. I reached out too see if they could make them in exposed carbon fiber and they can so I am having her make me a set in exposed Carbon Fiber as well. It should be shipping in the next week or two, hopefully will have it by the end of the month. I ordered it 2/17. She said they were going to make new moulds for this one. I sold my OEM 99 Spec spoiler in January after receiving the center section and seeing that it was really good quality.
Nice i bought this one
https://www.ebay.com/itm/325404819043?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=j8LoCcz4Rta&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=zQAdN--eThy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
yeah that is the same one I got! I'll post up some photos when I get the bases from them.
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Nice wing? Where you got it from? Ebay? I got one just like that one off ebay
Yes from Frodogarage on eBay. They friended me on FB too, haha. She sells the mount sections also in Fiberglass. I reached out too see if they could make them in exposed carbon fiber and they can so I am having her make me a set in exposed Carbon Fiber as well. It should be shipping in the next week or two, hopefully will have it by the end of the month. I ordered it 2/17. She said they were going to make new moulds for this one. I sold my OEM 99 Spec spoiler in January after receiving the center section and seeing that it was really good quality.
Nice i bought this one
https://www.ebay.com/itm/325404819043?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=j8LoCcz4Rta&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=zQAdN--eThy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
yeah that is the same one I got! I'll post up some photos when I get the bases from them.
Cool thanks
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Got the fuel lines routed. I had to move my FPR down it was too high. To add new rivnuts I had to take my brake booster out so i had room. Always more work than it should be!
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-180423065702.jpeg)
Got my carbon fender liner things installed
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-180423065746.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-180423070027.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-180423070131.jpeg)
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Engine bay is looking great! Those fender liners are SEXY. And that's not something I ever expected to say. Haha
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Fender liners are really setting it off!
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+1 on the fender liners, I like them quite a bit more than the ones I have... damn! haha
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Thanks! I am really pleased with them. Glad I jumped on that when I did. Took probably 5 months from when I first messaged the guy. But I had them within a month of paying for them.
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Nice wing? Where you got it from? Ebay? I got one just like that one off ebay
Yes from Frodogarage on eBay. They friended me on FB too, haha. She sells the mount sections also in Fiberglass. I reached out too see if they could make them in exposed carbon fiber and they can so I am having her make me a set in exposed Carbon Fiber as well. It should be shipping in the next week or two, hopefully will have it by the end of the month. I ordered it 2/17. She said they were going to make new moulds for this one. I sold my OEM 99 Spec spoiler in January after receiving the center section and seeing that it was really good quality.
Whats their username on fb? I had a pissing contest with them. They lie to me about shipping the wing for a little more than a week
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yeah i had a little back and forth on getting the correct shipping tracking also. They eventually got it right and got it shipped out. Eileen Pina Lemoine
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yeah i had a little back and forth on getting the correct shipping tracking also. They eventually got it right and got it shipped out. Eileen Pina Lemoine
I see , it wasn’t a fluke ,Thanks man
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yeah i had a little back and forth on getting the correct shipping tracking also. They eventually got it right and got it shipped out. Eileen Pina Lemoine
I see , it wasn’t a fluke ,Thanks man
Yeah don't sweat it, it will arrive. Just keep bugging them for the actual tracking number. She just marked my bases as shipped on eBay but I don't have tracking number yet. I will probably bug her this week to get that because you have to sign for it when it arrives.
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yeah i had a little back and forth on getting the correct shipping tracking also. They eventually got it right and got it shipped out. Eileen Pina Lemoine
I see , it wasn’t a fluke ,Thanks man
Yeah don't sweat it, it will arrive. Just keep bugging them for the actual tracking number. She just marked my bases as shipped on eBay but I don't have tracking number yet. I will probably bug her this week to get that because you have to sign for it when it arrives.
Gotcha Thanks
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Yeah don't sweat it, it will arrive. Just keep bugging them for the actual tracking number. She just marked my bases as shipped on eBay but I don't have tracking number yet. I will probably bug her this week to get that because you have to sign for it when it arrives.
Still waiting on my bases to arrive. She gave me a new tracking number that still hasn't shown up in the USPS system yet. She also said she is giving me another item for free for the trouble. Still keeping optimistic since she does reply every time and I did get my spoiler center section and it was great quality. I know custom parts take time and people are busy. I always take way to long to ship stuff out when I sell things. So giving the benefit of the doubt. She took forever with my first order as well so this seems to be standard with them.
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In other news. I needed a new engine harness. I was looking around for harness options and didn't really want to spend $700 on a quality harness. I also didn't want to spend $200 on a cheap ass harness that will cause problems. So I decided I want to go with a Holley Terminator setup. My long term goal was to always go LS3 in my car so I didn't want to spend $1300 on the Holley setup just to have to swap it out when I went LS3 down the road. So since LS prices are up right now and I have been tracking Crashed Manual LS3 auction cars (I have a friend who can buy for me at auction). I decided to sell my LS1/T56 and start shopping for a 2010-2012 crashed Camaro. The LS1/T56 got sold yesterday. I got a good price for the setup. So now to get a new setup!
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-280623075953.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-280623080446.jpeg)
I also finished installing my KTS Super Tower Bar Rear setup. I got some cheap not so nice rear plastics to cut up for install. I still have my super nice stock ones that I will probably hoard.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-280623080334.jpeg)
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Good plan! A decent LS3 would probably go for $4-5k. Then buy a new magnum F trans to go along with it!
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Skip the tr6060. Packaging is just not good for the chassis. Find an auto with vvt and add the magnum-F!
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Did some more work to the car recently. Two weeks ago i got the doors all sanded down and ready for primer. This past Friday I did 3 coats of DTM primer.
Sprayed it outside with a HF $9 gun. I figured no big deal since I was going to be doing a lot of sanding and a little filler on top of this.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070823102143.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070823102059.jpeg)
after some primer coats.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070823101255.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070823101132.jpeg)
I also filled in some holes I didnt want on the car. The two spoiler holes from the US spoiler since I have a 99 spec spoiler now. And the antenna hole
Used some sheet metal plugs from eastwood.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070823101341.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070823101408.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070823101437.jpeg)
Still working on my welding skills but these are going to be primed and filled over so good enough for me. It's hard to weld sheet metal with a harbor freight flux welder without burning bigger holes in the metal.
Last I have always planned to paint my car black. I think black looks great. My other cars are black. I have been listing to the smoking tire podcast a lot and they talk often about color. I was driving to work and just looking at cars and eveything is black, white, silver. So I feel the need to go with a color. I am thinking blue now. I am at the point where I can still pick color. Below are some examples I am looking at for color. Would love to get some opinions on color choices. I am trying to pick a kind of unique color. Like something from Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren, etc...
Mexico Blau
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070823101558.jpeg)
Paris Blue
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070823101532.jpeg)
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I like the Mexican blue for this car.
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Mexico Blue or Miami Blue (Porsche) would be top choices for me. But I love a bright blue.
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Paris Blue :D
I might be a bit biased though with blue and gold :)
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Paris Blue :D
I might be a bit biased though with blue and gold :)
haha right?! your car looks great. I've got Orange wheels at the moment. I think that will still look good with the blue. If it doesn't then I will repaint my wheels.
Mexico Blue or Miami Blue (Porsche) would be top choices for me. But I love a bright blue.
I'll have to look at Maimi blue from Porsche. The Paris Blue McLaren color they don't share the paint codes so it may be a little difficult to get that exact color.
I like the Mexican blue for this car.
I keep going back to that one. I may end up going a little bit darker. There is someone I follow on IG that did their FD in that color.
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Aston Martin Cobalt Blue
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-100823094110.png)
Ferrari Blu Corsa
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-100823094044.jpeg)
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What about Laguna Seca Blue from BMW?
(https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2001_bmw_m3_1531285232cfcd2IMG_0794.jpg)
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I like Laguna Seca Blue from BMW. I think that is what color Blake painted his Mustang. I have a few friends with Laguna Seca M3's so I don't want to match them.
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It is the color of the Mustang. I like it, but don't think it's an FD color, in my opinion.
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i ordered a pint of the Ferrari Corsa Blu. I am going to paint one of my doors next time to see how it looks.
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Ok so I got samples of that Corsa Blu and the Cobalt Blue and they both have a decent amount of metal flake in them. I think I want more of a solid blue. I have come across a few more options. I may have found that McLaren color as well.
McLaren Vegas Blue
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070923081620.jpeg)
Lamborghini Blu Le Mans
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070923081500.jpeg)
Porsche Arrow Blue (this may have too much purple in it for me)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070923081421.jpeg)
Continuing on with prepping the car for paint. I got the hatch all sanded down and a coat of primer. I also got the front Feed (shine) fenders sanded down and ready for primer. I still need to sand down both of my Hoods (stock and Cowl), front and rear bumpers, and my sunroof to get them ready for primer.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070923081721.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070923081751.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070923081818.jpeg)
I hope to have everything in primer by the end of this year. I only have like 1-2 days a month to work on the car this year so that is a reasonable goal. I won't be back out to the garage till October now. I am going to Switzerland on 9/17/23 then I start coaching HS Diving come November 1st. So garage time is at a premium. I may need to get some of my friends out to help sand haha.
Before I prime the car I need to fix a couple small rust spots on the driver side rocker.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070923082217.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-070923082125.jpeg)
These should be fairly easy to repair. I have some frame rail paint that I will spray inside that frame rail there once I patch it that will keep it from rusting further.
I still need to figure out how I want to do the rear fender-overs as well. I have two options for the stock body, either keep rolling the fenders up so I have a nice lip that meets the lip of the fender-over or cut out the stock 1/4 panel and weld in some new metal. I am leaning towards the rolling method as I am not good at welding and fabricating.
I plan on moulding in the fenders once they are installed. I have 3M panel bond for that. I have seen people still using some cleco fasteners for the install part which I think will be good. I am curious if I need to use some permanent fasteners also or just Panel bond and body filler?
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Often rust like this comes from some internal leak, perhaps from behind the rocker by the rear wheel wheel or something. But Id want to prevent water from accessing the inside of the rocker.
If you mold frp fenders to sheet metal it will crack along the seam due different thermal expansion.
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Often rust like this comes from some internal leak, perhaps from behind the rocker by the rear wheel wheel or something. But Id want to prevent water from accessing the inside of the rocker.
If you mold frp fenders to sheet metal it will crack along the seam due different thermal expansion.
Yeah. I will be sure all the holes in that rocker are plugged properly to make sure no water gets in there.
A lot of people mold these fender overs in how do they keep them from cracking?
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No idea, for all I know they don't (prevent cracking), but I'm a beginner at body stuff.
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No idea, for all I know they don't (prevent cracking), but I'm a beginner at body stuff.
going down a rabbit hole on this now
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No idea, for all I know they don't (prevent cracking), but I'm a beginner at body stuff.
going down a rabbit hole on this now
Love to know what you find out.
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I've had good luck with 3M panel bond to... bond panels. Then good Duraglass for the seams.
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I've had good luck with 3M panel bond to... bond panels. Then good Duraglass for the seams.
This is what I am finding so far
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Saw your body work and doors on IG last week. I’m ready to see you install the headlights!
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I was looking at the BMW Long Beach Blue Metallic for a while but the color needs edges. Something an FD is bad at. Haha. I ended up on Montego Blue but it's a little dark. Next paint job will be the Soul Crystal Red on the new Mazda 3 I think.
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got the car in primer
Here it is sanded down. It was definitely hit on the drivers side and repainted. Took a lot to sand though the extra layer of paint.
I didn't focus much on the rear quarters because I have feed fender-overs I am going to mould into the body.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-221123123407.jpeg)
Got it coated in epoxy primer. Now to start sanding and filling and sanding, then more primer, then more sanding..... sanding sanding.... Sanding.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-221123123500.jpeg)
I also have decided on a color. Going with Porsche Voodoo Blue.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-221123124734.jpeg)
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Solid color choice!
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Awesome dude, and nice colour choice!!!
:drive:
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Can't wait to see it painted!
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Primer looks really good, remember the more time spent in prep the better the spray comes out
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Primer looks really good, remember the more time spent in prep the better the spray comes out
yeah! I've been doing a lot of research on that. I have a ways to go! I hope to get a lot of the body filler on this Sunday to fill in all the little lows and such.
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Update:
I got a Holley Terminator X setup from @wompa164
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-310124195628.jpeg)
Test fit the rear fenders. I cut the quarter and started making a lip with it. Should be able to 3M panel bond these on soon and start the moulding in process.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-310124194722.jpeg)
I've got most of the body panels, Hood, Cowl Hood, Front Feed Fenders, Hatch, Sunroof, Both Doors all primed and filled and sanded and primed and sanded and sanded and sanded and sanded. They are about ready for a sealer coat of primer. I am going to have my buddy in Atlanta GA do the final prep, color, clear, and finish on the car for me hopefully in April when I go down for the Masters Golf Tournament.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-310124195522.jpeg)
I am keeping an eye on a few 5th gen Camaros at auction right now to hopefully buy for the Drivetrain. Just need them to go up for sale.
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Got the latest battery mount for the Anyigravity battery from JP3 Motorsports
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-010224181156.jpeg)
Was a little spendy but it will work perfect for my setup.
https://jp3motorsports.com/products/mazda-rx7-fd3s-battery-relocation-bracket-kit-no-battery?fbclid=IwAR00RCqNGzrV_TsVrnjVjhbplk2AUUlo_JHhEInlDLUT2kYlrpIMwyoyq8I_aem_AT7ZQvYDwj4tJ7CiD2wwEQmT8dFCT7A7PK8YYtTwM2Jm-_iS_N013rTQ_8M0M_04b-s
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Man, I still have bodywork PTSD. Good progress!
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Man, I still have bodywork PTSD. Good progress!
yeah it feels like a never ending process. I will be really happy when I am done with all the body work and can get back to the more fun part of putting parts on the car.
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I think the worst part is when you spend so much time on prep and you get fish eyes or a bug lands on the wet paint. Just the worst.
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I bought a new front bumper from Shine Auto. They had it in stock so it only took about 2 weeks to get it. I had the same bumper but it was cut on the inside for an Intercooler and had a crack in the bottom (the crack was fixable) I could have used that other bumper but I don't want to cut corners.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-190224130939.jpeg)
I also finished making the lips for the rear wide body and got them all welded in and sealed up with some seam sealer. I will be in the garage this Saturday and I am going to glue the panels on with some 3M panel bond. I am getting closer to having all the panels that I can remove from the car (doors, hood, hatch, fenders, sunroof) finished with primer work. I still need to get the front and rear bumpers in primer as well. They are both sanded with 220 grit ready for the first coat of primer.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-190224130414.jpeg)
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Solid progress!
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Got some more goodies. A couple items from Z Precision. www.zprecision.com/product/rx-7-drive-by-wire-throttle-pedal-mount-v3 and www.zprecision.com/product/rx-7-coolant-expansion-tank
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-220224150544.jpeg)
And I just bought this guy today. Hopefully can go pick it up Monday.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-220224150459.jpeg)
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That Z Precision stuff is pretty neat!
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I really like the z-precision tank I'm using it in my refresh also.
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That Z Precision stuff is pretty neat!
Yeah it looked like nice quality. Pretty pleased with them out of the box.
I really like the z-precision tank I'm using it in my refresh also.
Nice. Yeah I didn’t have a solution for that and he just made a batch and I had already planned to get the pedal mount so I jumped on it
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I went and picked up the Camaro on Friday. Was a pretty easy process.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-250224205623.jpeg)
I got the engine out this weekend. It took a bit I had to cut a bunch of crunched up metal out away from the wheel so I could get the thing to roll off my trailer. The car was pretty nice over all though. Had a new battery in all 4 wheels are in great shape and have 2 year old Pirelli tires on it that are like 80% tread left. I should be able to recover a decent amount of money from the car.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-250224205323.jpeg)
Drivetrain out!
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-250224204848.jpeg)
I also got my rear widebody bonded on with the 3M Panel Bond
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-250224205443.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-250224204945.jpeg)
Going to be about 2 or 3 weeks before I am back out in the garage.
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Never-ending sanding process. Hope to have primer and blocking done on the chassis tomorrow.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-250324074802.jpeg)
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Full blend, i like it
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x2 on that nice blended look, it will be worth it.
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Full blend, i like it
x2 on that nice blended look, it will be worth it.
Thanks. Yeah definitely think it will be worth the effort to make it seamless. I'm sure it's a much faster process for someone who has done it a few times. I most of the filler I have used has ended up as dust on the floor.
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Latest Update.
I got the car to the as far as I could before this past weekend. I had a trip planned already that would make it convenient for me to drop the car off with my friend who is going to finalize the body work and paint the car. So on Thursday 4/11 I trailered the car to by buddy and left the car and trailer there.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-160424075217.jpeg)
Here is a photo of the car finally on some wheels and off jack stands after a few years up there.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-160424075131.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-160424075656.jpeg)
So after All that work I wasnt sure if I liked how there was an offset in the rear from the bumper to the fender overs and from the outsides of the tail lights to the fender overs. I talked to Colt B. on FB and he sent me this photo of how he worked his down so they are flush in the back. I talked to Chris who is painting the car and he said he can make mine look like that also.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-160424075522.jpeg)
So it will be a few months before I get the car back.
Before I took it down I installed my gas pedal with this nice adapter I got (see previous posts). The quality and thought that went into this piece is over the top. So glad i got it.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-160424075326.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-160424075425.jpeg)
So while the car is gone I am going to do the Cam swap on the LS3 and do some dress up there. I will probably start working on my wiring harnesses as well. That way when the car comes back I should be ready to just put everything in it hopefully.
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I really like the "smoothed" transition to the lights. Looks more OEM.
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Here is another photo closer up of the tail light and you can see how much of a difference there is. Probably 1/4"-1/2" of lip from that. It's definitely worth the extra effort to make it line up there.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-160424133251.jpeg)
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Awesome! Absolutely the right call to blend in everything and including around the taillights.
Did I miss the color you picked?
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Awesome! Absolutely the right call to blend in everything and including around the taillights.
Did I miss the color you picked?
Yeah it’s a few pages back. Porsche Voodoo Blue code Z12
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Awesome! Absolutely the right call to blend in everything and including around the taillights.
Did I miss the color you picked?
Yeah it’s a few pages back. Porsche Voodoo Blue code Z12
SICK!!!
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Loved going through this whole thread. Jealous of the rotisserie, would love one to do the whole underside on mine too haha.
Can’t wait to see the car painted!
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Small update from last month.
I took the car to my friends house in Greyson GA on April 11th. He won't be able to paint it till probably June but he will do it right the first time.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-140524094849.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-140524095006.jpeg)
The drive down was pretty boring. Lots of traffic and rain but made it with no issues other than my rear air suspension compressor quitting. I was doing a bit of a Carolina squat when I got there. I had to finish the trip with no air ride but I was able to fix it with a new compressor for $150 and 30min of my labor.
Got to go to Saturday of the Masters. The weather was awesome. Always such an amazing experience. I definitely recommend going if you can.
Me on the right.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-140524101715.jpeg)
The Camaro is parted out and gone. I still have some parts left that I'll probably end up trashing if they don't sell by the summer but I got $4450 back selling parts. Essentially got an LS3/TR6060 for $3250 doing it this way. If you take into account I sold my LS1/T56 for $5000 I am money ahead.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-140524095105.jpeg)
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Worked out great on the LS3!! it's the best LS for these chassis for sure, right on the edge of overpowering it
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I just ordered some parts for the car:
McLeod Racing 6405507M RXT Street Twin Clutch kit
Comp Cams 19028-16 Ultra Gold Aluminum Rocker Arms
ATI-1918628 - Super Damper/balancer (stock size with AC)
Locar DH-13 Dip-stick
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Nice! i approve of all of those (except the rocker arms :lipsrsealed:) simply cause the stock ones work so well
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Nice! i approve of all of those (except the rocker arms :lipsrsealed:) simply cause the stock ones work so well
I read that people had issues with the stock ones because of the trunnion bearings. I figure with the CAM I am running and .660 lift springs it would be added safety.
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Small update while my car is still down in Georgia at my buddies for paint. Not sure when it will be done.
I picked up this 2012 Camaro SS locally. It’s a Manual 1SS. A kid owned it and spun it around a few times and hit a bunch of stuff. He put cheap bumpers and fenders back on it so it was complete. There is a good dent by the gas door and some rust. But I am just going to part it out.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-140624132938.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-140624133022.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-140624133212.jpeg)
I’ve already got it mostly stripped. I hope to pretty much have it stripped and all the major stuff sold by mid July.
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I’m so inspired by this.
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(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240703/7348d66710f009f43d7c76611b8a2256.jpg)
This is mine with the feed rears blended in. See if your painter can do it. Just need to shave it back and blend
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Thanks! Yeah that’s the plan. I’ll send him that picture as a reference
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Nothing really to update hereabout the RX-7. I finished the part out of the gray Camaro. Made about $5k on that venture. My buddy is still busy running his business so he hasn't got to my car yet. Not a big deal really as I don't want to rush him nor am I really in a hurry to get it back because my garage build and home addition is about to start in like 3 weeks. So since no car news here are some details on the house and garage build!
This is a view of the garage. It's a 2 story build One bay has a semi-vaulted ceiling up to 12' for a lift. Then there will be attic storage above that. The space above the other two bays is going to be a studio apartment.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-300724084037.jpeg)
View from the alley (garage door side)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-300724084206.png)
View from the house
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-300724084311.png)
here is the whole shebang. The gray areas are what we are adding on.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-300724084346.jpeg)
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Picked up another parts car few weeks ago. This one didn’t have a drivetrain. Still made a decent return on the parts.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-240924190333.jpeg)
Here it is leaving
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-240924190454.jpeg)
While I patiently wait for my buddy to find time to work on my car I am on the hunt for another money maker hah
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Haha, Camaro dismantling professional now!
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Drooling over the garage!!
I enjoyed parting out the GTO donor I had. Was cash flowing a huge amount of money for me as a college kid lol.
I also made a decent return on an FC partout.
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Haha, Camaro dismantling professional now!
Yeah My co-workers are calling it "Fred's Chop Shop" I used to part out Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo and 3000GT VR4s back in the day. These Camaro's have paid out nicely. I have made almost $11k in profit plus I have an LS3 for my car now instead of an LS1. Since I have nothing car related to do and I've got this money sitting around saved to pay for my paint job might as well try to use that money and time to make some more money. I am on the Hunt for my next vehicle right now.
Drooling over the garage!!
I enjoyed parting out the GTO donor I had. Was cash flowing a huge amount of money for me as a college kid lol.
I also made a decent return on an FC partout.
Yeah, It has been a long time coming for this garage. I have been in this house for 4.5 years now with no garage. Lucky for me my buddies house 20 min away has a 1500ft^2 building I have free use of. But it will be really nice to get my garage built then to get my car back so I can assemble it at home and not have to drive back and forth to work on it.
Parting out cars is easier from a work stand point because no need to worry about where shit goes or keeping fasteners in order. But dealing with the FB markeplace crowd can be tiresome. I don't really mind doing it though. I am really trying to keep my car funds separate from the life funds so its a neat little game for me.
Worst Part is my trailer is in Georga with my car so I have to rent a Trailer when I go get a car currently.
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I was measuring for pushrods, and I couldn't rotate the engine past a certain point. I had just installed some parts on the block, so I took everything off and found that none of those parts were causing the interference. So, I pulled the head and there were a pair of valve keepers in cylinder #1. I must have dropped a set when doing the valve springs. I noticed that there is a decent amount of build-up on the pistons and valves. So, I am glad I pulled the heads. I want to get that all cleaned up. I don't really want to pull the full block apart to get all this cleaned up. (That may be the correct way to go about this though). So I am asking for suggestions.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-301024121524.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-301024121649.jpeg)
You can see in this last picture there are a few marks on the head from that valve keeper I kept smashing trying to turn the block by hand. Do you think this is going to cause issues?
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-301024122427.jpeg)
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I'd just smooth out any burrs and clean everything up.
Those little indentations shouldn't cause any problem at all.
Check the piston to make sure the ring land wasn't distorted. As long as the ring is still free it should be fine.
Steve Morris Engines on Youtube had a 2500hp+ motor swallow a screw, while running.
He cleaned up the marks and ran it the rest of the season without any problems.
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Sounds good. I figured it would likely be ok. Just curious about cleaning all this carbon off the pistons and valves.
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My ls7 looked similar. It is a little worrisome when you see it, but it seems sealed up just fine now that it’s running. Use a catch can in the car or delete the PCV. If you run e85 at all you’ll clean that carbon right up.
You can scrape it off - try to keep it all out of the ring lands. Prefer not to see any airtools, but I know a lot use a wire brush or wheel to clean that up.
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My ls7 looked similar. It is a little worrisome when you see it, but it seems sealed up just fine now that it’s running. Use a catch can in the car or delete the PCV. If you run e85 at all you’ll clean that carbon right up.
You can scrape it off - try to keep it all out of the ring lands. Prefer not to see any air tools, but I know a lot use a wire brush or wheel to clean that up.
Can I blow it out with air? or just use a vac? I'll just give it a little clean up. I don't plan on running E85 at any point in this car.
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Yea air and vacuum should work. You can stuff some shop towel in the bottom of the cylinder so it can catch the majority of it that'll want to fall down, or just run the vacuum while you clean it.
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What brand Head gaskets are you all running? I was looking at Fel-Pro or Mahle/Clevite
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I've had good luck with ELRING 475625 gaskets on my LS3. They're German-made 7-layer LS9-style gaskets. BTR white label's them for their LS9 gaskets, but they're half the price of OEM GM LS9.
They are a littler thicker at around 0.055", which you may not want.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=10404896&cc=0&pt=5412&jsn=11536
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I haven't been out in the garage for a while. But I am going to just clean up my engine and put it back together. I got some new head gaskets, new head bolts, some simple green and I got some preservation oil to keep things from drying out while I wait.
I did some Black Friday shopping and got a set of Stance Air Cups for the front of my car. I figured this would be nice for getting on and off the trailer and dealing with speed bumps and such.
(https://www.stanceparts.com/wp-content/uploads/Tankless-front-kit-2-800x480.jpg)
So while I wait for my Garage to get built and my car to get Painted I needed a project so...
I am picking up a 2008 BMW M3 E93 Convertible Manual transmission car on Saturday. Getting it for a Lowball offer. It's got an issue with the engine. So it could be toast or it could be an easy fix!! Got it cheap enough to F around and Find out. Worst case it will see the same fate as the Camaro's I parted out.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-171224072647.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-171224072908.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-171224073034.jpeg)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-171224072756.jpeg)
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(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-060125151128.jpeg)
Picked up the M3 on 12/21/24. I made a quick round trip down to Nashville and back with it the same day. I had to rent a trailer because my trailer is in Atlanta with my FD :tongue:
The foundation for my 3 Car garage has finally started. They are going to start framing next week (1/13) then pour the slab once that is completed. They finished the basement last week just in time for us to get 12" of snow. So I had to go down and shovel all that out of the basement today.
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-060125151209.jpeg)
Garage is 38'x24' with 12' celing in one bay and an apartment above the other two.
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1. Congrats on the progress on the garage (and M3).
2. That green house looks cool.
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1. Congrats on the progress on the garage (and M3).
2. That green house looks cool.
Thank you. Hopefully I will make some money for the FD with the M3.
The Green house is a 1880's build. Its currently set up as a tri-plex.
Most of the houses in this neighborhood are late 1800's. Mine was built in 1870.
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Finally had some time this past weekend to dig into the M3. Cylinder 3# has a spun Rod bearing and it definitely left its mark on the rod and the crank. Lucky for me I have a friend with a similar M3 that had some top end damage due to a supercharger issue and he replaced his whole engine. So I am getting his old engine with a good crank and rods. Going to rebuild this engine with parts from the other engine. Definitely a lot of work but there is a shop manual for this and a full detailed YouTube video on how to rebuild the engine.
My buddy is supposed to start painting my RX-7 as soon as it warms up in Atlanta. He just did the engine swap on my buddies M3 so my car is next. I can't get down to GA to pick up the engine till March 14th though. I might see if I can get the engine shipped for less than it will cost me to go get it.
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Here is a photo of the bad bearings
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030225115450.jpeg)
I got the engine out of the car on Friday (1/31)
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030225113948.jpeg)
and my buddy just shipped me my parts engine. Now that he is done with all that hopefully he will start painting my car!!
(https://www.norotors.com/gallery/72-030225114706.jpeg)
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So... why is it that BMWs eat bearings so badly? Just a clearances thing? Always seems odd to me.
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So... why is it that BMWs eat bearings so badly? Just a clearances thing? Always seems odd to me.
Yeah they basically put too tight of a tolerance on the bearings and bmw gaskets dry out and don’t get replaced cause they are “hard to work on” according to people who don’t work on their own cars l.