1point3liter's Twin Turbo LSX FD

[1point3liter]

Nice work on the trailer. 

The clutch on my racecar won't allow driving into the trailer, so I have to make a flush removable winch mount for my enclosed trailer. 
I think I can use your idea, but turn the receiver vertical and mount it through the floor to a crossmember.
Just have to figure out a way to lock it into place, since I won't be able to reach the hitch pin location.
I may just angle the receiver and shank forward a bit so it can't lift when loaded.
I'll have to add a lid of some type to seal the hole when the winch isn't in place.

with it mounted verticle, you shouldn’t have any load on the pin and probably don’t need one. if you want the piece of mind, you could maybe rig up a hood release cable and put the locking mechanism at the end of the receiver tube.

[Cobranut]

Nice work on the trailer. 

The clutch on my racecar won't allow driving into the trailer, so I have to make a flush removable winch mount for my enclosed trailer. 
I think I can use your idea, but turn the receiver vertical and mount it through the floor to a crossmember.
Just have to figure out a way to lock it into place, since I won't be able to reach the hitch pin location.
I may just angle the receiver and shank forward a bit so it can't lift when loaded.
I'll have to add a lid of some type to seal the hole when the winch isn't in place.

with it mounted verticle, you shouldn’t have any load on the pin and probably don’t need one. if you want the piece of mind, you could maybe rig up a hood release cable and put the locking mechanism at the end of the receiver tube.

Thanks, but I'd worry about the mechanism getting crudded up underneath the trailer.
I just have a mental image of the winch popping out and ending up through the windshield, or worse. 

[1point3liter]

Nice work on the trailer. 

The clutch on my racecar won't allow driving into the trailer, so I have to make a flush removable winch mount for my enclosed trailer. 
I think I can use your idea, but turn the receiver vertical and mount it through the floor to a crossmember.
Just have to figure out a way to lock it into place, since I won't be able to reach the hitch pin location.
I may just angle the receiver and shank forward a bit so it can't lift when loaded.
I'll have to add a lid of some type to seal the hole when the winch isn't in place.

with it mounted verticle, you shouldn’t have any load on the pin and probably don’t need one. if you want the piece of mind, you could maybe rig up a hood release cable and put the locking mechanism at the end of the receiver tube.

Thanks, but I'd worry about the mechanism getting crudded up underneath the trailer.
I just have a mental image of the winch popping out and ending up through the windshield, or worse. 

you're probably right on the crud with a hood release mechanism.

You could make a removable cover to the side of the winch that gives access for putting in and removing a locking quick-release pin
Something like this would allow you to lock it, but not need access to both sides of the receiver.

https://www.mcmaster.com/93750A805/

Crud may still be an issue inside the locking mechanism, I suspect it would be fine though.
You may be able to use a really strong magnet on the opposite side and just use a steal pin with a handle on it.

[1point3liter]

Worked on the trailer a bit more today. All cutting and welding is finally done. Hopefully the weather is nice tomorrow morning and I can put a coat of paint on it.

I added diamond plate to the tonque

Moved the spare from the side to the front of the trailer and beefed up the mount.
Visibility down the left side of the trailer was awful with the old position.

Added a pair of "swing back" jacks to the back of the trailer for stability when loading and unloading.
It looks like the jacks may work well for a road side tire change too.

[Cobranut]

My aluminum trailer had stabilizing stands at the rear.  Trouble was, once you loaded the car they were difficult to retract.
I replaced them with scissor jacks and they work much better.

[1point3liter]

My aluminum trailer had stabilizing stands at the rear.  Trouble was, once you loaded the car they were difficult to retract.
I replaced them with scissor jacks and they work much better.

Great. I'll report back on how well they work. lol

[Cobranut]

My aluminum trailer had stabilizing stands at the rear.  Trouble was, once you loaded the car they were difficult to retract.
I replaced them with scissor jacks and they work much better.

Great. I'll report back on how well they work. lol

I'm sure yours will work great.
The ones I was referring to were not actually jacks.  They extend and have a wedge type lock to hold them, but when they have weight on them you can't unlock them to retract.
I went with the scissor style as they are under the trailer instead of on the sides.

[1point3liter]

Happy New Year! It's been awhile since I've checked in.

The RX has been doing great. Nothing much new to report other than I fixed and improved a ton of little stuff on the car in 2020 and drove it a lot. It's definitely better than it's ever been. I never thought i'd say this, but I think im finally happy enough with it to call it done(ish). We'll see how long that lasts.

What is new is that I have another project. I bought a 4wd Sprinter van and have been tinkering with it a bit.
Ive been thinking about sharing some of that journey here if you guys are interested.. with the occasional detours into rx7 land too of course.

The end goal of the sprinter is not necessarily aligned with that of the rx7, but i'd be lying if i told you i havent been thinking about eventually hauling the rx on a road trip with it.

All good stories seem to have a plot twist, so this seems like a natural fit.
Let me know what you guys think.

[1point3liter]

I may as well jump in as things have already escalated.

I started this project with a few goals:

1. Livable space for me, my fiance, and dogs.
2. The ability to work remote from anywhere I can drive
3. No dependency on shore power
4. A modular build that allows changes in design and serviceability in the future.
5. Capability for towing a twin turbo lsx rx7

Im still a little concerned about #1 (mostly the dogs), but we will see how it goes.

With those goals in mind, i started designing the van in Fusion 360 and here's where ive landed.

[digitalsolo]

I'm definitely interested in the build!

[Cobranut]

I may as well jump in as things have already escalated.

I started this project with a few goals:

1. Livable space for me, my fiance, and dogs.
2. The ability to work remote from anywhere I can drive
3. No dependency on shore power
4. A modular build that allows changes in design and serviceability in the future.
5. Capability for towing a twin turbo lsx rx7

Im still a little concerned about #1 (mostly the dogs), but we will see how it goes.

With those goals in mind, i started designing the van in Fusion 360 and here's where ive landed.

That should make a nice little camping rig. 
I hope you have a surplus source for the T-slot aluminum.  We use a lot of that stuff at work.  It's strong and really handy, but it's pretty damn expensive.

[1point3liter]

I may as well jump in as things have already escalated.

I started this project with a few goals:

1. Livable space for me, my fiance, and dogs.
2. The ability to work remote from anywhere I can drive
3. No dependency on shore power
4. A modular build that allows changes in design and serviceability in the future.
5. Capability for towing a twin turbo lsx rx7

Im still a little concerned about #1 (mostly the dogs), but we will see how it goes.

With those goals in mind, i started designing the van in Fusion 360 and here's where ive landed.

That should make a nice little camping rig. 
I hope you have a surplus source for the T-slot aluminum.  We use a lot of that stuff at work.  It's strong and really handy, but it's pretty damn expensive.

Yea, its going to be sweet.

The extruded aluminum is definitely not cheap. Its very strong and light though. Ive been buying direct from 8020.
For the brackets, I bought .250 x 1.5 angle from a local metal warehouse and made my own.
I've sourced the hardware on ebay, amazon, and mcmaster.

[1point3liter]

Yesterday, I had to rewire the radiator fans after a fuse popped. I upgraded the wires from 12 gauge to 10 gauge and used larger individual relays and a maxi fuse. After rewiring, the fans sound stronger and I saw an improvement in temperature regulation, especially given the Florida's heat.

I also designed and 3D printed wheel caps for my CCWs and updated the gauge/switch panel to accommodate a couple 19mm switches. I'll post pictures of the gauge panel after the new switches arrive.

Other than the fan hiccup, the car has been flawless for the past 3 years.

[digitalsolo]

You’re alive!

[1point3liter]

See you again in 2026