My 94 FD RX7 - contains deplorable wheel fitment.
Discussion
So, I've lurked for years, registered only recently, but thought I'd pop up a brief log of the milestones of 'Ellie' - my beloved FD.
I'd wanted one from an early age, a friend got a rather lovely one when I was about 19, then about 5 years ago some man maths resulted in what I have now (well, the base car).
Previous car history was pretty unexciting - a variety of bland hatches, then at 23 an S14a 200sx, mildly fettled, which eventually went as the result of man sums.
Anyways, far more detailed build threads elsewhere, but a potted history....
A lot of scanning of PH and the like garnered nothing like I wanted, so I( emplyed Jurgen at JM Imports, and via lots of browsing of Goo-Net and auctions, I eventually found the closest thing to what I wanted. Roll on about 6 months, and she landed on my driveway. Photos taken shortly after that:
When I got her she was pretty standard (except for exhaust, and late spec turbos), so to ease my paranoia I decided to have her properly mapped for UK fuel. I figured not much point in doing this alone, so I fitted a Power FC ECU, full 3" decatted exhaust, intercooler, new radiator and filters, as in my mind these were 'reliability mods' that helped keep her cool. Man maths ahoy.
As a bonus, it means when Guru Pip at WGT mapped her, she made just over 340bhp at the fly, or more importantly, just under 300 ATW. Very responsive with the twins, and a lovely road car
A whole bunch of photo browsing convinced me that, although I thought it may grown on me, the very expensive Re:Amemiya bonnet was still hideous, so I sold it off, and the funds sprayed for the rather lovely standard panels, and a whole front end respray.
And I realised that that was what I had loved all along.
Naturally, I celebrated the new front end by taking her to Curborough
And she was brilliant. Perfectly behaved. JDM tyres left a lot to be desired though. As did my skill level.
However, it also became clear that the bushes were well pas their best, so I decided to go for a full underside overhaul/refresh/rebush. So over the following winter, a lot of work was put in on the driveway of a 2 bedroom terraced in middle England suburbia.
Underside was cleaned, POR15'd, and undersealed
Diff and brakes were rebuild, and all teh suspension components were blasted, rebushed, and the steel bits were painted.
So then everything looked more like this when it went back on:
So, a new(to me) set of MazdaSpeed MS01s, threw on some tyres I had lying about (braces himself), and did some interior junk like LED dash lighting, Bride seats, Nardi wheel etc. Back on the road in time for the best weather.
Then off to Wheels In Motion for some alignment.
When she was previously mapped, the limiting factor was the fuel system - she was nearing 95% duty at times. I wasn't happy with this, so upgraded the secondary injectors to 1680's, added a new Walbro pump, and a new rail for the injectors. Off for mapping again. This time, just over 360 ATF (Still on stock twins!) and about 310 ATW I think.
Nice and smooth
She drove wonderfully - spoolup was so sharp, and so responsive. Felt a lot less turbo than most turbo cars I've driven! Easily quick enough for me on the road.
I'd wanted one from an early age, a friend got a rather lovely one when I was about 19, then about 5 years ago some man maths resulted in what I have now (well, the base car).
Previous car history was pretty unexciting - a variety of bland hatches, then at 23 an S14a 200sx, mildly fettled, which eventually went as the result of man sums.
Anyways, far more detailed build threads elsewhere, but a potted history....
A lot of scanning of PH and the like garnered nothing like I wanted, so I( emplyed Jurgen at JM Imports, and via lots of browsing of Goo-Net and auctions, I eventually found the closest thing to what I wanted. Roll on about 6 months, and she landed on my driveway. Photos taken shortly after that:
When I got her she was pretty standard (except for exhaust, and late spec turbos), so to ease my paranoia I decided to have her properly mapped for UK fuel. I figured not much point in doing this alone, so I fitted a Power FC ECU, full 3" decatted exhaust, intercooler, new radiator and filters, as in my mind these were 'reliability mods' that helped keep her cool. Man maths ahoy.
As a bonus, it means when Guru Pip at WGT mapped her, she made just over 340bhp at the fly, or more importantly, just under 300 ATW. Very responsive with the twins, and a lovely road car
A whole bunch of photo browsing convinced me that, although I thought it may grown on me, the very expensive Re:Amemiya bonnet was still hideous, so I sold it off, and the funds sprayed for the rather lovely standard panels, and a whole front end respray.
And I realised that that was what I had loved all along.
Naturally, I celebrated the new front end by taking her to Curborough
And she was brilliant. Perfectly behaved. JDM tyres left a lot to be desired though. As did my skill level.
However, it also became clear that the bushes were well pas their best, so I decided to go for a full underside overhaul/refresh/rebush. So over the following winter, a lot of work was put in on the driveway of a 2 bedroom terraced in middle England suburbia.
Underside was cleaned, POR15'd, and undersealed
Diff and brakes were rebuild, and all teh suspension components were blasted, rebushed, and the steel bits were painted.
So then everything looked more like this when it went back on:
So, a new(to me) set of MazdaSpeed MS01s, threw on some tyres I had lying about (braces himself), and did some interior junk like LED dash lighting, Bride seats, Nardi wheel etc. Back on the road in time for the best weather.
Then off to Wheels In Motion for some alignment.
When she was previously mapped, the limiting factor was the fuel system - she was nearing 95% duty at times. I wasn't happy with this, so upgraded the secondary injectors to 1680's, added a new Walbro pump, and a new rail for the injectors. Off for mapping again. This time, just over 360 ATF (Still on stock twins!) and about 310 ATW I think.
Nice and smooth
She drove wonderfully - spoolup was so sharp, and so responsive. Felt a lot less turbo than most turbo cars I've driven! Easily quick enough for me on the road.
Sooo, onwards and upwards. I happened upon some rather lovely Panasport C5S2's, and popped them on, then trundled over to a Meet with some like minded individuals. Yet again, I'm bracing for wheel fitment criticism, but to be honest, I've heard it all, I like it, and the car still drives like I'd like it to
Made it even worse with a bit of spacing...
Yeah, I ruined a nice car
Anyways, then went to do a track day at Llandow - car was great up until late morning when it split a boost hose
I didn't have a spare, and was a long way from home, so I bodged a 'get me home' from gaffer tape, and nursed her back to Warwickshire.
Sat around, thinking about what to do, and decide that now was the time to sort out some of the mounting in the engine bay, as it was a bit 'utilitarian'.
Unfortuantely, this was the start of me getting a bit carried away...
Then, I got more carried away, and decided to clean up the paintwork
Unfortuantely, at this point, I discovered this:
Yup, turbo pack had gone. This left me with a dilemma. Either
- I got a set of secondhand stock twins, put them on, and risked them being knackered as well
- I got a set of upgraded twins, and paid the massive price
- I went single turbo.
Unfortunately, yet more man maths decided that as one turbo was cheaper than two new ones, That was the best way to go. I completely ignored the other associated costs.
I then thought 'well, it's out, I'll do a bit more tidying up' And started removing all the extra junk from the looms that I wouldn't need when going single.
After much deciding, yet more man maths - it's cheaper to rebuild an engine before it blows up, right? Then you know you have a good base. So I stripped it down, popped it in the back of the car, and with the help of some top lads from Brum, the next stage started.
Pretty soon afterwads, it ended up like this (obligatory 13b photo)
Luckily, the engine was in top form. Other than the usual seals, nothing needed replacing. So I ordered some uprated Apex seals from SCR in Oz, and several rubber seal kits for everything else.
At this point I'd decided on a GT35r, as it's a smallish, responsive turbo. So I sent engine bits to the wizard that is Era@Oldone Racing to have them ported by his magic hand to suit the turbo.
He also did the inlet manifolds and other port magic I don't understand.
The inlets were sent off to be coated, and the rest was cleaned up. Turbo was ordered.
So, a whole lot of this later...
With a lot of cleaning, some painting, and some late nights, and I had one of these again:
I then decided to change the fuel system around a bit, so had a few more fittings to buy...
And finally, got the lady had a heart again
Made it even worse with a bit of spacing...
Yeah, I ruined a nice car
Anyways, then went to do a track day at Llandow - car was great up until late morning when it split a boost hose
I didn't have a spare, and was a long way from home, so I bodged a 'get me home' from gaffer tape, and nursed her back to Warwickshire.Sat around, thinking about what to do, and decide that now was the time to sort out some of the mounting in the engine bay, as it was a bit 'utilitarian'.
Unfortuantely, this was the start of me getting a bit carried away...
Then, I got more carried away, and decided to clean up the paintwork
Unfortuantely, at this point, I discovered this:
Yup, turbo pack had gone. This left me with a dilemma. Either
- I got a set of secondhand stock twins, put them on, and risked them being knackered as well
- I got a set of upgraded twins, and paid the massive price
- I went single turbo.
Unfortunately, yet more man maths decided that as one turbo was cheaper than two new ones, That was the best way to go. I completely ignored the other associated costs.
I then thought 'well, it's out, I'll do a bit more tidying up' And started removing all the extra junk from the looms that I wouldn't need when going single.
After much deciding, yet more man maths - it's cheaper to rebuild an engine before it blows up, right? Then you know you have a good base. So I stripped it down, popped it in the back of the car, and with the help of some top lads from Brum, the next stage started.
Pretty soon afterwads, it ended up like this (obligatory 13b photo)
Luckily, the engine was in top form. Other than the usual seals, nothing needed replacing. So I ordered some uprated Apex seals from SCR in Oz, and several rubber seal kits for everything else.
At this point I'd decided on a GT35r, as it's a smallish, responsive turbo. So I sent engine bits to the wizard that is Era@Oldone Racing to have them ported by his magic hand to suit the turbo.
He also did the inlet manifolds and other port magic I don't understand.
The inlets were sent off to be coated, and the rest was cleaned up. Turbo was ordered.
So, a whole lot of this later...
With a lot of cleaning, some painting, and some late nights, and I had one of these again:
I then decided to change the fuel system around a bit, so had a few more fittings to buy...
And finally, got the lady had a heart again
Soo, next was time to sort the intercooler. There followed some butchery that I won't show pictures off, as there are children watching, but thanks to the every able and helpful hands of Craig and the lads at Dyno Torque, I ended up with something very presentable. I'd also started to get a little carried away with trying to neaten things up at this point
Then, the first startup after the rebuild - to my surprise, everything worked!
I fitted the new hoops I had acquired previously, and did some gentle running in. Oh, and took a few snaps.
Sooooo, unmapped car, still running in. Couldn't resist a few gentle 1/4 throttle runs up the hill at Prescott
Bit of boost never hurt anyone!
Unfortunately, then, bad stuff happened
I'd never been happy with the rad hoses as the radiator was now mounted in a different position to stock, so I took it to Craig again. As usual, he slotted me in at super short notice, and magically relocated the outlets. Cracking stuff.
So, I took the car home, refitted with all new hoses, went out for a gentle run.
Unfortunately, the low coolant buzzer went off. Pretty much the death bell for a rotary
Sure enough, one of the brand new hoses had relaxed a little, and in the space of about 3 miles, she'd dumped all of her coolant Back to square one.
Out came the block...
Luckily, I'd caught it in time - all irons, plates, and everything else were still straight and in tolerance, phew! Ordered a new seal kits, and commenced the minor rebuild.
I'd like to think, big man points for how I went about this...
Back in, fired up, grand news, all worked!
After a while (and still unmapped) I decided that even with a quiet backbox, I just didn't liek the sound. At this point my mate Trace did some amazing work with a welder, and knocked me up this little beauty:
That's a silencer in the downpipe, a silencer in the midpipe, and a totally seperate silenced system for the wastegate. Lovely.
By this time, I'd started to get obsessed with neatness. I decided to remove everything I didn't need, tuck everything I could, and colour code everything where possible. Even to the extent of getting my Aeromotive FPR re-anodized.
Removed ABS and made some neat new lines
And, in an effort to make her a bit more refined, pulled the interior and stuck this everywhere
I wanted to make the fuel system that bit better, so Craig made me this lovely swirl pot that fitted outside the car, in place of the stock charcoal cannister (I don't like the idea of fuel in the car)
So, back on the road, and met up with a good friend with his new acquisition
The bay now a bit tidier
And a 'vs stock bay' comparison.
Then, the first startup after the rebuild - to my surprise, everything worked!
I fitted the new hoops I had acquired previously, and did some gentle running in. Oh, and took a few snaps.
Sooooo, unmapped car, still running in. Couldn't resist a few gentle 1/4 throttle runs up the hill at Prescott
Bit of boost never hurt anyone!
Unfortunately, then, bad stuff happened
I'd never been happy with the rad hoses as the radiator was now mounted in a different position to stock, so I took it to Craig again. As usual, he slotted me in at super short notice, and magically relocated the outlets. Cracking stuff.
So, I took the car home, refitted with all new hoses, went out for a gentle run.
Unfortunately, the low coolant buzzer went off. Pretty much the death bell for a rotary
Sure enough, one of the brand new hoses had relaxed a little, and in the space of about 3 miles, she'd dumped all of her coolant
Back to square one.Out came the block...
Luckily, I'd caught it in time - all irons, plates, and everything else were still straight and in tolerance, phew! Ordered a new seal kits, and commenced the minor rebuild.
I'd like to think, big man points for how I went about this...
Back in, fired up, grand news, all worked!
After a while (and still unmapped) I decided that even with a quiet backbox, I just didn't liek the sound. At this point my mate Trace did some amazing work with a welder, and knocked me up this little beauty:
That's a silencer in the downpipe, a silencer in the midpipe, and a totally seperate silenced system for the wastegate. Lovely.
By this time, I'd started to get obsessed with neatness. I decided to remove everything I didn't need, tuck everything I could, and colour code everything where possible. Even to the extent of getting my Aeromotive FPR re-anodized.
Removed ABS and made some neat new lines
And, in an effort to make her a bit more refined, pulled the interior and stuck this everywhere
I wanted to make the fuel system that bit better, so Craig made me this lovely swirl pot that fitted outside the car, in place of the stock charcoal cannister (I don't like the idea of fuel in the car)
So, back on the road, and met up with a good friend with his new acquisition
The bay now a bit tidier
And a 'vs stock bay' comparison.
Then I got a bit more carried away with hiding the wiring
moved the main loom grommet about 8 inches
And a brief interlude for our family fleet at the time
Shortly after which, she moved to her new home - her very first garage! Hurrah for covered work environment!
Since then, not much happened. I ducted the intercooler, hid a few more bits, and ended up with this
And I took a few more rubbish photos
Then, a few months ago, I shisked her off for mapping, finally, after 2 years of 'running in'
All I was hoping for was more than she made originally, 400 plus would be nice (ATF)
A trip down to Surrey RR with Marco at BBM, and a whole lot of anxiety on my behalf made me a very happy bunny.
Fly:
Wheels:
So, there we go, that's 4 and a half years in a few long posts with pictures.
What can I say? It's been a long, hard slog, and she's drained my money and my resolve many times over, but my god was it worth it.
The response is fantastic, the power is just ridiculous - more than I could ever need, and she sounds utterly wonderful. She makes me shake sometimes after I get out following a drive, and smile more than anything I've ever driven.
I've rediscovered the love of 'just going for a drive' that I had when I was 17.
Unfortunately, life is taking a front seat for a while, and she'll be off the road from the end of the month. However, the next major project will hopefully be able to enjoy her for many years to come when he arrives in March
moved the main loom grommet about 8 inches
And a brief interlude for our family fleet at the time
Shortly after which, she moved to her new home - her very first garage! Hurrah for covered work environment!
Since then, not much happened. I ducted the intercooler, hid a few more bits, and ended up with this
And I took a few more rubbish photos
Then, a few months ago, I shisked her off for mapping, finally, after 2 years of 'running in'
All I was hoping for was more than she made originally, 400 plus would be nice (ATF)
A trip down to Surrey RR with Marco at BBM, and a whole lot of anxiety on my behalf made me a very happy bunny.
Fly:
Wheels:
So, there we go, that's 4 and a half years in a few long posts with pictures.
What can I say? It's been a long, hard slog, and she's drained my money and my resolve many times over, but my god was it worth it.
The response is fantastic, the power is just ridiculous - more than I could ever need, and she sounds utterly wonderful. She makes me shake sometimes after I get out following a drive, and smile more than anything I've ever driven.
I've rediscovered the love of 'just going for a drive' that I had when I was 17.
Unfortunately, life is taking a front seat for a while, and she'll be off the road from the end of the month. However, the next major project will hopefully be able to enjoy her for many years to come when he arrives in March
Amazing. Absolutely love FD3's and yours is one of the nicest i've seen.
For me - the Panasports looked the best - but I really like the ones you've got on there now, I like them to look as stock as possible, but the wheels just set it off nicely.
Top work. If you're ever around West / North Yorkshire let me know as i'd love to see it in person!
For me - the Panasports looked the best - but I really like the ones you've got on there now, I like them to look as stock as possible, but the wheels just set it off nicely.
Top work. If you're ever around West / North Yorkshire let me know as i'd love to see it in person!
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