RX7 FC Vert Build - Scratching that itch

Thread in 'Project Cars and Builds Threads' started by wheelynutz, Apr 28, 2014.

  1. wheelynutz

    wheelynutz Member

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    So having the mx5 and however much fun it is i wanted something that was a bit longer and with a little bit more power.
    I've always loved fc's so i just started trawling the interweb and putting it out there that i might be after one, a friend tipped me off at a bloke with one and after a few phone calls and money transferring i ended up with a mint savanna turbo.
    After getting it i realized that it was way to stock and rare that i really couldn't hurt it, but when i picked it up he had another series 5 vert that he was going to start breaking soon, so i grabbed the chance and nabbed the bonnet off it as the cab bonnets weigh tones less than a coupe bonnet (still with the intention of the savanna going drift), but after getting the savanna home and deciding to restore and sell on i needed to get the red bonnet back witch was still up at his place in rugby. A few weeks later i was up his way for race retro so dropped by with a mate in his legacy to pick it up but it didn't fit, so after a bit of man maths i decided that it would make sense to just buy the white vert he was going to break to get the bonnet back and just get a car with it, so a few weeks later i went all the way back up to rugby with the trailer and picked it up.

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    I got it home on thursday after work and on the weekend i pulled it out of the barn and had a good look round it, it was a bit tatty and looked crap at this time, but it was cheap so i couldn't complain.

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    I hunted around on the net for a exhaust system as the previous racing beat system had been removed, so on my hunts i found a full turbo back 3" system for £80, couldn't say no really, so with that took it down the workshop to fit it only to find out the de-cat was about 100mm to short, so after taking it to a friend for him to tig me a extension in the de cat i got it all bolted up.

    I got it back down the workshop and decided to get rid of the air pump as i didn't need it and about seeing why it wasn't running.
    I shoved a coil pack and some leads on it and i had spark, i put a fuel pump in and that all worked and it was pumping fuel but it just would not go. So after giving up i left it for a week and returned to it the next weekend, so after testing the spark plugs and electrocuting a mate of mine who was holding the plug on the earth, who didn't realize the two leads on his leg over the wing (very funny :)), we came to the conclusion the spark was fine, it didn't sound like it was flooding at all though and the plugs where dry, so we hard wired the pump and tried it again, still nothing.

    I gave up with it again and tested for fuel going to the rail one day after work which it was getting, so i knocked the injectors i could get to hoping they where stuck but to no avail, i wanted to check the injector pulse with a noid light but on a 13b you've pretty much got to take most of the engine apart to get the injector plugs so i really didn't want to do that, so i checked the return line to see if fuel was going back to the tank and it wasn't, so after speaking to the mate he said to try another fuel pump, so i did and it finally got fuel going back to the return, happy days.
    What had happened was somehow the pump was not kicking out enough pressure, so when i put the pump out of the savanna in it which i knew was good it gave enough pressure.

    After flooding, un-flooding, flooding, un-flooding, flooding, un-flooding i finally got it to start up.
    Hurrah!!!

    But then after about 5 seconds it cut out, and was repeatedly doing so, so after my success i left it alone and returned back to it another day and just thought the ecu i changed might be the problem, so i put the original one on it and boom she lives.
    It sounds mediocre and doesn't actually run that badly, the exhaust is mega loud which is what i was hoping for at 102db at 4,000 rpm, took it for a quick spin to free the brakes up and it doesn't go to badly but i think the turbo might have a bent fin as it does sound supercharged, just something i've got to look at later on.
     
  2. wheelynutz

    wheelynutz Member

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    Anyway another week or two later i agreed a deal with a mate of mine to have the wheels he had surplus from his R33 GTR after getting a set of TE37's and not needing these or his Work Meisters.

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    A set of Rota GTR's, 18x9.5 Et12, they just about fitted but a little work would be needed to the wings if i wanted to turn the front wheels, but my god they looked better than space savers.
     
  3. wheelynutz

    wheelynutz Member

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    Also i've just picked a set of Mitsubishi Starion Widebody wheels up

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    To Be Continued
     
  4. joelhachiroku

    joelhachiroku Member

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    Cool man if your going to do drifty stuff get series 4 arms the ball joint is separate unlike the s5. Verts have a 3.9 diff too. 4.1 is most common. And get dtss ellim bushes they are a bitch to change but worth it
     
  5. Stavros

    Stavros Active Member

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    Cool man, like it, shows what a decent set of wheels can do.

    When I write mine off I fancy putting it all in a vert shell tbh.

    Good luck finding S4 arms in the UK, looked for months with no luck n ended up importing a pair from the USA.
     
  6. wheelynutz

    wheelynutz Member

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  7. joelhachiroku

    joelhachiroku Member

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  8. Benwalsh91

    Benwalsh91 Member

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    Starion wheels are cool! What size are they

    Love an old fc vert!
     
  9. wheelynutz

    wheelynutz Member

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    Will do a little update tomorrow eve but tonight I have mostly be playing once again
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  10. wheelynutz

    wheelynutz Member

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    Yes i'm going to do the dtss bushes when i've got a bit of spare cash, and yes i've heard about the arms before, how does the separate ball joint help rather than made into the arm on the s5 arms?
    I'll have a look at my series 4 when i'm next down the workshop and compare.
     
  11. wheelynutz

    wheelynutz Member

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    So fast forward to pay day and i went and picked up a set of tein coilovers i agreed to buy quite a while ago and a cusco roll bar. I trail fitted the roll bar and i think i can make it fit, the roof won't be able to go fully down due to the glass but i'm going to play with the roof and see what i can do.

    A few months back i was looking for a set of starion widebody wheels and i found a set, but then they just sold after i sent the bloke a message, bugger, but a couple of weeks back he said he never came for them and did i still want them, urhm YES. So i popped down to essex one day after work and picked them up, they're not brilliant but they weren't that expensive and its not like you can pick them up off the street corner.
    I cleaned the beads up on the front wheels so they would hold air, one of the rears had a crack in it so it was leaking, got that tigged up and shove a spare set of t1r's on them.
    The wheel specs from memory are x2 16x7 et12 and 16x8 et-12.

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    I then set about removing the suspension, oh i do love fc's, apart from taking all the plastic trim off both of the rears came off and back on again in about 10 mins and the fronts about 30 mins, oh i do like cars like that.
    So i got the teins on and the starion wheels on, fiddled about with ride a bit so it clears the bodywork and sat it down on its wheels.

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    Looks much better, i've got to roll and flare the arches and fit 20mm spacers on the front as the inside spokes hit the calipers, so i'll re adjust the ride height etc... when i've got a set on there.

    I also managed to get a twin alternator pully, as i've removed the air pump the waterpump is now only driven off the single alternator belt, they can slip and then it overheats, so fitting two belts will stop it slipping and keep the waterpump spinning. I've got to put two new belts on but i'll do that soon, i also refitted the fan shroud as otherwise it just boils over as the rad just doesnt get cooled.

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    And added a tad of camber, its not tones but its as much as i can get out of the camber plates.
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  12. joelhachiroku

    joelhachiroku Member

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    Those wheels look cool man.the separate ball joint means they are replaceable. And as ive done made up a plate with a couple holes drilled into it. Means you space it out to gain some camber. Check it out on google theres heaps of info about it.
     
  13. wheelynutz

    wheelynutz Member

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    Arh ok, yes I'll look into getting some sometime, I might know of someone who has some if I'm lucky, so the will be cool.
     
  14. wheelynutz

    wheelynutz Member

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    So i put a walbro fuel pump on it the other day and it fired into life, so I put all back together and took it outside for some pics , I do really like the look of it on the starion wheels.
    I do need to roll and flare the arches, as a tad of camber and ideally have lower profile tyres with a bit more stretch.

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  15. JazzMan

    JazzMan New Member

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    Looks like it's getting really nice now
     
  16. erixtar1992

    erixtar1992 Member

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    so jealous of this
     
  17. shifty biscuits

    shifty biscuits Active Member

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    cool car dude. if you wanna sell your leather seats let me know. or swap em, i have some recovered in black with red middle panels, not my cup of tea...
     
  18. wheelynutz

    wheelynutz Member

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    Cheers guys

    I've put the seat in the van for the mo, I wanted to put something a bit nicer in than the standard nissan crap

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  19. bigdave z20

    bigdave z20 Member

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    ^^^ haha, that's class
     
  20. wheelynutz

    wheelynutz Member

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    So not much has happened for a while but the other day i borrowed a friends arch roller and rolled and flared the arches, its not the prettiest of jobs but it wasn't intended to be, the fc rear arches are made of bloody tough stuff so was tricky to flare.

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    I also managed to pick up another roof in really good condition and the other day i fitted some new belts.
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    And i managed to pick up some series 4 arms off a mate, £20 for the pair seemed fair to me :D
    I've got the buses out and off and will get some poly ones and fit them, i also need new ball joints so if anyone knows whee i can get some that would be great.

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