This is the story to date of my RX7 build to compete in local level sprints and short circuit racing at Oakey, Pittsworth, Gatton, QR, Norwell, Morgan Park and Carnell. I'll run in Sports Sedan class but it'll just be a 'budget' build, not with the extreme mods and aero of a national class car.
Quick backstory:
I had an SR20 S14 that I gradually built over 2 or 3 years, competing in sprints at Oakey, Pittsworth, Norwell, Carnell (Stanthorpe) and Morgan Park. Was street registered and mildly modded with CAMS cage, forged SR with 250rwkw, PFC, Ohlins coilovers, 1.5 way, etc. It was driven to all events until I got a car trailer and deregistered it early 2014, but a few months later I blew the SR in practice at Morgan Park, June 2014 .
Looking back 2 years now I should have just slotted in another SR but I already had a disassembled L76 6L put aside so decided it was time to put that in as I'd dreamed for a few years. Not really having the money for the full conversion I mistakenly said to my mechanic "no hurry" and 9 months later SFA had been done besides engine machining and long block assembly. About the same time that I was giving him a boot up the ass, TT linked an RX7 shell on the PF Facebook page. Like most car enthusiasts I'd dreamed of having an FD3S, so decided it'd be a great chassis for the LS and in August 2015 went on a 36 hour road trip with a mate down to Canberra to pick up the shell, which came with
CAMS cage
Samberg LS crossmember (early version)
T56 box with Ripshift
Surge tank & external pump
FEED widebody guards
Stripped & a bit hacked up
OMP seat
Tein HA coilovers
The Meisters looked fucking porn on the car, but unfortunately weren't going to suit the tyres I wanted so they were sold off along with my S14 shell to fund the new build. They were replaced with Weds TC105N 18x10.5+12 with 295/30/18 Hankook Z221s on all corners (still going to need some work to fit up front) and I've got some 18x9.5s Rotas that I'll put some NT01s or similar on for practice. I've also upgraded the brakes with 330mm K-Sport front calipers and 314mm RZ rears.
The L76 engine was rebuilt to L98 with forged rods and pistons, 237/250 cam, dual valve springs, tie-bar lifters, etc. Added Moroso electric water pump, Milodon winged sump, McLeod RST twin plate clutch and Fidanza 12.5lb aluminium flywheel. I won't be running power steering so the only belt-driven accessory on the engine will be the alternator.
We dropped the engine in with the recommended mounts and came across a stack of problems. The front of the sump didn't clear the steering rack by quite a margin with the Samberg bumpsteer rack spacers, so we had to ditch those and the rack now clears by a few mm. The original transmission tunnel was already hacked to pieces so we didn't have much choice but to cut the whole thing out. The back of the manifold is extremely close to the engine bay lip, so I'll cut this out soon. I bought a set or Sureflo headers that are meant to be for this conversion but 3 out of the 4 driver's side pipes were miles off fitting.
Fast forward a few months and my mechanic had put it in the too hard basket and not touched it, so I took it to another motorsport fabricator who welded in a new tunnel, floor & seat supports, dropped the floor for an underfoot pedal box, and reworked all the pipes to fit. Unfortunately the steering shaft seems to just clip the pipes so I'll need to space the engine up a few mm, which will help with a bit more rack clearance anyway.
Along the way I ditched my POS Michael Spencer built trailer for a Tilta and picked up a 4 post hoist for home. Most recently I've stripped the car right back as much as practical and I'm waiting for a clear weekend of weather so it can be soda blasted and primed. I'll then paint the interior and engine bay before everything starts to go together.
I've got a pile of parts waiting to be fitted which I'll post more about when they go on. My main expenses remaining are the fuel system, tailshaft, exhaust and respray, and then there's a whole lot of assembly to do!
Quick backstory:
I had an SR20 S14 that I gradually built over 2 or 3 years, competing in sprints at Oakey, Pittsworth, Norwell, Carnell (Stanthorpe) and Morgan Park. Was street registered and mildly modded with CAMS cage, forged SR with 250rwkw, PFC, Ohlins coilovers, 1.5 way, etc. It was driven to all events until I got a car trailer and deregistered it early 2014, but a few months later I blew the SR in practice at Morgan Park, June 2014 .
Looking back 2 years now I should have just slotted in another SR but I already had a disassembled L76 6L put aside so decided it was time to put that in as I'd dreamed for a few years. Not really having the money for the full conversion I mistakenly said to my mechanic "no hurry" and 9 months later SFA had been done besides engine machining and long block assembly. About the same time that I was giving him a boot up the ass, TT linked an RX7 shell on the PF Facebook page. Like most car enthusiasts I'd dreamed of having an FD3S, so decided it'd be a great chassis for the LS and in August 2015 went on a 36 hour road trip with a mate down to Canberra to pick up the shell, which came with
CAMS cage
Samberg LS crossmember (early version)
T56 box with Ripshift
Surge tank & external pump
FEED widebody guards
Stripped & a bit hacked up
OMP seat
Tein HA coilovers
The Meisters looked fucking porn on the car, but unfortunately weren't going to suit the tyres I wanted so they were sold off along with my S14 shell to fund the new build. They were replaced with Weds TC105N 18x10.5+12 with 295/30/18 Hankook Z221s on all corners (still going to need some work to fit up front) and I've got some 18x9.5s Rotas that I'll put some NT01s or similar on for practice. I've also upgraded the brakes with 330mm K-Sport front calipers and 314mm RZ rears.
The L76 engine was rebuilt to L98 with forged rods and pistons, 237/250 cam, dual valve springs, tie-bar lifters, etc. Added Moroso electric water pump, Milodon winged sump, McLeod RST twin plate clutch and Fidanza 12.5lb aluminium flywheel. I won't be running power steering so the only belt-driven accessory on the engine will be the alternator.
We dropped the engine in with the recommended mounts and came across a stack of problems. The front of the sump didn't clear the steering rack by quite a margin with the Samberg bumpsteer rack spacers, so we had to ditch those and the rack now clears by a few mm. The original transmission tunnel was already hacked to pieces so we didn't have much choice but to cut the whole thing out. The back of the manifold is extremely close to the engine bay lip, so I'll cut this out soon. I bought a set or Sureflo headers that are meant to be for this conversion but 3 out of the 4 driver's side pipes were miles off fitting.
Fast forward a few months and my mechanic had put it in the too hard basket and not touched it, so I took it to another motorsport fabricator who welded in a new tunnel, floor & seat supports, dropped the floor for an underfoot pedal box, and reworked all the pipes to fit. Unfortunately the steering shaft seems to just clip the pipes so I'll need to space the engine up a few mm, which will help with a bit more rack clearance anyway.
Along the way I ditched my POS Michael Spencer built trailer for a Tilta and picked up a 4 post hoist for home. Most recently I've stripped the car right back as much as practical and I'm waiting for a clear weekend of weather so it can be soda blasted and primed. I'll then paint the interior and engine bay before everything starts to go together.
I've got a pile of parts waiting to be fitted which I'll post more about when they go on. My main expenses remaining are the fuel system, tailshaft, exhaust and respray, and then there's a whole lot of assembly to do!
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