How embarrassed were you when buying the APC part at Autozone? Haha! But hey, it works and looks pretty good. THough I think you hate chrome as much as I do so it will look even better black. Well done on the homemade solution.
magnumP5's RX-7 Build Thread
- Thread starter magnumP5
- Start date
LOL, I thought you guys would get a kick out of that. Don't worry, as of last night there is no more APC on my car. I ended up using it as a template and I made my own bracket that's a little longer last night, and yes it's being painted black. I'm able to use two springs now, which allows me to mix/match to get the desired stiffness. I'm still having issues matching the pedal travel to the range of motion required for the TB though. I thought I had it squared away last weekend but I was still having issues last night (pedal to the floow != WOT). This morning I modified the pedal and pedal assembly some more today to try get a little more travel so hopefully that'll do the trick.
I got some other stuff done today as well. I rewired the main power in the engine bay, so it's much cleaner now. I ended up using the single post terminal and it works well, but it was a major PITA to get four ring terminals on one post. I ran out of other things to do so I started messing with the alternator for some reason. I started by pulling it apart to clean, which inevitably led to me painting the housing. Since I was painting the alternator I figured I might as well paint some other things, which led to me painting the water pump housing, and one rotor housing. I'm using Rustoleum engine paint, which is actually working really well. Taping everything off really sucks though. Just wait 'til I upload a photo of the rotor housing ready for paint. No pictures now because they're on my phone and it's dead.
I finally got the pictures off my phone. Be warned the "progress" I make over the new few weeks is going to be all over the place as I really appear to be wrapping stuff up.
First up is the new throttle return spring bracket. While the APC piece was convenient I wasn't getting the spring tension I wanted with one spring and the APC bracket wasn't long enough to add another spring. Using the APC bracket as a template I made my own:
I had to do quite a bit of grinding/filing on the TB to get the bracket and a nut in there. The two spring pictured above might be a little too stiff as they actually bend the bracket a little. The beauty of being able to use two springs means I can mix and match to fine tune the tension. Nice, firm pedal now. Don't worry Evan, I painted this bracket black too.
I'm actually seriously considering going back and repainting all my brackets with this engine paint I have. I goes on nice and thick and seems a little more durable than the generic metal/plastic paint I've been using.
The next task in the "weekend of random tasks" was redoing the power wiring in the engine bay. Final product:
It looks a little goofy but the cover lets me protect and route the wires off a single post terminal. No more loopy starter cable and I moved the terminal upward and rearward, which gained me some additional space between the alternator and the main harness branch. Also pictured: red alternator terminal cover (I didn't like the black one I had).
The rest of the weekend was devoted to painting/cleaning and unfortunately there's little to show for that. I've painted the rotor housings, water pump housing, alternator relocation bracket, and alternator but I've only taken a few pictures so far.
Masked rotor housing ready for paint:
Water pump housing being sprayed (color is cast coat aluminum):
Finished, painted alternator relocation bracket (used to be milled, polished aluminum - too shiny for me):
The rotor housings and alternator are done; I'll try to snap some pictures tonight but there's not much to show. I'm using mostly natural metal colors (aluminum, cast coat aluminum, cast coat iron, black) so everything just looks like it's very clean.
First up is the new throttle return spring bracket. While the APC piece was convenient I wasn't getting the spring tension I wanted with one spring and the APC bracket wasn't long enough to add another spring. Using the APC bracket as a template I made my own:
I had to do quite a bit of grinding/filing on the TB to get the bracket and a nut in there. The two spring pictured above might be a little too stiff as they actually bend the bracket a little. The beauty of being able to use two springs means I can mix and match to fine tune the tension. Nice, firm pedal now. Don't worry Evan, I painted this bracket black too.
I'm actually seriously considering going back and repainting all my brackets with this engine paint I have. I goes on nice and thick and seems a little more durable than the generic metal/plastic paint I've been using.
The next task in the "weekend of random tasks" was redoing the power wiring in the engine bay. Final product:
It looks a little goofy but the cover lets me protect and route the wires off a single post terminal. No more loopy starter cable and I moved the terminal upward and rearward, which gained me some additional space between the alternator and the main harness branch. Also pictured: red alternator terminal cover (I didn't like the black one I had).
The rest of the weekend was devoted to painting/cleaning and unfortunately there's little to show for that. I've painted the rotor housings, water pump housing, alternator relocation bracket, and alternator but I've only taken a few pictures so far.
Masked rotor housing ready for paint:
Water pump housing being sprayed (color is cast coat aluminum):
Finished, painted alternator relocation bracket (used to be milled, polished aluminum - too shiny for me):
The rotor housings and alternator are done; I'll try to snap some pictures tonight but there's not much to show. I'm using mostly natural metal colors (aluminum, cast coat aluminum, cast coat iron, black) so everything just looks like it's very clean.
mymmeryloss
Member
- :
- 13bT Mazda B2600i
Looking really good.
I am being a copy cat, but its nice when u do all the research for me!
Makes it easier to make decisions on buying stuff lol.
Coming together real nice!
I am being a copy cat, but its nice when u do all the research for me!
Makes it easier to make decisions on buying stuff lol.
Coming together real nice!
What else are you looking at doing? A lot of the custom things required several iterations so I could definitely help point you in the right direction. For example, I still may tweak my throttle return setup. I found a resource for custom springs so I'm looking into what I can do with a heavier torsion spring instead of having the two extra extension springs. They can also do custom extension springs so I can fine tune the tension even more (free-state length, wire diameter, end type, etc.).
I haven't really been able to get more work done because it's been raining and I've been waiting for parts. I need to clean the side housings before they're ready for paint and I can't do that when it's raining. In order to paint the front cover I need the oil metering pump block off plate, which is still in transit.
In the meantime, here's a few pictures of the painted alternator and rotor housings. Cleaned, painted alternator:
The sides are painted aluminum (not cast coat) and the center piece is semi-gloss black. I also tried to replace the hardware. I ended up stripping the four bolts that hold the alternator "halves" together but I wasn't able to find new ones in the correct length. The temporary solution is threaded rods cut to length and secured with nuts, but I'll probably replace those with bolts when I can find the correct length (M5 x .80 x 60 mm is hard to find!). I would love to replace the pulley nut but it's like an M15 size, which I can't find anywhere (9/16 fine thread is just too small).
Here's a painted rotor housing:
Basically the same color right? If you close enough you can see a small difference in color and "shininess" between the painted surfaces (around the sides) and the unpainted surfaces (sides, around exhaust port). Nothing flashy.
Only other update is I ordered the OMP blockoff, an oil pan brace, and a dual sheave alternator pulley yesterday.
PrinceValorum
Member
- :
- 95 626 FS, 89 Toyota Derux 4x4
Those odd sized hardware pieces can be difficult to find, as I found, unless you want to buy titanium fasteners, which seem to come in about every size you can want.
mymmeryloss
Member
- :
- 13bT Mazda B2600i
I copied u and ordered the xtreme rotaries side mount alt. bracket...
Yeah, it's been a constant PITA. I really don't NEED a Ti nut for the alternator so I think I'll just bite the bullet and clean up the stock one. The longer bolts are also very hard to find.
I hear you there. One of the things I've been doing the last few days is cataloging all the engine hardware I plan on replacing.
Ha, I thought you said it was too expensive?! Just kidding; it is a really nice piece though. I'll have to go back and look at a shot of your engine bay but hopefully you have enough clearance between the side of the engine and the frame rail.
So as I was telling Wes my latest waste of time has been going through all the engine hardware. What was originally a plan to replace the REALLY crusty bolts, nuts, studs, and washers has now turned into replacing every fastener under the hood with a new one. Fortunately most parts are easy to find, but the downside is you can't order just one M6x1.00 bolt; you have to order 100. This really sucks when I need like 15 M6x1.00 bolts that are 12 mm long, and then like four 14 mm, and two each 25 and 35 mm long. I'm seriously going to end up with thousands of extra fasteners so if anyone needs anything let me know! The more exotic items (studs, longer bolts, header/intake hardware) are being replaced with OEM Mazda and/or ARP parts. I'm even looking into replacing the original tension bolts with studs now as well. Overkill. Yeah, I'm probably going to spend $1000 on fasteners now...
In the meantime I've made some other small victories. The oil pan brace, dual sheave alternator pulley and oil metering pump block off plate came in yesterday.
Dual sheave pulley. With the alternator in the stock location and the air pump removed the one belt that's left around the water pump doesn't make a lot of contact. Apparently a lot of people have had issues where the belt slips on the water pump pulley causing cooling issues. The dual sheave alternator pulley allows the use of two belts, which is supposed to increase friction; thus, preventing slipping. I probably wouldn't have this problem with the relocated alternator but I have two sheaves on the main and water pump pulleys so why not utilize both for some extra peace of mind.
Oil pan brace. Basically this goes between the nut and the oil pain and is supposed to more evenly distribute the clamping force. I guess some people have had problems with the engine physically "flexing," which lead to oil pan leaks. I hate oil pan leaks so this seemed like a good idea even though I shouldn't be making enough power to flex the engine. The kit also came with new studs/nuts for the oil pan so I get to replace the stock crusty bolts (see above). It will be painted black!
Oil metering pump (OMP) block off plate on the front cover. Yeah, I probably could've made this myself but the "kit" came with some bonus items like new hardware (see above) and plugs for the oil injectors in the rotor housings. If I had access to and knew how to use a TIG welder I would've just welded the port shut for a cleaner look. With this piece the front cover is now nearly ready for paint. Unfortunately, it's REALLY crusty so Purple Power + brake parts cleaner and steel brush isn't cutting it. I've been essentially polishing it with a dremel tool and a bronze wire bit to get it cleaned up.
The only other thing I've done is match the oil feed from the rear side housing to the rear RX-8 stationary gear. Originally they were misaligned by a couple mm so I chamfered the edges to better promote oil flow from one to the other. Nothing helps the nerves like taking a Dremel tool to $150 and $1000 parts...
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PrinceValorum
Member
- :
- 95 626 FS, 89 Toyota Derux 4x4
Now I know who to contact if I need odd sized hardware!
The oil pan brace is a cool idea. I never even thought about that, but it seems like that could come into play at crazy power levels with a modular "block" like that.
The oil pan brace is a cool idea. I never even thought about that, but it seems like that could come into play at crazy power levels with a modular "block" like that.
Got some stuff done over the weekend. Unfortunately work's been slow. More painting:
Front cover and crank angle sensor:
Oil pan brace:
I'm probably going to go back over this one. The clear leaves a glossy appearance and I don't want that near the oil pan. I want to be able to see any kind of leak easily and a glossy finish will make that difficult. Without the clear it's a nice satin black. I think I'm going to redo all my brackets and things in this color too.
I spent probably 2 hours on Satuday trying to clean up the oil pan. It was originally sealed with silicone and a paper gasket and after 23+ years all that crap had fused to the pan itself. This is as far as I got:
It's free of oil and residue but there's a little silicone/gasket material left. I'm going to take the angle grinder with a wire wheel to it and that should be the end of that. Once all that's done it gets painted black like everything else.
Meanwhile my head has been spinning thinking about hardware. On Friday I order a bunch of OEM and ARP fasteners. All the OEM parts are on backorder with Mazda Japan so nobody knows when they'll be available. I've bene scramping to find aftermarket replacements and I may be getting there. ~2/3 of my ARP order came in on Saturday:
Still waiting on several nuts/bolts, which aren't schedule for delivery until the end of October - ARGH!
Front cover and crank angle sensor:
Oil pan brace:
I'm probably going to go back over this one. The clear leaves a glossy appearance and I don't want that near the oil pan. I want to be able to see any kind of leak easily and a glossy finish will make that difficult. Without the clear it's a nice satin black. I think I'm going to redo all my brackets and things in this color too.
I spent probably 2 hours on Satuday trying to clean up the oil pan. It was originally sealed with silicone and a paper gasket and after 23+ years all that crap had fused to the pan itself. This is as far as I got:
It's free of oil and residue but there's a little silicone/gasket material left. I'm going to take the angle grinder with a wire wheel to it and that should be the end of that. Once all that's done it gets painted black like everything else.
Meanwhile my head has been spinning thinking about hardware. On Friday I order a bunch of OEM and ARP fasteners. All the OEM parts are on backorder with Mazda Japan so nobody knows when they'll be available. I've bene scramping to find aftermarket replacements and I may be getting there. ~2/3 of my ARP order came in on Saturday:
Still waiting on several nuts/bolts, which aren't schedule for delivery until the end of October - ARGH!
mymmeryloss
Member
- :
- 13bT Mazda B2600i
I hate how its so hard to find legit nuts and bolts...
Lovin the attention to detail!
Lovin the attention to detail!
I didn't need to replace everything. The worst fasteners I have are the water pump housing studs and the tensions bolts. Everything else is just crusty. The ARP stuff is overkill but they were the only source for some of the longer, flanged hex bolts. I might contact them to see if they'd consider making a 13B rebuild kit. McMaster had the other 90% including what look to be decent replacements for a lot of the OEM studs (will confirm later). The hard things to find are the larger, fine-threaded fasteners (M10x1.25, M12x1.5). My new engine-to-motor mount studs are actually short M12x1.5 wheel studs, LOL!
I did check with them because they've got several local stores so it would be more convenient. Unfortunately just about every part I looked up was 2-3X more expensive than McMaster and weren't available for in-store pickup and I had to email them for online availability. Everything I ordered from McMaster was "in stock and ready to ship."
mymmeryloss
Member
- :
- 13bT Mazda B2600i
Fastenal is super overpriced!
But still cheaper than OEM by 2-3X! I probably would've gone with Fastenal if they actually had anything in stock. Their selection is a little bigger when it comes to fine threads and studs than McMaster. However, this is why I like McMaster:
Ordered Tuesday, here on Wednesday! Black hardware just for Evan. I'm pretty impressed with the finish on these. I thought the "black" finish would be that dull, flat color you see in hardware stores but's actually almost glossy; very similar to my ARP fasteners. It's all Class 10.9 hardware too. Initial test fit is promising for the water pump housing studs. I have a crap ton more M6x1.00 and M8x1.25 bolts than I need so feel free to ask if you need any.
I got another surprise yesterday as well. My balanced rotating assembly arrived!
Front and rear rotors:
I assume that rear is supposed to be "4408." Front and rear rotors matched within 3 grams!
Other rotating bits:
The piece on the right is the new rear counterweight. It's actually made for the auto transmission. The stock 5-speed flywheel has the rear counterweight integrally cast so aftermarket flywheels require the use of the auto counterweight. I was under the impression balancing was a more precise operation. Apparently it's just drilling/welding material in the right locations...
New underdrive main pulley and e-shaft oil bypass delete:
The stock e-shaft has a check ball assembly in it, which is prone to failure resulting in reduced oil pressure. Point of failure eliminated!
Last but not least the new e-shaft (next to the old for comparison):
It's hard to tell from the picture but the shaft on the left (RX-8) has an additional hole in the lobes and is about 0.5 lbs lighter over all.
Looking good, Jon! I'm really looking forward to watching the engine assembly and pics and learning how a 13b works.
As far as the hardware I'm sure I would vulture any leftover hardware from you. I'll have a bunch of Summit clamps left over if you want to trade? Or I can PayPal monies, no worries.
As far as the hardware I'm sure I would vulture any leftover hardware from you. I'll have a bunch of Summit clamps left over if you want to trade? Or I can PayPal monies, no worries.
I do need some of those things. I'm not sure if 3/8" is big enough though.
Cleaned up the intermediate housings last night and started stripping all my "fabricated" brackets for re-painted. Took the angle grinder to the oil pan and got all the remaining silicone/gasket material off. I think I'm going to end up stripping/repainting the whole outside though to stop some surface rust that's started. I put in another order with McMaster for some extra items that I think will clean up some things.
