Another cheap rx8...

golfduke said:

You should install a hitch so you can tow your speedboats around with it.  Such cool factor! 

 

I don't get it?  Thanks for the kind words!

wvumtnbkr said:

golfduke said:

You should install a hitch so you can tow your speedboats around with it.  Such cool factor! 

 

I don't get it?  Thanks for the kind words!

Sorry, Im apparently old and senile.  I thought you were the one into restoring old 2 stroke powerboats, but it turns out I was confusing you with 1slovw.   My apologies, carry on! 

Just drove it for the first time after the alignment, diff bushings, and exhaustedectomy.  Good and bad.

Good!

Car drives nicely!  It is sedate and carefree when just cruising.

Makes rorty noises when you mash the loud pedal!

Seems pretty great!

Bad!

There is a creaking in the front end that I can feel in the steering wheel.  It feels exactly like a macstrut tophat bearing that's bad.  This isn't a macstrut.  Hmmm....  I can't find the source.   More digging to be done.

There is a slight vibration in the car.  Even sitting at idle.  Something is not happy and or rubbing.  Time to check my mounts, exhaust, etc.

Overall, it's starting to be a nice place to spend time in.  Even the ac is working well now that it isn't 100 degrees outside!

Edit to add!  

I was merging onto a road and ripped on it.  I didn't notice that there was a Ford zx2 Sr in the left lane.  It had 3 twenty somethings in it.  When I backed off, they had their phones out the window and asked me to rev it!  Awesome!

Exhaust....

Went from this:

To this:

I attempted a burnout.  Still has wicked wheelhop.  E36 M3.

My miata does too. It sucks. 

Dusterbd13-michael said:

My miata does too. It sucks. 

I'm not sure if it is the diff moving or what.  However, the Trans bounces violently when it happens.  Since I am using a ppf, I have to imagine the diff IS moving too.

I'm gonna try a pinion snubber on the diff or maybe diff end of the ppf and see what that does.  It helped a great deal on my 2nd gen rx7.  Only costs like $15 and a bit of time.

That was close!

After I lifted the engine up for the stock subframe I checked clearance with everything!

....  except the wipers.

Used them today.  They kept getting hung up on something.   Well....  that something was the plastic gm fuel line!  Wore a big line right down the fitting.  Didn't make a leak.

Damn, that was close!

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

Close means you learned something.  Not close means you didn't get the chance to learn something.

Fixed the fuel line.

The shifter surround keeps popping up.  It's because I raised the drivetrain 1 inch and now a superfluous part of the shifter hits the underside of the surround.  Some grinder work will clear that up.

I also order an 8$ powerflex pinion snubbed that I will install to hopefully help with wheelhop and keeping the drivetrain where it belongs.

There is still a weird creak / pop from the front end that I can hopefully diagnose tonight with some help.

It's coming along nicely.

Weird creak / pop from front end still exists.  

Cut down the top of the Chinese um shift turret and now no more popping the surround up!  Yay!

Had a dude in an Integra type R (clone) pull up beside me and say that my car sounded berkeleying awesome!

It's getting more comfortable every week!  It's fun to drive now!  Only getting better from here on!

Have you been able to drive it much after the new steering rack spacers and alignment?

Curious if you've got your issues resolved?  Steering is next on my project list

Great progress, it's nice to see it moving forward. It's such a great platform that can only get better by having more power and better fuel economy...w/87 octane to boot!   Of course, a turbo could also make it better. 

Congrats!

fouckhest said:

Have you been able to drive it much after the new steering rack spacers and alignment?

Curious if you've got your issues resolved?  Steering is next on my project list

Yes, it is glorious!  AND the same tie rods don't rub the wheels at full lock either!

One handed driving is now a thing without switching lanes.  The handling is predictable and enjoyable!

Hoondavan said:

Great progress, it's nice to see it moving forward. It's such a great platform that can only get better by having more power and better fuel economy...w/87 octane to boot!   Of course, a turbo could also make it better. 

Congrats!

I have already figured out what turbski I am going to run.  The biggest hurdle is getting the exhaust forward to the turbo.  Not gonna be easy.  I might need to make weird pipe shapes to get the exhaust around, under, and through small spaces.

I'll probably get some pvc pipe and try to mock it up sometime this winter.

I did realize today that I have a vibration on decel above 60mph.  It also has a vibration on accel above 72mph.  I'm gonna check driveshaft angles soon and see if it is that, or if I have a driveshaft that might be just a bit short.

It could also be related to whatever the noise is in the front end.

wvumtnbkr said:

fouckhest said:

Have you been able to drive it much after the new steering rack spacers and alignment?

Curious if you've got your issues resolved?  Steering is next on my project list

Yes, it is glorious!  AND the same tie rods don't rub the wheels at full lock either!

 

One handed driving is now a thing without switching lanes.  The handling is predictable and enjoyable!

great news!  appreciate all your input thus far on my debacle....sure we will be discussing that in my thread sooner than later

fouckhest said:

wvumtnbkr said:

fouckhest said:

Have you been able to drive it much after the new steering rack spacers and alignment?

Curious if you've got your issues resolved?  Steering is next on my project list

Yes, it is glorious!  AND the same tie rods don't rub the wheels at full lock either!

 

One handed driving is now a thing without switching lanes.  The handling is predictable and enjoyable!

great news!  appreciate all your input thus far on my debacle....sure we will be discussing that in my thread sooner than later

Just to reiterate what I did to solve the issue...

I moved the engine UP far enough to clear the stock subframe.  However, my rack is giant in the rx8.  I still had to lower the rack to clear.  It is moved down 3/4" and about 1/2 inch further forward.

I do have a bumpsteer kit (adjustable height tie rods) installed.  I have them about 1" spaced further down than stock.  

It's probably not ideal from a racecar standpoint, but for a few track days a year and street driving, I can't tell the difference between this and a regular rx8.

wvumtnbkr said:

 

Just to reiterate what I did to solve the issue...

I moved the engine UP far enough to clear the stock subframe.  However, my rack is giant in the rx8.  I still had to lower the rack to clear.  It is moved down 3/4" and about 1/2 inch further forward.

I do have a bumpsteer kit (adjustable height tie rods) installed.  I have them about 1" spaced further down than stock.  

It's probably not ideal from a racecar standpoint, but for a few track days a year and street driving, I can't tell the difference between this and a regular rx8.

Thanks, good to know!

I think my rack is going to be okay for/aft, it may be a bit lower than oem, but will need to get the pan cut up and see how it will high (close to OEM) location I can get it, but since i will be able to determine the final position i am going to do my best to keep it very close to level with control arms, which should help with bumpsteer....the big thing is still the side-to-side, but from all i've read as long as i can get the tie rod ends to be the same lenght, i should be good....

...and as you said, this wont be a dedicated track car, that is where my next project comes into play :)

Just to clarify, you need your tie rods as close to parallel with the control arms as possible.  

Ideally, the pivot points would be the same distance apart and on the same plane between control arm and tie rods (to eliminate bumpsteer).  

wvumtnbkr said:

Just to clarify, you need your tie rods as close to parallel with the control arms as possible.  

 

Ideally, the pivot points would be the same distance apart and on the same plane between control arm and tie rods (to eliminate bumpsteer).  

 

Sorry, when i said level, I should have said parallel

Understand on pivot points too, that is all the bittersweet part about things all living in infinite degrees a freedom.  Right or wrong now, I feel like the engine is as high or low as it can go, same with fore/aft, so now it is trying to get the steering rack and tie rods to best match what I am working with, then any future adjustments will all work together (in theory).

So, I haven't driven the car much due to life...

I have the bumpstops for the shocks (apparently a common problem causing rear sag).

I have the pinion snubbed.

I plan to make shims to help driveline angles.

I got 2 free front lower control arms from mazda to solve a splitting issue that occurs.

I figured out a way to put an idler pulley between crankshaft and ac compressor to help with belt tension.   

I'm excited to have a well functioning car that I can daily.

hi guys, I stumbled across this build as I am searching for a new chassis for my g6 gtp 3.9L v6 engine.

my engine is already a stick shift one. would I still need to use a s10 flywheel?

also is there a certain year rx8 that would work better than the others?

as anyone put a 6 speed behind this engine in an rx8?

Gambler87 said:

hi guys, I stumbled across this build as I am searching for a new chassis for my g6 gtp 3.9L v6 engine.

my engine is already a stick shift one. would I still need to use a s10 flywheel?

 

also is there a certain year rx8 that would work better than the others?

 

as anyone put a 6 speed behind this engine in an rx8?

 

I just saw this.  You are ahead of the game!  I believe you can use your stock flywheel.  I'm not sure it's really all that different from the s10 unit.  You can use your stock ecu and wiring harness as well!

You could adapt a 6speed if you had one in mind.  However, the 4.44 ratio in the rx8 means you will be revving the piss out of the engine at cruise.  I picked the t5 for 2 reasons. 1) it bolts right up.  2) it has a very deep overdrive which drops the revs down on the highway.

So, I hurt the engine last night.  Poo.

I'm not sure what I did, but the engine has a pretty good loud tick sound going on.  Changes with engine rpm.  Seems to quiet down for a second when coasting.

Seems either valvetrain related or....  a rod knock.

I might get a chance to check it out today.  Gonna pull individual spark plug wires and see if it quiets down.  Also gonna pull valve covers to look for broken spring or rocker.

If I popped it, I'll pull it and do some other things "while I'm in there".  

Ah well.  Just some more work on the journey.