Our new project car: RallyX-7

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Katya4me
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Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by Katya4me »

It followed us home on Monday:
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Cliff's Notes:
1. Previous owner didn't have space for it, so he gave it away to a friend of ours.
2. That friend has a HOA and a kid, and was storing it elsewhere and not working on it, so he offered it to us. :D

It does have some issues:

Definite
1. Battery (We have one on the charger right now to see what it does).
2. P/S needs to be either removed or reinstalled.
3. Some way to start the car. (probably a Big Red Button of some sort)
4. Clean out crap. (lots of crap inside)

Maybe
1. Clutch

More details from original ad and next owner below:

The original ad:
Due to (lack of) time and garage space, I have to part with my rallycross car. I only attended a couple of races last season with this car (red rx7). So it's not too beat up just yet. It will never be a street car again, as it's been prepped to run in modified class at this point. It's competitive in M2, much more so than the driver. :) Subtract my cone times and my previous times are right along with the pack.

The drivetrain, suspension, brakes, etc are all stock, and the engine runs fine*. (yeah, that's an asterick, see below)
Transmission and Clutch are ok, no grinding and all the gears work, although I haven't been above 2nd gear for a while. :)
The interior is stripped of carpet and floor padding, but the door interiors are still there, as is the dash - lights/wipers/ blower works
has an aftermarket shifter, was there when I bought it, so not sure what kind (but it does have Hurst Shifter sticker, which adds 5 hp)
14 inch rally tires on stock wheels, still in decent shape only been through about 8 race days
AC removed, condenser and evaporator too.
I have the signed title from the previous owner, but have never put it in my name
K&N filter, no other mods to air intake system.
solid motor mounts, since the factory rubber was broken when I got it.
Passes tech inspection!

Now for the asterick - halfway through it's last race, the oil cooler lines started leaking and needed to be replaced before running again. I recently replace them with nice shiny stainless braided ones, but in doing so had to remove the power steering. I haven't cut the lines, they are just ziptied up out of the way right now. Either the PS pump needs re-installed (5 big bolts) or the lines need to be looped together, which is what I'd do. Since installing the lines, I haven't driven it, so no guarantees on my workmanship.

I have been flat-towing it to and from the track, so it's set up for a tow bar which is attached to the pseudo-frame in the front, and can be hooked up/released in about 5 minutes. It rolls along just fine behind my minivan, and I'll throw in the towbar and magnetic lights for the right price. (which is any)

I really just want to get it out of the garage, so any price would be considered.

From next owner:
The steering issue was the pump I believe. I drove it without the PS, and it was fine for me. I was just going to fill the rack with fluid and loop the lines...

It's got a new set of oil cooler lines on it, and I didn't notice any oil leaks on the couple runs around the dealership I did... LOL...

Other than that, it definitely needs a battery, and if it was a street car, I'd be looking at a clutch. For a rally car, I think the clutch will be fine for a while yet.

It had a pretty worn out ignition on it, that finally failed completely so I couldn't turn the key anymore....




We need to get the title from our friend and then the goal is to get it up and running before the next rally-x on May 16. I think Shawn plans to work on it this weekend.
prorallycodriver
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by prorallycodriver »

That is going to be loads of fun. RWD rallyX is slideways.
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by Sabre »

Congrats on the purchase, that thing is going to be loads of fun! What's happening with the Saturn? Is this turning into a his car/your car deal?!?!
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by Cereb Daithi »

I should put you in touch with Andrew. Not sure if you're familiar with his car but lets just say you'd be interested.

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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by sirwilliam »

^^Teeth are a great touch! Nice photo!


Congrats on the new ride, you guys! I am jealous and wish I could spend time RallyX'n :(
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by Katya4me »

Sabre wrote:Congrats on the purchase, that thing is going to be loads of fun! What's happening with the Saturn? Is this turning into a his car/your car deal?!?!
The Saturn was a "we don't want to hurt our cars and we don't know whether we'll really like rally-x, so let's buy something really cheap" car. We've found we do enjoy it, and the Saturn is a good beater, but it's not fun to drive. We both like RWD and it's hard to argue with free.

We want to get this car up and running first, but I don't see either of us choosing the Saturn over the RX-7 once it's working.
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by complacent »

absolutely love the car. the door numbers really take the cake though :)
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by moxnix »

prorallycodriver wrote:That is going to be loads of fun. RWD rallyX is slideways.
All the more reason to run it :D I am sure the saturn would be more competitive but this should be fun since it came with Falken Azenis rally tires.
Sabre wrote:Congrats on the purchase, that thing is going to be loads of fun! What's happening with the Saturn? Is this turning into a his car/your car deal?!?!
We have done the his car/her car thing with autox before but I really prefer to both be driving one car. Prep on two cars is a pain and having to drive two cars out and back to events that are not real close by is not fun either.
complacent wrote:absolutely love the car. the door numbers really take the cake though :)
Duct tape FTW!!
Cereb Daithi wrote:I should put you in touch with Andrew. Not sure if you're familiar with his car but lets just say you'd be interested.
Don't know his car at all. Currently we are just working on getting the car running again after sitting for a while. The car is already running in M2 because of the front interior removal so we can do pretty much anything to the car (as long as we keep it cheap) Not looking to spend real money on it this year other than maintenance type stuff.
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by prorallycodriver »

Cereb Daithi wrote:I should put you in touch with Andrew. Not sure if you're familiar with his car but lets just say you'd be interested.

Image
Thats nice but you needed a pic of me codriving w/ Andrew.

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Ron V's 2nd gen Rx7 rallycar was for sale here locally recently. Probably still is. He may let you pic thru his spares. He is on DCProRally yahoogroup email forum. There are several others still be campaigned on west coast and in Canada.
Last edited by prorallycodriver on Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by Mr Kleen »

if you guys need a hand prepping the car one weekend, post up. I wouldn't mind lending a hand and maybe spectating at a rallyX. not sure I'm ready to put my DD on the line though. :lol:
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by moxnix »

prorallycodriver wrote:Ron V's 2nd gen Rx7 rallycar was for slae here locally recently. Probably still is. He may let you pic thru his spares. He is on DCProRally yahoogroup email forum. There are several others still be campaigned on west coast and in Canada.
I remember seeing that ad. But it was way more than I wanted to pay for a rallyx car.

I know nothing about setting up an RX-7 and even less about setting up a rallyx car.

Now if I can just find some cheap 4x114.3 wheels in whatever size is good for picking up used rally tires (Currently on stock 14's).
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by prorallycodriver »

moxnix wrote:I remember seeing that ad. But it was way more than I wanted to pay for a rallyx car.

I know nothing about setting up an RX-7 and even less about setting up a rallyx car.

Now if I can just find some cheap 4x114.3 wheels in whatever size is good for picking up used rally tires (Currently on stock 14's).
What I'm saying is Ron most likely still has it. Ask to go see it and ask questions. He is nice guy. Maybe he'll sell you some wheels/rallytires separate from his car.
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by goob_os101 »

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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by schvin »

very cool!
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by Katya4me »

Progress updates:

It starts!!
Image
Still need to find a good mounting surface and the car has no lighter right now, but it moves now. :) Shawn also swapped the stock shiftknob back on while he was in there.

It goes to eleven!!! :nana:
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Truly the wiper system must be awesome on this car, once we get the wipers re-installed...

Got most of the duct tape numbers off now. Any recommendations on the best way to get the rest of it off?
Image
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by captainslow »

Try Goo Gone. It works wonders on adhesive residue and shouldn't mess up your paint if you follow the instructions. You can get it at drug stores or hardware stores.
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by prorallycodriver »

Goo Gone or Goof Off available at auto parts stores and your favorite HomeDepot. Also, in a pinch, WD40 will remove glue and not hurt paint.
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by Katya4me »

More progress:

Thank you for the Goo-Gone recommendations!!! A little bit of labor and that took them right off:
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Our friend couldn't deal with the engine bay looking like it belonged to a rally car, so he started cleaning it up:
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The lower ear of the power steering pump (upper left in the picture) was hitting the braided oil lines, so we decided to remove it:
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And now it fits:
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Still need to reconnect the lines, but looking a lot better than it did less than a week ago.
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by Katya4me »

And Shawn has created a better mounting point for the switches:
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Next up is a new belt for the PS pump.
2.5 weeks until the next rally-x. :D
Last edited by Katya4me on Tue Apr 27, 2010 1:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by zaxrex »

Shawn = teh awesome
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by Katya4me »

zaxrex wrote:Shawn = teh awesome
Yup and I was just informed that the PS is now working. :nana:
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by complacent »

this is really rad. happy for you guys. :)
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by avriette »

moxnix wrote: Now if I can just find some cheap 4x114.3 wheels in whatever size is good for picking up used rally tires (Currently on stock 14's).

zat iz ze one....

let me know when you find a source for rubber and wheels.
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by Katya4me »

Well, yesterday was our first event with the RX-7 and I have to say that it came through with flying colors. :D
In order to pass tech, we did have to get a new windshield on Friday as there was a crack on the driver's side.

There were 5 entries in M2 and we came in 2nd and 3rd. By the afternoon, we were consistently within a second of the M2 leader's time on each run, except for the runs that we tried to spin the car on... We got 10 runs in the AM and another 10 in the PM, so the car had 40 opportunities to break and it never did. We did have a hanger come off, which we think was part of the heat shield, but that is very minor in the grand scheme of things. The tires are amazing and contributed greatly to our grip levels, esp. since 90% of the time we were some version of slideways. :innocent: The engine never overheated, and we didn't break anything. Next event is a 2 day National event in June, so we are going to register for that shortly.

Upon arrival:
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Shawn out driving:
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Me driving:
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It was a little dusty, even after the water truck came through:
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Re: Our new project car: RallyX-7

Post by ElZorro »

Awesome stuff :) Glad you guys are having fun with it!
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