This Legend Will Die Hard- A Sad Story

[brechnar100]

A little update ! The last differential i found out were not from a Turbo model and didnt contain an LSD in it So i scoured japanese auctions and found one with an LSD in it and stub shafts as well. Bought it and shipped it over from Japan for $300, and it came with every little nut and bolt. The bushings even look brand new. When i install it ill put in the solid diff bushings and the solid diff mount.


I also picked up wheel hubs that were not damaged and have wheel bearings pressed in with also intact seals that are usually problems on these cars. But with these wheel hubs ill put in new ARP extended wheel studs, but ill be looking to mount them on new knuckles as my original knuckles are damaged. The new knuckles will be PBM Steering angle knuckles. But for now pictures of the hubs when they came in. Picked these up for $50.

[brechnar100]

So things wont be in the most chronological order but will be put together to show what steps were taken ( Not gonna jump back and forth between two different jobs on the project)

First thing was first and to install my camber and toe rods from PBM as well as my camber adjusters.

Jack up your car


Take off the rear wheels


Get your shiney parts ready !


I had to take out the old ones from the car and not only were the bolts pretty seized in place but trying to pop them out with even the weight of the car and the jack stand didnt want to let them budge. Had to hold a torch and get a good angle of attack to pop these suckers out.




The small amount of tools used to try and get them out of the subframe


The good ol heat torch method


Almost ready to come out


And voila one crusty toe rod out !


The jack used to try and pop it out with the weight of the car


The left side came out easier then the right


The new PBM Toe rods in. Easy to install and love the quality. Before install i tried to make them the same length as the OEM one as to not screw up the ride quality too much (Even though i went for an alignment the next day)


Otherside was the same easy install


Next was the subframe camber arm. I thought it was going to be a bit of a pain in the butt, but with a good extension for your ratchet and its an easy job. Its pretty much two bolts and a bushing that supports the ends of the rod on each side and you call it a day.

The old Non adjustable subframe camber arm


Another angle of it


This one was alot easier to do. Popped it out and put the new arm in. The arm does have bushings that are specific to which side is mounted to the frame of the car or the subframe.


Next up was the camber links, pretty easy again and these had spherical bearings which helped with camber adjustment as the OEM ones have no play to allow for adjustability

Old OEM ones


New ones popped in





MMMMMM i love that gold


So this was all done around labor day weekend. The only problem i had next was that the car definitely needed an alignment after installing the coilovers and these adjustable rods. Unfortunately because of a bad schedule i wouldnt have been able to do the alignment for 4 days and the car had a really bad thrust angle.

So i just did some calling around on kijiji (Canadian version of craigslist) to make an appointment for an alignment and a guy answered and said he could do it that day because he was working at his shop just to get away from his wife

So i did the thirty minute drive to a couple cities over and got my alignment done.









Once the alignment was done she drove straight as an arrow and the road feel was improved drastically.

Next were to finally install my brakes. I got my Stainless Steel brake lines in and re finished my calipers.






I also installed brand new stop tech slotted and vented rotors in the front of the car, and slotted, cross drilled, vented rotors in the rear. Also bought their street brake pads for the car to really freshen up the stopping power.

Before what the old stuff looked like


And new with the clean shiny parts


I dont have pictures of the install process as to switching these calipers and rotors were a pain in the butt since everything was either seized on or stripped. Whoever did the brake job before hand did a poor job and i ended up finding out my front calipers were almost seized as the brake pad wear was only happening on one side of the pad.

Thankfully i re did the brakes in time with the new calipers with fresh seals and pistons, new brake lines that are cleaned up at all connections, and new hardware to minimize any more seized on bolts.

Took one last Shot of the car before winter mode


And then Canada came.


I also bought an NRG slim quick release hub. I had to install a ground wire to the momo steering wheel hub as the horn had one wire coming out to the steering wheel and it grounded itself on the hub. Where as the NRG quick release used two wires, one power and one ground, and so it took a lil bit of time to find a nut bolt and washer but it went on with ease. Ill take pictures of that soon.

The hub itself


I also changed the shift knob and boot in the car.

The old boot was made of leather and the heat that this car makes passing through the transmission tunnel ended up curing the leather basically, and when you shifted pieces of the leather would crack off. So i went and got a shift boot for a honda civic and had to do a little trimming but none the less install went well.

Old shift boot


New shift boot


Then after the install my momo shift knob came off. I wasnt mad about it, as i didnt like the shift knob that much and decided to go get a new one that actually threads into the transmission shifter. So went back to the store where i got my shift boot and bought an NRG adjustable shift knob.

Old knob with boot


New knob with boot




Now after all these mods were said and done winter time came around and i started working at a Mercedes Benz dealership. So my time is taken up by work and school and trying to save money. But while doing so its been increasingly difficult to find parts on forums for my car and the Canadian dollar went down the drain and importing parts across the border has not been an easy task.

So i did the next best thing, started using japanese auctions again but this time using sites that allow me to transfer parts over. So i ended up finding parts for the rear end of my car to install an LSD.

I found the hardest ones first which were the axles which usually cost 150-300 dollars in north america, in Japan i got them for 40 dollars plus 30 dollars shipping.


Then i picked up a rear strut bar, a cusco one for 20 dollars, brand new they are 300 dollars.


And as we speak i just got brand new wheel hubs for 40 dollars that ill be installing extended wheel studs when they get here from japan.

I also found a rear differential with an LSD unit for my car from japan for 140 dollars which are usually 500 here in canada. Just have to wait on shipping and then ill refurbish the looks of these parts and install them.

I also treated myself this christmas and bought the new nameless performance Hydraulic handbrake


I have a racefab dual caliper bracket set up waiting around somewhere in my parts box and going to install that for bonafide driftage.

Also a local shop that builds custom brake lines made me three rear brake lines for my car for only 50 dollars, usually the kits are 200 dollars


So the next step is to get the differential, powder coat it, insert the PBM bushings, then install that with the axles, and a custom driveshaft. Then ill install the hydraulic handbrake and i can do some proper skids with the car.

[brechnar100]

Gonna make another progress update on the car in a bit. Been busy since summer, back in for my final year of school, got a job working at Mercedes Benz(hopefully starting my apprenticeship there), and working hard on trying to save up money to pay my student debt lol But ive collected some parts since then and will continue to do so until the weather gets better.

[brechnar100]

Alright i guess its time for an update. Alot has happened i guess you can say in the past couple months.

First off lets start with the infiniti. Went to my friends house to help him do some brakes. As soon as i get there after the 20 minute drive my car decided to piss coolant everywhere.



Found out it was the lower rad house, some how hit the clutch fan and gave it a good kink.



Went to the parts store and got one that was better angled away and fitted it back on and she was good again. Then the next day the Alternator decided to go on the car. Went to a rebuilder and he gave me one for a good price and i replaced that as well.



Me : 1 Alternator: 0




Then i sold the infiniti.

Why ? I got bored of it. Wasnt fun to drive anymore and wasnt the type of car that i could hop into and it would constantly put a smile on my face. I drove it for a while then when i hopped into the rx7 i instantly fell in love with it and realized the infiniti wasnt for me.

Then one night i was on the japanese auctions and found these 18x9 work e wing modenas. They are in rough shape but luckily they are 3 piece and ill be getting these re done into drift spares.




So those will be in storage for a while. In the meantime i did some preventative maintenance and got my car rust proofed.


Then got my windows tinted. 35 on the sides and 20 in the rear.



Then i picked up some tools, got these two dewalt drills for 150 with two batteries and two chargers.


Then i finally got a cordless impact wrench off kijiji (Canadian version of craigslist) for 120 dollars as opposed to the 300 dollar retail price. It was brand new in box too.


THEN I GOT NEW PARTS!!!

First was a cusco strut bar that i got off a rx7 forum. Got it for half the price. I sanded all the paint down and off. Then took rustoleum paint that was a metallic black and metallic purple and painted it accordingly.







I also just got my Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings master kit from front to back. So i have every bushing ready for an upgrade in my car along side with the PBM ones as well. And as you read this i just ordered the camber links, camber arms, and toe arms for the FC to finish off all the necessary suspension components for the car. With that being said once all this is installed suspension is done. Next are brakes.



Then speaking off brakes, two days ago i went on kijiji again and found a guy selling 4 piston calipers from the turbo model of these cars. Contacted him, we agreed on a price and i went and picked them up.

They come with a fresh rebuild and another rebuild kit as well. But everything seems to be in order and just need a fresh cleaning with new pads and rotors to go with. Ill be painting these calipers Black. Also fun fact, the turbo calipers are different from the NA calipers in the rear as well. The turbo ones are wider and can hold a vented disc while the NA are not as wide and can only hold a solid disc. So i need to source another set of rear turbo calipers for when i want to do my dual rear caliper setup.



Now for some hardcore pictures.

Local ferrari 458 with Liberty walk kit. I see this car often downtown since my girlfriend lives in the heart of toronto.



Then i went to one of the best local car meets in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and its called Strada. Very well organized and some of the best and friendliest people ever. Met with a bunch of RX7 guys who asked me to park beside them


Then week after that was AE86 day and a garage called Cyrious Garageworks was hosting a meet. It had insane cars. The pictures will speak for themselves.
I believe this e30 had a 1jz or 2jz (Cant remember)


Pat Cyrs cars.


2JZ Scion FRS


Then the real porn begins. A camaro, with air ride, LS motor, blown and NOS, carbon fiber engine bay, and just a beautiful splitter in front.





And thats about it. Next on the list is stainless steel brake lines, refreshen the calipers, get stop tech rotors and brake pads. Then brakes and suspension will be done. Next up is fueling, interior, and decisions on what motor i want in this car. Im stuck between a 13b turbo S5, a 1/2jz, or an LS swap.

[TWM Performance]

The Saab was sick but the Q is definitely dope as well!

- Renato

[0_0Paulk]

Well i was sad when i read about the sold saab but you came back with two awesome cars...I cant be mad about that.

also this is my first post w00t

[loekaaz]

I asked 'P78' to help you out

[brechnar100]

Good update.

You know you can ask a mod to change your thread title don't you?

No i did not ! But thank you ! Maybe the mods can change it too This Legend Will Die Hard - A Sad story

[loekaaz]

Good update.

You know you can ask a mod to change your thread title don't you?

[brechnar100]

Now on to the daily. So the gentleman who built the work equips has a infiniti Q45 himself. But his is mint, low and wide on its own. I never thought i would own one myself but after parousing the local classifieds i saw this one pop up for 600.00. I had some extra cash laying around and needed something more practical then the rx7 because my girlfriend and i like to go downtown with friends and family and a four door is a great solution. Any problems with the infiniti i would take upon myself on fixing. First thing on the list to fix was the battery, it was dead. Then replace the head light lamps, another easy fix.

Here on her first day


Fluid service, oil changes on both cars, as long as a transmission fluid change in the Q.


Also have some daily wheels, theyre 18x8 and 18x9 Rays Victrix Brainer wheels.


the car also definitely needed a trunk liner as well.


The trunk latch also doesnt work, needed to source a new one from another parts car. Unfortunately these cars are so rare in Canada that i needed to order this from a salvaged car all the way in Florida.


Some pics of the wheels.



Ride height, Car is also missing an exhaust from the cat back.


How the front sits.


Keep in mind this car has Nissan 240sx Struts and springs. Gotta do more research as to what parts are swapable but for the time being this is her.


Mocked up a quick trunk bed liner from home depot. Cost me 30 bucks




Engine was knocking in cylinder one and two. Swapped out the spark plugs and changed a bad ignition coil.


Also ordered some Weds Kranze Bazreia. Gonna rebuild and powder coat these wheels.



Heres a funny story, car started and drove for the first 4 days. After some dailying and scraping alot in certain places i got to work and parked up. After a long 12 hour shift i hop into my car and try to start her........Nothing.

So i thought it was the starter, u can hear the fuel pump, car is getting battery voltage and u can hear the ignition switch activate, but no motion from the starter. Call CAA and get the car towed home. Once the car was towed home and the tow truck driver dropped the car back out i noticed a wiring harness drop down. Its the wiring harness for the starter system.


So out comes the soldering kit and picked up the proper gauge wire as well as heat shrink, electrical tape and a sleeve to protect the wiring. As you can tell, this hasnt happened before, the first two blue wires have butt connectors attached to different color wires and it was wrapped in electrical tape as protection. So i took it upon myself to fix the problem.


After all the wiring was soldered, heat shrinked i wrapped it.


Added the sleeve for more protection


Re routed it around the oil pan and let it sit above the sub frame.



Then voila she was fixed and started again, saved myself 250.00 on a new starter.
Also a picture of the old plugs.




The girlfriend likes to help out every now and then and swapped in the air filter. She knows best.



So thats it for now and what ive been up to recently. Been doing alot of brake jobs and small stuff like that but no need to really post it. Slowly but surely cool things will keep happening.

[2.oTAWD]

You must put the wheels on the FC!

[brechnar100]

So to clarify the mazda RX7 is my project car, aiming for the future to do one of two swaps. Its NA so i wanna do a turbo swap first, get myself familiar with the 13B Turbo engines, and then eventually do a v8 swap since they are so abundant. So i purchased a Turbo 2 Transmission, Turbo Rear end subframe, LSD and housing, and rear axles. All for 300 bucks .
Heres a throwback of when i first got her. Litterally bought her on the spot before even turning the motor on.



The LSd and rear subframe


The transmission and axles.


Mandatory pop up headlight gas station photo


The PBM bushings. Got all of them and some more on back order, gonna get the angle kit next from them.


Then one day leaving work i saw this for the first time. Dude is a regular at my work

[brechnar100]

Also did a fender roll on a buddies mazda 3. He bought 18x9.75 inch wheels and they were way wide. Rubbed on everything, did a fender roll and aggressive pull.






Did a roll on my best friends Infiniti M45 that hes over hauling.


How it started.


Setup


Started rolling and began the process of a mild pull.

Before:


After:


Shit and giggles


Because this is a saab titled thread ill throw this 9-5 in. 420 WHP and 450 torque.
Uses a Holset HX35

[brechnar100]

While doing this ive been doing some side jobs fender rolling. Did a type r Swapped track integra. Has a wild paint job, and done up interior with proper suspension modifications.




Mounting the roller to the hub


That was an easy job none the less. Also did my friends civic to clear his wheels, his car sat really low and the rear fenders were on the tire, before he even sat in the car.

The initial start of the roll



Gettting there


Practically done, i flattened it more afterwards.


How the rears sat before the roll


How it was after the roll.


Then one day i was bored and did a thing.

[brechnar100]

So here is an update after disappearing for over a year now. But this sad Saab story now has a plot twist.

With my first school year that was coming up the government would not let me have a student loan based on my parents old finances. So i was in a tight bind and needed to find 2100.00 in less then two weeks. Then i had to switch my insurance from company to personal and that had sky rocketed from 115.00 a month to 490.00 a month. So i decided to sell my car and use the money to fund my education.

Now i know what youre thinking, great a unique build totally out of the window. But to be quite honest i had fallen out of love with the car and in order for me to sell the vehicle i needed to provide a safety inspection slip. Getting the slip proved difficult. I had a cracked front subframe, bad CV axles, the wheel hubs were noisy and the car wasnt in the shape it needed to be.

So heres the break down, a buyer was interested in the car and after the extensive repairs i was able to sell the car for: $8000.00
Tuition for school: $2100.00
Buying a Mazda RX7 FC3S in mint condition: $3000.00
BC racing coilovers for the FC3S: $800.00 (BNIB from a guy who had to part his car out)
Money Left Over: $2900.00

Oh, also bought an 1997 infiniti Q45 Lowered on s14 suspension for 600.00....But thats later.

So This is where the direction takes fold and as you can see i found a rx7 FC in markham ontario for 3000.00. Car had 120,000 Km on it and has absolutely no rust what so ever. It had a upgraded momo steering wheel and a momo shift knob with upgraded sound system and stereo Deck.

First things first, installing the coilovers.


Stock height of the rear


Stock height of the front


The coilovers


First was the Rear, one bolt in the knuckle at the bottom, two up top after you remove the rear speaker, super easy. Car came with KYB Adjustable shocks, selling the whole set for 100.00 btw


Comparison of the old shocks to the new coilovers.


The rear coilover Installed.




Put the wheels back on. 5Zigen racing 17x7.5.


Gotta let the springs settle.


Front shocks are just as straight forward. 2 bolts in the knuckles. 4 up top.


Now whoever installed the old shocks put it so that i had to remove the front brake caliper in order to slide the bolt out. No big deal but a inconvenience none the less.


But once the new coilover was installed slapped the wheel back on and this is the front fitment.




While i was done with the coilovers i also took out the interior seats to vacuum and do a full detail.




How she sits now, yes could use more low, but once i order a VIS Body kit itll make it look lower, plus in city driving, driving over speed bumps u can hear the pinch welds scrape.


Pic of the rear, also forgot to mention the car has cross drilled and slotted brake rotors with new pads. Also came with a Racing Beat Cat back exhaust.


Another Side shot