'86 RX7 Rally Car

I'm going to have to make sure to start having some drama at rallies with mine. Nobody even reads my thread anymore, lol.

irish44j wrote: I'm going to have to make sure to start having some drama at rallies with mine. Nobody even reads my thread anymore, lol.

Not true - us rally geeks read every bit of it. Or at least THIS rally geek does!

Post jumper cables, pre hood failure photo courtesy of Henry Roeters:

Compression test result:
F: 60 psi
R: 0 psi

Nothing, zip, zero, nada on the rear rotor. Can barely tell there's even anything spinning around in there

I am absolutely blown away that this thing started, much less propelled the car at 80+ mph. It looks like the front of the airbox split open at some point on day 2 and let it suck dirt/sand for who knows how long... maybe this is why you want to run a pod filter, so your seal is one easily checked hose clamp rather than a lip all the way around a box, most of which is tucked out of sight. The plugs on the front rotor still look surprisingly OK, the rear rotor ones are covered in fuel.

Bummer deal! Hopefully its rebuild able.

Videos from the first day! Two Hearted (SS3) is the one to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/FRrr9-Iz9QU
https://www.youtube.com/embed/TIjKupo9DLo
https://www.youtube.com/embed/na18K7XGHXs
https://www.youtube.com/embed/GjpZECBmZF8
https://www.youtube.com/embed/bLOTOH52iW8

java230 wrote: Bummer deal! Hopefully its rebuild able.

I have to figure out if the rest of the car is salvageable- there is cracking in several parts of the shell, most notably between the rear shock towers and main hoop supports

In reply to ¯_(ツ)_/¯:

Weld it up, bash it more!

EDIT: Watching SS3, thats what my truck was built for, bombing roads like that.... But its too tall for them to let me run anything.... Oh well. Damn that looks fun. I need to try this.

In reply to java230:

I just need to make sure the scrutineer says the same thing.

3.4 gm v6 and 5 speed. Add boost.

Lets see the cracking! It appears there isn't a horizontal across the rear strut towers, can you plate them and add one?

I'll wire wheel all the offending areas and take pictures this weekend. It's between the "box" of the shock tower and where the rear hoop support lands on the wheel arch. The tops of the towers are domed up as well, and there are cracks in the cowl and the area between the front strut towers and firewall.

A horizontal in the back would do nothing to prevent this, what it needs is for the rear towers to be tied into the cage... and about 30 years less metal fatigue

java230 wrote: In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯: Weld it up, bash it more! EDIT: Watching SS3, thats what my truck was built for, bombing roads like that.... But its too tall for them to let me run anything.... Oh well. Damn that looks fun. I need to try this.

You could run sweep- at this event it was a group of Ford Raptors and one FJ Cruiser.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote:

java230 wrote: In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯: Weld it up, bash it more! EDIT: Watching SS3, thats what my truck was built for, bombing roads like that.... But its too tall for them to let me run anything.... Oh well. Damn that looks fun. I need to try this.

You could run sweep- at this event it was a group of Ford Raptors and one FJ Cruiser.

Its crossed my mind a number of times. Maybe I will later this summer, there is a rally a couple hundred miles away IIRC. Ive got the radio and whatnot already.

I see on the cage, I didn't know if it was flexing inward or fwd/back.

Gut reaction here is to buy a running, driving FC, yank the motor for this one, and start caging the new shell/building my old motor. Or just buy one of the prepped cars I've been eyeing for months now (Merkur/Volvo).

Go Merkur and buy my shortblock and ported head! I'll give ya a deal!

Buy the Merkur. It's been sitting for a while. A decent offer should take it home.

I think a prepped car will be cheaper and faster, but its someone else's work. There is a turbo logbooked geo metro....

java230 wrote: its someone else's work.

This right here is my entire concern (well, that and Mazda contingency). I could spend the same to build a bombproof FC, and would know everything on the car first hand.

I'll sell you a pretty straight one cheap that I can not get running that well (engine was rebuilt and has good compression).

I can take pics. Get this thing out of my garage!

Just caught up with the thread.

First, never, ever go and talk to a psychiatrist, you're are already clinically insane and if you talk to a pro you may find yourself involuntarily hospitalized.

Second. You found a woman who accepts this, you and apparently enjoys it enough to stay with you permanently? You need to invest in cloning technology, you'll make a mint.

I am utterly totally stunned at the whole story, i would possibly have come up as well but i was in Canada for the weekend. I've crewed in the past for Steve Nowicki in the Plymouth Fire arrow you pictured in parc expose.

It makes almost zero sense to continue with this shell, but i know you will. See clinically insane comments above. Keep it up, you embody grassroots motorsport, not necessarily in the cheapskate way (although you appear to have that down) but in the keep going against all odds and just damn do it.

congrats.

In reply to Adrian_Thompson:

Thanks! And you're allowed to call me a cheapskate if you want, I don't mind

Sara and I are very lucky to have found eachother- it's really funny to hear her talking to people about the engagement and saying "seriously though let me tell you about the rally first!"

A photo of us filling the interior with dust by John Fishbeck:

The "MAXIMUM EFFORT" graphic on the front bumper just totally clinches that photo and makes me knibbly bits tingle.

Fun fact: that was written on there using the same giant sharpie that was responsible for the route 66 tally on the Maverick.

"berkeley. No exhaust, no intercom, no apex seals... we're gonna have to do this the old fashioned way: with full throttle, and maximum effort!"
My approximate thoughts at the time- I still can't remember the exact Deadpool quote to paraphrase it appropriately.