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Some dimensions I can call accurate, some I will just say "it looks right". I have a 3-view of a Tamiya model kit scanned and scaled and I'm using that to make the 3d model of the exterior. I scaled it to the wheelbase, and confirmed the total height, width, and length are right within a few mm. On the other hand, I'm having the idea of just making bodywork - I've been kicking around this idea to have a CNC router to cut wood or even foam stringers and then I could just make a complete plug for the bodywork. It's not like SCCA has NASCAR style bodywork templates. Bonus is that I'd be able to make bodywork for literally anything, from scratch.
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Aug 17, 2017 11:34
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Seeing as this is the rotary thread can I ask a question? A friend recently had a 12a rebuilt and it's fouling plugs like a champ, are there any specific things that would cause this? It'll run on a fresh set but then eventually blackens them to the point where it won't start again. He's close to lighting the car on fire... 
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Aug 17, 2017 20:26
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I mean, I'd suspect carburetion or weak ignition. Do you know what plugs exactly, and just rebuilt or rebuilt and ported?
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Aug 17, 2017 21:03
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 A bit more progress... think I've got things mostly fleshed out so probably time to get back to mechanicals, with an extra dose of "tweak the chassis around a bit".
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Aug 17, 2017 21:10
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mekilljoydammit posted:I mean, I'd suspect carburetion or weak ignition. Do you know what plugs exactly, and just rebuilt or rebuilt and ported? It's a 12a with an added turbo by the previous owner. It's just had a straight rebuild, no porting and the guy that built it remarked it had a 13b centre section with some fucky odd sized seals to make it fit properly. It's a frankenstein setup, I'll try and find out what plugs are in it, thanks!
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Aug 17, 2017 23:27
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Olympic Mathlete posted:It's a 12a with an added turbo by the previous owner. It's just had a straight rebuild, no porting and the guy that built it remarked it had a 13b centre section with some fucky odd sized seals to make it fit properly. Carb or EFI? Obviously there's a bunch of details that could make things go weird. One of the things we did on the race cars is throw an MSD-6A box on, firing two stock coils, each of which went directly to lead plugs instead of through the distributor. Made a lot of plug fouling issues go away - the race plugs are cold enough that the competition manual recommends starting the car on stock plugs, getting it hot and then turning it off and switching plugs, and screw that noise.
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Aug 18, 2017 13:54
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Yeah, plugs and heat range. In my experience certain brands of '7' heat range will foul, but others won't. Sometimes a '8' in ngk is OK and best for standard ports but I'm not sure how a frankenstein turbo will affect that '9's and higher are just for thrashing on high speed race tracks full throttle and if he's got them he just might need an '8' heat range unless it's high boost on standard compression. Being it's some Frankenstein turbo set up it may be just trial and error. Also ignition, I gather he's using a 12a elec dizzy? what coils and have they bypassed the 7v resistor. Maybe new modules might help otherwise if they're NLA look at an ignition box like MKJD suggested. Fo3 fucked around with this message at 14:39 on Aug 18, 2017 |
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Aug 18, 2017 14:36
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Cheers chaps, all interesting information. It seems certain rotary forums are a little low on advice for stuff like this and the one forum that the car apparently has a history on, won't let him join. I may have to buy him an account here so he can tell you the details.
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Aug 18, 2017 15:46
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You could always try places like ausrotary. Rotaries are bigger in Australia, NZ and places outside of UK and USA.
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Aug 18, 2017 15:50
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Ha well he can read that for himself shortly, I've bought him an account. If he finds this he's called Wirespeed and I'd really like him to get this issue solved (because I want to drive his car  )
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Aug 18, 2017 15:53
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Welp, I just realized that despite somebody's willingness to help, in the end I'll trust measurements I'm doing myself a lot more than ones that someone else is making. So in other words, I just bought a used centerlock spindle that I won't actually be using other than to pull dimensions from. Ever have one of those times when you realize your project may be crazy? 
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Aug 23, 2017 20:05
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New (to me) parts time! I want to thank the guys at Roadraceparts.com for working with me and selling me these used bits so I can measure them up; it's an incredible help. So that said, on to pics! So that's a BBS E55 series wheel center setup for centerlock, and a used centerlock spindle from I'm not sure what honestly.  Beefy sucker; the bearing races on the left are something like 2" but the whole thing is hollowed out pretty extensively. It's not even just a straight bore either, the part that bulges out to locate the wheel is a larger ID than the part that the bearing races are on. I need to put some thought into how they did that.  Side view of the wheel center... one of the older style where the rim halves bolt on to the outside of the wheel center. The newer ones are setup for bunch more caliper clearance but this lets me confirm all of the machining surfaces necessary to bolt it to the spindle.  Rear (or inside, whatever) view of the wheel center; note 12 holes for the drive pins. Same wheel center works with spindles with either 4 or 6 drive pins. Next up, I start pulling dimensions and doing modeling!
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Aug 30, 2017 00:25
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Already made some progress - reverse engineered the spindle. CAD model has it as within an ounce or so of the real one, so nice confirmation I probably got the internal geometry right. Already have my redesign to take angular contact bearings done - this weekend's project is to hash out the suspension uprights and brake package.
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Sep 2, 2017 15:45
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Could I bother you with a question? I'm about to send an early sa22 to the scrappers but want to make sure I'm not throwing out any rare bits someone might want when I do. My mother in-law bought it new and drove it for years totaling up 179k miles but her husband was always a bit negligent with it and it ended up with lots of dents and scrapes all around and a hood and sunroof that rusted out so the body, seats and carpet are done for. The engine ran 2 years ago for a trip to the gas station.
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Sep 12, 2017 03:26
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I don't mind if you ask but I have no clue for the answer - I'm in the weird position of having acquired more parts cars than I will ever need back when they were dime a dozen so I have no idea what's hard to find or not. I do know 12A parts are pretty much all NLA now but I can't think offhand what else might be worth taking out.
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Sep 12, 2017 23:06
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If the front sheet metal is in good condition save it, particularly the header panel (piece between the headlights) and the front bumper. Also get the tail lights out before you scrap if they're still in decent shape. Gauge clusters and steering wheels also tend to be hot items. Also yeah the engine is worth pulling, they aren't making more 12A parts and that could have salvageable irons.
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Sep 13, 2017 12:50
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So last weekend I got to race wheel to wheel at Road America! My first time racing the track, and second race weekend, so I have room for improvement but didn't do too terribly. Holy poo poo is Road America fun, holy poo poo are coolshirts amazing, and people doing track days and stuff where you can't aggressively outbrake people are missing out. I made some mistakes both days due to still figuring out braking points and stuff but nothing too bad and I was far from the only one. The brakes on the car are amazing - the NC MX-5's ABS can actually handle Hoosier R7s with no problem, and lasted both races. Need to figure out if we can legally get any more camber on the front of the car (class rules have a limit) and may need to put the rear sway bar in the stiffer hole, as a few corners it was pushing. I do not as yet have a way around turn 3 and turn 14 that seems right, but on the other hand I'm close to flat through the Kink. Have some videos! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mjiIMcuO74 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ICThZcj6ZU
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Sep 26, 2017 11:27
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No photos because it's relatively boring, but did some thinking and figuring. Modern Mazda ABS copes well with even Hoosier R7s, and ABS is allowed in SCCA STU (albeit I could drop like, 50 pounds without it) and flatspotting Hoosiers sucks. Started doing research on putting the NC MX-5 ABS module into the NA I'm building... and it looks like it needs a CANBUS interface to work. On the other hand, the non-DSC RX-8 (1% of all RX-8s sold and only sold in the US for some reason) module doesn't, and in fact is the part number that was specified for the last generation MX-5 Cup cars. There's a lot of known solutions like the E46 Teves Mk60 ABS, but it gets to where there's a lot of question about reprogramming and the stuff to make it work is expensive... or the Bosch M4 Clubsport which 100% would work right and be awesome but is about $4.5k (about where the Mk60 would be frankly) The RX-8 module was all of $50 and if it doesn't work, well, I can always try something else.
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Oct 1, 2017 15:34
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More stuff without pictures (yet) In "for once in my goddamned life don't reinvent the loving wheel" news, ordered flowbench plans. Which I will build to plans. Seriously. There's a lot of things where I feel justified in revising things but sometimes I just need the tool at all, and this is one of those times. I'm bumping up against the limits of ignorance on relative merits of 13B irons (for example) and it's pissing me off.
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Oct 10, 2017 16:08
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Doing The Loooong Race with Council? Low Farm should be at CHUMPCar at RA this weekend. What are you trying to flow bench that you bought plans to build one?
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Oct 18, 2017 16:27
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extreme_accordion posted:Doing The Loooong Race with Council? Low Farm should be at CHUMPCar at RA this weekend. We're not planning to... don't know how many heat cycles are left on these tires and my dad and I have been too busy to do anything on the car since RA. Maybe next year. (unless we get really enthusiastic this weekend) Flow bench... basically very few people are doing rotary engine port development in any way I'm satisfied with; I'm thinking there might be a market there. Plus I want to try to find some stuff on various piston engine heads. Actually got bugged by a bunch of people about the aluminum fury road skull I did last year... might be enough for me to get off my rear end and get back to trying to do that.
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Oct 18, 2017 17:09
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RX-8 issues! I'm DDing an S1 RX-8 while I collect enough round tuits to build the WRX gearbox. It's got something like 135k miles on the original engine, and I think there's corrosion issues somewhere because it's doing this funny thing where the engine dies sometimes (I mean only 2-3 times on the drive in today) if I try to let it go to idle. I should probably try to fix that instead of just holding a 2k RPM idle, right?
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Oct 19, 2017 14:16
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mekilljoydammit posted:RX-8 issues! I'm DDing an S1 RX-8 while I collect enough round tuits to build the WRX gearbox. It's got something like 135k miles on the original engine, and I think there's corrosion issues somewhere because it's doing this funny thing where the engine dies sometimes (I mean only 2-3 times on the drive in today) if I try to let it go to idle. I'm hearing "install launch control"
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Oct 19, 2017 14:34
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The positive battery terminal assembly is a piece of junk. I'd be willing to bet you a set of spark plugs that at least part of the problem is located there.
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Oct 19, 2017 15:48
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McTinkerson posted:The positive battery terminal assembly is a piece of junk. I'd be willing to bet you a set of spark plugs that at least part of the problem is located there. Seeing as how that's what I wiggled around to fix a no-start issue in a parking lot Monday, no bet. Unless you *want* some of my weird spark plugs.
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Oct 19, 2017 15:51
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Sitting and talking to some people who run SCCA E-Production... I'd sort of written it off due to the pain in the rear end of doing front struts. But the more I think about it... I know how to make stuff, and I know everything the 1st gen RX-7 needs, so the fact I can't buy parts isn't really that much of a disadvantage. On the Miata there's not much point in making things as it's all solved problems, but at the same time it all costs money. I can't even start on a cage without a hardtop. Also I love 1st gens. And have poo poo loads of them. And a real strut solution could actually be a sellable product, so win-win.
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Oct 28, 2017 18:28
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OK, well in advance of need but... I'm going to need to accommodate wide tires. The widest tires the 1st gen came with were 185 section width, and the EProd slick is rated as 245 section width but is actually about 10". Needless to say, the car needs to get wider. I'm torn between two basic styles  Jessee Prather at this year's SCCA runoffs. The bodywork amounts to sort of a subtle bulge outwards with the air dam more integrated to the bumper.  Alan Moffat, in what's commonly called the Australian Group C bodywork. More of an old school "flares" but integrated into the front air dam. Either way I'm probably going to end up mocking it up and tweaking it myself instead of buying things, so the fact that you basically can't get the Aussie kit in this country isn't much of a concern to me. I have the rear section for the Prather style bodywork already though, and have molds for similar style.
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Oct 29, 2017 21:40
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If you dont answer Group C then you answered wrong. The answer for bodykits is ALWAYS Group C
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Oct 30, 2017 06:31
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I'm actually kinda leaning that way. At least in style - I don't know how wide the real ones were but I'm building it to the width I need either way. *edit* And the late IMSA style 1st gen bodywork is an answer too, at least to me... just not for this car because it's the widest available, about 3" wider per side. Looks like I get to design a floating axle kit too! Bonus is converting to an available wheel bolt pattern... I'm thinking 4x100. mekilljoydammit fucked around with this message at 12:47 on Oct 30, 2017 |
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Oct 30, 2017 12:10
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Weeeeelp, the Skip Barber bankruptcy auctions start ending today. It's sad that this longrunning institution went out of business. ... buuuuuuut, I just won the auction for a water brake for an engine dynamometer. So yeah, priming poo poo to get ridiculous.
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Nov 1, 2017 17:18
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Just to let you know that I just read the whole thread (slow day at work, eh?) just because of your comment in the chat thread, and I need more rotary in my life for motivation to resurrect my SA22C. Also, Group C/'79 IMSA body kit, all the way. That's what I want on my '79 for sure. Bubble flares 4 life.
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Nov 1, 2017 21:03
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Did someone order an engine dyno? NitroSpazzz fucked around with this message at 13:00 on Nov 5, 2017 |
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Nov 5, 2017 11:31
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Holy poo poo yes, and I owe you big time for helping make this whole crazy plot twist happen.
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Nov 5, 2017 13:39
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 Other bodywork option... this has the advantage of being friends with the guy who has the molds.
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Nov 9, 2017 01:27
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mekilljoydammit posted:
I need to know, right now, if that will fit an SA22C, and how much it will cost.
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Nov 10, 2017 01:04
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Darchangel posted:I need to know, right now, if that will fit an SA22C, and how much it will cost. *the next day* What you see is what I can get my hands on molds for - obviously not built for the SA bumper. If you're tied to the SA bumper, it probably won't fit, if you're not, you can probably swap the FB bumper structure over. Or like that car (or my next one) fab a light structure to support the nose fiberglass. On that one, the nose panel (the sheetmetal one with Mazdaspeed on it) is steel, everything below that is glass. Someone could probably modify it to have the air dam/flares rivet on to the stock sheetmetal/nose bumper skin, come to think of it. I am really not sure I want to get into the "fiberglass bodywork" business.
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Nov 10, 2017 15:21
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mekilljoydammit posted:*the next day* Ah, OK, so the bumper and lower valence are part of the air dam and lower flares, then. Bet I could still make it work with the SA steel bumper. Obviously would require cutting the “bumper” bit off of the piece. I will keep this in mind if you’re willing to sell a copy, seeing as how the early IMSA kit seems to be only found in Japan and Oz. I don’t particularly like the full-fender widebody kits. I like bubble flares.
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Nov 10, 2017 17:35
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NitroSpazzz posted:Did someone order an engine dyno?
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Nov 11, 2017 19:50
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pr0craztinazn posted:This has taken an unexpectedly amazing turn. I'm very interested to see where this goes. What else is needed before you start strapping engines to it for testing? Assuming the water brake is in perfect condition and has a pump... well, I'll sort of present it in "minimal" to "best" steps. Minimal, I need to fab a frame to hold the engine up to the pump and flywheel adapter, get a driveshaft coupler solution, have a way to measure force from the dyno (and calculate torque) and need a bunch of water storage - it basically converts horsepower into hot water and if I have enough of it I can just heat up water and then wait for it to cool. Oh and radiator / fuel / etc for the engine, plus ideally some fuckoff huge mufflers. This will mean I'm controlling load with a manual valve and manual throttle and recording numbers by hand. A step up for control / ease of use, I add a data acquisition system with instrumentation (load cells) and automated valves and throttle controller. This will mean that I can program it to just run the test - "sweep from idle to redline at 100rpm per second". I have the data acquisition hardware, but need to program it and buy/make the valves. A step up for reliability and longevity, I add radiators to the water circuit to dump heat out of that, and add heat exchangers / valves to dump heat from the engine coolant and oil into the dyno's water circuit. This means I can control coolant temperature and oil temperature to whatever to test that. Past that, there's no end of sensors and stuff I can add - thermocouples, pressure sensors (think not just manifold pressure and exhaust pressure, but looking at manifold pressure waves vs crank angle) and I want to write code to have the dyno DAQ computer interface with the ECU of whatever's being tested. My target is having the basic mechanics plus DAQ / valves done by spring. Dealing with a thousand gallons of water is going to be problematic during winter anyway...
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Nov 11, 2017 20:27
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mekilljoydammit posted:Assuming the water brake is in perfect condition and has a pump... well, I'll sort of present it in "minimal" to "best" steps. 220v motor/pump is on there and is still mostly plumbed.
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Nov 11, 2017 23:20
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