FC Rallycross/Stage Rally/Ice Racer

[~Groll69~]

It handles two nail guns very well, its a thought.  I do have a larger air compressor if needed for short period of time.  I can make do with my pancake compressor for a couple of days.  Our you can come over  and use it too at my place.

[fidelity101]

I was using my old roommates 30 gal and it could not keep up, the die grinder is like a metered air leak.

How big is this larger one? sub question, if its large enough do you need any port work done?

[ITSWILL]

Just thought I would mention that the size of the tank doesnt have much to do with keeping up with your air tools.  But with that said, larger tanks generally have larger pumps.

I have a portable 30 gallon you could borrow if need be.  I ported SBC heads with it.  Or if you really wanted to you are welcome to come use my not so portable Quincy compressor.  You can run anything non stop with it.

[fidelity101]

There is 2 things I really need/want for the house.

1. Furniture
2. Air compressor

what CFM @90 is the 30 Will?

[fidelity101]

So at GLDRX I exploded my exhaust gasket from the high heat (very early on) and I am not allowed to run DET rallyX events until I quiet it down. So I added a resonator, also while doing so I had got redone the majority of the exhaust!

step 1. start over (kind of a common theme recently)


step 2. Add runner length. (approx 3 feet added)


step 3. Add resonator


step 4. add tape?


step 5. stop and compare (while still tacked)


step 6. re-install, inspect for leaks (NONE!)



Oh and I also snagged this and plumbed the garage the other weekend


3 cyl, 60 gal, 2 stage, 18cfm @ 90psi, belt drive.

Now there is an autoX on Sunday that I will be taking this too to verify if the sound got better or worse or if I can break the engine, if I can't then I have a potential 2 day rallycross on the other side of the state next weekend with a non SCCA affiliated group.

[fidelity101]

It is quieter with the addition of the spiral flow however, inside the car you can't tell. With the runners longer you hear each rotor pulse more distinct, which is neat. The moroso spiral flow was a nice touch. I still think I will want to wear ear plugs when breaking in the new engine. The muffler alone is just too loud. Also when I extended the runners I used 14 gauge steel, I figured the thicker the better for sound retention.

oh did I mention I made some progress?

I made some progress, need to finish the rear iron and 100% of the housings still.



The autoX was merely to test the exhaust, and I also discovered my new seating position is painful on the knee for a half hour drive so I absolutely need a new steering wheel to bring closer to me to free up knee room. I drove with blown front shocks, and no sway bars on bald tires. Highlarity ensued:








at the finish was a 90 left turn and my car would tripod the inner rear wheel. I would mat the gas, the RPM goes up but no forward motion and for a few seconds and no smell of clutch.

spun twice the 1st run, then the 2nd run I spun about 5 feet from where I spun the 2nd time. Naturally I just pinned the gas down and let her rip. the course was small so I just wound out 1st to 9k or so, again. Observe:

[murz]

What are the new engine plans? Seems the 4 port is the way to go if staying NA. The progress looks very nice, as well as the exhaust, i love hearing the distinct exhaust pulses!

[fidelity101]

Current build spec sheet:

S4 T2 irons (pineapple streetport)
S4 NA housings (pineapple streetport)
plug fresh air ports in housings
polish T2 inserts for housings
rx8 e-shaft
rx8 stat gears
AL flywheel
Atkins 4 port single piece DCOE manifold
FD corner seal springs
FD side seals
FD side seal springs
mazda motorsports competition oil control ring springs
FD oil pressure regulator
T2 oil pump
Atkins solid corner seals
RA classic apex seals/springs
S5 NA rotors
omp delete
RB front main pulley
NEW oil pan
mazda motorsports competition pan baffle

[murz]

Air ports in housings, semi peripheral port right? Oh man sounds like a pretty hefty NA build, can't wait to see more on this.

[fidelity101]

naw no semi PP, far simpler:

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"Racing Beat's Exhaust Air Injection Passage Plugging modification process for 1976 and later rotor housings blocks the fresh air passage which runs from the exhaust outlet flange surface to the bottom of the exhaust port. Two versions of this modification are offered: One for stock or streetable exhaust ported rotor housings and another for race exhaust ported housings. In the first case, not only is an aluminum plug pressed into the passage, but a small disc of metal is welded into the hole at the bottom of the steel sleeve in the exhaust port to smooth the exhaust gas flow. In the second case, since the sleeve was previously removed, only the aluminum plug is installed, but it is driven in deep enough to allow it to be cut off flush in the port.

This modification is not very important for 1976 to 1980 rotor housings if you use our header since this header covers the passage at the engine-to-header interface. However, if this modification is not done to 1981 and later housings, and if a stock intake manifold is used on the engine, the hot exhaust can back-flow up the intake manifold and heat it, creating an undesirable situation.
"


I was getting random things done and my welder friend can do aluminum so I had him go in there and fill these up.

I would like to clearance the rotors and balance the rotating assembly but that costs too much and I've taken this current engine far past 8500 and its lasted up through some abuse and if this becomes a stage car it will get a reney powerplant.

[murz]

I have always wondered about this! I had no idea this service existed though, or I would have done it as well. So now PP, aw man! Haha, I'd really like to make a PP engine one day. I'd need my own shop though with the right tools if I want to do that. Either way this is going to be a sweet build! What's your power goal?

[fidelity101]

160-180whp is my power goal. I dyno'd this engine a few years back and made 132whp but this carb is choking this engine, I plan to use this carb to break in this engine then upgrade. It is way to small, better suited for a stock 12a. I have won races on this engine and manage to stay competitive, I just need a little more power to compete on the faster track layouts.

PP is not ideal since im often out of my peak RPM and mid range power is ideal, so a streetport works best. If I find a long straight section n such I just wind the gear out up to 10k rpm to get the speed I need. No point in shifting I would just be downshifting immediately anyways and loose more time.

[fidelity101]

So I got some more work done recently, honestly this part should be the start of a new thread because the car is basically going to be totally different and the rotary engine build deserves its own thread .

in summary:

All irons? = ported (not polishing)

All housings? = ported/polished

Final parts required for assembly ETA? = today


Tap ALL the threads! (no seriously) especially the tension bolts, its a bitch and a half with the cast iron being so hard but it ensures even torque. Also its a good practice to get into and makes for an easier installation. When it comes to assembling these guys the minor attention to detail goes a long way (in my opinion) I hate doing it but its worth while.



Here is some comparison between a rough cut and just a scribed port:



Here are some after shots:



w/ the inserts removed:




all cleaned up with the polished inserts in (but not installed)



Here is my schedule to complete to make it before rallycross event on the 15th



It is a bit ambitious I know...

However I think if I rush to get it all done in time I will either run out of money to be able to compete or I have to only do the engine build/break in and thats it. However I still need to do these things <strong>MAJOR</strong> things before the car is back on the level:


1. Rear brake pads + passenger rear caliper

2. Assemble front bilstein shocks assemblies (RB springs + new bearings + bilstein B6 HD inserts + gutted shock tubes)

3. 6 speed swap:
   A. Verify driveshaft compatibility (might need to be lengthened or shortened or nothing at all!)
   
   B.  Fabricate transmission mount,

   C. Create room for shifter in chassis

   D. Send shift knob out to be converted to wood shift knob (ball so hard) again

4. Headlights (the lamps themselves are now complete) <strong>BUT</strong> they still need to be:
   A. Wired up to the chassis
   
   B. Fabricate headlight mount brackets
   
   C. Fabricate splash shield for added water protection

5. Bodywork,
   A. Source or repair driver side fender

   B. replace passenger side fender (acquired)

   C. Replace and modify front bumper (to accommodate new lights, cut out grille, and the rallyboob aux mounting)
   
   D. Fill in hood where headlight cover opening is

   E. Paint both fenders, hood and front bumper

   F. Clean and paint engine bay.

   
6. Break in new engine, approx 500 miles of stop and go driving slowly bringing it to redline and slowly increasing load. And with daylight savings time approaching I need headlights to be able to drive the vehicle around to break it in at night and dusk hours. Also I may need to get a new steering wheel because the new seating position is HELL on my knee during transit, the best seating position in my car is WOT (and thats how you should be driving it)


so my ideal goal is to have it all done by Dec 13th for the season ender to be a good shakedown to get ready for 2015 season.


Things left on the engine (before assembly)?
1. Port match intake manifold and gasket

2. Add brake booster port to intake manifold

3. Finish taping all the threads on the irons

4. Clean the berkeley out of everything

5. pull the old engine and salvage tension bolts/apex seals. Or verify if I need new apex seals or not


Ambitious? Now I after writing all what I need to get done I don't know if I can lol....

[fidelity101]

Oooooh what came in the mail (along with misc seals/springs)....


BNIB Rx8 e-shaft (includes pilot bearing/bushing and oil jets) from mazda for only 138 and its .6 lbs lighter and minor taper to the journal for better oiling, otherwise direct bolt in.

Right now I'm TBD on the build date because I found a snag...

There is a small area of pitting on one face of the center iron, I fear it might catch the corner piece of the apex seal. Also there appears to be some scratches that I can catch with my fingernail. Not sure if it was damaged in the move or from porting maybe it rested on a burr and dug in...

I might have to send out the iron to get lapped. Then its do I do 1 side or both sides of the center iron...

Expect daily updates on this build to see if I am progressing as planned. Last night finished tapping ALL the threads and gave an inspection/touch up on the porting.

Here are some block shots:

[fidelity101]

WEEKEND UPDATE WITH COLIN QUINN!

wait actually no. But some shit did go down...

I think I'm going to replace or resurface my center iron, I found some scratches and a small pitted area that I do not want to risk on this engine. But I did get to work on gasket matching the other ports.



One was nearly spot on, the other took a tad of beveling to correct.


Also, note the size difference in ports between the block and the manifold.



I really dislike atkins rotary products, this is one of them. This manifold would be great on a REW block, but if I could afford that I would have had a better manifold made. Not to mention the fact that they shipped it horribly and got scratches on the gasket mating surface, the part itself was quite dirty and required cleaning to get rid of all of the chips inside of the manifold and the flange area for the carb is not exactly round and the threads for the studs on one went into manifold which would cause a great gas leak. NOT happy with the quality and the price was so-so. Will not be purchasing anything from them again. I have had some minor issues in the past from them and now this is the final nail in the coffin. Do not buy from atkins, /end rant.

ANYWHORE! I got more engine parts cleaned and pulled the powerplant from the car and began my disassembly and inspection.



So this engine has had a rough 4.5 years and built on a college budget but how did it do? pretty damn well but this thing was tired. General heavy wear everywhere. I won't bore you all with the photos but step wear increased to drastic measures, I did find some other gouges on other irons but this is a good representation:



Here is side by side before and after of the rotor housings, everyone said that the RA classics are hard on housings, well I was also hard on the engine but you can see how much less dull it is now.



I was expecting more flaking, honestly it really didnt grow or change much (from what I remember)