It followed us home yesterday:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S8xH9YC3llI/AAAAAAAAARE/h3Y8xtkl8JQ/s640/DSC03196.JPG

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.
The real way to remove the P/S is http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=439979 and I think we have the 15.2:1 power rack (1998 SE model)
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.

Followed you home, HAHAHAHA. Sweet...

Aw, snap!

cool !

Nice, I've been wanting to switch to Stock RWD rally-x for awhile myself. I've gotten a bit bored with Stock Front.

good luck...rotary = money pit

Nice, I've been wanting to switch to Stock RWD rally-x for awhile myself. I've gotten a bit bored with Stock Front.
The A/C and front interior have been pulled already and it's go rally tires, so this car is in Modified, not Stock. However, we're not planning on making anymore changes to it once it's running again. I think this weekend's project is figuring out an ignition method and mounting spot.

good luck...rotary = money pit
Well, it is N/A, currently running and we haven't spent a dime on it yet, so I'm feeling pretty positive. :D

Progress updates:

It starts!!
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S9Rsr4pOfLI/AAAAAAAAATg/7mKqL-ZQEtY/s512/RallyX-7%20029.jpg
Still need to find a good mounting surface and the car has no lighter right now, but it moves. :) Shawn also swapped the stock shiftknob back on while he was in there.

It goes to eleven!!! :eek:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S9RsrW5J_4I/AAAAAAAAATc/pBVKZuJjKN0/s640/RallyX-7%20027.jpg
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?
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S9Rsp3bZpCI/AAAAAAAAATU/LGQoPeOweWQ/s640/RallyX-7%20024.jpg

The current state of the power steering:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S9Rsqhf7B2I/AAAAAAAAATY/e-0iMOoWtw8/s512/RallyX-7%20023.jpg
We need to re-connect it and then decide it we want to properly de-power it.

Nice find!!

More progress:

A friend suggested Goo-Gone for the duct tape and that took them right off:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S9S3jo_YTuI/AAAAAAAAATw/NQsFqsG6QfM/s640/RallyX-7%20031.jpg
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S9S3kN1AO3I/AAAAAAAAAT0/bI-Pjwefb0o/s640/RallyX-7%20032.jpg

Our friend couldn't deal with the engine bay looking like it belonged to a rally car, so he started cleaning it up:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S9S3km3fl1I/AAAAAAAAAT4/Src-pWauqZI/s640/RallyX-7%20033.jpg

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:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S9S3zq39cjI/AAAAAAAAAUI/ekKLwF2HHsM/s640/RallyX-7%20036.jpg
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S9S3098UpZI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/3U_WyaabScE/s512/RallyX-7%20040.jpg

And now it fits:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S9S31dzMRtI/AAAAAAAAAUU/ikTLDju0epU/s512/RallyX-7%20041.jpg

Still need to reconnect the lines, but looking a lot better than it did less than a week ago.

good luck with the project :rock::thumbup:

take it to maaco and get the 199$ ambassador paintjob!

Looking good.

take it to maaco and get the 199$ ambassador paintjob!

Nah, it's a rally car - it just needs vinyl and mud.

Nah, it's a rally car - it just needs vinyl and mud.
Sounds good to me. :)

So, now the switches have a slightly more permanent mounting location:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S9WbzJy3tXI/AAAAAAAAAVI/jCIbXfSLU24/s640/RallyX-7%20046.jpg

put a 350 in it

The power steering is now working.
2.5 weeks until the next rally-x!!!

Wish i could do a project car, that would be sick... start from a junker and over 2 years just do what ever i want with it!! Anyway looks sick!! Good luck on your goals! :)

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 to a Focus which has been raced for the past 2 years. By the afternoon, we were consistently within a second of his 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:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S_CPU7nLlvI/AAAAAAAAAXE/k62v6jdhj1g/s640/RallyX-7-First%20event%20003.jpg

Shawn out driving:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S_CPWw5FMcI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/fbQ2Zs-a7iU/s640/RallyX-7-First%20event%20029.jpg

Me driving:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S_CRgwAiRwI/AAAAAAAAAYU/DljTjX5mtQ4/s640/RallyX%20RX-7.jpg

It was a little dusty, even after the water truck came through:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/S_CPV-nxuCI/AAAAAAAAAXI/nDWplT_4qz4/s640/RallyX-7-First%20event%20005.jpg

Looks like a lot of fun!

Nice work getting it to the point it needed to be at. She won't win any beauty contests (don't shoot me, I'm talking about the car). I think it's awesome that you and your hubby/significant other can do this together and go out and enjoy a day at the track.

I would try this with my wife but I guess it would have to be drifting. She always ends up sideways even though she doesn't mean to /sigh

ROFL, we're definitely not looking at turning it into a showcar, by any means. Next items on the list will probably include a skidplate and mudflaps.

Going sideways is fun (our other race car is Miata for autox), but it usually won't win you points except in drifting. If you've got a good tire budget, give drifting a try. :) But I'll stick with rally.

Well, we're signed up for the National event this weekend. :) The blower on the HVAC is toast and it's nice to have some air when you're sitting in 90*F with the windows rolled up, so we have a new blower motor on order and it will be installed this week.

good luck

We ended up taking 1st and 2nd in class, but unfortunately not in the way that we had hoped. There were 4 in our class on Saturday and the other 2 competitors suffered mechanical difficulties. 1 was able to come back today, but without yesterday's scores, he ended up in 3rd place.

Yesterday's course was pretty cool, but ran over a lot of new territory. Ie., how to landscape in 8 easy runs.

When we started, this was grass:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/TBUuzzIEwBI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/Qak2DMUPyQ4/s512/Rally-X%204-%20National%20Event%20028.jpg

With 3 breakdowns during our heat, the 10 runs dropped to 8. The 2nd heat did run quicker because the course was clear. The course was then reversed for the afternoon runs. The weather was not cooperative however and halfway through the 2nd heat's 3rd runs, the skies opened up and started pouring rain. Dirt and rain aren't fun to rally in. :( As a result, my heat got no afternoon runs and we wrapped up before 3pm.

Today was just morning runs and the weather was gorgeous, so once again, the goal was 10 runs per heat. However, yesterday's course and the anticipated course for today were just too wet, so we moved to the gravel lot. Yay for 3 areas!!!

As you can see, even that was pretty wet:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/TBUu2gwYSaI/AAAAAAAAAgo/A89g2UL7J0A/s512/Rally-X%204-%20National%20Event%20035.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/TBUu23mYf0I/AAAAAAAAAgs/cdtGa1LVQTU/s512/Rally-X%204-%20National%20Event%20037.jpg

We did get 10 runs per heat and the course was a lot of fun, with one section incredibly tail-happy, just swinging from one turn to the next and hammering the gas.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/TBUusiaI8vI/AAAAAAAAAfk/J9wZtIAhKwM/s640/Rally-X%204-%20National%20Event%20018.jpg

All of the photos we got can be seen here: http://picasaweb.google.com/moxnix/RallyX4NationalEvent#

The next event that we will be able to attend is in September, so I'll update this with any mods we make between now and then.

Oh that looks like soooooooo much fun. But I would need a beater like yours to do that... I would not be able to do that to my baby.

It's very fun and easy to abuse a free car. :D

And speaking of, the car suffered it's first body damage this weekend:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_D_WmFf7Gbkk/TBY3-Q8rSlI/AAAAAAAAAkA/tGndGfQf3Hk/s640/Rally-X%204-%20National%20Event%20-%20Car%20After%20008.jpg

zipties for the bumper and its good to go

So, last weekend was the DC Rally-X school on Saturday, and was supposed to be followed by a race on Sunday. Unfortunately the race got called due to lots of overnight rain. :( It's been rescheduled for this Sunday, so fingers crossed, the weather will be beautiful. We did get some good seat time in the AM working on slalom and apex skills. Shawn was practicing his drift skills a bit more though.....

After losing multiple magnets and dealing with wet paper, I decided to order vinyl numbers for the car and only use magnetic ones for co-driving.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_a4uA1fgVr6g/TJOGMKSP9sI/AAAAAAAADVM/2HcwU0pEE7Q/s640/2010-09-12%2008.42.21.jpg

In the afternoon, however, the seat time was a bit reduced. :duh:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_a4uA1fgVr6g/TJOHvogBFFI/AAAAAAAADVQ/21kycNCKou8/s512/2010-09-12%2008.42.10.jpg

During Shawn's first run, he heard a noise about 3/4 of the way through and decided to finish the run. Yep, the exhaust came off almost entirely. Unfortunately, it was still held on by 2 hangers and it took the better portion of 2 hours working with limited tools to cut the metal hangers still holding the exhaust on. It came off about the same time that the afternoon runs were wrapping up, so we had to stick it in the hatch and drive back to the truck. OMG, it is loud!!! We're hoping to have it welded before Sunday so we can run. I think the starter and our competitors would kill us with its current volume. I'll update again after this weekend.

As the season wraps up and we look forward to our final event in November, we've started thinking about what we want to do over the winter. On the list are things like a skidplate, new tires, obviously a new exhaust now, etc.

As the car has a 4x114.3 bolt pattern and an open diff., one thing we've been looking at is going to a junkyard and getting an LSD and 5x114.3 hubs off another RX-7. That would make it a lot easier to find wheels or use some that we already own. Well, we ended up finding something along those lines:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_a4uA1fgVr6g/TJ9MivAfO7I/AAAAAAAADYk/3XD52df1tQY/s640/New%20RX-7%20001.jpg

We saw an ad on CL for a '87 GXL, the engine had died and the owner was working on a swap, but the wiring harness is not connected. Not sure what other problems it may have, but it was $500. :) The owner tossed in some manuals and a whole box of parts and we towed it home. Actually, this is sounding rather familiar....

Now the differences. While it doesn't run right now, we may be able to fix that. If so, the interior and exterior look so much nicer than our current RX-7. It also has full interior, which means we could drop to a lower class, which might be a nice option to consider. If we can't get it running, we will strip it for parts for the current RX-7.

Oh, and what do you do when you have a sloped driveway and a car that doesn't move under it's own power? You pull it with the Miata!!! :theeye: :slaphead: It was convenient and has a tow hitch....

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_a4uA1fgVr6g/TJ9MjIDalQI/AAAAAAAADYo/JNUiXRekVVY/s640/New%20RX-7%20002.jpg

We haven't started tearing into it yet, but I'll update as we make progress.

Miata power!

Time for a new exhaust on that 7. Glad to see you're having fun.

sweet projects Katya.

Man I would love to have the freedom to do something like this....(married with a child on the way)

hello fun :+1:

Got a few more pictures now that it is in the garage. As you can see, the interior looks a lot better than the red:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_a4uA1fgVr6g/TLNMptU3wzI/AAAAAAAADaU/U6yZWxMvYsU/s640/New%20RX-7%20004.jpg

The brakes on the other hand, will be replaced:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_a4uA1fgVr6g/TLNMser8viI/AAAAAAAADak/PmFZ6K5dr6s/s640/New%20RX-7%20008.jpg

And a shot of the non-working engine bay:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_a4uA1fgVr6g/TLNM83gLNwI/AAAAAAAADaw/EMi86_izKpw/s640/New%20RX-7%20010.jpg

Getting that running will be our winter project.

I am looking for an RX7 just like that. My brother and I are going to do an LS1 swap and do some racing in it. keep up the good work and update us on the progress

WIN!

The last event of the season is this Sunday. As we missed the previous event dealing with the exhaust and it's stripped cat bolts, we really wanted to make this one. Fortunately, we now have a rather convenient source of donor parts. :D Since the red exhaust is quite FUBARed, we stole the exhaust off the blue and bolted it up on Sunday. It's got 1 cat instead of 3, but it runs and my ears aren't bleeding so I consider it a success.

New season!!!
We (Shawn) decided that the blue would become a donor car, starting with the LSD. He was off work last week and our first event was this Sunday, so he swapped the old diff out. It was a little dirty:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_a4uA1fgVr6g/TYKjov3qmtI/AAAAAAAAD4k/8HQBm2IVkz0/s640/IMG_20110317_185123.jpg

Of course that wasn't the only dirt he had to deal with:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_a4uA1fgVr6g/TYKj0B9wM2I/AAAAAAAAD4o/3EIYNHazOZQ/s512/IMG_20110317_185137.jpg

Those were the little pieces as he was able to gather up the large clods to dispose of them a little easier.

This is some scary dude I found in the garage when I got home:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_a4uA1fgVr6g/TYKrglKlFWI/AAAAAAAAD4s/PsY2PLNCmeA/s512/IMG_20110317_185151.jpg

LOL! That's a lot of dirt. I thought my rear bumper had a lot!!

From the first event, since we bought a GoPro HD over the off season we now have video.

Here is a morning run from each of us with data from the MaxQ.

Katya4me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Tv5iLf1Icc

Oh god, that definitely was not one of my better runs.....
Unfortunately, we tried mounting the GoPro inside on the hatch glass and the angle was not good, so those videos are scap. I ran AM only, and Shawn ran all day. We also had 2 co-drivers in the car running the other heat, so we are definitely pushing the car.

Here is my second run from the morning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt3OtcI2IHg

Shawn morning run
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJzObOXlNDs

Afternoon run no data (forgot to recharge the datalogger over lunch) They reverse/change the course for the afternoon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSmW2cUWqRY

And then you also have things like this.... What happens when you forget to press that button on the suction cup mount that says press?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahJL3tYxYj0

wow looks so much fun, keep it up guys :+1:

nice! that loooks way fun. wish i had something to rallyX in... the one rallyx on snow/snowx that i was gonna do got cancelled

nice! that loooks way fun. wish i had something to rallyX in... the one rallyx on snow/snowx that i was gonna do got cancelled

First rule of rally-x: Don't do it in something you like. Then you don't feel bad about pushing it or having it break.

A bit of entertainment from this past weekend:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqGEOPzVhWQ

At rally-x a couple of weeks back:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ugc8ZnqCNfc/TgaCTJFIX-I/AAAAAAAAEDM/S8lqFQb95OU/s640/June%252520Rally-x%252520pic.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-X5hRUIUt7zI/TgaDSGGdOBI/AAAAAAAAEDc/YeyT2JD8NDo/s640/June%252520Rally-x%252520pic%2525203.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BsE2eWfh4I0/TgaDSET2cSI/AAAAAAAAEDg/B33m3xVnSZA/s640/June%252520Rally-x%252520pic%2525202.JPG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVKhzKngn5Y

Currently we are 1 and 2 in M2 and heading into the summer break. The season will return in September after the heat and dust start to ease off again.

So, it's been a while since I updated this thread.

In July, Phillly SCCA had a rally-x at Dover Speedway, so we drug the beast across the bridge to check it out. This was our first "traditional" rally-x, which means that it was open without a permanent set course. The course was fairly flowing and then they ran it in reverse in the afternoon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFochwp18G4

The course had a vicious rut and you can see it around 55 seconds in here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4z9Yy46GfI

We had to miss the September DC event but were back at Summit Point this month. We talked a friend into joining us and he loved it. The videos below are from his camera. I think Shawn and I were going for the crazy hands award.

Danny:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt7xdfBKwTE

Us:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u43tFPzeCNg

Does doing rally-x give you a headache?

No....

If only...Shit looks fun bro.

Makes me want my Rubicon so I can do what I enjoy most. But this would be a close second if I ever got the chance to do it.

We ended the season with a bang. We had 4 people in the car at the last event, and as noted in the picture below, the course was quite loose in spots and we were having a lot of fun.

http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt224/rallyeast/DC%20Region%20Rallycross%2011-13-11/file-98.jpg

Morning Run:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj2RQTUPJQg

Afternoon Run:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R391twQ4leM

After my 4th run of the afternoon, the lower radiator hose decided to break and bleed coolant all over the finish. In addition, the old battery decided to die as well. Considering that we had gotten 27 runs in that day and only lost 1, we considered it a good day. Not to mention that the battery was seriously old, and the radiator hose is located underneath the oil filter and looked like it might be original. Ordered new hoses, popped a new battery in and we're set for next season. Need to wash the car and send it off to the fabricator to get a skidplate welded on over the winter. Once that is complete, we're picking up a tow rig and I'm sure we will have plenty of stories for next year. :)

VERY cool.

Wait, 4 people in the car at once?

Yes, in a 2 seater coupe....

No, 4 competitors, 2 classes. Shawn did scare Danny during a few of his runs though and apparntly Justin gripped the "oh shit" handle once or twice during my runs. LOL

Ohhh ok. :) I was gonna say, what is this, rallyx for clown cars? hehe

Looks like a load of fun!

VERY cool.

Wait, 4 people in the car at once?

thats what i was thinking, could be mexican

Oh, so gross. :P We've got someone lined up to fabricate a skidplate for the RX-7. Hopefully this will happen before the first event on March 18, 2012. Today is warm enough for car washing, so I just started rinsing the car. Using an ice scraper on the wheel wells, I think I've taken at least 4 lbs. of dirt off of each corner. I still need to jack it up to really get at the dirt (and stuck rocks) on the underside.

New year, new class. For 2012, the Modified classing now matches Prepared and Stock. This means instead of M4 and M2, we now have MF, MR and MA. So, I put on the new vinyl R today:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-D-nsrcTsUYM/TyRsODbXuWI/AAAAAAAAEfQ/U7qxKjUY_eM/s912/IMG_1728.JPG

You can also see the mud that came off as I was washing the car. Yes, that is a concrete driveway, and no it should not be nearly that dark.

RX-7 finally has skid plates, yay!!! Yes, that is plural. Because of the placement of the front crossmember, it got 2 skid plates, one to protect the radiator and one for the oil pan.

Here is the front one for the radiator:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Q-a33ZYP1yk/T1uPvoRu2mI/AAAAAAAAEjA/1mTw3GcKl7k/s912/IMG_1754.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-igaR9caDgNk/T1uPwQR4IqI/AAAAAAAAEjQ/_Tip1LQAF8s/s912/IMG_1755.JPG

And you can just see the other one further back in this photo:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cLkkV8FS6BU/T1uPwVwW-iI/AAAAAAAAEjU/yCNMOcjyUiY/s912/IMG_1757.JPG

First rally-x of the season is on the 18th, so we really needed to get a tow vehicle and we found one last weekend.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-64fOTv1cmRA/T1uPvsd7BeI/AAAAAAAAEi4/6QQlfB_t8Zo/s912/IMG_1752.JPG

It's a 2006 E350 with a V10 engine, rated for 8,600lbs. towing so it should take care of our needs for a while. Picking up an Econotrailer this week.