Esser's LS3 Powered FD3S RX-7 R1

Esser

Thanks for the compliments!

I was able to get some more wiring done, and installed my starter.

I probably over did the heat wrapping, but better to be safe than sorry I figured. I wrapped all the wires that will be anywhere near the headers, and created some brackets to tuck them in close to the block.




Heat wrap on starter solenoid wire:


Headers and driveshaft showed up the other day. Will be getting those installed asap.


Got all my accessories installed, and the intake duct is finalized. The air filter is a corvette style and is tucked down by the radiator core, hidden from view. Here is how the layout of the engine bay will appear. but I am thinking about re-locating the expansion tank to the back side of the firewall to clean it up some more.

__________________

Jayhovah

Where do you get your heatwrap?

__________________
2013 Gun Metallic Sport - Gamma V3 Twin Turbogized
DIY Gamma V3 TT Install * Jayhovah's Gamma V3 TT Install Pic'Z and Vid'Z * DIY: Washer Reservoir for the Boosted

Esser

Vibrant, it's some nice stuff!

__________________

JTM88

Very nice!!!

__________________

Esser

Cleaned off the fender liners and got them put back in:



Headers going in! They fit with room to spare. They are ceramic coated and look great.




Got the driveshaft installed as well:


I started doing some wiring up front. I had been putting off doing some of the tedious work of trying to hide some of the fuse boxes, and tackle the front headlight/horn harness. I was a long process getting the front section back in and hiding everything. I started with a huge mess and ended up cleaning it up quite a bit:




Tucked the front fuse box under the crash bar. I will only be using two of these relays in the end after everything is functioning:


Horns mounted:


I hid the fan relays in each fender liner. I tucked them in the little plastic crevice and ran the wires through the back with a little grommet:





I ran some 10g wire all the way to the back and hid the fuel pump relay in the compartment where the spare tools went. Should feed some power to the Walbro 400 nicely

__________________

Esser

I ended up doing a full conversion to speedhut gauges, and thought I would share my process. The stock FD gauges are capable of reading the LS signals but extra conversion boxes are needed, and new sensors. I decided to go through and update the gauges to speedhut programmable versions. I was able to retain all the factory housings and bezels for a complete stealth look. I used these sizes:

4.5" Tachometer
4" Speedometer
2-1/16" Oil pressure
2-1/16" Water temp
2-1/16" Fuel gauge

I actually measured the holes, and the 4.5" tach and 4" speedo work perfect. They actually measure out almost identical to the diameter of factory gauges.

So for those of you that dont know, the speedhut gauges include their own bezel (usually aluminum) and their own rings to mount them. They also have a button (if programmable) and their own plexi-glass window. I ditched the plexi-glass window and aluminum bezel in order to make the factory mazda pieces work.

So here is how the speedhut gauges look compared to the stock ones:




I went with the Revolution style gauge with white font. I also had the custom lettering put on to say "RX-7" ($10 option)

I uncliped the clear lense cover and the black plastic backing from the cluster assembly and was left with this:


The stock gauges themselves unbolt from the back. There are about 3 bolts per each of the gauges, and some excess bulbs I removed since the speedhut gauges are pre-lit.

You will notice that these holes are way to small for the larger gauges. I used some side cuts and started making cuts into the edges of the housing. This effectively opens up the holes for the larger gauges. Then I literally threaded the gauge body into the housing.




Made it so the gauge will "press/thread" in:



Tach installed: notice the alumium bezel is removed and the slider ring on the back is also ditched.





Run the wires through the (now) un-used bulb holes:


Once all the gauges are pressed in, I noticed that there are stubs on the edges of each gauge. I will need to drill out the clear lens to accept these protrusions. I put a bit of toothpaste on the tip of edge stub and then lined up the lens so I could see where I needed to drill:



The "drill here" mark it made on the lense:



At this point I re-installed the lens and see that everything fits and lines up like OE



But quickly realized you can't push buttons on the programming for each gauge. I marked "eye-balled" where each of the buttons were with a sharpie, then removed the bezel and drilled it out to accept the speedhut rubber buttons and standoffs.

Drill slowwlllyyyyyy:


Buttons installed:


Standoffs put in place to reach the button on the gauge:


Screwed all the items back together and I now have a fancy factory looking gauge setup with programmable shift lights and alarms:

__________________

Jayhovah

DUDE. That is brilliant. Thanks for posting the updates in the form of a DIY. Love learning little tricks like this.

__________________
2013 Gun Metallic Sport - Gamma V3 Twin Turbogized
DIY Gamma V3 TT Install * Jayhovah's Gamma V3 TT Install Pic'Z and Vid'Z * DIY: Washer Reservoir for the Boosted

EZT

Wow, what an amazing build. Stellar work!

Esser

Thanks for the compliments, trying to take the time to get everything right the first time.

I hit the expansion tank with a couple coats of wrinkle black, turned out pretty nice.






I also completely took apart the HVAC and cleaned out all the debris. My roller is low mileage, but still had a bit of leaves and crap in the vents:



I did some relocating, and I think I found a better spot for the expansion tank in the bay. It tucks into the corner by the wiper motor pretty well. I temporarily set it here to see how the hose routing will work.



Heater hoses ran, and covered in some fiberglass heat wrap from RaceFlux.




I also found a nice overflow tank and fabbed an aluminum bracket for it to sit back in the corner next to the expansion tank. Will have to go back through and clean up all the hoses, but I think i'll stick with this setup. It get the expansion tank in the highest place possible for coolant burpage.





Also fabricated an aluminum bracket to mount the front fuse box to:

__________________

Esser

Gauge cluster installed into the car and wired up, everything is working well with the aftermarket gauges, turn signals and warning lights functioning.

__________________

Jayhovah

Looks factory!!!

__________________
2013 Gun Metallic Sport - Gamma V3 Twin Turbogized
DIY Gamma V3 TT Install * Jayhovah's Gamma V3 TT Install Pic'Z and Vid'Z * DIY: Washer Reservoir for the Boosted

jaytirbhaw

sick bro

__________________
2014 Nismo #350 , Built Motor, Top Mount Single Turbo .... 620 whp/ 500 lbs wtq
2012 Track/Drift Z, build coming soon.
Build Thread - http://www.the370z.com/members-370z-...70z-build.html

Esser

Finally had a warm weekend so a lot of progress was made. I had to remove the intake again in order to get the speedhut oil pressure sender and adapter installed. I also had to slightly trim the firewall lip to help clear the wire harness.





It was surprisingly warm out today despite the 6 inches of snow on the ground!


I bought a cheap Pioneer radio to install in the empty hole on the dash, and wired it up. To my surprise the retractable antenna works still.


It was time to fill up the coolant system. I used a AirLift system, which vacuum fills the entire coolant system. I pulled a 30in vacuum on it and it took about 3 full gallons to fill. Zero bubbles and no need to burb the system with this method!





It sucked up the fluid until it was full to the brim.



I installed the plugs and wires, as well as some vibrant heat sleeves on the wires for added protection. Here are some shots of the "completed" engine bay. Just waiting on an oil catch can and it's basically how it will look:





And I finally found a cover for my fuse box lol

__________________

Esser

It's getting close!

I started re-installing all of the factory panels and bumper, it took some time to get the body lines correct again. I decided early on that I would delete the factory hood latch, and went with an aero catch setup. The install is a bit of a pain, but I was able to do a clean setup.

Started by drilling a 1.5 inch hole and working off of that.





I chose the mounting location behind the headlight, it looks cleaner in this location IMO







Finished result:








Time to start the engine! I primed the oil system using a drill pump, and held it at 40 psi for a few minutes and made sure oil got into the valve covers.





My little drill pump jig works will, I put a clear section in to see the oil going through to make sure you're pumping. I will have to upload a video, but the engine fired right up on the first attempt! It's almost ready for the first drive, just have to do a quick alignment in the garage.

__________________

God-Speed

Make sure to post video of start up and first drive.