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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: August 24, 2018, 10:22 am 
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Joined: February 23, 2017, 12:45 pm
Posts: 163
Location: Austin, TX
Lonnie- That photo was a nice inspiration. I'm definitely going to add a few little corner braces like yours.

Got all my header bits and have been making headway. Might have the exhaust done this weekend!

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: August 24, 2018, 11:45 am 
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Put a tip on and call it done! :twisted:

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: September 9, 2018, 4:53 am 
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Joined: September 6, 2018, 5:00 pm
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Love what you are doing!
I'm also wanting to "save" the drivetrain of an RX8, and build it into my Datsun, Where did you find spec's about the mounting points?

Would like to do some CAD before I go further with my project as it is going to be a DD, and needs to go through engineering approval.

So cool project you got here, and great set of skills you got there too ;)


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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: September 22, 2018, 2:47 pm 
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Joined: February 23, 2017, 12:45 pm
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Location: Austin, TX
Exhaust is done! It doesn't look like it but there are probably 15-20 hours of TIG welding in this thing.

I also got my driveshaft done. I bought a driveshaft for an automatic RX-8, manuals have carbon fiber driveshafts, and had it cut and rewelded. Ended up taking 24" out of it for a finished length of 22".

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: September 22, 2018, 9:27 pm 
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Location: Austin, TX
TobyTheDane wrote:
Love what you are doing!
I'm also wanting to "save" the drivetrain of an RX8, and build it into my Datsun, Where did you find spec's about the mounting points?

Would like to do some CAD before I go further with my project as it is going to be a DD, and needs to go through engineering approval.

So cool project you got here, and great set of skills you got there too ;)


Just seeing this now. Here's the mazda body shop manual for the RX-8. It has very good X & Y dimensions. The problem is their Z dimensions are to the end of the mounting bolts. Seems an odd place to pick. So it doesn't tell you the actual spot that the subframes mount to. I ended up measuring my car before I tore it apart for the Z dimension. I could grab them off my CAD model if you want too.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2yMn ... WhYQUtLU0U


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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: September 23, 2018, 12:25 pm 
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Joined: February 23, 2017, 12:45 pm
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Location: Austin, TX
Shot of the driveshaft in place.

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: October 16, 2018, 12:53 pm 
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Location: Langdon, AB Canada
Great build so far, with my recent change to use all RX8 donor parts I will be referencing your build a bit, keep it up. :cheers:

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: November 22, 2018, 1:19 pm 
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Location: Austin, TX
Been slacking on the Locost lately. I recently bought a Smart and playing with that has been eating up my spare time. BTW I think a smart would make a great rear engine locost build donor but anyway.....

Latest work has been on the fuel tank and pump. I don't have the ability to weld Aluminum so I outsourced the tank to Boyd Welding in Ocala, FL- http://www.boydwelding.com. I sent them over a drawing of my tank and they promptly sent back a quote. The tank came out great and they were super easy to deal with. Total cost shipped was $495 with roll over vent and fuel filler neck/gas cap.

The fuel pump route I went required some additional work on the tank that they couldn't do. I used the pump assembly out of a 2015 Camaro 6.2l. This made the whole fuel pump, pick up, regulator and fuel sender figuring out way easy. It includes all of it in one package. It's also only $120 off Rock Auto for an OEM AC Delco unit. That's substantially less than you'd pay for all those bits seperately.

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It also has a connection for a secondary pick up. The pump sits on the left side of the tank and the pick up will go over to the right with a walbro pick up on it. The cool thing about the secondary pick up is it doesn't matter if it sees air. It works off a venturi that doesn't care if it sucks air. The venturi works off the fuel dumped by the regulator which sucks from the second pick up. That pick up then dumps into the cup the pump sits in. Any excess fuel just overflows back into the tank. Boyd doesn't have the fuel pump ring that the pump needs to attach the tank. I had to purchase that seperately from- https://www.vaporworx.com/product/gm5al/. Then have it welded in locally.

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Straps for it are fabbed and just need to put some rubber on everything to insulate the mounting.

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: November 23, 2018, 2:37 pm 
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Joined: February 29, 2008, 7:15 pm
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Location: Denver, Colorado
Nice looking tank! I looked at Boyd's too. I've been toying with that or using the tank as an excuse to buy an AC/DC Digital Tig from Eastwood...

I've heard RCI does custom tank cheap as well.

Great work so far!

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: January 1, 2019, 8:27 pm 
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Joined: February 23, 2017, 12:45 pm
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Location: Austin, TX
Working on getting this beast running. The goal is by the end of the month. Been a lot of work done on a wiring diagram. That was a job that took forever and was extremely boring but I'm glad I have a road map on the engine wiring now.

Knocked out the oil cooling system this last weekend. There were braided oil line kits available for the 04-08 RX-8's. I couldn't find anything for the 09-11 which is what my motor is. I ended up cutting the hardline that came off the motor and putting 14mm swagelok to 1/2" NPT adapters. Those then went to a 1/2" NPT to -10an fitting and finally onto the braided line. The oil cooler is a generic ebay unit meant for the 86-91 RX-7. Really big and cheap.

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Next up the radiator hoses and engine wiring!


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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: January 3, 2019, 6:45 am 
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May want to add a cooler drain for oil changes. If you set it up to drain back to the pan at shut off, the dipstick should be marked for the new "full" level and the oil system will have to fill all of that before pressurizing the main bearings.

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: January 3, 2019, 1:37 pm 
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I second adding a drain for the coolers.

Still surprises me how much the stock coolers hold, and how gooey they can get.


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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: January 4, 2019, 5:53 pm 
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GM trucks, at least the ones I dealt with, were set up not to drain back into the pan, probably so there wouldn't be a period of no oil pressure while they refilled on startup. Normal procedure was just to drain the pan and refill, and not worry about the oil in the cooler, lines, and filter(s). Which meant 1/4 to 1/3 of every oil change was still dirty oil... with regular oil changes it probably wasn't an issue, but it was probably bad juju for the "put a quart in when the light stays on all the time" people.

Most dry sump racing cars just get as many hoses as necessary disconnected to drain the old oil and the cooler, but if they were built well the fittings are (relatively) easily accessible. It can still be a big mess, though.

The only car I built with an external oil cooler, I put AN fittings at convenient low spots to drain the cooler and lines. There might have been better ways to do it, but that was easy and worked okay, though it was still messy.


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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: January 4, 2019, 8:01 pm 
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Joined: January 31, 2012, 12:49 pm
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I did the same thing to my fuel tank... used a GM submersible pump. Cut out the ring from the donor tank, and welded it to the top, etc.

But yours looks a ton prettier and probably didn't require a gallon of tank sealer to get it to hold fuel....

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 Post subject: Re: RX-8 based build
PostPosted: January 4, 2019, 8:36 pm 
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Joined: February 23, 2017, 12:45 pm
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Location: Austin, TX
The cooler has extra fittings at the low points I could drain.

Didn't think about the oil drain back.There maybe some provision in the engine already since it had dual external coolers from the factory. They weren't mounted as high though. I'll have to look at some parts diagrams to see if I can figure out. I guess just turning it over and seeing what the oil level does will tell me something too.


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