Texas_Ace

Ok, so here is what I got done today.

I started the day with this:






I then went to removing the Throttle body and upper intake. No real surprises, just took my time and made sure not to break anything. I then had this:



So I then removed the lower intake but I forgot to take a picture of that, will get that tomorrow.

I have a new 170 amp alternator to install so I went ahead and removed the old one while I am doing all of this, I figure it might help with space when I do the headers.



I now have everything removed I had to remove and needed to start putting it back together. I could have had the supercharger installed today if I didn’t have other stuff to do while I am in there.

One of these things is to replace the gaskets on my valve covers, the passenger side has been leaking a little since I got the truck, I figure if I don’t do it now I never will. So I took the drivers side off first. I have to say I was surprised at how clean it was in there.






Everything looks pretty good for having 130k miles on it as well. So I then installed the new gasket and went to put it on, put all the bolts in and started tourqing them down. My tourqe wrench starts at 10ft lb so that is what I did them too. Went in a star pattern and was on the last bolt when all of the sudden I hear CRACK! I look down to find the corner of my valve cover cracked! With only 10ft lb!

I will try to get a picture of it tomorrow, so I am now trying to find a replacement cover, I think I found one but it is $75 which is kinda high for me right now but I got to have it. will see what I can find tomorrow.

That’s pretty much where I am right now, I also had to try to track down a SC belt, which I came to find can ONLY be had at the dealer. But the good news is that for once the dealer is cheaper then the parts stores $12. So I have that on order as well, should get here Saturday.

The plan for tomorrow is to install the headers while I have everything removed and more room then I ever will have again. And to replace the other valve cover gasket WITHOUT cracking the cover. From the stories I hear about the header install, I should be lucky to get those done. Then Saturday I will hopfully be able to finish the SC install and then work on wiring up all the electronics And getting it running.

We will see.

One_96TR4

Looks like you have a good start going there. Sucks about the valve cover. I've seen a few crack like that before though. No real good reason just happens. RX7 looks great. From what I can see it's been dropped, tails replaced, newer wheels, and front clear lenses. Looks clean and I'm sure it's a good bit of fun to boot around. Gotta love them!

Texas_Ace

Good job, you got all the visual changes. The ones that you can't see are the ones under the hood and under the car (complete drivtrain swap from a GXL with LSD, bigger brakes ect). It IS some fun to drive, for 1.3liters it has some get-up-and-go. no redline either.

Texas_Ace

Ok, so an update for day 3 of this endevor!

Yesterday was spent trying to get 2 stinking bolts off the driver side crossover pipe. Ended up have to cut a deep 12 point socket down a little but i got them suckers off today, after well over 6 hours spent on just them.

So i finally took all the bolts off and started working on getting the parts out. The manifolds came out easy the crossover on the other hand was easy but you have to do it a special way.

I took what i heard from another header install thread and then added my own twist to get it to work.

I first unbolted the 4 screws on the rear tranny mount. Then i jacked the tranny up as far as it would go. After that i used a second small jack (the kind that comes with most cars, the factory 4runer jack would work). I placed it between the tranny and one of the crossmembers. I then "jacked" the tranny forward about 1/2" to 1" inch.

I then just had to wiggel the crossover pipe a little and it fell right out. If you are doing this, just keep wiggling it, there is a sweet spot you will hit and it will just fall out. Before you hit that though it will look like it is not coming out at all.



So i then started installing the new headers, starting with the passanger side.

I started wiggling it in there and after about 30 mins relized it was not going to fit over the studs due to the close tollarences between the headers and the frame.

So i then unbolted the passanger side engine mount and then jacked the engine up. This gave me enough room to slide the headers on easy. Had i done this at first i would have had it on in 10 mins. I then let the engine down and rebolted the engine mount.

Thats pretty much where i left it, will finish bolting down the header after i get the rest of the header installed to make sure everything fits.



I also got my valve cover in to replace the cracked one, here is a picture of the old one:



New one looks good, dirty but nothing that some brake cleaner won't fix. I plan to swap that cover out tomorrow after i get these headers done. It is supposed to get colder on monday, if i have to work in the cold, i DO NOT want to be doing headers. lol


Some more pictures:






If all goes well tomorrow i should have it all back together and ready to start.

Midget96

Without a doubt you have the sketchiest wiring I've ever seen on any vehicle in my entire life.

Texas_Ace

LOL, what do you mean? it is actually done quite well thank you. Everything is on relays and fused or soon will be fused with my new fuse box.

You talking about the wiring in the pictures above on the drivers side engine bay? That is the MSD wiring, it is done perfect, just not pretty. It is being taken out anyways though with the SC install. I have heard they cause pinging with an SC.

If you are talking about the pictures in my truck thread, well those are 2 years old and were taken when i was in a hurry to finish installing everything before a 1500 mile trip. It was all cleaned up right after i got home.

And if you are talking about the wires going to the battery, it looks a lot worse then it is. I am also installing a fuse black with the rest of this stuff that will tidy that up. But even so, may not look pretty but it is done right. lol

dyarumian

your not worried about the extra heat coming off those headers melting all that blue plastic stuff?

Texas_Ace

Blue plastic stuff? You mean the wire loom? Seeing as it is made to protect wires from heat it would seem that is the least of my worries. lol

The bigger worry is that these headers are being a PAIN to install the drivers side. Plus after looking at it i don't think the drivers side is even going to seal and not leak.

So since i will NEVER be doing headers again, i am now stuck with a dead truck until i can get some doug Thorley headers (which i know will work and fit right). Problem is i am flat broke AND need my truck.

Anyone have a set for sale? or know where i can get a set cheap? Really, i need them bad but am really out of $$.

At this point it looks like i will be leaving my truck parked for the forseeble future with a half installed Supercharger waiting for some headers.

What fun! (then i did ask for this by trying to cheap out on the headers, leasson learned. Though this is the first real regret i have had buying an "ebay performance part" and even this, if they had just used a solid drivered side manifold like the passanger side it would be fine, but the one that is not connected doesn't line up quite right)

giguchan

Nice alternator.. i might have missed it ,but what current is it? I just replaced my stock one not too long ago..
best of luck

Texas_Ace

I got it on ebay from ace alternators. It is a 160 amp alt.

giguchan

thanks man.... 160 is a good amount of current..
good luck with it!

Texas_Ace

Yes it is, I need it to power my lights and radio. Plus it actually costs less then a new stock one.

giguchan

I think the stock alternator is something like 60- or 70 amps. I'm not really sure. I have just the 2 piaa's 2 amp's- one for for the subs and the other for all else.. I don't have a problem. My Old alternator was the one that came with the truck when i took it off the lot. I guess it was time to go..
Thanks for the reply.

Texas_Ace

Ok, IT IS RUNING!!

So after a LOT of hard work and my arms now looking like hamburger, i finally got everything installed and started it up! The video is below but first the details:

So since last update, I had to decide wether to fix the headers i had or order some Doug thorley. I ended up ordering the Doug thorley from URD, i got them in a few days later.

So i then went to install them, the install on both is pretty much the same and really if i had it to do over again i think i would have kept the headers i had and just had a shop bend the one pipe to where it should be.

So i then spent 2 days installing the headers virtually all of this time was spent ont he drivers side manifold. I installed the y-pipe and passanger manifold in about 4 hours.

Long story short, the stories about header installs are not made up. This is a job not for the faint of heart. BUT the actual hard part of it is figuring out how to get to bolts to tighten them. You need every kind of 14mm socket and wrench you can buy, i am dead serius, go to sears/harbor freight and buy every 14mm they have. I ended up having to do this but it made things MUCH easier.

Comparing the ebay headers to the doug thorley, i have to say that the ebay actually seem higher quality. They are stainless, the doug thorleys are not. the way they are designed is at least as good if not better and overall if they had just used a solid manifold ont he drivers side instead of having that 1 seprate it is just as good if not a better header IMO.

You just need to know how to bend pipe or have a shop bend it for you if you go with ebay headers. For the price differnce though i would do them. (my old ebay headers are for sale BTW, brand new and with all hardware, just needs the pipe bent a little).

Actual install was bad but if i was to do it again i could do it in a fraction of the time. There were a lot of tricks i learned while doing it. I think i could remove and install then again in a day if i had to. I was not kidding about buying all the 14mm items you can find either.

So now to the supercharger.

So I finished the rest of the little things in the engine bay while i was waiting for the headers. After i got the headers installed installing the supercharger took just a few hours. Total time to install just the headers was only about 6 - 8 hours.

hardest part was actually figuring out the vacume lines. Finally got that worked out though. I also installed the new plugs and the 7th injector while i had the SC out to make it easier. I plan to finish the 7th injector install this weekend.

I still can't belive how easy the supercharger install was!

So that is where it is now, all back together. The only thing i have to still do is figure out a way to mount the tranny dipstick that does not include zip ties. then do the same for the diagnoses box. after that i will install the rest of the 7th kit and then start tuning. and maybe hit a dyno pretty soon!

I also have to say that the new alternator IS much more powerfull. When i am not using anything it is about the same but no more light dimming when i flip them all on at once.

So now the pictures and video:

[YOUTUBE]hvGSvHTPX3M[/YOUTUBE]







Now for first impressions:

Well i had to srive it to the exahust shop to have the headers welded. On the drive there it was pretty bad due to the O2 sensors not being hooked up i took it real easy on it.

On the way back it had more power but still less then before the supercharging. So after i get home i decided to reset the ECU. So after i left the battery disconnected for 15mins i started it back up and holy moly! Power city!

TONS more power! lots of low end grunt and a wider power band. And the ECU has not even adjusted for the SC yet, i can tell due to the way it is running. So more power to come. Then i have the 7th to install, even more power! and then the 2.2 inch pulley, EVEN MORE POWER!!

Then who knos what is next! Can't wait!

Ian Rogers

you were running your truck with out an air filter ? Why would you do this to your motor?

Texas_Ace

Sure, for the first start up. Not like it got hurt by a few dust mites in that 30 seconds of running. I put it on after that video. Just was to excited to try starting it.

scuba

Sawheet

everything looks nice man, glad to hear its running

Texas_Ace

yeah I am real happy so far.

Today i get to install the 7th and then redo the wiring and clean up that rats nest you see in the engine bay. About the last things i need to do efore i figure out my next set of mods (most likly mild lift and new bigger tires).

Speedy

Congrats on your accomplishment.

I agree with Ian though, get an air filter on that thing!

Try to tune it to 11.8:1 then get it on the dyno. You'll have to re-tune it some on the dyno to get it to 11.8:1 on the dyno, but save your street tune map and switch back to it once you're off the dyno. The dyno tune will show how much power you make, but is different from the street.

Finally, the reason they say to not use an impact on the SC pulley is because it can bust the needle bearings.

yotasavg

awesome TA!! glad to hear it was an easy install....someday mine will grow up too *tear*.

so will your ECU just adjust over time? or what is it that you're saying about slowly getting more power? will you be able to manually regulate your A/F ratio?