1986 JDM FC3S racer build

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 8:42 pm

Hi guys,

Been nearly a year since I was here. In that time I got pretty ill, my partner and I separated and so I had to sell my house. After a tough 12 months or so. I am through it and most importantly I have another JDM ride!

Quick rundown on the car and how it happened.

I was living in some old shack while I waited for my house I just bought to settle so I could move in after my separation. In the meantime, my aunty had passed away and left me among other things her 1 owner all origina Holden HQ Wagon. Nice car, but not my thing so I mentioned I wanted to sell.

Word got around and a friend of a friend said can I come look it over so we arranged a time. An hour later I here something idling in the driveway and thought that sounds like a Rotary...........and indeed he had come to buy the car in his FC RX7.

We got chatting, and 20 mins later he owned a 90,000km 1972 Holden Wagon, and I owned a 1986 FC RX7 with just 119,000km.

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 8:50 pm

Life was starting to get pretty good. I was about to move into a new place, my health was finally back to normal, work was going great and I had another JDM car to play with.

I realised pretty quick how much I missed having some old JDM tin to play with. Soon I was scouring the eBay and net for parts. I had an idea in my head of what I wanted to build. A sort of period racecar. No bling, no rice just pure racer for tarmac rallies and track racing. My plan was to keep it road registered too on a permit but the focus would be pure racer.

My previous cars had always been obscure aircooled Hondas so this time I was spoiled for good quality used parts.

I found some old Teins and threw them in. And I was lucky to find some forged Work wheels in the right size and staggered offset too. I rang up Otomoto about them and ended up buying both sets for $1000.00! 17x8 front and 17x9 rear. will run a 235 front and 255 rear when finished.

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 8:58 pm

After a few weeks, I decided to tidy the body up quickly. I decided on straight white tinter - very bright and very white! Easy to repair too being a racecar I wanted it to be easy to maintain.

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:03 pm

Back home and I started putting it together to see how it was looking. I decided on straight black tinter for my 2 sets of Work wheels too. Clean and simple.

At the same time, my car had just turned 25 years old so I now qualified for Club Permit registration. It lets me use the car for 90 days per year, and the registration is alot cheaper. the special plates also seem to keep the police happy as its more a sign of an enthusiast rather than a street racer - nice.

Series 5 lights found their way into it too. My mods are usually for perfomance only but these were to cheap and better looking too.

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:20 pm

The car has been a great way for me to chill out. And it's become a bit of a "used parts" special.

Picked up some hardly used Cobra race seats

And I am converting to a "v belt" single drive belt. this is the power steering pump I have to do away with the stock FC junk. Same as what they use on the V8 supercars and is adjustable for assistance with simple fitting swaps to regulate flow.

And some nice custom built mufflers from AES.

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:30 pm

I have also installed

#Full delrin bushes through the suspension
#Solid delrin engine and transmission mounts
#Mazda speed 4.11 Torsen LSD
#Short shifter kit

Parts waiting to go in

#Carbon fibre centre console (blank out all heater controls and stereo)
#Carbon fibre dash guage pod instead of warning light cluster
#Carbon fibre dash guage pod for top of speedo cluster
#Carbon fibre shifter surround
#Compact under dash heater core/blower unit for demisting and keeping police happy (handy in wet races too)
#Atkins Rotary aluminium v-belt drive kit

Entire interior is stripped in preparation for the full FIA approved Targa 12 point roll cage. For now, I am finishing off the new garage where I have moved in so I will start again on it after christmas.

Hope you all like it so far.

James

Camshaft · **Posted:** Thu Oct 06, 2011 9:59 am

I really like where this car is going. :tu:

White FCs will always get love from me.

rx2stu · **Posted:** Fri Oct 07, 2011 6:07 pm

Things turn well with a rotary in the shed. :lol:

Doc · **Posted:** Wed Oct 26, 2011 10:48 pm

Nice ride!

is it a turbo or a NA?

I own a turboII and want to put the 13B into my datsun roadster.
No worry, my RX7 is a accident car.
You can see the thread here http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=15873

Stationwagonguy · **Posted:** Thu Oct 27, 2011 6:32 am

YOU SOLD AN HQ WAGON??!?!?!!?!?!!??!?! :shock:

Do you have any pics of it? So I can sit and cry a little that I'll never own one? :lol:

(Oh, and nice RX7, btw. :lol:

)

e-at_me · **Posted:** Thu Oct 27, 2011 10:07 am

wow. now i want an FC.. thanks a lot.. my wife will now hate you.

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Thu Mar 22, 2012 7:14 pm

Stationwagonguy wrote:

YOU SOLD AN HQ WAGON??!?!?!!?!?!!??!?! :shock:

Do you have any pics of it? So I can sit and cry a little that I'll never own one? :lol:

(Oh, and nice RX7, btw. :lol:

)

No sorry no pictures. It was nice if thats what you are into but I didnt have a use for it!

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2013 9:31 pm

Well it's been a few months and alot has changed so sit down with a cold beer and enjoy.

Here is the Re Amemiya wing I found.........ended up with 2 of them you can always have spares.

Trial fitting the first of the carbon interior parts.

Decent rear view mirror.

Quick release steering hub

And steering wheel.

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2013 9:43 pm

After my new home workshop was up and running (more on this shortly) it was time to strip in for the rollcage and the beginning of the transformation for track duties.

Dry ice to remove the sound deadening.

Nice clean interior ready to be converted for track duty.

The removed sound deadening destined for the bin.

Along with the troublesome and heavy factory loom. It will be replaced with the bare esentials.

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2013 9:52 pm

Then it was down to my friends workshop for the rollcage.

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2013 10:05 pm

Some work with trimming the dash cover and it fits perfectly.

Shutting down for the night after a long day in the garage fitting the dash.

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2013 10:18 pm

Knowing the dash fitted the way I planned was a relief - so it was time to strip her down in prep for the rest of the paint.

Motor out.

Tidy up the interior for primer.

All tidy ready to go back to the booth.

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2013 10:22 pm

That weekend it was off to my friends truck spray booth - love the extra space!

Masking up after some basic prep.

Dave my friend hitting it with primer.

Leave it to cook while we all grab breakfast.

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2013 10:28 pm

Buzzed it all down and shot the whole car again in straight white tinter.

Then back the the workshop at home.

Interior looks nice and clean ready to start the assembly process.

Jmsbnd · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2013 10:40 pm

Closer look at the chassis stands I had made with the roll cage.

Gets it up nice and high to make work easier in the pit garage.

Rebuilt pedal box in.

Dash back in.

Trimming the door trims to clear the rollcage. They will retrimmed at the end.

Replaced the used Tein HA with some shiny Tein Super Streets. Thought hard about this but I like the reputation of the Japanese coil overs versus drift spec super low Chinese stuff. I am backing it up with adjustable front and rear swaybars and prefer the softer springs for better traction and stiff bars to control sway. It's a personal preference over stiff springs. running 5kg front/4kg rear for tarmac racing and 7kg front/6kg rear for the track depending on the circut.

Engine bay going back together.

Intank 044 being installed.

1986 JDM FC3S racer build

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