Well I finally got all the parts and pieces gathered up. So this is the weekend to do it, no autocross going on. I am installing a REspeed FB big brake kit, that includes the T2 calipers, and vented discs along with the 5 lug hubs. Also installing their camber plate kit at the same time. I picked up a pair of the big bearing strut tubes for the swap and I will have to weld on the Ground Control perches on to those strut tubes and swap over my components from the small bearing strut tubes. Also picked up a larger fmic as my current one was a little small for my liking. Thought I would post some pics and a small write up on the process. Tore the car down last night so I could take in the strut inserts and have them machined down to fit the camber plates. Then I can start putting it back together once they have been machined.



[attachment=41296:attachment][attachment=41297:attachment] [attachment=41298:attachment][attachment=41299:attachment][attachment=41300:attachment]

what are you going to do with your back brakes to equalize the increased swept area of the new front brakes? inquiring minds want to know...

I will be driving with my helmet on at all times

ahhhsooo,spin me.

Wow, this will be cool!

I actually going to put on a lesser pad on the front, just runnig the Hawk HP street. The rears currently have Hawk HP street PLUS pads so that help put some more bias on the rears. Thats the current fix, Respeed is currently working on a rear big brake kit. So that will be going on shortly.



Found a local hobbyist machinist he turned down my strut inserts last night for $20 bucks, I you need any machining I can put you in touch with him. He lives on south hill puyallup. All right back to work.

So Chris,

Are you going with the five lug wheels front ?

What is your plan for the rear?



inquiring minds want to know!

Working on? It's done my friend. http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=626165

You should rum the BBS vert rims. Those look great on an FB. I'm still waiting for a big break kit that'll keep the 4x110

Yes and no, thats for the SE rear end, which I dont have. He supposed to be working on a GSL rear end as well, thanks for the info.



Got quite a bit done today, pretty much worked on it all day. Lots of grinding on the strut tubes so I can drop bolts from above into the turn in spacers. Then welding up the coil overs. Michelle bolted in the camber plates, and the new caliper brackets as well. She also did all the spray painting, thats why everything is so nice and shiny. Biggest problem was the machined spacers that fit over the fb spindles. They are machined to be .005 of an inch tighter then the spindle bore. So you throw them in the oven for 30 minutes and they are just supposed to drop right on. Well the first one dropped right on, The second one went about 3/4 of the way and stopped right there. Not Good. So I end up sitting it over a 10 pound weight spindle through the hole and motivated it with a 10 lb sledge hammer ending up breaking about 12 bricks when I was done. So heres some pics, showing the new cambers, spacers, brackets etc, you can also see the turn in spacers, which are 2.25 inches tall, they sit on top of the steering knuckle.[attachment=41318:attachment][attachment=41319:attachment][attachment=41320:attachment][attachment=41321:attachment][attachment=41322:attachment]

Wow, you are making great progress!

Thanks JEB, that spacer not fitting really threw me a curve ball. 5 lug by the way. Oh yea we upgraded to 350lb spings on the front, so I would like to get your feedback at a future event. I dont think I will go much higher in the front than 400 lbs. Now I have to find some loaner wheels for the front,

Thanks again.

Chris is awesome as usual about getting things done in a clean and timely manner (props to Michelle also about making sure everything is pretty!).

What are you running in the rear end of that thing? I thought you had swapped a SE rear into it.

I think I have a line on a GSL-SE rear if you need it.

Hey thanks guys. The rear end is a hybrid, keeping with the theme of the car. Its a 84-85 GSL rear end housing, axles, and brakes, but I am running a SE pumpkin in it, because that is nearly the same final drive ratio as a true T2.



Wheels, Kompressor was kind enough to loan me a pair of 17x7 5 lug aftermarket rims. Unfortunately the backspacing is too much and the rim crashes into the coil overs. The set is 40mm and its at least 1/2 inch two much. Which is why I wanted a loaner pair, so we could do a mock up. So I am guessing I need something in the range of 25 mm. Someone please please correct me if I am wrong, wheels is all new to me, you know owning a fb for 11 years, not a lot of choices.



So the swap is finished with the exception of wheels and tires. Everything is ready to go, and the brakes are bleed, waiting to be bedded in this week. Reworking some the ic piping to fit in the bigger fmic.

Pics.

[attachment=41332:attachment]

Awright.

[attachment=41333:attachment]

pimp

[attachment=41334:attachment]

pimp tight

Sweet!

ohh wow, you will need a very low offset then it sounds like

well half an inch is about 13 mm so 40-13- 7 for safe clearence, sounds like about 20 or a very low 20's would work.

try taking stacks of washers and putting the under the rim,to space it out untill u can see a safe amount of gap ( ussually 5-10mm?)between the suspension and rim/tire, then measure how thich the washers were and then u know what offset would work best.

Want to sell your small FMIC?

I think he has it listed in the FS section IIRC.

http://www.mrcmfg.com/respeed/catalog/inde...40b4cf950a162ec

Unless I'm retarded it looks like as long as the housing is a 84-85 big bearing they're for the SE and non-SE axles.

https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/bowdown.gif https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/bowdown.gif Damn I'm Wet. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/bowdown.gif https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/bowdown.gif

u might need some type of large spacer to be able to run normal wheels, theres 1000's of +40 offset 7 inch wide ones, but a +15 on a 7" is kinda strange really...





heres some spacesr that put it out pretty far, and bolt down more securly

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Wheel-Adapt...1QQcmdZViewItem

with that one make sure to measure how far your studs stick out first tho...

Still waiting on my spacers https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/angry.gif



Painted up the top tray on the radiator, all nice and pretty. Went to put it on, the corner where the rubber plug is, hits the top of the fmic https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683664.gif So now I get to hack it up, so it will fit. Hopefully the spacers will arrive tomorrow and I get this 7 back on the road.

hurry it's almost sunday sunDAY SUNDAY!!

I have this strange feeling we will be working on our "dealing with weight transfer" skills in the 5er. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.gif

Always the pessitmist M.



Well the spacers came in today. So I bolted those up. Yes I used loctite. They actually bolt on to the existing lugs, and have new lugs press in to the ring. No changes on the bolt pattern, just spacing it out 1.25 inches. So with the spacers on, and the rims mounted, which have +40 offset I am finally clearing the coils overs. Sticking my calibrated finger between the tire and the coil over I come up with roughtly 11.5 mm. So I think I am safe to use a +35 rim and that should tuck it a little tighter the inside. Heres a few pics. These were in the garage, so not the best angle. The 17's definately update the car and fill the hole.

Thanks again to Kompressor for finding these spacers and loaning me the rims...[attachment=41424:attachment][attachment=41425:attachment][attachment=41426:attachment][attachment=41427:attachment]

u need some nice outside pics with those rims, maybe shine them up , see how they look haha

so are you getting big brakes all around then? Also do you have a matching set of those wheels if/when you get the rear done?

Just wondering. You get stuff done fast as usual!

I'm looking to change my wheels also from a 4 bolt patter to a 5, what web sight did you find your wheel spacers ???

If you look closer you will see they are spacers only, not adapters. I dont think anyone makes a commercially available spacers for a first gen. So thats why I bought a REspeed big brake kit. I am now running FC hubs and brakes.