1987 Rx7 Turbo II - CHCA Hill Climb Car

[Low Impedance]

One of the reasons i love Colorado is that i can satisfy my desire for rally action. Between the CHCA, PPIHC and the numerous rally cross' and the CORE park up near Denver. I'd say this is a pretty good spot. And lets not mention the other back roads i can enjoy.

Since the engine in the Turbo II when down due to heavy amounts of carbon build up. I have decided to take the build of the car in the realm of dirt and gravel. A land where pavement is called Tarmac for really no good reason other than to sound elitist. A place where i can spray spectators will small rocks propelled by my spinning rear wheels.

So read along as i transform my Turbo II into a (hopefully) competent hill climb car.



So where do i start first?

This is the question that i have posed to myself. Its simple but the answer is somewhat complex. I'm 22, recently married, getting into an apartment to establish myself more in Colorado and trying to eventually buy a house in the next year or two. I am going to need a place to store this car, as well as my FB that is still in Ohio and probably another car or two. Additionally, i have tools and spare parts to consider.

So all of life's hassles aside. Here is my "current" plan of attack subject to change with out notice.

Phase 1: The engine.

Getting the car running and driving is my first goal. This will include tackling issues with keeping the car cool and maintaining a reliable state.

Phase 2: The suspension.

Once i can start to drive the car again, i can start figuring out what the suspension needs.

Phase 3: The chassis.

One of the single most expensive items is the roll cage. I want to go with an FIA hom. design so i wont have to worry about updating it every two or so years. Plus my confidence in the cage is paramount. I will be seam welding and reinforcing during this whole process.

[Low Impedance]

Phase 1: The engine

After comparing cost of acquiring a "possibly" good, used engine to that of just rebuilding my engine. I am opting for the rebuild.

Additionally, i can rebuild the motor to make more power and be more reliable. So really its a better road to follow down.

So what is the outline of the build?

• NRS 2mm seals. (the big expense...)
• 9.4:1 rotors
• Street port (for simplicity and longevity)
• Various cooling tricks including a home brew coolant seal method.
• Misc. oiling mods.

the extras i will need will develop as i go. First things first, the motor will need to be pulled and broken down to see what is the status of the internals.

The reasoning for the named parts above is mostly due to my needs. I need low end power and more power everywhere. Between the altitude, the turns and the constant up hill climb, i need more power and sooner. The NRS seals should allow me to put out more power with less worry on engine failure. The 9.4:1 rotors should give me a quicker spool up and better off throttle response.

[Huzer21]

Obviously getting settled in Colorado is priority number 1, any ideas on when you'd start your project? Sounds like a fun one.

[Low Impedance]

as far as planning goes, i am already starting. This will include acquiring parts. The biggest obstacle is getting somewhere to work on the car which is up in the air at this point. Once i find a place, the motor is coming out, getting torn down and inspected and rebuilt from there. I would like to get the car running and driving as soon as possible.

[Low Impedance]

so i have my plan of attack layed out. First things first is getting a place to work on the heap, then once i can the car stripped out i can send it out to Redline for the cage work. I plan on just building a NA motor running some of my experimental ideas and play with the megasquirt for fuel (12a distributor for spark) and call it day just to get myself some seat time.