Hi Everybody!
 

Hello,

Just thought I would take the time to introduce myself. My name is Ken, I have been in to cars since I was a kid. I was a car electronics specialist at one time and I still dabble in it. I run a small machine shop out of my garage, and I'm always making parts for some project or another.

I bought my RX8 wrecked in May 2015 for a whopping $2500 cash with the intent of flipping it for around $1500 profit. It ran and drove like new - the engine and transmission were replaced by Mazda at 74k, and I bought it with just under 90k on it. I replaced the front bumper, wheel wells, and plastics underneath the motor. Threw on a new set of tires and shocks/struts. Ended up falling in love with it and decided to keep it. Best $3400 I have spent in a while.

After months of driving it as-is, I have finally started to modify it a bit. Nothing extreme. Just a GROM bluetooth unit, and this custom made phone holder that I will post pictures of in a while. I plan on putting a Nexus tablet in the dash, as the stock navigation unit's backlight went out.

Nice to meet you all!

Welcome to the club.

Post some pictures and share some more details on the car (color, trim, etc).

And make sure you read the new members forums. As you can tell, these cars require a slightly different maintenance schedule than the regular engine.

Welcome bro. Do post some pics of your baby.

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. I'm new here but not new to forums, so I know the drill. I am a moderator over on a Mitsubishi Eclipse and Subaru forums, and an active member on a couple car audio forums.


Here is the car the day I brought it home:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...d1ebed6ed8.jpg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...1d8eb8a242.jpg




Fitting the new bumper:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...91e15a8c79.jpg




All Finished:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...3fd3f22b5a.jpg





Here is the phone mount I mentioned earlier:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...2e98e22873.jpg


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...5ece09c59d.jpg


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...f6d40c266d.jpg


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...6f58ad540d.jpg


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...e761f7f770.jpg




I also forgot to mention I did a little tweaking on the headlights. I swapped in some drop in clear lenses from The Retrofit Source, blocked the squirrel finders, and spaced the lens 1/8" further away from the bowl. This gives them a clean cutoff with a wonderful blue color band in it. No real pics of this in progress (it only took about an hour to do both of them, and 90% of that was just baking them open/shut), but I will try to post some output shots.



I am considering getting the SOHN adapter, figuring I can reuse it as a coolant overflow reservoir when I chevy swap it. That is a project for next winter though. Before anyone warns me, I am a competent machinist and welder with my own lift and machine shop so fabrication is no issue. I'm just going to take my sweet time on it - doing stuff like getting another front subframe and notching it this summer, collecting parts, straightening out the wiring I will need, etc.. I'm an accountant by trade, so aside from tax season, I only work about 15 hours a week, so I'm hoping for a sub-2 month built starting around November.




Until then, I have this to play with:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...bef9c79936.jpg


Nothing special, just an 05 GT. Bone stock. R-title that I rebuilt myself in 2013. The RX and my truck are my daily drivers right now, and I can honestly say I'm surprised how well the RX handles in the snow.

Accidental Triple Post

Accidental Triple Post

Looks like all 3 replies came through :) Nice stang!

Haha yeah, days later it triple posted. I'm assuming after I pass my probation period I will no longer need moderator approval to post replies?

Thanks for the comment on my Mustang. Aside from the red interior and being an automatic, I like it.