Nearly complete REW swap
 

Four years ago I popped the 86K mile motor in my red 04 RX-8.
Well, after being incredibly close to boosting the car and unleashing all hell, it all went to shit and I never got to post the build.
I was documenting it over at a smaller website to save myself the embarrassment of joining the other build threads that fell off.
Various delays including medical issues and moving half way across the county pushed the build out 4 years long. After not driving the car for close to 2.5 years I will once again be driving my RX-8 very soon.

I will be picking the car up from Banzai Racing in Indiana and driving it home, let the break in period commence.

I will spare you the details and skip right to the good stuff. However, I've got a gang of photos and don't have an issue answering questions.


Mod List:
Banzai Racing (BR)
BR Stage 5 rebuilt REW
BR RX-8 REW Crossmember
BR Low profile REW oil pan

Nothing Leaves Stock (NLS)
NLS Custom fabricated down pipe
NLS Turbo Manifold
NLS Custom Greddy elbow
NLS intercooler piping

T67 / T04R Turbo
Interceptor-X EMS
Injectors
Primary: 550CC
Secondary: 750cc (I will need to confirm this, it's been a bit)
Tertiary: 850cc (I will need to confirm this, it's been a bit)
Xcessive FD Lower Intake Manifold

GodSpeed intercool
Tial 44mm wastegate
Tial BOV (I forgot the size, I have it somewhere)

Bunch of little bits and pieces


First, the car. This is the most recent shot before she went under the knife this last time.

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Stage 1: Putting the REW in the first time.

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Stage 2: Research your mechanic kids, and go with your gut.

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Stage 3: Let's try this again, I ain't got time for this shit, lets give it to someone else.
(You better believe I did my research this time and it paid off.)

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wow, somebody did their work first, posted a thread second

winner, yaaaaaaay ....

I drove the car back today.
Chris and Elaine at Banzai killed it!
The car runs amazing and I'm sure it's going to scream, we will have we will have to wait 1182 miles though.
I'll update this with some more pictures and thoughts as the final steps of the build unfold.

This is going to be a tough 1100 miles, it took everything I had not to boost it, everything!

Congrats man!

wow. Indiana isn't too far from me. Geesh. That's tempting as heck. Still have the factory gauges? TCS/DSC - All that working? Just stalked your project via Google - I won't post up your stuff, but I'm very impressed with the work.

All factory gauges work, cruise control works, a/c works.
Haven't tested or looked at traction control yet, we'll find out eventually!

I'm running the Inter-X too, not sure about other ECUs.

This is what happens with mine.
It works to a limit once you spin the rears to much/to long then I believe what happens is you over come the limitations and it will disable its self and the light stays on.
Apron shutting off and restarting the car the system resets it's self, until you repeat w/more excessive rear tire spin. :)

.

Firecran... I thought you were going to drop an Adaptronic in?

I want to but I'm poor :(
Owning two rotaries is bad for the wallet.


Seriously, I hope to scoop one up this year.

.

Thought we lost you a while back!!!

No no dznutzuk, life got in the way, as is usually the case.
She's running real nice now.

Good evening gentlemen,
It's been a while since I've posted anything and i figured, with summer coming to a close, I'd let you all know shes still running and I haven't fallen of the face of the earth.

Car has been on the dyno once again for a post break in tune. I have numbers, but no sheet (It was late, I was excited, everyone was tired) but i can tell you the numbers were high, very high 300's for HP and lowish 300's for torque, all with the factory catback exhaust. (Soon to be corrected ;) )
I do plan on getting dyno sheets sometime in the near future, preferably after the exhaust work is complete.

She goes like a raped ape (We've nicknamed her Raped 8) and is incredibly smooth to drive.
The motor did go bad this summer due to a bad oil line that starved the rear rotor bearing and was rebuilt and beefed up.

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Here's a few pictures from this summer, just tooling around enjoying the fruits of my labor

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Good stuff man.
Glad to see shes still running.

Time for an update I guess, I've moved out to California and a few things have changed on it.
Car was broken into and the thieves attempted to steal it, never underestimate the importance of installing a hidden cut off switch.

Finally have power numbers, car feels down on power since moving it out to California, I'm hesitant to say the change from 93 to 91 octane is the cause, but Nelson did need to pull some power out when tuning it.
This could be caused by the fuel or the fueling, either way, I'm going to upgrade the pump and see where that take me, that 255 might be a hair on the tired side.
Plans for the future include an Adaptronic ECU and an E85 tune to go along with the pump fuel tune.

Update:
New S2 transmission
New ACT Stage 3 clutch kit
Syncro Saver
New head unit
New Shift knob.

In the works:
New fuel pump (Currently running a Walboro 255lph, upgrading to an Aeromotive)
New intake tract
Fix the exhaust leak

Enjoy the pictures and the sounds.

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That's my old mans Audi A6 in the background.
KO4'd 2.7T Quattro, never underestimate an old man in a quietly modified car...
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Dyno numbers. (Tuned at Lucky 7 Racing in LA by Nelson S)
Note the break up at the end of the power graph? Leads me to believe the pump is sad and tired
I tried figuring out how to post a video, but I suck and don't have time for it.

Nice bro!!

So this happened a few weeks ago....
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Then this happened...
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Destroyed the S2 transmission about a month ago. Absolutely annihilated 2nd gear.
It sucked, but if I'm being honest, I enjoyed it.
Talked it over with my mechanic and decided to put in an FD transmission.
So now it's got a new tune (no graph, all street for now).
A 93 RX-7 Transmission and an 89 RX-7 short shifter.
An ACT clutch kit for a 93 RX-7.

Yeah, pretty happy with it.
So yeah, that's the update.

Oh wait, I also had a 3" exhaust cut out put in right before the muffler.
That's fun too.
Also a aluminum under tray and side supports. Pretty good investment.

Here's how she looks.
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Just read the thread for first time .Good stuff man . Glad you are back to enjoying your 8.

looking amazing... love these rew swaps

I've made some changes to the car of the last couple of months after taking it off the road for a bit
Got the first start up under my belt this weekend.
Picking up a new starter and hope to be driving it again regularly this coming weekend.

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Daily in the back.

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Very nice! I think I missed your thread before but so glad you have that cutoff switch!

Glad to see good progress with the build.

Good to hear you are still progressing . I'm a bit confused as to why you would go to all that effort to insulate the UIM while at the same time sucking in hot air straight off the radiator ......

Cause I was too lazy to clean and paint it, and if I'm being honest I've always sucked in hot air and had dam good air intake temperatures.

Love the build! Noticed you got new 3pc wheels, what is the brand/model and spec?

They are not 3 piece wheels, they are JNC's I bought locally.
I drive in the Bay Area, and the roads here are not very nice to wheels.

I know they are 18X10, I can't remember the offset off the top of my head.
I'm pretty sure I'll pull the wheels at some point, I'll try to remember to grab it then.

18x10 +50 pretty much bolts on with zero mods.

pics are dead now, but this was from Nov/2003

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-whe.../18x10s-14912/