So because I didn't swap over the hard lines to the rear brakes going to the ABS and instead retaining the S1 lines, they don't reach the S2 ABS unit so I had to come up with a work around and that work around is stainless RX-7 FB clutch hoses lol

A while ago the stainless clutch hose in my (now totaled) FB RX-7 had caught on fire (likely due to grounding to the transmission - only cause I can think of) and I didn't want to keep waiting for oreilys to get one in so I took the clutch hose out of my R3 parts car, added an adapter and installed it in the FB and it worked great. Then I found out that my S1 brake lines wouldn't reach the connections on the S2 ABS as they're in front of it instead of the back and I needed a reliable line with female and male fittings to bridge the lines to the ABS, well the FB RX-7 clutch hose has exactly that so I ordered two stainless braided clutch hoses from mazdatrix and will be installing them probably sometime today

#R3S1 #MazdaspeedR3

 

Got away with rear bumper black underpart.

Looks better same color as rest of car.

I do like it a lot better.

Check it out.

 

Better than stock , my opinion

 

Ditto !.

 

Not sure I agree about the rear. The back of the 8 has a rather massive appearance, IMO; I sometimes wonder if Mazda made the lower part black to make it appear smaller.

 

I think the black underside does not go well with the shape of the rear.

It does in other cars, not on this one.

That is probably why Mazda did away with it on the later RX8 Gen II

 

 

I've not done anything today, but I'll be compression testing it this weekend and getting gas tonight probably, and filling it with some premix. Maybe I'll take it and the wife to dinner.

 

Tried to get it started. Battery voltage was low, so I used GF's car to jump it. Put jumper cables and other car away while RX-8 warmed up, then as I was getting ready to go, it died. So I jumped it again - it idled for a few minutes then died again. Probably due to combination of vacuum leak + increased electrical load from charging dead battery. Had to take the GF's Honda Fit to work

Going to try jumping & charging battery tonight, if not successful - time for new battery.

 

The handle on my dipstick broke off so I needed a replacement, however, I couldn't find any replacements that were reasonably priced so I ordered one of those little rotor shaped handles for the S1 dipstick and did some custom fitting grinding down the plastic, adding the head off an old burned out dremel and then fiberglassing a nail into it, cutting the nail and then put the rotor handle on and it came out great:D

I also installed the RX-7 FB clutch hoses that i'm using as brake line extensions to bridge the S1 rear brake lines to the S2 ABS

#R3S1 #MazdaspeedR3

 

I introduced the '8 to a 50 lb box of sexy implants from Sweden that Big Brown Santa left on the doorstep today:



Fresh from their revalving in the bowels of North Carolina:



Its going to be a fun weekend.

 

Sick license plate!

 

Washed it! And changed the oil last week. Meant to post this yesterday.

 

no...dust...whatsoever...

 

OOH! Shiny! What spring rates are you going with?

 

Paste wax. Because it may rain this week.

 

installed RE Amemiya CF tail lights.

 

Drove from Boston to NYC.

 

Up in the air.


Out with the old.


Beloved but spent, broken, and leaky old bastards. (Progress springs for sale soon...)


Next: Rear shocks. Then: The Swift and the Swedish goes in.
13k/8k ought to be stiff enough to knock my fillings out...

 

More shots of the tail lights in daylight please!

 

mhedges, didn't get a chance to snap too many pics but here are a few more.







here's a shot comparing the RE lights to the S2 style tail lights that are quite popular on ebay.
(you can get a better feel for the CF here)





Lastly, snapped a quick picture in the garage.

 

Thanks for the pics. Your car looks spectacular.

 

Just installed an AutoExe exhaust! Yayyyy

 

thanks.
nisaja: pics or it never happened!

 

I'll get a video up soon! It sounds gooooood. It's almost stock when at idle and up to like 3000rpm. Above that it's fairly loud. Very happy with it.