glxyjones

really? I saw the picture for the lexus and they just look incredibly small...I've never sat in one so I don't know, but edmunds.com said they were pretty small...thanks for the reply though

-Greg

devoid

oh....damn....though I searched, I didn't search hard enough for the quote about the back seats. Ok...so to truly answer the real question...

The SC430 does have some rather small seats...I have also sat in the back of them. The worst about them is they are very vertical, not exactly the most comfortable position in my opinion, but they're functional. I myself could get back there, and only some of my friends. It's definitely a car you would have to go out of your way to move forward a bit to make the rear passenger comfortable, but definitely manageable. Not truly ideal for a long trip. I think the purpose is more suited to storing your luggage while the top is down, though surprisingly there is ample room in the trunk even with the top down.

Sorry for the confusion, I went with my best guess and assumed the question was about the 8. I should have went with my gut, wondering why an 8 owner would be asking such a question...but now I know....sorry about that glxyjones...hope I've now truly answered your question.

PS - its always technically cheaper on insurance to have a 4 seater as opposed to a 2 seater...ie the camaro or firebird. Though not always practical.

the-jewish-rx8

sorry i thought he ment the 8 too i was trying to answer a quote i just dont know how devoid i love the stuff ur doing to ur car you will have send pics. i decided to take ur adivce and work on the interior. lets face it girls wont be impressed by preformace they will be impress by looks. i also agree on ur decision to make it stand out. its my personal opinion that when someone trys to hard to make their car look realy hot it back fires and make it look kind of dumb. the only exterior work i plan on getting his rims and a tint.

also i am thrilled to ahve come home and found that while i was away (beach house party im still in highschool ) my sister had her friend install red neons in it. im hoping for rims for my birthday but i have not found ones sutible for my red rx8 if u have any sigestions on rims i would apperciate it

dova

devoid any pictures or update on your car ....how about an address for the website

devoid

alright....I'll put an update up tonight....I'll do my best to scrounge up a site tonight and then post the address...

dova

wuz up....how is it going....have you gotten the car back....any updates

devoid

ok...finally...much anticipated...the website: devoid.mine.nu/pictures

The main pages are thumbnails, while the main pictures were shrunk down to 800x600, for full screen viewing purposes.
Please understand, this was something that had to be thrown together quickly. I have been extremely busy lately and no time to make a site, so this is what I could manage.

As for the car, I just today put the first scotch-guard coat on the carpet and seats (I brought the seats and carpet home from the install shop)

The install shop is partway through the alarm, and mostway through the AV. They've installed most of the Alpine electronics as you can tell by the pictures. They've done a huge amount of wiring. I'm still waiting for parts I ordered like 3 weeks ago from CanZoomer, as well as Corksport. I also need about another week to get the rest of the computer wiring.

Things are going smoothly so far and looking good.
Sorry to keep this short, but I'll try to make another update tonight.

dova

dude good luck with everything. man that looks scary...having the care all in parts....congrats u are going to have a nice set up.

devoid

just keep an eye out...the pictures are being updated daily. As for today, they got the wiring ran for the inter-battery cabling. This means the 2-gauge wires that will connect the front battery to the rear battery. This is some thick stuff! I installed the 3rd brake light mod sat, but didn't have anyone around to push the brake so I could snap a pic, so I got some pics today. All-in-all, things are coming along nicely. Now, if only I could get the rest of my parts in...Ahem, CanZoomer...cough, cough...Corksport....hack, wheez, cough, computer junk....Ahem. Sorry about that...didn't want to mention any names or anything. ;-) Oh well, things should be in soon and we'll keep moving right along.

mikeb

that looks really crazy

can't wait to see final product on this

devoid

Sorry about no updates lately. They really haven't been able to do anything the past 2 days. Hopefully I'll have some pics tonight if they've done some more work. Other good news is I got my brake lines and exhaust from CorkSport, and I got the clear corners, lighted shift ****, and grounding kit from CanZoomer. So last but not least, I'll have pics friday when I install that stuff! I'll keep updates coming...

the-jewish-rx8

i like the rx8 light by the trunk how much do they cost

devoid

To answer that question...its only a few bucks, but for more information, do a search on something having to do with "third brake light mod" or something to that effect. You'll find out who created it, and you can pm him and he'll give you a price and info. It's very cheap, very simple, and very cool!

As for the rest of what's going on. Things have slowed down a bit on the car. Right now they are working on creating the new face plate. They did an amazing job as of the present moment with fitting the screen and drive into the new face, but its going to take some time and patience till its complete.

We do have a problem though, and I need some help. Right now, we've realized that the entire upper display (the red display where radio, time, and temp control settings are displayed) are all run through the factory radio. I'm asking all those with electrical manuals pertaining to this info if you could PLEASE, pm me or post some info up pertaining to this. Essentially, we need to know the bare minimum components we need to put back into the car in order to have the display working correctly. Specifically what circuit boards, etc. I'm hoping this is in one of the electrical manuals.

PS - pics of clear lens mod posted on my site. (latest date)

tokenbrit

I especially like what you've done with the oil cooler covers, and the grille. How did you go about this?? And what materials did you use??
Good luck finishing your car...

Thanks.

devoid

umm...I really couldn't tell you. I think it's just a product of the pictures that the grill and oil coolers don't look like they are there. At least so far as I know...it may be the case that the shop did some work on it and didn't tell me, but I highly doubt it. The body shop is going to mold some plastic grills to match the front grill for the oil coolers and the radiator, however. That's not for a couple weeks though. So I guess the answer for right now, so far as I know is, nothing has been done to the grills, yet...its just a product of the lighting when taking the pictures.

jgoldstein2000

i am so excited to see the final!!!!

devoid

Seeing as it looks like I still have some interest....I thought I would update you guys to let you know what's up. The Audio install shop has fallen far behind, much to my and the installer's dissappointment! It's not his fault, however, but rather those running the scheduling end of their business biting off more than they can chew. They're trying to spread themselves between about 4 big installs, on top of the daily work of radios and such. Unfortunetely, they don't see the fault in their scheduling. Even my sister sees the fault in their scheduling, and compared it to American Chopper. You should only work on one "theme" vehicle at a time, b/c it involves everyone in the shop...oh well....that's my rant.

Anyway, I've uploaded more pics, as always to my server. I recently installed the CanZoomer/MS grounding kit. Though it was blue, we shrowded it in black wrap, so it looks great in the engine bay, really factory style. I was also able to install the lighted shift ****...man, I can't even tell you how classy that thing looks! I have yet to grab some pics of it though...

The biggest change in the design, as of late, is that I'm now doing ICELED's. Man are those things expensive, expecially compared to neon...but I'm a believer in "you get what you pay for!" So I'm really excited. Under my main directory for my pictures, you'll see led_exterior and led_interior JPGs...the highest numbered versions are the final design. We decided to stick with blue LED's for all the electronics (ie the amps, the computer, and PS2).

Well, as always, keep checking for more pics: http://devoid.mine.nu/pictures

devoid

Thought I'd let you guys know that they've ripped down the roof liner and taken apart the doors. Things are going well. Hopefully this week the trunk will get finished. They've worked on the fiberglass for the sub encloser, and are near complete! As always, check out the pics...the last date: 20040818 - RX-8 @ http://devoid.mine.nu/pictures

devoid

NOW THIS IS AN RX-8 TRUNK...oh yeah, it's getting there folks...hopefully by the weekend the trunk will be complete. Check it out...
http://devoid.mine.nu/pictures/20040819%20-%20RX-8/

jgoldstein2000

u are my hero. i am so excited to see this when it's done.

p.s. what was your last car/audio set-up?

devoid

Hahaha...that's a good one....my last car (or present car for that matter) is a plymouth acclaim. The good part about it was that it is such a common car, especially for when I was in college, no one thought twice about it. Thus, having a decent system in there was no big deal or worry. Anyway, I just had a kenwood excelon CD reciever, Sub amp (the old style with the powered automatic open/close cover), Infinity Kappa Perfect 10.1, 2 x Sony 5.25" 2-way rear speakers, 2x Sony 5.25" 3-way speakers front, and a 20GB Neo Jukebox (for MP3's, www.ssiamerica.com for those interested).

My current car was setup in the same manner I design all my cars...they look stock for the most part...there is nothing screaming at you, hey, I've got a hell of a system in me. Like all those Chrome wheels and accents, or air bags, or spinners, etc.

I hope to do every RX-8 owner proud with this install, and I'm so freakin' pumped, I can hardly wait to finally be driving it...

PS - After many a talk with Michelle from CanZoomer, it would appear that I've purchased EVERY applicable item possible from them...mirror under lights, lighted shift ****, rear fog, MS grounding kit, start button, Stage 1, stage 2, programming cable, CanScan upgrade, clear corners, mid pipe, HF cat and that's all I can think of...Michelle will let me know if I missed something The only part I did want that they couldn't really get was the car cover....
Does anyone know where to get a good price on the car cover? I've seen them for $194 or so...

Anyway, I hope everyone likes the look of things on the car! It should be off to the body shop next week!

jgoldstein2000

Devoid,

I continue to be incredibly pumped about your car! Just curious where you live as I wouldn't mind seeing it in person when it is done. Are you in CA?

devoid

No...I'm in ohio...and believe me, you're not the only one pumped to see it when its done! Right now, it looks like it has been delayed till mid sept. The audio shop severely underestimated the time they could put into it. I have no doubt they could have met the schedule if they were only working on one "theme" car at a time...but that's another rant for another time. Anyway, they know my goal is quality, not speed...

On a side note, I got the ICELEDs mon...and man, though they are expensive as hell, they are worth the money. They are simply incredible. Nothing in the US compares to these things. They are brighter than neons, blend just as well, and unlike US LED tubes, the colors blend perfectly providing 2 million colors rather than 7...and the kicker, they blend so well, from an inch away from any surface, the LEDs blend together so you don't see each individual LED in a reflection, unlike US LEDs.

Abbid - I don't wanna know the cost...seriously....I don't wanna know... I just keep myself excited by the end result, cause I know its gonna kick butt!

Nemesis8

iTrader: (3)

What a dream project. I have been following this, but have not commented in your thread, but really cool design I must say.

Makes my PIE connector look like a kids bandaid :p

I'm in Ohio about every 4 months on business, would love to hook up in the future to see this project first hand.

devoid

Here's an FAQ I'm working on for the car...make any comments, corrections, or additions!

Frequently asked questions and answers

About the Car:

Q: Why did you choose an RX-8?
A: Because it is a fantastic car. It has a great design and amazing performance, and had a terrific potential for this project. By itself it is a terrific Grand Touring vehicle, but now I’ve created the Ultimate Grand Touring car!

Q: Does the car run?
A: Yes. Stock it has a 50-50 weight ratio (front to back) and 238hp. While we’ve obviously lost the 50-50 weight ratio, we’ve added approximately 40hp for a total of 278hp. This is also real-time computer adjustable to allow you to change from better performance to better economy or anything in between.

Q: Is it fast?
A: Yes. This is not a drag car made for doing ¼ mile runs, but get it on the track and it will run with the best. It has been timed on a track and scored exactly the same as a Nissan 350Z and a BMW M3.

Q: What kind of engine does that have, a fourbanger, 6, V8, jet engine?
A: None of the above! The RX-8 utilizes Mazda’s latest Rotary Engine designated the RENESIS engine. While your doctor may prescribe RX-8 for the thrill seeker in you, the RX really stands for Rotary eXperimental. The 8 in RX-8 stands for the 8th generation production RX car created by Mazda. Unlike piston engines, rotary engines have very few moving parts - the rotors and the crankshaft. In the case of the RX-8's RENESIS engine, this means 2 rotors and a crankshaft (3 moving parts!). When well taken care of, rotary engines are very reliable. They do not take kindly to abuse such as low oil or overheating, however, and many of the stories you hear about unreliable rotaries were from ones that were abused or from early 3rd generation turbo-charged RX-7s that had heat problems.

Q: How big is the engine?
A: 1300cc or 1.3L. The engine is approximately the same height as the transmission, and its small size provides for the overall design of the car as a functional 4 seat sports car.

Q: How many pistons & cylinders does it have?
A: 0 and 0. The engine uses a rotor. This rotor is shaped like a triangle that rotates in a continuous direction within an oval housing. This continuous movement, unlike a piston engine moving up and down, provides for smooth revving and high RPM redline.

Q: How high does it rev?
A: The RX-8 has a redline at 9000RPM and can be pushed slightly beyond. You need to be warned by the buzzer that you are approaching redline because the engine runs so smooth!

Q: How many doors does it have and do the rear seats fit adults?
A: It is considered a 4-door and it does fit 4 adults comfortably. The doors are suicide-style, with the front doors overlapping slightly on top of the rear doors. The rear doors will open only after the front doors are open. While the RX-8 has no B-pillars to impede ingress and egress from the rear seats.

About the electronics:

Q: How long did the installation take?
A: Approximately 2 months.

Q: How much did this system cost to build?
A: I don't know and don't want to know. (If I ever figure out how much it really cost, I’d probably commit myself.)

Q: How much would you charge to build one just like it?
A: One million dollars plus tips. (Non-negotiable)

Q: Why didn't you use W7 subwoofers?
A: The 10W6v2 was better suited for this system due to the power being used, its smaller box volume requirements and shallower physical depth. Besides, it sounds simply phenomenal.

Q: Are there any storage capacitors or extra batteries in the system?
A: Yes. There are two primary batteries in the system connected together. One battery is the original car battery for powering all the regular vehicle electronics and engine, the second battery powers all the installed electronics.

Q: What does it hit?
A: I’m not sure, every time I get up to 88mph I end up in some other time!

Q: No, smart guy, we mean how much SPL does it hit?
A: I really have no idea, but it gets load enough to hurt your ears.

Q: Is the car all-original?
A: No, it originally came with a first generation Nintendo.

Q: There are no door handles, how do you open the doors?
A: Because the car loves me, it opens the doors for me!