Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 7 -McLeod RST, the Ultimate Streetable Twin Disc?
For Project Restomod RX-7 we are taking a somewhat different approach to modding a car. We are striving to refine and elevate the FD RX-7 in every way to better…
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Billy Johnson
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Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 6 – Antigravity and MeleDesign Firm Battery Relocation
There are many reasons why relocating the battery should be one of the first modifications done to an RX-7. First off, electronics hate heat and there aren’t many engine bays…
Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 5 – Dry Ice Blasting Restoration
If you love your car and especially if you work on it, Dry Ice Blasting restoration is a MUST. Dry Ice Blasting is outright incredible. It is a cleaning process…
Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 4 – Stoptech Stainless Steel Brake Lines and Castrol SRF Fluid.
We addressed a surprisingly long pedal from boiling the brake fluid during spirited driving with stainless steel brake lines from Stoptech and new Castrol SRF fluid. Now that the steering…
Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 10 – MGW Short Shifter
We greatly improve the feel and control of our S197 Mustang’s Getrag MT82 transmission with a short shift kit from MGW. The Getrag MT-82 is well-known for not being the…
Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 3 – SuperPro Front Swaybar and Steering Rack Bushings
We fix a bad clunk and steering issue with a stiffer SuperPro front swaybar and steering rack bushings. When Project FD RX7 Restomod was purchased, it had a pretty bad…
Project NSX: Part 14 – Michelin Cup 2 Connect Tires and Forgeline GA1R Wheels
After years of extensive testing and measuring, I finally fit 305-width Michelin Cup 2 (240)s under the rear of an NSX, mounted on a set of custom Forgeline GA1R wheels.…
Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 2 – Titan 7 TD-6 Wheels and Continental Force Tire
Choosing wheels and tires is such an important decision that greatly affects the potential of a car. We improve the performance and visual presence of our FD Mazda RX-7 with…
Project Viper: Part 16 – Forgeline VX1-6 Wheels and Michelin Super Sport Tires
Fresh performance tires are crucial for keeping Vipers safe and predictable. We upgrade our Viper with Forgeline’s Monoblock VX1-6 wheels wrapped in new Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. As we…
Project NSX: Part 13 – Track Testing Yokohama A052 Tires and Swift Springs
When it comes to performance on track, tires are one of the most important factors of a car. We install what is arguably the fastest 200-treadwear “Street” tire on the…
Project FD RX-7 Restomod: Part 1 – Introduction
The 3rd generation (FD) Mazda RX-7 is one of the best driver’s cars to ever come out of Japan. Unfortunately, its turbocharged rotary engine has a bad reputation for being…
Project Viper: Part 15 – Fixing the Factory Brake Bias
Non-ABS equipped Gen-2 Vipers have terrible brake bias. We install new rear calipers with larger pistons to improve the brake bias and stopping performance of our Viper. We also upgrade…
Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 9 – Apex Wheels and Nitto Tires
Choosing wheels and tires are some of the most important decisions you can make for a car. For this project’s theme of using the best bang-for-your-buck components possible, there really…
Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 8 – Aero with Steeda and Ford
For the S197 Mustang platform, proven aero does not have to be expensive. We install a wind tunnel-tested Steeda wing and a BOSS 302 splitter to improve the downforce of…
Project Viper: Part 14 – Maintenance: Swaybar Bushings, Ball Joints and Boots
Time takes its toll on rubber. We replace the old and hardened swaybar bushings, ball joints, and boots on our low-mileage 1997 Viper. As we mentioned in Part 12, it’s…
Project NSX: Part 12 – NRG Steering Wheel and Quick Release Install
We upgrade one of the most important tools a driver uses: The steering wheel. We install a suede steering wheel, adapter, and quick-release from NRG. NRG has been around for…
Project NSX: Part 11 – Installing NSX-R Style Loop Carpet From NSXcarpet.com
We refreshed the interior of our NSX with NSX-R style looped carpet from NSXcarpets.com It’s pretty crazy to think that the carpet in our NSX is nearly 30 years old. …
Project NSX: Part 10 – AeroWerkZ Paint Correction and Stek PPF Install
To protect our freshly painted NSX, we visited the experts at AeroWerkZ for a full paint correction and wrapped the entire car in Stek’s “DYNOshield” Paint Protection Film (PPF). AeroWerkZ…
Project Viper: Part 13 – Lowering the car with KW Coilovers
2nd Generation Vipers desperately need to be lowered. We accomplished this with a set of coilovers from KW Suspension. The Viper’s stock suspension is actually quite good. The ride quality…
Project Viper: Part 12 – Replacing the Fluids
It’s always important to routinely replace the fluids in a car, even if it has low mileage. We went through our 1997 Dodge Viper with less than 10K miles on…
Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 7 – Springs, Shocks and Bars
Staying true to the ‘budget’ track car theme, we skipped expensive coilovers and upgraded our S197 Mustang with track-capable springs, shocks, and swaybars from Steeda. In Part 6, we tackled…
Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 6 – Going Through the Suspension with Steeda
This is where we defy the misconceptions and show how to make an S197 Mustang into a corner-carving track car. We are going to cover the pros and cons of…
Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 5 – Upgrading to an Eaton Truetrac LSD
A performance Limited Slip Differential is a MUST for making 2005-2014 (S197) Mustangs handle predictably. We replace the weak factory LSD with Eaton’s TrueTrac helical (gear-driven) LSD which will transform…
Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 4 – Installing the Roush 3rd Link
Upgrading the 3rd link suspension arm in an S197 Mustangs is far more important than just to reduce wheel hop. Picking the right one will greatly affect the car’s handling…
Project NSX: Part 9 – Designing, Fitting and Testing a 3D Printed Door Card Frame
We designed and 3D printed a stronger NSX Center Door Frame out of necessity, and solving a much-needed problem. In the tech article Make Your Own Parts with Shareware CAD…
Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 3 – Dyno Testing Borla S-Type Cat-Back Exhaust and Tune
Despite achieving our 400 WHP goal, we installed a Borla S-Type Cat-Back Exhaust to further increase power, reduce weight, and improve the sound of our Mustang. We also found a…
Make Your Own Parts with Shareware CAD and 3D Printing!
Additive manufacturing is a booming industry. Due to advancements in technology, designing and 3D printing your own parts at home is becoming cheaper and easier than ever. You don’t need…
Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 2 – Finding out what it takes to make 400WHP
We strap our first-generation 5.0L “Coyote” V8-powered S197 Mustang to the dyno and test the 2018+ “Gen-3” intake manifold, K&N air intake, and tunes by Palm Beach Dyno to find…
Project NSX: Part 8 – 2002 Facelift and Widebody
Our 1992 NSX gets a make-over with a 2002 facelift conversion and subtle flared fenders from Downforce USA. This will help us fit wider tires in anticipation of more than…
Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 1 – Intro
More people need to consider the (2005-2014) “S197” Mustang for track use! Parts are cheap and it really does not take much to turn one into an awesome “Driver’s-car”. There…
Not all Michelin Cup 2 Tires Are Created The Same
They may look the same, smell the same, and be the exact same size; but not all Cup 2 tires are created equal, and for good reason. Michelin produces off-the-shelf…
Vapor Blasting: Restoring Metal to Better Than New
Traditional chemicals, parts washers, and hot tanks can only do so much to clean dirty car parts. When pride is taken in rebuilding anything from a carburetor to an entire…