Billy Johnson, Author at MotoIQ

To kick off our engine build, we CNC-lightened the rotors of our 13B REW before shipping them off to be cryogenically frozen by CTP Cryogenics to improve strength and durability…

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Project NSX: Part 20 – Antigravity Lithium Battery and CTEK Charger

Posted on September 17, 2023
byBilly Johnson

When it comes to weight reduction, it’s difficult to beat the cost-to-benefit ratio of a lithium battery. We replaced our NSX’s heavy AGM battery with Antigravity’s drop-in Group-35/Q85 lithium battery…

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Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 11 – Engine Disassembly

Posted on August 20, 2023
byBilly Johnson

We decided to tear down a 2,000-mile brand-new Mazda crate engine to turn it into one of the most highly-modified 13B REW engines on the planet. We started by removing…

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Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 10 – Engine Fire Update

Posted on July 30, 2023
byBilly Johnson

Owning an RX-7 is like riding a motorcycle. It’s not a matter of “IF” (the car catches fire) but rather “WHEN, and how bad?”. A small engine fire changed the…

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Project NSX: Part 19 – Designing a Crank Position Sensor and Knock Control

Posted on June 26, 2023
byBilly Johnson

We design a custom tone ring and hall-effect sensor mount for our Motec M150 to more accurately record the crankshaft position and control ignition timing at high RPM. We also…

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Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 9 – Air Pump Removal and FFE Idler Pulley

Posted on June 18, 2023June 19, 2023
byBilly Johnson

To make a simpler and more reliable off-road (track-only) engine setup, we removed the factory Air Pump and Air Control Valve, then installed the Full Function Engineering Idler Pulley Full…

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Project NSX: Part 18 – DBW Conversion with Motec

Posted on May 29, 2023June 30, 2023
byBilly Johnson

We upgrade the ECU in our 30-year-old NSX to the advanced Motec M150, and ditch the throttle cable in favor of a Drive-By-Wire setup to take full advantage of new…

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Project NSX: Part 17 – ECU Master PMU16

Posted on May 17, 2023May 17, 2023
byBilly Johnson

We replace the NSX’s aging factory main relay and fan control modules with the ECU Master PMU16 Power Management Unit. This also gives us the ability to not only control…

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Project NSX: Part 16 – Dry Ice Blasting Restoration

Posted on May 2, 2023
byBilly Johnson

We restore the undercarriage and engine bay of our NSX with Dry Ice Blasting. Now we just might be addicted to Dry Ice Blasting. Once you go ice, nothing is…

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Project NSX Part 15 – Upgrading the Interior with Sweidit

Posted on April 19, 2023
byBilly Johnson

We worked with Sweidit to modernize the interior of our NSX with Alcantara and Nappa Leather, replaced plastic trim panels with carbon fiber, and upgrade the head unit and amplifier.…

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Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 8 – Trans and Diff Mount

Posted on April 9, 2023
byBilly Johnson

To handle our plans for increased power, we ditch the weak and heavy OEM “Power Plant Frame” (PPF) in favor of a traditional transmission mount from Banzai Racing and differential…

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Off-Road Explorer ST with ALPHAequipt Grenade Wheels & General Tire’s Grabber ATX

Posted on March 1, 2023March 14, 2023
byBilly Johnson

We take Ford’s hot-rodded SUV, the Explorer ST, and prepare it for off-road and snow life with the help of ALPHAequipt Grenade wheels and General Tire’s Grabber A/TX. The Explorer…

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ALPHAequipt Silverado Command Wheels & Falken WildPeak A/T3W Tires

Posted on February 19, 2023February 21, 2023
byBilly Johnson

In the middle of winter, it is very important to have the right tires for the job and conditions. To improve our off-road performance, capabilities, and safety; we are equipping…

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Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 7 -McLeod RST, the Ultimate Streetable Twin Disc?

Posted on September 18, 2022
byBilly Johnson

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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Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 6 – Antigravity and MeleDesign Firm Battery Relocation

Posted on August 28, 2022
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 5 – Dry Ice Blasting Restoration

Posted on June 12, 2022June 13, 2022
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 4 – Stoptech Stainless Steel Brake Lines and Castrol SRF Fluid.

Posted on May 31, 2022
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 10 – MGW Short Shifter

Posted on April 20, 2022
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 3 – SuperPro Front Swaybar and Steering Rack Bushings

Posted on March 27, 2022March 29, 2022
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project NSX: Part 14 – Michelin Cup 2 Connect Tires and Forgeline GA1R Wheels

Posted on March 13, 2022March 13, 2022
byBilly Johnson

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.…

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Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 2 – Titan 7 TD-6 Wheels and Continental Force Tire

Posted on February 13, 2022February 14, 2022
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project Viper: Part 16 – Forgeline VX1-6 Wheels and Michelin Super Sport Tires

Posted on January 23, 2022
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project NSX: Part 13 – Track Testing Yokohama A052 Tires and Swift Springs

Posted on January 18, 2022January 20, 2022
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project FD RX-7 Restomod: Part 1 – Introduction

Posted on January 9, 2022January 19, 2022
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project Viper: Part 15 – Fixing the Factory Brake Bias

Posted on December 22, 2021
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 9 – Apex Wheels and Nitto Tires

Posted on December 12, 2021December 13, 2021
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project Budget 400WHP S197 Mustang Track Car: Part 8 – Aero with Steeda and Ford

Posted on November 3, 2021November 2, 2021
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project Viper: Part 14 – Maintenance: Swaybar Bushings, Ball Joints and Boots

Posted on October 26, 2021
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project NSX: Part 12 – NRG Steering Wheel and Quick Release Install

Posted on September 26, 2021January 4, 2022
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project NSX: Part 11 – Installing NSX-R Style Loop Carpet From NSXcarpet.com

Posted on September 15, 2021January 4, 2022
byBilly Johnson

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. …

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Project NSX: Part 10 – AeroWerkZ Paint Correction and Stek PPF Install

Posted on August 17, 2021January 4, 2022
byBilly Johnson

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…

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Project Viper: Part 13 – Lowering the car with KW Coilovers

Posted on July 28, 2021
byBilly Johnson

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…