S122A project commencing

[Casey]

Very nice RX-3 and I love the jewellery 

[Eccentric shaft]

Been a while. Not really going anywhere atm. Weird situation with distributors on the way in the mail (I hope – it's been weeks), still have to change the cams on them, which I hope will sort the ignition woes. And finish the dash job. Fingers crossed the coming season will see a lot of driving! In the meantime looking back at some good times:

[Casey]

Gorgeous roads for a scenic drive 

I like that you had to break away from the procession to get fuel at the end 

Thanks for sharing 

[Eccentric shaft]

It's that tiny fuel tank. 65,5 litres gets you nowhere! 

[Casey]

65.5! Bigger than the RX-8 tank!

[Eccentric shaft]

When Norwegian rally ace Kjell Gudim and co-driver Johannes Falle entered an Rx2 for the 1971 RAC Rally, they found the 65 litre tank too small for the thirsy rotary. So they extended the capacity using two 20-litre jerry cans that they connected to the main tank. The scrutineers were probably a bit more relaxed about fire safety regulations back then!   

[clive]

Wow thats a lot of fuel 

[Casey]

Over 100 litres! That's a lot of weight to carry too!

[Eccentric shaft]

To pump all that fuel I currently have a pump dangling loose from the fuel lines. This will now be fixed (haha nice pun!) with this NOS 616-pump complete with the proper fittings. Only potential snag is my manual says 616 needs 2 kg fuel pressure, whereas Rx2 needs 2-3 kgs. Now what do they mean by that? 🤔  a) Anything btw 2 and 3 kgs does the job, or b) Up to 3 kgs needed for proper leadfooted driving and 4 open nikki ports?

Of course, the Rx2 has an overflow return pipe, the 616 hasn't. But would this affect the minimum fuel pressure required? Might just have to try it and see what happens. But first the ignition needs sorting and fortunately the distributors have resurfaced and arrived, so at some point we'll see...

[Casey]

As you say, just try it and see. If it works, fine. If not, a bit of head scratching required to find a solution 

[clive]

That looks like an old Facit pump and they don't produce much pressure so you should be OK.

From memory they are very noisy though.

 

[Eccentric shaft]

Dash top finally off. As it turns out, this is the part that went in FIRST at the assembly line. So the main rule is "Everything on the dash that can be dismantled needs to be dismantled".
There are two short-cuts for the adventurous:

1) The mid section with the heater controls can stay if you slacken the screws a bit.
2) The Instrument panel only needs the speedo wire disconnecting and moving to the side. You don't need to disconnect the wiring and earth connection.

But this means that -without seeing much– you'll be fumbling around with your hands in an area that is in effect a bed of spikes (as above so below) in order to locate clips (many and razor sharp) and nuts (4), so short cuts are made at your own peril. Expect some minor blood sacrifice.   

[Casey]

"Blood sacrifice" - what a commitment to the car gods 

[Eccentric shaft]

Chrome trim for Noriaki's dash just arrived. These are not brittle plastic ones, but chrome plated metal, so they won't wrinkle or break. Kustom Cuts make good quality stuff. Not wild about some of their un-original bling, but for those interested in modifying their cars, it's always nice that there's quality parts available.

[Casey]

It's great that parts like this can still be obtained to keep our classic Mazdas looking good