Once all the air and fuel is stuffed into the rotary's oblong combustion chamber, it's lit by a custom ignition system. Most rotaries use Crane or Jacobs electronics, but Monsen decided to go with MSD, based on his own personal experiences. Designing an MSD ignition system to work with the rotary and the Haltech was a challenge, however. After several calls to MSD and Haltech in Australia (not to mention some Australian tuners who had tackled this problem before), Monsen finally settled on a combination.
An MSD Digital 6 Plus controls the leading plugs, while the trailing plugs use a DIS-2. The Digital 6's exact firing and EMI suppression were important considerations given the high-rpm precision needed in this engine. The DIS-2 is essentially two MSD 6A's in one chassis, and lack the digital precision of the unit for the leading plugs. However, like the Digital 6 Plus, it fires multiple sparks below 3000 rpm, and has more output than the digital unit. Four MSD 45 KVA coils fire the plugs themselves. The whole ignition system is mounted between the passenger and cargo compartment. The lead and return wires are not only thick No. 1 gauge wiring but leading down opposite sides of the car to reduce any interference.
Monsen's attention to detail stops just short of obsessive, and crosses the line in some cases. Coolant, oil and fuel lines have all been replaced with stainless-steel braided hoses fitted with Earl's anodized fittings. For some things-such as the wastegate-custom aluminum hard pipes and banjo connectors are used. All underhood wiring has been Thermo-Tec sleeved. All the vacuum hoses have been replaced by Russell stainless steel covered Teflon hoses. The list goes on and on, and while some psychiatrists might consider this kind of obsession with details unhealthy, it resulted in tons of reliable horsepower from a car with a less than stellar record.
Gone is the dip in power caused by the transition from a small turbo to a large one. The bigger turbo lags a bit more, but the payoff is incredible power all the way to redline. Even at 4500 rpm in third gear, the rear end will break loose. "Hell, the car should come with a manual on driving sideways," says Monsen.
Adam Saruwatari could write a novel on the stoutness of the RX-7's stock driveline, so it's not surprising few changes were made here. The transmission is stock, but uses a 4.37:1 final drive ratio. A Centerforce clutch and lightweight 8.5-lb flywheel rounds out the driveline modifications.
It would've been easy to stop there, maybe throw some lowering springs on the car, and call it a day. But this wasn't even an alternative for Monsen. When the time came for chassis improvements, the same attention to detail found under the hood was applied.
Originally, better springs and shocks were installed, but Monsen wanted to do more than just keep up with newer Porsches and Ferraris at the track. He wanted to beat them, and this means specialized hardware. He was referred to Tri Point Engineering in Canoga Park, Calif. because of the company's experience with Koni's 2812 racing suspension. He was cautious about putting this fully adjustable race-designed suspension on his car, but Tri Point assured him the ride wouldn't be compromised-and might even be better-so the parts went on.
The cost of equipment is a deterrent to most street tuners-almost $5,000 for the parts themselves. But the change was remarkable. "They made more of a difference in the overall character of the car than any other change I had made," Monsen says. "It's as though there are four boxers dancing at each corner; light on their feet, yet strong and adjusting to every jab of the road."