Piss-Water Monster
What makes us happier than a Corvette-powered third-generation RX-7? A Z06-engined third-gen. Mike Schaezler's '93 FD doesn't have a titanium-rodded factory LS-7 under the hood, but it has a 427 cubic-inch clone that makes more at the wheels than the stock engine makes at the crank.
By now, our love of most things hybrid, and especially this particular metallic brew, is well documented. The only thing not to love about the third-generation RX-7 is a powerplant robust as a champagne flute and its favorite party trick of spontaneously igniting, taking the garage-attached house with it. Last year's USCC featured a similarly-engined, quickly-cobbled-together FD that suffered mechanical setbacks, but showed unmatched dynamic potential. Mike assisted on that attempt and came away with intimate knowledge of how to play and just what it takes to win.
Redline Motorsports in Costa Mesa, California, assembled the LS7 clone using a Darton-sleeved LS2 block stuffed with forged Wiseco 11.25:1 pistons, forged Callies connecting rods, a forged Eagle stroker crank and a Comp Cams bumpstick (yes, kids, the cam goes in the block). Ported LS-7 heads with hefty hardware bolt to the LS-7 intake manifold and 90mm throttle body that converts the car from drive-by-wire to a standard throttle cable setup. Seven liters of displacement huff through a Race Shop-fabricated 4.75-inch oval stainless steel exhaust with Magnaflow mufflers, a diameter of piping usually reserved for semi trucks.
As installed in the RX-7, the all-aluminum V8 breaks the mid-millennium horsepower mark at the wheels on 91-octane Cali dishwater, a claim very, very few engines can make. On 18-inch drag radials, it's enough to put together a 10.5-second pass at 136mph in the quarter mile - bye, bye, Enzo.
Having witnessed the failure of the conversion kit used on last year's USCC entry, Mike worked with JTR (Jaguars That Run) to produce a one-off engine installation kit that addresses the weak points. The GM T56 transmission has been rebuilt to endure abusive gear changes and torque, and uses a multi-puck Cartech clutch. Over 400lb-ft of torque is fed through a custom aluminum driveshaft and 300M axles.
It doesn't take much to get an FD chassis to respond, indeed its fantastic balance is easily ruined by too much tomfoolery. As much for safety as rigidity, Mike commissioned the Race Shop in Brentwood, California, to install a six-point chromoly roll cage with removable door bars for street use. Otherwise, Mike installed a set of A'PEXi N1 coilovers with 32-way adjustment and called it a day.
This much motor guarantees an rpm-limited terminal velocity, so Mike stepped up to Endless, who know how to stop racecars as well as any top player in the business, a fact reflected in the ultra-premium price. This FD sports a full Endless big-brake setup with six-piston calipers and 12.5-inch rotors in the front and their pads and slotted rotors in the rear. Gracing the tarmac are 245mm and 275mm (front and rear respectively) Nitto NT01 R-compound tires mounted on Work Meisters, 9.5 inches wide up front, 10.5 inches at the rear.
Other than later-model body parts and a fresh paint job, the car is unmussed, which might not bode well for the car show portion of the contest. This engine, however, is certainly capable of winning the event in any chassis. It makes more power at the wheels, naturally aspirated and running on pump gas, than most contenders with forced induction and race juice. And this chassis is one of the best to grace public roads, ever. Get this combo dancing like Fred 'n' Ginger and the RX-7 could prove unbeatable.
Editor's Note: With track-proven reliability, this car will be out to prove an LS-powered RX-7's worth. But will our R-compound limitation throw everything out of whack? Schaezler set it up to run on Hoosiers. The big-block beast might turn from track dominator to gripless burnout whore.