Project V8 RX-7: Part VI - Installing the E-Rod LS3

by Jeff Naeyaert

In our last installment of Project V8 RX-7 we took a look at the T-56 Magnum transmission from Tremec we’ll be using for our swap, now it’s time to bolt it up to our E-ROD LS3 and get this engine in already! 

Ask Sarah: Troubleshooting fuel pump issues, console lighting, and removing tar from clear coat

By Sarah Forst

Sarah, please help me!  There is tar or something gooey and black all over the front and bottom half of my car.  How can I get this off my paint?

Got a difficult tech question? Email Sarah at asksarah@motoiq.com

MotoIQ Certified Legit!

By Wes Dumalski

Let's face it.... There are a lot of shit products on the market and we here at MotoIQ make no bones about the fact that we hate crappy parts and knock offs. In a straight out rebellion against said polished piles of crap we have come up with a designation of sorts. When we find a product we like, one that is cutting edge, works well, makes sense, bests others in performance etc.... we will bestow it with the honor of being MotoIQ "Certified Legit".

Project Miatabusa Part 11:

Shorai Lithium Iron Battery (and Lots of Plumbing)

by Dave Coleman 

Shorai doesn't technically make any automotive batteries, but they have a full line of motorcycle batteries. I can't think of any reason why a motorcycle battery won't work in a car, and certainly not one powered by a motorcycle engine and charged by a motorcycle alternator. Shorai's direct replacement battery for the Hayabusa (theoretically all we would need to start a Hayabusa engine) weighs only 1.7 pounds!

Modeling Braking: Braking Harder Means Less Brake Fade

By Khiem Dinh

Almost every novice to track day driving exhibits the same fault; they do not brake hard enough.  I was guilty of this myself and I remember vividly plowing through many corners at my first auto-x killing a few cones along the way.  Whenever I do driving instruction, I almost always have to tell the student to brake later and harder.  It should be obvious that braking harder and later improves lap times.  However, braking harder versus braking lightly and longer can also reduce heat buildup in the brake system reducing fade.  To prove this theory, I made a little mathematical model.

Wrench Tips #27: Restoring Plastic is (Sometimes) Easy!

by Dave Coleman

Building the B18C1 Engine Part 2:  Improving Rod Ratio

Project V8 RX-7: Part 5 - Choosing a Transmission, the Tremec T56 Magnum

By Mike Kojima

When we were contemplating the buildup of our E-ROD powered RX-7, we planned to bolt up the same T56 six speed transmission that we had in the car when it was LS1 powered.  This plan went to crap shortly before we decommissioned the 7 for the E-ROD swap when while driving under normal conditions--nothing abusive or even brisk for that matter--the transmission got itself jammed in 3rd gear and no amount of muscling could free it.

Wrench Tips #26: Back Purge Your Welds The Cheap Way 

by Dave Coleman   Back purging is simply using a second bottle of inert gas to flood the inside of the tube and flush out the oxygen from the backside of your weld. Here are some back purging tricks that let you use less of your expensive shielding gas.