Page 01: Introduction
Page 02: White RX7
Page 03: Green RX7
Page 04: Engine
Page 05: Let the fun begin!
Page 06: Engine bay work
Page 07: The V8 drop-in
Page 08: IT'S ALIVE!!!
Page 09: Clutch & Radiator
Page 10: Driveshaft & Exhaust
Page 11: RX Unleashed
Page 12: Dyno and Weigh-in
Page 13: Alternator, Fans, Gauges
Page 14: SUSPENSION!
Page 15: Seven Not Stock, 2006
Page 16: Paint & Quarter Mile
Page 17: Saying Goodbye
Page 18: Conclusion.
Well, this is it... the end of the road (no pun intended). Almost four years have passed since page #1; I don't want to sound like a broken record here, but I literally cannot believe how fast time flies... and you probably can't believe you've read through 18 pages about a piece of junk car! I'm heading into the final semester of college, in May I will be walking with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. It's been a lot of work for me, but I am glad that I hung in there even when I wanted to quit, and i'm convinced that if I got the chance I would do it all over again.
(Flash forward a few months to graduation)
When I started, I dreamed of getting a job in the auto industry... well my perspective on things has changed significantly since then. The auto industry has been a little shakey at best since then... and well I guess that it just doesn't sound as appealing as it used to. Along with that, I think that for me maybe it's best to keep my automotive passion away from my future profession that leaves it as a hobby I can enjoy for the rest of my life.
When home for my last Christmas break, I interviewed for 3 jobs when back home in Washington and ended up landing an extremely well paying job as with an engineering firm that works with the oil refineries in the pacific NW. After much contemplation and prayer, I decided to take the offer. This was easily the hardest decision I had to make because I knew it meant leaving all that I knew in Michigan behind. I look forward to starting to work full time, I hope that my new career is something that I both enjoy and am good at!
The RX7 has been gone for about 5 months now, but I really haven't missed it too much... except for when taking the occasional curvy road or having to step down from a race in my daily driver. Looking back, I am so happy that I got the chance to build the car. I learned SO much... it's funny for me to think back to how little I knew about cars going into the project and to see that I somehow managed to pull it off in the end. It was great to have a project to always look forward to working on, and that's probably the part I miss the most. A lot of times people ask me if I regret anything about the car. I always say that no doubt it performed beyond what I could have imagined. If I were to do it all over again though, I would definately have waited out for a nicer chassis to start with... I found that there is a HUGE difference between a $500 and $1000 RX7 shell. What I though I was saving on when buying the car would have cost me 4x as much to fix down the line.
I have been dreaming about the next V8 RX7 I will be starting after I am done moving and getting settled in back in WA. I allready have an LS1 and 6 speed purchased, and I guarentee it will put down no less than 420 rwhp before it's said and done. I cannot quite decide if I will build another 2nd generation or go all out with a 3rd generation RX7. All I know is that I cannot wait! I will definately start another website, I think I would like to have a real website that I can combine both my LT1 FC and LS1 FD information on. You can bet I will post a link once it's up.
Thank you for taking the time to read my page. It's a lot of text but I get lots of compliments from people... so that must mean I did something right! I would like to say a quick thanks to my mom and dad for letting me undertake the car project and for helping me out and encourging me my way through college. I especially thank my dad for giving me the extra hand and advice throughout the project. I thank the good guys at www.torquecentral.com for helping me with troubleshooting and pushing me to finish up the car. And a thanks to all of my friends... Steve, Mark, Chris and everyone else who pitched in or gave me encouragment!
I love to chat RX7's, and I like to help people troubleshoot V8 RX7's... it's my way of giving back to the V8 RX7 community. Feel free to e-mail me at matt.korthuis@gmail.com or catch snowboarder03 on IM.
This is my goodbye until the NEXT project :).
