Project Red Rocket- An Epic Adventure

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9 years 4 months ago - 9 years 4 months ago #45698 by That_Guy
Project Red Rocket- An Epic Adventure was created by That_Guy
As some of you would know, I'm not just a gun guy, I also love my fast cars. This is a project that I have wanted to do all of my life, and I finally can fulfill my dream. To get things started, I had to deep clean my garage. I organized tools, cleaned shelves, and slapped some paint of the floor. I think it turned out awesome.


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Step two was saying goodbye to my favorite car to date.


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It had 41,500 miles on it and was an absolute fun car. However, it was heavy, used a good bit of gas, super expensive to repair, and couldn't corner. Long story short, limited production Pontiacs are only fun for so long. I ended up selling the GTO for a good chunk to a 60 year old woman who wanted to drive around the Indy track. She fell in love with it when she first saw it and I'm sure she will take great care of it.

Step three of the plan was to get the new car. I needed something that was cheap, but was in somewhat decent shape. So I hit Craigslist and found the best vehicle I could find for my project.


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Yes, I sold my 400 horsepower GTO for a 1997 Miata. But wait, and you will see.

Step four was to get all the equipment I would need to make this project as easy as possible.


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Please ignore the mess, I still need to organize everything and repaint the floor again.


The lift, balancer, and tire machine will not only make this project easier, but life in general.

Step five... This is where things get really fun. Today I ordered this beautiful piece of art.


www.jegs.com/i/Chevrolet+Performance/809...KftscCFQ-maQodQyoP_A

That's right folks, this little toy car is getting a 430hp V8. When it's all said and done, the car will be around 2900lbs with me in it. That's 1000lbs lighter than my GTO was. This is all I have got right now. I will update the thread as I progress. So stay tuned!
Last edit: 9 years 4 months ago by That_Guy.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Akai

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9 years 4 months ago #45699 by Akai
Replied by Akai on topic Project Red Rocket- An Epic Adventure
Nice :clap: Living the Dream, one of the lucky few :thumbs: Looks great and that will be one awesome Red Rocket when complete, keep us posted on the progress and we just might have to start a new category.
The following user(s) said Thank You: That_Guy

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9 years 4 months ago #45701 by That_Guy
Replied by That_Guy on topic Project Red Rocket- An Epic Adventure
I am very fortunate to be able to do this. I couldn't have done any of it without the help of a lot of really great guys. I'm blessed to have good people in my life. The crate engine should be here in a week or so. I will post pictures. It will be a long time before this is done, so please all be patient and wish me a lot of luck haha.

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9 years 4 months ago #45703 by Akai
Replied by Akai on topic Project Red Rocket- An Epic Adventure
Thought I saw a Saturday morning car show where they also stuffed that huge (and it is a piece or art) motor into a Miata! I'm also a car guy, like I'm sure most of us are. I would check out some of the old shows, might be of some help :cowboy:
I have a 1985 IROC Z28 with a FI 383 stroker in it, also in the project stage as the rear end could not handle all the torque. Sorry no pictures, I started it before all the digital cameras came out. And now all I think about or can afford is guns, guns, guns.
Wishing you lots of Good luck, pipes might have to come through the hood :lol:

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9 years 4 months ago #45704 by JustMe
Replied by JustMe on topic Project Red Rocket- An Epic Adventure
I hope you plan on putting that engine on a brand new frame and suspension or it will twist from the torque throwing the alignment out and be really squirrely to drive. That Miata frame is not designed for that kind of torque.

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9 years 4 months ago #45705 by That_Guy
Replied by That_Guy on topic Project Red Rocket- An Epic Adventure

JustMe wrote: I hope you plan on putting that engine on a brand new frame and suspension or it will twist from the torque throwing the alignment out and be really squirrely to drive. That Miata frame is not designed for that kind of torque.


The frame will be 2 times stronger when done. It will actually be able to handle way more than I will be making. Everything gets reinforced. Everything. The frame will be off the body.

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9 years 4 months ago #45707 by That_Guy
Replied by That_Guy on topic Project Red Rocket- An Epic Adventure


This is what gave me the last little push I needed to pull the trigger. Like I said, I've wanted to do this for as long as I can remember. Watching this guy's build has helped a lot. A lot of what I'm doing is based off of this guy's build.

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9 years 4 months ago #45708 by Charlie
Replied by Charlie on topic Project Red Rocket- An Epic Adventure
You have a tire machine, a balancer _*AND*_ a two post lift? I'm not sure whether I should hate you or stow away in your shop! ;)

I have owned two Mazdas, a 1981 RX7 GSL--SE and an '87 RX7 SE. They were good cars but in 1988 family life called and I traded the '87 in on an '88 F-250. It's been pickups and SUVs ever since. If/when I get my shop built (maybe this year) I'm going to do my 68 Mustang Fastback project that's been on hold since 2003.

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9 years 4 months ago #45709 by jtallen83
Replied by jtallen83 on topic Project Red Rocket- An Epic Adventure
I've run Mazda's a bunch, both the wife and I have them right now, she a 6 and me a CX5, love them both.
My favorite all time driver was a 1979 626 RS, It had all sorts of upgrades, I never went past 150 in it but that wasn't at the redline yet. The faster I went the better it stuck to the road. I've searched for another but never found one,hell I couldn't find the parts I needed to keep that one on the road, engine still ran good but all the little things like fan motor, clutch(the death nill), wiper motor, etc. gave out. :(
Anybody ever see one let me know! I can't even find any info that the model ever existed!

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9 years 4 months ago #45710 by Charlie
Replied by Charlie on topic Project Red Rocket- An Epic Adventure
Here 'ya go:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_Capella

A buddy of mine had a 626, but it was a front wheel drive '82 or '83 model. The only issue I had with it was that it tended to hydroplane, and when the front wheels lost traction and spun it was a little bit frightening. But he drove like a bat out of hell which didn't help.

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