'PACRX3' RX3 COUPE. Pac Performance Racing

Monday, 26 February 2018

Make/Model: Mazda RX3 Coupe

Owner: Troy Dumbrell

Car's purpose (race car, street car, show car etc): Street/Race

Engine: Pac-Spec Series 8 13B Bridgeport Turbo

Bolt-Ons: Honeywell Garrett GTX42R Turbocharger, Turbosmart Pro Gate 50 wastegate, Turbosmart Plumb Back BOV

ECU and Fuel: MicroTech LT-16c ECU, High Output Coils,Pac Perf direct fit E85 fuel tank/triple pump combo, 2000cc injectors

Driveline: C4 3-speed Auto, 3in tailshaft, 9in diff, Billet Axles

Cooling: Pac alloy radiator, oil cooler & 4" Intercooler

Brakes & Suspension: Wilwood front & rear disc brake kit

Body: Custom metallic Silver paint , RX3 T-Cup tail lights, 10A RX3 Front end

Interior: Genuine Recaro Type R front seats re trimmed in burnt orange trim to match the rest of the interior, removable front half 'Moly' roll cage, MicroTech LTC Pro Dash, Turbosmart E-Boost II, B & M Stealth Pro Ratchet shifter

Wheels: 15" Center Line Qualifier wheels

Power: 600+ rwhp

ET: Not yet raced but owner is hoping for low 9's, high 8's

When Troy was just 12 years old his passion for rotaries was ignited when his neighbor brought home a white RX2. He remembered waiting out side for his neighbor to return home in the car just so he could see and hear it. From that moment on he knew that one day he would like to own a rotary of his own.

Now, quite a few years later, Troy has realized his dream of owning a fully rebuilt RX3 coupe.
Troy purchased the car as a shell from his friend with aspirations of building a tough street car that he could cruise on the streets and take to the track and run some serious numbers.
After being introduced to George by a friend who also had his car (ENDLES) built here, Troy's coupe was brought into our workshop for a full ground up rebuild.

Fully fabricated in-house with mini tubs, stretched rear guards, new trans tunnel and a bolt in removable front half roll cage the car was sent off for paint and panel work.

Returning from the panel shop now adorned in a custom metallic silver paint, Troy's coupe was ready to be put together.

The first thing we do on every ground up build is lay down Dynamat Sound Deadener to help eliminate noise & heat in the cabin.

Next the radiator, intercooler, brake booster and master cylinder are all installed along with the brake lines before the engine is mounted.

With most of the accessories fitted to the block before installing, it is then lowered into Troy's engine bay.

Before powder coating, we mounted the Honeywell Garrett GTX42R turbocharger in the car to check for clearances. Tried and tested on quite a few of our street driven cars this turbo is more than capable of low 9 to high 8 second passes.

With an expected 600+ horsepower at the wheels Troy wanted to know that when he needs to come to a stop his braking system is up for the task so with that in mind a complete set of our Wilwood brakes were installed.

Now with the brand new brakes and suspension installed the team set about running the fuel lines and mounting one of our custom fuel tanks with triple in-tank pumps to suit E85.

Having our own in-house auto electrician means we can continue to work on the car with no down time waiting for the wiring to be complete.

Looking after the engine management is a MicroTech LT-16c ecu. The same ecu as used in Steven Barnett's 6 second 13b drag car.

With the build almost complete and the car back from the trimmers it was time for final assembly which included mounting a MicroTech LTC Pro dash to replace the factory gauges.

Now complete the engine bay looks better than it did from factory, featuring a Pac spec series 8 FD 13b bridge port engine.

Since becoming the Australian distributor for Elite Rotary Shop products just over a year ago we have been using their Intake Systems on our customers cars. With a noticeable increase in throttle response across the rev range over the standard FD Intake it has become a very popular upgrade option among our customer base.

Helping to regulate the boost from the GTX42 Turbocharger is a Turbosmart Pro-Gate 50 external wastegate.

On the outside Troy's RX3 coupe screams tough streeter with a set of Center line Qualifier wheels wrapped in M & H radials. Something a little different to the common Simmons FR's and sets the car off nicely.

Body wise, Troy opted to keep the standard 10A front end as apposed to the more popular 12A Savanna combination and with how the car now looks you can see he made the right decision.

Matching the 10A front we installed a set of Teacup tail lights which only adds to the cars tough look.

Inside the interior features a set of genuine Recaro Type R front seats re trimmed in burnt orange trim.

Complimenting the Savanna center console is a pair of carbon auto meter gauges and a Turbosmart E-Boost II boost controller mounted between them.

Finishing off the interior and providing Troy with all of the information he needs while driving is a MicroTech LTC Pro Dash complete with PAC logo on start up.

Whilst Troy is yet to hit the drag strip the car has had it's run in tune so it won't be long until he is out racing. So for now check out this beast on the dyno.