Fortune Auto North America

Unlimited AWD Class:

Whit Staples piloted the Fortune Auto / Atlantic Motorsports Evo to a 1st place victory in Unlimited AWD class. Not only did Whit Staples podium 1st in class, he also set the fastest time of the event at 129.640! Whit praised the performance and control that the Dreadnought Pro 2-Way adjustable shocks provided him all weekend. Whit was able to outclass many competitors in his class that much more horsepower.

Photo Credits: Global Time Attack / Southern Fresh 

We would like to thank our sonsors:

www.SwiftSprings.com www.TurboXS.com www.amstuning.com

Fortune Auto North America - Richmond Virginia

Release Date: June 7th 2013

Fortune Auto is excited to release its special edition 500 series coilover for the R35 GTR. These dampers can be ordered in Drag, Street or Race spec. These new dampers have been extensively tested in conjunction with GTR specialist AWD Motorsports. Furthermore we are using a new proprietary digressive piston technology that will be the successor to current Generation 4 shocks. All GTR shocks will be hand assembled at our Richmond Virginia plant with the highest grade damper internals and Amsoil Synthetics. Lastly all GTR coilover systems will come standard with Swift springs, special badging and blue locking rings.

2013 Shirts & Hoodies Now Available!

Release date of 4/17

We are releasing a limited edition 500 series coilover for the S-Chassis dubbed Super Down Low Spec. These are for the guys that want to go really really low yet still retain the great ride that our coilovers are known for. We will initially only be selling 25 sets of these. Depending on how things go, we may make this a permanent fixture in our product line up.  

A few features:

1. Includes new Radial Bearing Mounts

2. Includes 2013 FA T-shirt

3. 2 inches lower then Gen 4 coilovers (front & rear)

4. 2.5 - 3 inches lower then Gen 1-3 coilovers (front & rear)

5. Shorter shock bodies

6. Shorter lower mounts

7. Shorter piston shafts

8. Shorter 6 inch springs

9. Special color combo

10. Available with Swift or FA springs

11. Only 25 sets will be available

Price: $31,500

Miles: 72,743

Willing to deliver vehicle for fee

Clean Carfax

 For more information or to schedule a veiwing please call 877-227-0260 and ask for Terry

Description: This super clean car is up for sale and was featured in numerous blogs and Super Street Magazine (June 2012) / SUPERSTREET ARTICLE

Countless hours, dollars, blood, sweat and tears were invested in this project. It would be safe to say that this one of the cleanest 2JZ-Swapped FD's in the country if not the world. The projected started out with a very clean roller with very clean interior and original paint.

The 2JZ swap: To shoehorn this big motor into such a little car required a lot of painstaking man hours and planning. Custom sub frames, engine mounts, wiring and brackets were all fabricated. By no means was this a drop the engine in and plug and play setup. There is a reason why you do not see many 2JZ Rx7's and when you do they are normally hack jobs on poor quality rollers. Most of the brackets and fabrication were done here at Fortune Auto Service and Tuning. FREED Engineering (2JZ Swap Specialist) finished up the remaining fab work and intricate wiring with this project. From the inception of this project we wanted a reliable running car and that is why we insisted on getting the oem Toyota ecu to control the motor. So there are no funky cold start or idle issues.

Exterior: The FD RX7 is one of the most beautiful modern Japanese cars to be produced. We wanted to stay true the car and make sure that none of the beautiful lines would be covered with a body kit or excessive exterior modifications. The car is very simple and elegant, yet aggressive. We also wanted to run a fitted wheel/tire combo while retaining performance. So there is no crazy camber and stretched tires here. Just 1 off custom CCW LM20 wheels 18x9.5 / 18x11 shod with meaty 245/35R18 & 285/30R18's.

Interior: The same philosophy has carried over to the interior. We wanted to keep things classy and elegant since the interior of the FD was very ahead of its time and is even considered modern looking today. The seats have been re-wrapped in leather and suede, finished off with red stitching to match the red stitched Nardi steering wheel. We also did not want gauges all over the place so we have a custom mounted eboost controller that controls boost and displays boost pressure. The apexi AFC controller is hidden away in the glove box.

Paint: This car had NO paint work when purchased. A aftermarket hood was added to the vehicle to accommodate the larger 2JZ engine. The hood and headlights were professionally painted to match the rest of the car. The paint as you can see in the pictures is pretty on point and in superb condition.

Engine:

HKS timing belt

Freed Engineering custom-made 4-inch intake

Freed Engineering custom engine mounts

Freed Engineering custom downpipe

turbo manifold

Freed Engineering custom charge-pipe

Freed Engineering intercooler

Freed Engineering oil pan

Freed Engineering custom billet Infiniti Q45 throttle body

Fuelab fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator

550cc fuel injectors

A’PEXi Noir exhaust

Precision 6765 turbocharger

Tial 46mm wastegate

TiAL blow-off valve

Koyo radiator

Samco Sport cooling hoses

FAL cooling fans

Battleship Grey powdercoated valve cover w/champagne painted plug wire cover

titanium dress-up bolts

custom heat shield w/Fortune Auto gold reflective heat barrier

Drivetrain

Tech 2 Swap kit (heavily modified)

Tech 2 Swap kit front sub frame

Tech 2 Swap kit transmission brace

Tech 2 Swap kit power plant frame

Tech 2 Swap kit motor mount brackets

Toyota R154 transmission

custom aluminum driveshaft

ACT Performance clutch and lightened flywheel

Freed Engineering shift lever

Engine Management OEM Toyota Supra ECU

AFC tuned by Force Fed Performance

HKS Fuel Cut Defense

Freed Engineering custom engine wiring harness

Footwork & Chassis

Fortune Auto 500 Series coilovers (custom valved for 2JZ)

Swift 9kg/7kg springs

Energy Suspension bushings

Goodridge stainless brake lines

18x9.5" +27/18x11" +32 CCW LM20; 245/35R18 & 285/30R18

Hankook Ventus V12 EVO tires

Exterior

JDM 99-spec OEM Mazda front lip

JDM taillights

FEED side diffusers

rolled and pulled fenders

custom turn signal lights

Scoot carbon fiber hood color matched

Hydraulic hood prop

Interior

Turbosmart E-Boost Street boost controller

Nardi Deep Corn steering wheel

Works Bell steering hub

Fortune Auto Smart-series titanium shift knob

reupholstered front seats w/black leather, suede and red stitching

Sony IDA-X001 head unit

The Bad:

The speedo just stopped working- It will be fixed before the new owner takes delivery.

Rear bumper has a small gouge on it

The dash vents by the windshield are cracked (barely noticeable)

Driver side storage lid is missing (on door)

The new hot TV Series R U FASTER Than A Redneck had a match up of our Fortune Auto / Fast Time Attack Civic against domestic machinery. We were very excited to compete in the event and won all the races that we competed in! Unfortunately in the last race the motor decided to explode in glorious fashion.

We had a time attack race the day before at Road Atlanta with Global Time Attack. We knew the motor was on its way out at the GTA event. It was an old stock motor that was getting oil starved at Road Atlanta (oil warning light kept flickering). So we knew there was a big chance it would not last for the TV show but went ahead and took our chances.

Ultimately our Time Attack Civic was eliminated since it could not continue to the next round. We had a great time and were very excited to compete on this TV show in front of a National audience! 

Richmond Virginia: March 20th 2013 - Fortune Auto North America Announces the release its new Dreadnought PRO Gen 4 2-WAY systems.

Fortune Auto North America is proud to debut its Dreadnought PRO Gen 4 2-WAY systems. Our Fortune Auto Engineers had a focused goal to accomplish with our Generation 4 Dreadnoughts. They wanted to make the best 2-way adjustable system on the market at a very affordable price point. All systems are completely built in house by our engineering staff in Richmond, Virginia. We insist on building bespoke suspension in order to offer some of the best quality control in the industry. At Fortune Auto, we approach the science of suspension with a mentality of customization that has raised the industry’s standards of performance.

Some other key features:

Adjust-ability & Revised Jetting

When the Fortune Auto engineers designed the Generation 4 Series Dreadnoughts, they made it a priority to revise the jetting for more accuratedamper control. The engineers also increased the adjustment range. Every click in the adjustment range now has a very profound effect on damping force and each click is very audible and distinct. The new clicker on the remote canister has also been completely reworked. We responded to our clients' comments regarding the lack of audible distinction in the clicking mechanism. Furthermore, Generation 4 Dreadnought shocks are height-adjustable independent of pre-load. This allows for a large range of height adjustment while retaining suspension stroke. Pre-load is also adjustable allowing one to tension the springs to further tune the suspension.

 2-Way Remote Canisters 

Fortune Auto's new remote canister system has been completely redesigned from the ground up. Previous generations of the Dreadnought seriesmade more high speed compression adjustments with little low speed compression adjustments. Fortune Auto engineers have improved damping control and adjustment by eliminating the older needle adjuster and now incorporate a digressive floating piston (base valve) that has its own independent shim stack and jetting mechanism inside the remote canister. These features provide for a very wide range of adjustment in low speed and high speed compression. The new canister is also larger in size, allowing for greater shock fluid and nitrogen capacity. The increased fluid capacity allows for more consistent operation over a wide range of temperatures. The increased nitrogen capacity coupled with our new floating piston design allows for 2 major improvements. First, the remote canister can now run much lower nitrogen pressures, allowing for a more compliant ride and ability to handle larger curb impact events at the race track without upsetting the balance of the car. Second, the extra gas volume helps prevent pressure buildup during large shock stroke events. When compared to conventionally designed shocks, the increase in gas volume and the subsequent decrease of pressure in our Generation 4 Series delivers a more consistent performance over the service life of our Dreadnought shock absorbers.

More Details & Pricing can be found here

Richmond Virginia: March 19th 2013 - Fortune Auto North America Announces the release of the Müller Air Cup Lift System

Fortune Auto North America is proud to debut the Müller Air Cup Lift System. Offering the convenience of a conventional air bag system without the loss in performance, Müller air cup lift systems slip on the shaft of our coilover assemblies. The lift system compresses the spring and extends the shaft to lift a lowered vehicle 1-2 inches. Once the air cup is fully purged of its air, the cup merely acts as a metal spacer. No loss in performance or ride quality is experienced since the air cup has no moving parts when purged. The Müller system can be used on race cars to allow navigation over high slung trailer ramps. This allows a very low vehicle to navigate safely over speed bumps, inclines and any other obstacle on the road. Müller air cups can be ordered in 1 & 2 inch stroke configurations. Coilover applications with minimum available stroke can only use a 1 inch stroke air cup. Other applications that have longer shocks and piston shafts can run our 1 or 2 inch stroke air cups.

Müller air cup lift systems are designed and made in the USA. All systems are made of aircraft grade 6061 T6 aluminum, Teflon seals and high quality o-rings. Müller air cups are extremely durable and can be used on race vehicles. A 1-year warranty is provided with every system and can be serviced at our North American facility.

Details and pricing for the Müller Air Cup Lift System can be found here

Richmond Virginia: March 18th 2013 - Fortune Auto North America Announces the release of their new Radial Mount Solution.

Fortune Auto North America is proud to debut its new silent solution for "Full Coilover" strut applications. Annoying spring binding noises that sound like a "thunk" or a "twang" are a common problem for full-coilover systems on strut-based vehicles (applications that have camber plates.) This is an issue in all race coilover applications regardless of the manufacturer. These noises are a result of the mechanics of strut-based vehicles because the whole shock assembly turns with the wheel. On OEM setups there is a built-in bearing on the top hat assembly that isolates the top hat from the rest of the strut assembly. On race spec'd coilovers the spherical bearing (pillow ball hat) is not designed to handle the load. Since the spherical bearing is not designed to deal with these forces, the spring is forced to turn with the assembly and drags on the spring perches. The spring dragging on the perch does not damage the coilover assembly, but on a daily driver this "thunk" or "twang" noise can get old.

A few years ago, our engineers had designed a clever solution for this problem that utilized torrington needle bearings. These needle bearings encapsulated the spring and allowed it to turn on its own axis. The spring was free to turn on its own when the strut assembly turned and would no longer drag on the spring perch. We had offered this upgrade until recently and many users even purchased these bearings to use on other brands of coilovers. The one inherent problem with the torrington needle bearing solution was that these bearings were not sealed and eventually road grime, dust and even salt would work their way inside the bearing assembly and clog them. The solution for this was to take the coilovers apart and clean the needle bearings and then re-grease them. Customers that drove in dusty conditions or snow had to clean out their needle bearings frequently. We will continue to offer torrington needle bearings as a "track only" option.

Having a full range of camber control and maximum articulation with spherical bearings is extremely important to our customers. In order to address the frustrations customers may have when experiencing harsh noises, Fortune Auto engineers have engineered a new solution.  Our engineers have combined the advantages of race spec camber plates and spherical bearings with a bearing similar to those of an OEM that isolates spring movement from the rest of the coilover assembly. We now use a high-quality radial Koyo Japan bearing that integrates into the upper spring perch. Now when the coilover assembly turns, our new radial bearing mount allows the camber plate and piston shaft to spin separately from the coilover assembly. This eliminates approximately 95% of the noise associated with camber plates on a strut vehicle. You may occasionally experience spring noise with our new radial bearing mounts, but will still notice a great improvement, since you will now enjoy the benefits and adjustability of a true race setup while not experiencing frequent and harsh spring binding noise.

Radial Bearing Mount option is available for immediate sale through Fortune Auto dealers or direct through Fortune Auto.

Pricing is $80.00

More information can be found here

Please see auto coverage at the following links!

Day 1 Tokyo Auto Salon 2013 - The Mecca of all car shows

Day 2 Tokyo Auto Salon 2013 - The Mecca of all car shows Pt.2

Day 3 Tokyo Auto Salon 2013 - The Mecca of all car shows Pt.3

Race Queens in Japan are a very interesting subject. I feel that many people go to the show just to see these models and take pictures of them, or so it seems. When a race queen steps out on the show floor they get bombarded by a hoard of photograhers. Many of these male photpgraphers will photograph this one model for 5 minutes, taking over 100 pictures of just one race queen! Then they move on to the next race queen and the process starts all over again. To a certain extent this occurs at American import shows. Just not to the same extent that it happens at events in Japan like TAS.

The first photo below was taken of the crowd that was photographing this race queen. I just so happened to get lucky and the race queen turned around at me and started posing for me! p.s check out the creepy old guy on the right!

More crazy hoards at the C-West Booth.

Now on to the pictures!

This DJ kind of gave me a dirty look, I guess I wan not supposed to take pictures of her.....oops!