RXVERT Always in Progress

[RXVERT]

Hi I'm Geo and I'm a newber. I've been observing the various personalities and monitoring projects on most of the various rotary forums, and i've been inspired by alot of the regulars who post all the time with great ideas and innovations. and now I'm ready to jump into the pit sort of speak on this forum :) I live in sunny southern calf. and I own 3 RX-7 verts. and No I do not make or have alot of money. Most rotory people know that a used vert averages about $1500.00 to $2000.00. The mint ones go for a whole lot more but who has that kind of money? And If I went out to buy a used car that was sort of reliable I would dish out about $6000.00 just to start, (See around the same price of 3 used verts.) I am truly a vert person and and I hope to get all all the people who love verts to talk and exchange ideas particapate enough that the forum even ends up with one of those thingies in the bottom right hand corner with just a section for verts. I'll post pictures later after I shrink them down to size.

[87turbo_turtle]

welcome

[RXVERT]

Hi Turtle what do you like me to prove? Sorry I'm a idiot that saying is always on your i.d., Thank you for welcoming me.

[SpooledupRacing]

welcome aboard .. I wish I still had my vert.

[RXVERT]

Dave with a car like yours yours , its ok not to own a vert , I see its also a work in progress. Like a chess game I could see picture it a couple of stages ahead its going be a beautiful car when finished. Whats under the hood? In fact I'm considering to perhaps trade 1 of my verts for a coupe straight up pink for pink depending on the condition.

[Phoenix7]

Welcome to the club! I liked the attention to detail. It was cool meeting you at 7stock and you should check out the picture threads!

Verts are the coolest cruiser. quick, nimble and topless fun.

[RXVERT]

Thanks phoenix7 its was a pleasure to had met you also, now I have a face in my mind to go with the avatar.

[SpooledupRacing]

My old Vert with my coupe

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/turboTSI/RX-7/bothFCs.jpg


under the hood currently on my coupe
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/turboTSI/RX7%20BUILD/0_IMAGE_296.jpg

[RXVERT]

Oh your'e the man, a coupe and the vert when you had them together, that was the way to go, the only thing to top off racing in a RX coupe is to cruise in a RX vert. You could still have some of the speed, depending on the motor and then just crank up the music and cruise. Why did you let her go?

[RXVERT]

I realize we can't talk to the old veterans on the forum yet , till we get enough post, but for all the newbees, where are all the RX Vert lovers at? I like to show a peek of the process of how my car got to this point. I got a whole lot more, but were only allowed to post a set amount of picts for each posting.

[Phoenix7]

yeah, I don't know about the pictures but as far as the veteran forum it's a dead forum. Some of us have been here since this club started and it seems like nobody posts there.

good amount of work went into the car though. Is that a diablo door kit?

[VR8]

Well I only have two verts rxvert, but I share your love for the topless driving. Nothing better!

[RXVERT]

I hope I did'nt duplicate this message but anywho, I apologize for the late reply but I've been very busy last week, and this is the 1st time I got to slow down and relax, As for Phoenix7 , no, those hinges are a knock off of the diablo style door hinges they come with the same warranty and it was easier on my pocket book, I purchased them over the internet, most all the door kits today should open 20 degrees outward and then up 90 degrees., I did see a kit that opens up a 180 degrees. As for VR8 I envy you , owner of both Rotory coupes and verts , the only way to go, the best of both worlds.

[rotorhead87]

Wow...you sure have a beautiful vert I love how you used the spoiler from a coupe. What did you use to seal it up that foamy material from where you cut it? I need to patch up a little bit of spots on my spoiler.

[RXVERT]

I did'nt do this part, but I watched so, I'll try to explain, The wing was cut into 3 pieces which exposed a hollow v shape pattern of the exposed end pieces. You'll need something solid to cap off the end pieces. Thats the 2 exposed end pieces on the long part on the center trunk, and then the right and left fender pieces that are exposed that face the end pieces on the center trunk. (4 end caps) Then (templates) or patterns were made from the exposed wing end pieces. 14 gauge metal was used next, you'll need to rough up the metal, and make absolutly sure its rust free. Then Metal templates were welded to the trunk lid and the fenders, you then apply 3M urethane adhesive to the metal pieces and also to the spoiler to adhere and shape the spoiler onto the metal, which acts kinda like a body filler. Shape, harden, ( note: dries extremely fast) sand and sand and sand. These picts aren't picts of how it was done but you might draw a rough picture in your mind.

[rotorhead87]

That's cool. I had my fingers crossed hoping that those open ends weren't just bondo'd shut. Thanks for the info!

[Phoenix7]

the car looks really clean too: is one of the pics I took at 7stock. I have another one that we'll try to use in the digizine too.

I posted the link since the pic is huge and the resized version doesn't look that great.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/madrx7racer/7Stock%2011%20-%202008/7stock11-2008078.jpg

[turbovert91]

That's a beautiful car, very nicely done! I'm curious about the targa top, was it just skinned and painted or is there some sort of cover on it?

[RXVERT]

Turbovert91, Thanks for the compliment , The vinyl was removed and coated over with bondo and fiberglass, As for the top, I sent it out to a place in Ohio that did Carbon fiber cover overs,( mirrors, trunks, door panels, dash panels etc.) unfortunately it was done in a rush, initially, it looked great when I pulled it out of the box, but then when I put it under the sun, you could see that the clear-coat was all hazy,( it looked like when clear coat wants to peel look ) it looked like crap therefore I decided to have it sanded down and painted over, to match the rest of the car, but I think in the long run it was a blessing in disguise, but nothing wrong with the CF look. Here are some picts. the CF targatop pict is from a Corvette, but you'll get the idea.

[turbovert91]

Cool, where did you get the triple gauge pod? I looked for one for a vert but ended up using a double and a single because I coudn't find one.

[RXVERT]

Turbovert91, That's the same set up I have, 1 dual Autometer gaugepod, and 1 single Autometer gauge pod, placed one up against each other, the single at the bottom, and the dual on the top, then used a black epoxy sealer ,and repainted them, you can't see the seam unless your face is right up in there. I mentioned the brand only because, initially I purchased one on those generic universal dual gauge pods , and it didn't even fit, their way to wide for the pillars trim, they say you can trim them, but it'll look like crap,,, don't waste your money on them. I don't want anyone else to waste their money, especially when every penny counts when your doing a project. And thats what the forums about isn't it, to help each other, to aviod making mistakes.

[RXVERT]

I asked the question on another forum before, but maybe on this forum we have some mechanical M.I.T.types or just someone really creative. Picts with the top up, its not as flattering, but I could live with it. But what I'd like to see is, someone out there really creative, who could make a nice removable 1 piece hard top, and, or better yet, a really hot retractablle hard top like the new miatas have, that would be the ultimate 2nd gen vert, hands down. Picts of that too.

[RXVERT]

If the top is not a problem, here's some other ideas you can try, roll bars, tonneau covers, a light bar, be creative. Not all picts are on a rx-7's, but here's some picts for ideas, only, also I tried to add a tonneau cover to one of my verts from a Honda S2000 It would need some cutting and extending, (perhaps a hinge of some sort) to cover over a, Kool fiberglass enclosure for subwoofers,speakers and amps. I never did follow thru , but you get the idea, Be creative. But mind you, the weight cuts down on your speed. But its a vert you Cruise,,,, and you Speed,,,, then you Speed,,,, and you Cruise,,,, Anywho,,, I,ll post some more picts of roll bars,tonneau covers and light bars tommorow, so stay tuned.

[Phoenix7]

are the seats all the way back in the vert?

[RXVERT]

Phoenix7 the seats were put on a custom made seat brackets, and with the original rails, have the full range of the original seats, however they do seat me higher.

[Phoenix7]

what about with the rear cover you're making?
I wanted to see how far the seats would be with the rear cover.
http://content.mamotorworks.com/img300/fr3316.jpg

[RXVERT]

Phoenix7, First if you noticed , the cover was from a Honda S2000 I did not make it, I was going to modify it to fit over the rear end, and hinge it, some how, to the body with a piano type hinge, however the targa top sticks up to high, which meant it would have to been removed and placed in the trunk with its cover and to bring up the height any higher on the tonneau would throw off the flow of the lines to the car,and that would have been unsatisfactory, as for the seats they could only go far back as the rear divider allowes, so there would have been a gap that was noticeable. That's why I recommended that a filler like a fiberglass speaker enclosure would be nice, or something like this viper speaker enclosure to fill in the space. (Ideas)Where by the way does that tonneau cover come from? did you make it? Its nice.

[RXVERT]

The Mazda vert tops I think were the best ever made, because , #1 over the years the front end of the top wouldn't lose their integrity ( you don't see them flopping in the wind driving down the highway, like other, soft top verts, and #2, It was versatile, the Only soft / hard top that had a removable targa top, that gave you the option to drive it around like the old t-top cars or the cars that had removable targa tops lke the porsche or the vette. So ingenious. And thats why, I mentioned before, I,ll always keep one of my verts original. But since then, most ALL the competitors all came out with there convertibles. Its hard to make a soft top look good ,in the up position,, the only exception to the rule may be, the new hard top convertibles models. Except, they still dont necessarily have the lines, of the, 2nd gen verts, , which I think, was, way ahead of its time, they still, look great, today. But they do need some, type of upgrade to look totally contemporary, dont you think, So , here are some more Tonneau cover ideas from other cars, for the creative persons, out there. Maybe a Mazda Engineer ? ( for a newer version of a vert.):) More picts to come.

[RXVERT]

Heres one idea, I borrowed from a coupe rear end, (Picture a coupe, missing the rear window). You'd still would keep the targa part which would connect to a piece that has a look of the original rear end , except, its made out of fiberglass, and the window, would just go straight down, like a vette rear window, or a honda del sol. Heres my terrible photoshop pict. but you'd get the idea. P.S. the trunk lid would have to be elimanated or cut shorter, and rehinged, but at least you could still use the trunk.

[JShiz]

maybe we should move this thread to the 2nd gen section?