Jerry's RX-7 Turbo II restoration

[JerryLH3]

There will be a little mega power building going on, just not a whole lot. I'm looking into upgrading the stock top mount, and I'll do exhaust and some suspension mods, but for the most part, everything will be pretty mild mod wise.

[My5ABaby]

Very nice. I certainly appreciate when people spend the time to make the whole car nice, not just the engine bay.

Be careful with the S5 dashes, the plastic breaks ridiculously easy. I did an S5 black interior into an S4 recently and had to fiberglass the dash plastic several times. The dash plastic was very disappointing because my old S4 I probably could have dropped off a building and it would be fine. If I had to do it over again I'd stick with my S4 dash (looks identical) and just dye it.

[JerryLH3]

It's pretty hot outside today, so after my girlfriend and I did yard work this morning, then cleaned up and went to breakfast, I wasn't about to do anything that required me to stay in the garage today. So, I worked on finishing up the instrument surround and reinstalling the switches into the cluster.

One of the locating tabs was broken, so I went to work on that first:





A little epoxy and it will work. There's another broken off piece that I must have lost, so this will have to do.



After we went to the Mazda dealer to order some parts and then lunch, the epoxy was set up enough I could work on it without fear. The bag is 100 Neo Wedge 14V lamps for the headlight, turn signal, wiper and cruise control switches and the warning light cluster. I got them from allelectronics.com and after I saw it was a $7.00 S&H fee regardless of how many bulbs I ordered, I went ahead and ordered 100 of them to get the bulk discount. To replace all lights of this type in an FC requires 19, so I've got plenty if anyone needs them. The green silicone cover is easily removed to expose a regular tiny incandescent bulb.





Removal of the old bulbs is straightforward enough, just a simple twist lock that requires a small flathead screwdriver. The lower bulb on the headlight and wiper switches has an amber cover that should be transferred to the new bulbs.



When reinstalling the switches, extreme care should be taken. The mounting posts on my surround already had tiny cracks and I definitely made them bigger and even broke a couple of the posts. Luckily, everything is still secure and none of the switches flop around at all.



I installed some new knobs and it's now ready to be reinstalled in the car (whenever that day may arrive).









Here's a comparison of a twenty year old knob and a brand new one. The old one may have had "patina", but I'll take the new one. I'm not out to win the all original concours d'elegance.

[project86]

must be nice having a mazda dealer near by.. im slightly jealous

[project86]

also if youre looking for an exceptional epoxy type repair material for more plastic repairs LORD FUSOR is awesome. you can probably pick it up at a local automotive paint store

[firzen]

Finally- another 2nd gen owner that is willing to spend good time and cash for a proper restoration. Kudos to you sir, I wish you the best of luck.

[JerryLH3]

I got a little more work done the past couple days. I took two overhead consoles, one from my car and a donor, and disassembled, cleaned and put together one that will go back in the car.



This plug was being a major pain. I eventually cut the plug off and reattached the plug from the other mirror that I was able to disconnect.





The initial problem with my mirror was the prongs that hold on the bulb for the dome light had fallen off. I figured it was easier and worth my time to just spend a few dollars on a new (used) one.



I gave the lenses the usual plastic treatment of sanding and polishing to remove some of the yellowing. Once reinstalled the assembly will be finished off with a new dome light lens.



I also took some time to remove all the switches in the center console, give the trim piece a good cleaning and then reinstalled all of the switches.

[need RX7]

Your post inspired me to pull off my overhead console and clean it up as well. There were dead bugs in mine .

[Tweak]

*subscribed*

[JerryLH3]

Originally Posted by need RX7

Your post inspired me to pull off my overhead console and clean it up as well. There were dead bugs in mine .

Pulling apart this car I have found a few odd things. The tag laying on the floor in this picture was underneath the passenger seat. I owned this car for over 5 years before I found this! I know I had looked under the seats before, but somehow this escaped me. It's a tag letting you know the dangers of scaffolding. I found change in the storage bins, except it was between the carpet and body. A broken lip stick tube, almost $4 worth of change, a few dead insects, etc.

[JerryLH3]

Well, I suppose it's time for an update, eh? Yeah, it's been awhile as there has been much preparation around here for the upcoming arrival of our first child towards the end of December. The RX-7 has taken a backseat to painting my son's room, putting together cribs and nursing chairs, hanging decorations and shelves and what seems like hundreds of other little tasks.

I got a few minor things done today. First up was the "RX-7" emblem on the rear of the car. I'd never liked the fact that there was a plain "Mazda" in front of it in much smaller type and not in the traditional Mazda font. So, I chopped it off with the Dremel and filled in the gap with some putty. I am happy with the results. Once I get farther along in body work, I will fill the hole that will be exposed by the removal of the "Mazda" part of this emblem.






Then, I sorted through all of the B pillar and quarter trim I have accumulated over the past couple of years. I think I've finally picked out a good set. They aren't too dry for 20 year old plastic, and shine up nicely with application of dash and trim cleaner. I think eventually once they get a little moisture in them, they will look nice continually. I just needed to repair one of the mounting posts and they are now reading for bagging and tagging.






That was it for today. Depending on how things go, maybe some more tomorrow.

[NoDOHC]

Looking good, congrats on the upcoming birth!

I can't imagine the patience that it must take to reassemble that interior. I ran out of patience removing an interior from a parts car.

[MaczPayne]

Regarding the plastic posts in the gauge cluster surround:

I fixed/reinforced mine by sliding a notched piece of rigid copper tubing over the posts, then shaving off the raised surfaces on the switches so that they mount correctly. I've tried abusing them since, and so far they've held up great . I did mine pretty quick, but I'm sure you'll be more meticulous than I have and do a better job. Finally fixed that damn loose turn signal switch!

[JerryLH3]

I forgot to update the thread, there has been some things to report on. First, the B pillar and quarter trim has been cleaned, bagged and put away, They came out pretty clean.



And comparing them to a brand new A pillar:



The car as of just over a month ago:





I wired up the aftermarket head unit's harness to the adapter harness and trimmed up a lot of slack in the process:





A relay is included to ensure proper power antenna function.

Then I turned my attention to the dash. These frames rust horribly and even though it can't be seen, I don't like rust. I considered using POR-15 or something like it, but will probably just sand, etch primer, primer and then top coat.





That's it for now, progress is much slower than I would like, but I do have a one month old in the house (who is currently in my arm as I type this one handed).