RXVERT Always in Progress

[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/v1...11-2008078.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.

[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?