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Making old parts look new again :)

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Old 12-03-09, 09:43 PM
  #151  
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Originally Posted by PRX-7
before and after pics of the engine bay



Very clean man! Mazdatrix Mazdaspeed strut bar?
Old 12-08-09, 05:49 PM
  #152  
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Time for some pictures! I finished the headlight motor and have it "rough" installed in the car right now. Shined up the bolts/nuts, and shined up the clamp (can't see the clamp in the picture). It looks snazzy, but the camera I use sucks. Maybe because it is set on some 3000x3000 pixels?



Got my X-01 connector down to 5 wires, took out the #2 temp switch that is in the back of the waterpump housing. Since it is used for the choke, and I have none, then no need for it!



Got it slimmed down enough. I will keep the X-01 connector if I ever have to go back in and add anything. I was planning on removing it and soldering it, but figured it would be handy since it would be in the FSM.

Pulled out the ol' taurus fan today. Notice the cut on the lower right of the shroud, that is all that is needed to run this on a 7, in case anyone was wondering. Cleaned it up and got all of the dirt and grime off. The fan is sharp, so you will probably end up cutting you self like I do. Just a word of caution. Hold it from the shroud, not IN the shroud.

Cleaned up:


Layer of gloss black. Not going to do the other side since it is on the radiator
I will be rerouting the wiring for the fan as well to hide it. Probably will bring it inside the shroud and run along the edge and out of sight. It's kind of fun hiding everything from view, makes me feel like a kid again.



Crappy camera makes it look blemished
Old 12-08-09, 06:40 PM
  #153  
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That's your toe Stu. Lookin' good. You are going to paint under that headlight lifter, right?
Old 12-08-09, 06:54 PM
  #154  
Stu-Tron Get Yo Groove On

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Originally Posted by ray green
That's your toe Stu. Lookin' good. You are going to paint under that headlight lifter, right?
Yessir! The whole rust thing will be taken care of after the harness is done. I got the main harness finished, now I need to situate the X-01 and MSD wiring, then lay it all down
Old 12-09-09, 11:52 AM
  #155  
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Originally Posted by Jeezus
Got my X-01 connector down to 5 wires, took out the #2 temp switch that is in the back of the waterpump housing. Since it is used for the choke, and I have none, then no need for it!


Correction, it is now down to 4 wires, pulled the WB wire off the back of the alternator.
Old 12-11-09, 04:28 PM
  #156  
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Cleaned up more wires today. This is a neverending mess! Cleaned up the electric fan wiring, and moved the MSD wiring. All this will be ran inside the radiator shroud, along the edge of the side panels. I am thinking about turning the Taurus fan into a pusher fan instead of pulling. If I get a pusher it will clean up the front of the engine and not seem cramped. I would assume I could just flip the positive and negative on the fan around to get it to spin the other way?

Made up my mind, I will be removing the X01 connection and running the 4 wires left in with the main bundle. I need to go get some more lower gauge wiring for the alternator lead and MSD positive and negative.

Got a bracket made for the DCOE. Not the prettiest thing, but if it holds up I will trim it and make it perty.





Old 12-12-09, 06:12 AM
  #157  
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Hey Stu -
Sgt Fox just posted a site for OEM style wire harness connectors
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showthread.php?t=877734

would make your re-wire completely OEM-looking...

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska
Old 01-21-10, 08:55 AM
  #158  
Stu-Tron Get Yo Groove On

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Sorry for the major lack of updates. Not much new to report. I have started school so it is destroying my free time

I got the fan cut up for mounting on the front of the radiator. I used my new dremel, and it burned up once again halfway through. This is the 2nd one that has done that. Went back to home depot to exchange it, but they would only give me half price (new it was $90+), and they had NO dremels there for that price. Had to settle for a cut off wheel. The lower right corner is where I finished up with the wheel, so that is why it looks horrible. Stupid home depot.

Old 01-21-10, 11:13 AM
  #159  
PSHH! PSHH! HEAR ME NOW?

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Not too bad Stu I have never used the Taurus e-fan as a pusher. Typically you would just reverse the wiring to make it turn in the opposite direction. Good news is your only a few minutes from Pull-A-Part! You gonna make it to the next meet?
Old 01-21-10, 12:03 PM
  #160  
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coming along nicely stu. so hows the webber working out?
Old 01-21-10, 12:19 PM
  #161  
Stu-Tron Get Yo Groove On

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Originally Posted by rxtasy3
coming along nicely stu. so hows the webber working out?
Got it on the car and made the bracket for it. Haven't started it since I began the whole ordeal. I did however put my battery on the cables and attempted to turn it over, but I believe the battery is dead.

I wish school didn't clean me out, or it would be done
Old 02-09-10, 04:47 PM
  #162  
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Hey Jeezus, whats up? Thats a neat job you have accomplished by cleaning your engine bay

I wonder if you can show me a picture of the tool you use as grinder ? I would like to buy one to start cleaning my stuff just like you.

If you can provide more info on model or advice on which grinder I should get please also let me know.

Thanks

Emir-
Old 02-10-10, 07:37 PM
  #163  
Stu-Tron Get Yo Groove On

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Originally Posted by n0ferz
Hey Jeezus, whats up? Thats a neat job you have accomplished by cleaning your engine bay

I wonder if you can show me a picture of the tool you use as grinder ? I would like to buy one to start cleaning my stuff just like you.

If you can provide more info on model or advice on which grinder I should get
please also let me know.

Thanks

Emir-
I used an Angle grinder.



I got it at home depot for a little less than $50. They have some without the
sideways handle, but get the one with it; much easier to guide it as you cut.
Mine came with a pretty thick blade on it, I think it is 3/8ths inch thick. That is
for grinding, I also spent a dollar more and got a thin blade for cutting. Works
awesome.
Old 02-10-10, 10:18 PM
  #164  
Stu-Tron Get Yo Groove On

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Got the fan installed today, made ye olde Taurus a pusher instead of a puller. No real good pictures, since everything is in the way, but here we go:


Old 03-22-10, 03:35 AM
  #165  
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I dont mean to steal your thread here, but I'm curious. I'd like to know whats the most efficient way of stripping off paint? I was starting on the battery tray yesterday it took me like an hour, and then I just gave up.
Old 03-22-10, 10:44 AM
  #166  
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Aircraft paint stripper works dandy for most paint; it's very slow on some items like the baked-on enamel used on the air cleaners. Biggest trick is to make sure you get ALL of it out of any seams or folds, before you repaint. It'll wick into a sheetmetal seam and then wreck your new paint. You also don't want it on your hands.

Wirebrush and power sanding / power buffing pads also are big helps, though they can add up costs as some of them (like the buffing pads) don't last very long.

Sandpaper and elbow grease is sometimes the only way.
Old 03-22-10, 10:57 AM
  #167  
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Don't know why I never posted this shot here before; probably had something to do with that little incident I had before Sevenstock last year.

30-year-old 1980 (remote J-105 igniter box-style) distributor.

Old 03-24-10, 04:56 AM
  #168  
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purty Glen! where'd you get the tasty ign wire clips?? Stockers too small for these wires....

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska
Old 03-24-10, 04:51 PM
  #169  
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thats an awesome idea for the air box
Old 03-24-10, 06:00 PM
  #170  
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Originally Posted by 7aull
purty Glen! where'd you get the tasty ign wire clips?? Stockers too small for these wires....

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska
Same place I got the tasty wires; RB. The wires are sorta-unobtanium; they were custom-made with the old 80's-style straight shield boots, a box of which had been unearthed in their warehouse at the time I was hanging about, buying oil filters.

The stamped black-on-white wire tags read "T1, T2, L1, L2" as well.
Old 03-24-10, 06:08 PM
  #171  
Stu-Tron Get Yo Groove On

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Hey guys I have a question:

In the engine bay on the drivers side (main harness) there is a yellow wire with a female
plug on it. Looks like it just slides on a male tab or something. I can't find out where this
thing goes! I looked in the haynes and FSM and there is no discription of a single female plug
with a Y. The only solid Y wires in the whole wiring diagram are for the Fuel gauge tank unit
(Part C in the 1982 wiring diagram FSM) or the rear window defroster switch (Part G-18,
same FSM). Neither plug looks like the one I have. Any ideas? I could snap a picture if that
helps.
Old 03-24-10, 08:27 PM
  #172  
Stu-Tron Get Yo Groove On

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Found it, apparently it was the water temp gauge unit, a yellow with white stripe
wire. Hard to see it after 25+ years of fading . Also found out I do not need the
BrY wire/connector that goes to the oil pressure gauge unit for 2 reasons:

1. I have aftermarket oil gauges.
2. It looks like I have an SA rear iron with no oil pressure sensor.

Another wire bites the dust!

Also, can someone be a dear and tell me if the horns have blue wires? It doesn't
say in the FSM, but I could have sworn I pulled off these 2 blue wires. They are
taped together from the factory and one end of them have 90* female connectors
on them.
Old 03-25-10, 07:04 AM
  #173  
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Funny this thread came back up. Im currently looking into some of this for my car now. My engine bay went through a few "changes" in its life...

From this:







To this after the car was stolen/stripped:





Most recently however, its looked like this:



Then this (epoxy "rust cure" primer:







And finally onto this (factory Formula White):





Its glossy because its still wet, and will dry matte - it still needs its clear coat. The wet gloss does however give you a pretty good idea of how it will look clear coated, and overall looks pretty good IMO.

Im going to be cleaning and detailing everything up that gets bolted back in as I remember where it all goes. Its been 7 years since its motor blew, it got stolen, stripped, recovered and parked. I figure, the clean new engine bay is the best place to start. Once I get that right, I will be repainting the exterior the factory color to match.

There is a link in my sig with a more "detailed" version of whats going on also that I update for those who are curious

~T.J.
Old 03-25-10, 09:16 AM
  #174  
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sorry to about the theft but glad to see you got her back
Old 03-25-10, 11:34 AM
  #175  
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You're off to an excellent start!


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