i know its not a first gen, but i figured you guys would appreciate the car since its still a 7. i posted this in the 2nd gen section but wanted to post it over here for you guys to check out. i really havent gotten into a 1st gen project in a while so this would let you guys in on what i've been up to.as many of you here know, i've been restoring my 10AE and have started a few threads regarding the 10AE and some diagnostic questions regarding the car. i feel its time for an update on my progress. here's the story: i bought the car in november of 2006 after lengthy discussions with the previous owner and some price haggling. the previous owner literally destroyed the car. he was ripping up the interior and painting parts of it and on top it, he smoked the engine. i bought the car to restore, as the 10AE was the RX-7 that i've always wanted. this particular car i saw at a dealership back in 2000. i test drove the car and two days later decided to buy it. when i returned back to the dealer and the car had been sold. lucky enough for me, i wrote down the vin. fast foward to 2006. my neighbor tells me about this 7 his friend has and he wants me to look at it. when i did go to look at it, the car turned out to be a 10AE. i immediatly wanted the car. even through its staggering condition, i saw my next baby. my new project. something my wife would frown upon. i had to have it. i went home that night and looked at the pics i snapped and was looking at the pic of the vin i took and something jumped out at me. i dont know why but i dug out that old estimate from the dealer from the 10AE i test drove and compared the two vins. it was a match!!!! six years later i have the car i fell in love with! here are the pics of my progress.

here is what the car looked like when i purchased it:













i spent hours digging the expanding foam out of the bins. i bought special gel paint stripper from chameleon that is plastic friendly and stripped the white paint from the center console lid, the glove box door, and several switches and *****. i replaced the clock surround, the inside door handle surrounds, the corner vents in the dash, the radio surround, the pedal pads, the ash tray, found an original momo shift ****/boot, found the correct bins, rebuilt the logicon, replaced countless bulbs in the instrument cluster and the surrounding switches. i rewired the audio system, installed a used but good alpine radio, and four speakers. the engine tested 85psi on the front rotor and 0psi on the rear rotor. so, i pulled it and replaced it with a good jspec engine that i got out of PA .

the car is currently in need of a new turbo but the engine runs strong. here are some updated pics i took of the car tonight after i was finished sanding and undercoating the underbody. i'm only about half done with that. needless to say, this is the 7 that i've always wanted and i thought i would share this with you guys, as it has been a challenge and a learning experience.

 

my daughter really seems to like the 10AE too!!

 

Very Nice Job!! I am impressed. Elbow grease seems to go a long way.

By the way, your daughter is adorable. Congrats on that too!

 

Congrats on all the hard work, it has payed off in spades. Why, may I ask, did the ricer fill the bins with expanding foam? Good luck with finishing the project.

 

thank you! he said that he filled the bins with expanding foam because he was going to install subwoofers in the bins.. it literally took hours to get that crap out of there. i was digging and scraping and picking and peeling. that stuff made my hands itch and mademe sneeze. it was terrible!! once i got it all out i undercoated the area. unfortunatly the previous owner seemingly removed the connectors for the bin lights. i'll figure something out. probably find whats left of the wire and solder in new wiring and connectors for the bin lights.

 

Looks good man! I was gonna ask about that stuff in the bins... haha. White always looks good on a FC.

 

Nice job, great to see a junker turned into a extordinary ride. This is why I love to by junked out cars, the feeling of accomplishment is huge, and you save a bunch of money.

 

thank you guys for the compliments on the car!! its been a lot of work thus far and well worth everything that i've put into it!!

 

Great job, you saved that car from the PO.

 

thanks! to update, i'm ordering a new turbo this coming week and hope to have it installed within a month! thanks to all my fellow SA/FB owners who are supporting me on this FC project!

 

Impressive transformation Dave. Great turn of fate to have a second chance with the car you intended to buy then lost only to find again and literally save it. The previous owner's half-baked efforts at customizing the interior were ghastly.

Enjoyed seeing the before and after pics. The intensive time and effort you have invested into the restoration have certainly returned this special Rx-7 into the collector car that it is. Well done!

Cool stickers on your Craftsman tool cabinet centers.

 

thank you for the compliments! the car is not finished unfortunatly. the turbo has lost an oil seal and the exhaust it rotten. the car needs tires and lower ball joints. its still missing the metal strip behind the bins. other than that after i paint it and have the seats re-done and get the idle to drop below 1300rpm, the car will be close to perfect.

 

Nice work man.

 

Am i in the wrong section??? lol

nice work. cant wait till its fully done. Definetly have done alot of work, nice to see another saved 7

 

no, you're in the right section. i was just showing my fellow SA/FB owners what i have been up to before i started restoring my current project, an 85 S.

 

nice work on the project. im currently working on a 10thae project of my own. just finished the paint roll cage and now working on a 550hp motor.