NCross

iTrader: (18)

Overall the car appears to be in very good shape. 113,xxx original miles. Original engine that runs (needs tuning). Appears to be original paint in very good shape for 30 years. Interior is in excellent shape minus the driver seat bolster and I need new interior door handle trim ($6 a piece from Mazdatrix). Theres only a few small rust spots that I need to repair except the fender will need a full repaint.

Upgrades as follows...
-Holley electric fuel pump
-Holley fuel pressure regulator
-Racing Beat LIM and IUM
-Weber 45dcoe carb
-Pacesetter exhaust manifold, heat wrapped
-2 1/2 inch exhaust piping
-Megan tip
-Konig 15x7 wheels, 25mm 4x110 - 4x100 adapters
-Autometer water and oil pressure gauges
-Racing Beat oil pressure sender
-New alternator
-New clutch cylinder and soft line
-New fuel lines







The front end, part of the rear deck, and fender flares were all painted in an off red-orange colored paint. I don't know why... I wet sanded it off to find factory red paint in good shape underneath. I still need to sand the middle of the hood and the front bumper which may just be painted black.



The only spot on the car that needs a full repaint. I will have to take my orbital sander and sand this fender all the way down to the metal and repaint it. It just appears to be surface rust. I may just sand and primer it myself and take it to a body shop and pay $100 to have it painted right and color matched.

NCross

iTrader: (18)

The interior...











Engine...





AND a shot with the FC...

FirebirdSlayer666

iTrader: (3)

Dude that looks clean as hell. Just have that fender done and it will look so gorgeous. I bet she's pretty loud with that exhaust set up. You need some RE-Speed coilovers to with it. I give it a 9/10 only because of the fender and the can on it. BTW, is the front valance black? Nice FC too. Just need a rear bumper and you'll have the full S5 conversion done

1979rx-7

iTrader: (1)

I can't believe how GOOD the paint turned out with just a wet sand . Makes me wish I had made more time for that car when I had it . I'm glad your giving it a good home though . Keep up the good work

NCross

iTrader: (18)

Front bumper will more than likely be repainted satin black or gunmetal to match the mirror and window glass trim. I think I'll sell the exhaust tip and get a stock style muffler. I put a catalytic converter on it and it's still too loud. The can just has too muc of a pulse thumping sound to it. It's not that loud. Just goes PUP PUP PUP PUP PUP too loud.

I did a full wet sand with 2000 grit over the entire car except the middle of the hood and front bumper (will get done, just haven't had time). Used 3 applications of 3M liquid rubbing compound, and 2 applications of Zymol liquid cleaner wax.

Did a very light 2000 grit wet sand with windex on the outside of the glass. Then I applied a coat of wax over the glass. The inside glass was scrubbed with windex and a towel.

Interior was just Armor Alled and lightly vacuumed.

I want to keep the stock suspension for a while. I will end up mounting some 60 series tires I have on the front wheels. They have 50 series right now and I hate the wheel gap.

NCross

iTrader: (18)

A shot to show just how shiny the paint is for 30 years old...

The roof...

axle

sweet I wish I had the time to get mine looking like that before winter

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

You've inspired me to go out an wet sand my whole car. Damn another project!

That really looks good. I like the stock seats, my 80 SA has lambs wool seat covers because the driver side started to split, of course, on the bolster. Those seats are fragile when they get older. Watch how you treat them and keep any sharp objects away or they will rip really easily.

Whats the orange or red hose with a bolt in it off the bottom of the pan anyway?

Again, nice looking ride. Love those SAs. Get some waffles and RWL tires too make it look old school.

datsun1200

man that's so nice.

NCross

iTrader: (18)

If I change wheels I'm going either mesh or watanabe.

The seats are pretty soft and flexible actually. Just worn out on the bolster. I plan on picking up some black vinyl and fixing the rip.

Be careful wet sanding the old paint. Be careful around raised edges and curves not to sand through. Use 2000 grit paper and VERY lightly go over with soapy water that you soaked the paper in for a good hour or so. You don't want to make any new scratches that the compound and wax won't take out. All you want to do is lightly take a small bit of the oxidized surface off.

Jeezus

iTrader: (4)

WOW that paint looks nice! I might go do that to my brothers car (1996 cavalier, in pimptastic purple) since it is lookin faded. So you just lightly sanded with 2000 grit paper and had a hose running on it?

Jeezus

iTrader: (4)

You already have the nicest SA at the meets, you going for a world record now?!

NCross

iTrader: (18)

Get a bucket of hot soapy water and soak the paper for at least 20 minutes or so. An hour is best so it gets nice and soft like a paper towel, but won't crumble apart. I use Dawn or Joy dish soap. If its just oxidation you don't want to push very hard. My suggestion, take a microfiber towel and use it as a backing for the paper so it contours to the curves of the car body. Just very lightly go around the whole car doing this dipping the paper in the bucket every so often and use a spray bottle with cold clean water to wet the paper in between dips. Keep a hose handy to rinse the entire surface of the body panel every so often to rinse all of the particals your removing off.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

I now need to wet sand it and paint the black trim (aka Ray Greens way). I also want to clean up the little rust areas on the inside wheel lips and edges of the doors. Then get those decals for the emblems. It never fricking ends!

Good advice on the wet sanding. You should write a how to with lots oh pics when you get to the hood.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

BTW my cars silver with a clear coat, would this still work ok?

You said you also did the glass. My glass has a lot of little scratches. Can I use the same wet sand technique on it as well?

NCross

iTrader: (18)

I didn't sand the glass to remove scratches. I did it to remove debris and stuck on crap/overspray from the crappy orange paint. You can wet sand your glass, but you don't want to apply any pressure at all or it will scuff it. I prefer wet sanding glass as opposed to razoring it. Just let the weight of the paper do the work. Apply a good coat of windex for lube. I finished it off with a coat of wax. Any wax will do. The wax helps repel rain, so the wipers won't have to work as hard if you wax the windshield every month or two.

Don't apply more than one coat of wax to the glass though because it can cause polarization. (distortion of light rays)

As for the clear coat, it is actually better to sand clear coat as opposed to single stage. More paint for error room I guess. It will have good depth after a good polish.

FBsliderseven

iTrader: (2)

hey i just picked up a red sa too. hehe

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Your red paint is still in incredible condition, most are a dull pink by now. As far as the bumpers, don't paint them black. Wet sand the painted part like you did with the body, then mask off the rubber strips and scrub those with 0000 steel wool and mineral spirits/paint thinner. After a good wash with Dawn and a thorough dry, do a couple coats of Mother's Back To Black, same for the rub strips down the sides. If you paint the rubber strips, you'll have nothing but trouble with cracking/crazing/peeling in the long term.

Keep up the great work, I know how much effort it take to get that kind of shine.

Starfox07

Its good to see some beautiful FB/SA's! Mine is the same color and its still in great shape as well. Mazda paint is considerably better than Ford paint that I'm used to!

NCross

iTrader: (18)

I won't paint the trim or rubber. I know firsthand how it will look like crap after owning three 2nd gens with series 4 trim. You can just ever so very lightly wet sand the trim to remove most of the top layer of oxidation and then rub them down with paint thinner and armor all type stuff. Painting them just makes it look fake.

I was thinking about painting the front bumper where it's red, but I guess I'll just leave it the way it is for now. I may buy a can of OEM color touch up paint and spray the bumper. It's such a small bit of painted surface it will turn out good. I've painted 8 or so cars with spray guns so I figure I'm up for the challenge of one bumper

I need to repaint the black metal bar holding the back carpet down and finish wet sanding the hood... maybe tomorrow.

axle

their saying don't paint the bumper because a stock rx7 has the bumpers painted to match the rest of the car keep them red and it looks a little weird if they don't match

NCross

iTrader: (18)

I know. It's painted an orange red color right now by someone else. I said I will repaint it factory red someday, but for now it doesn't bother me since it's such a small amount of surface.

NCross

iTrader: (18)

::UPDATE::

Since my last update the car has come a long way.

-Sanded more of the orange over spray paint off the factory Sunrise Red.

-Compounding, waxing, cleaned and waxed the glass.

-Fixed rusty passenger fender and repainted it.

-Sold the Weber and swapped the stock Nikki back on.

-Installed an OEM style replacement catalytic converter. Needed to get it a little quieter and minimize the fireballs...

-New fuel pressure regulator.







Fixed the shift boot...





Home made cool air duct. Plugged up all of the carburetor topper holes. Put a new air filter in.






Still on the agenda list...

-Weld exhaust. Currently the exhaust is all clamped on. Lots of air leaks and rattles...

-Put 205-50-15 tires on the rear so it's all even. I have some, just haven't gotten around to it yet.

-Fix little surface rust spots around the car.

-Patch driver seat bolster with new vinyl.

-New spark plugs.

-CD player.

-Repaint windshield trim.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

i like it! i think its factory paint too, my SA is also factory paint, and its got a lot of orange peel like that too. the red wasnt my first choice of colors, but it looks damn good, doesnt it.

if that car was mine, id ditch those wheels, waffles FTW, or some panasport/rota RB's...

not sure about the exhaust either, like the wheels it might be too new school for the car.

NCross

iTrader: (18)

Well, they came with the car so it's all it has for now. I really want some Panasports or some other Watanabe style wheels. Maybe a set of the factory mesh wheels?

As for the exhaust.... yeah I hate it. I plan on picking up a Racing Beat muffler and swapping it. It looks too much like a Honda fart can. Kinda sounds farty too.

I got the factory radio working too! Combination of blown fuses and broken connections. It's kinda retro to have the factory radio. I'd like to swap it for a CD player, but there really isn't a good spot to mount it in the DIN. Maybe I could relocate or sell the gauges and put it there...

I also need to pick up a couple cans of Rhino Liner and touch up the wheel wells and the engine bay. Factory rust proof is chipping off.