^ Good luck with that car che'srx-7, it looks clean and original and I love that color. Sounds like it's going well so far, and that's always good to hear!

I got a bunch of my crap outta my car today, whether it be tools and clothes and rags, and everything associated with college and cleaning materials and odds and ends of that nature. I haven't had the interior vacant of unnecessary clutter since about October of last year - so that really made me realize how well my interior is holding up. I got my gauges installed and mounted under my stereo now, I'll post pics tomorrow.

I'm planning on making a junkard run in about 9 hours (when they open here in MN) to pick up some parts off of a car that just came up on Wednesday. I'll post pics of it, again tomorrow, and list the VIN on the official list here on the forum - just in case anyone cares. It's one more that will probably RIPieces.

I am praying that it is a GSL or GSL-SE so I can get some really valuable parts off of it that I need. All the site says is that it's an 85 Mazda RX7 and that it is White.

Ah well, the mystery is part of the fun!

 

Rotor housings are painted now. Also got the front cover prepped for paint.

My recently rebuilt clutch master cylinder is going out on me again. This is the second time a plastic piston rebuild kit has failed. Pressure slowly leaks past the piston which gets stuck in the bore, and forces the slave to push out until fluid leaks onto your bellhousing. It's gravity fed or something. Luckily I found a new metal piston kit. I probably won't worry about swapping until the new engine is ready to go in. It's a good idea to have an engine in place when you bleed it.

 

^ Jeff, that's kinda freaking me out, because the rebuild kit that I used had a plastic piston in it I believe... I know my slave cylinder one didn't have plastic, but the master cylinder one did. Great, I'll be waiting for the day I guess.

Ok, here's my junkyard find.



I'm gonna go back for the other 2 FB rims when I bring them back 4 aluminum rims, damn core charges. That pissed me off. But I came away with a set of tail lights, a full Nikki carb, bottom half of an air cleaner, rear carpet including the piece below the hatch, distributor cap, nice newer spark plug wires, shifter piece, arm rest, 4 lug bolts (extra set, just in case), a shifter boot I was missing anyways in my car, and some other small stuff.

Why does this matter?

Now I have a set of tail lights that I can use to mock up my LED tail light conversion!! I can already see that one of was previously opened because its all foggy inside there and the red part of the diffuser is bent a little. So I will be using these to start up my LED tail light build again!!!

 

I'm so jealous of the rear carpet! I'm going to have to remove mine soon, it is literally disintegrating, and it hasn't been maroon in years.


I was tired of not having any audio in the FB since I removed the amp, so I bought some speaker wire and decided to at least wire the head unit to the speakers in the rear. Much to my surprise, the wiring was already there from a previous stereo install I did, apparently when I amped the system I disconnected the wires but left them under the carpet just in case I ever wanted to remove the amp. Hooked them up and success!

It's a funny system now, an old crappy Aiwa head unit that looks like hell connected to some barely used Infinity speakers in the rear that are in new condition. It doesn't have enough power to really push the speakers, but some tunes is better than no tunes. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do in audio, as I don't want a huge amp with wires all over the place like I used to have.

 

Wow...those wheels look to be in very nice shape...and a shift boot that is still attatched...I have already been spoiled by TwinkleToes pic of his shifter boot, but this is a great score...anxious to see how your tail light project turns out.

 

Picked up a heli coil kit to repair my Holley, should have that repaired by Sunday. Then I've got a few others lil things to do before she's DGRR bound.

 

A junkyard with 'core charges'? WTF is that about? Are they gonna put the 'cores' back on the junker? Did they refurbish the wheels you bought, & need the 'cores' of your old ones to do more?

Kind of runs against the whole purpose of a salvage yard, doesn't it? Sounds more like a way to screw you on the advertised parts price.

/soapbox

 

^Agreed. What's the deal?

I think I need to be a dictator and throw out a rule. From now on any post of aesthetic progress (ie: paint, bodywork, anything shiny) requires pics. Jeff has twice mentioned painted engine parts and I see nothing to make me go "oooohh, aaaaah!!" Get on it mister :P

 

Haha the shifter boot is glued on, kinda a trick picture I guess. It is missing all the bottom tabs, just like my shifter boot piece. But I wanted an extra just in case, and I can paint one and see if I like the way it turns out. SEM interior can here I come!

Thanks for the tail light comment also, I looked at the passenger side one and saw that it indeed was already opened. So that will be the main one I use for measurements and such, as the driver's side one is still sealed and in decent shape. I just need to get the funds and time together to do it...

Oh I was pissed. The price was $19 for an aluminum rim with a tire on it. I thought, "Hell, that ain't bad for some decent tires on FB rims - I can swing that." So I grabbed all four. Little did I know that EACH RIM comes with a $15 CORE CHARGE! I asked why, in my stunned state at the checkout. He said "It's so you bring back your old aluminum rims...blah blah blah here... so if you bring some aluminum rims back with your receipt you'll get that charge back." So I took the worse two tires, said to take those off my bill, and rerun it. Still a huge bill. But I paid it knowing that these parts were worth very much to me, and I wouldn't be finding most of them anytime within the next year or two.

I live about an hour from the capital of MN and there are not very many salvage yards around, so decent ones charge a premium for parts. I shouldn't say much, since there is a small yard only about a 1/4 mile from my front door (but they don't have much of anything, I've tried. Only thing I'm going in there for is he has 2 old MR2's that I'm gonna salvage the electric fans off of to do the swap I read about on the forum here).

So, I'm probably going to go back there with some old aluminum rims that are sitting around my house, and give them their ridiculous charge (since the tires on the rims are bald, and they don't go to anything and are worth less than nothing). So I'll have some pretty decent tires on 7/10 FB rims. Not counting my set that has brand new tires on 7/10 stock FB rims. So I can refurbish a set while driving the other set, and vice versa. Two sets of awesome, polished, repainted rims with tires!

Sorry, got long, but thought you guys would want to know why a poor guy in a junkyard would have to pay a core charge. Oh wait, I still can't explain it because IT MAKES NO SENSE.

 

I got her running, all she needed was some MMO. she runs smooth. it was sitting for 5 years.
I also rebuilt the engine for the brown one and will put it in tomorrow.

here is photo of the wheels for the silver one, they will go in tomorrow along with the coilovers.




i'm giving the brown one to my brother in law as a present. he needs a car and just moved here from PR.

 

Got my painting failure straightened out... gun was set for WAY too much fluid flow. Looks very very good now; excellent match, nice and smooth. I am teh happy.

I also got the front half of my exhaust system in, at last. Which of course means I had to rip my chassis wiring harness out to replace the old and faded tape... right?

One of the mysteries of the universe: Automotive paint is a very highly-developed, complex chemical system that has for decades been engineered to last long, go down smooth, and in general behave itself. Yet even today, proper pre-paint prep involves a great deal of effort in sanding, sealing, priming, cleaning, degreasing... all to try to get something carefully designed to stick, to actually stick.

Yet accidental overspray will immediately stick to any surface forever, no matter how dirty, greasy, rough, or far away from the spray gun it is.

 

lmao! so true!

 

The Holley is rebuilt and shes brapin' like a sick kitten. Tonight will be brakes, front wheel bearings, and hopefully she'll be ready for DGRR.

 

Changed the oil, but for the first time with the air pump completely gone. And I realized I no longer need to get under the car for this task

 

ordered a clutch master cylinder to get the silver one on the road, drove the blue one, and finished prepping everything up to put the brown one back on the road.

 

Washed, waxed and detailed the 7 for DGRR later this week. Can't wait.

Installed a new battery, as the old one was 5+ years old and started acting up last week.

 

Peeled old, tired, dirty electrical tape off my engine harness - - nasty job; glue gets on everything! - - & found a couple leads that have insulation that has dried out and fractured, which makes things ripe for failures & shorts. Splicing work tonight.

 

Replaced the fuel filter and spark plugs, much needed love

 

Flipped the car around in the garage so I can get the front end up to begin some re-do work. Plan is for a water pump swap, oil pan swap and a remove and reinstall of the drive shaft. Also discovered that only my front calipers are siezed so this will be torn down and ordered in the process.

 

Washed, waxed, detailed, and changed the oil. Like farell, I'm going to Deals Gap!!

 

I received the clutch master cylinder for the silver one, and finished putting the brown one back together and she runs!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRZUV...ature=youtu.be

 

Man i wanna go to deals gap so bad, but i enrolled myself for a race on saturday. i gess it will be next year.

 

God that sounds great!

 

Exhaust is all in excepting the lower air pipe, which I intend to do a fresh fiberglas wrap of before installing. Replaced two old saggy exhaust hangers along the way. So nice to have a full-original exhaust again, after the cobbled-together patchwork job I had to do last time due to lack of parts. Everything actually lined up and bolted together without issue. Amazing.

Buttoned down the intake manifold, too. Engine compartment is starting to look a lot less vacant. Will continue with the harness restoration tonight, after getting that last air pipe in place. Almost done with the under-car 'floor exercizes' this time around.

 

Those of us in non-communist states have such an easier life. If I had to pass the smog test you do I dont know that I would have the patience to try it. I do respect your dedication.