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replaced the bushings in the idler arm which were absolutely wrecked. the lower bushing was perhaps 25% of a bushing left and the upper was eaten through. Now i need to realign the car.
Also anyone notice rear brake calipers for the 12a are NLA everywhere now too?
Bought the adapter from JDL manufacturing down in Florida. The ports on the 12a side line up with my streetport 12a enlarged ports as if they were matched. Nice machining for the transitions on the secondary runners.
I had to make a few modifications to get it to fit though. The rear ear contacted the trans, so that got flap wheeled down until it fit. The inspection plate is no longer used. The upper rear hole had to be egged out a little to get the shcs to go in straight. The counter bores for the shcs are very close to the size of the screws. I turned down the upper ones by .020 (inch) so they had a little more space for things to line up. The two lowers I left alone but can feel them contacting the side, but just barely. And, for some reason my studs did not want to unthread. At all. Nope. I took one out of a spare housing to make sure. I did the same to the ones in the engine and they turned about 1/4 and locked up, they didn’t even start coming out on the thread pitch. Guessing high temp loctite red and the threads started to get destroyed. Changed up my plan of using longer studs and milling a spot face into the FC (s5) exhaust gas port runner to milling the counter bore that you see. .75 dia x .330 deep. A flanged m8x1.25 nut with a thin wall 12mm socket fits nicely. The stud still sticks out proud of the adapter. So the fc lower got a milled slot to make space. Since that clamp was removed, I added two other studs where there’s a flat in the fc lower. Only draw back there is if there’s any future use on a 13b, it has to use a freeze plug to seal up the coolant passage. I’ll be using a couple longer studs and the center bolt to mount up a heat shield.
The primary fuel rail is included too.
Just wish the plate was a little thicker, would have saved a couple steps, no big deal.
next hurdle, getting a functional palm pilot to hotsync and talk to the rtek v2 82transam was nice enough to part with. There’s always haltech
edit brakes: I have a few spare rear brakes from 12a cars if you are in need. Best to rebuild them at this point though.
What an absolutely beautiful example of a 1st gen RX7.
Thank you! That has "always" been my goal, I was lucky enough in 1994 to get my GSL-SE from the original owner. I have always felt a responsibility to improve my car where needed, while still maintaining as much of the essence of this primo 1985 Japanese sports car. I'm just the "current" caretaker of this beauty, and feel responsible to maintain it in this condition until the day comes when someone from the next generation assumes the responsibility. I have had the same trials and tribulations that many RX7 owners experience over the twenty-nine years I've had her, but when I step back and look at her I'm constantly amazed at what unique vehicle it is, and just how damn lucky to be the current owner.
Gorgeous Man! I know how much work it takes to get these cars into that kind of "Like new" condition. Mine has 200K plus on it but the previous owner and I had that goal in mind. We love these cars, (Mine is an '85 GSL-SE) and love what Mazda made as a stock car. Everything this car represented was superior to what came afterward, even the RX8. As an owner of a
new RX-4, and RX5 back in the day, this car was the dream. Fact was it didn't make sense to spend 10K back then when there were better performing alternatives, so the dream of this rotary 7 was just that. Never surrender your dream, and if the dream becomes a realizable reality, go for it. And I did, after carefully vetting the car i bought I decided it was worth it for me now. I would never choose the dark purple as i think these cars should stand out with some brighter color, but the dark theme has a lot of fans among those who see it, everyone says DO NOT REPAINT it. Just starting to have fun after getting her right. I'd be a bigger fan of the new models but the rear quarter visibility is bad, the new 2025 might have me back in the showroom again but for now I just wish Mazda had an entry in the Hypercar class. Watching the Hypercar endurance class at the Daytona 12 hour race really put a charge in me.
Installed new clutch master and slave cylinders and the soft line. This is the third set in my 13 years owning it.
I blew out the hard line with brake cleaner and thought about that good advice from @Gslse4me back in the day. Maybe he and @7aull are comparing notes right now, I hope they are. Although he put it much more detailed (anticipating every problem a person might encounter!) I'll say it as this: replace everything, use a good DOT 4 fluid, prime the master and slave on the bench.
The old fluid was clear in the reservoir but dark black in the master. Still a great deal at $60 in parts and supplies. And even though these cars are comparatively easy to work on, it's never easy to get the bolts started for the slave cylinder.
The bright spot was using the cheapo HF vacuum bleeder. That thing worked like a charm.
Today I installed my taillights after "restoring" them about a week ago. This was something I wanted to do since my lights were full of dust, which looked bad and reduced how bright my lights were. All I used was a Heat Gun, Flat blade and Phillips screwdrivers, utility knife, a couple microfiber towels and some rain-x cleaner. As well as some butyl tape to seal it all up. Overall I am happy with the results, the lights are more visible and brighter while signaling. The only downside is all the imperfections in the lenses now show more.
Do you have the pocketlogger software to share, by chance? I have an Rtek ecu going into my FC but i don't have the palm nor the software to validate the tune.
Been awhile since I posted here. A few updates have happened on my FB since I last posted.
Replaced the Tokico Illuminas in the front with some Koni Yellows. The interesting thing is the pair I was sent were painted red. The model number markings on the shocks were correct though. Called Koni to ask them about it. The guy chuckled and said, "Yeah, they probably forgot to load the paint gun with the right paint on your set". So yeah, I have a red set of Koni yellows.
I finally got around to having a harness bar put on the passenger side of the roll bar so now I am running proper harnesses for the passenger.
Finally, I replaced the old rubber shift boot that was torn and letting in exhaust fumes. Looks a lot cleaner now!
Yesterday, I ran the battery down trying to get it started. Charged the battery overnight. Installed it this morning, engine still wouldn't fire up. Removed the front rotor's plugs. They were wet with gas. So sprayed them with brake cleaner, then wd-40. Then turned the engine over with the plugs grounded. They showed spark. Put everything back together. Shot some wd-40 down the carb. Engine fired right up several times.
Question>>--> is WD-40 that good, or was I just lucky?
After a good rain this afternoon I took off the combo switch to mess with the steering column and water poured out of the harness.
Since the harness out of the engine bay goes upwards inside the car, I'm thinking there's a leak in the cowling area. Windshield was replaced in 2016.
OMG! What a nightmare scenario j_tso, water and wiring is a bad combination however, I agree with you that the likely path of entry due to the location of the water build-up is from the cowling area. Did you notice any water when you removed the clam shell around the steering column?
Nothing out of the steering column cover, though I think since it has left & right halves I don't think water could have puddled up there.
My best guess is rain found its way into the wiper motor harness, since water only came out of the harness wrap and nowhere else.
Now that I think about it if it was a leak in the cowl area I'd have more damp areas under the dash.
Mazda transmissions are light. When I change them, I put my car on a lift, remove all of the fasteners, and just yank it out and set it down. Then I put the new trans on the ground upside down, grab the tail and the bellhousing, clean and lift it, get my fingers out of the way, and slap it up to the engine long enough to get a couple bolts started.
That Subaru trans probably weighs what three RX-7 transmissions weigh. Definitely more than a 13B, because I can pick up a 13B and stick it on a bench.
