Thanks for the advice!

I tried again last night and still no joy. I am going to use more heat this next time but I figured another night soaking penetrating oil wouldn't hurt.

The backup plan is to grind away material from the outer lip of the lower control arm so I can get a 6 point impact wrench socket on it. Then replace the lower control arm. The boot on the ball joint is split anyway so if it doesn't need replacing today it will. And after I heat this up enough to loosen the bolt I may overheat the rubber bits in the ball joints anyway.

 

Which core parts? Could I live without them.

 

got a new tire put on the back wheel today, its bent as all hell but it holds air which is all that matters right now. tough little car, didn't even need an alignment after yesterday's events

also installed one of two rear hatch struts, finally don't have to use my wooden stick to hold the hatch up. i'll probably keep it, for nostalgia's sake...

also i now have an unrelated braking problem. pedal goes almost to the floor before doing anything, and the brake light on the gauge cluster comes on when i'm at a stop. brake fluid is full, i'm thinking air in the lines?

 

Well not really "today" but over the last 3 days I swapped trannys/clutches from the parts fb to the daily. Also added the cruise control to the daily, and swapped all the locks & ignition to use the same key.

Hoping to get all 4 brakes done by next week. Oh, I also listed a part out for my parts car under the 1st gen for sale board.

 

Took advantage of 72 Degrees in Northern Virginia and took my 83 GSL Clone for a ride with the lid popped off and Queen blaring out the speakers - So deja vu to my original 83 GSL [although I didn't have an IPhone 5 and connector cable back then :-) ]. Also tried again to find wiper blades w/o success. Not really today, but also arranged for my son in laws brother to let me use his hoist to find the damn exhaust leak. Thinking about replacing the entire system since I don't have to have catalytic converter and Air Pump any more :-)

 

fuel sender was calibrated to the gauge. now I hope it works properly. 1/2 tank used to mean empty but I am sitting at 1/3 tank with zero issues. I have a 2 gallon can full in the trunk waiting till I run out. I also tossed soem pre-mix in the fuel tank to help fight detonation when I do run out of fuel. Gonna be fun, lol.

I also started fab work on the new turn signal and horn switches. I got one of those $20 universal turn signal kits off of ebay and I am using FG to mold a horn switch in there as well as to clamp it to the column. I will toss pics up when I get the product done.

 

Sounds more like the master cylinder but it could be air in one of the lines. Bleeding the brakes is pretty simple. You can buy a vacuum device and do it by yourself or get someone to assist you and buy nothing but brake fluid. It is a good idea to replace the brake fluid every few years anyway. It absorbs water over time. It should be almost clear but if it turns brown then it should be changed.

As for my 85-SE I still don't have that stuck bolt free. Going to really give it the heat tonight.

 

just replaced the master cylinder as the old one was leaky. might have to bleed the brakes, may look at one of the vacuum bleeders or see if i can borrow someones

 

Eh, upgrading the SA points to FB-style ignition is pretty easy. I wrote an article on it here.
I'd imagine upgrading from the 1980 SA-style electronic ignition isn't any more difficult.
I will admit, however, that I used to install mobile electronics for a living, so I don't fear wiring. I do hate some manufacturer's attempts at wiring, though...

 

Aw, man - don't be like that. Us first gen guys help each other out. Even if you divulge your sources, there's still plenty of guys who don't have the fabrication skills or time to DIY who'll be happy to buy from you. Some of us *like* to build stuff rather than buy.

 

took a gander, seems easy enough, might have to look into this. however, i did adjust the timing a bit by turning the dizzy, and my idle has smoothed out quite a bit.

exhaust has a nasty leak, probably from when i went evel knievel on the center median :P sounds like it's somewhere near the presilencer. gonna take a look at it this weekend, might need to take it to an exhaust shop to get repaired.

car drives fine - didn't even need an alignment. bummed about my wheel lips being bent, but i'm not too worried as i only paid 100 for the wheels and i plan on upgrading soon. something just feels off though. it just doesn't seem as sweet as it was before the dukes of hazzard action, maybe it's just the harsh exhaust note throwing me off.

but hey, **** happens :P and now i can say my title by my avatar is true. believe me though, nothing makes you feel like an idiot like sitting on the hood of your car on the center median waiting for the tow truck to come

 

I sold the blue one and decided to do a turbo build in the brown one! Ack!

 

Not a half bad idea.. I love the way they look as well.

I'm making some tough decisions about the 7 here, hopefully decide well.

 

Bought the Racing Beat full streetport exhaust on my birthday, Happy Birthday to me!

 

Took her for a drive down the highway for the first time since putting in a
6.5 powervalve (had a plug before) and it made a big difference ran clean
to red line and just kept pulling even took off in fifth from 70-90 pdq.
She screams all the way like a banshee.

 

I finished my suspension upgrades. Now just to do everything else.

 

looks good! What rotors are those?

 

drove it to work and back :P brakes seem to have sorted themselves out. need to get the exhaust looked at, the sound is driving me insane. need to sort the interior out. sick of looking at my torn up drivers seat. need to save a few paychecks first, this last month was a bit of a rough patch for me

 

Changed the sparkplugs, Put some gas in and went for a 170km drive, Ahhhhh about time i got it out of the shed for a decent drive !

 

I'll post a pic when I get a chance, but with the proper bracing, you can definitely live without the material that has to be removed.

 

Thanks man, I appreciate the love. I've been wanting to do a write-up on something. I'll just have to fight my ADD to get it done.

 

Put on the new wipers I bought last weekend, and just in time, the rain here is coming down all splotchy, must be only 33 degrees or so. I need to get the replacement fan clutch, but until it clears up here, thats not going to happen at the Pick-n-Pull, so I guess that leaves Beer drinking on the agenda for today LOL!
BTW-anybody know any thing about replacing the wiper/turn signal unit on the steering column? My intermittant wiper mode won't work, and I've never had cruise control work, any help? Thanks guys, I really like this thread, very hep0f0ul

 

Got them off eBay. Guy in California sells them.

 

Just got this in the mail today

 

You guys up there get tags in the mail?

I'm still stoked about my "Year of manufacture plate" EGM 1. I've gotta fill out the paperwork on it, but I think it'll be cool having a tag that reads 1979 on a 1979 RX7.