Damn! This old 85SE orphan is getting fun to drive!
 

This SE looked so pathetic when I found it 2 years ago, paint faded and checked, seals rotted out, interior ragged, tires frayed, etc. Crappy black stuff in radiator, brake and clutch reservoirs, etc. Salvage title, two keys (probably had been stolen), stinking like hell inside, plus an overlay of some ultra-sweet deoderizer. So I figured to give it a little try, and if it failed part the thing out. But now it runs great, looks like new, and feels really sound on the road. Until a couple weeks ago I didn't dare drive it for more than 15 minutes because the stink of exhaust in the cabin worried me that I'd fall asleep driving it anywhere. But the new seals for the hatch and tailights solved that and I drove it for 3 hours today with nary a whiff of smell or any tiredness from odorless CO. And it drove great! Had the extra SE power for passing on CA 1 coming up the coast from Santa Cruz to Pescadero. Sang like a bird whipping thru the mountains at 4k, 5k 6k RPMs all the way.

Well I guess I better put some Tokico Blues on it: like every SE I've driven it bottoms out in the rear. Little bit of mechanical noise from the drivetrain, but that's like other SEs, too. Finish the interior and some doorseals next week and it'll almost be worth what I've put into it!

I'll use it for my little 2 or 3 day trips over to the Sierra Foothills looking for a cabin site the next few months to wring it out.

Good job on keeping with it. We need pics

Oh believe me, once you fix the suspension, it changes the whole car.

I posted some pics a few months ago when it came back from the bodyshop with new K3 on it, but I'll get some new ones up pretty soon when my parttime-fulltime mechanic gets some more detailing finished.

sounds like love ...

waiting on those new pics when you get them. :)

I'm going to subscribe to this thread in hopes to see the new pics as well.

The original pix are here:

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/ugly-se-got-painted-542066/

3 words : Smoked Glass Sunroof ;)

It looks great. It's like mine, but an -SE :p:

Good to hear another one gets restored and running.

Jon

i remember those pics:) good stuff. i love the SE in silver. you could post some current pics of the interior and exterior. just a thought.

I have a sunroof: standard, not smoked, as I prefer it that way. I also sprayed the flaking windshield trim with semigloss black.

Replaced the rotten moldings and seals, now I just have to redo the door panels.

Damn fine job bringing her back to life, keep up the great work. Many members can look to you and your car as an example of what can be done, instead of turbos, bodykits and drifting. Me and my big mouth, lol.

When I finish the door panels I'll post interior pix.

I figure to make this my DD (need some Tokico blues, though).

I like stock setups, with the possible exception of a streetport on an FB. The 7 is intrinsically highly aesthetic. Doesn't need appearance mods or peculiar paint.

It's defintaley a nice GSL-SE you got there. Whats with all the stuff in the back? That shouldn't be in that 7, :). God bless

wow thats a nice SE!!! great work on bringing her back to life. "The 7 is intrinsically highly aesthetic" .....+1!!!!

In the back I have 4 interior door panels: the two originals, which are cloth/naugahide burgundy, and two from the JY which are all naugahide but brown. I'm trying to re-color the brown ones to burgundy. Then I'll figure out what to do about the seats, which were originally cloth burgundy. I have good leather burgundy seats but I'll have to steal the passenger side from my 85GSL. Actually, I rather prefer the cloth seats: they're cooler in summer and I get a little lower seating position, so I may leave cloth installed and keep leather in reserve for eventual resale.

I have some other minor interior issues, also. Faded plastic, aftermarket radio, etc. Not too bad, though.