Mini Man

I get to start the fun process of rebuilding a 1984 GSL that got in a series of enternal accidents. It got banged up but nothing to bad. I got it and will be rebuilding it. It has moon roof power windows, leather interior 5-speed. A nice little car. But onto the damage

The damage areas are the front passeger fender, right headlight cover, passenger door, and the piece of metal between the headlights and the bumper. The picture of the car is not mine just being used to show damage areas. Also there is a large dent/crease that i will need to pound out and bondo up between the right rear glass and the door.(circled in blue) What would be the cheapest way to replace the panels circled in red. I would get a door locally but fenders and such, where could i get these??

Also the previous owner mentioned a odd thing. She said that the car would die, and flood. As it did this lots of white smoke would pour out of the exhaust, and when it started back up a large cloud of white smoke would surround the area. I was wondering what would cause this. If it has anothing to do with Oxygen sensors in the exhaust i was wondering if i did a complete after market exhaust if the new exhaust would fix this problem.

Thanks for your input I do not know alot about these cars so i'm tryign to get as much info as possible. I am very mechanically inclined, i built a 68 chevy truck from the frame up, and do alot of mechanical projects.

Oh and this looks like a very nice forum.

bizarro

iTrader: (1)

Okay, if there is no structural damage underneath and its just the shell then you can get replacements and paint the car...

You can check these sites for used parts:
http://www.atlantarx7.com/body1gen.html
http://www.rx7world.com <-- call and Ernst will let you know if he has the parts
http://www.mazdarecycling.com

You can check these sites for new parts:
http://mazdatrix.com
http://www.mariahmotorsports.com <-- If you wanna get fancy with a body package.

If you take your time in working the engine first, you can check ebay from day to day...someone is always selling used body parts, usually cheaper than the sites listed above. And don't forget the sales section in this forum...when I'm searching for something not listed I usually send an email or personal message to sellers to see if they have a certain part...I also gain a friend along the way when I do that...

For that blue section...bondo or better yet TARGA...its hard to find one but you can post a Willing To Buy in the sales forum and someone usually has one laying around...

Stuff I learned on this site about white smoke is you may have a coolant leak. The ghetto way to check is to leave the cap off the radiator, turn on the car and watch the coolant for little bubbles. If this is the case then search the forum for "white smoke" or "coolant leak".

Also, black smoke = fuel too rich and blue smoke = oil leak.

Good luck in getting the car back to good condition and get some picks of before and after (VERY IMPORTANT)

Rx7carl

Hi, welcome to the board. Where in Ak? I know someone up there who has a 1st gen, he may be able to help you source parts. As far as the white smoke, it could be a sign of coolant getting into the combustion chamber. Keep an eye on the coolant level, and temp. If its using coolant, then you have a problem.

Rutnick

I have that light cover and piece between the headlights.

82streetracer

iTrader: (1)

find a good parts car.

Pedestrian X

Yup, the white smoke I would almost deffinelty say that you are burning up coolant. Not a good thing as im sure you know. If you are lucky it might just be the o-rings at the intake manifold. If not I would consider a rebuild.

Mini Man

Well i don't think it is coolant, and the person described it as white, it may have been blue but it doesn't makes sense. It didn't do it all the time only on odd occasions, and nothing to trigger it. It would just happen.


Also i live in Fairbanks, and i got my dividend which is $1107.56 so thats engouh to get these parts fixed and such.

Rx7carl

PM me your email address and Ill put you in contact with him. His name is Stu, and he's a good guy, and he lives in Fairbanks too!. He's on the SA22 list.

Aviator 902S

That white cloud on start-up is ok if it disperses within the first minute or two, but if it's there for a while (or at any time after the engine warms up) and it's large enough to blot out the view in your mirrors you're burning coolant.
To confirm this, a) pull the spark plugs. Are they shiny white with a strong smell of coolant (or even wet from coolant in the combustion chambers)? b) remove oil filler-cap and inspect the under side of it. Is there whitish-colored sludge? c) Check coolant level. Is it low, and is there an oily film floating on the surface? and d) if no other indicators are present, pressure-test the cooling system. If it won't maintain pressure, are there any visible coolant leaks?
A "yes" answer to any of the first three tests or a "no" to the last one means that coolant is leaking past the water jacket seals and into the combustion chambers. On the 1st gen 12A this would almost certainly mean that the engine has been overheated, which warps the housings causing the coolant seals to leak. Only fix is to rebuild the engine.
These engines are easy (and fun) to rebuild, but quite often, if the engine has been over-heated and warped, the cost for parts can approach the cost of a rebuilt engine from a reputable rebuild facility. (over $2000). Add to this the cost of the body repairs you've mentioned and you'll exceed the cost of a good used GSL that needs no work at all.
But if you really enjoy getting your hands dirty (doing both engine and body work yourself) and there's nothing else wrong with the car, you might still want to go ahead with the project just for the experience. Used housings can be had for no more than $200 each (new ones are upwards of $500 each) and a rebuild kit which includes all seals and apexes will be under $1000.
You won't recoup your investment any time soon (unless the value of good-condition GSL's goes up to over $4000 in the next 5 years), but if you're not planning to sell...