Im Officially Back! (and bringing my 7 back to life!)
07-03-10, 01:14 PM
#78
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Fort McMurray, Alberta
Posts: 723
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T.J. looking good man! I used to be around the forums lots and I remember when your car was stolen, nice work getting it back. I'm sure it will be better than before. I just recently ended a 4 year no Rx-7 hiatus and found a nice white SA, I'm definitely digging the white alot. Keep up the good work.
George
George
07-04-10, 06:06 PM
#82
It indeed is a black magic fan. It does move some good air, and its a very nice unit, just kinda big. There are new units that move more/as much air now, but I bought this one refurbished off eBay about two years back for less than I could find any new fans. I had expected it to fit a little better under there, but it got in the way of the battery tray as I said. In hind sight, its not a big deal since I wanted to relocate the battery anyway, but just something to be aware of. I also thought about making custom brackets, but it didnt seem worth it knowing I wanted to move the battery eventually anyway.
I have a cool idea for under the hood after moving the battery I dont think Ive seen anyone do yet, so you will have to stay tuned for my idea for that
Oh, I did a compression test on this motor warm the other day for fun with a piston tester. It got 85 PSI on both rotors, I was surprised. Then again, it is stamped Pineapple Racing and the receipt says its about a year and a half old.
~T.J.
I have a cool idea for under the hood after moving the battery I dont think Ive seen anyone do yet, so you will have to stay tuned for my idea for that
Oh, I did a compression test on this motor warm the other day for fun with a piston tester. It got 85 PSI on both rotors, I was surprised. Then again, it is stamped Pineapple Racing and the receipt says its about a year and a half old.
~T.J.
07-09-10, 12:28 PM
#84
Well, as of recently the motor is running and the car in fact is moving under its own power as of 7/7 (odd coincidence, sitting 7 years, first driven on 7/7, its an RX7...).
I got the brake calipers cleaned up, new pads installed, rotors cleaned up, and the new stainless braided brake lines installed. I also installed the new stainless braided clutch line, but I ran into an issue with the push rod for the slave cylinder that was keeping the clutch from engaging all the way. I actually had to fab up a new push rod with a nut, a bolt, and a bench grinder but I got it working perfectly.
On the electrical end of things, the alternator had low output so I swapped my other used one on and its got better output now. I also ran the battery cables for the battery in the rear, got the battery tray bolted down, and got the bulkhead fitting installed in the firewall. I used an existing hole and made a custom "gasket" out of a grommet which used to plug the hole. I just cut the center out with a knife and put the bulkhead through. I didnt get any pictures, but it looks nice. Tomorrow I need to get some larger shrink tube so I can finish crimping the two other cables for under the hood, but I have it wired up temporarily under the hood now and its working great. If you're wondering, the power "block" is so that the battery cable end of the wire can be replaced separate from the rest of the chassis wiring, and also to be used for future stereo amplifier wiring or any other electrical accessories that need power back there (fuel pump relay soon).
Oh, and I got some of the body work back on it, new plug wires, PCV valve installed, etc. I discovered a leak in the heater core, so I had to bypass that temporarily, but I will address it later. Its a summer car anyway, haha.
~T.J.
I got the brake calipers cleaned up, new pads installed, rotors cleaned up, and the new stainless braided brake lines installed. I also installed the new stainless braided clutch line, but I ran into an issue with the push rod for the slave cylinder that was keeping the clutch from engaging all the way. I actually had to fab up a new push rod with a nut, a bolt, and a bench grinder but I got it working perfectly.
On the electrical end of things, the alternator had low output so I swapped my other used one on and its got better output now. I also ran the battery cables for the battery in the rear, got the battery tray bolted down, and got the bulkhead fitting installed in the firewall. I used an existing hole and made a custom "gasket" out of a grommet which used to plug the hole. I just cut the center out with a knife and put the bulkhead through. I didnt get any pictures, but it looks nice. Tomorrow I need to get some larger shrink tube so I can finish crimping the two other cables for under the hood, but I have it wired up temporarily under the hood now and its working great. If you're wondering, the power "block" is so that the battery cable end of the wire can be replaced separate from the rest of the chassis wiring, and also to be used for future stereo amplifier wiring or any other electrical accessories that need power back there (fuel pump relay soon).
Oh, and I got some of the body work back on it, new plug wires, PCV valve installed, etc. I discovered a leak in the heater core, so I had to bypass that temporarily, but I will address it later. Its a summer car anyway, haha.
~T.J.
07-10-10, 02:40 AM
#85
Got registration, new plates and insurance on the car today. I managed to put 100 miles on it just cruising around and driving down to my Dads house to get a couple more wheels so I have a matching set now. I also got the battery cables made up, starter bolted in completely (had to re-tap a hole), speedo cable installed, and a new throttle return spring. No pictures of little misc crap, so I took a couple pictures of the battery bulkhead fitting and the new battery cables I made installed. I will be getting a boot to cover the cables and terminal soon.
Its basically down to the little stuff now, aside from the heater core. I need to find a bumper cover for it, and it needs body work bad. I also need to clean up the frame for the rear storage bins that will cover the battery and re-paint that so I can get the rear carpet installed again. I also have some interior plastic pieces to glue together that the thieves broke so I can reinstall those, a dash vent I need to find parts for to fix, etc.
~T.J.
Its basically down to the little stuff now, aside from the heater core. I need to find a bumper cover for it, and it needs body work bad. I also need to clean up the frame for the rear storage bins that will cover the battery and re-paint that so I can get the rear carpet installed again. I also have some interior plastic pieces to glue together that the thieves broke so I can reinstall those, a dash vent I need to find parts for to fix, etc.
~T.J.
07-10-10, 03:20 AM
#87
Thanks! Im pretty happy with how its turned out so far, but its still got a long ways to go. Im excited to at least be able to hop in a cruise around again! Now I can take it to the store to get stuff instead of having to leave it at home each time, haha.
I think Im going to get myself a Mariah front bumper instead of trying to find/paint a factory cover in decent shape, and I cant wait to be able to get the exterior painted but thats a ways off for now. It will really pull the look back together once I get it all cleaned up and all the panels and things back installed both inside and out.
~T.J.
I think Im going to get myself a Mariah front bumper instead of trying to find/paint a factory cover in decent shape, and I cant wait to be able to get the exterior painted but thats a ways off for now. It will really pull the look back together once I get it all cleaned up and all the panels and things back installed both inside and out.
~T.J.
07-11-10, 03:40 AM
#91
Thanks guys! The compliments really mean a lot, especially from those of you who remember me. Its good to be able to step back in and see some old familiar names and faces. This was my first car I ever owned, so I always knew I would do something with it - it just took a while.
So, today I got more of the electrical system done. I made some more battery cables and got them routed and done. I also made a bracket for some jumper/charging posts under the hood since the battery is in the back now. I wanted a convenient way to jump start it and or charge it during the winter without need to have the door/window/sunroof open. The whole electrical system is mostly done at this point, I just need to get a new battery (I will run an Optima 34/78), and a few more boots for some terminals. Other than that, I think Im about done with that part until I start on things like a Turbo 2 (or other) alt upgrade, 2nd gen fusible link block, etc. I also cleaned up the shift boot and a spare shift **** I had and tossed those on.
So, the charging system works like this:
Battery is in the storage bin (this is not the battery or hold down Im keeping, I will run an Optima and metal hold down)
Power runs along the passenger door sill to the inside firewall terminal of the bulkhead, to the other side here. One cable (going to the right) goes to the starter, the other (going down) goes to the rest of the system:
The cable going down runs along the passenger frame rail, across the front support with the main engine harness to this bracket I made:
Which sits in the factory battery tray area using two stock bolt holes like this:
Which was made for these:
The power is connected like this. The 4 gauge coming in from the left is the cable from the bulkhead, and the 6 gauge going out to the right is feeding the fusible link block. Also, If you look close at this picture, you can see I added some adhesive backed foam to the back of the bracket where it mounts to keep from messing up the paint too much and help with vibrations and such since the surface it bolted too wasnt perfectly flat:
Which is routed like this:
Overall it looks like this currently:
And here is the shifter boot/**** installed:
So, the list for the "main" part of the project is basically done. Now the secondary list of priorities is coming into play finally.
~T.J.
So, today I got more of the electrical system done. I made some more battery cables and got them routed and done. I also made a bracket for some jumper/charging posts under the hood since the battery is in the back now. I wanted a convenient way to jump start it and or charge it during the winter without need to have the door/window/sunroof open. The whole electrical system is mostly done at this point, I just need to get a new battery (I will run an Optima 34/78), and a few more boots for some terminals. Other than that, I think Im about done with that part until I start on things like a Turbo 2 (or other) alt upgrade, 2nd gen fusible link block, etc. I also cleaned up the shift boot and a spare shift **** I had and tossed those on.
So, the charging system works like this:
Battery is in the storage bin (this is not the battery or hold down Im keeping, I will run an Optima and metal hold down)
Power runs along the passenger door sill to the inside firewall terminal of the bulkhead, to the other side here. One cable (going to the right) goes to the starter, the other (going down) goes to the rest of the system:
The cable going down runs along the passenger frame rail, across the front support with the main engine harness to this bracket I made:
Which sits in the factory battery tray area using two stock bolt holes like this:
Which was made for these:
The power is connected like this. The 4 gauge coming in from the left is the cable from the bulkhead, and the 6 gauge going out to the right is feeding the fusible link block. Also, If you look close at this picture, you can see I added some adhesive backed foam to the back of the bracket where it mounts to keep from messing up the paint too much and help with vibrations and such since the surface it bolted too wasnt perfectly flat:
Which is routed like this:
Overall it looks like this currently:
And here is the shifter boot/**** installed:
So, the list for the "main" part of the project is basically done. Now the secondary list of priorities is coming into play finally.
~T.J.
good luck with the rest of the build.
07-12-10, 03:21 AM
#93
Thanks! Just get out there and work on them guys, they dont fix themselves 
I didnt do any work on it today, I got distracted with some chores around the yard instead, but I did manage to take it out tonight for a little drive and wouldnt you know it? A summer rain shower. I remember another reason why I love this car so much, its a lot of fun in the rain
~T.J.
I didnt do any work on it today, I got distracted with some chores around the yard instead, but I did manage to take it out tonight for a little drive and wouldnt you know it? A summer rain shower. I remember another reason why I love this car so much, its a lot of fun in the rain
~T.J.
07-13-10, 02:26 AM
#95
Got to the store today and picked up the boots for the power bulkhead terminal and jumper terminal, but I didnt have a chance to install them. I also scored a brand new Optima 34/78 battery off CraigsList for $100 and tossed that in so the battery in the 7 could go back into my 4Runner.
Oh, and I discovered my secondaries arent opening on my Holley, so I started looking into that. I had a leaking diaphragm and some random non-Holley spring in there, so I got a real light spring and a new diaphragm, but theyre still not opening. I will be starting a new thread for that.
~T.J.
Oh, and I discovered my secondaries arent opening on my Holley, so I started looking into that. I had a leaking diaphragm and some random non-Holley spring in there, so I got a real light spring and a new diaphragm, but theyre still not opening. I will be starting a new thread for that.
~T.J.
07-15-10, 01:27 AM
#96
Today I got a new open plenum phenolic carb spacer installed which solved my problem of the carb secondaries not working, so Im pretty happy about that. I also got the boot for the power bulkhead installed, but I didnt take a picture of it. After that I cleaned up some wiring and got the fuel pump relay mounted, and took it for a spin for the day to get an idea of how I need to adjust jetting.
~T.J.
Picture of the phenolic spacer under the carb:
Fuel pump relay:
Overall engine shot again:
And a teaser shot of the exterior currently (not much to look at still so far):
~T.J.
Picture of the phenolic spacer under the carb:
Fuel pump relay:
Overall engine shot again:
And a teaser shot of the exterior currently (not much to look at still so far):
07-17-10, 12:39 AM
#100
Found a guy parting an 82 GSL in Formula White so I picked up a few spare parts, haha:
Then I got them home, took a pressure washer to the bumper cover, a little buffing, and this is what I got:
I will be cleaning up the drivers fender I need and installing that soon, and installing the bumper cover completely as its just hanging there right now. I also have a new stereo surround, a tail light, and a few other things to clean and install. Getting closer to complete!
~T.J.
Then I got them home, took a pressure washer to the bumper cover, a little buffing, and this is what I got:
I will be cleaning up the drivers fender I need and installing that soon, and installing the bumper cover completely as its just hanging there right now. I also have a new stereo surround, a tail light, and a few other things to clean and install. Getting closer to complete!
~T.J.