Woohoo, finally able to take some pics of my new 7

For those of you that don't remember me, I used to have this car:



But then this happened to it



Luckily Hades was able to pick it up and has been using the parts to help out other RX-7's!

So, back at the end of this May I finally got another 7, a nice little '83 GSL with a just over 100k on it. It has its fair share of problems. I had to put on a new fuel pump to get it running, the interior lights didn't work, and it has an odd clutch issue. Cosmetically, it needs a repaint and it has one bad rust spot... but overall I love it. Its like coming back to an old friend. My sister said it even smells the same as my old one! (Yeah she's a little weird).

But enough rambling, on to the pictures!









And the bad...





Basically the drain holes in back were clogged and I guess water just sat back there and corroded the metal. I'm gonna take it in for an estimate to get it fixed once I get the rest of the mechanical problems fixed... but does anyone have any sugestions? How would y'all fix this? Any ideas on cost?

Rest of the pics can be seen here:
http://paradise.raleigh.nc.us/gallery/v/zach/rx7_001/

Thanks for looking everyone!

-Zach

 

probably have to cut it out, weld in a new or used peice and paint it

 

Hi I love the car I think you got a preaty solid one there. For the rust if you think you are going to repaint it then just sand it down if its not deep rust then bondo and paint. If it has gone through the whole sheet then its a whole lot more mess. And for the sake of you motor change the radiator hoses they are not expensive. I blew my motor up becouse of the radiator hose blew.

 

You have 2 options on the rust repair. Take it to the body shop and have them cut out and replace the rear piece, big dollars. Or learn how to do it yourself. Option 2 is much cheaper and more satisfying. You could probably even buy most of the tools you need to do the work and still be money ahead as compared to the bodyshop. Option 2 is my usual course, but then I am a tight *** and tool *****.

Nice find, good luck with the repairs and restoration.

 

trochoid...im with you....being a toolwhore is fun though.

 

I'd love do the work myself. However, cutting and welding of body new body panels is not something I'm confident I could do w/o a lot of practice.

So when you say big money... how big? Do you mean like hundreds, over $1000, what? (I know it vaires heavily shop to shop, just looking for a basic estimate).

Fortunately though, this seems to be the only major rust issue. There is some surface rust here and there, but the storage bins are prety clean and so is the underbody.

Zach

 

Looking good. Glad to see you are back in the Fold.


A good priced shop would cut and repair that for $300 ish. If it is not through yet then just sand it down and paint. I can hook you up with the metal if you want to have it cut out and replaced.

 

Option 2 would not include cutting and welding. The damage doesn't look too bad, but pictures can't show all of the detail that a personal inspection would provide.

If most of the metal is still there, i.e. it's not swiss cheese and you can't poke a screw driver though most of it, then you can grind off all of the rust, treat with a rust proofing or self etching primer and use a top quality fiberglass or kevlar reinforced body filler to bring the surface back up. Finish that off with with regular putty, or if you are really spot on with the reinforced putty, finish out with a glazing putty.

If you want to put up with the mess and all of the protection involved, the rust could be sand or media blasted. I don't recommend that. You will almost never get the dust and sand out of the interior.

As far as a body shop, 1k would not suprise me, for cutting out and welding in a new section. Do it yourself and have more fun. Also the tools you will need to do this will be needed when you get ready to paint, and there you can save quite a bit by doing all of the prep work, if you have a shop shoot it. Be aware that a paint job only looks as good as the prep work. It can be frustrating and time consuming.

I do all of my own work. I just recently purchased another paint gun. The tight *** part of me lost out to the quality/**** part of me. My $200 dollar gun wasn't cutting it, so I bought $425 Sata gun. Even with over $900 tied up in guns, filters and pressure gauges, I have saved money on the 4 cars I have done in the last 2 years.

You don't need to spend any where near that much. For what you need to do you can buy a $50 touch-up gun, spray the primers and sealers, the let the body shop do the base/clear. Do not rattle can the primer/sealers, and expect the the paint to last.

Also don't forget to address the under side of the drip channel in the same manner as the top side

 

didn't i see you over on SA or something?

 

something awful? Never been on there. I've been on OT before.

 

Looks like a real sweet one. If it were me I bondo and paint that rust in the back, it doesn't look that bad. Keep those drain holes clear and you shouldn't have any more problems.