Pnoidrummer

just picked up a 89' GTUs red w/ black int. came with no mods so i'm happy everything is stock so i know nothing is missing or installed wrong or w/e. good condition never in an accident, big dent in the front 1/4 panel but i think i can pop it out. i have a few questions tho...

1. can i bondo under the casing of the door handle? i guess someone tried to jack the car or something, and tried to pry it, so there's a little dip under it.

2. when i rev it pretty high, and shift near redline, it makes a popping noise, what would that be?

3. when i turn it off, there's like cackling noises underneath the carriage i think. i'm guess that's just metal cooling off? the exhaust manifold?

4. if you turn on your car, and turn it off right away, is that bad? i heard if you turn it on, you have to keep it on for at least 2 mins before turning it off.

thanks to everyone who helped me figure out what to get =] and who had to deal with my posts haha

Icemark

depends on how bad it is. I avoid bondo unless it is absolutely no other choice.
probably mis-firing

probably the cat

If compression is fine, then there is no worry. If compression is starting to go low, then yes, make sure it warms up before turning it off or it will tend to flood.

Jpk3200

Like Icemark said, you should be fine with turning it off right after you start it. Just don't get caught up in the misconception that doing this to a car that has been sitting for long periods of time is beneficial. It needs to be brought up to operating temps if that's the case.

Pnoidrummer

kk thanks guys. if it's misfiring how can i fix that? the engine was just rebuilt on 47k right now. done by ricksrotaryperformance or something like that in pleasonton, ca. so you think it's misfiring from the rebuild?

micah

How do you avoid bondo when doing body work?

RB_eater

iTrader: (1)

Just pull out the dent or cut and weld a new piece on?

micah

You can never pull a dent out and have it be "like new". There will always be some sort of messed up steel. Cutting/welding always leaves some sort of **** too...

I'd rather use bondo than glazing putty...

RB_eater

iTrader: (1)

I don't know, I've seen some nice results by welding in a new piece and sanding it. Using a body filler is sometimes hard to avoid though but it should be used to correct small imperfection and not to fill holes or whatnot.

micah

I'll agree with that. Fix the metal as much as possible, then bondo to smooth. But, its nearly impossible to avoid it implicitly.

In the OP's case, I'd say fix the imperfection as much as possible with tools (bending and shaping) until its "close enough", then bondo to perfection, then paint.

Pnoidrummer

kool deal thanks guys! =] i got a question also tho. haha sorry new to this all.

is there a place where you can buy new parts for old cars? like does mazda sell parts still for rx7's? or you have to go aftermarket or junk yards? cause my hatch doesnt' stay open w/o a stick, and i want to replace both of the w/e you call them. the cylindars that hold it up thingy. haha. i found somewhere there was a thread that aaroncake posted which said something that you could basically build a new rx7 from scratch. but iono if that's new parts or old.

micah

Mazda still has a buttload of parts, mazdatrix.com has a bunch, blackdragonauto.com is a great source as well.

The struts can be recharged if you send them to strutwise.com. Cool place.

Pnoidrummer

cool. well actually . i'm lacking of a strut period HAHAH. and the other one, i figure just fix em both and not have to worry. =D u think anyone sells new 13b motors? like new parts, not rebuilt?

micah

Well, you can buy new parts, but I don't know of anybody who sells entire new engines.. Mazda stopped making those.. but, if you pay an engine builder such as RotaryResurrection.com, I'm sure he'd make you one for the right price (It'll be cha-ching though).

You can get new struts from mazdatrix

RX729

Dont use bondo... Pull it out as much as you can, then bring it to a body person to straighten out the lines...

micah

Are you suggesting this for ALL body work? Or just this type of instance?

Pnoidrummer

well i only have 1 major dent that i have to pull out, the rest are small dings maybe not even a cm deep, but you can see the bend. i just ask cause i have a dent under the door handle mechanism, and it's like if i were to bondo it's a corner

Pnoidrummer

ohhhhhhh and... if my car missfires during the high rpms, how can i go about to TRY and fix that?

Icemark

Pull the dent or Replace the panel or part.

Pretty simple. If the dent is too much to pull, I replace the panel (even more so in the case of doors or front fenders).

Icemark

probably either timing of off (so check timing) or you have bad spark plugs, or bad spark plug cables.

LeeTheSlacker

does it pop while accelerating? or while youre shifting?

could just be a little backfire action.

Pnoidrummer

actually i found out it's a back fire. when i release the gas pedal it pops like once. that's after i rev it pretty high

micah

Have you ever pulled a dent? It NEVER comes out perfect... There's always some filler needed. Replacing panels isn't cheap unless its something simple like a front fender, sunroof panel, hood, or door... and even then its not affordable for most RX-7 owners.

Even factory paint usually has some sort of filler under parts of it due to improperly pressed panels.. My 91 had factory bondo-esque filler under the factory paint. Held up better than the shitty UC paint.

MidnightOwl

You could probably pick up a new (to you, of course) door for $200, if you couldn't get the dent out to where you were happy with it. Just swap in another fender. They are pretty cheap as well, and can be swapped over in a day with a pal and some beer.

Spectator

iTrader: (1)

There is no difference ( if done right) with pulling a dent and using bondo/plastic from replacing a part.. Replacing this with a new door would cost so much more money and time it would be illogical.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Don't forget lead...there are still some old timers working who can leave a repair looking perfect with no Bondo required.
Best place to find one would be a shop that specializes in classic British car repair- those guys are freaks for "proper" bodywork and hell, even new, most Brit cars were half lead to begin with cause their stampings were crap.