Ok so I got a Conv., Now what?
 

OK, so I got this sweet convertible and will be getting it shipped to my new house in 2 months (short story--it's in Miami and I am moving to Panama City FL soon and it will be brought up by my family).

Anyone out there that owns a convertible can take me under their wing and give me tips on maintaining my ride? Things like enginge maintenance, what's the best wax, etc.......

Thanks!!!!

--Kev

I like the Mothers 3 phase wax system, twice a year. K&N oil filter with Castrol 20w-50 (red cap) every 3k miles. Only hand wash it so the top will not get out of shape, and use a leather & vinyl cleaner/conditioner when the top is wet, rub it in and rinse it off. Also, don't go crazy with tire shine, light coat only if any. In addition, be sure to keep an eye on your oil level. This is just some shit I like to do.

~George

BEFORE TOUCHING THE EXTERIOR, change the spark plugs, change the oil, check the wires, the battery. Check the fuses. Make sure its running right, it would sure suck to dirty it up after you clean it. Get a MAZDA OEM filter, not a K&N. Also, the oil you use is varied upon where you live, I am also a mobile one fan, no synthetics though. As said above, make sure to check your oil level every week too. Let me repeat that for possible penetration, check your oil level ever week.

OK, good stuff so far.

What about gas? What Octane should be used? I will be driving this car primarily in the Panhandle of FL (Panama City FL). It already has a K&N air Filter.

87 octane on a N/A, 93 on a turbo

Ok. as a proud RXvert owner myself first thing do all of the engine fluid checks as mentioned above, next check the top for leaks and fix asap. The top tends to leak towards the front top corners of the windows and the bottom of the back windows. Keep the top conditioned because they tear easily at the bottom tension points when the top is down. This is very important if you want to keep your Seven rust free and interior in top shape. Also if you already have leaks, pull off the rubber drainer plugs so that water doesnt collect there. They are in the rear where the jack is stored and behind the seats where the compartment section is located in Coupe models.
One of the first mods you should consider is swapping that weak 70 amp alt. for a 90 amp which can be usually found at a alternator/starter shop in stock. Another thing if you are going towards the performance direction in mods, keep those very light stock BBS rims because they are the perfect rims for these cars, considering that the car weighs about 3,400lbs with full trim. Good luck and keep us posted

Cool....good info so far!!

I was recently in Miami and took it to an Rx7 mechanic and he gave it a once over and said it was in great shape but I personally will be having the clutch changed because it is so damn hard (not a stock clutch). Just some minor asthetic things have to be fixed (like the plastic around the radio is cracked, the seats had to be stiched and will most likely get seat covers. The speakers in the head rests don't work now (not connected I think). I will definitely look into that alternator. What is the benefit in getting a 90 amp alt? I am not engine smart.

Do you recommend any good products to maintain the top? The top I have is a new one and in great shape with no leaks. I want to keep it that way.

Oh and Chinooo, I noticed you have a hood scoop. Any purpose to it? If you have a n/a engine, does it do anything like bring cool air into th engine bay or something? Just curious.

Happy New Year!!!

Maguire's has an excellent top and leather conditioner that is a two step process. Just go to any local Autozone or big name autopart store. They should have it. And as for the TurboII hood that's on the car, let me list all the benefits of having one. #1 weight reduction they weigh much lighter than the steel hoods because they are aluminum. #2 as you guessed most of the heat in the engine bay naturally collects towards the middle so the opening serves like a chimney. You want to keep the engine bay on a rotary as cool as you can get it because rotaries produce alot of heat (as you may know already) and heat is a very big enemy as far as having long engine life. Constant cool air will make your engine last and the car performs better especially if you have an aftermarket intake or do alot of top end runs. On a hot 90 degree day the hottest my temperature gauge has marked was to the halfway point and this is with the A/C full blast. #3 Isn' t this hood the best body upgrade on an FC? This hood scares the crap out of Honda people! Anyway alot has been done to my Vert since these pictures. Hopefully I can get the new pictures in this week.

For the engine, Castrol GTX 20w-50 works great in FL. Synthetics, such as Red Line, Royal Purple, etc., work well in the transmission and differential. You may want to replace the thermostat and pulsation damper if you do not know the maintenence history of the car.

Both the NA and TII owner's manuals specify a minimum of 87 octane R+M/2, with no more than 10% ethanol. ;)

... except when the car is moving, which just happens to be when the engine is producing the most heat. ;)

Don't believe the ricer propaganda that is designed to try and sell you an over-priced, over-hyped CF hood. Your car will be just fine as long as the radiator is doing its job.

:bigthumb:

Also, check the drain pockets on the outside of the vert top just in case. I've found mine to plug up occasionally due to the number of trees in the area. Dirt, leaves, and the like get caught in there. But if you have a garage...all the better. One more thing, IF you find yourself needing some good seals for the vert such as doors, top, windows ect, a great place to get them from is www.VictoriaBritish.com. Just passing along a good tip that was left to me. Good luck.

All great stuff, guys.

I put a 3rd gen alternator & optima red top to get rid of the weak charging system inherent with these cars- and after performing a 60k tune up, fluid change, etc, I found myself going with ann open air element (Bonez) and downpipe with presilencer. I chose to retain the air pump for aux ports, and because with the top down, my wife thinks the exhaust smells bad enough & I didn't want to make it worse.

Verts have n/a hoods made of aluminum stock.

Hell no. My factory S4 turbo 'vert only weighs ~3000lb; US non-turbo 'verts weigh even less.

yes always rember to watch out for rust because we all dont have access to that navy jelly that kills rust (coupple of older much older friends have had experince with the stuff and they live by it its what they use on the hulls of ships that start to rust) wish i had some of it but ithink i'll just hold out untill i can get my self a FD or a TII :)

yeah I used to live in Panama City for 6 months during spring break in 96 with MTV and all the chicks in the world. Do yourself a favor and don't worry about making that car fast. Get a nice body kit and a new paint job with some rims. And get ready for crusing Magic Strip. The vert will serve you well.

Convertible weight.
 

No. Well as far as an 88 Convertible, the sticker on the door has the car just below 3,400 in the U.S. I wish I was wrong though

Vert N/A hood
 

Yea you're right. I was going to edit that part but I thought nobody was going to notice. Good job you know your hoods. I forgot my hood at the shop when I was getting my car painted and did the TII hood swap. I wonder if they still got it in a corner somewhere.

Isn't the sticker on the door the GROSS Vehicle weight?

Gross Vehicle Weight = 88 vert at 3003 + 397 pounds of passengers and luggage?

Yeah, thats gross weight. A bit more than 3000 is right.

who cares about weight. You can't go over 3 mph on Magic strip. Panama City is all about getting the chicks. Just wait and you will see when Feb-March rolls around. By Labor day in Sept. you will have your hands full with women who pay some scam artist travel agent who has booked 3 different people to the same room (first to show and pay gets it) and you will have all these chicks with no place to stay. Trust me they have a attitude adjustment when they have slept in their car for 2 nights straight.

Bukwild,

My car already has sweet 18" rims and a nice paint job with a sweet top. I just want to keep it in great shape as long as possible. It will be my weekend car to take to work on Friday's and around town on the weekends. (My everyday car is a '00 Civic).

P. City is cool, I'll be there working at Tyndall AFB, so its gonna be cool when I drive in my flight suit and some ladies are next to me at a stop sign.......:)

I am curious about the Turbo Hood, it might be something I might want to get. I like the way it looks. Any idea how much it will cost?

You most likely can get a used one from $120 to $250, depending on the condition it in. Some people with frount mount intercoolers will want to trade their TII hood for a aluminum n/a one. Its all about who you can find.

Sweet, I plan on making it back down to PC this summer. I will be scooping them up at LA VELA. When you get their you will know what I am talking about. Also there used to be a mexican resturant on the strip that had a drive thru. They used to sell $1 margaritas and we used to get about 20 of them and hit the strip. Ladies would jump in my jeep and have a drink or 3. I guess things never change.

Recent picture of my 88vert with the TurboII hood

That's a nice-looking car other than the broken headlights and broken wipers. You should really fix those...