I stripped the interior of the old gray carpet which had been dyed black with an aerosol paint type dye. Looked like crap so I opted to rip it out and install s5 OEM black carpet.

 

Damn, you might have to call that a 2008 model when you're done with it! Keep posting updates.

 

hehe dam you must love FCs..

 

You can never have enough rx7's especially red ones.

 

New insulation goes in first. I bought a 4' x 6' roll of it at Pep Boys for under $20. It comes with a foil mesh backing and densely-woven fabric very similar to OEM.



I chose not to glue the insulation to the floorpan but rather to the carpet the same way as OEM. Makes things much easier to work with when dealing with wiring repairs or water damage later. I use Liquid Nails (not the heavy-duty version) because it stays pliable which helps when positioning the carpet over the insulation.



The carpet laid down quite easily. Pressed it down nice and snug to the adhesive, followed by careful cutting through the insulation where the seat track, dash mounting bolts and shift boot frame are mounted.



This carpet came out of a '91 Vert (Ebay purchase) and is in remarkably good condition for 17-year-old carpet. A lot can be said for the quality of Mazda OEM carpets, especially in the 80's and 90's.

 

Installed the heater case. I removed the original foam seal (crumbled away) and replaced it with self-stick foam from the hardware store.

 

nice- if I had to be a critic it would be how awesome if you put a stock TII motor in the car- then it would have looked like the car mazda should have exported to here.

Your wife will love it, and you knowing every inch of the car will give confidence in owning it.
Good tip on the liquid nails too- I was wondering how to secure my heat shielding with the foil side down.

for the foam tape you used- make sure its closed cell foam, regular foam tape will absorb moisture like a sponge, closed
cell will not.

 

Well it appears I'm faced with replacing all of my locks with another matched set or having all of mine re-keyed. The guy that sold me the car gave me a key that fits none of the locks and he's not responding to my messages either. Why on earth would someone sell a person a car without functioning keys?

 

Sucks to hear about the keys.

I love the thread however Keep the pics and progress coming!

 

Hey, if your wife is getting the vert, you wanna gimme one of your extras?

Just kidding, but everything looks really good. It must feel really good to restore a car like this. I can't wait to do it myself.

Good work! Keep posting pics!

 

mmmm sweet

keep at it ?!!

 

I disassembled the A/C evaporator case (simple) and removed the original expansion valve, flushed the evap core with A/C solvent followed by compressed air. Installed a new expansion valve rated for R134a, cleaned the case and core fins and reassembled the case:



Installed it in the car:



Connected the A/C lines using new o-rings with a light coat of refrigerant oil:



Cleaned up and installed the blower housing:

 

Nice clean build, should be beautiful when you are done.

 

Awesome! Looks like alot of fun. This thing is going to be perfect when it's done! Looking forward to more updates, keep up the good work.

 

Thanks guys. The closer I get to completion the more excited I get about the whole project. So far it has been a seamless resto (the only exception being the lock issue) and it's been fun. I have collected most of the major engine parts to do the build.....FD rotor housings, a rotor that's in great shape, clutch kit, etc. Just need apex seals and an overhaul gasket and seal set and then it's build time. Should be this fall for sure.

And Foxman....if that's your Vert in your sig pic man that's a gorgeous car! Are you parting that one out or a different one?
Your top looks brand new. Mine isn't torn anywhere yet but it has shrunk like a ****!

 

Looking good man. Are you planning to do the engine rebui9ld yourself?

 

Definately. I have done rotary builds since 1982, the most recent one almost a year ago for another forum member and countless piston engine builds since 1976 (shows my age haha). I won't be doing any porting on this engine like I usually do. This one will be completely stock (wife's car).

 

This is great Jeff keep up the good work. You wouldn't happen to have the bracket for the engine bay fuse block.

 

I am only selling a few parts that I don't need that I got when I bought the car, no part out at all. It is very clean and thank you for your comments. The top is in great shape and it is original. This car has benefitted from always being garaged. I have only driven it a few times since I have had it.

I am looking to get a tII motor for it and have it swapped out by next spring so I will eventually be selling the NA motor or parting that motor out.

 

Awesome buildup Jeff im jealous haha!

 

Cleaned up and installed a couple of engine bay parts.

s5 fuel pump resistor/relay:

Exhaust heat shields:

 

Back to the interior.

Defroster ducts:

Dash prepped and internal ducting installed:

Bolted in and Logicon installed:

 

I restored the gauge cluster lens that had tons of scratches and pitting on it. I removed the lens assembly from the cluster housing (5 screws) and started with 1500 grit wet paper followed by 2000, keeping the lens surface and the paper under a constant flow of water from the kitchen sink. This obviously makes a haze which I removed using a polishing ball/drill and PlastX.

Shot of the lens after sanding:



Meguiar's PlastX:



The "after" pics don't do justice to the INSANE shine and reflectivity:

 

Nice.

 

I don't think the cars were this clean off the assembly line!