2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992) 1986-1992 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections.
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View Poll Results: To strip or not to strip?
Keep the interior intact
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37.14%
Strip it down
22
62.86%
Voters: 35. You may not vote on this poll

To strip or not to strip....

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Old 04-09-02, 12:44 AM
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Question To strip or not to strip....

OK, I just need to hear what you guys would do in this situation. I have a 90 GXL it came with an auto but I put in a 5speed so if I were to sell the car it would basicly have zero resale value based of the VIN and what is actually in the car (I'm talking about as a trade in or something, I know a rex kid would snap it up with the 5 in there, and no, I'm not about to sell it) so the change in resale value caused by stripping isn't a concern. The deal is it is FULL of squeeks and rattles The storage bin lids rattle, the trim around the hatch squeeks, the door panels shake, the stereo surround panel rattles, it drives me crazy, because I can ****** hear this **** over my loud *** exhaust system, and it pierces through my kick *** stereo tunes. This car is my daily driver and I like the comfort and looks of the interior even though it is the optional red setup But I have seen fully stripped cars too and I like them alot. So do you think I should strip it down to the bare metal and deal with the road noice it creates and also enjoy the weight reduction, or do you think I should actually try to find teh point of rattle/squeek of each damn noice and try to stop them. Also something to think about is that it has to be street legal and I would have to keep the dash in there...would it look ghetto if I had the dash and nothing else?
Sorry this is sooooo long, I just need some ideas from you guys before I start pulling **** out.
Old 04-09-02, 01:06 AM
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well, to strip or not to strip, depends on what kind of joint it is, if its a nice party club with hot girls and good pay, hell go for it
Old 04-09-02, 01:13 AM
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I am doing a sort of strip job. Remove the sound proofing, replace the stock carpet w/ felt, racing seats, removing the power seatbelts, power windows, power doorlocks, stereo, etc. I don't want just bare metal though. Just decide what you really don't want or can't stand, and pull it. It's the cheapest mod you can do!!
Old 04-09-02, 01:48 AM
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Well, think about what you ultimately want out of your car performance-wise. Will you be taking it to the track at least somewhat regularly? Will you be doing other modifications over time?

I don't have an FC yet unfortunately, but the thought of interior weight reduction has also crossed my mind for my Probe GT. However, since my car is an automatic ( ), and has literally every option offered for the '93 model year, and I know I won't be taking it to the track because it isn't the car I wish to be dumping a bunch of money into, I've decided to just leave my interior alone. I very much enjoy my leather seats and assorted power options in this car.

When I get my FC I do plan to mod it and take it to the track, so I probably would remove a few things from inside the car.

So maybe remove things from your car in moderation? Take out some stuff, see how well you get along without it, and go from there.
Old 04-09-02, 02:01 AM
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Ok check it out, I'm all about the performance...If I wanted a cush ride I would've gotten a volvo or something. Since the only track around here is a damn oval W/O a 1/4 strip I don't think it will see much time at the strip, and there isn't exactly an auto X goin down in redneckville, VA....but I do tend to drive my car as if it were on a track. Has anyone out there done a complete strip job, like headliner, carpet, all that plastic trim, sound proofing, EVERYTHING? whould it be ghetto with the dash still there?
Old 04-09-02, 07:32 AM
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Just a thought - the dash is HEAVY..
Old 04-09-02, 07:33 AM
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I would strip it all down, find each rattle and fix them.. and then keep the dash and door panels..
Old 04-09-02, 08:02 AM
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Originally posted by My Junx
Ok check it out, I'm all about the performance...If I wanted a cush ride I would've gotten a volvo or something. Since the only track around here is a damn oval W/O a 1/4 strip I don't think it will see much time at the strip, and there isn't exactly an auto X goin down in redneckville, VA....but I do tend to drive my car as if it were on a track. Has anyone out there done a complete strip job, like headliner, carpet, all that plastic trim, sound proofing, EVERYTHING? whould it be ghetto with the dash still there?
On my FP car I totally stripped the interior and thought I would keep the factory dash for my guages. All the sound deading goo(SDG) has been removed and the interior has been repainted a lovely color know as dove gray(its all Walmart had). With the factory gray dash reinstalled it just didn't look right to me and the dash is actually pretty heavy considering its just plastic. The metal frame behind the pretty plastic doesn't weigh much as all. I'm working on a plastic dash thing to cover up the firewall and to hide the wiring under. I'll eventually have some pictures.
Old 04-09-02, 10:07 AM
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Originally posted by My Junx

Since the only track around here is a damn oval W/O a 1/4 strip I don't think it will see much time at the strip, and there isn't exactly an auto X goin down in redneckville, VA....
there is always bristol...that is about 2 hours away...1/4 mile strip. there should be an autoX here at tech in the fall...provided the car club can get their act together hehe
Old 04-09-02, 10:17 AM
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I would strip out the sound proofing, bins, etc, but leave the carpet and dash because I would get tired of the bare metal very quickly. I like weight reduction, but I do not like to see metal.

Kris
Old 04-09-02, 10:52 AM
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seel the car buy a 5 spd
Old 04-09-02, 11:07 AM
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Originally posted by My Junx
and there isn't exactly an auto X goin down in redneckville, VA....
There obviously isn't a lot of web searching going on either .

Check out http://www.brr-scca.org/

Unless I have the towns (or states) wrong in Yahoo maps, there will be an autocross within 20 miles of you next month.
Old 04-09-02, 06:05 PM
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Hmmmmmm. I see that there is infact an autoX goin down up here, that's cool.
Kahren: It is a 5speed.

seems like the trend is towards the strip job. I'll have to email the VA police and find out exactly what needs to stay inside, because it the entire dash could be removed and just have all my gauges mounted on a ledge, I would be all about that. Hmmmmmm, I wonder.....
Old 04-09-02, 06:22 PM
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Strip it!!!!!

You can strip it all, and get somebody to custom make carpet without backing or padding and it will not add hardly any weight. Compared to most dashes the rx7 dash is light. I have a couple of pictures of my brother in laes car we are working on, it is pretty much stripped down.

[img]C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\My Pictures\MVC-015S.JPG[/img]
[img]C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\My Pictures\MVC-016S.JPG[/img]
[img]C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\My Pictures\MVC-019S0.JPG[/img]
[img]C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\My Pictures\MVC-028S0.JPG[/img]
We are not finished yet but we are getting closer. Putting the other seat in this week, and putting the dash back in.
Old 04-09-02, 06:38 PM
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Re: Strip it!!!!!

Originally posted by JByrd
You can strip it all, and get somebody to custom make carpet without backing or padding and it will not add hardly any weight. Compared to most dashes the rx7 dash is light. I have a couple of pictures of my brother in laes car we are working on, it is pretty much stripped down.

[img]C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\My Pictures\MVC-015S.JPG[/img]
[img]C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\My Pictures\MVC-016S.JPG[/img]
[img]C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\My Pictures\MVC-019S0.JPG[/img]
[img]C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\My Pictures\MVC-028S0.JPG[/img]
We are not finished yet but we are getting closer. Putting the other seat in this week, and putting the dash back in.
you need to upload those pics as attachments
Old 04-09-02, 06:47 PM
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Picture 1

Picture 1
Old 04-09-02, 06:47 PM
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Picture 2

Picture 2
Old 04-09-02, 06:48 PM
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Picture 3

Picture 3
Old 04-09-02, 06:49 PM
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Picture 4

Picture 4
Old 04-09-02, 06:57 PM
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if you looking to get rid of all the squeeks and rattles the last thing you want to do is get rid of the sound deading material. the car will be a lot louder without everything. if you do end up stripping it though i recomend using felt or something so it doesn't look all bare metal.. bare metal looks cool to me and other car enthusiests, but once you get a chick in there she is going to think the car is a peaice of ****. all a matter of preference.


on a second note how much weight does ripping up all the carpets and getting rid of the sound deadeding material actually save?
Old 04-09-02, 07:05 PM
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weight

I know the sound deadning material is about 50 pounds, that includes the stuff on the firewall and on the sides of the car in the back, and the junk on the floor, which is a pain and a *** to get off.
Old 04-09-02, 10:49 PM
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Looks like it's at about 72% say strip it at this point............I think I'm going to strip it But what do YOU think?
Old 04-09-02, 10:51 PM
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The Sound Deadener **** comes off pretty easy if you pour some liguid nitrogen on it I believe is what somebody on here said. It will sorta pop up off teh floor and break into big chunks and come off cleanly. You can get L.N. at most any welding supply store like Roberts Oxygen.
Old 04-09-02, 11:08 PM
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Here's a neat weight-reduction trick I learned today...

For that sound-deadening tar found in the spare tire and other such compartments, pour some ATF fluid on it. It'll eat it right up.
Old 04-09-02, 11:43 PM
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I stripped down my 3rd Gen's interior/engine bay and have not regreted it(Well during the summer my car does get HOT).

The car was originally black, and I stripped everything out. The sound deadening stuff is still there, and it's going to stay there because it's such a pain in the ***. I read an article in Sport Compact Car Magazine that said they took the sound deadening out of a '95 civic and it weighted a WHOPPING 10 lbs. The carpeting under the seats is about 40 lbs. I took the spare tire out/back seats/headliner/carpeting.

I helped Dragon strip down his Track car and we took the dash out. The dash is only about 10 lbs. The sound deadening BEHIND the dash is close to 25 lbs.

Either way, I didn't regret it, and I did feel a difference in the midrange powerband....takes off a lot easier than it used to.


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