Sweet man!! keep it up!!! step by step!!! "To Do Lists's Help!"

 

to do lists help huh. I didn't think about that. i'll have to make one and start checking things off the list.

 

I know I haven't posted an update in awhile. I've been busy helping others with their cars. I've done numerous oil changed, did a tune up in my dd, replaced an engine in a friends camry, and replaced a transmission in a friends audi s4. although I've been helping with friends cars I haven't totally neglected my RX-7.

I recently wrapped my headliner in a black leather material. it came out great but until recently I haven't had time to install it. the other day I had the chance and once installed it looked even better than i'd thought...

I know you can't really tell by the pics but, it looks great.

I recently tried dying my carpet and it didn't turn out too well. I dyed the floor mats and sunvisors as well (the fabric side turned out great) with great success. after the mats and sunvisors were dyed I decided to separate the oem carpet from the rubber backing. I then cut out the driver and passenger side padding to use. i'll keep that down when I find black carpeting. here's how the sunvisors and mats turned out...



I also notched the shifter hole and installed the shifter cover I got from Matt (norotors member mattster03) which turned out to be a great part that not only acts as a shift boot but also a great thermal barrier.


I also put the dash back in. I was going to lighten it up a bit but, I decided to just clean it up instead. I still need to sandblast a few brackets and all but, it's in. I also put the clutch pedal in and rewired the plug that connects to the driver seatbelt sensor.



next thing is to either blacken the carpet I pulled out or order a new black carpet and reinstall the seats. i'm probably gonna install the rx8 seat on the oem FD rails for the driver seat and since the passenger seat is already painted black i'll just touch it up and reinstall it in the passenger seat side. i'm not sure exactly where i'm gonna get the rest of the interior panels in black but i'll keep my eye out from here on out.

once I get the interior sorted i'm gonna remove the excess seam sealer from the engine bay and start spot welding the seams. afterwards i'll clean everything up and respray the bay. i'll probably do it in the oem red and then I can start doing little things until I get the engine.

there's alotta work to go. i'll try not to keep you guys waiting so long next time. hopefully the next update will be more interesting. thanks for looking everyone.

 

Looks good so far. Keep it up.

 

it's been awhile since my last update. I haven't made as much progress as i'd like to have. I've been looking for some black carpet, rear quarters and bins for a nice deal. I figured i'd wait until the right deal comes along. I've also been thinking of adding a roll bar while the interior is still bare. dunno yet tho.

here's what I've been up to


I've removed the sloppy seam sealer from the pass side of the engine bay and spot welded the seams. I've still got the driver side to do and once that's done i'll start prepping the rest of the engine bay and finally choose a paint color. i'm thinking of going with a different color for the engine bay. with so many different wrap options now I really don't think i'll keep the car red.

that's it for now. i'm just gonna keep saving and working until I can afford the bigger parts.

 

Looking good buddy....taking your time is the way to go to make sure it gets done right, i know theres been a few times ive been working on my car and ive felt rushed and felt that i did a subpar job...keep up the motivation and youll finish it eventually

 

Great attention to detail, the shielding on the interior should really help with cabin heat.

 

Very nice work. The interior looks amazing. I know what I will be doing when I start doing my interior.

 

it's been awhile but I have made some progress. check it out...

I found some black interior pieces at a great deal. They came in yesterday and I cleaned them up and started getting ready to fit them. I had a few extra scrap pieces of sound deadening material leftover so I took the biggest piece and halved if and put it in the rear bin area:

I figured alittle more couldn't hurt. After I put the pieces in I fitted the bins to see how they'd look.

I've seen plenty of pics of black interior and quite a few FD's with black interior but I've never seen clean, oem black interior in my FD.

After waiting a few days for the pieces to come in I was excited to see everything in the car. This is my reward for patiently waiting...


I still need to find the center divider in black but having these pieces gives me so much more motivation to get things done. I'm anxious to find the other parts including the divider, seats, carpet, and other pieces that the previous owner painted gloss black including the gauge hood, gauge surround, hvac control panel, door handle surrounds, and the little triangular pieces above the door panel.

I'm gonna try using the bumper coating technique on the pieces. I was able to find another shifter surround that's in great shape tho. It was priced right so I figured I'd get it. I'm also keeping my eye out for some black visors and the little visor hardware in black. I recently found a map light in black too. It already had led bulbs installed.


After I get the interior pieces sorted and I get carpet back in I'm gonna find some nice seats. Thinking of getting a set of Bride Gias in the carbon/Kevlar. Right now I've got an RX-8 seat in the pass side just to see how it looks.

I probably won't use it but I guess we'll see.

I've still got a bit of work to do in the engine bay and then I can prep it and get it ready for paint. After it's painted and the subframe is powdercoated I can start putting the braking system back in along with the wiring and steering system. I've decided to delete the abs system and to aid in braking I got a jdm brake booster. It recently came in along with a few other little odds and ends. I plan on getting the rest of the delete kit and also a 929 master cylinder soon.

That's it for now. I'm gonna try and sell off the parts I no longer need to help fund the parts I do need. If anyone needs tan interior that needs to be recovered or repainted I've got it for sale. I also have the abs system for sale as well as many other parts. Just hit me up if you need anything. Thanks for looking everyone.

 

Lotsssss of work. Great job man keep it going. You're gonna take a step back and be like "Hell yeah, I built this."

 

I froze so this interior can go back together..

 

UPDATE 1/15/14

It's been awhile since I've given an update. I'm still in the build process with the car. Still saving and buying. I have gotten many small parts and also one important part...






I picked up an 07 L33 with ~67k miles. It came with an LS1 intake, LS2 cam already installed, a Texas Speed cam, Comp Cams dual valve springs, 853 heads w/ oem valves and springs, ported TB, oem fuel rail, and oem rotating assembly.

Right now I'm trying to piece the engine together. I found some MSD plug wires for cheap so far but, that's really all I've gotten for it. I'm really happy with the engine. I've gotta get the hardware and get it on the stand.

Had to get this thing so I can get the engine off the ground and start working on it more easily.

If anyone has extra parts like valve covers, coils, brackets, timing cover, f-body oil pan, etc then let me know. I may try and find a blown engine to scavenge the rest of the smaller parts.

My plan is to finish putting the engine together to make sure it'll be reliable and strong. While I've got it on the stand I wanna go ahead and replace the rod bearings and bolts. I may go ahead and replace the crank bearings as well but, really both the crank and rod bearings seem fine. The engine came with the AFM/VVT so the lifters and valley cover will need to be replaced. I'm not sure which valley cover to get but I plan on using LS7 lifters. Also not sure which rockers I'll be using yet but I've got plenty of time to figure it all out.

I've also picked up a few other odds and ends. Some needed for the swap and some I just want for the car.

I picked up this modified master cylinder and braided line for a great deal. Also ordered the adapter that allows you to clock the mc straight up.

Also got this from the poster above me. I've been thinking about getting a roll bar and when I saw he had this available we were able to work out a trade. Both of us are happy with the deal so it's a win/win.

Still gotta do a few things before I install it. Will most likely bolt it in instead of weld it. Still thinking of getting a different, safer cage but for now I'll rock this one.

I've picked up other parts as well including a JDM brake booster and 929 master cylinder in hopes it'll aid in braking after ABS is deleted. I also picked up some black carpet in the trade. It isn't oem but it'll work. It was already molded well from bstallion's FD. Need to find some seats or seat covers and a few other little interior pieces to complete the interior but it's coming along.

The day before I found my engine I talked to a local powdercoater and planned on dropping off my subframe, trans mount, and diff brace the next day. I had the extra cash and wanted to go ahead and get it done. I found the engine early the next day and ended up getting it by the end of the day so I put the powdercoating off for now. I also got a painter in line to paint the engine bay. I've decided to get the bay painted black. I haven't yet decided on an exterior color yet so I figured if I got the engine bay painted black it'd match whatever exterior color I decide on. With all the wraps and plastidip colors and finishes available there's no telling what color I'll end up with. I was thinking of a matte greyish/silverfish wrap but, I really don't know. From what I've read the RX7 is a PITA to wrap in some colors and finishes. The plastidip colors are looking more and more promising really. Eventually I'm sure I'll find one I like enough to get the car permanently painted.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Once I take some more pics I'll post them. Sorry for such a long wait.