Let the fun begin
 

I know this isn't as exciting as a turbo build thread, but I'm fixing a lot of little things. I've got spring break next week and a couple days off work, so I'm going to finally start working on the rx7. Here's my plans:

Engine:
Banzai racing blockoff plates
Pineapple racing airpump delete kit
hks carbon ti
efini y-pipe
respeed oil pedestal
fast air temp sensor
*greddy profec b spec II

Interior:
Kenwood Headunit
Infinity 6.5" speakers for doors
Bose-Mount speaker Adapters
Banzai racing pfc holder
Mazdaspeed Miata steering wheel
console ashtray arm rest
*r1 din pocket
*Paint for interior plastics

Wish me luck. I'm kind of worried about finding all the little "gremlins" from the previous owners. Hopefully the car will still run after I'm finished. :)

* = not pictured
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_G.../s800/mods.jpg

will post pictures as progress goes on.

Mazdaspeed steering wheel...DO WANT! :nod:

thats a nice pile o' parts ya got there. Have fun:)

I had the other one I bought for sale last week. You must've missed it.

Not sure if HKS fixed the problem with the hanger for the exhaust, but I would have it re-welded before the install so it doesn't break off.

I'm curious to how you install the steering wheel. Always been scared of the airbag wiring.

Looks like a pile of fun stuff!!! Have fun putting it on & have even more fun driving the car after all of it is on :nod:

Thanks for warning me after I installed it. ;)


So much for Day 1. I got the exhaust in, then it was errand time, dinner time, etc...
Surprise #1, hiding behind gas tank:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_G.../surprise1.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_G...surprise12.jpg

Surprise #2, I hate people who half-ass jobs:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_G.../surprise2.jpg

stock vs. HKS:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_G...stockvshks.jpg

End Result:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_G...sinstalled.jpg

That HKS Carbon looks fantastic. How loud is it (and do you have a stock cat still?). Any ballpark on the weight?

Lots-o-questions: Where did you source the Bose speaker adapter mounts? Thanks!

I'm not sure how loud it is, I haven't started the car yet. When I checked the battery it was only at 6V, so I put the charger on it before cranking it. I have a bonez hi-flo cat. not sure on the weight, but it is noticeably lighter than stock. I got the adapters on ebay, they were ~$25 I think.

Surprise #2

When I went to replace my midpipe, the nuts and bolts to attach the exhaust were welded to the flange

Yep, I did. :( Usually I peruse the for sale forum like it's my job. :lol:

On another note, I see you have the same EXACT problem I have with my passenger side tail light. :P It doesn't meet up flush with the center brake light...kinda has a little "drop off" there, whereas the driver side flows smoothly. Good to know I'm not alone...lol

hrm, I never noticed. I'll pull it later and see if I find a reason why. I was hoping for the SB "ring" tail lights but missed the GB. Might just get reg '99 spec if they don't do another GB.

Gotcha...Yeah I have the 99 spec, and had the same problem with my OEM tails as well.

had something similar happen to me, went to remove my engine and my wastegate was welded to my downpipe. haha

lol nice man!!

Usually i get a good handful of parts to install when i know my car will be down for a good bit since i hate doing things to my car that will cause downtime lol.

Hopefully for my sake, i wont have to buy/install those handful of parts anytime soon if you know what i mean LOL. *knock on wood*

Those reference speakers you bought, you said thats for your FRONT?? Are you going to fab the brackets cause i didnt know a 6.5 fits in the door without fabbing?

Let me know because im in the market for front speakers too. Im selling my current tiny speakers lol

Yes, there infinity 6.5" are for the front. I bought the brackets (on the left of exhaust) on eBay. Search for "rx7 speaker brackets", and they'll come up. I would post the link, but I know that's a no-no.

This is probably the best picture I could get of the welds without taking the exhaust off.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_G...s640/welds.jpg

Do these look like they've been improved?

Got the steering wheel in:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_G...eringwheel.jpg

I'm still trying to figure out the wiring on the cd player, having some trouble with it.

Man that steering wheel is sexy as hell... and I love how the gauges on top of the dash match the ones in the console.

Where'd yah buy your stereo receiver from? Crutchfield usually ships theirs with a wiring diagram for your car. (or gives you an adapter so you can avoid wiring)

Yep I bought it from Crutchfield. Came with everything I was supposed to need. Here's my problems:

1. P-control (solid blue) wire from kenwood harness does NOTHING. Does not power amps or antenna.
2. Amp turn on (Blue/white) wire from kenwood harness sends power-on signal for amps or antenna when unit is turned on. I was hoping that the antenna would stay down when a cd/ipod was being played, instead of being up all the time. Kind of annoying IMO. I'm going to call crutchfield/kenwood tomorrow to verify.
3. I cannot get music to play from radio. Crutchfield only sent 1 antenna adapter, but there are 2 antenna cables on the fd. Searching seems to show only 1 is needed, (the one I have plugged in).
4. I can only get sound through my rear sub. Front speakers are not playing. I know my drivers side speaker is bad, but passenger was working before winter.

Update on radio:
I hooked up one of the new infinity speakers to the harness, and music was playing. I guess my passenger side speaker blew during the winter while not being used. :dunno:

I disabled the HD radio, and was able to get music from local channels. Hrm, I paid extra for the HD option, I was told a new antenna wasn't required. :scratch:

Still no solution for the antenna control. I may have to wire up a switch somewhere to turn it up/down as needed. I don't want the antenna up unless I'm listening to the radio. Going to call crutchfield/kenwood to see if they have an answer.

Now it's off to the eye Dr., then lunch with the wife, then time for engine work.

Just got off the phone with crutchfield:

1. Recommended to hook up factory radio to double check the front speakers are bad. eh, not going to waste my time. I'll just install the new speakers that I know work and will sound 100X better.

2. Tried to blame that since antenna wasn't up, it couldn't receive. I told him it was up. He said maybe the hd radio auto-mode is "buggy" and I should reset the unit. ok...

3. Apparently there are hardly any radio's made today that have a seperate antenna power signal for when the radio is on. I'll have to create some sort of switch, but pretty sure I know what I'm going to do.

4. Crutchfield said not to worry about the smaller antenna plug, it is not needed for the more powerful antenna receivers inside new head units. He said the smaller cable is for diversity.

Nothing too much exciting happened today. Got a lot of the engine peripherals taken off to get everthing going. I got most of the block off plates installed. I wasn't expecting to have to pull all the studs out, and not having a stud puller made that take a little more time. I was suprised to find out my LIM doesn't have an EGR valve, so I didn't have to block that off. I found both of the hoses that go to the stock BOV and CRV were split, so those need to be replaced.
I got stuck on trying to install the pineapple fd idler puller. The directions they gave only mentioned messing with the water pump, not the air pump.
Hopefully tomorrow I can start getting things put back together.

Somewhat of a productive day, ran into a big snag, but got the majority of things finished or ready to be finished. I got all the excess vacuum lines removed and capped the holes. zip tied a few lines that were overlooked by the previous owner. Went to the parts store and bought new hoses for the CRV & BOV that were cracked. Going to purchase red hose couplers for the intercooler to get color coordinated. Need to figure out how to better plug the bolt holes in the intercooler to prevent leakage. Installed the efini y-pipe. Waiting for the boost controller to show up before installing the rest of the intake. Once the missing block off plate arrives I'll have the UIM & TB installed.



New oil pedestal is installed. The rear nut was a pain getting off, and even more of a pain getting back on.

stock vs. new:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_G...ilpedestal.jpg
installed:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_G...lpedestal2.jpg

The big snag I had was while trying to install the idler pulley. One of the bolts I needed to remove snapped, so either someone way over-torqued or used loctite. I'm going to have to pull the housing off and remove it with a screw extractor, which means draining all the coolant. Since I'm taking all that apart I'm thinking of purchase red samco silicone hose to replace the stock black rubber hose, and maybe installing a FC thermoswitch. I'm also thinking of cutting off the nipple I have capped and plugging it with a set screw to eliminate any future potential leaks.

Current status:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_G...400/engine.jpg

Here's what it looked like before:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_G...ginebefore.jpg

looking good

Thinking I might as well put in a new thermostat while everything will be apart. No clue what shape the current 'stat is in.

hahahahha so THATS what they mean by an exhaust hanger!! ahah jk, looks good man keep it up:icon_tup:

A pretty productive day while I had time to work on the car today.

Things finished up today:
Waterpump & waterpump housing, new Thermostat & thermostat housing, FC thermoswitch, new radiator hoses, greddy profec solenoid installed, pineapple racing fd idler pulley, altenator reinstalled, belts reinstalled, battery tray & battery reinstalled.

list for tomorrow:
intercooler, intake, mount greddy profec controller box, add coolant & oil, & start the damn thing.

picture update:
Profec mounted top left. (connected via version #2). Mishimoto radiator hoses. Efini y-pipe. New hoses for coolant (turbos, block, heater core,CRV, BOV. New hardware for waterpump & thermostat housings.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_G.../enginebay.jpg

Pineapple racing idler pulley.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_G...pumpdelete.jpg

Got everything finsihed up (in the engine bay at least). Started it up for a bit to get the coolant burped. Idle was really low (500ish).
I would like to find a way to clean up this engine bay a bit without having to scrub everything by hand. ideas?
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_G...wenginebay.jpg

It's alive. Got the boost controller, radio, & shifter installed.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_G...unitclosed.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_G...adunitopen.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKjEHQ8iVls

wow those interior panels are pretty chewed up. mine are too...gonna sand primer and paint them this week myself.

how did you install that steering wheel? will the airbag work?

For the steering wheel I drilled 2 holes into the back of it for the turn signal cancels to function. Then I swapped the electrical connectors for the horn & airbag. There's a few how-to threads on here to follow. I hope the airbag works, but I don't want to wreck it to find out for sure.

I'm going to fix up the plastic panels, I'm just focusing on function of the car at the moment.

depending on how bad it is - tire foam cleaner. spray, wait a few minutes then wipe off.

I got my new speakers installed this afternoon. VERY happy with everything. I can't really compare the sound, because my driver speaker didn't even work beforehand, and the passenger side worked sometimes.

Here's what the factory stuff looked like:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_G...kerfactory.jpg

Gee I wonder why the driver side didn't work anymore:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_G...speakeramp.jpg

Comparing the old vs new:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_G...kercompare.jpg

New installed:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_G...ftermarket.jpg

I haven't put the door covers back on yet because I am repainting the plastics on them, and also going to see how I can repair the passenger handle.

I also pulled off the vent intake cover to clean out everything because whenever I turn on the AC it smells like ass. Ended up pulling 2 vacuum canisters of leaves/dirt/etc. Also repainted it since it was faded and looked shitty. I didn't take a good before picture but you can see from a previous engine bay shot what it looked like:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_G...irtyintake.jpg

Repainted:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_G...leanintake.jpg

Now need to figure out how to take off windshield wipers and paint them.

Looks good, to take off the wipers, all you have to do is pop off that circle cover and you can unbolt it.

It's nice to know that other people keep what my wife affectionately calls "parts piles" indoors. Now if I could just convince her that it is normal...:D

What paint did you use for the windshield trim?

I cleaned up mine recently using Mothers Back-to-Black.
http://www.mothers.com/02_products/06108.html

I thought I might need to paint it, but I tried the Back-to-Black stuff and it worked REALLY well.

If it dries out again I think I'll paint mine with some of that Krylon "Fusion" paint which is more of a plastic-bonding type paint. Works really well in my experience.

She wasn't too happy about it even though I kept everything in the guest bedroom over the winter. blah blah blah what if something dirty stains the carpet blah blah blah.

I tried back to black in the summer when I got the car, it lasted maybe a month. I painted it this time using Krylon Fusion Satin Black. Scrubbed it the night before with "purple power" rinsed it off, let it dry overnight. Then I sprayed 4 coats onto the plastic, and am pretty pleased with the results.


Last night I tried to clean the plastics from the doors to repaint them. The factory finish on the plastics is disgusting. Soaked them in goo gone and the finish still won't come off even when scrubbing with a scotch pad. Need to find something stronger.

When I cleaned off my 93 panels I used denatured alcohol and elbow grease, got it off pretty good.

Everything else looks great, I love what your doing with your 7.

nice work

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/flo/flo...source=froogle

You can pick it up at just about any hobby store. I purchased mine from the hobby store off Metcalf.

HobbyHeaven? I called them about a month ago (I called about 10 stores: Michaels, Hobby Lobby, HobbyHeaven, HobbyTown, etc around town to find the ELO) and they said they don't have it anymore. I was trying to find it locally to avoid $10 shipping for a $7 bottle of cleaner. I'll just drop by on my lunch break today and look. A few of the places told me to use oven cleaner instead, but it might eat the plastic if you let it set too long.

When I installed the passenger speaker I found that the door handle had the typical crack. So I'm going to try and repair/reinforce that as well.

http://www.steelwool.biz/images/SW%2...ck-a_thumb.gif
+
http://tomsworkbench.com/wp-content/...bow_grease.gif
=
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/5831/dsc0007mmo.jpg

You didn't use any cleaning agent, just steel wool? I thought about using SOS pads since it has soap already added, but didn't know how bad it would scuff the plastic.

This is what I've been trying:
http://mobilejanitorialsupply.com/st...MM96CC_1_1.jpg

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JC9qkZ2c5...0/Goo+Gone.jpg

ELO will lift the paint off without much effort and not damage the plastics. It's well worth getting some and keeping it around. ;) If the hobby shop doesn't carry it any longer, see if they have something comparable. Models will have the same requirements (i.e. remove paint but keep plastic safe).

weight on HKS carbon Ti
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...ewstuff005.jpg
dam that came out really good.

Rick what paint did you use for that? I was going to refinish my ashtray like people used to do back in the day, but can't remember what paint we used.