From Zero to Hero Vol. 2: CYM Edition
 

Background:
Where do I even begin with this - this has been such a long time coming! You may notice there is a Volume 2 in the title of this thread. My original thread was a full restoration of a 2nd Generation RX-7 which can be found: Here (It’s a pretty good read, and a good indication of what you can expect with this one). You’ll notice the layout between this build thread and my previous will probably be identical. I still have the FC, still unhappy with how it sits and constantly changing out pieces for better looking ones. Initial D and the FC is what really kicked my love off for the rotary engines. I knew the second I was nearing finishing that car I had to have a FD and it had to be of a higher quality than the FC restoration was.

The Car:
After much searching and with my patience waning I finally found the car destined for me. The car is a 1993 CYM with zero mods and an original 7-8k thousand miles. I have to put a range because the odometer was swapped back in the day creating inconsistencies. Based on my research and a VIN search this car was in a front end collision that allowed me to get it cheaper than the more pristine FDs. This didn’t stop me though as I don’t plan on ever selling this car, in addition I’ll be going through it with a fine tooth comb to ensure everything is structurally and mechanically sound. I've already noticed a few things that will need my attention so I look forward to making this car the best it can be.

Build Vision:
I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise the build isn’t going to be super out there in terms of what I’m doing. I really enjoy OEM+ with a concentration on performance. Currently, the plan is for a full 99-Spec exterior swap (minus fenders & side skirts), performance parts, and another engine driven by a Megasquirt 3 Pro. I actually had purchased most of the 99-Spec parts and the MazdaSpeed steering wheel before I even purchased the car - that fear of missing out on brand new parts lol. There is a lot more in the works which I’ll detail below. I plan to break the build into phases, since I’m so close to completing my masters in IT Project Management, I figure it would be good practice. The three phases will be exterior and interior overhaul, engine overhaul, and finally suspension overhaul. Realistically, much like last time, I’ll probably just scoop up whatever I can find good deals on and go from there. Scope creep, much like the last build, will happen regardless so I’m not counting that against me lol. I unfortunately don’t have the same amount of time and expendable income as I had with the FC (parts are way more expensive on this side of the fence!). I don’t expect I’ll have content updates every week like I had previously (maybe not even every month), but I will make sure everything is documented.

The Items I Currently Have:
Exterior:
99-Spec Brake Ducts
99-Spec Combo Lights
99-Spec Front Bumper Cover
99 Spec Front Lip
99-Spec Reinforcement Bar
99-Spec Mazda Emblems
99-Spec Tail Lights
99-Spec Undertray
99-Spec Vanity Half-Plate
Aluminum Door Striker Covers
OEM Rear Mud Guards
OEM R1 Strut Bar

Interior:
MazdaSpeed D-Cut Steering Wheel
MazdaSpeed Horn Button
JDM Console Armrest

Thanks to everyone that followed me on my last journey and I look forward to all the people I’ll meet on this one!

Here are some of the items I've sourced:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...4533cb9abb.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d8ab0fb6ad.jpg

Here are the shots of the car:
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...6056f68b74.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...0ce78c7804.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...3abd5e502e.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...8e2442abfb.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...f1ad9e6df4.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...5127756427.jpg

LOL, is the FD getting a "KEISUKE" license plate?

Dp

Cool steering wheel.

Did this car spend some time in Alabama? If so, my friend used to own it and i have driven it and it gave me the impression it was indeed a low mileage car. I drove it on some rougher roads and the suspension was totally solid, it even had the sticker by the gear shift and smelled pretty new.

EDIT: i found the old FS thread here: https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...-miles-996816/

Lol! I'd be lying if I said no.

Wow, thank you for this information. This seems to be the same car. I could verify from the crack on the rear plastic (maybe that's a common thing?). It also does still have the sticker by the gear shift. It has a few cosmetic issues I plan on fixing. I took it for a spin around the block and everything seems to be exactly as you said.

Nice! I read the FC build thread, that was a LOT of work. Looks like you're starting out with a better shape car to start with, doesn't look like it will require anywhere near the crazy labor that went into the FC!

Have fun with the project. If you haven't made a trip to Deal's Gap Rotary Rally, seriously consider going, I'd love to see you and your car in person and it's a super fun time.

Dale

Had some time to look through your FC thread.

WOW. Nice work!

By your purchase of the CYM I had assumed you were a gentleman of good taste with resources.
I see from your FC thread you are also quite a handy fellow and jack of all trades.

Whats your story?

Thanks Dale! I would like to make it out to DGRR, I was hoping either the FC would be done or take this - however there's been some..unfortunate circumstances with the title. I'm waiting on the previous owner to get it to me....it seems he may have misplaced it.

Hey - thanks! That FC is really my pride and joy. My story? Haha, well - my dad was always into fast cars as I was growing up (he had a 600 rwhp Z06). I was on the path to following him (I had a 650 rwhp 04 Cobra), however, I had to sell the car to re-attend school. I discovered that working at the local retail store wasn't a path I wanted to continue to follow and had to make sacrifices. From there I owned quite a few different cars namely, a 04 STi, which is pictured in my other build thread (and now sold lol). That car and the show Initial D is really what introduced and grew my love for Japanese vehicles. So there I was in college, my friend helping me with my first ever oil change, and it dawned on me I knew nothing about the cars that I love. I ended up loving the FC, many thanks to the main character of the show and bought one; and it was awful - I like my things nice and that car was the polar opposite. So, with the help of a few friends we completely restored the FC and I learned a ton. I learned enough that I'm able to, at least, carry most of my own weight - I still rely on them for guidance a lot though. I am always researching how to do things. I would rather at least try it once and fail as to pay someone to do it for me. I try and pass on what I've learned to other car enthusiasts that would like to learn as well. I let people I know decently enough use my garage and assist them as they work on their own cars. I definitely learned that patience and not settling is key - and that's how I ended up with this FD (even though patience is probably my worst attribute lol).

Making that earlier sacrifice and going back to school definitely payed off in a myriad of ways. I currently work for The Boeing Company in Information Technology. I hope to buy a house eventually, still currently renting, but that plan got a little pushed back thanks to the FD. I'm not overly concerned as I think I would have deeply regretted letting this car slip through in the future.

^^ Thank you!
Exactly the kind of mini bio I was fishing for (my creepy phrasing was just bonus content Re: my own bio).:smoker:

small world, i work for the same company and i have probably driven that car lol.

Very nice, congrats!

Your thread makes me wish I waited for the right CW and now it seems it'd be harder to find one without having to pay a super high price. With the difference in price, I'd be better off working on polishing mine up. Great start for you though. Good luck with your build.

good luck on the build... nice platform to start with...

Update 1/20/19:
Not much has really been going on in the FD realm. I’ve been sourcing parts for it. I’ve sourced quite a bit; I actually have all the exterior 99-spec stuff now that I’m wanting to run. However, I promised myself I wouldn’t put it on until the FC is back up and running. I should hopefully have everything done on the FC by mid-year. Once the FC is up and going I’ll be rotating attention to getting the exterior of the FD done. Since it will need some slight bodywork for all the new 99-spec stuff I’d rather just get the FC done first. I will be installing much of the interior stuff in the meantime. I picked up a Power FC to eliminate the common 3K hesitation these cars have. I’m also planning to do the service bulletin that Mazda put out that entails adding and re-doing multiple grounds. I bought a brand new set of rear mud guards, but now I’m unsure if I want to use them. Sometimes they look good, and sometimes I think they stick out like a sore thumb. I’ve also been tossing and turning on side skirt extensions, but I’m kind of leaning with less is more. Much like the FC, I had to have an original owners manual and am fortunate that I was able to source one on these boards.

I’m still looking for a GReddy cat-back, but haven’t found one without the curled lip (not fond of the curled lip). If anyone has a V1 GReddy Ti Catback, or a TRUST Ti Catback get in touch with me!

Below is a list of all the things I’ve sourced since the last update:
99-Spec Spoiler
GReddy Hood Dampers
Hallfspec Engineering S2000 Antenna Adapter
OEM Rear Mud Guards
R-Magic Oil Cooler Guides
APEXi Poewr FC
Banazai Racing Start Relay
LRB Speed Radiator Cooling Panel
13b1 Aluminum Interior Door Pull Cups
Aluminum Power FC ECU Mount
Levy Motor Corp Aluminum Gas & Dead Pedal
Sakebomb Garage Fire Extinguisher Mount
Thompson Automotive Single DIN Gauge Pod
Works Bell Steering Wheel Hub
BBS Lug Nuts

Here are some quick pics of a few of the goodies that came in:
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...fc80900821.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...112e6fe97b.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d3752fbdfd.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...67c60a12c9.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a961c0da9e.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...38cb0dde18.jpg

After a small amount of searching i'm unable to find who makes that PFC mount... could you elaborate? it's the nicest looking piece i have seen.

Sure! The individual posted about them on Facebook in a RX-7 buy/sell group. I'm not sure he has a website so I'll PM you the individuals name so you can get in contact. I plan to deburr and then have it powdercoated.

I got one of those also and installed it a few days ago. Very nice piece.

Awesome car man, love that color :ylsuper:. I keep going back and forth on whether or not I want to go with the 99 Spec front bumper and wing, or with the FEED Style bummer and wing from Shine Auto! Will be tuned in to see how she turns out. Good luck!!

Update 3/17/2019:
I was finally able to begin knocking a few things out on the car. The priority at the moment is still the FC until I get the engine rebuilt (still currently painting irons). I plan to pick up a couple of more things for the FD before end of year (Ohlin Coilovers and a Racing Beat Cat-Back), but will stop at that for now. I still need to get some body/paintwork done on the FC and will eventually need to do so on the FD as well to support the swap to 99-Spec. I may try and pick up some wheels if I find a good deal on some BBS RGR’s, but I’m not very hopeful that will be the case by end of year. This past week I’ve done the FD’s first oil change and installed Banzai Racing’s starter relay while under there; I will be doing a coolant flush and transmission/diff fluid change soon as well. I was pleasantly surprised to find all covers and shields still in place including the plastic fuel line cover. All my parts came back from powder coating so I installed the Power FC into the car and reset it back to base tune (3k hesitation is now gone). I also installed SakeBomb Garage’s fire extinguisher mount, a H3R fire extinguisher, as well as GReddy hood dampers. However, I’ll need to realign the hood and the latch as it’s not fully closing all the way and fender gap is not consistent. I also installed the JDM arm rest, but it seems to have a dimple on top. I purchased it new, so I guess I’ll just live with it until my OCD forces me to buy another new one. I went to fill up the tank for the first time and forgot what it was like to have to put the gas cap on the ground. I fixed that quickly, just like I did the FC, ordered a new Mazda 626 gas cap that allows it to hang. The last thing I purchased was a new Optima Redtop as the current one croaked. I’ll eventually invest in a smaller form factor battery and relocate it to the passenger bin. It’ll probably be a bit until the next update due to the FC, but I’ll be sure to post again when I get some more things done to the car.


First oil change!:
Attachment 747982

Here are some pictures of the things I’ve gotten installed:
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Here are some shots of the car my friend got for me:
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Attachment 747990

Nice trick with the 626 gas cap! I dig that!

I've found that more often than not the hood dampers keep the hood from fitting properly. I'm a fan of just using a hood prop, the lightweight thing fits in with the aesthetic of the car for me. I also got one of the titanium hood props a while back, LOVE it.

Car is looking good!

Dale

There's a spot to hang the gas cap on the fuel door, but 626 gas cap is still a good idea. Car look to be in excellent shape, great find :icon_tup:

Thanks Dale! I prefer the hood dampers for the sole reason I don't have to fumble with the hood prop when I'm at a car show. I can just throw the hood up and walk away.

Sure, part number is: GAY1-42-250

There is!? I must not have looked hard enough. I may have still went this route anyway since the cap is physically connected to the car now. I'm fairly forgetful.