What a great find. Beautiful car.

 

Upgraded the dash lights to LED's Mostly because even with the dimmer turned all the way up I could barely see any of the gauges.



Picture doesnt do them justice, they are brighter in person.

Right after my last post of pics the accelerator pump started puking gas everywhere. Thankfully I caught it before it started leaking down to the exhaust, and in my driveway. Ordered a carb rebuild, and started tearing the carb apart and cleaning it.







Figured it was time to freshen up the rats nest since Im keeping it.





Today the rebuild kit came in and I got the carb together, everything is good so far. Idles perfect, runs great, starts easy. Didnt finish til dark so no pics.

However I did find some Hot Wheel Rx-7s that match my car!!

 

Looking GOOD!

How did you get the rats nest looking so good? Wire wheel? Polishing compound and lots of elbow grease?

 

Wire wheel, and then a good clean. Then I sprayed it Rustoleum hammered silver. It isnt 'ideal' but will keep it from corroding further until I can get it properly refinished. Maybe tomorrow Ill get some pics of the bay in the daytime.

 

I keep getting those Hot Wheels RX-7 from friends, I'm up to 4 , any idea how many different colors they came in? I have blue silver and red so far.

 

First off, I didnt start buying Hot Wheels as an adult until JNC posted pics of the then 'new' Rx7 model. Since then Ive been on a mission to collect every variation... Well because its cheaper than buying actual Rx7's lol And they display nice in the garage.



The black one was the first one introduced. It was followed by the blue and the white car. The white car was a Kroger exclusive and is very, very rare. It was loose in an opaque plastic wrapper. It has one little clear hole so kids can try and figure out whats in it. It isnt difficult to figure out, but they are no longer in stores, same with the black and blue cars. The blue one pops up on rare occasion still at stores that dont sell a lot of Hot Wheels. The silver car is a 'Treasure Hunt' edition, they only produced 10,000 or so cars. They are at least as rare as the white car, and go for $5-10 now as they are no longer in stores. Since they are a limited production model, you are fighting regular Hot Wheels collectors to get one. Either ebay, or flea markets are the best places to look now for these colors.

Pic of the white 7 and its wrapper.



The red car was introduced next, it can be found on occasion, I see them a lot at Kroger. Sometimes they were included in 3 packs.



And now they have -just- introduced the yellow Rx7. Ill likely be buying more of them just because. Maybe I am a hoarder lol



Probably more than you needed to know, but I felt like sharing lol

 

Decided to take the Spark to Daves Fall meet! For me it was a little over three hours each way. The furthest I had driven the car was about a half hour from home. Mind you, the car had sat for almost ten years before I got it. I had replaced all the rubber other than the old tires, and all of the fluids on top of the carb rebuild. So I figured it was now or never, the car needed to be tested. I took country roads the entire way, 170 miles of long country roads interspersed with small towns. A perfect way to see how the car would do in light traffic, at low speeds, and while cruising on a long trip. It felt a little crazy, but not even two weeks ago I drove my $700 Miata from Ohio to California for Miatas at Laguna Seca Raceway. So this should be easy!

The car ran like a freaking top, so smooth, so nice. It was a great roadtrip! And the meet was worth it!



Got to park next to an all original 1980 Solar Gold Leather Sport! There was also a Silver '79 there, but it was blocked in up near the garage. Didnt get a photo with it.





[img]https://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/lokirx7/DSCF7302_zps778afe83.jpg[img]

The drive home at night was equally uneventful. Which was a good thing, and now I have a lot more trust in the car. Im really glad I went, and Dave put on a spectacular meet! So it made the trip completely worth it!

 

Snuck out in between thunderstorms to take a spin!

 

This lip has been -really- bothering me. I dont have an exact match to the Spark Yellow yet, still working on that. But in the meantime I figured all one color would look a lot better than... Well... This crackled thing it has going on.







The color isnt too far off, and will work fine for the time being. It already looks a hell of a lot better in the garage!

 

Is your lip metal or plastic? My 9-78 car was metal, but my 11-79 car is plastic. Curious when the transition occured.

 

This is a 6/78, it is metal.

 

Back sides. The 79 is my favorite.

 

Looks much better Loki! I love that you have this awesome 79. it looks SO freaking great!

 

Got her out today and re-bled the brakes. Looks like the new master cylinder is leaking from the reservoir... Thats odd... Got a good pic of the lip, and went for a cruise.



I kinda want to track down an S3 for a daily because of this car. Its been years since Ive daily driven a first gen...

 

Just as a reference point, mine has a build date of 9/78 and is metal as well.

 

I actually prefer the plastic. The metal ones seem to bend and dent easily.

 

For the winter she gets tucked away in the garage, but I pull her out every so often to warm her up.



Its nice having a carbureted rotary that starts easy, and does a textbook warm up on the choke. Just firing it up and moving it around drives me a little crazy, all I want to do is take her out for a nice long cruise.

 

Sounds about right, I think the transiition to plastic chin spoilers took place the last quarter of 79. At least by the begining of 80. I'm impressed by the condition of yours. Normally the metal ones get pretty beat up and dented.

 

Step one, top off the fluids...

Step two,



Wash off that winter garage dust...



Add a quality wax, then,

Step three, enjoy!

 

So I decided the car needed something more.

The paint received a clay bar treatment, every emblem cleaned with a plastic brush. Every nook and crevice buffed even if it required a Q-tip. The waffles scrubbed, the lug bolts and lug bolt seats polished. The center caps repainted and repolished. All rubber trim refinished, everything painstakingly cleaned to a near concourse level. The taillight lenses removed, polished, the screw reliefs cleaned with a brush. The rotten tail light seals that you could see from behind the car, replaced. The screws for the taillights polished, the key holes polished, old wax stripped from hard to reach areas. Hours spent scrubbing the interior, toothpicks were utilized to clean even the most unnoticeable gaps. The fuel filler door and inside around the filler neck hand buffed. Two coats of wax, and the result is such, that photos dont do the car justice...

(The wheel closeup is pre-centercap paint, but lugs are polished and wheel is scrubbed.)

 

That looks EXCELLENT Loki! Amazing what a bunch of elbow grease can do! Superjealous!

 

Thanks! Im actually considering entering the car in the local Concourse d'Elegance, just for the giggles. I need to order some actual spark yellow paint for that metal lip, and start cleaning the undercarriage.

I will not lie, I never thought this car could be this nice. Ive never in my life had a car like this. I am really enjoying restoring it back to its former glory. Right now when I open my garage its like seeing a brand new '79 on the showroom floor... Such a great feeling!

 

Car looks great, but any plans for painting the steering wheel spokes?Maybe the final detail.

 

Trying to source a replacement, Im not sure how or why the spokes have corroded. It was very well cared for otherwise.

Ive been thinking about repainting it, just havent gotten to it yet. The e-brake handle has a rusty spot right where the leather boot meets it too. So Ill probably be digging several pieces out to paint all at once.

 

Its actually pretty common on the s1 steering wheels. A little sanding and quick spritz with some matte black is all it needs. You dont even have to remove it from the car if you strategically place newspaper.