1981 GS Restoration
10-22-13, 10:28 AM
#1
My wife bought me 2 RX-7s
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Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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1981 GS Restoration
This is going to be a big change for me, since my previous experience with working on RX-7's was purely performance-driven. All of my old 7's were, ahem, cosmetically challenged and I focused all my efforts and time on mods.
This go-around, I have a really nice car that needs a bit of TLC to be really remarkable.
What I'm starting with:
Exterior
- The vast majority of this car is in really good shape. There is some minor rust starting on the bottoms of the door skins on the inside seam, some rust on the leading edge of the sunroof panel, a minor stone-hit on the front valence and a white scratch/scuff on the passenger-side front bumper.
- All the lock cylinders are loose and difficult to operate.
- Rx-7 fender logos are scratched and worn. Repaint or replace.
- Rear hatch has brackets for louvers that came with the car. Not sure if I want to install or not.
Interior
- Seats are torn and battered, as you'd expect given the age of the car.
- The dash is in pristine shape, glossy and crack-free.
- The previous owner butchered the console surround to put in an aftermarket head-unit.
- Both door panels are cracked and worn
- Headliner is drooping near the hatch
- Rear-view mirror is missing a retaining clip, doesn't stay attached to the roof.
Electrical
- The HVAC doesn't work. No fan, no A/C. Could be the switch.
- Cigarette lighter/AUX power has no juice
- Broken lead on the rear defrost
- Dome light has broken wire
- Turn signals don't cancel in either direction
Rubber and Seals
- Door seals are cracked and worn
- The rubber strip that lines the door-frame has shrunk away from the top-rear corners
- Window channels are cracked and missing sections
Engine
- The car idles and pulls fairly well, but has a bit of a miss at idle and some odd vibrations that increase with RPM. Could need a tune-up. Vibration could be caused by bad engine/tranny mount.
- No leaks of any kind that I have seen so far. Oil smells pretty gassy, but I have no idea when it was changed last.
Exhaust
- Squeaky hangers need to be cleaned and lubed
- Intermittent temperature warnings. Could be plugged cat or maybe bad airpump? My inclination is to replace the cats with a resonator and delete emissions.
Wheels
- They don't look like they've been balanced, get some wheel shake at highway speeds.
- some road-rash on the lips, not too bad though.
- Dull finish, may need repainting.
That's the list so far. It's kinda long when you type it all out.
The car is going into storage for the winter next week, so most of the work will have to wait until spring, but I'll probably tackle the fan and HVAC soon. All my work will be documented with pictures and narrative.
This is going to be fun.
This go-around, I have a really nice car that needs a bit of TLC to be really remarkable.
What I'm starting with:
Exterior
- The vast majority of this car is in really good shape. There is some minor rust starting on the bottoms of the door skins on the inside seam, some rust on the leading edge of the sunroof panel, a minor stone-hit on the front valence and a white scratch/scuff on the passenger-side front bumper.
- All the lock cylinders are loose and difficult to operate.
- Rx-7 fender logos are scratched and worn. Repaint or replace.
- Rear hatch has brackets for louvers that came with the car. Not sure if I want to install or not.
Interior
- Seats are torn and battered, as you'd expect given the age of the car.
- The dash is in pristine shape, glossy and crack-free.
- The previous owner butchered the console surround to put in an aftermarket head-unit.
- Both door panels are cracked and worn
- Headliner is drooping near the hatch
- Rear-view mirror is missing a retaining clip, doesn't stay attached to the roof.
Electrical
- The HVAC doesn't work. No fan, no A/C. Could be the switch.
- Cigarette lighter/AUX power has no juice
- Broken lead on the rear defrost
- Dome light has broken wire
- Turn signals don't cancel in either direction
Rubber and Seals
- Door seals are cracked and worn
- The rubber strip that lines the door-frame has shrunk away from the top-rear corners
- Window channels are cracked and missing sections
Engine
- The car idles and pulls fairly well, but has a bit of a miss at idle and some odd vibrations that increase with RPM. Could need a tune-up. Vibration could be caused by bad engine/tranny mount.
- No leaks of any kind that I have seen so far. Oil smells pretty gassy, but I have no idea when it was changed last.
Exhaust
- Squeaky hangers need to be cleaned and lubed
- Intermittent temperature warnings. Could be plugged cat or maybe bad airpump? My inclination is to replace the cats with a resonator and delete emissions.
Wheels
- They don't look like they've been balanced, get some wheel shake at highway speeds.
- some road-rash on the lips, not too bad though.
- Dull finish, may need repainting.
That's the list so far. It's kinda long when you type it all out.
The car is going into storage for the winter next week, so most of the work will have to wait until spring, but I'll probably tackle the fan and HVAC soon. All my work will be documented with pictures and narrative.
This is going to be fun.
10-23-13, 12:05 AM
#2
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Those Louvre Brackets are a pain to remove. They are bolted down and have double sided tape. They left permanent abrasion scratches on the glass after I took them off.