'85 GSL Restomod with Fuel Injection and 6-Speed
10-18-17, 06:48 PM
#1
'85 GSL Restomod with Fuel Injection and 6-Speed
Hey Everybody! Thanks for checking out my build thread! I've been wanting to start it for awhile so here goes:
I got infected with the "love" for rx-7's when I was 15, while visiting some family in West Virginia in 1995. My cousin had a cool looking dark gray "funny sounding" car that he said would out-run cop cars! I hadn't heard of an RX7 up to this point, but 2 months later when he called me to tell me he was selling it, I knew I had to have it. A couple weeks later, and a full 6 months before I got my driver's license, he was driving my "new" '79 to Detroit from Kenova. I was so excited when my mom started letting me drive it around the block, and even discovered the tach buzzer on those first few trips ;-) Very long story=short.....I ended up having that car for about 2 years. I didn't know much about cars then...managed to change the brakes, delve into body-work for the first time, and tinker with the ignition; but in the end (for that car), it just wasn't meant to be. It got junked after one of the rotors spit some seals through the exhaust and the extent of the rust damage became known.
I look back fondly on my experience with that car, and always wanted another after I got rid of it. Had many cars since then, but always wanted another RX7. I guess I felt like I could have done better by that car if I knew then what I THINK I know now. In 2011 I came across an ad on here for an '85 GSL for sale. Talked to Dave on the phone a few times and we came to a deal. Two hours to Vermillion and bought it. Had about 114k on it when I bought it. The body had hail damage, but was 99% rust free. The undercarriage was pretty clean, with one noticeable "surface-rust" spot where a leaky master cylinder had stripped away the protective coating and paint. With the previous experience I had with rust, this car's minimal rust was the kicker.
Here are some pictures that Dave took of the car before I bought it in 2011; although he removed the spoiler before I bought it:
I got infected with the "love" for rx-7's when I was 15, while visiting some family in West Virginia in 1995. My cousin had a cool looking dark gray "funny sounding" car that he said would out-run cop cars! I hadn't heard of an RX7 up to this point, but 2 months later when he called me to tell me he was selling it, I knew I had to have it. A couple weeks later, and a full 6 months before I got my driver's license, he was driving my "new" '79 to Detroit from Kenova. I was so excited when my mom started letting me drive it around the block, and even discovered the tach buzzer on those first few trips ;-) Very long story=short.....I ended up having that car for about 2 years. I didn't know much about cars then...managed to change the brakes, delve into body-work for the first time, and tinker with the ignition; but in the end (for that car), it just wasn't meant to be. It got junked after one of the rotors spit some seals through the exhaust and the extent of the rust damage became known.
I look back fondly on my experience with that car, and always wanted another after I got rid of it. Had many cars since then, but always wanted another RX7. I guess I felt like I could have done better by that car if I knew then what I THINK I know now. In 2011 I came across an ad on here for an '85 GSL for sale. Talked to Dave on the phone a few times and we came to a deal. Two hours to Vermillion and bought it. Had about 114k on it when I bought it. The body had hail damage, but was 99% rust free. The undercarriage was pretty clean, with one noticeable "surface-rust" spot where a leaky master cylinder had stripped away the protective coating and paint. With the previous experience I had with rust, this car's minimal rust was the kicker.
Here are some pictures that Dave took of the car before I bought it in 2011; although he removed the spoiler before I bought it:
10-19-17, 03:26 PM
#2
The previous owner also swapped a fresh, nice running 12a into the car and swapped it from auto to manual trans. He did a really nice job with the swap. Recently while taking the dash out, I found his labels and markings on the harness. Saved me from having to label most things. These pictures are also courtesy of Dave, taken before I bought the car (circa 2011):
10-19-17, 04:12 PM
#3
Drove the car as-was for a couple years, putting a few thousand miles on it per summer. Did a few very small mods during that time, while also starting to fix the hail damage on the car one section at a time. I bought a used Racing Beat collected header and pre-silencer from the forum here. It was a really good deal, but there was some pretty decent rust going on. I ended up sand blasting the header and coating it with a silver-ceramic based coating sold on a website called nomorerust.com (no longer valid website). It was an easy process and that coating held up awesomely for the 4 years that header was on the car. Here is what the header looked like after coating. I polished the part that was visible in the engine compartment, and even the polished part stayed shiny for 4 years. The 4th picture is what it looked like after 4 years when I pulled it off the car. The last picture is just the block-off plate I made when the header was installed....I like to polish things 
10-19-17, 04:24 PM
#4
I also polished the 13's back before I bought the Kosei's because the clear coat was peeling and corroded badly. They came out pretty well, and ended up being bought by someone here on the forum when I made the switch to 15's. For polishing I started with 320 grit and progressed through 600, 1000, 2000, then clay bar and finally mothers aluminum polish. I think the last picture was after the clay bar, because it seems to me they were pretty much mirror finish after the mothers.
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jeremyferguson4444 (10-21-17)
10-21-17, 01:15 PM
#6
I just realized I didn't have any pictures of the car from the time when I put the Kosei K1's on (mid-2014). Not like everybody doesn't know what they look like, but I really love the way they change the look of the whole car so here is the way it looks today as it sits:
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10-21-17, 04:42 PM
#8
The swap coming under way. I couldn't believe how fast this engine came out. From taking the last drive to an empty engine bay was about 2 hours....and I wasn't really rushing. I did have a guy from Flint coming down to pick up the engine, so I wasn't lolly-gaggin either.
10-21-17, 05:17 PM
#9
Here is the front harness pulled. All unnecessary wires were (after this pic) traced and removed with the remaining wires being routed under the fender through 1.5" pvc so that future wire routing (for fans, relays, sensors) can be "fished" easily. Doing the wire tuck was pretty easy and well worth the time spent. I think the front harness went from just under 50 wires to around 18. I like a simple engine compartment free of "clutter". Also trimming of some sheet metal and brackets to make room for a bigger radiator which will have to sit further forward....Also, my son checking the progress.
10-21-17, 05:41 PM
#10
Here is the front harness now routed through the PVC pipe behind the fender. The 90* elbow going into the interior compartment comes through at about the same height as where the harness originally went through the firewall. There's plenty of room to get additional wires through there in the future. The engine harness is going to go through the firewall somewhere behind the glove box...I think that's where I'm putting the pcm, anywho. Modified the steering center link to give some more room for the oil pan, and removed the old auto-trans mounting points. On one side I drilled-out the spot welds and then ground it flat. On the other side I said "fark that" and cut it off with a cut-off disc and welded it shut.
10-22-17, 02:07 PM
#11
For the engine compartment I cleaned and degreased it (several times), followed by some wire-wheeling. I then used "metal-prep" and a couple coats of por-15 anywhere there had been surface rust. Then primer, 3 basecoats of urethane black and 4 coats of urethane clear. A lot of people recommend against high sheen in an engine compartment, but I love it; and it's easier to clean in my opinion. I didn't fill/weld any holes shut, which is something I might revisit in the future. For now, once I use all the holes I need, I will block the remainder with plastic body plugs, that I bought a huge selection of from amazon.
10-22-17, 02:24 PM
#12
Ofcourse, I can't put the rusty headlight motor assemblies back in like that. Disassembled, sand-blasted, primed, painted, fresh grease, and re-installed, with wires hidden behind and fed through the hole that used to have the corner light harnesses coming into the engine compartment to the front harness. Now the entire front harness is out of view. I also bought a complete set of new bushings for the headlight assemblies from a guy here on the forum that was 3D printing them, but I'm going to save those until I really need them.
10-22-17, 03:58 PM
#13
For fuel delivery I cannibalized a gas tank from an fc (1988, I think) and used it's fuel pump, hanger assembly, vent valve and slosh tank. Once again, I was super pleased with the condition of my 32 year-old tank. I think the layer of dirt protected it from oxidation because I couldn't find a spec of rust inside or out. I tack-welded the slosh tank to the bottom of my tank and grafted the 2nd gen hanger assembly "mounting flange" to my tank. I kept the original fuel level sender unit from my tank because it looks like it's in great condition and never had any trouble with it. The hanger mounting flange had some rust on it and a couple of the screws broke off during the transplant so I had to drill and tap some bigger holes. For now I'm going to use the factory 5/16" fuel delivery and 1/4" fuel return lines. In the future if needed I will switch the 5/16" to the return line and run a new 3/8" fuel delivery line. All the rubber hose for fuel and return is now fuel injection hose and I'm using quick disconnects at the fuel filter and fuel rail. The vent line is just standard fuel hose; just new. I used POR-15 Fuel Tank Sealer on the inside and outside of all of the welds and pressure checked the tank...no bubbles.
10-23-17, 08:56 PM
#14
Here is a before and after where the fuel lines run up and to the tank, as well as the new filter location, with the small bracket welded to the floor pan. Also, the rest of the under carriage after por-15 and paint. Looks like a new car under there. The small areas outward of the unibody rails near the wheel wells will be cleaned up and painted the same when I go back through and replace the shocks, springs, and bushings.
11-08-17, 09:28 PM
#15
I pulled the dash out so I could start pulling out wiring that I don't need and to work on the pedals a little. I was really surprised at how rusty the dash frame was, considering how not-rusty the rest of the car is. I considered sand-blasting it or wire-wheeling but decided to try electrolysis after reading multiple threads on here about it. I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. Before pictures:
11-08-17, 09:37 PM
#16
Here's during and after. Once it was clean and rust-free I thought about painting it to prevent future rust, but didn't want to lose the ability to ground to it, so I decided to zinc-coat it instead. The last few pictures show after the zinc electro-plating. It was set up just like the rust-removal electrolysis except I had to have an acidic bath and I bought some zinc anodes for source metal. I could have polished the zinc a little when it was done but that MIGHT have been going to far. I had to flip-flop the dash frame in the bath because I didn't have room to submerge the whole thing at once. Since my timing wasn't perfect the zinc didn't go on exactly the same on both ends, that's why the "overlap" is so visible.
11-13-17, 09:49 PM
#18
Thanks for the heads-up on the zinc wheel weights. I will probably never have to buy zinc again in my life though. The zinc I bought came in bars, I think about 5 lbs a piece and the minimum order was 6, so.....if you know anybody that needs some
I decided not to paint over the zinc coating on the dash frame. I think the reason it rusted in the first place was because the car was from Florida originally....I'm thinking it was close to the coast and the salty/humid air got to the unprotected metal. Only way I can think of a rusty interior part, but no rust in the common "problem areas".
I played around some more with the electrolysis and zinc plating on the little air deflectors for the front brakes. They were pitted and rusted (1st pic), and I wasn't happy with the way they came out of the blast cabinet (2nd pic). So I let them soak in the electrolysis vat for about 12 hours, then cleaned and into the zinc bath. I did end up painting these after coating since they are more likely to see some moisture and what-not.
I decided not to paint over the zinc coating on the dash frame. I think the reason it rusted in the first place was because the car was from Florida originally....I'm thinking it was close to the coast and the salty/humid air got to the unprotected metal. Only way I can think of a rusty interior part, but no rust in the common "problem areas".
I played around some more with the electrolysis and zinc plating on the little air deflectors for the front brakes. They were pitted and rusted (1st pic), and I wasn't happy with the way they came out of the blast cabinet (2nd pic). So I let them soak in the electrolysis vat for about 12 hours, then cleaned and into the zinc bath. I did end up painting these after coating since they are more likely to see some moisture and what-not.
11-13-17, 10:40 PM
#19
hehe as it so happens the reason why I know about cheap sources for Zn is because I'm casting some "gun metal*" alloy. But I already have all the zinc I require. If you needed small amounts of really pure stuff you don't have to smelt to make pure (like wheel weights) boating shops will have chunks of zinc for sale.
Back to the car, its good you caught those brake fresh air ducts in that condition. Usually they are some of the first things to rust out. Mine are kinda crusty but I just opted to put them back in when I painted as I don't live in the rust belt. And they look like they will last another 30 or so years.
*Gun metal is 85% Cu, 5% Pb, 5% Zn, and 5% Sn (for the most part). Shoulda seen the look on the scrap dealers face when I told him I wanted to BUY 60#s of copper.
11-14-17, 07:01 AM
#20
Rotary Enthusiast
"Shoulda seen the look on the scrap dealers face when I told him I wanted to BUY 60#s of copper"
LOL
11-16-17, 09:21 PM
#21
Its really the reason why my LSD and nicer looking rear end sit on my garage shelf and don't get installed on my RX7.
Last edited by Qingdao; 11-16-17 at 09:24 PM.
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Toruki (11-17-17)
11-19-17, 07:43 AM
#22
I pulled the dash out so I could start pulling out wiring that I don't need and to work on the pedals a little. I was really surprised at how rusty the dash frame was, considering how not-rusty the rest of the car is. I considered sand-blasting it or wire-wheeling but decided to try electrolysis after reading multiple threads on here about it. I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. Before pictures:
I love electrolysis - plug and play and let science do the work! Looks awesome. I especially like the zinc coating you did.
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jeremyferguson4444 (11-21-17)
11-19-17, 08:05 AM
#23
Really awesome attention to detail dude! I’m liking your build.
Care to divulge a bit more on the future plans for the car? You’re saying fuel injection and 6 speed, so will it be a 13-B, an REW or a Renesis or something else?
keep up the great work bud!
Nick
Care to divulge a bit more on the future plans for the car? You’re saying fuel injection and 6 speed, so will it be a 13-B, an REW or a Renesis or something else?
keep up the great work bud!
Nick
11-21-17, 08:11 PM
#24
Thread pirating no pun intended... I'm home forging a 3# navel cannon; 42mm bore. About mid 18th century style. Not terribly accurate to call it a 3 pounder, but more like a half sized 6 pound cannon.
Its really the reason why my LSD and nicer looking rear end sit on my garage shelf and don't get installed on my RX7.
Its really the reason why my LSD and nicer looking rear end sit on my garage shelf and don't get installed on my RX7.
11-21-17, 08:38 PM
#25
I figured this swap would get me the best of both worlds (fingers crossed)....plus, I'm too old to drive around in a 90's Camaro or corvette.....Here's some pictures of some of the "clean-up" I did on the wiring. Basically, instead of just hacking the unneeded components out, I unwrapped the entire harness and traced each wire and circuit (using the wiring diagrams) and removed all of the wires that aren't going to be used. This included the ecu, auto trans controller, cruise control unit, fuel pump relay, choke and check relay, a/c relays, solenoids, oscillators, rear wiper, washer, defroster, stereo system (will be replaced with modern unit), ect. But my OCD went into overdrive and I had to color-coordinate the ball of wires that I took out.