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my 84 GSL-SE restoration

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Old Oct 25, 2010 | 08:27 AM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by j9fd3s
yep! mazda actually sells little spacer things just for that

AHHH ok I see what you meant in your earlier post, I thought you meant they were spacers that go along the bottom to keep the windshield from slipping down toward the cowl as the glue dries (my Trans Am has those, thats why I say that)
Didn't realize they made spacers to keep it from protruding too much. I will definatly invest in a set of those next time I need to do a windsheild on a FB project!
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Old Oct 25, 2010 | 12:49 PM
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Wow, that's one heck of project. Doesn't look like there's nothing left, lol, but if anyone can rebuild her it's you.
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Old Oct 25, 2010 | 11:47 PM
  #28  
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ok, as promised, updated pictures of the car. the car is home in my driveway and is a roller at this point. tomorrow if the rain holds off, it will be a complete RX-7 sans an engine and trans. if i am feeling up to it, i will install a complete maroon interior. but for now, here are some pictures as of 15 mins ago:

as it sat when it i started in on it today. it was without suspension. before it was loaded, me, my father in law, and the previous owner installed a complete front suspension from an 85 GSL and a rear axle from an 85 GS (its all i had):





as it sat when i was finished with it this evening:









before the junk was cleaned out of it:





after:



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Old Oct 25, 2010 | 11:51 PM
  #29  
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here are a couple random pics from today:

the 85 GSL doner car:



ready to go:



loading the GSL-SE:



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Old Oct 26, 2010 | 05:54 AM
  #30  
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Looking good! I wish I had the money and time for extra RX's.
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Old Oct 26, 2010 | 07:10 AM
  #31  
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Glad you got it home safe Dave, good luck with resurrecting it.
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Old Oct 26, 2010 | 07:57 AM
  #32  
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nice......... u got her home.i am sure you r going to make her beautiful again.
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Old Oct 26, 2010 | 08:30 AM
  #33  
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Wow, what a difference a a suspension makes, LOL!

What was wrong with the donor car? It looks fine from here. Rust?

You wouldn't by any chance happen to own/have access to the 300zx in the picture you posted?

I'd pay to have it's third brake light, lol.
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Old Oct 26, 2010 | 08:49 AM
  #34  
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Sweet, love the green accents in the carpet. Too bad you're not closer, I've got a GSL rear end that practically give ya outta my old 85.

DF, there were a couple Z's like that in the pick-n-pull out by my place last time I was there. I can gomlook this weekend for that brake light of you'd like.
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Old Oct 26, 2010 | 10:03 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by duffman692002
DF, there were a couple Z's like that in the pick-n-pull out by my place last time I was there. I can gomlook this weekend for that brake light of you'd like.
Thanks, but I don't want anybody to have to go to any lengths for me.
Especially If dunno if it would even work, or look right. I just thought that
300zx might be real close to him.

I sincerely appreciate the offer though.
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Old Oct 26, 2010 | 10:48 AM
  #36  
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well to answer some questions, the donor car is so rusty that the control arms had fallen off and had been haphazardly welded back on. the wheel wells are nearly gone, the right front wheel well has about a 10in section of rust that i can stick my fingers through, and there are spots of rust developingon the floor pan. i was going to try and bring it back, but its just too far gone. it will donate most of its parts to the red SE, including the maroon interior. its front suspension already lives in the SE.
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Old Oct 26, 2010 | 10:50 AM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by duffman692002
Sweet, love the green accents in the carpet. Too bad you're not closer, I've got a GSL rear end that practically give ya outta my old 85
you would be a saint for a donation like that..and i wish i were closer too. up north, they are difficult to find. neat thing is that this SE originally cam from TX. it was from Irving TX.
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Old Oct 26, 2010 | 10:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Directfreak
300zx in the picture you posted?

I'd pay to have it's third brake light, lol.
its only 20 mins from my house. i'll ask the guy if he's willing to part with it and if it works. it looked like he was restoring the car but it may be something that he is not planning on using or has an extra.
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Old Oct 26, 2010 | 11:45 AM
  #39  
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Quick good work Dave. Enjoyed seeing the pics.
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Old Oct 26, 2010 | 01:15 PM
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Originally Posted by mazdaverx713b
you would be a saint for a donation like that..and i wish i were closer too. up north, they are difficult to find. neat thing is that this SE originally cam from TX. it was from Irving TX.
Ha, really? I don't live far from Irving, lol. I bet you'll find a lil Rotary Performance sticker on the lower part of the hood, almost every FB I've come across here has been there at some point in its life. Maybe a road trip is in order, The DFW rx7 club meets the first Saturday of every month...just sayin'.
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Old Oct 26, 2010 | 09:18 PM
  #41  
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here are today's updates. the rain really put a damper on my work day but i was able to get the driver's side window regulator and motor in and get the window on track and rolled up. i started the maroon interior install by putting in the maroon driver's door panel. i also installed the antenna, rear wiper motor and arm, right tail light and the center panel. i need to re-glue the outer seal on the left tail light. i also sanded and duraglassed a small hole on the rear of the car by the hatch glass.





here's the reason why the black GSL is now the doner car..although i hate doing this to a 7 that i wanted to restore:





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Old Oct 26, 2010 | 11:36 PM
  #42  
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Impressive one day progress Dave.

That rust cancer is some of the worst I've seen. Good job performing a transplant Doctor.
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Old Oct 26, 2010 | 11:48 PM
  #43  
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thanks Mike! in the lack of rust aspect, you are very lucky to live in CA!!

i will try and get more done tomorrow before work..which is 7p-7a.. tomorrow's task will include replacement(transplant) of the front fenders, headlights, header panel, lower valance, bumper, and possibly the hood(due to one broken bolt in the hood..which i will attempt to extract befor ereplacement).

after the body panels are on, i will install all proper mouldings and start pulling the complete interior, fixing any rust i see and swapping the interior over to the maroon interior from the black car. i'd stay with the gray interior but the car was left open for a lont time and there are tiny plants growing from the carpet and the carpet stinks like...i dunno, but its really musty. after the interior goes in..or maybe before, i'm not sure yet, i will replace the windshield.
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Old Oct 27, 2010 | 08:02 AM
  #44  
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I'd do the windshield before putting your good dash in there, just in case you slip with the razor or something, would be a shame to ding up the dash.... Looking good otherwise, and yea I didn't realize the rust was so bad on that black GSL, didnt' look at it that close when I was out there in June I guess, sucks to scrap one, but that one is definatly shot....
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Old Oct 27, 2010 | 07:45 PM
  #45  
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From: https://www2.mazda.com/en/100th/
Originally Posted by mazdaverx713b
thanks Mike! in the lack of rust aspect, you are very lucky to live in CA!!

fixing any rust i see and swapping the interior over to the maroon interior from the black car. i'd stay with the gray interior but the car was left open for a lont time and there are tiny plants growing from the carpet and the carpet stinks like...i dunno
since i'm a mike too, i can answer too... my brother sanded the gas door of his vw to bare metal a year ago, and it hasn't rusted yet, and its been a year.

the red/maroon looks funky! i think its a valid color combo though... and um yeah when the plants grow out of the carpet, its bad....

back in the day i bought a maroon with maroon gsl-se, and it bugged me so much i bought a grey interior for it, which i never put in cause the car got totalled...
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Old Oct 28, 2010 | 02:01 AM
  #46  
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the red/maroon combo is a little overpowering..but the long term plan is to paint the car custom silver metallic, color code V9, which was only availabe in 85. i dont think the custom silver metallic with the maroon interior isnt bad at all. it will be the same color combo as pjr's turbo SE:

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Old Oct 28, 2010 | 02:54 AM
  #47  
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^^^^ I thought that was tornado dilver? ^^^^
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Old Oct 28, 2010 | 06:16 AM
  #48  
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in 84 it was tornado silver metallic. in 85 they eliminated tornado silver and changed the color slightly and called it custom silver metallic. i have two gas doors, one in K8, tornado silver and the other in V9, custom silver. i'll snag them and post a pic of them side by side for comparison.
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Old Oct 28, 2010 | 06:39 AM
  #49  
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i found my tornado silver gas door but i'll have to go to the shed to get the custom silver one..and i'm going to bed.. worked last night from 7pm to 7am this morning. for now, here's where i'm at with the body on the car. i've done more and i'll get pics of that this afternoon after i get up.

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Old Oct 28, 2010 | 07:09 AM
  #50  
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That's cool Dave, good luck with the project. Boy, when you sink your teeth in you don't let go. Wish I could make progress like that, you've went further in a couple days than I've got in a couple months. Too bad we need those time consuming & pesky jobs to fund things.
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