BrGreenSA

iTrader: (1)

Hey everyone! So I used to be pretty active around here until around 2014-2015-ish when I blew out my knee, couldn't drive my once-daily LS for a while. Unfortunately, as time went on, life happened and it kinda fell into serious cosmetic disrepair as of lately. I blame that partially on being an east coast car for most of its life, as just about every body panel is starting to show signs of rust. The worst is the sunroof area, which is beyond the point of rescue, in my opinion.

She certainly has seen better days:



While cosmetically it is pretty bad, my interior is pretty much all there, the 13b in it has about 30k miles on it since it was rebuilt around 2012-ish, trans shifts well, clutch still grabs hard, and I installed a full set of KYB shocks with RB springs right before I blew out my knee. They have maybe 100 miles on them.

So, with a rusted-out body, lapsed registration since it was most likely never going to see the road again, and a sudden desire to get back into an Rx7, what is one to do? Well, that's where this came in...





Here we have a 9/78 production '79 GS, non-sunroof model shell. The body is straight, all there, but most importantly, NO RUST. My dad came across it on Craigslist a couple weeks ago, he was just browsing around knowing I've been looking for a clean, straight, SA shell in CA for a long time to no real avail. I looked at this one, saw the VIN tag in the door sill, saw how early a 79 this was, and knew I had finally found the right candidate for what will basically amount to a body swap.

Pro's -

• Body is absolutely straight and rust free. Was rust-proofed 2 months after purchase by the original owner before it came out to CA in 1984-ish
• Interior - headliner and rear panels are mint - door panels are solid structurally, just need to be recovered. have the console surround, a lot of the little dash trim pieces, and the center console/arm rest.
• Has all exterior trim, rubbers, badges, etc
• 9/78 production date (has the hood prop on the passenger side, on the hood instead of the inner fender
• non-sunroof car - this was a must for me, seeing how bad the channels on my LS had gotten over time.
• Cheap as chips - paid $500 for it which in my eyes was not a bad deal.

The cons? Well, there are certainly a few that I have noticed so far.

• Starting with the drivetrain - there isn't any...no engine, transmission, or driveshaft as they were harvested from it to breathe life into a Spark Yellow car with a bad motor and an autotragic transmission. Not sure of the rear end condition.
• Interior - the mint black dash and just about all of the components were also harvested for another car I believe. I'm left with basically the support structure, the air ducting, the wiring which thankfully was not cut, the console surround, some of the plastic under dash pieces, what appears to be a factory Nardi wheel from a Miata, a pair of 2nd gen seats, which I'm told may be turbo II seats, and the parcel shelf sheetmetal. Appears the rear hatch mechanism was ripped out and destroyed in order to get the hatch open but thankfully, mine will swap over. Carpet was wasted.
• No keys as there is no door locks, no ignition, and no hatch lock. Will have to re-use all of mine.
• Tail lights are missing - can just transfer mine over but not sure if you can still get the rubber seals anywhere...
• Body - it was resprayed back in 1985-86 I believe? Per the service history, it seemed to be involved in a minor fender bender. The rear quarter was affected slightly but feeling around the inside of the panel it seems to have been a decent job at least. Paint is pretty much gone. May be able to bring it back to tolerable so I can drive the car around a bit once I get it done, but it will definitely need to be painted at some point - plan to restore it to the factory silver.

This is gonna be a bit of an undertaking, for sure, but my goal is to have it running, driving, and registered by the end of the year. I haven't driven a 7 in at least 3 years, so needless to say I'm VERY motivated to get this thing back on the street where it belongs. Unfortunately at the end of the road, once I've basically harvested everything from the green car that I can, the shell will most likely go off to scrap. That'll be a hard day for me, being my first car, my first 7, a lot of good memories, and the fact that it'll be another Leather Sport lost, but it's nice to know I can at least keep another special 7 alive. I'll bring a few little pieces into the new car from the green car that will at least remind me of it whenever I drive it. My green key will be used since I have to keep all of my locks/ignition, and I'll definitely be saving the green pool ball shift **** I made for it.

Anyways, enough back story, onto the build thread. Didn't waste any time getting it off the trailer and something done to it. Stripped down what was left of the interior. Sending the door panels off to get re-covered, along with the seats out of my '80 shortly. Will also be looking into a new carpet kit and door weatherstripping.





You can see I wasn't kidding when I said it had NO dash. What you see there is pretty much what I started with in that area. Pulled out the wasted carpet, the 2nd gen seats (which are for sale if anyone wants them) and a most of the sound deadening.



Took me a while to get the seats out since whoever put them in either crossthreaded or over-tightened ever single bolt. Much too many ugga-duggas for a car seat...

Got a long to-do list, but next I want to get the taillights on, install the rear hatch mechanism and lock from my car along with the door locks so I can start locking parts in it when I'm not going to be working on it. Need to check the fuel tank to see if it's in any sort of serviceable shape, wire up the fuel pump.

I'll type up a list in another post later today so I can keep track of my progress with anyone that cares enough to read my ramblings here...lol. It's going to be a bit of a road but I really am looking forward to driving a 7 again!

BrGreenSA

iTrader: (1)

To-Do list (will get more detailed as time goes on, not necessarily in order of importance) -

1. Engine, transmission, driveshaft, and possibly rear end out of my '80 to be installed into this '79
2. Dash/general interior - remove everything from '80 (dash cap, gauge cluster, various trim pieces, ignition and steering column switch cluster, switches, choke cable, radio and shifter console, glovebox, steering wheel) and install into '79. Thankfully all the wiring seems to be original and present, hopefully everything will transfer over relatively easily. Will need to dye/paint some of the little trim pieces or source black pieces, will need black dash cap cover as my '80 interior is brown. Install rear view mirror. Clean up wiring and correct a/c ducting
3. Seats - re-foam and re-cover my 80 seats to go into the 79. 79 came with 2nd gen seats with sit me too high and too close to be drive-able. Will be sticking with black on the seats but will be doing black/blue/grey plaid inset as an homage to some of the earlier cars with the plaid seats
4. Doors/door panels - structurally sound, just need to be re-covered. Will match the plaid in the seats on the door panels, along with black vinyl. Need to try to source door lock surrounds and door handle cups in black - all were destroyed. Re-install outer door lock cylinders. New weatherstripping. Inspect and service window regulators as needed...
5. Carpet - sticking with black carpet but not doing the factory style cut pile as I'm not a fan. Will do dynamat or something similar for sound deadening
6. Stereo - needs to be re-wired, will keep the factory speaker locations. May add a sub and amp hidden under the parcel shelf if possible
7. Rear hatch - install latching mechanism, rear deck light and lock, check wiring to dash switch
8. Tail lights - install from 80 car - will most likely need to source new gaskets, or make my own if not available.
9. Rear antennae - on the fence if I want to go to an electric raise unit or a fixed length, but something needs to go there...lol
10. Fuel - check fuel tank condition, may need to swap tank in from 80 car, or have 79 tank re-lined. Wire up electric fuel pump from 80 car. Inspect and R&R fuel lines as needed
11. Brakes - inspect, R&R as needed - seem to be working fine, biggest thing for me is checking brake lines and flushing fluid - they seem to function "okay" at the moment, but haven't driven it, obviously...
12. Suspension/steering - inspect, R&R components as needed. Car seems to have been very well cared for by the original owner. All the steering components I saw when looking at the car underneath seemed to be in actually pretty good shape. If that's the case I will most likely just be swapping my KYB shocks and RB springs from the 80 into this car.
13. Pedal assembly - swap manual trans assembly from 80 into 79, install and plumb clutch master cyl.
14. Transmission - change oil - will most likely leave attached to the motor when I pull everything free from the 80 as everything seems to be functioning adequately.
15. Driveline/rear end - want to change fluids and inspect rear end prior to installing driveline as I am not sure of the condition. If everything checks out will just keep this rear end in the car for the time being. Would like to swap in LSD unit but not a must at this time. Install driveline with new u-joints
16. Exhaust - full RB setup from 80 car - header, presilencer, straight pipe into a RB 2.5" (I believe) muffler - to be swapped in. New turndown tip to be welded on muffler
17. Engine - full service and tune up, R&R components as needed, change all consumables (Plugs, filters, belts, hoses, etc) . Flush cooling system after installed in car, check radiator for leaks/overall integrity. Change oil cooler lines to braided. Compression check to check on health. Seems to all be in good condition. Doesn't seem to have any oiling or coolant jacket issues. Still will start and run just fine at this point in time. Re-do RTV on oil pan as it is weeping substantially.
18. Body - Full repaint down the road, but going to try to buff/polish out the paint as is to make it weekend driver worthy. Most likely will remove black rubber trim pieces down the side, not sure if I want to try to refresh them or just leave them off. Clean up/repaint badges by hand. Repair rear Mazda badge - one of the mounting points broken off. Clean up brightwork. Replace any weatherstripping/rubbers as needed. Steam clean engine bay prior to installing engine/trans into car. Install electric driver's side mirror.
19. Wheels/Tires - For now, polish wheels, refresh the black painted areas. New tires - not sure if anyone still makes a white letter tire in 13" for these wheels but would be nice to know if so, seems like it would be period correct-ish. Might see if I can get the wheels on the 80 repaired, couple of the ribs are bent, all 4 curb damage. Not even sure what they are after having them on there for 7 years, so not sure if they are ever worth fixing. Steal spare tire/wheel from 80 car. Will need to install new tire, even though it would be cool to keep the original Bridgestone on there. May be looking at a set of custom Simmons wheels imported from Australia.

Potential future upgrades?

• Add boost?
• FI conversion?
• Whale tail spoiler?
• Electric windows?
• E-Fan?

All I can think of for now. Pardon the "all-over-the-place-ness" was just typing stuff down as I thought of it...lol

midnight mechanic

is that a 60's t-bird?

BrGreenSA

iTrader: (1)

58. Belongs to my dad. Really cool car.

midnight mechanic

Vince Vega (John travolta) drove one in "pulp fiction". I fantasize that I am Vince Vega driving slow and cautious in a cool classic car because I am shooting up mexican tar heroin. In reality, I don't even drink but I still drive a cool classic car.

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

That's going to be a fun project!! What color was your LS originally, I can't remember? If we were closer I would offer to buy your LS once you were finished taking off what you didn't use or want.

BrGreenSA

iTrader: (1)

It was originally an Aurora White car - engine bay was never painted. Fun fact about it, at the dealer the original owner of it opted against the gold waffles, and went with the standard steel wheels with dealer optioned wire wheel hub caps...think I still have them somewhere, the center cap on them even has the Mazda logo...

It'll hurt quite a bit to send it to the scrapper but at the very least I will be stripping just about everything usable off of it for spares before I do.

BrGreenSA

iTrader: (1)

Well, knocked a couple small things off the list. Got the hatch latch mechanism/lock installed, put the taillights on. Felt weird to be taking parts off my 80 but such is life...starting to look like a real car. Need to try to find a set of seals for the taillights otherwise I'm gonna have to figure out another solution. Will also need to extend the wiring for the remote hatch release, the plugin on the unit is on the passenger side but the wiring only reaches to the left side - I'm guessing this is a symptom of 80 VS 9/78...

Also dropped my seats and door panels off for recovering. Got something pretty neat planned for those, will post up as soon as they're done. Need to get the carpet kit ordered. Next up is I want to get the door locks installed, steam clean the engine bay and start transferring the dash and dash-related items from my 80. Gonna try to get as mych wrench time in this weekend as I can since I can't do much during the week. Have to take advantage of daylight since I'm not in a work shop and I currently live an hour from my dad's where the cars are stored. Gonna be a bit of a slow-going project but I'm determined to have it running and driving by end of the year...

BrGreenSA

iTrader: (1)

Got a decent chunk of stuff knocked out today. Stripped a lot of crap out of the old green car (wiring was beyond atrocious) and got my steering column, switches, and ignition moved over. Also got door locks installed and working. Next is to get the dash framework and the remainder of dash related items over. Need to find a clean black dash cap or get the one that glues over top of my old one. Also need to order the carpet kit, seats and door panels are out for recover right now. Interior is coming along quickly, once I'm near completion there I'll be looking at yanking the motor, transmission, and driveshaft out of the green car to go in. Then it's tackle all little ancillaries to hopefully get this thing on the road by the end of the year.

Pics to follow later.

BrGreenSA

iTrader: (1)

Well, never delivered on the pics last time, but made some really good progress since the last post:







Decided to go ahead and install my dash from the 80 since I'm just going to do the plastic topper for now. Got just about everything wired up. Glovebox door is wrong unfortunately. Appears to be for an FB, not an SA as it is made of a soft-ish material and doesn't have the trim piece along the top, but it will work for now. Gauge cluster is in, time will tell if the speedo cable in the 79 is any good...still have a few odds and ends to tie up under the dash, painting the center panels for the dash/shifter black, wire up the switches and radio, need to swap over my manual pedal assembly, and need to get the AC unit in from the 80 into the 79. Carpet kit and dash topper are on order, door panels and seats should be back from the upholsterer by Friday. Once I get to about 90% done on the inside I'll be looking at starting the motor/transmission transplant.

Making good progress. Would be super cool if I could somehow get this running, driving, and registered for SevenStock this year, but probably won't happen. Like to think of myself as a bit of a Jeremy Clarkson - "Ambitious, but rubbish..."

Little bonus - my dad's 79 Limited he just picked up as well. He went the easy way and picked up a runner/driver...lol. I've already called dibs on the louvres....

BrGreenSA

iTrader: (1)

Didn't do too much work this weekend. High Desert weather in California has been triple digits - not conducive to doing what amounts to a full body swap...

Picked up my seats and door panels from upholstery. Will be keeping black interior but wanted to set it apart a little bit. Bit of an homage to the early 7's with the plaid interiors:





The plaid, from what I have been told, is the same fabric that VW uses in the new GTI's, can't really confirm or deny, but I love how it came out. The idea for the blue actually came from the sun-faded black carpet that looked kind of blue when I got the car - thought it and black would go well together.

Got the cars next to each other for the transplant. Just a few things to button up in the interior before I get to the point of the engine swap (pedal assembly, AC box, carpet, install seats, door panels, and dash cap). Next weekend I'll probably start disconnecting everything from the engine/transmission in the green car to get them ready to stab into the silver car. At that point, it's just hooking everything up...even got them next to each other now to prep for the transplant...



My pie in the sky goal is to have the silver car running reliably, driveable and registered for Seven Stock this year...if I buckle down and really focus on this project I think it's doable. Worst case I'd like to be driving it by 2020...

Toruki

That blue plaid is sweet. Nice work.