i ended up installing the oem aluminum undertray. i also removed the front lip and cleaned the oversprayed white paint off of it. here's the undertray installed:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC08794.jpg

a few nights ago, i pulled the bins to install the oem sound deadening. i found it in my parts supply and figured i'd put it in. when i removed the bins i noticed that i never installed the wiring harness for the lights on the storage bins. the connedtor was filled with expanding foam form the previous owner so i clipped it off and wired in a new connector. now i have working lights in the bins and the nice and itchy sound insulation installed. here are the pics:

before the insualtion was installed:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC08858.jpg

insulation with wiring in place:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC08864.jpg

and finally, working lights:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC08868.jpg

with the help of 82transam who was visiting from New Jersey, we got the exhaust on last weekend and i think it sounds pretty good. i made (with the help of some machine shop friends) a cat replacement pipe for the main converter. it was rotten and clogged. i removed the pipe from the pre cat to the test pipe and sanded down the flanges on a large belt sander and made sure they were perfectly flat and that there was no warping. i also shot blasted it and bead blasted it to ensure the rust was gone. painting it is next. all gaskets were replaced with oem gaskets. at any rate on to the pics:

newly used oem y pipe:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC08884.jpg

pipe from pre cat to main cat ready to be installed:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC08888.jpg

flat and clean flanges on the pre cat to main cat pipe:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC08890.jpg

test pipe:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC08887.jpg

new oem gaskets:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC08885.jpg

exhaust on the car:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC08891.jpg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC08892.jpg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC08893.jpg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC08897.jpg

will post a short video next...

one last video from the exhaust install that i forgot to post. i'll have to drive the car and take another. perhaps since its been running even better since these exhaust vids, i'll take a new one and post it up.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...h_MOV08895.jpg

Sounds soooooo much different than mine. I am pretty sure I have an old Mazdatrix system or RB system though.

replaced the gaskets for the third brake light the other day. went pretty well but the original outer gasket was a bear to remove. here are the pics:

light with old gaskets as it sat before the new gaskets:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC09070.jpg

the light with hard nasty gaskets removed from the car:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC09071.jpg

light with new gaskets ready for install:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC09072.jpg

and all back together with new gaskets:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...b/DSC09073.jpg

i was able to wax it the other day but ran out of daylight for the pics. i'll try and take some tomorrow!

next step may be some ceramic pads..kinda tough to find though. maybe i'll spring for the braided stainless brake hoses..

The new gasket looks good. Japan2LA has an awesome deal right now on SS braided lines. $25 shipped!

thanks for the heads up! i think i'll contact him!

i dont think he is selling a set of ss brake lines for $25. he was selling a ss clutch line for $25. maybe $25 for a single brake line.

^^that sounds more reasonable. i already have a SS clutch hose on the car that i bought from RB.

Haha. Good call. I saw his thread and he had 4 laying there. I thought it sounded a bit cheap. :)

mazdatrix sells the ssclutch line for 18 bucks.

i just felt that i had 2 inform u all
but my buddy just got rid of his fc, o yea i was nice, just needed a lil time and effort
well he got rid of it for a focus,, a fucking ford focus
i asked him, soo whens ur castration appointment?

your a good man,
thanks for repairing the the the way it should be done

thank you, i really appreciate that. the car deserves to be restored the right way.

Thanks for posting pics of your project,
you have some great cars and you do
the job right.
Be safe out there and have fun.

BTW: Have you ever had to chase down a rx7?
Hope Im not outta line asking, just curious.:biggrin:

thanks man! i've only seen one 7 on the highway when i was running speed enforcement and i thought about stopping him just to talk to the driver but decided not to just to be on the safe side. a guy in an FC passed by me with a loud exhaust so i followed him to his house and talked to him there. he was pretty apprehensive at first but lightened up a little bit. i told him about rx7club and he really didn't seem to care. a buddy of mine stopped an FC for like 87/65 and wrote the guy. he said the guy was kind of a jerk but had a skull crudely painted on the hood and the car was in primer. he said i probably would have written the guy not for the speed, but because he mistreated his 7 so badly, lol.

Great Restoration!

Makes me Want to do mine now. :D

don't hold back on the restoration! you'll have a blast and the results are woth it!

nice project, it came out great!!

i cant wait to get my project FC and fix it up. Actually the way i would want it to look is the way u did yours, im jealous lol

thank you very much for the compliments guys! i really put a lot of hard work into this car. i recently buffed it and it looks a ton better! i'll see if i can snaps some pics and post them today!

didnt get a chance to get the pics due to the rain. if i can get some today i'll post them up!