that is a TON of work, but it turned out really nice!

 

I found one small-ish repair I did that I forgot to put in the last post (which seems to have lost all of its punctuation for some reason?).

When I changed to an aftermarket steering wheel ~4 years ago, my NRG hub crushed the infamous turn-signal cam. It still worked for a few years, albeit with a slight squeaky noise. Removing it to pull the dash broke it completely though, splitting the nylon in half. After one futile attempt to glue the cam back together I decided to replace it, but unfortunately it's NLA from Mazda.

I created a thread trying to find a source, and DC5Daniel saved the day with an STL file. I ended up buying a 3D printer and printing it out of ABS. You can find the pictures and settings in that thread. Reinstalled it, put the wheel back on, and my turn signals still didn't cancel.

From then I removed the whole assembly from the steering column to crack it open and see what was going on inside:

(Forgive the cell-phone photos)


I was wondering exactly how this worked, and it turns out it's just brushes and traces. Presumably whether the brushes are making a circuit "tells" the system when to cancel the turn signals. The brushes had been flattened somewhat (likely by my ape-like attempt to crank the wheel back down after reinstalling the dash, with the deformed cam still in there). Bending them back and re-greasing the rings solved the issue.



Finally my turn signals cancel again. Frankly I could have lived with it not working, but I want it to be a car that someone can jump into and drive without needing a ten minute explanation of all the parts that are broken. And the 3D printer has so many different uses that I don't doubt I'll be printing more parts in the future

 

Thank you There's still a ways to go, but it's coming together one piece at a time.

 

The alternator guy said my stator was bad, and that I needed a new alternator (he doesn't replace the stators himself). I found a good price on a stator online and installed it myself, then it failed in the exact way the previous one did: Worked fine at first, then the moment I blip the throttle voltage drops to 12 and the alternator gets really hot. So something else wrong in the alternator killed two stators.

At this point the only thing I can think of that hasn't been replaced was the rotor itself. I ended up just ordering a brand new alternator. At this point I have spent significantly more than the replacement cost on parts to try and fix my current one. I won't be able to paint this one with wrinkle-paint to match the intakes anymore without voiding the warranty, so I guess they just won't match.

I decided to work on some other miscellaneous tasks in the meantime:




Finally installed the JDM FTP lenses I've had for awhile. I polished them ages ago, but then realized I didn't have the hardware (it's an M5 nut) to install it. My old lenses had M4 hardware I had JB Welded into place where the broken studs went, and once one flew out on my drive to work and my dad found it in the ditch later. Hopefully these ones will stay more secure

I also intend on making these into daytime running lights at some point, but until then I just like the way they look better than the originals.



Removed my old pedals. Not even sure where I got these, but they're too "busy" for my liking and the brake / clutch pedals are clunky.



Found these stock covers in my shed in a box. They're worn, but they'll work for now. Long term I'd like to get a set of aluminum pedals like the Rx8 has.



Installed. Forgive the dusty dash and ugly carpet.

Speaking of which, I was procrastinating on putting the interior in since much of it will have to be pulled when I replace the carpets. I decided to just reinstall it anyways though, since the car is much more pleasant to drive with a mismatched interior than with no interior at all.





Wrapping up the home-made harness I made a few years ago for my rear wiper (hatch was originally wiper-less). I thought the harness would be there, but Mazda says in the FSM that it isn't included in "low-grade" models. Gee, thanks Mazda.





to be continued.

 

(continued)

I had a rust spot on my sunroof. You know the drill...

Sand, sand, sand, fill, sand sand sand, mask, prime, sand, sand sand, prime again, sand sand sand:



Then paint with colour match paint:







I had learned a few things from working on the quarter panel:

- I can't replicate a compound curve worth a damn
- The stock Rx-7 3A paint (Royal Maroon Metallic) is transparent, meaning I needed 9-10 lighter coats to achieve proper colour. If you don't pay attention to this you'll see the primer underneath.
- Metallic single-stage paints are basically impossible to blend. When you wet-sand it, you sand down into the metallic particles since there is no clear coat and cause a "sparkly" look. Even if you don't wet-sand, the difference in the metallic particles will be apparent if you look closely.

Now I can safely say I haven't improved in the first aspect since I can still "see" the repair area on the sunroof. I was certain I had it smooth at the primer stage and then once I painted it the spot became more apparent. But I did definitely improve on the second and third. The paint is the same level of smoothness from the repair area out into the stock paint, and I was able to get a half-decent blend by going straight to compound and then polish instead of wet-sanding.

Overall I'm fine with it for now. All of my bodywork is merely to stop rust from progressing and keep the car all the same colour until I get a professional to fix it properly.

I also need to replace the sunroof seal, and despite cleaning and re-greasing the entire mechanism the roof still needs help to pop-up. Having a functional alternator may help but I suspect at this point the motor is just tired.

The alternator should arrive sometime this weekend, so hopefully I'll make some more progress then. Until next time

 

I've never really been one for maroon interior, but this mix with the black is pretty sexy! Great work on this!

 

My new alternator arrived, and despite looking correct in the ad there were obvious problems. The case design made it interfere with the bracket slightly, it was a little bit shorter than my previous 3G alternator, and the hole on the adjustment ear was non-threaded. Perhaps there were a few variants of the Ford 3G alternator? It was also clocked differently and the stock B+ connection wouldn't fit the end of my B+ cable.

Now since most of this is a custom solution I can't really complain about the alternator (it was technically as advertised), but it wasn't going to work without modifications. So in keeping with tradition I immediately voided the warranty on my brand new alternator by swapping the entirety of it's guts into the case I was using before.


The old rotor.


Brand new shiny pieces hiding inside the previous casing.

The new alternator came with a slip indicating it was tested to produce 170A at 6000rpm, so I guess I've just upped my charging system even further.

The next problem was the windshield wipers:

1. They sit really high.
2. They have a very short sweep (as in probably less than 45 degrees)
3. There is so much slack I can grab one and move them 10 degrees or so without a hint of resistance. They also make a loud clunk noise.
4. They are slow. I think this is normal for an 80's car, but it's still a problem.


I'm not sure how well it shows on camera, but this is the resting position of the wipers. The dust line in the top left is the height of the wiper sweep.


Mazda left a convenient hole to make removing the linkages simple. Unfortunately they also left several sharp screws pointing through the firewall from the dash side (ouch!).



With the whole wiper system out the problem is pretty apparent:




Zoinks! That's where all that slack was coming from.

The design of the linkage relies on two bushings (four, really, but two that failed) in the shorter arm on the work table. The bushings clip into the arm, then pop onto the motor and the linkage under the passenger wiper. Over time the bushings pop loose from the arm, meaning that the wipers still work but the arm is now colliding with the base of the ball that fits inside the bushing. Obviously this means a bunch of motion on the motor side isn't transmitted to the wiper arms.

I first called Mazda and they quoted me $50 for a new arm (the only way the bushings are sold is with a new arm) and 5+ business days for it to arrive. I don't mind replacing the arm if I have to but I decided to try fixing mine first. Attempt 1.0 was to JB Weld the bushings back into the arm. Predictably they simply exploded the moment I activated the wipers. Oh well, worth a shot.

Attempt 2.0 was to design and 3D print new bushings:


Settled on this final design after 8 prototypes.

It's fairly simple; A cylinder with a negative space inside shaped like a sphere. I massaged the sphere a bit in Blender to look more like the ball joint on the linkages and then made test pieces until I'd refined the final design. I also put a small ridge around the outer circumference to help retain it in the arm, but I used a smear of JB Weld as insurance. They fit fairly tightly but move smoothly. They also have some extra space to hold a bunch of grease, since I'm not sure what ABS's wear properties are and I don't have any other filament on-hand. If I get a few years between replacements then I'm satisfied.

And after all that I forgot to take a picture of them in the arm before reassembly...



Success! The wipers park down where they should and actually sweep more like 80 degrees! Nothing like a modern car unfortunately, but they work. I also cleaned and re-greased the motor but can't really tell any difference in speed. I can live with it for now but I may want to find some sort of upgrade in the future if possible.

A fairly underwhelming update I'm sure since the results are a functional charging system and less-lackluster wipers, but I'm fairly happy with the results. I was also able to sell a few sets of wheels I had meaning I have some extra funds around for the next parts purchase. I haven't decided quite what to spend it on yet, but hopefully more updates to come soon.

Until next time

 

Thank you! I had originally intended on a full black interior conversion and just did the two-tone as a temporary thing, but it's definitely grown on me. I'll probably be keeping it this way as long as it looks right once the rest of the interior is together.

I wouldn't mind the maroon interior so much if A. My whole interior was maroon and not a mix of different colours, and B. It didn't fade to green/yellow in the sunlight.

 

With the profits from selling my leftover wheels (no, really, I actually got back more than I spent on them) I decided to buy some new carpets.

I purchased the much hated ACC carpet. It’s available on Rockauto and on eBay. I paid a little more to get the one on eBay since I’ve had issues with Rockauto and avoid doing business with them when possible.

I may do a write-up on a complete installation guide (complete with the errors I made and how to work around some of the flaws in the ACC Carpet), so this is a really macro view of this little project. I probably spent between 24-48 hours total on the carpeting project, though this also included optional tasks.

I ordered the complete replacement carpet set in black, regular cut-pile, mass-backed.



Here’s how it arrived. Box is a bit beat up but nothing major.



The floor carpet looked normal. The instructions say to let it settle for awhile before installation. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the carpet actually (more to come on this later). It’s very plush and thick, and the mass-backing is really sturdy. Better than the stock carpet even, although obviously 36 years of age and sunlight skews the comparison.

The hatch carpet and small pieces that sit at either side of the rear cargo area showed some issues out of the box. The pieces themselves looked alright but the stitching was of pretty poor quality. Lots of loose loops and the outer seam on the stitch was too far out (as in, the stitching machine was set like 1-2mm offset from the actual edge of the carpet).

Here’s a close-up:



See how the outer seam appears on the left? That’s normal, but then after the loose loop on the right the seam vanished. Unfortunately most of the stitching was like this. I actually didn’t think it was super noticeable, but since I paid for a new carpet I figured I should get something that is made correctly. I contacted the eBay seller and they manufactured a new piece and shipped it to me completely free of charge. Regardless of your opinion of the ACC Carpet itself, I had excellent customer service from “automatstore” on eBay.

In the meantime I started to work on the floor carpet:






Comparison. Obviously the new is much better than my gross dyed carpet. The old carpet was also starting to disintegrate slightly, which I can only assume is from age.





My floor (pre-cleaning). The trans tunnel must have gotten pretty hot to melt the padding from the stock carpet into the sound deadening material. The area by the passenger seat mounts at some point got so hot the sound deadening has burned and is crumbly. I scraped off all the loose bits and vacuumed everything out before giving it a wipe-down with brake cleaner.

I decided a long time ago I wanted to install sound-deadening. The added weight is unfortunate but hopefully the trade-off is worth it. I went with Noico, since it seems to be identical to Dynamat and I don’t care about brand name on something that you’ll never see…



Halfway there



Done.

I also did the rear wheel arches, door skins, parts of the storage bin floor that didn’t already have deadening, and the spare tire well. The floor of the cargo area already had some self-adhesive closed-cell foam that I had installed a few years ago. I’d like to replace it with the Noico stuff in the future if I find it was effective.

Each box is 36 sqft, and I needed more than one box but less than two. I would likely use most of the second box doing the hatch floor and completing the bin area which brings the total cost to $160 CAD, at $80/box.

To be continued.

 

continued:



I was considering reusing the padding from the stock carpet since it looked like it was in good shape. But it had a smell I can only describe as “wrong”. It probably wouldn’t be noticeable in the car (I didn’t notice it before I removed the carpets at all) but I decided not to chance it. The ACC carpet has some jute padding in the same areas as the stock carpet but not nearly the same thickness.



Added some of the self-adhesive closed-cell foam that I had already. Did both the driver and passenger sides. After installing the carpet I’m glad I did this, since the padding that comes on the carpet would not have been adequate.



Put in the carpet and slit it slowly down the middle as it worked into place. Once the crossbar for the seat mounts was in place, I started working my way out from the center console and tucking it under the dash while trimming.

Most of the carpet fit into place reasonably well, but as mentioned in Aaroncake’s build thread from a few years ago there are some obvious problems:

- None of the seat mounts are deep enough so the carpet tends to need some stretching to fit. Not visible since it’s under the seat, but still a real pain in the *** to install.

- The carpet is just slightly too long front to back, so the part that runs along the bottom of the doorframe bunches up and pops out. I had to make a slit in the rear under the trim panel on either side to make the bunches flatten out properly.

- The angle of the front of the carpet is too wide. This is sort of hard to describe, but the angle between the bottom of the floor and the flat face between the floor and firewall is greater than the stock carpet, so when you install the ACC carpet it won’t sit flat. Again you need to make a slit to relieve this extra material.

Take a look at what I mean:



On this side it’s hidden by the kick panel and the dead pedal. On the passenger side, I made an error. Since I started with that side I hadn’t yet realized what the issue was, so when cutting to fit under the passenger kick panel I made a cut that went too far down the side. Then once I realized that it wasn’t fitting due to the issue mentioned above, making the cut where I needed to make it let it sit properly but exposed the first cut I had made:



The tab on the right tucks in under the trim piece, but you can see in the corner where I had to stick a piece of carpet behind to fill in the area I had originally cut. I know it’s only partially my fault (since the carpet is plain molded wrong), and it isn’t terribly visible unless pointed out, but man it sucks that I made that error. Going to have to get nice floor mats to cover the edge.

Other than the above issues, the floor went reasonably well.

Then I decided to convert the storage bins. I’ve already talked about how the interior dye works, so here are the pictures:





Carpet out. I was thinking the bin top would come apart with screws and the carpet was pinned in there, but it was actually just glued.

Forgot to take a final picture before reinstalling, but you’ll see it shortly. The bins are plastic and after a degreasing and light wet-sanding they took the dye really well. Trying to glue in the mass-backed carpet was tricky since spray adhesive didn’t want to stick. I ended up using contact cement which worked reasonably well. I did not do anything to the inside of the bins since one side I use for amps and the other side for tools and a service manual, so I never open them anyways.

About this time the replacement cargo area carpet arrived. I pull it out of the box and… the nap on the carpet doesn’t match. The stitching is good, but the nap being different looked weird. I tried my best not to care about it, but I couldn’t fight it:



This is the only picture I have that really shows the difference.

Now, I’m about 90% sure that what happened is that despite ordering the regular cut-pile carpet, I originally received a set made of the upgraded “Essex” cut-pile carpet. This is why it was so plush and high quality.

Then when I requested a replacement set for the cargo area they remade my order, but actually used the requested carpet. I can’t go requesting another – what would I even request? A replacement worse quality floor to match the worse quality cargo area? Another replacement cargo area with the upgraded material to match my floor when I technically already got a replacement for what I ordered?

I decided I cared less about the bad stitching on the original than the difference in material and went ahead and installed that.

To be continued.

 

continued:

How it sits now:











This photo is crappy, but I also disassembled the seat belt receivers and converted them to black (originally grey). I considered trying to resell them to fund a set of factory black receivers but the plastic was so faded and gross that they were in terrible shape anyways. Now they look new, so I’m happy with that choice. On the lookout for a set of factory black manual seatbelts since I certainly can’t dye the grey belts. Also, the maroon door handles still stick out a bit. Anyone know if RHD inner door handles are compatible?

Other minor things I worked on:

- Stereo is now mounted solidly. Using the boxed speakers for now since the door speaker situation has become a bit complicated.

- Repaired the broken dash tabs for my instrument cluster hood (thanks to cone_crushr for the STL file)

- Repaired all the broken screw holes on the cluster hood itself where the switches mount. Most of the force holding the switches in is still the harness itself, but better than before and not creaking anymore.

- Repaired the screw holes on the steering column plastic surround.

And lastly, my brand new alternator started pouring out smoke and the stator wires melted together:



I’m going to go through the entire charging system again (again again, since I already did it last time). At this point I don’t know whether to spend the money on another new alternator or on an exorcist, since apparently my car is cursed to never have a working charging system. If anyone knows what can cause an alternator to function normally before repeatedly burning out stators despite being rebuilt / replaced multiple times, please drop me a line.

One other thing I'm undecided on: Would it look better to convert the maroon plastics on the sides of the seat base to black? It would make it look more like a factory two-tone, but I'm not entirely sure how I'd like it. Every other plastic in the interior is black now (except those door handles, for now) so it would match better.

Until next time

 

Instead of looking for a factory set of black manual belts, you could have them re-webbed by a company (I used one called Safety Restore). While re-webbing they usually also clean out the mechanism, so you end up with a like-new pair of belts that actually retract like they're supposed to. It's on the expensive side (maybe cheaper than OEM black belts??) but I think it was worth it in my case. Some companies have a surcharge for cars older than 1990; I told a tiny fib that my belts were from a '90 instead of an '88 to avoid this.

Unsure what you would do about the buckle itself though, that may stick out unless you can figure out a way to mask off the belt to paint it.

 

This is interesting, I didn't realize that was a service that existed. I didn't find anyone locally that could do it unfortunately so I may end up having to mail it out to someplace in the US and shipping costs from Canada are insane. I really appreciate the recommendation though, I'll keep it in mind for the future when the belts are a priority.

As for the buckle, I don't think it could properly be painted. I've found the interior paint to be surprisingly sturdy when applied properly but there are a few places where it just doesn't work. The buckle unfortunately rubs a lot from the belt itself and also gets handled roughly by the occupants all the time. This is the same reason I didn't dye the maroon door handles; I know for sure it won't work and they hypothetically have some resale value meaning I shouldn't experiment with them.

If it's a high traffic part, it isn't worth trying to dye it only to have to worry every time I use it.

 

they are. there are (of course) two types, there is a base one, and then one with a switch in the lock button for the power locks. that part unscrews, so you can move the switch over (or not)

the inner door handles where it really shows off the attention to detail they went to, quintessential FC part. the lock **** is designed to look square from the drivers seat, but that means that the actual **** in this weird forced perspective and is a really weird shape.

 

Good to know, the RHD ones seem to be more plentiful on eBay. I can probably get them new for less than a set of used LHD ones would cost locally (if I could even find them).

Yeah, after doing so much work on the FC interior I've really come to appreciate the amount of time and effort Mazda put into every little part. I've had my Celica interior apart to clean things and there is no comparison, it's not nearly as nice or well thought out. My mother also recently acquired an NC Miata I had to unexpectedly work on (apparently seat belts not rewinding themselves fast enough is cause to fail Ontario inspections) and I noticed the same deal; Thinner carpets, flimsier plastics, etc. Which is not to say that I feel the Miata is cheap, but I have a much greater appreciation for the Rx7. If only our interiors didn't become so fragile with age...

 

Really minor update, but the alternator problem is solved.

After taking the alternator apart I found the stator was not as bad as I thought. I had assumed it was melted from some sort of electrical fault, but I realized the black gunk was rubber from the belt.

My alternator was fine. My problem was that I was running one rubber v-belt and I should have been running two kevlar v-belts (I made the error of letting the "temporary" belt I had installed become permanent). The smoke, dropped voltage, and the intense heat on the alternator was from slippage.


(coolant in the background is from leaks that have since been fixed).

Much better. No slipping, 13.5 volts at idle and 14.4 at any speed above idle. You can see the remnants of the old belt sitting on the front cover...

I also did a compression test and got 110psi hot, all three faces on both rotors. I'm fairly certain I got a new / recently rebuilt engine. There is a slight issue on that front though:



I don't really trust the stock gauges. Voltage reads two volts low all the time, my temp gauge actually works like you'd expect it to (operating temp is in the center of the dial unlike most S4s), and the oil pressure gauge is suspect.

But the indicated oil pressure at idle is what's worrying me. Missing condenser aside, it indicates .5kg/cm^2 of pressure at idle. If you convert this to the much more useful PSI you get a paltry 7psi. At 3000rpm I am getting 40-50 psi which seems much more normal. This all has me a bit worried about the front cover o-ring. I'll be getting a real oil pressure gauge to verify this before I actually drive the car.

I also placed an order for some OEM Convertible engine and transmission mounts through Atkins. I love how firm the driveline is with the current poly mounts, but the noise is killing me.

 

it could also be the thermal pellet, it lowers oil pressure when its open

 

Even with the thermal pellet open, IIRC the idle oil pressure should be around 20psi. I haven't checked the service manual but it definitely isn't less than ten.

But then the sender is old, the gauge is old, the condenser is long gone, and I doubt it was ever super accurate anyways. I'm guessing it's just the stock gauge but I'm being cautious anyways.

I may have a spare sender laying around (if I can find it) that I can try.

 

Minor update, just some little stuff I've been working on.

The first thing was that I got a set of TII mirrors. The seller described them as "undamaged":









Mirrors are de-laminating, the paint is a rattle-can job with no primer, a crack in the housing, missing corner, etc. After some disassembly, fibreglass, and paintwork I was able to get them looking like this:





I even got a set of replacement mirror glass, although I have yet to install it. I don't know if I'm going to run them after all since even with colour match paint it isn't quite close enough for my liking.



The flash exaggerates it a bit. I know that perfect is the enemy of done, but I still have my NA mirrors so I may toss those back on for now. I might be the only one that notices the difference in real life... but if I notice it, isn't that enough? I'll see how I feel in a week or two and go from there.

I also bought some wheels. I had decided on a plan of just saving for a set of RPF1s and then keeping an eye on the local classified ads for anything I found interesting.

I found something interesting:





A set of gold(-ish, faded somewhat) Advans popped up not too far from me for a good price. $400 for the set, minimal curb rash. They have a multi-fit for a 5x100 pattern. Normally I don't like multi-fit rims but since my Celica is 5x100 these are now interchangeable between my two cars. For tires I got some Firestone Indy 500 225/45R17. I wanted to strike a balance between something grippy and something practical. I had my eye on RE71Rs, but they're more expensive, louder, and wear faster. On the street I won't get close enough to the traction limit to notice the difference. Apparently the Firestones are rebranded RE003s, which are also very highly regarded. A set of center caps are on their way. Overall the wheels are a bit busier than I like due to the colour, but it's fairly subdued so I don't think it's a big deal.

I'm excited to give these a try, but my car is idling weird and has some stuttering issues. This has been an intermittent issue since I bought the car (including on the previous engine) and at this point the only thing I haven't either checked or replaced outright is the pressure sensor. Today I measured it and it gives 5 - 5.3 volts at all times (running or not). Apparently at sea level it should be 3.5-4V, less than that as you get higher in elevation. I'm 200m above sea level, so this reading doesn't make a lot of sense. Tried pinching the vacuum line and then unplugging the sensor from the harness entirely, no change at all in idle or stuttering. I'm reasonably certain this is at least part of my issue so a new (used) sensor is in the mail.

Oh, and I got some decals since my front bumper decal was long gone:





Keeping the others on the parts shelf. I have no side decals either, but my car isn't a TII so I won't use those. Even if I swap it one day I'm not sure how I feel about TII badges on a non-TII.

I'm dangerously close to just being able to jump in and drive. Although I've been "almost done" since the day I started the project, so who knows?

Until next time.

 

paint the mirrors black and call it good!

 

I've been considering it, but part of the reason I like the TII mirrors is that they match the body colour (from the factory anyways). I do have another can and a half of SEM Trim Black though, so it's definitely an option.

I am still deciding whether to make the side trim black again or leave it body colour too. Gold rims on a red car with black trim sounds like a good combo to me, but once I paint the trim I can't easily go back. Decisions, decisions.

 

Also, I cancelled the order for the pressure sensor. Realized the FSM shows the pinouts for the T2 boost sensor and the NA pressure sensor, but the pins are different. I was reading the 5V reference voltage, which is why it wasn't changing. Reading the correct pin shows sane results.

Going to recheck my ECU grounds at the ECU plug but after that I'm running out of ideas. If price was no object I would long ago have gone standalone.

 

Yeah, the car I bought was a silver S4. While I normally like the all body color also, I'ma just redo all the trim, mirrors, tails etc in a flat black.

 

While I like my S5 tails better than the stock S4, I don't know why so many people want the body colour trim. I don't think it looks bad or anything, but the black trim really compliments the car in my opinion. Especially since trying to make it look newer kind of defeats the point of a mid-late 80's car. For S5 models the whole car got a bit of an update, so it works. The only reason I'm on the fence is that I can't easily go back if I repaint the trim black.

 

So after driving to a few different stores I finally have a working fuel pressure gauge. You'd think they would mention over the phone if their pressure gauge only goes to 10psi, but apparently not. (How can you put something in the automotive section if it only works on cars older than ~40 years or lawnmowers?)

Anyways I hooked it up in-line with the fuel supply hose (post filter, pre-pulsation damper). My readings are 36psi at idle and 42 psi if I pinch the vacuum line. The FSM seems to indicate that I should have 28psi at idle, and 35-39psi if I pinch / remove the vacuum line. This implies I need a new regulator, but they're $150USD so it isn't a trivial part to swap out. I could swear I have a spare someplace if only I can find it.

A rich mixture would explain my lumpy idle and the horrible exhaust smell. I also redid the entire fuel system when I got the car, minus the FPR, so it is one of the only parts consistent between then and now.

If anyone has input on this it would be appreciated, but I'm fairly certain the regulator is weak and can't keep the pressure where it should be.