FD interior remodling project
 

Hey all, last winter i spent all of my time upgrading the horsepower aspects of my 94 R2. Now that I'm over 450whp, i've decided to switch focus and give some well deserved attention to the cosmetics of the car (and some functionality as well).

Its fast (to me anyways), but not a pleasure to ride in, especially if you are a passenger.

The problems:
1. Loud - i've been told its quiet for an fd, but after an hour on the highway, when you step out you have trouble hearing for a little while haha.

2. no sound system - its got an old cd player, the antenna doesn't work so no radio channels at all, rear speakers do not work and i can't get to them because the roll cage is welded in and I can't get to whatever the problem is, the speakers are wired, but it turns out that an amp had been removed (all aftermarket), so no power to the speakers.

3. old gauges on the A-pillar - boost and water temp, and in my haste to get tuned last year, i had attached a wideband to the column (doesn't look good but does the job

4. meth tank mounted to the PFS rear cage behind the driver seat, does not look good.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1007.jpg
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1015.jpg

5. PFS rear cage - no bend in cross member for passenger seat, anyone over 5'7 has their knees touching the glove box
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1005.jpg
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1008.jpg

As you can see, there is no room to get the interior panels out nicely, i got the left side out and broke a tab, i had about a half inch less clearance on the other side and cracked a panel, i think after i get it back together i'll touch it up with bondo and paint it (all of the panels will be getting refinished anyways so it won't be noticeable)
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1020.jpg

New Toys :)
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1003.jpg
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1004.jpg

First tasks:

Strip interior
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1021.jpg
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1022.jpg

Remove Rear Cage Crossmember to allow for comfortable riding experience for passenger, more room near the bins, and hopefully make it easier to get the interior panels back in without breaking them (although this doesn't solve the clearance issues against the sides of the car, still will have to squeeze and bend the panels to get them in).

I know this is Sacrilegious. But my car rarely sees the track (not yet with me but it will), FD is strong even without a cage, the pieces i left in still tie the rear shocks together, and still provides a pretty nice hoop. I'm sure I'll catch some flack for this, but i couldnt stand not having room behind the seats.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1024.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1025.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1027.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1028.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1029.jpg

Much more room
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1030.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1032.jpg

Now I just have to grind down the rough spots, apply some body filler, sand everything that remains, and repaint it black.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/PICT1035.jpg


Prep for Quiet Car sound dampening coating:
Copping out a little here, not going to remove the dash, will do the roof and trunk first, then after 3 coats on those are dry, i'll lift up & suspend the carpet and hit the tranny tunnel and floor of the car all the way up to the base of the fire wall on both sides of the tunnel.

I've sprayed Goo Gone Gel on the parts of the roof and quarter panels where foam and padding are still stuck to the sheet metal. After that soaks a little and loosens up I'll clean it and it should be all set for Quiet Car.

I'll post pics of the Quiet Car coating process, 3 gallons are coming in the mail by the end of the week.

After that, I will be:
-Rewiring the fuel pumps, i don't like how the previous owner did it.
-New speakers and a 4 channel 100W amp for the speakers
-Pioneer F900BT double din GPS/DVD head unit
-2 PLX gauges (with sensors for AFR, Boost, AIT, Oil & Coolant Temps)
-Convert all lights on dash to blue LED's as per the BrightWhite writeup
-Refinishing all of the interior plastics - keeping it all black, everything has turned kind of dark grey

I'm getting rid of my large race PFS SMIC so that i'll have space in the engine bay for the meth kit, so that will finally be out of the cabin, and i'll opt for a FMIC.

Lots of pics to come as I progress.

thats quite a project. good luck with it.

Looking good Collin. That is a lot of work but it will be worth it in the end. Sometimes we get so caught up in performance upgrades we forget about the creature comforts that make us want to drive the car. The Quiet Car will give you a of peace of mind and will save your ear drums to boot. You'll get a lot of bang for the buck with spraying the floor and the trunk and of course, the roof. The best sound reduction comes from doing the insides of the doors so don't forget that. You might have to hand paint the inside of the metal skins but it hugely reduces the noise and gives you a nice "thud" sound when you close the door. Don't think you should worry about removing the dash with everything else you have going on.

A final note on sound reduction. One of the best mods you can do for noise is to install the rx7store.net Magnaflow muffler midpipe:

http://www.rx7store.net/product_p/resmidpipefd3s.htm

That puppy reduces a ton of noise. I have this on my 3 rotor and it works like a champ, cutting out all of the drone my previous Pettit resonated midpipe caused. Of course I'm getting to old guy status on this forum and noise reduction is now important to me. The car still wails at WOT but you can actually carry on a conversation.

Try ABS cement on the broken panels. Almost as strong as new if you apply it right.

http://www.mclendons.com/img/products/10/10116750.jpg

^ very interesting, can't wait to see more progress!!

Thanks for the compliments.

As for the midpipe muffler, I currently have a small borla 3" resonator (PFS used these on most exhaust systems). I've got 3" pipe from the turbo all the way back, so I will be getting rid of the small borla resonator and trying to squeeze this in (a smaller version of what Jerome used in his 4" exhaust build in the single turbo section)
http://images.magnaflow.com/02product/parts/12649.jpg

And I just read a write up on strengthening the interior where that ABS cement was used, looks like a great product, I'll definitely be using it. The only problem is that I cant use it on the inside of the cracked rear panel because I still have to bend that panel to get it back in and I'm sure it would just crack there again. Does the ABS sand smooth? It will have to so I can paint it once the panel is reinstalled.

Thanks for the tip on the doors David, i'll be sure to paint inside them as well. I sure wish i had a spray gun to get in those tight spots.

This weekend I should have a pretty big update, all my parts should arrive this week and i have to get busy, only 2 1/2 months until DGRR!!!

Your midpipe will turn out to be just like the rx7store.net one so you might find that to be an easier route to go. Regarding the doors, you don't need to "paint" all of the inside skin, just as much as you can reach. The product will still work as it can eliminate the vibration (thus noise) without covering the entire surface area. Obviously the more the better.

Well, this week has been like christmas, lots of packages in the mail, makes up for feeling sick to my stomach the week before when i was spending the money for everything haha.

Kitchen table: parts, they're whats for dinner!!!
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1071.jpg

Pioneer F900BT - last years model, but updated maps on the hard drive
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1072.jpg

Hidden antenna - to be installed under the rear hatch glass
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1073.jpg

PLX goodness - you'd crap your pants if you knew how cheap i got all this for
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1074.jpg

Quiet car - 3 gallons
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1075.jpg

JDM OEM rear visor
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1076.jpg
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1077.jpg

Dining room - can't eat in here
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1079.jpg

Ok, now an update on the work:

Cleaned up the roll cage cuts with some grinding. Turns out that I cut the cross members out carefully enough that I barely cut into the hoop at all, didn't go through the tubing in any spots, so it'll still be fairly strong.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1051.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1052.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1053.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1054.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1055.jpg

Now some bondo, also sanded down the rest of the cage to prep for new paint. I'll sand the bondo tomorrow and apply another coat, then sand again and I think it should be ready for paint.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1064.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1065.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1066.jpg

Also cleaned up the padding stuck to the fender wells and roof of the car. After it sat all week soaking in Goo Gone Gel, it came off with just a little rubbing. Before i let this soak I thought it was going to be impossible to get off, I've seen some people say they had to use dry ice (not sure why), but if you just let the Goo Gone do its stuff it almost falls off by itself.

Letting it soak
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1056.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1057.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1058.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1059.jpg

All gone
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1060.jpg

The roof took a little more persuasion, must be the goo gone didn't soak through to the adhesive well enough:
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1062.jpg

All gone - looks like the factory missed a spot when they were painting it haha
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1061.jpg

Then I rubbed it all down with mineral spirits. All ready for Quiet Coat, unfortunately the garage isn't headed and its 30 degrees in there. Can't apply quiet coat unless its 45 degrees. I picked up a little space heater for inside the car, hopefully i can get a good coat on tomorrow.

Any idea what these are for? They were just glued on above the seat belt bolts. Not sure what purpose they could serve.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1067.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...p/PICT1068.jpg

What a project. You are going to like the results though and I have a guess about the PLX gauges price:bigthumb:

I spy an LED flexible light in your pics! I have one just like it and it works great.

haha, yes, my parents got me that light for christmas, its amazing.

I'll get your IAT module in the mail on monday.

My wife bought mine and it is a trusted and flexible companion when I work on the car.

Woot on the AIT module! I haven't received from Omega the probe yet.

Looks great... keep up the good work

I see an electric antenna. Is that replacing the power antenna? Does anyone have experience with it and how well it picks up FM channels compared to factory?

I heard the electric antenna works pretty well. My stock antenna doesn't work at all anymore, not sure why, so this is an easy fix. The new head unit interfaces with my iphone so i won't be using the radio that much anyways.

These are now on their way to my house :)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/...7b4de89fb5.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/...6efabbfeb2.jpg

cant wait to see pics of the QuietCoat install.. are you going to install anything underneath the car?

I won't be installing anything under the car, but there will be plenty of pics of the quiet coat install, and a video if i can get someone to film for me.

I didn't work on the car all week, but have been looking into taking the carpet out. I recently saw a thread where soeone put a new carpet in, and it looked pretty easy. I had planned just to prop the existing carpet up on each side, but now that i've tried to lift up the carpet, I don't think that is going to work.

I started lifting up one side, and all of the padding is tearing and most was sticking to the floor. Without actually removing the carpet, there is no way to clean it well enough to apply the Quiet Car.

So I removed the dash tonight, and will take the whole carpet out. If most of the padding comes out with it, I'll probably put it back in, if the padding rips off most of it then i'll get a new carpet.

In the end, i'm glad that i'm going this route, the means quiet car will be applied to the entire floor of the car, and why go through all this trouble just to go half way?

I'm in trouble!!!

I've known since I purchased the car that the wiring under the driver side dash was in pretty rough shape, but I've never actually had it apart enough to see to what extent.

During the process of removing the dash, I've realized that the wiring is a complete mess. It looks like most of it is from multiple alarms, a radar jammer, and a turbo timer (i new the timer was there, but it never worked). So there are bunch of electrical boxes stuffed up under the dash, and tons of wires spliced, and a ton of them that lead to nowhere because some things that have been installed have since been removed (before I got the car)

The wiring mess:
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...l/PICT1083.jpg

One of the many wires that leads nowhere:
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...l/PICT1084.jpg

Another shot under the steering column:
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...l/PICT1085.jpg

Audiovox box for an anti-theft system (I think)
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...l/PICT1090.jpg

This connects to the Audiovox box pictured above, must be a kill switch, it doesn't turn, but I bet the car won't start if the key isn't inserted.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...l/PICT1086.jpg
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...l/PICT1088.jpg

Apexi Turbo Timer and control box:
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...l/PICT1092.jpg
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...l/PICT1093.jpg

How it was wired in:
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...l/PICT1091.jpg

I'd love to clean this up, but I'm really concerned about removing some of these things. If I remove them, could I possibly end up interrupting some circuits and end up with a car that won't start?

More wires that are taped together in a bundle and now go nowhere:
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...l/PICT1094.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...l/PICT1095.jpg

Radar Sensor:
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...l/PICT1096.jpg

Oh the madness:
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...l/PICT1097.jpg

At least the dash is out:
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...l/PICT1099.jpg

Tomorrow I'll remove the ventilation system so I can get the carpet out from underneath it. Then a good cleaning, then Quiet Car time.

After that, I guess I'll have to figure out what to do with all these wires :(

i would go ahead and get a wiring diagram. some of that wiring looks pretty shady.

if it were me i would get all that sorted out, you never know when one of those wires decides to arc and start a fire.

will take some time to do but IMO it would be worth the trouble.