1974 RX4 Turbo II restoration
 

Hello, I just got back on this forum cuz I finally started working on my car again. It has been one of my projects on the back burner for years!!! I have had this car 18 years, my friend found it in a garage owned by an old lady in san francisco. I got it and it was all original and mint, but the paint was kinda faided on the roof, trunk, and deck lid. I waxed it up and daily drove. it. Unfortunatly I don't have any pics, back then it was all about film, no cool digital camaras and iphones. A year after I got it the motor lost compression. The paint was popping off, and the engine bay was pretty tore up from a brake fluid leek, so I painted the engine bay Kawi Green while the motor was out, with plans to paint the rest of the car that color. I ended up putting a turbo II motor in it with a Haltek E6K. got it running and drove daily drove it. I used the car to deliver pizza in while I paid my way through college. eventually the paint was gone on the roof and hood, and surface rust started developing. several years later I finally had someone do all the bodywork and pirmer the outside for 500 bucks, i was a broke college student and couldn't afford a full paint job on it. at that time the jams and trunk were gold, outsite primer, and engine bay kawi greeen. I totally fucked the car up after 10 years and was really bummed. Back in 07 I think, gas got super expensive so I parked the car cuz it got like 10 mpg. I had a little pickup also to daily drive, so the rx4 just chilled in the garage, waiting for me to fix it. after a year I fired it up and the coolant system pressurerized instantly. I couldn't figure it out, so the car sat. I started my own business in 2003 and never had any money to put into the car. so it sat. Several times I told myself I was gonna fix it, and even yanked the motor out 2 years ago thinking I could port it and put a new oring and gasket set on, slap it back in, and the coolant problem would be fixed. Turned out the rear side plate was cracked, and the rear rotor housing has pretty substantial flaking. so the car sat some more. at this point I realized I totaly destroyed the car, it sitting with no motor or tranny, most of the moulding, marker lights, grill, interior, all stripped cuz I kept thinking I would paint it. And I never had time, or money to work on it and the project kept getting bigger. So last week I had enough. I run a small cnc shop and had a couple weeks of maching parts that had a 25 minute cycle time, so I had time to sand in between running the machine. I have been moving this car from house to house along with boxes of parts for years!

http://esd-mfg.com/RX4_restore/IMG_2178.JPG

I worked on it everyday for a week, sanding, painting, did the jams, engine bay, inside the doors, and trunk, all factory olive green. then it was time to primer and sand the outside.

http://esd-mfg.com/RX4_restore/IMG_2182.JPG



lots of hand sanding, lol

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then time to shoot color on the outside, finally, after 10 years of primer!!

http://esd-mfg.com/RX4_restore/IMG_2191.JPG


I rented a booth at a body shop for $100, right behind my shop, so I could roll it right over there! I cant believe it finally has paint, and it shines! I am finally putting all these boxes of parts, molding, trim, lights , grill back on the car, it is an amazing feeling

http://esd-mfg.com/RX4_restore/IMG_2200.JPG

http://esd-mfg.com/RX4_restore/IMG_2202.JPG

http://esd-mfg.com/RX4_restore/IMG_2203.JPG

Today I am finishing the interior up, I did full dynamat, and the interior is like a puzzle, its gonna take me some time to fiugre out how to put it back together, lol.

I have a motor coming wednesday and have to get it looking as good as the rest of the car, and figure out how to hook it all back up. soon it will run and I am sure I will hit some roadblocks because I put this turbo motor in 14 years ago and don't really remember how i did it. Right now I really need some wheels, wich brought me back to this forum during a google search. any links would be apriciated, used would work great for me. Thanks for looking, more pics to come as it progresses.

Ryan Moore

if you get bored, check out my youtube channel, I am known world wide as kindof a nutcase on a dirtbike, lol.

http://www.youtube.com/user/moorport?feature=mhee

Glad to see I am not the only procaastinator!procrastinator

LOL, this car has been waiting for me for years and years. just 2 weeks ago I thought I wouldn't touch it till I retired. Now I am planning on taking my 2 year old daughter for a ride in it with her mom, same car we went on our first date in 14 years ago. its gonna be cool!

Great story Ryan, sounds all too familiar!! I too have a project that stalled almost 10 years, but in the past 9 months been making nice progress. Keep the updates coming!!

Very Nice, awesome paint job!

Sweet build.cant wait to see the finished product.i just recently purchased myself a 74 rx4 project that I'm beginning hopefully soon

Familiar story Ryan, we have something in common moving the car so many times with boxes and boxes of parts coming along too.

I'm not far from you, over on the peninsula, would love to see your progress.
Great to see it shining again.

thanks, I have to pinch myself everytime I see the car now. my woman has been telling me to sell it, my dad wanted to tow it away 14 years ago when the orinal motor blew while i was in college. Now it looks better than ever!

The seats and door panels are being repaired right now, should be ready Wednesday, then the interior will be fully done. my goal is to drive this car next weekend. :nod: i finished putting all of the peices I have back in yesturday, what a puzzle that was, lol. got all the glass in, trim on, windows rolling up and down again also.

http://esd-mfg.com/RX4_restore/rx4body.JPG

http://esd-mfg.com/RX4_restore/rx4interior.JPG

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Looking good!

anyone know were I can find wheels? I can modify bolt patter if I have to , but not really sure what offset to go with. These pizza cutters just spin untill 4th gear, then the clutch clips, lol.

Did Dynamat have something custom for Mazda? Or did you have to cut it yourself?

If you're going to keep the steelies I suggest you get them painted like these RX4 wheels. ITs like a metalic black gunmetal color, really makes them nice for that stock look.

Car really looks great! can't wait to see it done!

just cut it up. pretty easy.

I have had thoughts of keepin the stock look, 100% sleeper status, but the car doesn't drive good with the pizza cutters, it doesn't even hook up untill 4 th gear. I heard they could be widened, but not sure. then it still has a 13 inch balloon tire on it with a loose sidewall and I want to drift the car.

Nice build man. Rx4 are awesome. Keep it up. In my opinion, you should put a set of Simmons from Australia.

Drift :bigeyes: In my opinion that car is wayyyyyy to nice and complete to go drifting in it.

The course up here is all cones, nothing I haven't done through traffic in this car before, just safer on closed course.

XD I was picturing a full drifting event

[QUOTE=RX2fan;11137909]XD I was picturing a full drifting event



I'm not trying to compete and swap paint, just hit a practice session to keep my crazy driving off the streets. This is what I do on a bike, and I am just as crazy in a car, lol.

That is one sweet looking ride. Congrats on sticking with it and getting it done.

[QUOTE=Ryan Moore;11138859]

Damn, I think its safe to say we want to see what you can do with the 4.

[QUOTE=Ryan Moore;11138859]I think it safe to say ur a crazy mother f*@ker.... Lol. But I got to give it to u... U got skillz...

[QUOTE=Ryan Moore;11138859]
Dang!! Man you should be here at the X Games this weekend preforming!!

:) by any chance did u paint it g4 mach green??:)