My new soon to be daily mini project RX7

[MaygZ]

It sure is a transformation.  Bloody good job.

[Zedman240®]

Final pic should be a "before and after" shot. Show the previous owner what he could've owned... haha

[PZG302]

Very nice chook cooker and one to keep as it left the dealer, there is bugger all non butchered ones around, unless you go for the fullblown Group C replica.

[gav240z]

So have you sorted the engine issues you were having? It doesn't require a rebuild I'm hoping? Good that it starts on the button - hot, means compression is still really good.

[Fairlady Z]

Cheers guys,

 

Dimitri yeah once all done parking it in same spot and taking same pics and before after shots.

 

As for last owner I'm actually going to drive it to his work.not far from my work.

 

No work tonight rest time orders by the missus.

 

Drive today went without a problem. Warm day stuck in traffic.temp didn't move. Few looks from other drivers with smile on their faces. Though got intimidated by few 4wd drivers. Scary all i see is bull bar and plate.

 

Tomorrow 37c so be a good test on its second day out. Need to regas the a/c as soon as possible. Power steer be nice but oh well i get used to it.

 

 

 

[Fairlady Z]

thanks guys.

 

Gav engine issue false alarm all sorted out. emission hoses and intermittent coil on leading spark and leaking oil metering pump caused all the commotion. glad it did saved me 4.5K engine rebuild. two days of daily duties and hasn't let me down. purring like a kitten and  no smoke. wooohooooo.

 

Goes well as long as you keep the revs above 3K. If you give it after 3k it flies till the buzzer tells you to change gear very hard to judge shift just by listening to engine its so damn quiet.  Before 3 feels like turbo car bit sluggish and lazy. does need a tune up to check the mixtures so that may get ironed out.

 

put the rest of the seats in this morning still to do door trims and hatch area.

 

PZG302 Chook Cooker its what I call it as well now after hearing it from one of my Z mates. Never heard ppl refer to them like that. Must be the  70s thing. Its funny i like it.

I'm trying to keep everything as stock as possible. no fancy stereo no engine upgrades. may do extractors just to open it up a bit. Need to replace the gasket there anyway so may as well make small improvement. I keep the stock stuff so i can revert back to it at any time. Got a set of stock wheels but prefer the 15" that i got on it now for road use.. Any changes won't be hard to revert.

 

anyway few pics taken at work. not the best due to sun and glare. Also needs a wash lot of dust on it.

 

 

 

 

 

still to do list:

 

1. water pump gasket

2. OMP gasket and clamps

3. Door trims and back hatch trim.

4. Wash and finalise polishing.

5. Side Body moulding's to be attached

6.New leads and Coils

7.Attach grill and lower splash tray

 

be picking these one by one next few weeks. Got lot of other stuff to do till end of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[luvemfast]

I'm totally digging this car.

Great job 

[gav240z]

Good to know it was just a few simple things causing the smoke. Every time something goes wrong with these cars people assume it's rebuild time . I always wonder how many cars for sale that say require rebuild actually do require 1?

 

I've heard chook cooker before in Australia, not really sure how it got that nick name. Think it's to do with the dirty noise they make. A quick search on Youtube for 'chook cooker' and you can hear a dirty rotor alright .

[zzzzed]

 

 

I've heard chook cooker before in Australia, not really sure how it got that nick name. Think it's to do with the dirty noise they make. A quick search on Youtube for 'chook cooker' and you can hear a dirty rotor alright .

.

 

It is because rotary sounds like rotisserie and sometimes rotisseries are used for cooking chooks.

[Zedman240®]

It is because rotary sounds like rotisserie and sometimes rotisseries are used for cooking chooks.

Thats what I remember too... Rotary - Rotisserie - Spinning Chooks...

 

Loved them since a friend of my brother used to race in the "Road Reg" class many years ago in the state rounds and he had a granny spec RX3 Coupe (still with plastic on the door trims and visors and original radio!!) but pretty heavily modified, running inn an engine at Calder on a private day, going for a few laps... first time in a race car. VERY memorable..

[Fairlady Z]

Cheers guys.

 

Gav yeah i wonder too how many engines that say require rebuild actually do need one. Its the different and unknown and masses do not want to deal with it. Than the few workshops that do make a killing. And also killing a great car with it.

 

Ive seen cars done 350k still on The original motor proves that they ain't crap. And also seen one with 250 still original motor. So they not that bad. But i cannot stress if u not mech minded or bad with your hands do not attempt. I will definitely do few rebuild on rotaries just to have another notch under my belt.

 

Few more interior pics without the glare and shadows

 

 

 

[MaygZ]

Looks really good.  I would strongly consider getting new seat belts.  Those ones are 30 years old!  One of those things you don't need until you really need it!  $100 odd buck to save your life.  I reckon it's a bargain.

 

again my 2 c

[gav240z]

Looks really good.  I would strongly consider getting new seat belts.  Those ones are 30 years old!  One of those things you don't need until you really need it!  $100 odd buck to save your life.  I reckon it's a bargain.

 

again my 2 c

 

Strange but when I saw the interior pics I thought wow looks really nice, but those seats belts certainly look the age of the car. Rest of the interior looks new. Tend to agree some new belts might be a good idea, but I thought generally speaking you replace them if they are frayed, these don't look frayed just faded and dirty?

[Fairlady Z]

Yeah rear belts are on the shopping list front ones are ok not frayed or faded just dirty.I serviced the mechanism (tip given by vehicle inspector).now belts pull all the way. Ive cleaned the driver one but passenger still needs cleaning.

 

No time but its on the list. Rears are water damaged and looking for better set. Though dont think i ever carry back passengers unless they hobbits or dwarfs.

 

These are not ur standard belts. Clips and latch are special mazda ones. I will be restoring the front latches bit later. Rears I try source a bettter set.

 

 

 

[MaygZ]

Strange but when I saw the interior pics I thought wow looks really nice, but those seats belts certainly look the age of the car. Rest of the interior looks new. Tend to agree some new belts might be a good idea, but I thought generally speaking you replace them if they are frayed, these don't look frayed just faded and dirty?

 

Not just frayed.  The belts have a limited amount of stretch in them.  Once they are stretched they don't go back to original and they no longer have that stretch - which is important as it allows the body to move forward a little before stopping it and it stops a little more gently.  If you don't know the history of a belt you don't know if it has had the stretch done or not.  Also I believe that sun and water exposure degrade the material over time - and 30 years is a lot of time.

 

The inertial reel belt also have some slack in the reel that is taken up on impact and this does the same thing.  the best ones (Merc etc) have explosive charges in them than on impact wind the reel backwards to pull the person back into the seat, but is timed to do so after the belt has stretched.  Again in an attempt to stop the person a little more slowly - then pull them back into the seat to prevent them bouncing around the cabin.

 

I'd get new ones in a heart beat.

[Fairlady Z]

Been a week since last post. So far the chook cooker seems to be surviving the hot week we had in Adelaide.

Hasn't let me down drives very good and fun car to be in.

 

Though the heat inside is bit on the unbearable side. Must be getting old. So went to local Profix This morning (after been stood up by my regular a/c mechanic yesterday) and said FIX ME AIR!  ;D

 

15min later I was driving with freezing cold a/c. worked so well that I had to turn it down to min by the time i got to work.

 

only grief I got with at the moment is almost 19L fuel consumption. Still didn't get it tuned just got my new coils and leads and Peri extractors. So next few days change that over and get it tuned.

 

It does run rich so hopefully getting the mixtures right will improve the economy slightly.

 

Still to do is change water pump gasket and OMP gasket. check the diff leak. Finish polishing it and than just drive it till my next car project is completed.

 

after that starting the new project. is it a Z or something else. keep u posted.

 

ill finish this one off when i apply the body mouldings and do before after shots.

 

[Fairlady Z]

First day off on doomsday and what was i doing?

 

Installing a tow bar on a rx7.

 

Yep little rotary for towing jobs. Everyone laughed but here it is without the tounge and ball. Painted it red so it blends in. Lucky didn't get rid of it. Came in handy picking up 25 solar panels today.

 

 

 

400kg in back of the trailer little red rota turned lot of heads today with a trailer hitched at the back.

 

40min traffic jams, hills , sunday drivers, morons etc.... Mazda took them all on and got me home safe with no issues.

Not bad for a 1.1l motor that was "in need of a rebuild"

 

Practicality is overrated who needs a normal car when u can do everything in a sports car and drive in style.

 

Any z towbars there?let me know want one ????

 

[Fairlady Z]

bit of a sad update to this one.

 

after a recent tune up and dyno run it was found one of the rotors having lower compression. though the tune up and timing fix worked magic and car was better than ever.

 

but last week while towing some storage racks for my workshop. After a decent sqeeze of right foot to join the traffic the questionable apex seal gave way and ended up down the exhaust somewhere.

 

Bit sad but the good news is this will cause for a proper make over of the car down the track. which means a dent less paint job perfect interior and a big surprise under the bonnet some decent wheels and few other nip and tuck tricks. missus wont let me sell it

her words were:

 

"store it. Finish the other cars than come back to it and fix it how ever you want it"

 

cannot argue with the missus. 

 

so the red rota is bit sick but she be back better than ever with extra muscle and pose. 

[Fairlady Z]

Well may as well close this. With few parting pictures.

 

I decided to part the car to re-coupe some of money spent on it also need the space. Camaro needs proper shelter.

 

But got sold to a buyer of the blown engine after he decided he didnt want the engine anymore but wanted the whole car.

 

Offer was close enough and i dont see the heartache of it beeing ripped appart.

 

New owner is putting another 12a back in it and his wheels everything else hes not touching.

 

Glad that its going to good home guy is a early rx7 nutcase like me.

 

So bye bye  little mazda was awesome fun driving that little buzz box. Chook cooker signing out.