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My new soon to be daily mini project RX7


Fairlady Z

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I couldn't complain about reliabilty with my z32 tt while i had it for 1.5yrs. Few things failed but nothing major or expensive. My only complaint is fuel usage and brakes were too small.

 

Love to get a 2 seater tt or 2k spec in near future.

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Had a 89 2+2 Targa Twin Turbo Manual. changed clutch hose (leaked), few coolant oil lines around the turbos (including the bastard hose which with right tools wasn't a that much of a bastard) and a battery replacement. needed PVC valves replaced but sold it before hand. other than those issues which got fixed few hrs after work. Cost wasn't bad used mostly nissan stuff imported from US or locally if price was acceptable.

 

do miss it. good car. once all my projects are done that be on my hit list for collection. But 2 seater Twin Turbo manual . not fussed about targa or not.

 

I've got a 2 seater TT targa 5pd - did you have an N/A?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Its red its red its reeeeeed  8)

 

 

Finaly got the colour on.

 

Here are some pics.

 

 

Base coat on loose parts

C1D41503-A532-402E-86D3-1610FAA12657-8996-0000027A2C582463_zps4e8d3c81.jpg

 

Car with clear on. Took it outside for some uv curing  :P

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Not a show car job but ok for a daily.

Now for some deserved rest.

 

Next after few days of curing cut polish and replacing the windscreen and than outside assembly and interrior removal.  Stay tuned

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks guys.

It has few imperfections ie dust/overspray and few dents and waves i missed to notice.

First few will come out with polish.  Hopefully some dents/waves will be less noticable too.

 

Considering where it has been painted (dusty cluttered workshop) it came out reasonably ok.

Definetly need my booth made up asap.

 

Roberto its clear over base (COB). Virtualy acrylic style colour with 2pk clear.

 

I stoped using acrylic many years ago.

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Spent few hrs on sat polishing the roof and rear part of the car.

 

Cannot complain about the results. This is only cut polish step still 2 more steps to final result.

 

Most orange peel and dust specs and bit of overspray has come out. Very smooth and slippery. Flies are going to have issues landing on this rx7.

 

Some pics.

 

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On the last pic u can see the difference between the door which hasn't been polished yet compared to the rear 1/4.

 

Some parts are on the order and hopefully by end of the week polishing should be finished. Than assembly of external parts. Still bit to go but moving

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

yeah I'm alive just. ;)

 

Didn't update this in a while. Does not mean i did not work on it. As I sold my daily last week its been priority one to get this finished. still not but getting close.

 

some pics.

 

Car completely polished.

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bit of assembly and detailing of other bits and pieces

 

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boot floor before and after

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Rear bar and lights are on

8FDE2269-493E-4AE2-BC93-880FA902483B-4922-0000064A74911AE9_zps038b0a1f.jpg

 

and than i moved the car out of my dirty messy workshop into my clean garage to make more mess there.

 

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than more cleaning detailing and servicing can begin.

 

small video I uploaded to my photobucket as an experiment. not sure how good it is. but i think orientation is wrong so i fix it later when i figure how.

after I washed the engine I though be good to hear it run and to drive it out of the hole I dropped the front wheels in. (so if link dont work dont worry ill upload elsewhere.

 

th_FA4A4D94-B50B-4546-9F0B-DF9FC8B61600-4922-0000064B52AA2842_zps70540eab.jpg

CLICK ON THE ABOVE PIC TO SEE VIDEO

 

clean the condensor and horns and bit of paint to make them look new.

672DDC29-02A9-4A7C-AACF-A301D9EA7D72-4922-0000064A8B9758FF_zps8dcffeac.jpg

 

front bar added

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old windscreen out

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new one in and rear 1/4 glass stuck on.

8BE24A5F-D323-42E3-AA84-D1EC9C91C950-603-000000670501790D_zps3cfd4070.jpg

 

 

after wash engine bay pics (before clean up pics)

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Hunt for new wheels in a spear of the moment after finding out how much 13" tires cost.

finding anything for early RX is next to impossible due to 4x110 PCD and than finding it cheap.

 

Luck was on my side and found these 15x6.5 italian made wheels BW??? something for a bargain.

After a quick test if they fit I went to pick the rest of them and get some tires I found at good price. 

 

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nothing special but its legal. I did improvement's later on them stay tuned

 

 

 

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yeah sorry for dumping all this at once but its only spare time i had in last few days. Been sick most of the week so no work done till weekend where i put in over 30hrs in 2 days. I'm kinda hitching a ride with workmate at the moment and its not on the way so feel bad. so this has to be on the road next 2-3 days.

 

car is registered with new cool plates. but cannot share the plate info on public forum.  :'(

 

and more pics.

 

Boot section with all the wiring checked re-taped, new seal for tailights and hatch, new drain hoses , new speakers for my 1MW Stock clarion FM radio and autoreverse tape deck  :P

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than to change the scene I kicked  of my interior rejuvenation plan.

 

As my interior was collected from various cars that were physically in usable condition. As expected colors were all but red. For some reason red ones seem to be the worse for wear and finding suitable red was next to impossible. So needed it all color matched.

 

I used again my friends from Viponds and their fully sick product Tautflex DIY. As local supplier has been added to history books with the dinosaurs . I sent a color sample to head office in Victoria and 4 days latter paint was delivered to my door. what a service. You Victorians lucky B......... ;D

 

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was also lucky to find an un-cracked original dash for a steal of $120 not the right color but not for long.

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now all painted

 

dash cracked vs replacment

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While waiting in-between coats (approx 30min) i was removing the old stuff and adding it to the pile of things to be painted. on the end 98% of interior plastics have been coated.

 

Seats out and dash out. bit of PITA for the dash cover.

0CF86276-7B1B-4FF8-83B5-02AB0C77D711-603-00000067195DA329_zps81ec6392.jpg

F6855A0B-46C6-4BB9-8760-03E6A3881585-603-0000006842FB7D31_zpsb2cc44ce.jpg

 

now with that all done it needed 24hrs of drying time so next day I tackled the wheels and suspension clean up and servicing of cooling and lubricating system.

 

wheels

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too me it looks lot better in satin black than the silver.

 

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Radiator flushed and cleaned new thermostat and new hoses about to go in tonight. than oil change. This is stage1 of the engine bay clean up. 

F4E7FB2A-7B90-46AC-B218-2295D154AD2C-603-000000682BDF7BA9_zpsda49b2b2.jpg

 

I just need Dash and driver seat  so I can get to work and back.

The rest of the engine clean up will be done at later stage, so as new shocks ball joints and tie rod ends.

 

these things are known for fuel thirst but they also thirsty for $$$ to get everything up to scratch. Still OK will have a stock clean(ish) RX7 for less than 5k.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I'd be more than happy with that as a daily.. top effort!

 

Cheers Dimitri,

 

kinda spewing that I should have taken more time getting the body ultra straight.

but than its more of a weekend cruiser on sunny day than car u park anywhere and don't care about.

 

Most of it has turned out better than expected. only downfall is few waves and dents I missed or couldn't be bothered fixing. Maybe few yrs down the track I may re-doo the body so its ultra straight when value hopefully climbs a bit and woth the effort.

I think I invested tad too much in it both time and $$

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I think you'll be kicking your heels in a few years time... for just 5k, that's not much in todays pesos. Cars like this are disappearing at a rapid rate. If this is just a daily, I'd love to see a full on resto!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Still alive still working on it.

Have a little setback with it with engine issues which i discussed on other thread.

Think its mostly sorted but confirmation tonight and few days to come but signs a looking good.

 

Cars regod and can be driven.

Though first test drive was disaster with smoking out the neighbourhood.

Was lucky didnt get pulled over smoke screening a police car.

 

Anyway few little pic of progress:

 

Interior install

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Lowered lovells and delco shocks to improve the looks with low profile tires

Also got new ball joints bushes and tie rod ends

C1809B54-CA91-4502-B3DE-F8CB263AFF0C-5703-00000736FB40EA40_zpscdd0f2f0.jpg

 

Droped down its actualy tad lower since settling than these pics

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Done few more things on inside but didnt take pics as engine issues took priority.

 

Prob more updates soon and a video.

 

Hopefully be finished by the weekend completely and than onto next project.

 

 

 

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Thread caught my eye as before I bought my 280zx in '99, I very nearly went with an Rx7...

 

And have to say - amazing work!  I'm so jealous of people who can work with metal... Well, anything remotely creative with their hands, really.  If I had half your skills, I'd have kept my rusty 280zx instead of selling it for $1k...

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Cheers Agno if I ever decide to sell it be posted here first.

 

But when my other projects a finished i think i get a s3 and make it bit of a monster with group c kit big wheels and 13b turbo motor unless i find a good rx4 coupe than i have my two fav mazdas.

 

No work on it tonight except test drive went good few minor issues to tackle with engine and than finish the insides. Had a late one last nite so tonight rest and early bed time.

 

 

 

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Mate, can you do me a huge favor and post up a tutorial on interior painting? I've read various articles around the web but I'm still a bit shy to attempt it on my FD's interior.

 

Here is what I want to convert to:

http://www.irishrotary.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6540&start=150#p48753

 

I want to paint my door cards in bright red and the rear storage bins (which have scratches and other marks on them). Speaking of which do you have tips for dealing with scratched plastic? Like it usually has that textured look, is there anyway you can replicate that say if you were to sand the surface before painting?

 

Also the guys who matched the interior paint for you in Victoria, does the paint come in an aerosol can? I ask because I hear there can be issues with shipping them via Air and if I was to order from them and get it sent to Ireland I might not be able to get them sent over.

 

Car is looking absolutely amazing mate.

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Cheers Luvemfast and Gav.

 

Gav no probs can do. give u a quick run down now and i make a sticky later when my free time opens up

 

Viponds does sell spray can variety and they sell the stuff across the globe. They have a whole range for Mercedes interior repair  colors which they sell to Europe.

 

You can choose on of the std colors or send them a sample and they color match it for $10 extra. they quite good.

 

1L cans are most economical and can cover lot of area.

 

few tips for your plastic. remove them and check the stamping at the back. if ABS (i think most later model cars use ABS plastic) than no issue. IF PR or PPR its polypropylene and vipods don't stick to it well. it will stick to it but it will chip easy.

 

this Mazda has PPR and does have issues. but I'm leaving t for time being as don't have time to redo it. As for vinyl or leather seem to stick really well so dash and door trims no problems.

 

regarding PPR plastics mostly found in 80s cars i think it may be possible to paint using normal acrylic paint or possibly enamel. still experimenting. keep u posted.

 

to get scratches out u can sand it so it nice and smooth. don't use rough paper. would go lower than 240 ideal 320 grit. slow tedious but only way. if light ill use 400 paper and just sand the scratch lightly once painted in covers it well. if deep than use lower grits.

 

as for getting texture back . leather look no. for satin look yeah. its more of a technique.

 

bit hard to explain.

 

last few coats what i do i spray from a larger distance. the texture ends up being rougher and you get the 3D effect.

repeat that few times till it builds up to texture u like.

 

alternatively what i do is Spot-Squirt from distance. Similar to spraying your fav perfume on. one quick spray from distance than move along. your finger dies quickly but has nice texture.

build up few layers. once dry leave at least 24 hour.

 

get a good clean chamois wet it and lightly rub over the area. this will remove all the sharp particles and feel like smooth leather. once dry u can always add armor all or equivalent to get some shine if needed. i usually leave it as is.

 

paint is UV stable so doesn't need anything but for harsh Ozzy sun I prob still recommend it just like on new dashes.

 

by the way that red interior on silver car is my favourite combo. i recon it will look good on yours so  definitely give it a shot.

 

 

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Bit more work on the weekend.

 

though mostly unnoticeable.

 

like wheel alignment and electrical.

 

I'm sure the car will create some attention so added an alarm and central locking for convenience.

 

fixed my electric mirror issues and few other electrical problems so now all is working like the first day from showroom floor.

 

finished my trim restoration and started refitting it back. though only managed to get one seat in and complete the center console.

 

Today its first day of Daily drive duties. trip to work went OK. no major issues to report at the moment.  Filled it up and we see how much she guzzles.

 

Still needs a tune. Running a bit rich and definitely needs coil and new leads which are on their way. but she start within the first rotation when warm.

 

didn't realise how small or low it is till mixed with normal traffic. having trouble seeing the drivers in normal cars. their doors seem very high....

 

few pics. nothing spectacular. hopefully tomorrow have better pics when all completed.

 

at Bridgestone getting wheel aligned. Created a bit of a stir when it arrived. The guy doing the wheel alignment took it out 3 times. he wanted to make sure its all perfect. To me he just wanted to drive it  ;)

 

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trim bits ready for bit of color.

 

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all done.

 

seats still Needs a bit of a clean couple of small stains other than than its respectable. no big rips or collapsed sponge. nice and comfy.

AA34262F-293C-4C07-A6A7-B04573246F39-171-000000063BF4D299_zpsa39e45a2.jpg

 

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hopefully all that will be inside the car tonight than I take some interior shots. It be quite a transformation.

 

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