Sprocket's Competition

[clocker]

Wazzup, bitches!
Time for an update.

Failed the inspection on Monday.
Inspector decided to be a hardass and insisted on air injection into the header (both sides) and demonstrated control of the air pump by the ECU.

So...
The headers came off and new bungs were welded on to accept the one way check valves and air injection from the pump.
The air pump was relocated so it could be connected more unobtrusively to both headers.
A relay, triggered by the engine computer, was installed to activate the air pump.
The EGR system was left as I originally installed it.

This pic shows some of the details...


An overview of the engine with full emissions installed...


This finally satisfied the inspector and the car is now fully legal.

Which means that all of this stuff gets removed, boxed up and stored until the next required test, two years from now.

Just for irony's sake, here's a shot of our first tail pipe tests, before any of this nonsense began...


Note that she's running substantially cleaner than required...we've been struggling to meet the letter of the law not the intent.

This is a major milestone, the car is now fully legal and could be sold without burdening the buyer with shady dealings...the state knows about and recognizes the legality of the swap.

Whew.

[clocker]

Progress continues- hardly "apace", but still.

Now that the beast has become legal and been pressed into daily service (Sigfrid's RX-8 has been sold), I felt our next two areas of attack should be the front bumper and the interior.
The car's nose has been a visual and practical blight (it's so low it scrapes on almost any incline and has been chewed up as a result) and I've longed for a nice stock front bumper to replace it.
A stroke of luck found us up in Loveland, answering a Craigslist ad for the (almost) perfect example.
It had been trimmed a bit to fit a front mount intercooler but was the correct factory red and in otherwise good shape.
We also picked up an unmolested hood- but haven't done anything with it yet.

Here's the old fiberglass nose:


And the new factory part:




Hard to really tell from these shots but it does fit much better and the "nose dragging" has ended.

Also note the hood scoop in the last shot.
The intake does not clear the hood and this was the original builders solution- I don't really hate this scoop but Sigfrid does.
However, now that we've properly mounted the engine the amount of interference is much less and we don't need such an exaggerated solution...the new hood we have may allow for a less obtrusive "hump".
Time will tell.

As for the interior, we face practical as well as aesthetic challenges.
Of immediate concern is the main heater box, which is missing two air mix doors (so temp cannot be regulated, heat is either all ON or all OFF).
This needs to be addressed before winter sets in.

Our aesthetic issues are the poor condition of the dash itself and many of the interior plastics.
We've discussed various approaches but simple replacement is the obvious best option...just takes money.
About $1500 to $2K, I figger.

Not a week after we had this conversation, Sigfrid tackled the problem head on...he bought a motorcycle.
No, I have no idea either...our new interior is now parked on two wheels next to the car.
Who the fuck buys a bike AT THE END OF SUMMER?

*sigh*

[clocker]

Spent the day detailing the car.
Wash, claybar then wax and powerbuff.
Even did all the jambs.
The hardest part was removing several globs of tree sap...that shit is seriously sticky.
First I rubbed it with an ice cube, which made it hard enough that a lot could be peeled off.
The remainder was covered with an alcohol soaked towel and after 3 minutes or so, wiped right off.
I learned about this method on the internets and it worked, so...amazing!

Got medieval on the glass- applied Windex and scraped it off with a single edge razor blade.
Clay barred the exterior glass then washed in and out with hot water/isopropyl alcohol (50/50) followed by a dry rub with tee shirts.
Can actually see out of the car now.





Sigfrid still has her up for sale but even at $12k the salvage title scares people away.
More accurately, it scares their lenders away.
Who the hell is financing a toy like this anyway?

[clocker]

And now, nearly a year later, I'm back.
Much has happened and a new chapter is about to begin.

Sigfrid and the FD are gone, the car was sold about 4 months ago (for a desperation induced $9500) and S. had to accept a job in Houston.
Meanwhile, my car suffered two parking lot hit-n-run incidents, which made me a very sad panda.
I have long consoled myself that the dents in the body were all on replaceable panels (front fenders/doors, primarily) and were easy to deal with should I choose.
The parking lot insults all fell on the back of the car which meant real live bodywork would be needed and that shit's very expensive.
I was casually considering a new car.

Fate has intervened however and a quite elegant option has presented itself.
My friends at Precision (home of dangerous Dan) recently acquired a red 1990 GTU RX7.
She's a import from California that sat here for about a year before the owner was motivated.
Sadly, he waited too long and rabbits discovered how tasty the wiring harness was and ate it.
I do not know the details of the transaction but Precision was only interested in a few things-mainly, the engine and transmission.
The rolling chassis was just getting in the way, so they offered it to me in exchange for some computer work and a few electrical jobs.

The GTU model was the very bottom end of the range, no sunroof, no power windows, no nice brakes...the stripper.
It's brother, the GTUs was the same bare chassis with upgraded suspension brakes and drivetrain...the boy racer version.
Neither model sold well at all.

Which of course, makes them highly desirable today.
The sunroof delete in particular makes me very happy. That's 35 lbs removed from the top of the car, a potential leak point eliminated and extra headroom gained, all in one fell swoop.
The unpopularity of this particular barebones model was further enhanced by fitment of factory mudflaps...another obscure option much prized today.

The paint is filthy and oxidized.
I hope it can be cleaned/claybar/polished and buffed to a semblance of shine but don't really care because the body itself is pristine, not a dent anywhere, the undercarriage is perfect, the pinch welds straight and unbent.
The interior is intact with the exception of the armrest console and in excellent condition, no wear to the driver seat, all the vents uncracked...really quite remarkable.
The passengers automatic seatbelt is damaged.

I'll have the car in my garage next weekend and can begin a detailed evaluation.
The plan is to clean and upgrade the chassis/electrical as much as possible without cannibalizing my current car, which is paid up till March.
In February, I'll strip the running car and transfer everything over to the renovated chassis.
This is suspension, brakes and (probably) engine/transmission. I'm still entertaining the idea of an engine swap, circumstances will dictate the possibility.

If I keep the rotary, it'll get a new clutch and probably headers during the changeover (because it'll never be easier to do than when hanging on a hoist) but even so, I figure I can complete the chassis swap in five days, assuming I work alone and take it easy.
After the chassis swap there will still be a lot of valuable stuff left to sell (the taillights and black interior are particularly popular) and I should be able to recoup most of my costs with sales and ultimately, the scrap value of the chassis.

So, we'll see how this goes.

[clocker]

I'm now on Day Three of working off my debt on this new (to me) chassis.
I've replaced the dash harness on a 1981 RX7 and gotten almost all of the electrical system functional.
Not only did I have to contend with the normal expected problems (some of the electrical connectors literally turned to dust when handled) but the car has been butchered by stereo and alarm installers.
I was able to save the stereo install but the alarm was removed.
All that remains is to get the front and rear washer pumps working and I'm done.
I'm guessing this erases my obligation and I'll own the new chassis outright.
YAY!

[Artemis]

That's great to hear clocker, I have enjoyed your blog about the rebuild of Sigfrid's RX7, and had missed the continuing adventures, it is a shame after all your hard work that the car was sold for so little.

But now for the new adventures of sprocket's (other) competition. Interestingly enough most RX7's sold here (N.Z.) were models without the sunroof, it was an optional extra and not often specified.

[clocker]

It's exactly the opposite here in the US, Artemis...finding a non-sunroof/manual window car is exceedingly difficult.
The majority of US cars also got power steering and AC (my new chassis has both, but not for long).

I now have the title in hand, the car is really mine.
It's still over at Precision however, so yesterday I spent a few hours in the brutal sun, prepping the engine for removal.
Their plan for the motor includes carbs and a distributor, so the entire intake is irrelevant to them but potentially useful to me.
I carefully unbolted stuff where they would have just ripped shit out...I want as much spare stuff as possible to play with.

I learned early on that it's hard to tell what might be useful/valuable, so save everything.
When I first got my current car it had factory mudflaps on it and I was conflicted about liking them or not.
One day I got a wild hair and removed them, finally threw them away.
About a year later I find out that the mudflaps are among the "Holy Grail" accessory options, very rare and highly desirable- even average sets like mine are an easy sale @$250.
The new chassis has a set that looks to be in excellent shape, not sure if they'll stay or be sold as funding but they certainly won't end up in the dumpster.

I have already lined up the sale of a few parts I know I won't be needing but need the car at home to properly pull them.
I hope to have the engine/trans fully removed in the next few days, just waiting for an empty lift in the shop so I'm not killing myself in the parking lot.
I'll try for pics soon, she's hemmed in by cars right now and it's hard to get any distance/perspective but I'll see what I can do.

[Artemis]

Aircon was another optional extra, not just on the RX7 but virtually all N.Z. models if they even offered it, in the 80's. It took the flood of grey market second japanese imports in the 80's and 90's which were far more highly spec'ed than the equivalent N.Z. models for the car companies to offer aircon and electric windows as standard items.

[clocker]

In the US, by the time of the S5 2nd gen RXs (1989-1991), the car had turned into more of a GT model than a real sports car.
Never particularly fast, Mazda saddled the RX with all the luxury crap it could to justify the high price (which was really the fault of the unique rotary engine, only used in this model).
Because they did not have airbags (except for, inexplicably, the convertibles), Federal law required they have automatic "mousetrack" seatbelts...so, more motors tracks and electrics.

From a practical standpoint, it's all this added crap that makes maintaining the car today such a PITA.
The harnesses are over twenty years old, the plastic connector housings are crumbling from UV exposure and heat and of course there are twenty years of owner meddling to contend with.
I will gladly suffer manual window lifts to avoid rebuilding yet another switch (I've redone mine five times in five years now...), the autobelts will be replaced with manual and I won't miss the sunroof at all.
In five years I've opened it maybe five times, enough to learn that my thinning hair means I'm now subject to a sunburned head...we won't be doing that again.

In that same "practical" vein, the one option I would like to have is the rear hatch wiper/washer.
It's kind of fugly looking but the extreme size and angle of the glass make it a snow magnet, rear visibility disappears in a storm.
I hope to arrange a trade with someone looking for a cleaner look who doesn't care about winter conditions.

[clocker]

Well, this project has started slowly and strangely.

Well over a week ago I finished my part of the transaction by working on one of Precision's customer cars, a nightmare job no one else was up for.
I received the title for my new chassis, all that remained was for them to pull the engine/tranny that they supposedly wanted.
Nothing happened.
When I went by two days later I offered to begin the work till they could free up a bay/lift to finish the job (which they said would take about an hour).
I spent that afternoon unplugging all the little crap that connects a motor to a chassis...it was brutally hot in the parking lot.

Came back the next day thinking I'd observe as they finished the job but again, no one seemed at all interested in touching the car.
Since I already knew that they weren't going to use the stock intake, I decided to remove it for myself (this is not required to pull the engine but does make it a bit simpler).
This gives me a very nice, unmolested throttle body, a full set of injectors/rails, several sensors and valves...all of which might potentially make it on to my engine and if not, are sellable.
Again, for the two days I spent doing this, it was hellishly hot (I'm in a paved lot, surrounded by hot, reflective cars, about twenty feet from a major highway...so I'm simultaneously getting crisped from all angles and asphyxiated by the traffic).

I spent Thursday recovering and called yesterday morning..."Oh yeah, we should should have a free bay this afternoon, come on down and we'll knock it out."
I arrive at noon, car is still in the lot, tires still flat.
As they're eating I hump the air tank out (multiple times) and fill the tires.
Then they tow it into the shop to a lift.
Finally!
Now we're cookin.

And everyone walks away.

Basically, what I now realize is that this transaction is a much lower priority for them than me.
Mike had very little money into the car, they had already robbed a few parts for other jobs and luring me into doing a job for them that was a moneypit for a book mechanic was pure gravy for the shop.
Pulling the motor to put into the fist gen racecar that's been sitting there forever was one of those, "Gee, that sounds fun, we should do it sometime" deals.
The only person who really had any skin in the game was me, my window of opportunity was open.
I have six months before I need to have the car finished and I want to take full advantage of the warm weather (there are so many things that just can't be done in the cold).
Also, this is fun for me, I don't want it to turn into a last minute desperation thrash.*

Monday I go back with a whole new mindset.
I've been futzing around, occasionally getting sidetracked, because I've been expecting Mike and Dan to come over and actually finish the job.
Now I realize that the only way this happens in a reasonable time frame is to do it myself.
At this point (with the car up in the air), only an hours work should finish it up, the motor just sitting on the mounts, everything disconnected.
I should be able to get some help actually winching the lump out...if not, I'll do it myself.

With luck I should have better- and more entertaining- news soon.


*There is another factor in play here.
We are approaching hail season and I do not want the car sitting outside risking damage.
The body after all, is the whole point of this exercise, it's really very nice.