nice rx-2 re-built...

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- kAmBen wOrLd -

jdmrx2 this is a great post mate. Im an aussie living in the states that just happens to be doing a pretty much exact restoration on a 1971 herschel orange rx2 coupe. mine is already painted glad I didnt have to do all the front end work you have but am at a similar stage with painting suspension components and whatnot. I even have a set of toyota fender mirrors too. Anyway mate keep up the good work and keep us all up to date.

Hi ozzyincali, what a crackup! As if we are both building the same car, same colour, same mirrors on 2 different sides of the world!!

I am still bashing away at the bodywork (what a tedious job!) ready for paint hopefully early next year.

Have you got any build pics of yours? Would love to see it.

Good luck with yours, I will keep you updated with mine as I progress!

Cheers!

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Rockin' the 7 in a street near you.....

Any update pics on the bodywork progress ?

Some updates..... nothing major happening. Still trying to get the drivers front guard nice and straight! Putting bodylines back into panels is a nightmare!! I hate panel work!!

Anyway, guard is almost done. Cut out a large rust patch and have welded a piece of fresh steel in it’s place, ground back and a bit of filler to tidy it up. Welded up indicator hole and ground back, just finishing cleaning up that area.
I have sourced to different guards to the ones that were originally on the car as they had been lipped and cut at the front edge for big wheels.

When you run small diameter wheels on an RX2, the cut section on the guard is VERY noticeable and looks terrible.
The drivers side guard that I sourced had been damaged at the front edge, and when it was repaired the body line was taken out and had a more rounded appearance. I have stripped this guard by hand and repaired as best I could around this area. With a bit of filler and a heap of sanding this area is starting to look good. Have to knock back one high spot and I think it will be pretty much done. Trying to get it back to factory looking minus the indicator has been a challenge!!

Stripping the guard

Rust


I ran out of argon while welding the indicator hole.....what a mess that makes!!! Removed the patch and went again......

As you can see, I have also fitted my NOS driver’s door. Should be a straight forward repair that one!! Has a small dent in it by the door handle!! Have had this door for years, still got the part number on it!! Cost me a pretty penny but.....



I Also bought a passenger guard from a fellow on another forum. Looks pretty bad, but whoever tried to repair it has just smashed filler all over it....mostly in places that don’t need it!!
Going to strip out the filler and start again. Should come out all good!!


Also trial fitting grill surround trim etc as we go and checking and fixing gaps. Passenger side needs some work!!



Just got to keep motivated and keep plodding along with this horrid task!! Bonnet and boot lid should be fairly easy, roof is pretty good, as are the doors, quarters not to bad. I think i will be cutting the bottom of the rear beaver off and making a new one though, it has been butchered around the exhaust outlet, and is a bit bent.

I cant wait to fire up the spray gun. Its been a while since i have painted a car, but will sneak in some practice on my Brother’s SR20DET Rodeo soon!!

Apart from that, I have restored a couple of bits like the grille and the rear garnish. The grill had cracked above the high beam lights (like they all do) so I had this plastic welded up and filled. A mate of a guy I work with is a plastic welder and did this for free!! What a champ!!

Restored the coffin and RE badge and put back on. I have painted the grille, rear trims, guard mirrors, wiper cowl vents on the car in a gunmetal grey (actually a Holden colour). About to send my rims off to the blasters, and then they will be painted to match.

Trying to source a chrome/zinc plater that doesn’t charge in body parts to get a few bits zinced and get the tail light rings re-chromed. We had a local place here that did a great job and was well priced, but have unfortunately closed. I rang another mob and they want $250 to zinc a 4 litre ice cream container of bolts and brackets!!

The grille and garnish




To finish out, I have boxed out my boot for a tidier than factory look. The battery, washer bottle and spare wheel will live in here. Has a false back as well. No subs or amps in this one!! Can’t decide if I want to carpet or vinyl it yet, but have plenty of time to ponder that!!


Well that’s about it for now, will update the bodywork again soon.
Cheers,
Benn.

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Rockin' the 7 in a street near you.....

Hi all,

Minor update. Have now finished 2 panels! Yippee!!
Driver’s side guard is repaired and in a light coat of primer. Also have repaired and primed the front apron which only needed a very minor dent knocked out and a tiny bit of filler.
Finishing these 2 panels is a great motivator!! Just need to apply seam sealer and body deadener to the back of the guard, and put on some etch and then primer filler.



Went to order all my paint / primer / clear / thinners etc. Gave them the paint code (OA) Herschell Orange, only to find it is no longer in Dulux’s system.........
The guy said he will be able to match the colour, just bring in a sample, but the car has been blasted!!

Had a look through the shed and remembered that I had not got the rear engine bay covers done as they still had the plates on them! Removed the plates, and gently blasted away the British Racing Green to expose Herschell Orange. Gave it a quick polish and took it back to the paint shop.
Also researched and found a 5 digit code for the colour, so hopefully that turns up in the system, otherwise I will have to rely on the paint shop’s matching skills.
The hidden colour.......


Will hopefully be able to pick up all my gear tomorrow. Will keep updating the bodywork as I go.
Cheers.

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Rockin' the 7 in a street near you.....

You'll get there eventually, just take your time. I think you should have left the front indicators personally to break up the colour and keep some of the character. The shiny edging trims around the indicator/ reflector lenses provides nice detail and contrast. I hope you dont fill the rear quarter reflectors and Capella badge holes. I think its all these little details that make old cars look great. Last thing you want is a slab of solid colour down the side of the car with nothing to break it up. I think Mazda Oz still sell new front indicator assemblies so its no to late to drill a couple of holes ! ....sorry for being critical

To get the lost lines in the guard you mentioned in your previous post you can use a brickies bolster or a blunt cold chisel to redefine them. Use a marker and redraw the lines on the inside of the guard and gently tap along the line over a piece of soft wood such as pine. Work it slowly and the line will reappear before to long. Just remember to reshape the head of the bolster or chisel to suit and dont try and stamp it in one go... slow and easy wins the race If you can wait I'll post up the technique on my nosecone when I get time.

I bought some colour with the intention of doing the engine bay soon. The paintshop I used had all the old Mazda formulas in the Sikkens and Lesonal brands. Maybe try a different brand.

Hey Gypsy!! Yeah, I pondered long and hard about the indicators in the guards. I am really not a fan of them!!! Sorry to say, but the rear reflectors have been welded up too!!
This picture is what made my mind up about them. Apparantly its a Belgium delivered model - no rear reflectors from the factory. Looks a little less fussy from the back angle....


Still going to put the rear quarter badges back on, got a set of JDM / USA "Mazda RX-2" ones to go on, and have the "RE" rotor shaped ones that go on the front guards.
Hopefully the white pin stripe and the red/chrome badges are enough to break it up, and I am still going to use the chrome sill strip. I know what you mean about the "slab" of colour - the quarters on these things are fairly large. They remind me of the late 60's Camaros...

Had a bit of luck with the paint shop. The 5 digit code i found for "OA" was in their system, so all is good. Must say was VERY impressed with both the service and the price from the paint shop. Very proffessional!
Picked up all the goods today for the complete respray. Cant wait to paint the bay and in the boot!!

I look forward to your install on the body line restoration. Must say it sounds like a great idea. Never thought of that, but now you say it, it makes perfect sense!!

Cheers,
Benn.

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Rockin' the 7 in a street near you.....

excellent work mate, i really enjoyed reading thru. My first car was a series 2 RX2 sedan. I always wanted a coupe who knows one day hey!
Are you in SA by chance?

Cheers mate, thanks for the comments. Keeps me motivated
Yes, I am in SA. I guess the random rego plates gave it away......

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Rockin' the 7 in a street near you.....

cant wait to see it rolling the streets.

I almost had a heart attack when I stumbled onto this resto. Almost mirrors my project but 5 years later.

I purchased mine as a black, mostly stripped shell in the same condition as yours.

I will get some pictures so that you can have a look at my herschal orange coupe as it is now and as it was when I picked it up.

Jason

Me too!! It's been a loooong time coming, but I'm starting to see the light at the end. If only I had a money tree.....

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Rockin' the 7 in a street near you.....

Jason, that would be sensational! Might also help keep me motivated.
Go the orange coupes!!
Cheers,
Benn.

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Rockin' the 7 in a street near you.....

No real major updates. Still bashing away at the bodywork. Passenger guard almost finished - few more hours work and then I will prime and seam seal and spray the reverse side. Driver’s guard is complete – seam sealed and the back sprayed with 3 coats of under body deadener – looks nice and neat.
Trial fitted the bonnet for the first time..... Panel gap to the wiper cowl is shocking in the middle section....looks like its been hit by perhaps the gearbox by a careless previous owner when being installed?????

I took some measurements along the cowl, and compared it to the donor sedan - quite a bit of difference, so I will have to unpick and cut the cowl off the donor car and plug it onto the coupe......Work I had not planned to do, but has to be done........
Will post up new pics and updates soon....

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Rockin' the 7 in a street near you.....

Hey jdmrx2, I try and avoid removing anything integrated to the shell if it can be avoided. Are you sure the cowl is to blame and not the bonnet or something else ?

A couple of suggestions before unpicking anything else...

1. refit your doors, guards and bonnet and try and align. This will give you better idea where the problem may be. Ideally you should dumby fit and check panel gaps and measurements prior to making that first tack. This is where the majority of my time went, bashing little bits here and there until I was happy with the fit.
2. If the bonnet gap was OK prior to lopping the front off then you may have not measured something right.
3. If the cowl is bent surely it would be easier trying to pull it back to shape especially if it doesnt look bent. A little adjustment makes all the difference. Not sure how you'd do it, leaving it alone if your not sure and have a sleep on it. A solution to a problem sometimes takes time to find its way into your head, in my case sometimes weeks !
4, Take some diagonal measurements across the front end.
5. Mazda gaps are pretty sh!t, dont expect modern gaps without LOTS of pain. 2 different guards for example can look very different from a gaps perspective !
6. Maybe its just the cowl lip that is bent slightly. Maybe hammer and dolly is the way to go.

If things arent straight (not suggesting they arent) not all is lost. Take a break have a good think and work out what went wrong. If the cowl is bent, by properly aligning guards, doors and bonnet will definately point you to the problem area. IS the front of the bonnet aligned to the front of the guards ?

............the're my thoughts !

Hey Gypsy, thanks for the feedback.
Will sit and have a think about it....
The bonnet came off another car, fitted like a glove - nice gaps - never actually had a bonnet bolted to the coupe - it was just sitting there.

I have lined up the bonnet with the cowl that i cut off the donor car and they gap up nicely. I might take a pic and post it...

To be honest i never had a look at the gaps at the rear of the bonnet that came with the car......

Will see how it goes
Cheers,
Benn.

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Rockin' the 7 in a street near you.....

Hey jdmrx2...

I need to learn more how did you run the separation like this. You maintained the collar so well... and you're crazy man!




i will also need to know the put back steps and precaution to ensure well aligned.... You know what? I dunt want my car move like crab!

Please help me!

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jdmrx2 good to see youve been plugging away mate. I have not done squat to mine for months!!!! am actually in brisbane visitng the family. finally picked up a set of tie rod ends as simple shit like that is NLA stateside so piecing the jig saw together still have to send chromework out and budget for interior all while trying to save for a wedding, going to college, and work. Its all worth it just wanted to say thanks for motivating me with this thread Im gonna get to work when i get back to California. will try and post some pics for all to see.