Hi I got a full rubber kit for my Rx2 from Phils Rotarys on Ebay.

John have you tried spectrum I got most of mine for the familia from there.

Hi Apple Guy,

I got a full kit from Rare-Spares, the only thing is that it didn't include the rear quarter window rubbers, which I ended up getting from Scott's old rubber. Prices have gone up some though, I purchased mine over six years ago.

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scotts have Rx2 quater window rubbers? for a 4 door ?

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Scott's has the Coupe ones, not sure about the Sedan. I'll dig up the part number.

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Here are some more photos, the years of neglect have turned into years of assembly... I couldn't tell you how many more years to go, I've been pre occupied with other things. Work is incredibly busy, I'm probably one of the few lucky ones that say, recession what recession.... never been so busy continuously. Aiming for next year completion.

Been buffing away... for an average bonnet it turned out good, boot lid will be good but needs a little more compounding. There are still some marks that can be seen in certain light conditions. Im thinking of switching to a wool pad over foam, wool is more aggressive but runs cooler which should help. Worst part about painting is you become anal about everything, you notice everything that any normal person would never see. If someone else had painted it I'm 100% sure none of the defects would bother me !


Painted rear wheel arches, Mazbitz bumper fitted where it was suppose to fit no problems. Or should that be I measured everything up pretty good before welding the repairs ? Either way, it's things like this that can be disastrous at the finish line if care wasnt taken.


Other side, no twisting of bar was necessary. The only thing I need to do is bend the bar end tabs out a little once I buy some rubber to fit between the bar and body. Pic 2, another bonnet shot, I wash the bonnet down with soap and water while compounding to get a true condition of progress. Buffing compound has a habit of filling in scratches to make things look better than what they actually are, as does machine polish and wax. The bonnet has been washed, it's pretty good, I may give the car a once over once all together with a swirl remover and wax. I'm using a 2 stage polishing product, you cut/ polish then use swirl remover. I have some machine polish as well which I'll use as an intermediate step where required. Body has turned out very nice for a back yard job.


General photo and fitting up boot lid.


Cleaned up Rx3 gearbox mounts, also have a genuine Rx3 crossmember. I was under the car long ago measuring things up. I think there may be just enough room to relocate the tunnel mounts further back and use an unmodified X member as well. It's a tight fit but should be do-able. Waiting on a mate to come past so we can fix the tunnel profile for where they need to go. One of us will swing the hammer the other guy hold a dolly on the underside. Thanks to both Marty and Rohan for the parts. Second shot, decided to paint the boot. What a pain the ass that is. Despite best efforts to clean all the dust out and using a tack cloth several times there is dust here are there. A couple of hours were spent cleaning, just when you think you get it all, more comes out when an air tool is used, the joys of blasting. Now I could cut it to perfection but I think I'd rather jump out a window. It looks nice for something that will never be seen and is much better than blacking it out or tarring it.


More boot shots... Sometimes you need to take a look at how it was before you started a section like this to appreciate what it is now. I recall it being a sticky mess of tar that concealed rust here and there.


Finishing off buffing the roof edges, I mask up lines right at the edge to prevent "burn through", and to prevent creating a paint step from buffing over tape. It also helps prevent cutting up the 3" buffing pad. Out of the pads I used Farcela would have to be one of my preferred ones. I've tried 3M ones and a cheap Contour compound pad which isnt too bad to be honest. Pic 2, fitting the little rubber stoppers to the boot hinges. The original ones were fine.


Pic 1, I dreaded fitting the boot springs, was an easy job after all that dread ! This was one of things I had to repair as the spring hook brackets were broken off which meant boot springs couldn't be fitted. Now I have a boot that springs open You can see some of my paint tools, 3" buffer fitted with Farcela compound pad, CCS 7" machine polish pad fitted to DA Polisher, there is also a 7" rotary polisher with waffle compound pad that you cant see. Last but not least a bucket of soapy water and wash cloth for checking progress. Pads need to be 100% clean otherwise its disaster Pic 2, boot lid fitted, masked up surrounding area to prevent scuff marks from buffing.


Can you believe it, the car is going together, boot floor plugs cleaned and fitted, boot lid adjusted and fitted.... Fuel lines and rubber plug and be too far away. Engine and box is already fitted. Pic 2, Left quarter cleaned up, looks nice out there in natural light.


Left quarter cleaned up, probably just needs a wax to be honest. Pic 2, boot springs open on its own...


I should try and finish off the nosecone and be done with it (painting side)...Overall I think its going too turn out too be a nice Sunday cruiser. If I were too buy another 3 I think I'd just buy a runner and clean it up, restoration and painting in general is hard work. Painting and body repairs are more work than what 95% of people realise.

Oh sick, Keep up the good work. You've painted prepped and everything, that parcel shelf almost looks out of place un-touched. The few lines from the Australian comedy 12th man comes to mind when I look at that shiny paint, is it the off white, the cream or the beige... get me Gypsy? Sorry for those who dont know what I mean.

The sweet smell of progress!

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Looks MINT. Great progress Gypsy!!

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

Thanks... it is starting to look like a car again after all these years. I've still got the nosecone to finish off the paint work. I was speaking to someone only the other day saying that if I were to do another car that I'd either buy one already done or buy a clean runner and tidy it up. There are some decent cars available from either the USA or Japan for reasonable money compared to local values although I doubt many cars achieve locally advertised prices. My actions are also contradictory, on one hand I say never again but find myself collecting parts for another.... go figure !

As much as I love my cars its probably time to move on after this one and do something else with my spare time (non car related). Sometime next year this car should be hitting the streets for the first time in 20years.

Almost finished with the tunnel, next prime the cabin, finish any remaining buffer work and then the interior can go back where it belongs.

Need to repair the tunnel area, this side isnt too bad, the other side is going to need work. Pic 2 my modded Rx3 crossmember which will be adapted to fit my car. The welded wings will be removed.


Creating an earth point for the MIG.


Left side repaired, old grinder cut marks removed. Pic 2 template created for weld points. Mount flange profile needs to be changed to fit new location. Space is limited under the car. You don't want things too tight otherwise you'll never be able to remove the gearbox for a clutch change.

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Transfered template image onto tunnel so I know where too weld. Pic 2 mount is cleaned.


Mount Zinc coated so it can be welded. Pic 2 opposite side tunnel repaired and template transfered. Left and right mounts are different in shape.


Not happy with this side, tunnel has been bashed and its impossible to get the tunnel profile to match that of the mount. Spent a whole day trying before I finally conceded that this was not the way too do it. Pic 2, trying to find some suitable gauge steel to repair this tunnel. 808 mount next to the Rx3 one. It would be alot easier had I used the 808 ones, they are slim giving lots of clearance.


Shaping the new floor section and test fitting profile. Mount flange has been altered to fit new location.


Tunnel measured and cut. Pic 2, the hole is then traced on too the new section for further trimming. There is approx a 2mm overlap which I hope to fuse together.


Parts cleaned up for fitting.


Parts are zinced and plug welded.


Welds are cleaned up before fitting section.


Opposite side zinced, then tacked into place.


I run 1 inch beads winding up the MIG amps for good weld penetration. Downside is you'll blow holes if your not careful, no holes for me Pic 2, welding is cleaned with a grinder and wire wheel before priming. I'll clean up the rest of the floor and seam seal as well from both sides of the tunnel to stop any moisture coming in contact with metal. I'll prime and stone guard the area as well. Opposite side is more straight forward, just need to plug weld the mount to the tunnel, no need to cut out the section like this side.


Almost done with the body work.....

Maybe the last update for a while....

With the gearbox mounts sorted out I decided to clean up the cabin. I havent decided 100% but Im thinking of giving it a coat of primer. I'll seam seal the joins first and decide from there. While cleaning things up I noticed more welding repairs were needed #-o Handbrake area had fatigue cracks from yanking up the park brake. Better to fix it now than later on when it causes me grief. The spots welded had snapped long ago. Im asuming this is a common problem area on old Mazdas. You can clearly see the cracks in Pic 2.


Photos show me tracing the edge to transfer onto some clean metal.


New piece welded in..... Welds cleaned up and primed. Underside will be cleaned up as well. All that's needed is to drill an extra hole. I wont bother spot welding the underside back. I'll replace the snapped brackets (also fatigued). The whole thing (including underside) just bolts together with the body wedged inbetween.


Another problem area, the fuel flaps have a tendancy to rust from the inside out. The only ones I have every seen without rust are the late model ones without the fuel lid holder. I started this repair about 3 years ago and has been sitting in exposured metal all that time ! I have another with no holes but as soon as the blaster hits it, parts will turn too swiss cheese. The black stuff in pic 2 is not rust it's the adhesive that Mazda used to bond the 2 sides together.


The outer panel was pretty solid aside from the small hole. Pitting was minimal, the blaster took care of the rust pits when it was cleaned years ago. Took 10seconds to plug the hole and run a flap disk over it. Pic 2, the inner skin was clean as well, both parts will be cleaned up, epoxied and bonded together with Sikaflex or panel adhesive. The other flap without visible rust is worse, you can see the rust between the two panels which is why the other was used. It's a pretty simple panel to make if you cant find a repairable one.


I've been procrastinating with the nosecone, its finally in polyestor and the inside has been epoxy primed. A few hours left to finish it off, fitting it up, aligning, blocking the Polyestor then the HiFill. If I run out of time I may have Tricky spray the colour coat. It's up too me to get to the paint stage though. I used a paint brush to get the epoxy in all the hard to reach places that the blaster cleaned up.


For whatever reason over time I picked up cheap Watanabe's, the remaining wheel is on its way. They cost between $30 - $50 a piece. Most of the cost is in fees and shipping. If I didnt want to run the steel factory wheels as well I'd change my stud pattern to 114.3 to match the wheels. I'm having these redrilled at $40 a pop, I'll blast them myself in my mates cabinet and paint them at home. Overall cost will be between 6 - 700. No gutter rash or damage which is always a bonus. Wheels will start another chain of events, get the car to sit how I like, new shocks, new front springs, and probably will need to shorten the front shocks so the springs stay put when the front is jacked up. I've thought about adjustable coilovers and better brakes but I really don't want to go down that path. Decent brakes wont fit under the standard wheels, and there's no way Im going to fit Holden Commodore parts to my 3 ! Wheels are 14" 6.5 (front) and 7" (rear) A type Wat's all round. I'm thinking about painting them the same colour as the stockers.... undecided, may also do them a matt black. I'll worry about it when the car is road going.


Well you probably havent realised but this update FINALLY concludes all rust repairs and all welding work which is a big relief let me tell you ! From here I'll be waxing or fish oiling the cavities and rust repairs. It's unlikely it will every rust in my lifetime simply because the car will never see rain or the hose. The body work has been one eye opener and first hand old car learning experience. These cars love to rust (coupes are far worse than sedans), typically from the inside out. I've said it before, just because you can't see the rust just means you're not looking hard enough ! My advise for people who are thinking about having their cars restored, unless you are prepared to go all out don't mess too much with the body, it will only get you in a financial mess.

This has been a great project to follow. I can't wait to see the finished car.

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1984 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE, 1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL 390 Auto A/C, 1970 Ford F250 Explorer 390 Auto Long Bed
My Car Blog: http://chrischillino.com/

How do you get Watanabes for $50

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I bought all the wheels singularly which most people do not want, most want a matching pair at the very least. Watanabe wheels are pretty common and easy to find. My statement is a little misleading, the initial buy cost was between $30 - 50 but agent and shipping fees will normally double or triple the cost (to get them over to Australia at least). The only way you will get them cheap with no further costs is if you live in Japan.

If you want 114.3 then you are in luck and there are bargains about, anything else can get expensive. The more immaculate they look the more buyers/ bidders they will attract. Too me at least, whether there is 1 scratch or 20 scratches its the same thing meaning a repaint which is the same amount of work no matter what, however a wheel with 1 paint scratch will sell for significantly more than one with 20 scratches... get my thinking ?

These wheels came from Yahoo Japan, also look on upgarage, ichiban and I can't remember the other 2 sites off the top of my head.... all are japanese parts/ wheels sites. If you live in Sydney, Otomotto in North Parramatta is worth a visit, they bring in used period Japanese wheels as well. They had a set of fronts like I have for $300 which I checked out and a complete set of 4 for $600. Last I checked they had pairs for as little as $250 in 14". Best part is you can see the wheels for youself instead of guessing what photos are trying to show you. The hard bit with used wheels is always going too be trying too find sizes, offset and PCD that you're chasing.

A few more photos.... good news my remaining 7" Watanabe showed up unexpectedly. These things are ultra light compared to the steel wheels and look massive in comparison. They'll make a nice change every now and then. Pic 2 my headers turned up from Racing Beat USA. Thanks too war300 for lots of photos and the tip off. I've considered some pre built used exhaust systems but they're a little too big according to my engine builder. Im going for either 1 3/4 or 1 7/8" twin system. I've been advised for maximum hp the 2 pipes should remain seperate after the diff. If I want the engine to be torquier then the earlier the 2 pipes join the better. The exhaust design basically dictates where the power band will be.


I've put some bits and pieces together under the bonnet to get things out of the way. Front end needs to come apart as I want to lower the front a little. Looks like I have most things which is good. Battery tray needs painting as does the wiper panel, nosecone and fuel flap.


Car is sitting on the steel wheels, I have new flat dress rims and center caps as well to finish it off. Front guards still to be bolted down and adjusted. Almost finished with the bonnet....


Nosecone finally in HiFill, more than I bargained for I think ! Once the wet blocking starts I'll determine whether its ready for paint. There are so many curves on the nose that its not funny. Still need to finish off buffing down the side, Im getting lazy..... come out good so far though. I bought a boot rubber from Scotts only to return it, the profile was all wrong. Im exchanging it for a door rubber. I've had similar problems locating OEM style whether strips, everyone pretty much has generic stuff. There have been a couple of opportunities to buy factory stuff off both Yahoo and Ebay in the last 6 months... Oh well ! Ive found an almost identical inner weatherstrip (sits between glass and door trim) which I've had too buy a fair bit of too get it. I'll be off loading the stuff (for a fee off course) once it arrives. I've got the factory outer weatherstip new in a packet so Im right there. Bailey channels should be easy.


Once the buffing is done my focus will switch to assembling the interior as I have everything required. I'd like too do something different as well. My panel beating days are almost behind me, never again. I've surprised myself, it looks like its going too turn out too be a really nice car. For the next one which will be a 12a coupe, Im planning to paint it either Islet green or a solid black as Ive seen on some Savannas..... Hopefully I'll find one already done :)

Wow

Better than factory Mazda by a long shot

Can I ask where you get everything plated?

Cheers

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Thanks.. painting is pretty much done :) Stainless polishing and repairs has been done either by Restoremaz (NSW) or Mazbitz (Vic). My bars were repaired and chroming organised by Mazbitz.. Not all chromers are equal ! Zinc plating (gold finish) was done by Corburg North Platers, they are good but very slow. I had my cast chroming (mirror stalks) done by Modern Plating in Oakleigh, had them back within a week. Years ago I used to use BluChrome in Bankstown for bumper bars, not sure if they are still around or the quality of their work these days.

With a few days off I pretty much finished painting. For some reason I hated working on the nose, just bit the bullet and got it done. Turned out pretty good. Pic 1, test fitted the nose to make sure it aligned with everything. Pic 2 done !


... and a couple more.....glad its over


If I ever do another car I'll do the bodywork at home and hire out a boot and paint the entire car in one go. More efficent that way and alot faster as well. The other option is to do the bodywork and pay someone to paint it. Next time you see the car it should be buffed and all panels permanently in place. Painting at home is a pain in the arse, but still got me a good result... Only minor small stuff to painted now like brackets etc. Now Im off to find the headlight buckets so the nose can go on.

Blue chrome are still around. i use them for all my chrome, gold and silver zinc. They always do an awsome job for me, but people i know have gone there for a one off job, and not been happy. I take the very same part back and it comes out perfect. i think a lot of chrome places look after regulars who give them lots of work, but dont care too much about a guy they may never see again.

They will plate a bumper, but they dont repair them. Im pretty sure all the bumpers i send, go to the same place in victoria Rick sends his to for repairs, but even they are dropping in quality. Ive sent back two bars this month.Its very hard to get good chrome these days.Bumpers are done by hydraulic hammers and presses, and usually by guys who did trades in metal finishing back when things mattered,and one took pride in his work. Its a trade slowly fading away.Theres not too many new comers taking it up,as most gen y kids want to sell iphones in climate controlled shopping centres..Im not sure what the future holds for plating and old world craftsmanship.

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First update for this year, I hadnt intended to update anything for a while but since I had a few spare hours I thought I'd start on some enjoyable assembly time that everyone keeps telling me about. Give me a grinder, a welder, paint gun or soldering iron anytime over srewing the bloody thing together ](*,)

I decided to start with the glass then the cabin...

Memories came flooding back from 20years ago when I tried assembling door regulators from my very first car, a Rx2 sedan. 20years on I still hate putting doors together. Dennis gave a tip off to get things started suggesting I go visit Clark Rubber for Bailey channels, so off I went... I found Clark Rubber had 2 suitable types, one type was a little different to factory (which I chose) but also fit nicer as well. The design of it should see wind noise reduced to zero, it looks like it seals nicer over the OEM stuff. Quality and price are nice as well $10 a mtr. I picked up 10meters, maybe a little more than needed for a coupe. While there I also picked up 2 different spongey rubber, one type sits under the spare in the boot, the other type is to make some gaskets that sit between the window regulator winder and either inner door panel or rear quarters. The old stuff is long gone. I'll also make new rubber gaskets that sit between the door lock mechanism and the door shells.


Here 4 strips of rubber will be cut and Sikaflexed to the boot floor just as they came from Mazda. The rubber helps stop the rim rubbing on the painted floor and stops the wheel moving about, scratching the paint.


Finally somewhere to put the spare... after all these years I can finally start saving some space.


New bailey channel cut for the rear quarter windows... very nice fit


If someone can tell me whether the regulator is actually a coupe one I'd appreciate it. This one is stamped R for right, so I got that right. The guys I bought the car off had boxes of parts so I dont know if this is off a Rx3 sedan or Rx4. It does bolt up to the factory screw holes on the inner quarter though which is promising.


Window attached to the rear guide before slipping into the quarter panel cavity... I think the guide is upside down in the photo and inverted once in the car.


While Im at it, confirmation that these are front and rear regulators for a coupe (Left Side) please.


All factory rims now have nice quality matching Japanese silica tires that dont leak air !


Even better, I no longer have to trip over them ever again


So first attempt at assembly was frustrating... hope to sort out the glass before I go away again. If you know whether I have the correct regulators please let me know. Once this bit is out of the way putting the interior together should be a little more fun.