'89 Mazda RX7 FC - The Run-Up to the Weekender

While messing with the rear lights I noticed the rear bumper was badly sagging, hence this setup:




So a few bolts, ally pipe and fibreglass got involved to straighten it out:






This all went OK but it is now a bit of a pain to bolt up, its bent slightly now but its minor and better than the sagging. It has however made the plate holder slightly the wrong shape, so that may get remade.

In the last update I mentioned it needed to now be mapped so I made arrangements and got it booked in and booked a truck. Then my week sort of disappeared and the night before it was due to go I realised half the car was still in boxes. So queue this scene at midnight as I frantically tried to get it even slightly ready.




I booked the truck to pick the car up at 1300, I got a call saying he could be there for 1400, then at 1500 he said he was due at 1600 and then he asked if he could just go home instead as he wouldn't drop the car off in time. Some people really do take the p but agreed to come back a couple days later so I could sort out some other jobs. I tried to get the car as MOT ready as I could in that time but eventually got distracted by this:




This car came with remote central locking and an after market alarm. It didnt work too great but I thought it might be salvageable. Thats when I realised none of these cables go anywhere or do anything... The alarm siren was not connected, there is only one door connected and about 4 cables all running to the boot connected to nothing. There was also a buzzer and an LED but as far as I could tell all this wiring served one purpose... making a relay tick. Thats all. This of course is pointless and I was sick of the mess it was making under my dash so it had to come out.

This is what the remains of a cheap central locking unit look like:




Honestly it was a gratuitous amount of tape. The cabling was above 3m too long, but that hadnt stopped whoever installed it from extending most of the cables with what can only be described as total curse word. There was solid core wire, some flat cables, some dangerously thin cables, some household cables, plenty of awful soldering and control boxes that when opened only presented some capacitors and basic amplifier ICs. 
I really do feel sorry for whoever bought it and paid someone to install it (I'm in two minds whether I hope someone was paid to do it, or did it themselves, becauseboth show a gross misunderstanding of installing anything). Because they got ripped off.


Otherwise the car is now off to hopefully be mapped. However I'm not confident. The car doesnt start, but I have got it running twice by holding it at what while turning over. However once started the turbo puked oil out between the downpipe join. After a short while of running the car died, I pulled the front leading plug and it was soaked in oil. So something is still not healthy and I may not be on the home straight yet. I'll wait and see what happens and hopefully this will make RRG.

Good to see work happening on this, that alarm wiring removal pic is very familiar with what I had to do with mine!

Hope you get the running issues sorted, mines having issues as well lately so I think its soon to be sent off to someone cleverer than I to get it running.. :/

Long time no speak.

Well after 3 and a half years, a lot of money and a hemorrhoid inducing motorcycle ride later my RX7 has finally returned:




This time its not about to disappear again either! Nor is it going to be left to rot away. No this ladies and gentlemen is a fully road legal vehicle. Its got the tax, its got the test and its got the insurance. Ive even got 150 miles on it already. The first drive was uneventful, which is good in my book for a car that has not been driven in 7 years. It blew a PS steering line but not the end of the world and we got it patched up with air line to get home.

Honestly after so long it has been amazing to actually drive it. However its not quite all finished yet, its still on break in so needs to return for mapping. Currently its limited to 4k and it really cannot stretch its legs. Theres also a lot of things to do, so long in fact I decided to make a list and thats all I could think of on the top of my head. So although its finally home, the fin really has just begun!


Remove/relocate front plate
Finish plate holder
Fit 1 line plate
Fit red bulb in reverse section
Connect red bulb
Remove headlight cover
Check issue with OSF dip beam
Repair crack on screw mounting hole
Repair chip
Remove broken studs
Secure both wings
Finish fibreglassing splitter
Fit splitter
Move intercooler back
Cut and fit spare bumper
Find and fit piece over gear stick
Check and remove wiring
Repair cabling
Make mount for double DIN
Fit interior vents
Repair rust
Repair rust hole in spare wheel well
Fit new battery tray
Remove old 'tray'
Fit roof spoiler
Fit coilovers
Fit new wheel boss
Fit removable hub
Fit new steering wheel
Fit new alloys
Powder coat suspension
Fit new bushings
Fit rear strut brace
Fit chassis strut (wing)
Fit chassis strut (front subframe)
Rebuild calipers
Replace brake lines
Replace fuel lines
Replace wing indicators
Replace boot struts
Remove rear wiper and blank
Remove rear washer and blank
Check intermittent washer jets
Connect headlight washers
Clean radiator
Clean intercooler
Clean oil cooler
Clean PS cooler
Fit hard IC piping
Colour code piping
Fit side skirts
Replace exhaust
Remove aerial
Fit speakers
Fit blank in spoiler
Repair power steering pipe

The fun begins. First of all there was my summer christmas when santa delivered the greatest gift of all, BC Racing coilovers!






Don't know if Ill throw them on immediately or wait to get all the other parts powder coated so I can do it all at once.

The other job was replacing the headlights as my low beam wasnt working. To do this you need to lift off the headlight covers for access, these are held in with 4 screws each. Now because life isnt easy every single one was corroded and tried to round off as soon as you got near it, but I got there in the end.




By using plenty of violence.




Had to grind off all the heads then drill out the studs, went a lot easier than stud removal usually does but unfortunately I lost a lot of thread on one. I replaced all the screws for bolts anyway so Ive just put a nut on the back of the bad one and presto first job ticked off!

Yeah I did think I could do it that way but I would rather know this was sorted for the future and makes roadside repairs easier if I ever have to. Plus the terminals were pretty crusty and I don't think I wouldve get enough force on it from the side.

Thanks, got 200 miles on it, and its already cost me over £100 in fuel!

Ive realised I havent uploaded any pictures of the new big **** off turbo, how rude of me!






And one for comparison




Unfortunately all is not good in dorito land as its now developed a fairly serious oil leak, runs low after 30 ish miles and I happened to find this out 70 miles from home! That was nervous drive. So clock is ticking to get it sorted before the weekender. It looks like the sump is the issue though which I don't have the access to sort so need to find a garage happy to fix it or get it back down to reading to the guy who built the engine...

Thanks man, appreciate it! Sorry far too much time and money in the old girl now!


Also, damn havent updated this since April. Honestly not a lot has changed, its been chasing issues and tidying it up. Had a lot of electrical gremlins that may or may definitely have been my fault... I pulled the resistors off the fans and it kept blowing fuses.

Lost the alternator belt on the way home as well so that was two tow trucks in as many days.

Paint was all sanded down and buffed, while not perfect the difference is huge so I'm happy to rock the rough and ready look for a bit longer.

Finally finished up the front splitter which improves the look of the front end so much and started filling the rear bumper where the license plate lights used to be.




Did some general clearing up of rusty parts nobody will see.




Made some repairs to the spoiler, had to put in a new thread (yes I cut the bolt down) and replaced two clips with locating studs. This works well for keeping everything centered where it should be but it sits proud by a couple mm and squeaks like a curse word when it moves so I need to find a way to secure the corners.






Found yet ANOTHER hole.




Spent a weekend fixing an exhaust blow (its still blowing though so some fancy manifold is in the future plans)




Got the FC rev gauge working with the FD coils and changed to everything LED inside.




Removed the rear wiper blade and 3D printed a bung. Really happy with this design, fully printed thread with easy hand turn nut. No finishing required but I sanded and painted the external part for looks.








Went to the weekender (before a lot of the above work!)




Went to a friends house (I just like this picture, yellow headlights are best headlights)




Went to a local show (broke down 5 times in 10 miles, for the outlined above resistor removal idiocy)




Finally, the gathering!








So that near enough catches us up, its not everything but its what I remember! The car still isnt perfect, I need to do ALL the suspension and related items and I need to sort out airflow because under bonnet temps are ridiculous. So looking at a V-mount intercooler setup and a whole new exhaust.



If you have any pictures or videos please let me know! Especially off the start line, I want to see how sideways it was outside the car because first and second were not hooking up!

Good to meet you, we saw it at the Weekender and had another look at the weekend.... but as everyone says nice to put a face to a name

Love the 7 dude always had a soft spot for these (and the FBs).