My Mazda RX-7GSL-SE build log with the occasional balsa inclusion

I have only posted once on the RX-7 forum, about retrofitting power steering to a RX-7 other than a special edition. I would like to get another one, a GSL 12A but I'm spoiled with the nicely weighted power steering unit on the GSL-SE.

I might just ring them up again so see if someone might have a spare on/off volume knob.

Hi Bob,
Thanks for taking us on this ride... Very Cool!
My Dad got a 70s?Austin Mini. Took it all apart. Sandblasted it on the driveway. Replaced all floor panels with his brazing skills.
Had a cart with 4in wheels to roll it in/out the shop.
When painting time came, we hand rolled it 2miles to a local paint shop, on a Sunday morning.
Next Sunday, we rolled it back.
Perfect Mr Bean colour.
I swear every every nut and bolt was checked. Dad loved doing it. Runs like a top.
Gave it to his grandchild, who likes MrBean, and just got his driving licence. (over 25 yrs ago)
Still driving, on the road. (not in salt weather)
Keep going,
Electicrish stuff is hard enough. Lack of connecting rods? Good Luck.
With utmost respect,
Take care,
Have fun,
Dave

I have had a decades long love affair with the Mini ever since I saw one eat up the track at Summit Point raceway. This little bread-box of a thing was was humbling everybody. I have never forgotten it. The Mini Cooper when bought by BMW never diminished the appeal. Came close to buying one that needed work prior to getting this RX-7. Fellow sold it just before I made up my mind to buy it. Ya snooze ya loose.




It's still on my bucket list. Big following on the British Car Forum.

Hiatus from the RX-7. Trying to get my daughters John Deere Mower ready for the season. This thing is kicking my butt worse than any car ever did. I should just buy her a new one. So much easier!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Bob,
A stock old 70s Mini has less than 50hp. Light and nimble, fun to drive.
I helped out lightening up a Suzuki Swift 3cyl turbo/super charged similar car.
I was passenger, we beat all the big block cars on the small track that day.
My neck still aches from wearing the helmet going around those corners...

John Deer parts are usually easy here, a rare one?
Everything,
Takes time,
As usual,
Take care,
Have fun,
Dave

HalfaDave wrote:Hi Bob,
A stock old 70s Mini has less than 50hp. Light and nimble, fun to drive.
I helped out lightening up a Suzuki Swift 3cyl turbo/super charged similar car.
I was passenger, we beat all the big block cars on the small track that day.
My neck still aches from wearing the helmet going around those corners...

John Deer parts are usually easy here, a rare one?
Everything,
Takes time,
As usual,
Take care,
Have fun,
Dave

Off the shelf LX-172 1993 vintage bought good used back in Florida. Only mower that I used for some 30 years. Never failed mowing 2 acres or more eleven months of the year. Brakes gave out a few years back, but I still used it.

Giving it to my Daughter after she demolished her's but I wouldn't give it to her without brakes. Taking it apart the two 1/4" bolts holding the pads on broke off in the aluminum housing despite applied heat and penetrating oil.. Had to drill them out. Wound up redrilling and retapping. Plenty of brake now.

Hi Bob,
Sweet ride!
The Toro's here were second best. (with respect)
We were hacking out a flying field, getting it close to good....
Club member shows up with a triple reel mower from a golf course. Ancient scary thing. Greased it up.
We made a football field area look like a billiard table...
Fun times,
Dave

Sounds like the way things have been going for me ( ITS ALWAYS SOMETHING ) when you try and do what would bee simple jobs or unexpected projects POP up , Like my Dad use to tell me at least you know how to fix it That never went over well with me after mec-kanic-ing all day long !

getback wrote:Sounds like the way things have been going for me ( ITS ALWAYS SOMETHING ) when you try and do what would bee simple jobs or unexpected projects POP up , Like my Dad use to tell me at least you know how to fix it  That never went over well with me after mec-kanic-ing all day long !

It's a long and regretable two day story of misery. A jacked up mower, me sitting on cold cement trying to drill out broken off quarter/20's on a level beneath my knees. Center punch the broken off bolts, and bits drift leaving parts of the bolt inside an aluminum housing. Which way do you think the bit will drift, well it takes the path of least resistance eating into the aluminum. Forget about tapping a 1/4-20.

Wound up drilling the right side hole to 3/8" and the left to 5/16" and tapping both. Don't ask why......but both are rock solid now and brakes.........got-em!

Spent yesterday driving the RX-7 and delivering the LX-172 to my daughter.  Car exceeding expections, daughter a work in progress.  

Proud Papa.......until the bottom falls out.  Still lot's of opportunity for that to happen.  





At the limit now for performance improvement.  Have to start thinking about paint.  Searched '84/85 paint codes.  Looks like sunbeam silver, I would like red but changing the color complicates.  

Had to feel nice getting behind the wheel and going for a spin…. Probably gives a little more insight to what the motor, transmission, etc is really like…. I notice it has a moon roof…. My Z had T tops…. My kids would get a kick out of running around in it with the tops off….Gives the ride a totally different feel…

rdw777 wrote:Had to feel nice getting behind the wheel and going for a spin…. Probably gives a little more insight to what the motor, transmission, etc is really like…. I notice it has a moon roof…. My Z had T tops…. My kids would get a kick out of running around in it with the tops off….Gives the ride a totally different feel…

Thanks Robert.  Yes, moon roof/T tops most of the structural integrity while still enjoying open air motoring.  My '74 Corvette was a T top.  I remember my first convertible, a 1950 Plymouth.  First time I lowered the top 17 years old and I felt a sense of freedom that I had never felt before.  Still has stayed with me.  

Got serious today, added coolant to the radiator, washer fluid to the windshield wipers and added more gas to the tank.  Erased all three idiot warning lights.  First time I have had a clear panel since I owned it.

A step toward legality.  Vintage plate (25 years or older in WV) has been on three MG's.  A 10 year plate expires in 2025.  




Got my garage back.  Mower to my daughters and Mark picked up his ATV.  Moved the tractor over to the vacated space and I hav my workshop back.




1977 MG Midget - $250.00

amazing job you have done of restoring the RX7 rod Now you have space, sounds like something else might need to fill that space

Yabby wrote:amazing job you have done of restoring the RX7 rod  Now you have space, sounds like something else might need to fill that space

I have been eyeing something like this for years. Closing a door on a Vintage Mercedes is something you won't forget, it's like closing a bank vault door.




Presently available on Bring-A-Trailer.  Finding a restorable beater without breaking the bank is quite difficult.  

Better option is getting my old near mint 12A back.  Just need to add power steering to be happy.

Glad you got the brakes fixed up and delivered to your daughter she looks Happy ! This must bee a type O 1977 MG Midget - $250.00 ????

getback wrote:Glad  you got the brakes fixed up and delivered to your daughter she looks Happy ! This must bee a type O   1977 MG Midget - $250.00   ????

It's a type Rust-O Eric.  A ball of rust when I got for $250.00

benz - 4 doors are easy to find, 2 doors are expensive

have you checked craigslist lately?

A dear pal explained to me
pre 1973 - expensive
2018 or newer - expensive
certain models - always expensive (pagoda roof, AMG, G wagon, etc)

everything else can be found cheap in larger cities. People do not want to pay for the high maintenance cost

if they are rich enough to buy new? they buy new, and just want to unload the old for more than trade in
if they are not rich enough, they want a $2000 beater that runs
no one wants to pay maintenance on out-of-warranty


I currently have my eye on a 2016 350E for $6200. but I am trying to get him to 4500. cause I am old and cheap

explaining pal? just bought a 2017 S600 (twin turbo V12) for $3500. needed the air ride repaired.

they are out there - you need to look in big cities

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/d/vallejo-1991-mercedes-benz-500-sl/7608236649.html

Bob,
I've had these on my phone for a bit. Now I'm thinking about it and sitting still long enough to post. The big master cylinder cover is Lucas Girling. The rectangular plate of steel is for whatever can take a pair of screw hooks and chain pulling the plate against the master cylinder.

Speaking of Lucas, I remember on Usenet and other forums especially the British motorcycle and car forums the saying, "Lucas created darkness", a reference inferred, I gather to the unreliability of Lucas electrics and electronics.

Overall (beyond Lucas, not much seen in US), I remembered the old sealed beam incandescent car and motorcycle headlamps. Back in late 1970's, about six months to annually, I'd put a new 6 Volt 35/25 Watt headlamp on my 1971 Honda CB100 motorcycle (my only transportation in college besides my 10 speed bike).

Be riding in the evening (had many of those studying at the U library & engineering lab study rooms). Low beam would burn out. Now in darkness, flip to high beam, with one hand rotate the headlamp bucket to put the high beam downward to mimic low beam, until I could stop by the dealer next few days to buy a new lamp.

Prior with cars, may be every 2 or 3 years replace car headlamps. If they got old, light output dimmed. The newer more reliable halogen technology changed that.

Now that the subject of Lucas has fared its ugly head again, check out this.  Only credit I take is for searching for more amunition against Lucas.

The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark."

* Lucas denies having invented darkness. But they still claim "sudden, unexpected darkness"

* Lucas--inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.

* The three-position Lucas switch--DIM, FLICKER and OFF.

* The other three switch settings--SMOKE, SMOLDER and IGNITE.

* Lucas dip-switch positions: LOW and BLOW

* The original anti-theft devices--Lucas Electric products.

* "I've had a Lucas pacemaker for years and have never experienced any prob...

* If Lucas made guns, wars would not start either.

* Did you hear about the Lucas powered torpedo? It sank.

* It's not true that Lucas, in 1947, tried to get Parliament to
repeal Ohm's Law. They withdrew their efforts when they met too much
resistance.

* Did you hear the one about the guy that peeked into a Land Rover
and asked the owner "How can you tell one switch from another at
night, since they all look the same?" "He replied, it doesn't matter
which one you use, nothing happens!"

* Back in the '70s Lucas decided to diversify its product line and
began manufacturing vacuum cleaners. It was the only product they
offered which didn't suck.

* Quality Assurance phoned and advised the Lucas engineering guy
that they had trouble with his design shorting out. So he made the
wires longer.

* Alexander Graham Bell invented the Telephone.
Thomas Edison invented the Light Bulb.
Joseph Lucas invented the Short Circuit.

* Lucas systems actually uses AC current; it just has a random frequency.

* How to make AIDS disappear? Give it a Lucas parts number.

* Recently, Lucas won out over Bosch to supply the electrical for
the new Volkswagens. So, now the cars from the Black Forest will come
with electrics supplied by the Lord of Darkness -- how appropriate!

* Lucas is an acronym for Loose Unsoldered Connections and Splices

Talk about thread drift, and I'm the principle offender...........and I'm lovin' it.  Continue the drift is my new motto.  

But Jim, I forget what you are trying to tell me with your above pictures.  Not you, me - my recall is about 10 minutes on any given day.  But I think it's about how to clean the rust out of my gas tank.  I have put that on hold until I get it running perfectly.  Not a big issue now.  I have rinsed that tank out a few times and the rust that I'm getting in the visible glass filter is minimual.  

Rod, loved the Lucas expressions.  Got a chuckle out of each one.  My 40 year long love affair with British cars not withstanding.    Lucas - Truely the "Prince of Darkness!"

Japanese diligence and attention to detail though could not overcome the rust in the drivers side window motor.  15 years of water seepage and neglect did it in.  However the passengers side after a little lubrication worked perfectly.  I still have to remove the glass and the mechanism to replace the weatherstripping.  But the window goes up and down like new now.  



But I'm not done with small electrical motors.  Both outside rearview mirrors do not remotely adjust and the windshield washer pump doesn't.  

Wish I could post the video Mark took of me driving the Mazda into the garage, smooth, silent and now thankfully no smoke.

BTW, that rusty differential pictured above out of my '77 MG.  Water poured out when I drained it not 90wt.  I used a pressure washer to blast the rust out, put it back in and lubed it.  Talk about howl.  A friend (Michael Joy "The voice of NASCAR") sold me a good replacement.  Biggest expense that I had with the whole car.

Bob,
That's a $30 pressurized brake/clutch bleeder.

944_Jim wrote:Bob,
That's a $30 pressurized brake/clutch bleeder.

Thanks Jim, I used this even cheaper (<$20) ebay/Amazon thing.  



Junk!  My stick on the brake pedal while I ran around releasing the bleeder worked better.  My son and I finally re-did all the old fashioned way.  Solid pedal now but I'm not sure if the booster is coming into play.  Got to check that out.

Starting to deal with the non-working radio.

Lessons learned because of this forum applied.

A while back I posted how Easy-Off oven cleaner removed paint from one of my plastic models.  Had the same problem with the black painted window/drip-rail trim paint on the RX-7.  Getting ready to paint...I'm doing it myself.....I wanted to remove the flaking paint covering the chrome trim.  So I went to Walmart and bought a can of paint remover at $14.00.  Didn't even touch it.  Then I thought of Easy-Off.  Within 10 minutes it had loosened the paint to where it could be removed by simply wiping with a dry rag.  

Poor pictures, flash makes the chrome appear as black.





Debating whether to leave it chrome or repaint semi-gloss or matte black as original, probably paint.

Still working on it every day.  Replaced rear shocks and finished the interior among other things.