Mazda Rotary Club

well i finaly got it delivered today,it looks good but i\'m not sure since both sills need doing, what price do new sills come at ? the drivers side is rotten through from behind the drivers door i have the copy of the last test sheet and it says it has excess corrosion to :- nearside front sill, offside front and rear sill and offside front strengthening chassis( any idea where that will be)  the last owner never told me that just  some rust on the rear passenger arch :2eek and i can\'t check the engine till i get a battery for it( would of been nice to of been told it didn\'t come with one) theres a few other bits that i was never told about as well

(http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/1848/picture8294nc.jpg)

(http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/50/picture8288kl.jpg)

(http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/8612/picture8146bb.jpg)

(http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/7443/picture8137px.jpg)

should i fix it up or strip/sell it on and find another ?

chris

p.s. anyone with a welder is very welcome

thats gonna be one hell of a project buddy !!

the sills arent THAT big of a job to be honest - its just time consuming

the rest of it .. thats the wonderful world of filler :D

1)is the car in a garage or on your drive
2)can you jack it up and leave it where it is
3)the price you paid - you could strip it for spares .. then put that towards another one

i was ALWAYS told - get one with a good engine - as they are expensive to fix where as body work is\'nt

if i was you i would get it started and see what happens :)

if she runs right , then remove both seats , get it jacked up and smash hell out of the sills to get back to solid metal

the inside is easy to weld - the underside is a tad arkward

if you are going ahead with this project - then let me know - i might beable to really the troops for a day at your house helping you out

cheers

stu

so what else did the guy fail to mention then ??

just the battery and the \' small bit of rust on the arches\' :S when he said the inside was striped he wasn\'t jokeing as well, for some reson he even took out the back lights and wing mirrors.

its parked on the street atm which i wurrying me in case mr plod came along and ran the plates so i\'m gonna have to eather find a garage to stick it in to work on or sell it, if it had been like the guy said i would of probbly just given it the once over and tryed to MOT it but i did get it cheap so never mind i\'ll be happy or make a profit eather way.

are there any cross sectional pics of sills? how are the jacking points for mocking up cos i\'m not sure about one or 2 of them.

other than the rust i need to get a few bulbs new front indicator on the passenger side make sure the brakes aint stuck on and try to MOT it.

chris

i dont think you can MOT it with no rear lights matey ?!?!?!?

if you look underneath there are 2 box sections that run front to back and 2 the run left to right ( from the main ones )

the jacking points - i crushed mine completly - just rebuilt it with plate - a really crappy job but MOT man liked it !

get it started - it might be worth pulling the engine if it runs ok ??

Think you\'ve got your work cut out there mate. The bad news with rust like that is its always worse than it initially looks when you start digging into it.
Kevin

its got back lights  cos i had to put them on, then take then back off to put the number plate on  :Hammer , the light that is missing is the indecator( i think) thats in the front bumper.

i\'ve had a prod and a tap at the floor near the sills and the only area i think rust would be a problem is drivers side near the arch,the rest seems ok from a inch or two back.

does anyone have a part number for a fc battery? cos i want to see if the engine atleast turns, i never realised how big the fan ducting is, nearly as big as the engine.

the engine is ment to be 20,000 and put in by rototechnics by the owner before last but theres no paper work for it, if i ring them up would they be able to confirm details?

chris

ha ha ha i know what you mean about the fan cowl - they are HUGE

any battery should start the car - im running one of mine from a rover 200 battery

just look for one with good amps and cranking power

take one out of your car and use that :)

you can turn the engine by hand

1 - open bonnet
2 - right hand side is the power steering pump
3 - pull on the belt and that will turn the engine
4 - if you take the plugs out - you can hear each compression cycle

stu

and YES - rototechnics should beable to confirm from chassis number or reg number

thats good news i was waiting to here i needed a funny type. i wurried when i tryed to start it and nothing happend. i might take a hammer to the floor tomorrow and deside.

any idea on how much teh whole car would go for if the engine is how its ment to be, i might ebay it if its too bad.

btw whats the small pipe that runs along side the passenger side exhaust? i guess its to do with emmisions?

chris

p.s. wtf has happend to iluvmyrx7.com just when i needed the manuels

so did you try and start the car then ??

what happened ?

the small pipe .. err not sure but its supposed to be there !! LOL

i have ALL the manuals at work - i can supply them in 2006 if need be :)

if the engine runs and is ok ( and you decide you dont want the car ) i would ..

1 - remove the engine
2 - strip it for parts .. make them DIRT cheap and you will soon make you money back

if the engine if running OK will be worth say £200 and you can make £100 - 200 on the car ( when i say cheap parts - make them something silly like £5 + P&P ) this way you will shift them VERY easily

what you dont want is loads of stuff left .. if the parts are nice and cheap i would buy a lot from you to "tinker" with :)

you know the FC crew - cheap as chips - so making parts over expensive is not the best way forward :)

Let us know how you get on :D

Stu

i didn\'t try my fingers were too cold it was ****ing down and i had to look after molly( the lil one)

the lil pipe seems to follow the exhaust atleast past the diff, i did think it was odd when i saw it, i though screamer pipe and thought the engine was a turbo lol

well i\'ll try the engine and the sills and see what happens, i just hope i can find a welder and an angle grinder for a good price and watch the sparks fly.

and if you could send me the manuls in the new year.

chris

yeah no probs buddy

a welder from ebay ..£80

an angle grinder .. £15 argos

wont cost you a lot and once bought and all that :D

true and alot cheaper than paying someone else to do it! i can see another rusty floor horror thread like yours and turboIInutter\'s , i just hope it not quite that bad!

did you get the replacement metal from motor factors or ask for scrap at sheet metal places?

chris

i went to a local metal place - got a peice of Grade B metal ( had footprints on it and the such like )

it was 1mm thick , 6 foot long by about 2 foot wide and it cost me £3

just the prices i like :)

and i have LOADS left of it

did you just bang it to shape then weld itor tak it on then form it?

gonna try to start the engine later this afternoon and have a prod at the sills with a screwdriver as well.

right then this is the rough guide to what i did :

for the inside sections

1 - remove everything
2 - work out how much i needed to cover ( using one piece )
3 - say that was a 15mm gap
4 - cut a strip of metal 35mm wide - 15mm up the side of the box section , 15mm to cover the hole , 15mm to get to solid metal
5 - tack weld one corner
6 - get a ball pein hammer ( got a ball on one end )
7 - knock up to an inch away from the weld to get it to shape
8 - tack this down
9 - knock it flat a bit more - tack it
10 - do this so the metal is held every inch or so with a tack of weld
11 - this should be shaped to the shape of the car now
12 - the thing about hitting it aswell - (1) it shapes it (2) you know your weld is holding
13 - once its all in place and in shape
14 - WELD IT ALL UP THE BEST YOU CAN
15 - take out angle grinder - grind the weld flat
16 - weld up any bits you missed
17 - not the cut more metal to cover any more holes - this can be welded onto your new metal
18 - it then got 2 coats of hammerite to stop it going rusty
19 - do the rest of the car

the odds are you wont get perfect square holes , so if its and odd shape - weld a plate that covers the most and then put plates to cover the rest

i will have a play in paint shop to TRY and show you what i mean

i will be back :D

right then

1 - black = rusty hole
2 - blue = plates

see attached pic :

this is how i did mine - it should give you an idea

yer that seems easy enough, just hope the sills are ok i never got the chance to prod the car, to busy eating and drinking this afternoon. So its gonna have to be done on boxing day unless i can find the time tomorrow....

cheers for the pics.

i think we need a sticky for how to solve rust on rx7 trouble spots?

chris

More points to add

1 - you WILL NOT do it over a weekend - so dont even think about it
2 - it will annoy the hell out of you and make you want to give up and cry
3 - you will hold your head in your hands and blame the world when you cant get a plate to weld on
4 - you will sit and think about selling it half way thru
5 - you will get your head / hands / ears burnt by blobs of weld
6 - you will end up cut and bleeding trying to cut the metal
7 - people will want to talk to you when you are midst welding
8 - you will realise you are out of your depth - but you will continue
9 - you will learn how to bend your body in impossible positions
10 - you will get welding flash and see that shiney spot for hours
11 - you will weld a plate on and then touch it to see if its cold ( trust me - it isnt ! )12 - you will leave 4 miles of welding wire on the drive as you keep cutting it to get the welder to arc up
13 - the seats take 14 times longer to put back in than they took to come out

BUT

once its done you can stand proud and FIRMLY say that you did it , no one else , just you - and its the best feeling in the world matey - trust me - i have been there :)

Stu

rite, theres good news and bad news, the cars got some rust which is big news! the passenger side is the worst which is a suprice, theres already a hole next to and including the jacking point at the front, that looks like the worst point on the whole car but the floor on the inside is fine i never looked under the ECU gaurd tho but theres no wind noise and its dry so i didn\'t think it would be so bad. also the back arch needs work where its rusted through the arch and the body work but that looks a simple cut back and plate in job and doesn\'t look like it will get into the car anytime soon.

the drivers side is fairly solid apart from the bottom and outerside of the sill so that will need cuting out and sheeting back up, atleast i can cut it out in one block and use it to get the right shape, the jacking point is pretty good on this side as well the worse bit is behind the arch liner i couldn\'t see quite how back cos of the liner but its hopefuly not to bad

but on the good side i\'m gonna fix it up, i think me and sarah wanna sort it out and bring it back to looking like it should. :burnout

just need to try the engine tomorrow aslong as the only problem is only a missing battery.

chris

Looks like you got your work cut out there Chris  :eek:

I guess one of the problems of buying a car without viewing is the fact that the previous owner will NOT tell you everything as then you wont buy it  :yes  So they just tell you the minor details and then you get a suprise when it arrives  :3Confused

Good luck chap

Gurj

ps- dont let Grinder nick anything off you when you\'re not looking  :Thumbs-up

indeed! the one bit of rust he did tell me about is a hole! unless the drive down on the back of a truck some how make it incredably rusty... still for 77 quid i\'m happy not like i cant invite grinder around and sell half the car to him :wiggle.

rite to ebay for some goodies to make the car better.

chris

the rust doesnt sound too bad then matey !!

speak to a chap called GRIZZLY NOW - he is breaking a S5 vert .. but he doesnt want to break it over months - you may get all the bits you need for yours - he is a TOP bloke - tell him i sent you to him

Stu / Grinder

i\'d pm him if i could, still no membership yet, i\'m not totaly sure on the parts i need yet, when i try the engine tomorrow i\'ll try to make a list. i\'ll plug in the dash as well to make sure theres power to everything, a few wires have been cut that i think are needed. has any one fitted a stick on number plate to the top of the bumper, i dont like the look of the std plate and how its fitted.

chris

my mate had one stuck on and it was OK

have a look thru the for sale section , you will find an email addy for him :D

Quote from: prisspringlebtw whats the small pipe that runs along side the passenger side exhaust? i guess its to do with emmisions?

chris

Hi :wave

Here\'s my understanding of the small pipe...

Air is pumped down to cool the thermal reactor.  The thermal reactor can glow white hot, so a device is needed to carry the very hot air that it has heated up safely away from under the car.  This is your small pipe :D

The rear end section of the pipe commonly gets very rusty and technically it wouldn\'t fail an MOT, as long as it\'s not hanging off dangerously.  However you\'ll find many MOT stations who will ask you what it is!

Even new the end pipe from Mazda is about £29.00.  I can give you the part number if you need it? :D

Hope it helps :)

Lynn

thats what i had thought, it sounds like it had a small hole in the pipe on the mot print out so i\'ll have to sort that out as well. i still havent tryed the engine the battery thats in my other car  wont come out spent an hour trying to get the single bolt out! i would of drilled it out but it isn\'t my car just borrowed so i\'ll have to buy one and hope everything is ok.

when i start on the rust would it be a good idea to do a how to type guide with pictures and a write up and make it a sticky for everyone else to use?

chris

i wouldnt worry about a write up to be honest matey - you will have enough to worry about just doing that !!

if you want i could come over for a couple of hours to give you a hand ???? - not sure when it could be - but the offer is there for you

Stu

fair enough just thought it would be handy for new members ect, still might tho.

that would be great if you could i still need to sort a welder and grinder out.i\'m gonna start on the rear arch to practice  1st since it in a bad way as it is, its eather been kicked at last night or its got worse by its self!

chris

i just had an idea! when ever your free would you let me borrow your battery and check the car over for me, whould be the best way to find out if anything is wrong that i wouldn\'t know of?

chris

Chris ,

can you give me a blow by blow guide to exactly what you have done to the car so far ???

i know you didnt get it started - but what did you do exactly

this will at least give the readers of this post and idea of whats going on !

if you get chance , go out side , pop the bonnet , stand in the front of the car , power steering pump is on the far right ( passenger side ) - get hold of this belt and try turn the engine over by hand

let me know how you get on ... im happy to bob over for an hour or 3 - i just need to clear it with the better half !! - she gets a bit "shouty" if i go out playing

let me know ASAP

Stu

so far i\'ve re attached the rear lights wing mirrors and taken all loose interiour parts ( dash seats clocks spare wheel  general bits and bobs )

i\'ve atacked the car with a screw driver inside and out, found rust in the following areas:

drivers side arch ( unsure how big an area yet liner still in place)
rust on drivers side sill, hole through side and crack last till 1/4 way down sill.
jacking point in ok condtion floor is solid

passenger side is worst, theres a hole in the floor near the jacking point and front wheel arch, will need to make up a new jacking point and floor.
sill seems fine but may need a touching up on the rear arch.
back of the rear arch needs work, theres a hole and wot looks like a patch up job thats falling out and has taken the bottem lip of the panel out with it.

both rear arches need grinding back to clean metal and filling and spraying.

front arch has dent that needs banging back out.

i haven\'t done much apart from check oil and water, will spin it over by hand tomorrow.

i\'ll try to turn it over by hand tomorrow and tell you what happens.

that would be a great help, it looks pretty sorry for its self at the moment

chris

hiya chris

the starting of the car is the most important at this time to be honest

if it wont go , then you need to decide on the best course of action

i dont know when i can come over to be honest - you are over 1 hr away so that sort of cuts into any "playing" time

let me speak to the better half when she gets back and i will see when i can come and play - what are you like for availablity ??

Stu

yer i agree it is the most important thing left to do. if it ever stops i\'ll try turning it by hand.

i\'m free anytime really so when ever you can it\'ll be fine.

chris

what about next weekend or something like that ?!?!

being new year this weekend - its prob not the best time for it

Let me know

Stu

i\'m free anytime this week apart from tuesday at 2-4 ish and thursday day time, so when ever you are free thats fine

chris

just been out to try the engine and it does spin( it was an ass to do but it does turn,i guess it would be like that since i never took out the spark plugs.

is the power steering pump next to the distributor? in the hole there, if so i dont have power steering, it would make sence since the last owner had the car to use for trackdays, the pump would weigh a bit and not totaly needed once the cars moving, and it would suit me since i dont like powersteering.

grinder if you want to chat about coming over add me to your msn if you have it. my address is prisspringleuk@hotmail.com

chris

mate your car sounds pretty much like mine, i have got all the welding done on mine, im hlafway through, and soon as it gets warmer im going to be getting the rest done. good luck on getting it started!

how bad was your front archs before you started takeing things apart, they seem to be the worst bits on mine but it doesn\'t look to have spread to much to the floor unlike yours( thank god i dont like the idea of bashing the metal into shape for the strengthening strips) how much time has it taken you so far? i had a good read of your thread and it looked like a lot of work.

chris

well im back at work on tuesday - so that doenst help :(

i have spoken to the better half - and she says it ok to bob over - just need to decide when thats all

i will speak to her later and see what she says

did you ever get a battery on the car ???

You can come over before tuesday if that\'s what you mean i just didn\'t know if you would want to come this week.
I haven\'t got a battery yet, so if i could borrow yours whenever you come over that would be handy.

Chris

let me talk to her tonight and i will see if i can come over on monday - if thats ok and the weather is ok

you can start the car of ANY battery - trust me - i have done it many many times :)

i will get back to you - failing that - it might be a week today ( sat )

let me apply her with drink tonight - and we can work it from there :D

just to get the car started will help you decide what to do

leave it with me :D

have you got a battery for the car ( did it come with one ?? )

Stu

monday or next sat is fine stu,it never came with one and the only other car i can get one from wont come out as its rusted in( not my car so i cant go busting things up), so would we be able to unbolt your battery and swap it over start the car leave it and check everything moves.

yer if the engines dud the last owners gonna be for it!

sounds like you have a fun night ahead of you,looks like me and sarah will spend it feeding and changing molly! fun fun :D  :bandit

yeh the floor is all done now, and the front wings had been bashed, i just got two new wings fom a minter and then replaced em like

the car is now on the drive needs a respray, hopefully, should be doen in time for the rotorstock shindig.

Nas , thats great news about your car :D

Chris , i have a battery i can throw in the boot and bring along , if its not up to scratch we can jump it from the rover ( i would come in the rex , but it would cost me a fortune in juice !! )

that sounds like a plan stu, just give me a shout when you know when ya coming and we can sort things out:) shame i cant see ya rx but i\'m sure i\'ll see you at a meet somewhere local.

sounds like your over the worst of the work naz, i want the rx ready for rotorstock, well i want it ready by mid feb latest.

chris

i was thinking about coming in the rex - but it might make you jealous !! LOL

and i reckon on a 100 mile round trip it would cost me about £25 in juice :(

it probably would make me jealous but it\'s upto u which ever.

chris

stu do you know when your coming?

do the front wings simply unbolt, where abouts are they? i might take a hammer to the dent thats in it later today, and put the clocks back in.

chris

hiya chris

the wings just unbolt yes - but you MIGHT have to take the bumper off to get them off - not sure

there are bolts in the engine bay and some underneath

and about coming over - well im hoping this weekend to be honest .. i need to sort it out with the better half - we are at a party on sun - so it might have to be saturday

i dont think i can make it any other itme or it will be the weekend after

just a shame that you arent 20 mins away - would make it easier :d

Lets say sat for now - are you better in the AM or PM ??

stu

sat AM will probbly be best but what ever suits you best stu like i say i\'m free anytime, i\'ll have a go a getting the wing off sometime, atleast the clocks look easy to plug in, some of switches confuse me, i love the lil indicator tho its rather cute!

chris

i will discuss with clare and get back to you :D

you have to take the inner wheel arch plastics off and then undo the bolts on the INSIDE of the wing towards the front of the car, theres one right at the top i had to cut that one off! you need a spanner with a long extension i am very sure the size is 10mm, theres two bolts connecting the wing to the sill, i snapped those too! dont worry you can drill em out and use some self tappers.

have fun matey!

sounds about rite tho i bet the ones in the sill are rusted solid or rusted off!

i found another site with service manuels on: http://rx7.subbuteoclub.com/
 but it didn\'t have wing removel in it rest looks fine tho!

chris

i snapped the bolts off the wing aswell ( the ones on the underneath )

so i just welded the wing to the car :)

can you mail me on chojin22 ( at ) yahoo.com with contact details and post code matey - looks like we are on for sat AM

Cheers

stu

You\'ve got an email :)

you have one back chris

just thought i\'d say thank you for making the trip over again, i wish we\'d managed to get it going! it was soo close, atleast we agree that the engine runs fine comp wise.

did i hear you right about fibreglassing the hole in thesill up, would it really pass an MOT like that :S i never thought that it would in a structural area?

chris

fibre glass the outside - weld the inside holes

not sure what Mr Mot man would say to be honest ??

i would be realy tricky to weld ?

i didn\'t think it would,my plan is to get the stip of metal to the right lenght and width tack it over whats there bang it to some sort of shape, cut the sill up then weld in place. thats the least of my wurrys anyway need the hole in the floor done! what was the name of the guy that came with you( and on the board) i forgot.

did you find keighley car center then or did you give up?

chris

the guy is called Shaun - posts as shaunwuil

we did find it in the end - then the new one with just sports cars in - they must have well over £200K stock in that place

then had a nice trip down the A59 back home :)

I wonder how bad they\'d pass MOT if ya bought them and took them to an MOT test centre.

I thought that was his name, i\'ll keep everyone informed about what happens with the car. We\'ll have to have a meet up once i\'ve sorted the car.

Who\'s going to rotorstock FC wise? and how much are tickets normally?

Chris

i reckon that you are looking a few months to get it fully sorted

but you might beable to get it drivable in less time than that - a real shame we couldnt start it today :(

well it all depends on finding/borrowing a welder and getting on with it. it was such a kick in the teeth after all that work!

you couldn\'t get me a battery like you had in the rover for the same price you said could you?cheaper the better, that the FC way :P

the list of parts i need to buy isn\'t too bad there all lil bits since i\'ve got the back seats sorted.

chris

let me ask about a battery for you - the hassle is just getting it over to you :(

i will get back to you  :D

yer i\'m sure i can sort something out!

look what i just found on ebay :\'( : http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mazda-RX7-FC3S-1991-Rolling-Shell-Black-VG-Condition_W0QQitemZ4602608199QQcategoryZ52640QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

that would be perfect :\'( and that cheap( even by yorkshire man standards) its just the 200+ quid for delivery! i wish i had a car and traior or i\'d have that and swap things over.

chris ( now miffed!)

yeh it costs 40 quid to hire a flat bed! then all you need a mate with a towbar and a large car!

*goes off to ponder*

chris

it should be an easy car to tow as there is no engine in it

its the fact thats it BLOODY MILES away matey

not a bad car to start with though :D

yer thats the thing that bothers me, but if it goes silly cheap then i may have to... :P

i\'m right in thinking that the t2 gearbox wont mount to an egi engine? we cant deside what to do if we do buy it, we can buy a T2 engine ect but they dont seem cheap enough and the engine i have in mine is to good to just sell on.the other is to swap egi bits over and sell the other one for scrap, or swap egi bits then repair the red car and sell on.

decisions decisions......

but i\'m still waiting for a reply from the seller, not sure if i\'d get it if the car isn\'t UK reg`d.

grinder where abouts is keighly trade centre then?

chris

they just e-mailed me back, the car isn\'t uk reg, but it has the paper work so i could, he also sent me some more pics it looks in good condtion apart from missing a front bumper.

does anyone know a van/car rentail firm that lets under 23yr olds drive there cars... :Hammer

chris

:EDIT: scrach that its just been ended early never mind wheres my welder :P

Quote from: prisspringlethey just e-mailed me back, the car isn\'t uk reg, but it has the paper work so i could, he also sent me some more pics it looks in good condtion apart from missing a front bumper.

does anyone know a van/car rentail firm that lets under 23yr olds drive there cars... :Hammer

chris

:EDIT: scrach that its just been ended early never mind wheres my welder :P

Nope, but Exeter is miles away, so £200 delivery isn\'t bad at all. I\'m pretty sure that\'s is how much it would cost you anyway, plus your time.

I will have another think about any hire places around your area, being a Keighley lad and all i\'d like to help out ;)

Paul

yer shame its gone would of been a good ish money spinner plus that would be another rx saved from the tin worm.

yer i know what you mean about hire places, and any help is welcome!

chris

ah mate, nevermind!


at least im not on my own here!

lol true, atleast its saved me from having to lift an engine and gearbox and swap over wireing looms and fit the egi diff........

almost makes me glad i\'ve not got it!

chris

Hi Chris, are you sorted on the interior now then? I still have loads of bits lurking in the shed!

i\'m leaveing buying the bits till the cars sorted cos there only gonna get covered in rubbish or attacked by the cat in the cellar, so you can sell em on if you can and when i neeed them i\'ll give you a shout.

chris

no probs, just let me know when you need stuff

well i finaly pulled my finger out and rang rotortechnics, and the news is good the engine was put in at 62,000 and its on 76,000 now so its more like 14,000 miles not 20,000  :3gears-rh  

and the reason that there was number 10 plugs in all the spark plug holes is cos "thats what we use and we like to use the same plugs"  :xconfused  still sounds a lil bit odd to me but never mind.


chris

thats very impressive - so why doesnt it start ??

did you ask them about that

a £77 car with 14K on a rebuild , thats just scary !

at least your engine is not shot so in case you find a shell then is still worth to transfer the engine to another shell....good luck

cough ... £400 cab ... cough

only kidding mate - looks like TurboIInuttah wants it

i think its for the reasons we talked about, and i dowt they could of told me over the phone,and i dont think i would have a convertable round these parts :S i\'d give it a night before some tw@t slashed the roof....

i just need to find a solid shell which looks pretty hard so i think its gonna have to be the grinder and welder.

chris

stu did you get any part that were going for nothing on the for sale section off tim? he e-mailed me once and never replyed to any e-mails.

chris

nah there was nothing i wanted matey

dam i was hoping you had cos i\'ve not heard anything from him since he 1st e-mailed me

chris