Managed to pick this up off the bay on Thursday. Did a deal before the auction ended and tempted the seller with the readies!
Nice tidy 1st gen, runs really well, 12 months ticket having being mot’d at the start of the week and a bit of tax, can’t be bad!
It needs a bit of fettling, the front bumper bar is bent although the plastic skin is ok and the back bumper is the same. I’ll have to try and source some decent 2nd hand ones. The alloys let the rest of the car down and I’ll need to get them machined back to new condition.
Running the original 12a engine and a full stainless system front to back.
It’s nice to get back into a 1st generation again, I love these cars.
Here are a few pics...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/c7074.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/c7072.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/c7073.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/c7075.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/c7076.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/c7071.jpg)
Cheers,
Ian
Ian, That looks like a very nice car, its the same colour as mine. My car was was 1st reg\'d on 04/11/85, when was yours.
Dibs
Quote from: A7RXY;641138Ian, That looks like a very nice car, its the same colour as mine. My car was was 1st reg\'d on 04/11/85, when was yours.
Dibs
Hi Dibs,
It was first registered on 07 01 1986 so it\'s pretty close to yours. According to Davids Vin number info, it seems to be number 39 from the end of the 1st gen build.
By the way, welcome to the forum!!
Hi Ian and thanks. I have had mind since 89, with 2 owners before me and only 35k on the clock. Its has been in my garage and off the road for the past 11 years, at present it is with powergains motorsport having the carb sorted out. I have just rebuilt all the braking system, so hope to have it back on the road soon.
I used to be involved with the original RX7 owners club and even had the number 7 memembership number, but thats all in the past, I\'m now looking forward into getting back into the rotary scene again.
Where can I find details of the vin nos so I can see how close mine was to the end of the run
Dibs
That looks great Ian, I look forward to seeing it on the streets of Stafford.
Ive got quite a few parts knocking about but no bumpers unfortunatly, give me a shout if you need anything else though.
Keith...
Thanks for that Keith, I\'m sure to find something else I need as I get to know the car!
Dibs,
the man to give you all the info is David Nock who is recording all known 1st gens in the UK and is building up a database. David is on holiday at the moment but will soon be back on the forum.
According to one of Davids posts, the last 1st gen was vin number 5582.
I dont know if that is UK cars only or worldwide.
The thread \'How many 1st gens still running\' is very interesting and contains plenty of info.
Cheers,
Ian
Mine is some 250 before that, I remember reading some years ago that there was less tham 150 rx7s sold in 85 in the UK, but do not know how true that is.
I have a set of wheels in the garden you can have for free. Tyres are shot but at least you can refurb them !
Shaun
Quote from: shaunwil;641212I have a set of wheels in the garden you can have for free. Tyres are shot but at least you can refurb them !
Shaun
Thanks Shaun,
that would be great, I\'ll email you to see how I can get hold of them,
Cheers,
Ian
email me on shaun{DoT]wilmerAtBtinternet.com
Shaun
Quote from: Ian65;641195Thanks for that Keith, I\'m sure to find something else I need as I get to know the car!
Dibs,
the man to give you all the info is David Nock who is recording all known 1st gens in the UK and is building up a database. David is on holiday at the moment but will soon be back on the forum.
According to one of Davids posts, the last 1st gen was vin number 5582.
I dont know if that is UK cars only or worldwide.
The thread \'How many 1st gens still running\' is very interesting and contains plenty of info.
Cheers,
Ian
Hi Ian.... you got tempted in then? Great Stuff. Pleased to come back from the no-internet wilderness and find out what\'s been going on.
Hello Dibs, I was in the old club for years as well I thought when I saw your post I was reading A7 RCE, which you might remember as a regular Red show car.
Anyway, my info on 5582 is based on a Parkers guide of all chassis/VIN numbers as at 1990/1991. It doesn\'t say when the last 1st Gen came off the line unfortunately. Our Silver 1st Gen is in the last dozen numbers but I have got recorded a couple of \'D\' Reg cars, presumably sold late like ours. One is broken I\'m afraid but the other \'D\' is still licenced somewhere - last seen Gaydon show 2002!
Anyhow keep posting...
Dave
Hi David...........I remember your car at B and H, and if it had been red I would have had it myself. As for A7 RCE I remember it well, and have some photos of it somewhere.
My present car is A7 RXY (was C510 FNO) which I have owned since 1989 and now has 35K on the clock.
I wonder if any of the RX7\'s I have owned before are still about.
Gen 1 mk 1 reg KYO 508X I bought this new in 1981 from Richard Knight Cars.
Gen 1 mk 3 reg A594 SBM a 84 car which I bought in 86 and sold in 88.
Quote from: A7RXY;641961I wonder if any of the RX7\'s I have owned before are still about.
Gen 1 mk 1 reg KYO 508X I bought this new in 1981 from Richard Knight Cars.
Gen 1 mk 3 reg A594 SBM a 84 car which I bought in 86 and sold in 88.
KYO 508X is now \'no trace\' at DVLA
A594 SBM was last taxed until 03 08 2005 and is now recorded as \'unlicensed\' at DVLA but not recorded as scrapped, exported or no trace.
Thanks Ian
Quote from: David Nock;641943Hi Ian.... you got tempted in then? Great Stuff. Pleased to come back from the no-internet wilderness and find out what\'s been going on.
Hello Dibs, I was in the old club for years as well I thought when I saw your post I was reading A7 RCE, which you might remember as a regular Red show car.
Anyway, my info on 5582 is based on a Parkers guide of all chassis/VIN numbers as at 1990/1991. It doesn\'t say when the last 1st Gen came off the line unfortunately. Our Silver 1st Gen is in the last dozen numbers but I have got recorded a couple of \'D\' Reg cars, presumably sold late like ours. One is broken I\'m afraid but the other \'D\' is still licenced somewhere - last seen Gaydon show 2002!
Anyhow keep posting...
Dave
Forgot to note that I\'m reasonably sure that the 5582 refers to UK cars. The common factor for UK S3\'s is JMZFB13120070XXXX where XXXX is the Individual Serial No.
Quote from: A7RXY;641961Hi David...........I remember your car at B and H, and if it had been red I would have had it myself. As for A7 RCE I remember it well, and have some photos of it somewhere.
My present car is A7 RXY (was C510 FNO) which I have owned since 1989 and now has 35K on the clock.
I wonder if any of the RX7\'s I have owned before are still about.
Gen 1 mk 1 reg KYO 508X I bought this new in 1981 from Richard Knight Cars.
Gen 1 mk 3 reg A594 SBM a 84 car which I bought in 86 and sold in 88.
Yes, At B and H Mazda in Barnet. When were you looking \'cos I saw it and bought it in June 1993. I\'d have been gutted if you\'d got it 1st, earlier than that. (well I wouldn\'t really because I wouldn\'t have known anything about it and another RX7 parallel universe would then have opened for the Missus and me)!
Still, what a find though. Still in shipping wax and covered in a sheet years after arriving! Magic!!!
I had known that they had put one in storeage for a furtue date, I think it may have come to light through the owners club, and living in London I went to have a look, I had bought a Montrose off of them in 79, so knew them.
I have owned 7 Mazdas over the years starting with a 1800 estate, Montrose, 2x 626 and 3x RX7s, and knew of most if not all of the Mazda dealers in London at that time.
Finally got around to sorting out some insurance for this car today.
£115 fully comp inc breakdown and eu travel cover, 3000 mile limit.
Seems pretty cheap to me.
Thats about right, mine is £152 for 5000 miles living in London postal area................bet you used Adrain Flux ?
Mine\'s a bit more at £230 ish but it\'s Agreed Value (at a fairly good value). AoN, now Footman James.
Footman James, I\'ve been with them for years.
My other car is insured with them as well and they were cheap on that too.
David what agreed value have you got, I can do it for an extra £10, and was thinking of £3500.
Nice looking car Ian.
The lacquer peels on the wheels,refurbing will sort that out.
I had mine done a few months ago & bought new centre caps & new stainless valves,wheels look as good as new!
The faces are diamond cut & polished,the inserts sprayed,kerbing dinks filled,& the whole wheel relaquered,this can be expensive depending on the finish your after or how corroded ur wheels are.
Ive seen prices range from £50>£180 per wheel.
Ta...
Quote from: A7RXY;642290David what agreed value have you got, I can do it for an extra £10, and was thinking of £3500.
I\'ve had it at £6000 for a year or two. I know it\'s dropped with the downturn but Aon were relaxed about it. If they made me reduce it I\'d probably shop around and look at companies like yours.
Thinking about it they\'re better off allowing £6000 agreed and charging £230 than agreeing less and loosing that extra £100 or so. I ain\'t going to smack it up that\'s for sure....the wife would kill me, it\'s her car by rights.
Quote from: syebba;642441Nice looking car Ian.
The lacquer peels on the wheels,refurbing will sort that out.
I had mine done a few months ago & bought new centre caps & new stainless valves,wheels look as good as new!
The faces are diamond cut & polished,the inserts sprayed,kerbing dinks filled,& the whole wheel relaquered,this can be expensive depending on the finish your after or how corroded ur wheels are.
Ive seen prices range from £50>£180 per wheel.
Ta...
There were 2 brand new S3 wheels for sale in Bristol on the \'other club\'. £120 the pair I think. May be still there.
I\'ve just seen ur blog [website] detailing ur work on this car,it\'s G8 keep it up!
Ta Stu..:cheers
cheers Stu,
I haven\'t linked to it from anywhere yet as I only really blogged it to keep a record of the things I\'ve done to the car.
It\'s interesting to look back ( or maybe depressing, depending on how it goes!)
Ian
Nah,i enjoyed reading it,u should put a link up,it\'s interesting & informative,gives other owners knowledge & inspiration to do their cars,now i know how to do an elec ariel!!
Ta Stu.
Yes, whats the address of this \'ere blog then?
Haha,i knew it would\'nt take long for Dave to \'sniff\' this out!!:Laugh
Ta Stu..
Ah Ah Found it on Ian\'s Profile!!
Very Good Read. Interesting how all the 1st Gens have more or less the same problems - to be expected in mass production I suppose.
Still, bit peeved Missus made me fork out £180 for a new original aerial a few years back; I knew the wreckers would have been a better bet!
Tyres are 14" not 13" though Ian....is this another 1884 moment??
I\'m sure they were 13" back in 1884!
post - production prototype setup!
Cheers, changed it now.
@ dave,
You bought an original mazda elec ariel a few years back for £180,i take it this was the whole assembly,mast,motor,elec connector.
Don\'t suppose you could find the part nos,i\'ve been trying to find a 2nd hand one,but they want to sell the whole car for spares,donovan has\'nt one either.
Ta stu:2Confused
Quote from: syebba;645812@ dave,
You bought an original mazda elec ariel a few years back for £180,i take it this was the whole assembly,mast,motor,elec connector.
Don\'t suppose you could find the part nos,i\'ve been trying to find a 2nd hand one,but they want to sell the whole car for spares,donovan has\'nt one either.
Ta stu:2Confused
Yep...FA0166930C...."Antenna Radio". £173 in 2002.
Indeed it was everything Stu, for a Kings Ransom :King paid out, everything has to be there!
Try my favourite parts people, JCT600 in Wakefield, 01924 376644. email mark dot turner at jct600 dot co dot uk
He\'s parts manager there. If it\'s still available he\'ll find it.
Cheers 4 that dave,i have a good dealer near me who\'s very helpfull getting parts.
Recently ordered a pair of front sidelight lenses to go in front bumper,a bargain at £8 each,but when they turned up a month later from japan they\'re bleeding amber,our lenses are clear!Argh,& no refund allowed on them[backordered parts they call it].
i\'ll try & get 2nd hand leccy ariel,but finding one that still works on a car that\'s being broken 4 spares,hmmmmm not easy & i dont particuarly want a scrapper on me drive 4 the next few months!
Ta Stu:WaveBye
The worst part of this car when I bought it was the front end, which had received a slight knock to the bumper and the paint was tired, cracked and dull.
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/DSCF5818.jpg)
I was lucky enough to have a good 2nd hand bumper given to me by a member of this forum and I then had some paint mixed at the local paint factors and put into aerosols.
Pricey at £10 per tin but it was colour matched to the paint code of the car and then tinted to match the rest of the bodywork.
It\'s not quite a bodyshop finish, but then for £50 all in, it wasn\'t a bodyshop price either.
All in all, I\'m really pleased with how it\'s turned out.
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/DSCF5945.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/DSCF5948.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/DSCF5958.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/DSCF5961.jpg)
Well worth the effort!!
http://rx7-1st-gen.blogspot.com/
The cars looking good.
Looks very shiney,have u t-cut & waxed it?
Ta Stu..
only the front end and the bonnet.
I had to cut back and polish the new paint to get a good shine on it, so I did the bonnet at the same time.
I hate waxing cars but I must admit, the end result is worth the effort.
Just remembered, I need that bumper can I have it back in metalic blue!
Only joking, that looks great Ian. When you look at the before and after photo\'s you can see just how much that has lifted the look of the front end. Super job.
Keith..
Excellentos Ian. You sprayed it then? Very Good result.
Have to keep clear of Tesco car parks now!
yes, I took your advice David and sprayed it myself.
I reckoned I could always take it to a spray shop if I made a mess of it and get it professionally sprayed.
In the event, it\'s good enough though and for 50 quid all in, very reasonable.
looks great and you managed to keep the origional headlight washers! how much was the rainbow?
yeah, look what I found at the end of the rainbow.... stuff the pot of gold, I\'ll take the 1st gen thanks!
As it was a fine, dry sunny autumn day, I renewed the tax on the RX7 today and took it for a 20 mile spin.
It was a real pleasure just to go for a drive because I just wanted to, to enjoy the car and the experience.
I must admit, I don\'t usually enjoy driving these days as most of my time is spent sitting in traffic on the way to or from work, stuck on motorways and looking out for speed traps.
It made a nice change this morning to put the car through it\'s paces on the nice empty, dry B roads that link the villages around here.
The car drove great.... it\'s what owning a 1st gen is all about!!
Lucky you I cant wait untill the day comes when I can do the same............
Quote from: A7RXY;651618Lucky you I cant wait untill the day comes when I can do the same............
It won\'t be long now.... keep the faith!!!
1 very nice FB there mate - very nice motor!
whats the plans for it? any engine upgrades?
Wellcome 12at, nice to have another forum user down south.......
Yes indeed, Hello 12at.
Do I detect a 1st Gen owner here....I DO, I DO.....wild excitemento!!
Now then.....I need to think how to get the Reg out of you.
Hmm, would you care to post up on the forum, or if not (quite understandable with this nosey lot on \'ere), then email to dgnock at btopenworld dot com?
Are the questions above intended for me or someone else???
what sort of setup/upgrade are you looking at?
Quote from: 12at;651914Are the questions above intended for me or someone else???
what sort of setup/upgrade are you looking at?
Sorry mate, everyone on the 1st Gen section knows I pester the life out of everyone who has a 1st Gen car to give me the Registration No. That\'s because I keep a register of all known 1st Gen Series 1, 2 and 3 cars, all separated by Series and also divided by runners, track and SORN cars. Also scrapped cars are listed for record purposes to keep the register alive and up to date. Standard 1st Gens are covered plus all modded ones and track/drift ones. As long as it\'s a 1st Gen shell I\'m interested.
So yes, I was asking if you could fill me in on your Reg, so that I can link the correct car to the correct owner and also note roughly where it is, though your posts are telling me that. I also publish out onto the forum details of what number of cars are in each county but, once I\'ve noted a Reg I never publish it back out again, unless its public knowledge like on ebay.
Hope you can follow all that, also you\'re welcome to a car-by-car location sheet on Excel by e mail if you want one. Bribe, Bribe:Talking1
Regards Dave.
Its very stalkerish i think..
Ill just say its a silver 84 S3 :)
Clean ass 1st gen i just sold my gsl like a week ago i miss it alredy..Ill get another one some time soon......
Quote from: 12at;652015Its very stalkerish i think..
Ill just say its a silver 84 S3 :)
That\'s fine mate, a warm welcome just the same.
Quote from: T2fc3s;652092Clean ass 1st gen i just sold my gsl like a week ago i miss it alredy..Ill get another one some time soon......
You\'re lucky over there? Plenty to choose from? Nice dry places out west too.
Couldn\'t/wouldn\'t sell my \'85 FB. The wife would kill me.:WaveBye
Thought I\'d try and put together a bit of a website for my 1st gens...
http://www.tech-leisure.com/
might try to incorporate this blog into it.
http://rx7-1st-gen.blogspot.com/
I\'m not a computer whizz and it needs some work, but it\'s coming on!
That\'s G8 Ian,i had a good nose around:Typing
Ta stu..:WaveBye
Great Stuff Ian!!!! Wow, you have made a job and a half of that website.
Our silver FB came from B&H in Barnet as well; they\'re the people that stored it for years. It came into them around April 1986, just after yours had gone to live at the Barbican. (Ours finally went on the road in June 1993).
It was \'Martin\' selling the white one in Birmingham in 2001. I might have the ad somewhere if you want me to look it out?
And the Black shell has found it\'s owner eh? Well done mate, keep you busy that will.
Dave.
Quote from: David Nock;658607It was \'Martin\' selling the white one in Birmingham in 2001. I might have the ad somewhere if you want me to look it out?
Dave.
Dave,
I\'d love a butchers at that ad if you could dig it out for me. I think you already have my email but just in case...
ian08 at sky dot com
Cheers,
Ian
How many days/weeks did it take u to do ur new site Ian?
I would,nt know where to start!
Ta stu..
Quote from: syebba;658677How many days/weeks did it take u to do ur new site Ian?
I would,nt know where to start!
Ta stu..
Stu, it took me about 3 hrs altogether, although I split it over 3 evenings.
It\'s actually a doddle. I don\'t know anything about web code or html code so I just used microsoft publisher which came with microsoft office 2007 and used one of the their website templates. I then deleted all the stuff on the template that I didn\'t want, changed the background and inserted text boxes and pictures. The moving text I found on the web as a code and then just changed the text to say what I wanted then pasted it in.
At any stage you can just click \'website preview\' and it\'ll open it in \'explorer\' without loading it to the web so that you can try out different things and see how it all looks.
It\'s just like writing a letter and then click publish and publisher converts it to website files. You can then upload it to a hosting site and voila, you\'re done.
It\'s dead easy to grab animated graphics from other websites by saving them as a picture onto your computer and then pasting them into your design. Moving images and text look impressive but are simple to paste in.
All in all, it\'s really easy. If you\'ve got microsoft office on your computer, open up publisher and try it out. It\'s good fun getting stuff off other websites and building one up. Just by right clicking on a webpage, you can copy the background or pictures. If I use other peoples custom graphics though, I ask their permission 1st.
If you can copy and paste, you can design a website.
If I can do it, anyone can. I can\'t even set the clock on the video recorder!
And that\'s SIMPLE????!!!!!
I\'ll stick to my scanner and email thanks. Might take me a day or 2 though to peruse my papers Ian. I have your email address, I\'ll send to that, no probs.
added some cool RX7 video clips to the site...
http://www.tech-leisure.com/
Ian, I see the engine bay is comming along, I take it you have your own spay set up.
Yeah, it\'s moved on a bit more since but I haven\'t had chance to update the website yet.
http://www.tech-leisure.com/
This was it last week in primer...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/DSCF0025.jpg)
The engine bay has now been top coated and lacquered and looks the absolute dogs b******s!!
I\'ve tried to take some pics but it\'s so shiny that its hard to get a good clear pic. The patchy bits are just reflections.
The first 1 here was taken without the flash...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/bay2.jpg)
These were taken with the flash...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/bay3.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/bay5.jpg)
Gonna start building the engine bay back up while finishing the sill repairs to the back end.
The underside of the chassis rails, the front crossmember and the wheel arch side of the inner wings will be done with POR15, the old \'powder coat in a tin\'
I\'ll put the servo and master cylinders back on next and then the brake lines.
Still pondering the merits of electroplating the fixings and parts...
Decisions decisions............but looking good
a couple more...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/DSCF0037.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/DSCF0041.jpg)
hard to photo though.
Thats looking stunning Ian, what I want to know is what are you planning on putting in there?
Turbo 2 is my no.1 choice but I\'m in no rush, I\'m going to get it rolling first.
Great Stuff Ian.....gonna be a show stopper that car.
That looks G8,i thought the paint would of \'bloomed\'[gone cloudy] in these cold temps.
Keep up ur fetish for all things shiney black.
What\'s ur plan after it\'s up & running track/road,r u going to keep ur red one as well?
Ta stu...
I get the garage nice and warm first!
It\'s going to be a fast road car, I\'m not interested in risking my life on a race track.
I\'m undecided about the red car. I\'d like to keep it as it\'s in such good condition, I\'ve done about 100 miles in it today on the dry roads...great!
It depends how the project car turns out.
At the moment, I\'ve got the Jag, the red RX7, the project and the wifes car so I may have to reduce the fleet a bit but I\'ll probably keep the red car until the project hits the road.
Even then, I might just store it as it doesn\'t owe me very much and they are getting hard to find.
I\'ve put 300 miles on this car this week, including motorway driving, A road and country lanes and it\'s made me realise what a fantastic little car this is.
26 years old and it pulls like a train and never misses a beat.
Get\'s loads of admiring looks as well, probably some from people who\'ve never seen a 1st generation RX7 before.
It lives with modern cars and road conditions no problem and is a pleasure to drive.
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/DSCF5945-1.jpg)
given the price that they are changing hands for at the moment, they must be the bargain of the classic car world.
How many other cars designed in the 70\'s could you use every day, give it some stick and it still drive perfectly and get you where you want to go?
The only prob I have is that I\'ve got bigger and they are so low, I cant believe that in the late 80\'s I drove one to Spain and back with the wife and luggage, even brought pots and other bits back.
Quote from: A7RXY;668706The only prob I have is that I\'ve got bigger and they are so low, I cant believe that in the late 80\'s I drove one to Spain and back with the wife and luggage, even brought pots and other bits back.
Funny you should say that, I parked on the side of the road today and there was a queue of traffic on the other side of the road. A few drivers were looking at this unfamiliar car that had pulled up when I opened the drivers door and more or less fell out of the car trying to climb out!
I might still feel 23, like I was when I first had one of these cars, but it\'s obviously all in my mind!
Quote from: A7RXY;668706I cant believe that in the late 80\'s I drove one to Spain and back with the wife and luggage, even brought pots and other bits back.
Wow, Dibs, thats one hell of a journey, sounds more like a top gear challenge than a road trip!
I\'d love to do that but I can\'t see my wife being so keen on the idea.
I wonder if anyone else on here has done any longer trips in their 1st gens.
The furthest I\'ve gone in mine is London and back, 260 miles, a bit pathetic compared to your Michael Palin type exploits!!
Oh and another thing, as the doors are quite long when they are fully open I cant reach the handle to pull it closed, and have to lean half way out to do so, thats when the old belly gets in the way.................23 I\'m still 18............or is it 58...........where\'s that mirror
They were probably looking at u trying to get out.
It is a low car,the roofline is far lower than most cars,thats why its so sleek.
ta stu..[in another 10 years u may need a zimmer frame in the boot]
It\'s amazing just how capable these cars are. I\'ve done almost 30k in mine since buying it and have been happy. Shame not many poeople use them more.
Well driven Ian. Nice front end pic. Yeh it\'s good to make the eurobox drivers stare!
Our car\'s even worse for getting in and out of Dibs. The driver\'s seat is permanently on one and a half inch blocks to raise the back of the seat frame. My wife is only small and so it\'s very comfy for her. I\'m middling height and regularly concuss myself on the door frame getting into the car. Having said that I drive about quite happy once I\'m in it. Little Gus turned up 53,000 miles yesterday, that\'s about 80 miles total for January.....snow and salt ....yuuky.
Blimey, mine turned over to 135,000 about 2 weeks ago !
Shaun
But there\'s a few with less miles than Gus Shaun. I think Stu\'s red one has less on the clock, also 12at said his Silver car was 36,000 miles.
Add to that a 29,000 miler went up to Scotland last April. This last car had been laid up for years, went on ebay for a song and was said to be still on it\'s original tyres when checked out.
A new lowest and highest milage competition beckons??
35,360 on mine............
37981 miles on mine.
i\'ve read on other forums 12a\'s doing over 200,000 miles & still start from hot & cold.
Shauns sounds like it still runs fine as did the 126000 mile 79 s1 i sold to the irish guy.
That said, the condition of the bodywork is the most important & costly to make A1 if that\'s what you want.
Dave did u get the reg of that silver s1 for sale in old skool section?
Ta stu..:WaveBye
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/DSCF5945-1.jpg)
Blimey Ian looks very shiney,did u actually polish it,:eek:or a trick of the light?:2Rolleyes
Ta stu..
Mines now on an unknown mileage 13b now. Was still running all be it at about 4bar compression at about 110,000 on the original 12a !
Shaun
Quote from: A7RXY;66888435,360 on mine............
Agh... yes, sorry forget Dibs, you\'re in the lows as well....
@Stu, Yes, you mean Derick\'s car for sale in Kent? For yonks I\'ve had a black/silver LHD Dutch Import 1st Gen listed without a Reg. Then this one appears, I was sure it was the one. I note it all down and find it\'s a different colour scheme and originally from Switzerland. So back to the drawing board on the Dutch car.
Quote from: syebba;668896(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/DSCF5945-1.jpg)
Blimey Ian looks very shiney,did u actually polish it,:eek:or a trick of the light?:2Rolleyes
Ta stu..
yeah Stu, the paintwork was the 1st thing that struck me about this car when I went to look at it. It\'s very glossy for it\'s age and as bodywork is expensive to put right, it was the most important factor for me.
I polished it in the autumn when I did the bumper but haven\'t touched it since.
Not the weather for waxing cars!
Yep i agree,bodywork is the most important & potentiallly costly thing to sort out,engines/gearboxes can be replaced for not too much,but welding/filling/respray?
you know what i mean.
Ta stu..
Cost me quite alot to sort mine out for the mot. These cars hide their rust very well too.
Shaun
Ian just seen the pics of your inner wings, the way that car is comming along is something to behold. now for the realy hard one, do you try to build a standard car or go for it, I\'m glad its not one I would have to make.................
Quote from: shaunwil;669321Cost me quite alot to sort mine out for the mot. These cars hide their rust very well too.
Shaun
where did it need welding shaun?
ta stu
Quote from: Ian65;667823Turbo 2 is my no.1 choice but I\'m in no rush, I\'m going to get it rolling first.
Sounds like a good idea.
If it was my car i\'d keep it standard,but with a more powerful engine.
ta stu..
Quote from: syebba;669641Sounds like a good idea.
If it was my car i\'d keep it standard,but with a more powerful engine.
ta stu..
I want it to look like this...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/1979-mazda-rx7-10000-mount-olive-no.jpg)
er...not.
I\'m going to do exactly what you say Stu.
I want a totally standard looking car, same wheels,factory colour, same factory interior, everything.
The only upgrades will be improvements on parts that weren\'t available 25 - 30 years ago plus a more powerful engine.
I\'d prefer a turbo\'d 13b but it depends on availability.
All improvements though will be under the skin, I think the standard 1st gen, of all 3 series, is a fine looking car as it left the factory.
I do like the Elford front spoiler though.
They,ve ruined that S1!
What about lowering ur new project subtley by 1">2" max,stainless exhaust,hate the cricket bat mirrors,seen the ones in OZ & US,much smoother,theres been other posts on this reversible improvement.
More poke is a must!
see what engine u find.
ta stu..
Ah,just noticed that S1 has the mirrors on i,m talking about,think i,ll have to get some sorted for mine.
ta stu..
Quote from: A7RXY;669615Ian just seen the pics of your inner wings, the way that car is comming along is something to behold. now for the realy hard one, do you try to build a standard car or go for it, I\'m glad its not one I would have to make.................
Thanks Dibs,
The inner wings have now been done with POR 15 so should last for years and years. That stuff is the business.
I\'m going to do the inside of the outer wings with it too before I bolt them back on.
I going to sort of half \'go for it\'!
13b engine, preferably with a turbo but everything looking standard.
These cars are a pleasure to work on.
The last car I restored was a 1986 2.8i Capri and they are horrible to work on by comparison, the wings are welded on, the doors have to come off to properly remove the wings and the flitch plates rust like mad. as do just about every other panel. 1st gens, unless seriously neglected, stand up to the passage of time much better.
I\'m quite enjoying it at the moment!
Quote from: syebba;669732Ah,just noticed that S1 has the mirrors on i,m talking about,think i,ll have to get some sorted for mine.
ta stu..
yeah, it\'s a strange thing that, isn\'t it.
How come we got different mirrors to everyone else?
I presume they\'re still powered?
Ian.Sounds great, I cant wait to it when its finished.
I was wondering if you or any of the others will be going to the club meet in April, as now I have become member I understand its free for us,
Quote from: Ian65;669716I want it to look like this...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/1979-mazda-rx7-10000-mount-olive-no.jpg)
er...not.
This one is a bit more subtle, air scoop for a t2 intercooler....
I still prefer the plain stock bonnet though.
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/rxhoodscoop.jpg)
Wheels very snug on the arches.
Bonnet is best left standard.
No cricket bats hanging off each door,nice mirrors!
I think the above mirrors are leccy ones,sure ive seen them on black dragon auto or in the mazda catalogues i emailed Ian.
Shaun,with the nutty avatar has a 13b lump in his fb.
What sort of power does a standard T11 engine have,170 bhp,more?
ta stu..
Quote from: A7RXY;669738Ian.Sounds great, I cant wait to it when its finished.
I was wondering if you or any of the others will be going to the club meet in April, as now I have become member I understand its free for us,
I\'ve upgraded my membership as well now Dibs and I quite fancy a day out at Brooklands.... I\'ll have to try to keep it free.
Right now the next thing to do is how many Gen 1\'s we can get there, I feel a new thread comming on......................
Hi Ian, just had a look at your website re the rebuild, I could not believe the state of the underside of the donor car, these ser 3\'s really do hide there rust well, I was very interested about the split pins and castle nuts, I was going to replace my front discs but when I removed the covers they were still filled with clean grease, so I left well alone and cleaned up the existing ones with a wire brush, as they still had plenty of life left in them.
Good luck it looks like you are enjoying yourself.
I,m gonna slice it up with me stihl saw,then get rid of the remains.
sounds like texas chainsaw massacre!
I take it the field mice in the caliper have \'legged it\',i would if i saw u with a stihl saw.
G8 work,you\'re fast becoming a 1st gen guru.
ta stu...
Thanks for the kind comments guys,
I am enjoying it, I must admit, trouble is other things keep getting in the way.... kids, family things, work etc etc...
The shell is now stripped and I now need to start dismantling the various assembles and refurbing them.
This is the rear axle as it came off the car...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/axle1.jpg)
and the rear springs...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/springs.jpg)
This is one of the anti roll bar links off the back of the car... looks like it had some stick!
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/arbl.jpg)
Cutting up the shell is a right pain. Even with the sthil saw, it\'s hard going trying to cut through the chassis rails and other box sections and reinforcement. Nearly done now though!
The split pins are a menace.
The front steering has quite a few as does the suspension. Keith changed the steering box for the better series 2 version a few years back so the split pins he replaced were still greased and were ok.
Some of the others, notably the front tension bars ones, have probably been in since the car left the factory and a quarter of a century of salted roads and rain have rusted them up a treat.
I suppose we should change and grease them more often but they\'re out of sight, out of mind.
I\'ve had a real result finding a donor 1st gen about 2 miles from my house and Keiths help and generosity since I\'ve met him has been top draw and it\'s very much appreciated.
Can\'t wait now to start putting the bits onto my shell.
Doing a rebuild like this is a great way of learning about these cars, I\'ll be able to write a book when I\'ve finished!
Ian, have you decided if you will go for rubber or silicon bushes.
I\'m going to go for polybushes but I need to suss them out a bit more 1st and I could do with some advice from others who have already fitted them to their cars.
There are plenty of different makes...
Superflex, superpro, energy etc etc...
I don\'t know which to go for. I don\'t want stiffer bushes as I like the factory ride as it is so I just want some that replicate the original rubber bushes.
The other thing is the Watts link.
Some people say polys bind up in the link and that you should only use rubber bushes in the Watts link. Others have fitted polys in there with no problems whatsoever.
I need to do a bit more research...
Ian what u doing about the exhaust on ur black rex,aftermarket?
It would be a waste putting standard exhaust/air pump/emmissions crap back on with maybe an engine swap.
can\'t wait to see that diff get the coating bet it\'ll look awesome!
please post the pics when done
Quote from: syebba;676858Ian what u doing about the exhaust on ur black rex,aftermarket?
It would be a waste putting standard exhaust/air pump/emmissions crap back on with maybe an engine swap.
It depends which engine I end up with. The donor car had a full stainless system on it, the air pump and emission junk has already gone.
This exhaust won\'t easily mate up to an engine other than a N/A 12A
My preferred choice is a 13B turbo 2 but most available need a rebuild
2nd choice is a full Elford setup to put on the 12A
3rd choice is a 13B EGI
If nothing comes up, I might fit the standard 12A out of the donor just to get the car MOT\'d then fit the other engine when I get hold of one
Quote from: Ian65;677123It depends which engine I end up with. The donor car had a full stainless system on it, the air pump and emission junk has already gone.
This exhaust won\'t easily mate up to an engine other than a N/A 12A
My preferred choice is a 13B turbo 2 but most available need a rebuild
2nd choice is a full Elford setup to put on the 12A
3rd choice is a 13B EGI
If nothing comes up, I might fit the standard 12A out of the donor just to get the car MOT\'d then fit the other engine when I get hold of one
Sod it Ian lets both go 13B-REW then we\'ll be in it together-I haven\'t the balls to go it alone:2Rolleyes
Or even a short block 20b :Giggle
Was also in the mindset if I ever upgrade my FD engine to something tasty I would put the current engine in the FB with its turbo, all on lpg !
Shaun
Sounds like a plan Shaun,there\'s still one day of the weekend left so chopchop!:god
Tim
I need the 13b PP with a GT4294 for the FD first ! Although the engines the only thing in the FD at the minute :Giggle
Shaun
Quote from: captainbizzaro;677289Sounds like a plan Shaun,there\'s still one day of the weekend left so chopchop!:god
Tim
I,m more patient shaun,there\'s tomorrow,then next weekend!:Thumbsup!
ta stu
Old picture but must have been plenty of fun :
http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35720&highlight=old+skool+meet
Shaun
Quote from: kiwi-mick;677057can\'t wait to see that diff get the coating bet it\'ll look awesome!
please post the pics when done
Here we are...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/dif1.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/dif2.jpg)
A lot of hard work that was. I used a wire brush on an angle grinder and a smaller wire brush in a cordless drive for the awkward bits and I must have removed about 2kg of rust.
I then acid etched the whole thing and then coated it with POR15, the one side 1 day and then the other side the next. Looks great now but I\'m glad it\'s over.
The rear suspension, with the exception of the missing lower trailing arm and the new bushes, is now ready to go back on the car.
Thats impressive Ian fair play.:god
Ian what bushes did you go for in the end ?
Quote from: A7RXY;677435Ian what bushes did you go for in the end ?
I haven\'t got them yet, I\'m still looking into it.
Quite a few sets that are described as \'full car sets\' are actually missing a few bushes.
Also, some say that the upper trailing arms should stay on factory rubber, with poly in the rest of the suspension, others say don\'t use poly in the Watts link.
So at the moment I\'m still trying the suss it out.
I can get new mazda trailing arms complete with bushes ( for ££££\'s) but I don\'t know if just the rubber bushes for these arms are available by themselves.
Quote from: Ian65;677437I haven\'t got them yet, I\'m still looking into it.
Quite a few sets that are described as \'full car sets\' are actually missing a few bushes.
Also, some say that the upper trailing arms should stay on factory rubber, with poly in the rest of the suspension, others say don\'t use poly in the Watts link.
So at the moment I\'m still trying the suss it out.
I can get new mazda trailing arms complete with bushes ( for ££££\'s) but I don\'t know if just the rubber bushes for these arms are available by themselves.
Unfortunately I have a feeling they come as one but I may be wrong
Tim
Mazdatrix have the trailing arms complete with bushes for $74.... it\'s the shipping and duty that make it expensive
nice work Ian, i will drop mine off next weekend?
The kit I got had all the trailing arm bushes in it.
Shaun
Quote from: shaunwil;677500The kit I got had all the trailing arm bushes in it.
Shaun
did you put all polys in yours Shaun, all the trailing arms, watt link.. everything....??
any ill effects??
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/dif1.jpg)
That looks g8 ian,a lot of mundane work,but worth it in the end.
ta stu..
Yeh.....Absolutely amazing results Ian....You\'re doing a fantastic job. Well done mate.
Thanks for the kind comments guys...
I was on a bit of a downer last night after working so hard all weekend on the suspension only to have that bloody tank cave in.
It\'s good for morale to get some positive feedback...cheers!!
I learnt years ago with car restoration, when you get sick of it, lock the door and leave it for a while then buy some new shiny parts and your enthusiasm returns.
( I might have to leave it for a while anyway, she wants some new windows fitting!)
Soo nice and shiny :)
I have read your blog and is as much as a DIY guide as it is an inspiration.
Well done.
Quote from: A R;677622Soo nice and shiny :)
I have read your blog and is as much as a DIY guide as it is an inspiration.
Well done.
Cheers!! Part of the reason I stick it on the internet is to help and inspire other owners.
I love reading about other peoples projects, it inspires me.
When I first had these cars in the 80\'s, the only source of information was a Haynes manual.
Now you can find out anything from your laptop. Great!!
Has your garage got fancy blinds or is that axle on your kitchen worktop because if so, I\'d not let the wife see that.:chat
Quote from: captainbizzaro;677672Has your garage got fancy blinds or is that axle on your kitchen worktop because if so, I\'d not let the wife see that.:chat
I did a job where the supplier of the blinds oversupplied 30 sets of verticle blinds so I managed to get a few sets. Bit posh for the garage but keeps prying eyes out when it\'s locked up.
Why not mate nothings to luxurious for a 1st gen.
Funny old places where we keep our toys, one stays in a 5 star garage with vertical blinds, the other in a tin box ..............
Ha yeah, well it keeps the weather off it and the kids away from it, it\'s just not cat proof thats all!
Quote from: Ian65;677420Here we are...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/dif1.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/dif2.jpg)
A lot of hard work that was. I used a wire brush on an angle grinder and a smaller wire brush in a cordless drive for the awkward bits and I must have removed about 2kg of rust.
I then acid etched the whole thing and then coated it with POR15, the one side 1 day and then the other side the next. Looks great now but I\'m glad it\'s over.
The rear suspension, with the exception of the missing lower trailing arm and the new bushes, is now ready to go back on the car.
WOW dude that is some series work!
how much to do mine?:Thumbsup!
done the front struts this weekend...
suspension is not far off done now...
just the control arms and steering links left to do.
from this...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/DSCF0227.jpg)
to this...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/pairstrutsa.jpg)
here\'s the ordeal / work in full...
http://www.tech-leisure.com/index_files/Page848.htm
.
Wow Ian, keep it up mate it just gets better and better.
Dibs
INSPIRATIONAL!!!!!
Ian you so make me want to strip the car back
my wife will think your a bad influence
Blimey,ur not hanging around.
They look g8,takes persistence to do what your doing.
Quote from: syebba;679123Blimey,ur not hanging around.
They look g8,takes persistence to do what your doing.
or insanity...
sweet car Ian but your wasting your time on the other forum - the knowledgable people are no longer there :)
Quote from: Ian65;679128or insanity...
Hehe,well i did\'nt like to say Ian:spank
You\'ve got the skills/persistence to do it.
ta stu:WaveBye
Quote from: syebba;681718Hehe,well i did\'nt like to say Ian:spank
You\'ve got the skills/persistence to do it.
ta stu:WaveBye
Things are gonna slow now for a few weeks....
New house windows have arrived and I\'ve got to build and tile the dormers on the roof to fit the windows.
The bloody windows and double glazed units are in my garage blocking the way in and out.
Still, it will give me a bit of time to find a decent fuel tank and the elusive trailing arm.
Ha ha! one good thing to come out of this crap easter weather is that I can escape the house diy hell and work on my car instead!
No good taking the roof off the house when it\'s p****** it down.
Got a load of parts back from the shotblasters today...
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/p2.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/p1.jpg)
The heatshields will be sprayed with high temp silver paint tomorrow and the front crossmember, front control arms and other under car stuff will be done with black POR15
The battery tray, rad mounts and other under bonnet parts will be done with satin black.
Also got the engineering shop who did the blasting to press the ball joints out of the control arms ready for the new ones.
Great!! Much more enjoyable than doing bloody diy.
.
Hope you can remember where it all goes...............looking good
G8 stuff,your being very thorough.
Good luck with your roof,i had some guys torch on a 30 sq/m flat roof in oct 09,job took a day,but it was delayed for 3 weeks coz u guessed,it was ....ing down!
They\'ve got the weather back to front in uk,adverse weather is blue skies & sun,normal weather is gales/rain & overcast skies.
At least u cant get wet in your 5 star garage!
ta stu:WaveBye
do you think I\'ll need to move my rad forward to fit this?
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/79361218_full-2.jpg)
Quote from: Ian65;689363do you think I\'ll need to move my rad forward to fit this?
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/79361218_full-2.jpg)
No,thats an easy transplant.
All u need to do is get rid of ur front seats,pedals & steering move to the rear buckets,a proper 2 seater sports car.
anythings possible ;) does it come with rubber pants?
Had a few minutes spare so here\'s some quick drawings of my 1st gen!
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/draw1.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/draw2.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/draw3.jpg)
(http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss333/gsxrmovistar1/draw4.jpg)
Done with pins through a photo. Then you just join the dots-leaves of the hedge an\' all!
No ones so blxxdy multi talented, t\'aint possible.
Quote from: David Nock;692096No ones so blxxdy multi talented, t\'aint possible.
you\'re right! If I could bang out drawings like that, I wouldn\'t be running around chasing my tail everyday!
Bought the wife a camera for her birthday last week and it does tricks like taking a photo which looks like a drawing.
Looks good though doesn\'t it?
Im glad its not just me that buys the Mrs things that I want.
Took some convincing she wanted a metal work lathe I can tell you!
Quote from: myatt1972;692166Im glad its not just me that buys the Mrs things that I want.
Took some convincing she wanted a metal work lathe I can tell you!
I bet she wants a hydraulic press for christmas doesn\'t she? oh, and a 2 post lift!
Beats the dishwasher I got mine ......................