Wow rich, that's a heck of an investment. My friend Marc is doing the same with his right now but with the rust work and the fact that the first paint shop screwed him over, he's up around $12k now and the car's not finished yet :S

It'll probably be $14k by the time it's reassembled, but it is going to be a sweet ride. As part of the project we've got all new suspension (RB Springs, KYB Shocks, Poly Bushings all around), ReSpeed Rack and Pinion conversion, Sterling on a ported manifold, RB Exhaust (single pipe) and a bunch of small things like an FD alt etc...

We're going with the stock Tender Blue Mica on it, which IMHO is an awesome colour that I wish my car had, though the Sunbeam Silver Mica isn't bad.

So yeah, all of that to say I know how it is building up a project to never get the money back, but if you love the car, it's all worth it. Hell, I've got $6k at LEAST in mine already and I haven't even touched the paint or the engine rebuild yet!

Jon

Edit: I love how you said "roughly" right before you posted a number down to the CENT.

 

Wow, that right there is like $600 worth of Dynamat before you even buy the third box!... But it's being done *right*. I want mine done that way.

 

Actually I found a couple of places on eBay that sold it pretty cheap...my total for the 3 boxes is less than $400. The first place no longer sells it but the third box came from CSB Electronics and was $138 shipped...of course this is to a US address.

As for your previous post, yea, you really have to want to make one of these cars right for yourself...you won't make money on them (unless of course you're Ian and can do your own body work LOL). I put a little over $25k into my MGB and wouldn't be able to get $15k out of it.

Rich

 

Stormy is nearly ready for her carpet to be installed permanently. All the Dynamat has been put down that will be under the carpet, and the carpet is up at the interior shop having some edges put on some of the cuts. The last step to get ready to put it in was to cover the access holes in each foot well (see pictures). I cut pieces of galvanized steel and attached them with double-sided tape. I figured they wouldn't be going anywhere since they're under the carpet, so the tape should be fine.

I need to put in another good word for StockInteriors.com. The headliner material they sent me didn't match the sample they had sent me for the same color code (1690, Dark Blue). It had a bit of a greenish tint that wouldn't look good with the vinyl and cloth I'm using. So I called them up and they are bending over backwards to try to make it right. The deal isn't complete yet, so maybe I shouldn't speak too soon, but so far they sound very anxious to get it right. I'm sending the sample, and a piece I cut off the roll they sent me, back to them and they'll take a look at them and see what happened, and try to get me the right one. Said it wouldn't cost me anything for shipping. So far, very good customer service.

Next up...install the brake booster and clutch master cylinder, then start working on getting the dash put back in.

Rich

 

I've seen Rich's car in person, the one in his avatar that he bought new. Immaculate. If this new project is even half as nice it will be one of the sweetest 1st gen builds I've seen in a long time.

Keep up the great work Rich. Btw, I still haven't finished reparing the fiberglass work from the meet I came up for. Hopefully it will be done by the end of March, along with the correct SA bumpers for the body kit. I need to take a 1-2" slice out of the entire fiberglass front, fenders included, just to raise the lip so I can get in and out of my driveway.

 

Hey Scott - Thanks for the nice words...I really appreciate it. I'm surprised you haven't fixed that damage yet...looked like you had a lot of fun doing the damage though!

I got the carpet back this morning and set it in the car...need to wait for some contact cement to set up on the pieces of velcro I glued onto the front edges to hold it in place before I put it down permanently. I installed the brake booster and the clutch master cylinder. Started putting in the heater and A/C stuff under the dash then realized I hadn't bought a new heater core yet, so I need to get that ordered. I'll probably finish up a little wiring tomorrow and maybe finish putting the Dynamat in...still need to do the doors and roof.

Rich

Rich

 

ive done estimates for properly restoring a 1st gen, without opening the engine its still easy to spend 6k at mazda, for all the bushings, clips, decals, mouldings, badges, seals....

that assumes the car ran and drove fine before you started... doing a proper stock restoration is just not cheap.

 

I think you're absolutely right. I think you could make a pretty nice FB for very little money, but to really do it right and get all the little details right, you have to be willing to open up the wallet. Like I said before, you really have to want to do it for yourself, because you won't make any money doing top notch restorations on these things.

But, a friend of mine told me just last week that he saw a show that said the RX-7 would be the next hot collector car. I don't have any details, and don't know what show it was, but he said that they said a $3000 RX-7 today would be a $10,000 RX-7 in 5 years. Good news if true!

I've attached a picture of the vinyl and cloth I'll be using on the seats and door panels. The vinyl is actually a little darker than it appears in the picture, but the cloth is pretty accurate.

Rich

 

Absolutely gorgeous and very nice work man. Can't wait to see the finished product.

 

yeah you can make a nice car without spending a ton of money, but there are just a bunch of little clips and things that need to be there and unpainted if the car is going to be right.

also things like new lenses and mouldings and badges make a HUGE difference, both in the way the car looks and the wallet thickness!

 

Rich, any new updates on the project?

 

I've been moving pretty slow, but making some progress. I changed direction...originally I was going to get the dash put in and then start working on the engine. But I decided it would be a good idea to check for leaks in the heater box before putting the dash in, so I put the motor in and wired up and put in the radiator and oil cooler and fired it up. It starts well, but doesn't seem to be running on both rotors or something. Still need to figure that out, and I have a coolant leak up around the water pump that I need to solve. But it looks like the heater box is good to go so I'll start working on the dash shortly. Once the dash is in I will finally have the windshield put in, and then I'll be able to at least back it out of the garage and wash it and get some good pictures.

Rich

 

Update! I got her running really well this week. Had 2 major ignition problems. Originally I had the distributor shaft installed 180 degrees off. Once I corrected that, she would reluctantly start, but wouldn't run well at all. Finally I did some staring and comparing with my SE parts car and found that I had the distributor cap on backwards. There are two retaining clips that hold the cap in place and one has a tab on it that engages a slot in the cap. When I rebuilt the distributor I installed these clips on the wrong sides, consequently I installed the cap backwards. Once I corrected that and advanced the timing a little bit she fired right up and runs great. I think I have all the leaks taken care of, although I still need to verify that I fixed a small oil leak at the filter pedastal. Today I hooked up the brake and clutch lines and got them bled. So now all I have to do is tighten up some front suspension stuff, tighten the steering wheel and throw a seat in her, and I should be able to back her out of the garage.

Rich

 

wow i love your car the color looks sick any more pics of the car

 

Another update. I got her brake and clutch lines connected, filled her up with Valvoline synthetic brake fluid, and bled the clutch and brake systems...speed bleeders are the bomb! Then, Friday afternoon I fired her up and backed her out of the garage. I still have a long way to go, but it's getting exciting.

Rich

 

Rich, the car is looking most excellent. i really love the color and i really respect what you've done to the car. not a huge fan of the wheels, as i personally feel that they're too big, but its a beautiful car overall!!

 

Latest update! The carpet is in. The dash is in and everything is functional. I got all the interior pieces back from the interior guy and should get most of that installed this weekend. The seats came out great! I can't wait to get them installed. The windshield goes in tomorrow, then I'll be able to back her out, wash her up, and get some good pictures.

I did run into a major problem. When I had her running about a month ago I noticed the header was glowing red. I immediately shut her down and worked on other things while I thought about what to do about it. Finally I took the header off and it has a hole burned in it! I called Racing Beat and first the guy told me it was because I had the distributor locked. But when I told him I had wrapped the header he said "Say no more...DO NOT WRAP THE HEADER!" So I ordered a new one and it arrived today...mmmm...stainless steel!

Rich

 

seats look great!!! i cant wait to see updated pics of the car!!

 

Latest update! She's nearly complete. Just need to get the bumpers on. I got the rear bumper back from the body shop and took all the hardware and brackets off it and sandblasted them. I blackened the hardware and the smaller brackets with a blackening kit from Eastwood, and I'm preparing to spray the larger brackets and bumper bar. The front bumper should be done any day. Then I need to run her up to the alignment shop to get that new rack & pinion front end aligned, and she'll be done.

I've attached some shots of the sub box now that it's complete. I post a few more picks with I get all the wiring reconnected.

Rich

 

she look great Rich! keep the pics coming!!

 

Damn. That looks SWEET. Send me some high res photos when youre done for the calendar!

I wish my project could have taken that short amount of time. It took me spring and summer...and it wont even be on the road this year!

 

Thanks Chris! My new son-in law is a photographer, so I'm going to get him to help me take some good pics when I get her done.

I've attached some pictures of the sub box after I reconnected the wiring.

Rich

 

And a couple more...

 

Looks good man. Im glad you went with the different color in the middle, looks really good. Still feel bad though. I guess you not showing up for my special day makes up for it though lol. BTW, yes I am still alive.

 

nice stereo setup. i can't wait to see this car complete!