Forsythe93

Hey guys, so I just spent a ton of money on parts and the next week or so is gonna be better than christmas.....Now, I'm rebuilding my SA22C and im blogging the whole process day by day HERE. My hope it that this provides some good info for people but moreover that it helps me out too. I'll try to keep this thread as evenly updated as the blog but i can't make any promises. Currently I'm just waiting for the parts to come in which hopefully is soon...in the mean time I've just been stripping the engine bay and cleaning etc. It's all gonna have to come out for new paint and the transmission(hopefully i dont have to rebuild the engine also) but what I'm kinda worried about is all the couplers...I'm doing my best to label them however I'm not 100% sure what they all are and where they go for when I drop everything back in...The couplers are nothing compared to the vacuum hoses though, I've still got the rats nest in and im not sure how im gonna memorize all their locations and what not.....Anyway, I digress. Head over and check out my blog if you've got a minute or a few I'd appreciate it. Can't wait to really get this started....Cheers all

again the link is:
drift-rx7.blogspot.com

81WideMariah

iTrader: (8)

get a roll of masking tape and mark every hose/connector you disconnect. I use numbers... write a number on a piece of tape and attach to hose/connector. Then write the same number on a piece of tape and attach to the nipple or sensor that the hose/connector corresponds to.

Forsythe93

thanks for the tip...yeah ive been doing that for the most part i just wanna know for interest sake

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

The digital camera is the best tool for renovation work since the Dremel. Shoot bazillions of pix for free; only print the ones you have to (if any).

Do it proud!

teddyrx2

iTrader: (33)

nice ride by far bro

Forsythe93

Alright so its been a couple days and I've made progress. Unfortunately the only part to have come in the mail is my starter but it hardly matters cuz im not ready for new parts anyway. I do however have to pick up an engine stand and hoist soon. Oh, and a adapter for the stand which im a bit worried about cuz i feel like it might take a while to get here...and im behind "schedule"...anyway back to progress. I've pretty much gotten all of the peripherals out, all except the thermal reactor and intake manifold because there some annoying bolts that i have to get at. I have also done a preliminary cleaning of some things. Actually I wanted to recommend a really good, and i mean crazy good product for cleaning pretty much anything. I call it purple cleaner but the actual name is Black Scorpion(just google it its kinda hard to find). Regardless I've tried so many things and none even come close...but yeah ill stop trying to market to you sorry. I spent a fair bit of today cleaning the hell out of my stock rims and they look alot better than they did before. Tomorrow Im gonna rebuild the carb I took off with the kit i have.
Crap I had some questions but i forgot them...ah well. Cheers all

DON"T FORGET TO CHECK OUT MY PROJECT BLOG!!
http://drift-rx7.blogspot.com
ill throw up pictures in a few minutes...

7aull

iTrader: (2)

Buy a box of blue NITRIL disposable gloves!! You'll kill yourself (eventually) with all those harsh cleaners and petroleum stuff with no hand protection. Box of 100 are $15 - and they are reusable.

Connectors: get the factory wiring diagram book. This is separate for the 1980. (From the Service BooK). On ebay regularly of $15. ALL connections in car detailed!

Good for you for tackling this. Easy car to work on but still a big job. Lots of resources here and esp in the ARCHIVE section.

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

WRT the engine stand adapter: it's not 100% required. With careful use of the normal block attaching arms that come with most engine stands, you can do a 12A on them just fine.

I think I have some pics at home of previous build work that show how I used the garden-variety Harbor Freight engine stand for it. I will post them up tonight after I get home.

No doubt the purpose built adapters would be easiest to use, but they cost $$ better used on parts!

85TIIDEVIL

iTrader: (2)

I would tinker with one mechanical thing at a time this way if it causes a problem you know where it more then likely orginated from. Also you'll be able to tell the difference each individual upgrade made.

You could always pick up these at any electrical supply. For $5 they can't be beat.

Forsythe93

Hey, thanks for the tip on the engine adaptor and yeah ive started to use the wiring diagrams alot more now. I got a few parts in including the electrical fan and thermostat, some seals for the doors, and a couple other things I cant remember. Today I'm gonna tackle the carb rebuild and clean some more if I have extra time.

Forsythe93

Quick question though

how the hell do i get this pulley off? I've tried and tried but no use...also i wanted to get a pulley replacement kit and looked at Gilmer pulleys but they were pretty expensive so if anyone has any recommendations I'd appreciate it.
Thanks, Ben

-Gamah

iTrader: (1)

isn't it that bolt in the middle of it?

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

Danger, Will Robinson!

You don't want to remove the e-shaft front pulley without either being prepared to pull the engine front cover apart, or following the very specific instructions for keeping the "front stack" loaded, found at MazdaTrix's website and various places here.

If you do, the front needle bearings will fall out of line, and you'll destroy them when putting the unit back together.

You're reaching the point in disassembly where you really need to research what you're doing first. Download the 1980 FSM and start reading Section 1 before you disassemble any major engine components. It'll save you money. Important things that are not obvious include the proper sequence for de-torqueing the main engine bolts in order to avoid warping housings.

Also, If I recall correctly, the center bolt is reverse threaded.

Here are the pics I mentioned earlier, of mounting to an engine stand without the adapter plate.

Forsythe93

AHH ok ill take it slower, good thing that i couldn't loosen the front e-shaft bolt...also is this the page i want? http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/pulley.htm

Forsythe93

Oh, ok i think i get what would go wrong but wouldn't it all not matter if I'm going to take off the front cover and disassemble/clean/vaseline/reassemble etc anyway? (reassemble with new o-ring and gaskets of course)

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

Yup yup... That's the one

You're right - If you're going to tear the engine down, then it doesn't matter if you pull the e-shaft pulley first. In fact it's easier to loosen the bolt when the drivetrain is still together, as you can put the car in gear to lock the shaft. Getting it loose after pulling the engine requires a way to stop shaft rotation.

But just in case you found it needful to stick it back in before teardown, I figured you should know about the front stack issue. It's one of the more common errors because it's not obvious.

Forsythe93

True true thanks divindriver.....well I'm back after a bit of a hiatus. Sorry about that. I havent gotten too much done but Christmas came and brought a ton of parts. What i did actually complete is replace all the door and hatch rubber components, removed the windows, restored them along with the regulators, put new shocks in for the rear hatch, and did a bunch of interior cleaning plus stereo system setup. Oh and I did also complete the carb rebuild....this post is mostly performance part eye-candy and just to let you guys know that I'm still going at it.
Ahh and some other news.... I got my Atkins rebuild kit.(the most expensive one with cryo parts)I had to order a new radiator cuz by dad wrecked my old one(sigh) and the engine hoist and mount came in...It’s just that they came today and I don’t have pictures of them so I'm just mentioning.
Ok so I was thinking (bad idea I know). Sure I know how to increase horsepower and what not which will make me quicker, but what I'd much rather do is raise my top speed! I was sitting in the car and having a speedo that ends at 80 and a rotary tach that reds at 7k is just depressing. What is there I can do to safely raise my redline a bit? The end game of course (and because I don’t know any other way) would be to increase top speed and be fast rather than quick. Point being I want a sports car not a muscle car. What do you guys think...and go ahead and troll me for being unreasonable if you see fit.

Heres pictures of parts )) or you can always check out my blog version of this project at http://drift-rx7.blogspot.com/.
Thanks guys...Cheers

7aull

iTrader: (2)

Looks like a Mazda Toy Store...

;D

Ok - so we know your serious now....

enjoying your posts....
Didn't see the $30 rebuild DVD mazdatrix sells. $$ well spent to know the "secrets" in a rebuild...

Check out Pineappleracing.com too. Great tools, knowledge base, parts and on-line tutorials

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

cshaw07

iTrader: (14)

op, you seem to have too much money, send some my way

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

(Starts humming "If I were a Rich Man....")

That looks like a happy place you got there.

Oh, and if you can't find a good home for the stock exhaust bits, let me know; I'm currently hoarding them against future need here in Smog-**** Central.

WRT the speedo; if you can find a good unit from a 79 SA, you'll have a drop-in replacement that will read to 130. Only tricky bit is transferring your actual miles into the new odo, which isn't actually all that hard - - not that I'd ever do such a thing.

Jimbo II

My. God. Subscribed.

Have fun!

Forsythe93

haha thanks everyone....well im behind schedule and the whole deal with the transmission is making me rage haha....so i call up these people that i purchased it from for 521$ and they tell me that i didnt actually purchase it. I was very surprised to hear this especially since my bank account seemed to be missing about $500. The company said they would look into it and give me a call back in a few minutes. They didn't call back. Today I receive an email saying that paypal has refunded me my money. Well at least its all resolved but it seems now that I'm in the market for a transmission....Any ideas???