Hi all, new to the board, tried searching for this but couldn't find it. Can anyone tell me if the RX-7 was made entirely of aluminum or was it a steel/aluminum mix ie chassis = steel, body panels = aluminum. Also, has anyone experienced rusting or seen signs of metal fatigue (excluding crashes!) on their FD? I'm looking to buy one in the near future, but being 12 yrs old these kind of things scare me... not the engine stuff.. its easy(er)/cheaper to find a good mechanic than someone to spend months at a time stitch welding your car back together! thanks!

 

Steel with an aluminum hood.

Torn down to the point where there is no question:

http://community.webshots.com/album/132281433kiUBKO

http://community.webshots.com/album/89560034SgoVwL

 

Well the only japanese car i know of that is completely made of aluminium is the NSX. I dont think you have that big of a problem with the fd cos its such a nice car people would tend to take care of the body a lot more than other cars. The only thing im definate on is that the hood is aluminium.

 

thanks guy's!, damn NSX's and their semi-exotic materials..... Jeff, i've noticed that you've built a bunch of FD's, have you experienced anything related to the chassis/subframe that would require reinforcement, and did mazda include any kind of rustproofing on it? (ie zinc coating). From your pics it looks like the chassis/subframe is pretty clean and sturdy, but i wasn't sure if that was your work or if it came like that (painted)

Also, have you seen or know of any warning signs of rusting/fatigue in the cars that you've built? I'm in Canada, and these cars probably have seen snow/salt at one time or another.


(i've been watching too many of those restoration -reality TV shows w/ cars that look ok on the outside, but on the inside look like they're 1 hit from cracking in half!)

 

It is my impression that the FD is fairly corrosion resistant. I haven't seen any really rusty cars. I can't comment on the specific Mazda processes regarding Zinc coatings, etc but I can say that I've cut a few of these cars apart and I don't see any body rust. The rear subframe and underbody fasteners can get rusty but those are easy and cheap to replace.

I don't think the body needs any reinforcement. Some people buy underbody bracing but I don't think it is called for unless your doing something extreme with the car.

 

damn jeff! i dont know if i have ever complemented you on your work, but it sure is amazing. i think you should be known as the Doc or Dr. jeff on the fourm from now on. people like you are keeping the FD alive, and known. im in the process of fixing mine cause it was hit by a drunk driver, but im not doing the body work. i would like to do it, but i have no expierence in doing body work. http://community.webshots.com/album/153049976BhbKYR, theres the latest progress of mine, next its going to the body shop. one day im gonna learn how to do that and get a trashed FD for a couple pennys and bring it back to life, anyways keep up the good work, and sorry for going off topic in this thread

 

Im really amazed to see how good of a job you do on these cars jeff. How old are you anyways to be able to afford all this? Do you fix them up then sell them? Really nice job, especially on that cym