I had already posted in another forum however I thought I would also post here as I am sure a few of you would be interested

I previously owned another 1979 Mazda RX-7 for a number of years. I can't remember exatly when I bought it but it was around 1997. This was originally stock as a rock but came with a Group C spoiler. Over the years it eventually went to a 12A extend port with 51 IDA EFI injection straight from Graeme Stones (Rotomotion) S3 RX-7 which raced at Waneroo. Suspension was also modified with Koni adjustable shocks, lowered king springs and the then new (1st person in WA) Noltec adjustable strut tops. Brakes where Commodore/Magna setup with a 14x6 rims. I remember how hard it was back then to source larger rims for an RX-7!

It was an awesome RX-7 however drama struck. As the rear ducktail spoiler was molded into the body and not stuck on with rivets, the water pooled in the wing and eventually over the years severely rusted the bodywork. At the time, no-one wanted to repair the vehicle so the bullet was bit and another shell was sourced.

And so the project starts!

I am building this RX-7 to compete in hill climbs, super sprints, motokana's etc. I am also building it on the philosophy of 'do it once, do it right'. It's nothing more annoying than using 30 year old parts so if it's rubbish, a new item will either be sourced, refurbished or even re-made (keep an eye out for future products). It's taken this long so whats another year!

I'll keep this page updated with the specifications. Any updated changes will be noted in RED.

Exterior
- Baremetal respray in 2pac "bright red"
- All unnecessary holes removed from engine bay
- Deleted door locks and rear hatch lock
- Deleted door mirrors
- Hella 5604 178mm H4 Headlight Kit

Interior
- Carbon Fiber dash
- Carbon fiber door trims
- Bride seat rails
- Ultra-Lite 4310 Fuel Level
- Ultra-Lite 4337-M Water Temperature
- Ultra-Lite 4348-M Oil Temperature
- Ultra-Lite 4353 Oil Pressure
- Ultra-Lite 4391 Voltmeter
- Ultra-Lite 4487-M Speedometer
- Ultra-Lite 4497 Tachometer

Engine
- S5 13B 6 Port Bridgeport ported on all plates
- Cadmium Plated nuts, bolts, screws (or replaced new from Mazda)
- 13B Baffle Plate
- Equal Length & Volume 2" Mandrel Bent Stainless Steel Extractors
- Chromed Engine Mount
- Polished Front Timing Cover & Rotor housings

Driveline
- Mazda 2-Way LSD
- Mazda S3 RX-7 Diff
- 555 Pitman Arm

Fuel System
- Alloy Race fuel tank with integrated surge tank

Suspension
- Adjustable coil-over kit (Front)
- Adjustable coil-over kit (Rear)
- Billet Aluminum Turn-in Spacers
- Koni Double Adjustable Racing Shocks
- Front Trailing Arm Spherical Bushings
- GT Panhard Rod
- S3 RX-7 Front Struts
- Eibach racing springs
- 555 Tie Rod Ends
- Tri-Link GT

Brakes
- Stub Axle Stiffener Bearing Spacers

What's to come
- Adjustable Rear Lower Control Arms
- Strut Tower With Firewall Brace
- Tubular Competition Sway Bar
- SPAL 16" Straight Blade Thermo Fan
- Stant 16psi Radiator Cap
- PWR Aluminium Oil Cooler
- PWR Custom Aluminium Radiator
- PWR Overflow Bottle

I bought the shell from Roto's back in 2001. It appeared very straight panel wise with rust in the usual spots for an RX-7 (door & rear hatch area).

Rust areas located in typical locations for RX-7's - both doors and the rear hatch area.




A small amount was also near the wheel well which is usually caused by blocked hatch drainage holes.



Apon removal of the guards, more was found. A large sum of sand was also found!



Once the engine was removed, to my suprise we also found some cancer in the chassis rail. At the time, we had thought it wasn't too bad and could be easily cut out.
This is very unusual to appear in this location and had never seen this before.

Tar removal done mostly in winter with a heat gun and a scraper. Residue was then removed with bug and tar remover.
Dash, steering column and firewall sound deadening has also been completely removed.



A little more rust was found when the trim over the wheel arch was removed.





Everything almost stripped and a new chassis rail is sourced from a donor vehicle.
Blue dots are markers for holes to be filled in.

April 2002 - I got the professionals 'Farrace Auto Rust' to take care of the rust and the task of fixing the chassis rail.
Rust was removed from:
* Rear hatch
* Rear Guard
* Both doors
* Under front passenger guard
* Under back seat and wheel arch
* Chassis Rail

Everything shown in green in the photo's are the repaired parts. Farrace where brilliant to deal and highly recommended. They also allow you to visit and check the progress of your vehicle. The only hiccup I had was one of the doors was worse than thought. After looking at around 11 other RX-7's all over Perth, another door was sourced (white door). At the time a new door from Mazda was about $500 so it was cheaper to find a good door and repair it.

Work was completed in approx. 2 months.

Chassis Rail repair before and after







Rear hatch area



Rear wheel arch



Front fender



Inside wheel arch



Doors

August 2002 - The task of panel and paint was given to 'Midway Panel and Paint'. At the time my brothers friend had worked at the business as an apprentice and I had seen a lot of their work. They had a senior guy who used to do a project car for cutomers about every 2-3 months. So a deal was made and my car entered the shop. However about 2 months later the guy retires and the rest is history. My car sat in their workshop for over TWO years!!! I finally got my car back in September 2004. Althought it took a while, I am happy with the end result of the bodywork and the paint finish.

A new front bumper was sourced as well as a new undertray as these get battered a fair bit.











And the almost finished result........

13B 6 Port BP in storrage
I bought this a few years ago and had been told by the owner and Roto's that there was a lot of good gear in it. Had been freshly rebuilt with new rotor housings. However I do want to crack it open just to see what is actually inside, re-visit the ports (currently bridge ported ported on all plates) and update it with RX-8 rotors and other goodies. Motor will remain N/A and feature quad throttle boddies and run by a Motec.

Over the years I have been sourcing genuine Mazda parts. Some local and from overseas. So please don't ask where I got something from!
EVERYTHING exterior is brand new, from bumber ends, screws to gaskets etc. These are just some photo's

Tip #1 - get a hold of an AUSTRALIAN parts manual. Although the US parts manual with fit 98% of our models, there are some obscure US only parts such as the bumpers. Not only are they a great refference on how things go back together, but makes it hassle free when calling up for parts or over the net.

Tip #2 - If you can't get a part for your model, look at other series or models. The grill shown below is from a S3 RX-7 and was sourced for approx. $200 at the time. A S1 grill was going to cost over $600! Both are identical.

Tip #3 - The net is your friend. If you can't find it here, look overseas. Most vehicles are made for a US market so they have large stocks of parts and a larger range of part suppliers. And 95% of the time, cheaper to source from the US. Take the door winders below as an example, here they cost approx. $300 or from the US $85AU plus postage.

Looking good so far mate, can't wait to see some more pictures and updates!

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Top thread. Was it a JDM 7 or an Aussie Complied?
Lots of Jason Goodies which make restorations a lot easier and so much more satisfiying.
Good Work.

JDM. Not very different between Aus and JDM. I prefer the JDM as it's a little lighter and ADR exempt

Nice project. I'm just getting started with the repaint of my car.

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1984 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE, 1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL 390 Auto A/C, 1970 Ford F250 Explorer 390 Auto Long Bed
My Car Blog: http://chrischillino.com/