Mate looking good and getting closer now.. nice work and thinking on the loom mods for the dash very easy way to do it with out swapping out the entire loom to a rx3 one

Ben all you need is the second small loom that goes to the Rx3 gauge cluster. You can get this from any Rx3 (coupe/ sedan) or 808 coupe (same). You don't need to modify anything, it just plugs into the main loom using unused connectors.

you can see i don't know Rx3 that well but john sure does

I probably should have explained myself further. My aim was to get the indicator and back lights etc working in the main gauge cluster using my 808 loom.
The temp fuel clock etc cluster would just plug straight in to spare plugs as you mentioned John, with the plug from an rx3 or 808 however I am not using the factory gauges apart from the speedo and tacho area.. and I'm not sure the rx3 loom for the main cluster plugged into my 808 wiring loom would work hence why I figured the switch of the 6 or so cables a very simple remedy. The loom from the main cluster has a large flat plug the is mounted on the side of the centre console frame.






I didnt want to borrow any parts from my rx3 sedan loom, and considering the 808 wiring is in there and works fine it was just a quick switch of the back light cables, neutral, indicators and high beam. I was sent away for work for 3 days 2 nights so I packed my soldering iron and loom etc and spent the evenings in my little room tinkering!

Next I started with my new Autometer gauges wiring. A while back I decided not to hamper the authenticity of my build by making my own console for the rx3 dash and not wanting my factory AUS spec gauges but autometer sportcomp I picked up an original Gt centre console. I still planned to have my new gauges so I just hoped they fit in the new console. The brackets supplied with the guages are so neat.
Luckily for me its like they were made for the console, an almost perfect fit!



Should look pretty good when installed.
Next was the backlights in the new gauges, then the control cables. I have loomed it up ready to put a plug on the end to make console fitment easier and more factory like. The console is tricky to fit, to fit the facia it has the gauges attached so they need to be neat and removable, kinda, trust me I dont plan to remove things once its built!!




Lastly was looking at the tacho and possible mounting location, wirning etc




I'm away for work again next week so progress is slow.. pity as I am quite motivated lately.

All good everyone means well, thanks for the positive comments.

Could you go a big enough tacho?

Food for thought, I put one of these Stewart Warner gauges in because they are so unobtrusive.
I fitted mine where the old analogue clock was with very little modification - disassembled the clock,
threw the clock out, fitted the tacho into the plastic housing, and remounted using the original screws.
You can set the shift light brightness, shift light RPM and stores peak revs.
Those LEDs punch you in the head especially at night!

Top work mate, getting there slowly, won't be long until you can chuck the seats in ect


FARK me I'm jealous of you center console

Thanks for the feedback but Nah Autometer Monster Tacho 10000 rpm with shift light is the only choice for me.

hey Buzz3n, I did put the seats in for a quick fit mind you my interior is not trimmed and matching or anything yet. Still not 100% happy with the fit but they suit the period street racer feel. oh and go the mesh headrests!. I do like the finish and trim of the seats in your coupe.




Having been away for work a bit recently Ive kept my camera handy and had a look in local wreckers when I can. these shots taken over the fence from the vantage spot of the back of my ute!
510 popping up

808 and torana

929

bongo or 1000 x2


skyline and 626

There is more hiding in there I plan to go back at some stage soon. another yard had some smaller japanese 60's to early 70's looking cars in it so its worth a closer inspection. I was looking over the fence so not 100% sure what yet at very least it will be a honda.
Lastly I went down to a local cruise meet just for the beginning to see the turn out. snapped a couple of wagons. Met a couple local forum memebrs and enjoyed watching the crew enjoy the cars

Gauge console looks awesome!! I wish RX2's has a setup like that.....

Stick with the monster tach, a 10000 rpm tach with external shift light goes hand in hnd with an old school rotor

Car is progressing well, keep up the great work!!

_________________
Rockin' the 7 in a street near you.....

Hey Ben,

Any updates on the goon?

_________________
Rockin' the 7 in a street near you.....

Christmas update:

Not allot has been happening lately to be honest. I raised the car a few more inches on the stands to make painting easier but that hasnt happened yet.... also wanted to remove the 808 diff and get the new one sorted






On another story I have hit a snag with my pitman arm when I went to fit it. You see I now know there are 2 types, the common and available new is 28 spline the other 36 spline.. I have the 36, which seems to be hard to find and not available new I think? happy to be corrected!! actually please if you can help send me a PM. So on with the story, I went wrecking yard picking early one sat morn. A few hours passed, I crossed from south to north and back south again of the city. Ended up with a complete steering box steering column and pitman arm from an 808 wagon.... not the ideal result and cost me way way way more than I wanted or expected to pay, but enough to sort me out if I cant source a new pitman arm. I have 2 options.. If the 2nd box I now have is 36 spline I'm in luck.. if its 28, I already have a brand new pitman arm to suit but would need to swap the steering box and column.. that could be a bugger!

But with every trip to a wrecker comes some bonus positives, a couple extra parts by the way of rear reflectors and rocker sill panel chrome strips that I needed popped up on an new to the wrecker ex-paddock for 7 year 808 sedan..rusty as hell but it had great chrome for a car that sat in a paddock! I considered the roof sill chrome but with the prices a bit steep and no real need for the sedan type I left them.



Thanks for reading.. merry christmas to all JNCers.

If you get stuck I have a spare early model steering column & box...freshly painted.
Please ask other enthusiasts/put up a wanted ad before paying stupid prices at wreckers...

UPDATE: I have started the year with motivation. Went to Clarke rubber for some, well... rubber goods? gees descriptive huh.
I dropped the 808 diff out on New Years day it was my way of starting the year with car in mind and could be the last 808 diff I remove! (I changed plenty of these as a lead footed teen), then stripped a few other parts, spent a few hours planning a new efi fuel system that will be hidden from view, and will remove the old return line and remount it on the passenger side away from the exhaust area. Then taped a paper skirt around the car for over spray and began to paint that underbody. It will receive a few coats in key areas like wheel wells etc and a basic coverage above the tailshaft.



will need these for the rebuild and new diff fitment.

Home mechanic safety at its best? Just need a milk crate in the pic!


Out on the ground, the original leafs have one of the mid length springs flipped to flatten it out, bit crude but thats how we did it broke at 18 years old! I will replace these with quality lowered items.

under the old girl is ready for blackening..

Next update the painted shots.

I went along to a local cruise for inspiration.. heres some pics for the hell of it, we are all enthusiasts right?? The pics are an indication of just a little of what catches my eye at gatherings, my taste will be different to the next dude, so its fun to see what people like!
There was everything at this event.. I took allot of pics, a few shots:







good to see someone repping the wagon style.




my picks of the day, a yellow barra and a deep red nova ss. Again that black steelies thing got me lookin.



Last parting shot, one of my trusty hounds enjoying the sun in the yard I built for them and us.. this brings me an inner satisfaction I cannot describe so this is why this picture is here. Makes the hard work seem worth it!


Still chasing a pitman arm for a late model 808 (pointy nose model), the fine spline type is what I need.. PM me if you have one or have seen one at a wrecker..

Update time:

Well today was a sad day... while driving around for work I called past the panel beaters that did the wagon to see how he was and let him know I'd be down to pick up my parts. Sadly I stepped around the corner into an empty workshop. Yes at 67 the old fella is retiring! Now thats a fair innings for sure and I do commend him on the effort of sticking in his chosen industry for so many years. I thanked him for the work done to my car and organised to collect the parts next week. Im a bit lost as my car isn't finished and I may or may not have put a little scratch in the shiny shiny paint but either way it needs some more work, I hope once he has moved out of the workshop and settled into retirement he then starts working from home!! ahhh can I only dream, so I may need to go hunting for a suitable repair shop in future or step up and learn how to do it myself!!

Ok so when I left off last update I was painting underbody, here is a quick snap shot.



I also collected some strip rubber for the radiator around 5-6mm thick reinforced. I bolted the rad and cooler together so they make a nice tight complete unit.





The radiator and oil cooler are ready for fitment almost. I also grabbed some rubber spacers to help mount the setup, these will have a bolt through the middle and help create the spacer I need to set back the unit while still providing a small amount of movement.
(The pics are just of the rubbers sitting there not in any final location)




For the side reflectors, mirrors and indicators I grabbed a thin 1-2mm flat strip sheet to cut my gaskets out of.



The immediate list of need to sort is carpets,fuel system parts, send my diff in to be shortened, and pick up my panels from the retiring panel beater and contemplate attaching the doors and filling them with mechanisms again as I am sure he is definitely not interested . Take bumpers, rocker panel chrome strips and any other last bits I find in for chrome and polish. Yes the list is huge but I feel like its another small step closer. Thats all from me for now.. Thanks for reading JNCers.

Coming along nicely

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Nice job mate. Is that chassis black rubberized or more like an egg shell type coating that's sets hard? What did you do to prep the floor pan? Looks really good wouldn't mind trying that. I used spray on rubberized coating on my last build and have since heard a lot of guys don't like it due to water retention.

Cheers Dave much appreciated!



Hey thanks oz for the kind words, I have also used the rubberised deadener type in the past and didnt like it. This time I went for the standard chassis black. It is available like this and in pressure pack form.



As my car was on stands unable to be rolled out I was limited for space, The other factor was that we had 40+ degree heat here for a few days so outside was just crazy hot. I got in my shorts and lay on my creeper with safety glasses armed with a bucket of warm soapy water and brush and sponges I layed there for what seemed like ages and scrubbed it clean..
After a day or two when it was surely dry I then sprayed 2 cans of chassis black in nooks and crannies near the fuel tank suspension mounts etc and along the sills. Then once this was dry I hit the whole lot by brush laying on my back again trying not to get covered in it!
I now wish I had written this all in the original update as it is part of the story after all.. then you wouldnt have needed to ask!

Because of that while I'm here I will update:

I was having a rather lazy sunday my partner was in the hammock under the tree and I decided to do something to my car, I had a couple bits to touch up underneath so I quickly did those, decided (with wet brush and paint can open) as I am prone to enjoy a little wheel spin that it would be a good idea to whack another coat under the rear wheel arches, I think thats about 4 or so coats in there all up.

I then looked for an easy job that would satisfy my earn to accomplish but not be too strenuous os demanding, as in I didnt feel like getting way way dirty and greased up as tends to happen when working on these things.

I decided the rear tailgate chrome strips could maybe go on without too much drama so I began by taping up the door along the sides I then counted out my clips, and a few were actually broken so I had a box of clips from a motor spares shop. They are slightly different but work the same. Sorry the second pic is a close up but a bit blurry (I'm not a photographic genius) The fourth pic shows the difference once mounted. I then lined up the strips and slid the ends on then clipped them down with a gently push with my fingers. It was in fact quite an easy process. The pictures follow..











Pretty happy with how it was looking I went and grabbed the Rotary wagon badge and whacked it in for some dress up pics. So the original Rx3 wagon had woodgrain panel stickering along the back between the two strips I have just attached. I'm not such a fan of the fake wood I'm toying with the idea of satin black stuck there instead as I do think it needs something? thoughts change daily. The satin black just seems more "street" I dont have the bezels back yet so they didnt go on I will wait until I have them but may purchase the sticky product and cut it just in case, Oh and the RE120AP badge also isnt back yet so I just went for what I had. more pics because I was now excited:





flash on the blue looks like the lighter more commonly seen rx3 hue.


flash off you can see its really the darker shade.


Pretty stoked with that for a days tinkering. well not a day a few hours but I'm sure you all get me. As in last update I have parts to collect so I doubt much will happen actually to the car for a few weeks but I will be gathering goodies all the same. thanks again.

Nice work on the emblems, good idea taping up the surrounding metal to protect the paint. Seems pretty basic but the thought hadn't occurred to me. It's amazing how far a little trim goes in making it look finished off.

_________________
-Cam
1988 Mazda RX7
1980 Toyota Celica
a bunch of cool other cars I'm not allowed to list

Excellent progress

_________________
REgards, Mo Melville

Cheers! Positive feedback is very motivating when your in a bit of a restorers rutt. Yeah the masking tape is very handy I picked up that idea from reading other build stories on here. Although it doesn't stop all scratches



Thanks very much Mo. Haven't seen any updates from you in a while! Any news?
Actually I was going to contact you as I'm hunting a nice pair of 10a headlight surrounds as mine have a small crack. If you happen to know of any drop me a pm. Thanks in advance just in case.