Hello, people!

I have not posted in MORE THAN A YEAR.

That's depressing.

The car is still in its former condition - fuel tank ready to go, no fuel line to speak of :(

I will try to work on it this month! I got married and moved away from home so it's been a bit of a bitch finding time to work on it.

If I fix it, it will be the 6th~8th gen 1 seven in Albuquerque. If not then I will steal parts from my dad's friend's brother's seven and leave the country! (just kidding) Just wanted to keep my internet friends updated.

No new pictures today~

Later... rather than sooner.

Here's the plan that I've been pondering on and playing with for the last few months. I don't like my car being parked in my Grandma's yard (she doesn't understand what's so great about a funky little car with no trim, then again, she's the one with the '04 Camaro...), and I don't like the idea of welding a fuel cell together. From info I've gathered, the urethane they fill them with disentegrates after a short period of time and crap in my fuel line from the tank is what started this situation to begin with. No, not gonna do that.

Also, I'm not the best pipe bender. Let's leave it at that!!!! No, I refuse to post pictures of my kinked 3/8" stainless brake line!!! No.

So, as I mentioned previously... here's the plan.

I bought a fuel tank from the back of a Summit catalog for a '94 Chevy S10 Blazer. the filler neck is perfect and all I had to do was cut out the spare tire well. And get my dad to help me chisel out some umm.. parts of the back. The well is tack welded in, drill out the tack welds with a 5/16" drill bit, then a bigger one, using motor oil as lube. I used HD-30, but it probably doesn't make a difference.
Here is a picture of the well once it has been removed.









"Will it work?" you ask. Of course it will work. Here's the basic idea for the fuel system.

First of all, remove the muffler. Then you need a two-by-four to brace the straps that hold the gas tank on. You also need to drill a hole in the rear 'framework' of the vehicle, moving the right strap (looking from the back to the front of the car) over a few inches, like six inches. I can get some more detailed pictures for you all later, next time I go down, this 4th of July weekend. Once you get the 2.5" bolts, nuts and washers from the hardware or building supply store you can drill holes in the two-by-four or super strut and bolt the tank in. You will then notice that the left framework that supports your bumper is in the way. Chisel, saw or something your way through that creating a little hole. See where that little access panel is in the lower right-hand of that picture? thats where the hole has to be.

Now you have a tough decision. use the original filler neck assembly and make some crazy shaped tube that is gasoline resistant and somehow fills the tank, forget the whole thing and call the junkyard to cart this heap out of your yard, or cut a hole in the back of the car on the flat part near the hatch and still use the original filler neck, but just run a tube directly to a 90 elbow that is connected to the tank somehow.

So, the latter is what I am working on, Dad wants to weld something together, and I'm all for that. I was also all for just putting it on the roof and running some 5/16" rubber to the carb... just kidding. Dad is a great welder and I trust him to make something safe and innovative and there will be pictures.


Then you can start to worry about the actual fuel system... I'm not going to post that yet because that is exactly the next step in my plan. But I will tell you it involves a homemade bypass regulator (a brass and teflon valve), the factory Chevy S10 fuel injection fuel pump assembly, and gasoline (gasp!).

By the way, isn't it amazing how that tank fits in despite it being for a truck? Doesn't make sense... the factory one is the one that looks strange now!

Oh and here are some pictures of me drilling holes in the bottom of the car, and a short video of my dad chiseling a hole.

Drilling the hole for the strap that needed to be moved.
The engineers that put this together are either committing harakiri
or considering killing me.

Protect your face with a box from a cake.
You don't need flying shards of metal blinding you as you drill
holes in the bottom of your car.
Or, if you are lucky enough to drill into the bottom of a mouse nest,
protect yourself from flying rat shit.

It's not dead!

IT STARTED TODAY!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

I'm so freakin' happy!

We had some flooding problems (rust in the carb even after we cleaned it) and replaced the float seats and needles and it worked like a charm, powered by a funnel with a piece of fuel line running to the carb from it. We added about 4 cups of fuel mixed with four tablespoons of 10w-40 to the funnel which we clamped to a ladder and she started right up. No hesitation whatsoever, she's also got brand-new Nippon-Densos in her and I also got some new plug wires. Man, I'm sorry I forgot my camera because I really would like to post some video of this! Well, we're that much closer to making this happen. Tuesday I'm going to run it some more, bring it up to temperature and add some more oil to the engine, also I have to straighten the rod that controls how much oil goes into the carb- dad dropped the carb inside the engine compartment while it was attatched to that rod and bent it all to hell. But its ok. I'll fix it ^_^.

I don't know how this tank is going to happen, I'm more and more tempted every day to get the one I found that's been on a shelf for the last 20 years... or just get one new from the dealership ($1450).... eh, Nah... ^^;;;

The whole car isn't even worth $1450!!!!

In other news I also got a Holley fuel pressure regulator from Summit, which I'm looking forward to mounting. This should be fun... haha. I can't find a place to mount it in the engine compartment! There are some wierd places but.... eh I dunno! I kinda just wanna run the line straight up out of the bottom of the car, into the regulator, and to the carb. You know? Minimum bending = better for everyone. But I'm not sure I really get it.... I feel I'm missing something. Oh and the baking pan? Yeah, I gave up on that. I'm hoping that the little pump I got will work upside down/at an angle, or I'll make a backwards-L-shaped pan that will fit right up against the underside of the backseat, and I'll just bolt it in.

Alright. Update you later. I'll try to tape me starting it and revving a bit next time... like everyone else... I know, so lame! So what?! ^_^ It's the ladder-funnel contraption I know you all wanna see anyway... hehe.

PS I got my driving permit a couple weeks ago so now I can drive legally, finially, I'm 20 for cryin out loud...

Spark Plugs, Fuel Pump Mount

Yesterday I went ahead and mounted the new fuel pump to the skid plate, as well as installed new spark plugs. I also finished removing the fuel line (cut it in half with a pipe cutter). Unfortunately, I learned that you have to leave the cheap looking metal rings on the spark plugs, they're gaskets that prevent oil from leaking out around them! I think I threw them away. Oh well, I found a whole box of Nippon-densos in the closet so I will just put those in instead of the autolites, and I'll include new video of that preparation and installation. Also, the next video will probably be of my dad and I turning the engine on Sunday! Yes folks, without a fuel pump, regulator or tank, it is possible. Since the Nikki carb only takes 1.5 psi, we should be able to get some fuel in there by means of gravity. We'll put a jerry can up on a ladder and run some fuel line down to the carb, and fire up that rotary. I can't wait to hear it hum. Music to my ears....

The fuel line after I cut it in half with a pipe cutter.The fuel line after I removed it. Spark plug kit. The can has Anti-seize lubricant in it, basically etch-a-sketch crap mixed w/oil. The socket is a 13/16 craftsman spark plug socket, 1/2" drive. TURN COUNTERCLOCKWISE TO LOOSEN!!

Mazda spark plug location. By the way, I removed and installed them one at a time so as not to confuse myself about the distributor cables. See, some things about an RX7 are just easier to deal with, such as being able to reach all of the spark plugs, whereas on a traditional small block, for example, in our '84 camaro, I think the rear right hand plug is still the one from the factory!

I tightened the plugs with my fingers. If you feel any resistance, stop right away! The rotor housing is made of aluminum and is extremely delicate. Tighten too much, you can strip the threads. Tighten too little, and as you run the engine, vibrations will loosen the plug and possibly send it shooting out of the housing along with the threads, ie, disaster will strike. You're supposed to tighten them with a torque wrench. I don't know how to use one, but in my next videos, putting in the nippon-densos, I'll demonstrate use of the torque wrench and meet factory specs.

My homemade fuel pump mounting. I drilled the holes with a plain old drill, using WD-40 as lube. Apparently, according to my dad, the machinist/welder, that's not the best thing to use (I was alone). It can catch fire. Also, this design did not fit under the car. I will have to work something else out. Well, I learned something anyway!

Mazda Video

A short video, just a walkaround of the car. It's nice looking for being 25 years old, isn't it?

Phase 1: The project begins

Hi there, People. My name is Trudy and I am a 20 year old girl who just got her first car for Christmas - a 1983 12A Rotary Mazda RX-7. This car has been in our family for several years, and recently (about a year ago) decided to stop running. So, I took it upon myself to help little "Wendy O." (named for famed punk queen Wendy O. Williams)

A multitude of things need to be fixed on this car, most importantly, the fuel system needs to be replaced. After a failure in Colorado, I helped my dad to install a new fuel system that ran paralell to the factory one, out of copper tubing, held on with zip-ties and run through some elements that are bolted to the 'frame'.

After minimal tugging and wrenching, I discovered that the fuel tank was FULL of rust. So, my dad is going to weld me a new fuel cell out of stainless steel (Yay!!). For the time being, I am pulling off the old stuff (I just finished that today) and working on bending some new line out of brakeline from Checker, cleaning the origonal Nikki carb out with some carb cleaner, and firing up that 12A for the first time in a year!

Here are some pictures of a few other projects that need to be dealt with, including:

1. Fix headlight cover

2. Clean and undercoat car (Differential first...)

3. Interior carpet and upholstery

4. New fuel gauge and tach

5. Various dents/ trim / paint / marks where my dog ate my trim around the wheel well / other exterior details

6. Spark plugs

7. Wheels: sanded and clear coated

8. New rear brake drums

9. Driver's side locking/handle mechanism

10. etc.

"Wendy O."

Looks pretty good from this angle.

Interior Damage / Ripped out carpet

Engine Looks Great - That long hose was utilized in draining the fuel tank.

No fuel tank - also, one filthy differential and metal rod running behind it (no clue what that does)

One relatively clean differential, ready to be rubbed with a towel soaked in solvent and primed, then undercoated.

The 'Baking Pan" as I like to call it, more commonly known as the skid plate which houses the fuel pump and protects it from speed bumps and misc. flying road debris.

The screws / nuts that hold said baking pan and fuel pump assembly together and onto the bottom of the car. they all go through bushings and such that are part of the skid plate. There are four screws and one wierd nut and metal tube that fit over a threaded rod that protrudes from the bottom of the car. They are all 10mm, you need a box wrench.

The connector I labeled inside the car which supplies the fuel pump with power. I didn't show the hole it goes through, which is normally covered by a small access panel. Mine has become an access hole for mice.

Headlight cover damage, caused by myself around age 10.

As we can all see, there is some major stuff that needs to be taken care of. But right now, I just want wheels.

Well, hopefully I'll update sooner rather than later!