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WLDRX2's 1974 RX2


WLDRX2

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//oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/31864-wldrx2s-rx2/?hl=wldrx2

 

 

Long overdue thread on my 74 series 3 RX2.
A few people will know my car from other fourms, but seeing as I have been lurking around here a bit lately, I thought I should get my ass into gear and do a thread.

Very long story short.
I bought this in Aussie on our way home from our honeymoon, 8 years ago.
After getting it shipped home and vined, I drove it around for a year, and then like all cars I have owned, I couldn't help myself, I pulled it apart.

Car looked like this when I first got it.
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With a average engine bay
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The start of a very very long rebuild
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Empty bay, and started to remove all the unwanted brackets as I wanted a clean smooth engine bay.
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After I had stripped most of the paint off by hand I sent it off to get media blasted.
The body showed no signs of any old damage, and had only a couple of tiny rust spots around the front and rear screens.
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I was very happy with the way it came back, looked like a fresh shell
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The car sat like that for about a year as I waited for a mate to find some time to stat helping with the panel work.

So while the car sat and I waited, I started to get some of the brightwork brought back to new.

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And then because I'm from a V8 family I got a bit carried away with the chrome.

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chromeparts.jpg

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Yeah, ya get the hint, I like chrome :D

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While spending a small fortune on chrome I was also trying to get as many other parts sorted out so when it came time to put it back together although that is taking alot longer than it should.

Got a new radiator and oil cooler made

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Got a set of evo 1 recaros retrimmed to look kinda factory

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and retrimmed the rears to match.

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Then I thought all the crap I pulled off the car that wasn't chromed needed to be better looking, so I made a new friend with the powder coater.

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Got a set of 15inch simmons from aussie, and pulled them appart for a tidy up

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Chopped up my diff and a spare series2 rx7 diff for it's disc rear and made two into one.

Sent it off to the powdercoater to make it look nice

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Fitted it up with a mazdaspeed lsd head

PICT0318.jpg

All back together

PICT0005-1.jpg

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My doors were in ok condition, but a full set of nos doors couldn't be turned down.

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With it all fitted up my mate got started on the few rust repairs

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The white spots are the rust repairs done

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Thanks to the battery on one side and the coils and overflow tank on the other, we had to chop out the engine bay panels so we could make it symmetrical, and my mate thought it would be a good idea to do the fire wall, and to do it right I should ditch the brake booster.

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Many hours were spent under the dash holding a hot dolly while doug heated and bashed my firewall.

Needed this thanks to no booster.

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And I thought why stop there

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Got the dash done by dashboard restorations, couldn't ask for a better job, looks better than new

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Got the last 2 12a housings from mazda, and then had holes drilled in them :twisted:

The start of my 12app

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Now nice and shiney

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As I can only do so much and I expect so much I had to hand the prep and painting over to someone else

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The car spent a few months getting made perfect, my painter turned out to be even nutter about things being perfect than me.

prepaint2.jpg

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In the booth

IMG_1938.jpg

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The colour is a bit of a custom blend and I got the painter to flow coat the clear, giving it a very deep look to the paint

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We even got a bit carried away and did the underside

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First time on her own feet in a few years

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After a long wait my engine was finished

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And in it's home

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I got it home after a year or so of going around town to work on it and started to put all the bits back together

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The last lot of work done was to finish off the brakes and to get the coilovers right

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The pedalbox caused a few headaches, and some custom work was need to hide the resivours and lines

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And thats how she sits at the moment, almost finished but along way from done.

I haven't built it to any trend of fashion, (by intention) I built it to how I always wanted, I tried not to ruin the lines of the car but improve the things I found I didn't like when it was going.

I do think next time a little less chrome though :D:D

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...
  • 1 year later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Pictureless update.

will sort that out latter.

Big thanks to Sam and the team at lineside auto electrical for sorting out my poor attempt at wiring a car up.

It has life !!!!!!

Light's, spark, fans, the works, and all done to perfection.

Can't recommend them highly enough.

Next, exhaust and fluids.

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  • 1 month later...

Brakes are now all go, fluid is in and system bleed .

The cert guy has passed an eye over it and gave a recommendation, drive shaft hoops.

So, some money changed hands, and now.

 

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Two of these now live under the mazda.

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  • 4 years later...
  • 3 months later...

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