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Ok, all caught up! This is a fun read. Count me among the followers. The AC setup on the 323/MX-3 is pretty much exactly like what Mazda did on the first gen RX-7s (which I guess you noticed...) The factory just stuck a duct in the evaporator location on non-AC cars. I was able to fit an ‘84 evaporator in my ‘79 with no changes to the boxes on either side (my ‘79 had a dealer installed system using flare fittings rather than o-rings.). Edit: I especially liked the efforts to make the fluid coolers etc. look factory.
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Feb 18, 2019 01:01
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You are a man after my own heart. I'm the guy adding all the OEM stuff from an '84 RX-7 GSL-SE to my '79 RX-7, so I'm right with you. So far, I think I've added something like a dozen threaded inserts for all the stuff that was never bolted into and SA22C. Sheet metal screws just will not do. That threaded rivet tool was one of my best purchases.
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Apr 9, 2019 18:49
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Applebees Appetizer posted:Sockington was the BG savant, he was a mod for Club Protege too. I, too, miss his rust posts.
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May 24, 2019 17:48
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Those too.
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May 24, 2019 20:57
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Sgt Fox posted:Nearly looks stock, doesn't it. Heck yeah it does. You are a man after my own heart with this stuff. I love upgrading with stock-but-newer stuff. I was so happy playing Jeep Lego. RX-7 Lego was and will be, when I get back to it, just as fun.
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Aug 1, 2019 23:48
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Sgt Fox posted:Finally, I wanted to add homelink (drat you Darchangel). I bought an Audi A4 visor off eBay, as they had a cover which concealed the entire homelink module. I carefully cut out a rectangle and installed in the the 323's visor. Interesting to note, the Audi had a 1x12" aluminum tape antenna, which was adhered to the plastic homelink body and then extended 10 inches off, through the rest of the visor. I had read other people complain that the modules do not have great range, but none of the modules on eBay seem to come with the antenna. I suspect noone who retrofits uses the antenna. I did, and my range is easily a couple hundred feet. You're welcome.  Have I mentioned I love what you're doing in terms of factory accessories and stock appearance? I did that to my Jeep Cherokee, and still doing it to my Crown Vic. It appeals to me to not look obviously accessorized, but still have all the toys. Charles posted:Having adjustable intermittent wipers is something that's hard to live without once you've had it, nice upgrade. It's possible, but there are at least 3 different connectors, I've found. 7-pin in-line, 10-pin "square" (two rows of 5) and another rectangular one with more pins, that I've seen. GM one is usually different from the standard ones due to OnStar being in the mirror as well. You can buy Gentex mirrors new, independent of vehicle manufacturer, and there are adapter harnesses or pigtails available on Ye Olde Interwebs. Check eBay. I shoved an Infiniti M45 mirror in my Outback, and just spliced in the newer 10-pin connector, so now the car has both that and the 7-pin, and I grabbed one from a Nissan Rogue from eBay, and a matching pigtail for pretty cheap. Gentex's site should be able to tell you what mirror is compatible with which openers.
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Oct 1, 2019 20:38
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Sgt Fox posted:Sandblast to remove the rust and paint. It's amazing how many pinholes appear. It also amazes me how the sand literally gets everywhere. Oh my God this is such truth. poo poo is *everywhere* in my RX-7. Very little hole I missed taping off on the firewall let that crap into the floorboards. It’s in the cowl, inside the upper chassis reinforcements, probably the frame rails... quote:The zinc primer made it really hard to get a clean weld. I, as well, was surprised by that, especially given the, you know name (“weld-through”).
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Nov 9, 2019 05:04
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Ugh, need to get my poor baby back into one piece.
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Apr 15, 2020 23:11
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Suburban Dad posted:Putting the spare on the rear is SOP in the event one of the fronts goes on pretty much any car. You never want a tiny donut doing the steering, majority of braking and also being one of the powered wheels with that little contact patch. So yeah I wouldn't GAF especially since it's going to be used only for short distances anyway. I have to do the opposite on my Crown Vic, so I don't kill my LSD. The donut spare (from another Panther chassis, with the same full-sized tires) is smaller rolling diameter. Mines a cop car, so actually came with a full-sized spare, but it's worn, and I wanted trunk space.
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May 15, 2020 16:53
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That came out sweet! Agree on the fog light placement - OEM look wins.Liquid Communism posted:What were you doing back there, building an apartment? Spare normally goes on the shelf over the gas tank/under rear deck, and my sub box was just a skosh too wide to allow the full-size to fit, and offset the space-saver too much to use the hold down. The full-size took up too much room in the bottom of the main trunk area. The space-saver, though, fits right down in the recess at the bottom. I haul around a lot/big stuff from time to time. I like my shed back there. Reeeeaaaally wish it had at least a ski hole in the rear seat, though, even though it could only be in the top foot or so, thanks to the gas tank hump.
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Jun 16, 2020 18:21
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Dude at our monthly Rx-7 meet brought a minty 323. 5-speed with AC, but otherwise a super-base model, blue in and out. Usual clear coat peel on the horizontal surfaces, but in fantastic shape. He also has a teal ‘89 Escort GT. Great little pair of cars.
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Sep 11, 2020 22:01
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Liquid Communism posted:Might try hitting up https://decalgremlins.com/ for the decals. They're goon-run and could likely do you some customs without much of a fuss. GerbilNut runs it IIRC. Can confirm that custom vinyl would be doable, and good outdoor-rated vinyl will hold up for at least a decade, particularly white. I own a lovely crafter-grade vinyl cutter (Silhouette Portrait 3 - the little one) and it works pretty well for the <$100 I paid for it. Even created some custom "Corolla SR5 8-valve" decals for my AE86 based on the GT-S 16-valve factory decals that came out nicely. BTW, I'm pretty sure I have a DXF file of the Mazda logo I used to cut the aluminum versions of it for my RX-7. Sgt Fox posted:I've thought about getting them remade, but I'm not sure I want vinyl. The earlier generation used chromed badges, which China is faithfully copying. Or that. Those are pretty neat. Thanks, China!
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Sep 14, 2020 23:02
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Looking great. I can't wait to paint the exterior on my '79 RX-7. So far, just the engine bay, and that went encouragingly well.
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Dec 1, 2020 20:36
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So very minty-looking. And the stickers! A goon after my own heart.
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Feb 4, 2021 16:58
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Sgt Fox posted:My package from Aliexpress finally arrived: I’m going to need a link to that item on AX, please thanks.
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Apr 1, 2021 18:45
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Cool, thanks! Added to my wish list. Now to see if someone has an Oldsmobile one, to represent my other automotive fetish. edit: Oh, excellent, someone does!: https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.27413c2eQgtfTZ&catId=39&SearchText=oldsmobile
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Apr 7, 2021 23:11
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Yeah, not exactly cheap, but it *is* an actual custom neon sign.
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Apr 8, 2021 17:22
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Bit prettier than mine. I put mine on the stoop for a side door to the garage, and I really should have spent more time re-leveling and compacting the stoop. The whole dammed thing is leaning away from the house a few degrees, now. I either have to disassemble it all, prybar the stoop out, pack the spot with pavers sand, then put the stoop back, pour a new stoop, or jack up the existing one and pour footers at the corners. What are you going to do for ventilation? I know from experience compressed air gets *hot*.
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Nov 24, 2021 20:41
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Good call on the flex hose for the compressor. I’ve already posted how I broke the fitting off of my cooler by using a rigid connection, even thought the cooler is mounted to the compressor. Still gotta fix that.
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Dec 4, 2023 21:09
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Never too many outlets or too much light in a workshop! I had three rows of 4' single "tube" LED fixtures daisy chained end-to-end with butt connectors in my 2-car garage, I think 4 in each row, plus a few more in key spots like directly over the workbench, and off to the sides of the opened garage door to make up for the ones in the ceiling covered by said open door. Turned out a continuous string of them was a LOT of light. A few of them burned out (because cheap) and I just replace those particular lights with a link cable and still have plenty of light. Ended up moving some around so that there's 3 in each row now, but spread out further along the length of the garage. Plus one each perpendicular over the toolbox and washer/dryer (which I wish was NOT in my garage, but 1960s house, eh?) LED tech has definitely made getting better lighting so much cheaper and efficient, even the cheap stuff. Less heat, too.
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Dec 19, 2023 21:29
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