It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s….an Acura Integra
February 20, 2012 | Posted in Corvettes, Mazda | By fastwrecks
We wanted to get some quick cash through the business, so we picked up an Acura Integra for $350 and are going to finish taking it apart over the next day or two. The engine, transmission, and wiring harness are spoken for, but the car is complete otherwise. NICE interior…other than smelling of Axe Body Spray 🙂 Body is mostly in good shape. We started listing the items we’ve taken off on eBay. Best of all, I don’t have to switch between metric and standard tools. Those of you dealing with C4 Corvettes can feel my pain, I’m sure.
Still working at the 1984 Corvette and the 1985 Rx-7. Have I mentioned how much I can’t stand half-assed “fixes” lately? If not, here it is. If I reached for a sawzall, torches, or a drill every time I couldn’t immediately figure out how to get something in or around something else, I’d have cars that looked like Swiss cheese. It may be the easy way at the time, but I’ve seen these decidedly non-factory cuts and holes get rusty and start falling apart, or wiring harnesses that look like a fire waiting to happen. These kinds of repairs can make things suck worse in the long run. Let’s not get started on not paying attention to mundane but necessary details, like, oh, I dunno….tightening up lug nuts before moving a car around. Grrrr.
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Necessity, the mother of invention
December 21, 2011 | Posted in Humor, Mazda, Travel Stories | By fastwrecks
…Sometimes, it’s just a mother.
About three years ago, we went to pick up a Doug Nash 4+3 Corvette transmission from Tennessee. It was actually cheaper for us to pick it up than it would have been to ship to Ohio. (They are quite a bit heavier than a normal transmission.) We thought we’d add some value to our trip by seeing what we could find in the area. Ohio cars, especially older sports cars, can be a bear to deal with because of rust.
So, on that lovely Sunday morning, we consulted the oracle in Craigslist to see what all we could find. What we found in Sunbright, Tennessee, was a first generation Mazda RX-7 in beautiful shape (minus a few bad apex seals) for $400. We called and made arrangements to look at the car, and possibly pick it up.
What we ALSO found is that no Uhaul location even remotely close to Sunbright was open on Sundays. The closest open location was in Georgia. Off to a hardware store commonly known as “Horrible Fright” to purchase a 5,000-lb capacity tow bar. We had seen quite a few people use these without any problem, so we figured it would be more than enough for this RX-7.
We traveled up winding mountain roads up to Sunbright, where we met up with a very nice family looking to sell their RX-7. It was a project they hadn’t gotten around to and were more into bikes and such, so the RX-7 was ours. It almost wasn’t.
What we do when towing is travel for a block or two, check and adjust everything, go for a few more miles, re-check our load, and then go on our merry way. It can take a few stops to get everything to seat in properly, but after a few adjustments it’s usually smooth sailing. The worst I usually have to worry about is a misbehaving ratchet strap. HOWEVER….before we could even find a place to do our first check, we heard an ominous “SCREEEEECH” and a pop while rounding a corner.. Our Horrible Fright tow bar had split at one of the mounts. To make matters worse, we were on a pretty steep slope and the car was dangling. We were not in a very populated area and the closest hardware store was the Horrible Fright we stopped at 20 miles before.
HAAAAAALP!
Lucky for us, the man who sold us the RX-7 had a tow dolly that belonged to his brother in law, and he was nice enough to let us borrow it. He met up with us at the gas station we’d pulled into with along with the RX-7 hanging from one side of our errant tow bar. True to our word, we brought the tow dolly back to Sunbright a week or so after that. Other people’s trust and generosity? Awesome. Horrible Fright tow bar fail? Not so awesome. Don’t worry, we’ve already learned to call UHaul *first* before anything else.
How to Remove your Headliner
November 14, 2011 | Posted in Helpful Tips, Mazda | By fastwrecks
A Mazda RX-7 GTU headliner, which can be found for sale in our eBay store.
After dealing with a handful of Corvettes and a convertible Miata, I had almost forgotten the joys of removing a headliner panel. Let’s face it, removing and replacing a large rectangular piece of pressed cardboard-type stuff covered with cloth is not exactly most people’s idea of fun. But here are some general tips:
First off, if you can find a video on YouTube depicting somebody working on the same car you are, all the better. I find online video guides very helpful when working on cars….that, and there isn’t always a Haynes manual at my disposal.
Make sure that any trim pieces holding the headliner in place have been removed first. Depending on the car, some have trim panels along the sides of the headliner that mount to the car and conceal a row of clips underneath. Others have corners underneath the A pillar trim pieces, which are often held in place by a combination of (often artfully concealed) screws and clips. Take off your sun visors and (if needed) the rear view mirror and interior light assembly.
Get a good idea of what is holding the headliner in place before jumping in with both feet….hands…whatever. I can’t tell you how many interior trim pieces I’ve seen utterly destroyed by the “When In Doubt, Just Yank Harder” approach. You may be dealing with hidden plastic clips a few inches apart, like on the backside of a door panel, plastic screws, or the like. A door panel removal tool and/or a flat-blade screwdriver will be helpful here. The key is to work with care and not get in a rush. We’re talking about a piece of pressed board here that (in some cases) is as big and awkward as your 6th grade science fair tri-fold poster.
Treat your headliner like one of these. Save the yanking and tugging for rusty undercarriage bolts!
You can give the headliner a gentle tug to get an idea of where it is still attached, but yanking with all of your might is a big no-no.
If you have a sunroof, you may have to remove a piece of trim, weather stripping, or something like it around the perimeter of the sunroof to complete the process. Then, go around the edges with a flat-blade screwdriver just to test the waters. If there aren’t any clips or screws, you may find that all you need to do is gently pry around the edges. Try this in a relatively inconspicuous place.
That’s it…the trick is to go slow, be careful, and NO YANKING!
**Science fair image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/oakleyoriginals/3229259616/
New Projects
September 30, 2011 | Posted in Mazda, Pontiac | By fastwrecks
OK…So we’ve relisted the RX-7 that has been featured in this blog before – it’s on eBay for only a few more hours.
We also have a YouTube video of us driving this car all over the parking lot.
Earlier this week, we picked up a 1985 Pontiac Fiero. Pictures forthcoming after doing a little work on it. I’m currently going over this with rubbing compound to see what I can do with this paint. After installing the fuel pump we bought, and maybe another battery, we’ll try it again. Who knows, it might just start up! It was something that the previous owner had moved away from, plus it was taking up room in his driveway, so we found this match made in heaven on Craigslist.
The 1985 RX-7 had some carburetor issues, so we had it rebuilt (Thanks, Ron!) and are now working with the car now that it actually starts. Here’s hoping that a few small hose clamps will resolve the vacuum leaks and get things on the right track. EDIT: We got all of the vacuum leaks sorted out and it runs much better now.
OOPS, I did it again….
September 11, 2011 | Posted in Mazda | By fastwrecks
I located a great deal on another Mazda RX-7, plus assorted spare parts, thinking, “This will be a great car to part out.”
ZOOM ZOOM (well, almost...)
What we found is that the interior and exterior are in great shape, and it kinda-sorta-almost runs. Who knows, maybe a full tank of gas will do the trick…? So – who knows. It came with an extra engine, engine + transmission, a rear end, and a few boxes of spare parts. We’ve been tossing around the idea of a hot rod project with some of these extra parts.
1982 Mazda RX-7 GSL now featured on eBay
August 22, 2011 | Posted in Mazda | By fastwrecks
Check out our 1982 Mazda RX-7 on eBay. This auction only lasts for 7 days, so don’t miss out!
1982 Mazda RX-7 GSL for sale in Ravenna, OH
We found this car after it had spent 10 years in storage earlier this year. It was in relatively good shape, and we had several improvements made to it. Although we had purchased the car to part out, it was in too nice a shape for that! This car will make an excellent candidate for a full restoration.
The RX-7 is for sale!
July 14, 2011 | Posted in Mazda | By fastwrecks
Aaah, yes. We picked up a 1982 Mazda RX7 back in February and then picked up a gas tank for it, among other things throughout the spring. After some painting and a rebuilt carburetor (special thanks to Mark for that one!) it runs! Pictures are forthcoming once the paint is dry, but it is now for sale. Excited! Now, somebody buy it before I decide to keep it for myself. 🙂
Corvettes, Miatas, and Jeeps, oh my!
June 27, 2011 | Posted in Corvettes, Mazda | By fastwrecks
So…We finally got the Miata torn apart. Better late than never, I guess – but it was so much fun to ZOOM ZOOM around the parking lot in!
1990 Mazda Miata Cold Start – Our YouTube video of starting the Miata. The engine/transmission are both for sale on eBay @sportscarsalvage.
The ’87 Corvette is nearly torn down. Most of those parts are featured on eBay, with more to come. The engine, transmission, driveshaft, exhaust, and about 50 more miles of wiring harness still need to come out 🙂 Once that’s wrapped up, we have a very unusual sports car waiting for us in the garage….a 1990 Jeep! (Hey, Enzo Ferrari thinks it’s America’s one real sports car, so it counts, right?)
We like car shows, and have been frequenting the Saturday night cruise-ins at Schumann’s Roadside and Towing in Ravenna, along with donating a wide variety of door prizes! Anything from LED work lights to socket sets and Chuck Norris posters….yes, you read that right, Chuck Norris. I channel him when dealing with C4 Corvettes, but I think even he would be challenged by one 🙂
It is almost C4 parts time, folks!
June 6, 2011 | Posted in Corvettes, Humor, Mazda | By fastwrecks
We’re down to 3 parts to remove from the 1990 Miata (Engine/Transmisison, wiring harness and seat belts.) This means it’s time for the 1987 Chevrolet C4 Corvette to be torn down, which has begun. We’re starting to put the parts on our eBay store and are going to get this torn down a wee bit faster than previous cars. Lots of good parts on this, including the bonnet and hard-to-find passenger right front items. We’ll also be selling the complete suspension and frame with a title and VIN tag for those looking for a project platform!
We’ve also hit 100 Facebook friends this week, which makes us happy! If you all would be so kind as to spread the work it’ll spread like the old shampoo commercials!
Thanks for your support, folks!
Fed Up with FedEx… RANT!
May 27, 2011 | Posted in Corvettes, Mazda, Shipping | By fastwrecks
It all started with a couple of mishandled shipments by the USPS… Â We decided we would explore some other carriers, and it looked like FedEx had the best pricing and service…
On May 7th our customer, Scott W., won an auction on eBay for a bronze Targa top for an 86-88 Corvette. Â He paid, we packed the thing VERY carefully, as they are fragile, took it to FedEx Kinko’s in Kent, OH and shipped it. Â A couple days later I get an email from a VERY upset customer… Â The shipment is not right (our fault) and it’s SERIOUSLY damaged. Â (FedEx’s fault.) Â We immediately set out to make this right, as we had, just 2 days before had a C5 Targa Top destroyed by FedEx… Â Are ya’all getting this? Â 2 Targa Tops.. Â Fragile… Â And we pack them VERY well… Â Damaged beyond repair. Â If they were new the C5 top is $1400. Â Scott’s C4 top, if you can find it, is now only made by aftermarket companies, and runs $875 with a $200 core charge.
In less than 72 hours we had almost $2200 worth of merchandise, plus several hundred dollars in shipping charges, lost… Â What’s worse, we looked like fools to our customers. Â During this whole process we ended up with about $1400 tied up with FedEx after they somehow managed to destroy a METAL FENDER for a Mazda Miata… Â And it has put is into somewhat of a cash crunch because it’s taken forever to get our claim approved and paid. Â 20 days and counting… Â We were told last Friday that it was approved and would go out… Â We were told on Tuesday it went out…. Â We called today (Friday a week later) and were told it’s en route… Â VIA USPS… Wow, FedEx doesn’t even use their own services to send insurance checks? Â Wow.
Scott W: I want to PUBLICLY apologize to you for this entire mess. Â It’s not how we do business, and it’s making us look bad in your eyes, and we will do anything we can to correct that.
I could chew up a kitten right now… But only if it had a FedEx logo on it.
M
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