1993 Mazda RX-7 Twin Turbo

[WRXINXS]

Hello Autogeek,

I just wanted to give a write-up of the detail of my new “Sunday driver”. I use to own a 1987 second generation Mazda RX-7 in high school. After high school I needed a newer and more reliable car to commute to college in, so I bought a 2003 Subaru WRX. The RX-7 bug has always been in me however and my dream has always been to own a Third Generation (93-95) RX-7 Twin Turbo.

Mazda only made about 14,000 third generation RX-7’s over the production run and as of 2005 there were only about 5,000 left on the road. To compound the difficulty in finding a good one, lots of kids have been getting their hands on them and modifying the heck out of them. I wanted a stock one with low miles and eventually was able to track one down. The one I found is a 1993 Vintage Red Touring Edition with about 18,500 original miles, adult owned and with no modifications. Mazda owned the car for the first 300 miles and it was the red one pictured in the 1993 Mazda brochures/advertisements.

I have only done correction work one time (On my Subaru). I knew I wanted to protect the car with Opti-Guard, but did not feel confident that with the little experience I had that I could remove all paint defects myself (Before the paint got permanently sealed in with Opti-Guard), so I let an authorized Opti-Guard installer work his magic on the exterior. His name is Johnathan and his business is called Reflections Auto Detailing Salon located in Dover DE. I highly recommend him! In addition to being a really nice guy, his quality of work and attention to detail is amazing!

http://www.reflectionsautodetailing.net/

The exterior was washed, decontaminated using Carpro Iron X, clayed, corrected (3 step), prepped by wash and IPA wipe-down and finally Opti-Guard Pro was applied as LSP. It was a three step correction using Megs 105 on Megs MF Cutting Pad, 205 on LC Orange, and Menzerna P085rd on LC Grey pad. Correction tool used was a PC7424XP. Johnathan also polished the wheels and applied Opti-Guard to those as well (Including the barrels). All exterior trim was also Opti-Guarded and a second coat was applied to the hood and front bumper. Opti-Bond Tire Gel was used on the tires. I came along afterwards and applied a coat of Carpro Dlux on all plastic trim over the Opti-Guard. I’m not sure how long it will last over the Opti-Guard, but it sure darkened it up nicely! I polished the exhaust tips using Meguiars NXT All Metal Polish and sealed with Carpro Dlux. Finally the sunroof gasket seal was treated to several applications of 1z Einszett Rubber Care Gummi Stick and a few additional coats of Ultima Tire and Trim Guard.

Sorry no before pictures. The paint was not in terrible shape but had a very good dose of swirls and RIDS. RIDS were especially noticeable on the left side of the vehicle where Mazda had the area repainted due to a scratching incident at their car show. The body shop had not buffed them out at all and after the swirls were removed they showed up very prominently.

Here is the finished product:





































I detailed the interior myself, and after a good vacuum session, I used Chemical Guys Inner Clean, canned air, boar’s hair brushes, and Chemical Guys Glassworkz. I used the Leather Master 3 step system on the seats. The system is comprised of LM Soft Cleaner, LM Vital and LM Protection Cream. I put down CoverKing clear vinyl custom fit floor covers so you can still see the RX-7 logo on the floor mats while protecting them as well.















I also detailed the engine bay myself using Optimum Power Clean, Carpro PERL @ 1:1, Opti-Seal for the under hood paint, and Flitz Aluminum Preclean for the intake manifold. I sealed the intake manifold with Carpro Dlux.









I tracked down an R1 strut bar that I will be bolting on next week. It is used and came with 20 years worth of dirt/grunge, so I mixed DP Rinseless Wash N Gloss and Optimum Power Clean in hot water and cleaned the bar. I followed it up with Meguiars Cleaner Wax to get off the black staining, and finally a coat of Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 to restore and seal in the shine.







I liked Optimum Opti-Guard so much that I bought Optimum’s ONR and Car Wash to use for my weekly washes. I will be mixing ONR (for extra lubrication) in with the Car Wash, and of course I will be using the two bucket system w/grit guards. I also purchased a leaf blower to dry the car without touching the paint and bought a 100ml sample bottle of Permanon Platinum to try out as a topper.



Hope you guys enjoy and thanks to the Autogeek community, Johnathan at Reflections Detail, and John (member name “Perfections” on Autogeek and “Perfections Detail” on Optimum Forums) for all the advice and support.

Drew

[Pureshine]

Looks great nice work

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Looks like you got your dream car and it is in fantastic shape.

[spiralout462]

Beautiful ride! I was intrigued by this car when I saw it in your signature a couple hours ago. Very nice attention to detail!

[CM8 6MT]

Good work & sweet ride. I bet she hauls

[Chris's FX4]

That's quite a nice little gem you found there.

I like how the tach is prominent front and center.

[Perfections]

Drew, you already know this but I love your car! Thanks for sharing!

[BryanH]

I said it before but it's worth repeating. What a beautiful car! A great example from a golden era of sports cars.

[WRXINXS]

Thanks guys!! I really appreciate all the positive comments!!

[WRXINXS]

One pic I forgot. Taken after one of my first post Opti-Guard washes.