The 1980 RX7 was ordered from the junkyard without engine and transmission. The Mazda strut towers, crossmember, firewall and floorpan were removed. A Mustang II front suspension (from another junkyard) was leveled and squared to the Mazda unibody stubs with 2x3 rectangular tubing, which also runs to the narrowed rear clip. Removal of the firewall was a mistake, so it was welded back in later.

Temporary motor mounts were made to hold the 460 in place while moving from the side yard to the garage. The car had to be moved without the front fenders, since the stock 15" Ford tires would not fit in the front fender openings.

Once on concrete, the driveline was pulled again to install the SVO rear sump oil pan and 68 Mustang motor mounts. The transmission mount from a Ford truck was modified to mount between the new frame rails and is shaped to allow room for 3" dual exhaust.

A new floor was made from sheetmetal. The clear poly was used to make a pattern. Next time I will not cut out the firewall or the floorboard (lots of work). An order from Summit and a trip to Pep Boys has the RX sitting with a low stance on new rubber.

This shows the rear of the car. Note the 4 link suspension, narrowed rear with disk brakes, and the full 2x3 rectangular tube frame between the tubs and big tires.

This shows how the 460 looks in the engine bay. A small hole was cut in the hood to provide clearance for the distributor, carburator and air cleaner. I has experimented with cowl induction on the original hood, but it did not provide the look I was going for.

Here's how the car looked after the move to Massachusetts. This is fall of 1998... the car was running but not completely ready for the road. No power tour for the 1998 season.

Here are the parts for the scoop, an A&A Specialties pro-stock snorkel top. The base was made from old fender scraps. After drilling and dimpling the holes; the tabs were held on by fasteners, the scoop was held in place as the tabs were welded inside the opening.

These photos show the progression in the paint shop. The final body prep and paint was done by MAV Unlimited in Bellingham, Ma. (contact Eddie at (508) 883-1335) The color is Dupont code PCH, which is also found on Dodge trucks and cars.

Here's the car in Panama City, Fl. during Power Tour East 1999. I have driven it there on vacation 2 years running...