After I got the car back from the painter, in mid-August 2007, I've worked on it 'til late November 2007. Then the acquisition of our new business property and the rehab of the building required all of my attention and time.
Still, the Mazda has come a long way, is about 75% finished, and I didn't take any shortcuts!

First thing I did is clean the entire car thoroughly, inside and out. The undercarriage I literally scrubbed for hours with Simple Green, Comet, and various sponges and brushes. Thereafter all the body's cavities (such as the inside of the doors, the rocker and side panels) and the undercarriage got flooded with Fertan, several times.
Fertan is a biodegradable product from England that only reacts with rust and with unprotected metal. If it hits paint or rubber, nothing happens. If it hits rust, it removes it and leaves bare metal. If it hits bare metal, it binds with it and leaves a thin black layer. A day or two later, everything is rinsed off with plenty of water and even the remotest trace of corrosion--and Fertan--is gone. A dirty job, but the results are well worth the effort.

The 13 x 5 inch "wide" stock steel wheels were solid, but in desperate need of cosmetic refurbishment. Luckily, they still wore all of their original 2-tone silver-and-charcoal paint, which allowed me to duplicate the factory finish precisely.

Assembling the front, I stripped and painted the hood hinges and cad-painted the hardware, using Eastman's 3-stage system. The radiator got a new core, the oil cooler was flushed and pressure tested. The stainless steel clamps were cleaned and reused, and, again, all of the hardware was wire brushed and then cad-painted.

Generally speaking, I prefer preservation over restoration, so I reuse the original parts wherever possible; however, whenever I reuse original parts that benefit from refinishing, I do it right, down to nuts, bolts, and washers.

Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (900 x 628 pixels)

Front view, October 11, 2007.

Since the trunk was rust free, all it needed was a thorough cleaning. To my excitement, the car came with the irreplaceable rubber trunk mat and even the literally irreplaceable cardboard trunk covers!

Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (900 x 628 pixels)

Rear view, mid-October 2007.

Surprisingly, I found a set of 5 genuine, date-coded Minilite wheels. Sized 13 x 6" and with the unique early Mazda bolt pattern of 4 x 100mm, these wheels have been specifially manufactured for RX-2s and RX-3s, 35 years ago, but were never sold!
The British-made Minilites mags are the classic motorsport wheels; Panasports (USA) and Superlites (Australia) are actually just copies. Price paid for the whole set? A mere $100 plus $100 shipping!
Since the Minilites needed some rubber to be complete, I did my research and ordered a set of 205/60-13 Sumis from Tire Rack. Very affordable, but with top reviews!

Months passed, during which I didn't find the time to work on the RX-2, mainly due to my newly acquired '62 Volvo project, which requires a lot more time and funds than originally anticipated.
Early in May of 2009, then, I was surprisingly approached by Brian, a fellow rotary enthusiast from Burbank, Calif., asking if I'd be interested in selling the car. Although I have never sold an unfinished car, as it makes no sense, financially nor otherwise, I agreed to sell the RX-2 if I could recoup the money I had invested in order to focus on other projects.

Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (900 x 628 pixels)

If you have a closer look at the spreadsheat to the left, I had exactly $4,680.69 invested, not counting my time and labor. Yet this, combined with my connection in the automotive business, is what allowed me to sympathetically restore a car that I bought for only $535.00, have it stripped and nicely painted for $800.00, and even include a set of N.O.S. Minilite wheels with new tires in the deal. More than ever I am convinced that this car will have a market value of $10K to $12K when finished, and it doesn't need much anymore as all of the needed parts--many of them imported directly from Australia--are included. And so it happened: my cherished RX-2 found a new owner who pledged to finish the car with as much dedication as I did. That, more than anyting, makes me happy!

Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (900 x 597 pixels)

I charged the hibernating battery overnight and, the next morning, pulled the choke and turned the ignition key. Within seconds the little rotary engine came to life and hummed happily. Brian took delivery of his new toy and is happy, the Mazda will be finished competently and is happy, and I--despite being a bit heartbroken--am happy that the car was adopted by someone who is like-minded, knowledgeable, and competent.

Once the RX-2 is finished, I'll post a follow-up right here. Until then . . .

Final update on Thursday, May 21, 2009.