ryansrex

Hi this is my first post so bare with me. I'm 18 and currently own a 1986 Mazda rx7 gxl (just a shell). I don't know much about cars so my dad who does is helping me. I'm wondering how long it's gonna take to get all the parts I currently have and plan to put on.

So if someone could give a time estimate for each parts installation.
Currently own:

1. Full body kit (rear+front bumper, side skirts, fender flares and also a spoiler wing) I'm like 25% done with these got the flares, wing and front bumper on but not fitted.
2. Racing seats with racing straps. I ordered these off of eBay and they don't have anything on the bottom to like bolt onto
3. Halogen headlights

and for what I don't own need to get

1. An engine thinking of getting a 13b rotary w/turbo <span style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;">Rotary Engines</span><br> this is the website thinking of ordering from.
2. Manual transmission. Off of eBay will work?
3. New rims and tires. Since I have the fender flares in the back, gonna have to get bigger rims and tires.
4. New exhaust
5. New brakes
6. Also thought I should add that it was a automatic so I'm gonna have to convert it into a stick.
7. Paint it. It's already white so just gonna repaint it white. I wanna clean and paint the engine bay. Really look good but I'm short on time and feel that would take a while.
8. New stereo and speakers

I'll add some pictures to give you guys an idea

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Personally, I think you're going about this backwards- your first steps should be to get a running/driving car and worry about the glitz later.
How much have you budgeted for the drivetrain?
If you go with the turbo option, you'll also need flywheel, clutch, transmission, driveshaft and diff/axles.
And clutch slave, starter, alternator, engine mounts and a slew of smaller stuff.l
The site you linked to is selling bare engines, so you'll also need an ECU and wiring.
I'd guess you're at an easy $5k right there, especially if you're in a hurry and can't lurk craigslist for months on end.
What's the interior and chassis wiring like? How complete is this car?

Do not ignore nor underestimate the "nickle and dime" effect that projects are subject to.
As an example, my current FC started as a complete rolling shell, minus the engine/trans/diff, all of which I already had in my other FC. So, I didn't have to buy any of the big ticket items that you do but I still spent $1500 on piddly **** during the swap. And that was on boring stuff- hardware, gaskets and the myriad little bits you won't know about till you get there.

In a perfect world, you'd find a crashed (preferably rear ended) car of your series and harvest the entire drivetrain in one fell swoop, ancillaries and all.
Good luck with that.

WondrousBread

I can address what I know;


Seats: I haven't done a seat conversion myself, but I can tell you that the passenger side seat will be tough to fit, as there is a bulge in the floor of the 7 on the front left mounting point that is hard to manage unless you are using stock seats. You can probably see what I mean by examining your floor, it's on the side of the center console area.

Exhaust: People seem to really like the Racing Beat exhaust. You have a lot of customizability in this area, but just make sure to buy quality mufflers. Cheap mufflers have been known to fail extraordinarily fast because of the high exhaust gas temperatures of the rotary. I have something like 8 separate muffler receipts from the previous owner because he kept buying cheap mufflers and burning them up. Also, the rotary is very loud if you don't have pre-cats (which you are fine to remove, as they serve little purpose once the car is warm). If you remove the main cat too, or replace with a high-flow cat, expect lots of noise. I have a cat in place and mufflers, and the car is still very loud. Sound deadening may be in order if you like a quiet interior.

Brakes: The four-piston brakes from the Turbo II 7's are a popular swap. The conversion is well documented, and I believe Aaron Cake also has a write-up on his website. They also convert you to 5-lug wheels (although I think yours is GXL, so you already have those) and bigger discs.

Audio:

First, read the FAQ for general wiring instructions.

The stock stereo is kind of an unusual setup. The head unit outputs unamplified line level. This goes to an amp behind the dash panel on the passenger side for the front speakers, and two separate amps inside the speaker housings in the rear (one left, one right, on top of the strut towers). The front amp will have to be opened up to replace the dash speaker, if that is what you want to do. You can tap either or both of the rear amp power sockets to power your new amp(s), as they both provide an ACC switched +12V.

If you want subs: This will be a largely custom install. The popular way to do this is to make the storage bags behind the seat into resonance chambers for twin subs (I believe 10" subs fit). Cut the doors for speakers, I think 6 1/2", has been made to work, but I haven't done that myself. Leave the under-dash empty, and put tweeters up top on the dash.

If you don't like subs (or don't like cutting):
Box two speakers for rear fill and put them in the rear corners of the hatch area. Run wires under the carpeting. Use either door speakers (preferred method, but requires cutting) or under-dash speakers. Tweeters up top on dash.

You can basically do whatever you want for audio, but the one thing I do not recommend is using the stock rear speaker placement. The high-end audio goes straight up into the hatch and vanishes, leaving you with boomy bass and no top end. The under-dash speakers are not ideal either, but they do the job.

Akaviri

iTrader: (1)

It's just a cool looking driveway ornament until you get it running. The money you've spent on aesthetics you could have used to get the thing on the road.

Nonturbo engines are way more forgiving and cheap, at the expense of low power/torque. If you know little about cars let alone rotary engines, maybe this is a better place to start and learn from.

God speed.

ryansrex

yeah thats what I regret is not getting it running first