morrissethunter

Hello my friends.
I have been on the look-out for a clean 1st gen RX7 since forever.
To be honest with you, I am not very proficient with rotary cars and have never driven one let alone owned one.

Recently I saw a decently restored example for sale. However this one has a few quirks. This one has a 13b turbo injection swapped from an FC3S. Other major modifications done to it including Knightsport turbo and ecu and adjustable absorbers.

However, this one has been repainted and has had interiors redone. Exteriors all seem to be stock and very clean (because repaint).

I've read that 12a to 13b swaps are simple and don't require the cutting off chasis sections, and only require the drilling of a few holes to accommodate the bridge for the 13b but I'm always wary of modifications to structural components. I have a crane rental fleet business and I am all too aware about repainted vehicles. I can check for rust and accident scars to the best of my abilities but this is a red flag for me too.

I know that not having prior knowledge about these cars and jumping for a modified one could be like suicide, but I really love first gens and these are hard to come by in my region.

I asked a first gen owner on reddit to take a look and he mentioned that "Looks to be a swap. While it's difficult to say with certainty without a higher resolution picture, the coils seem to be correct as does the placement of the oil fill spout. Looks like some of the front-end may have been swapped too, at least the dampers. Beware."

The car now is being sold through a Rotary engine workshop.


Do you think it is worth the time to make the 400KM drive to check the car out with a mechanic friend? or should I pray a stock SA22C will one day come along when some old guy decides to part with his beloved old-gal?

My heart says GO! but my logic says NO!

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

UK, right? Here in the states they are fairly easy to come by. One place to shop is bringatrailer.com, sometimes there folks from the UK or mainland that use it to sell vehicles. BT is a great way to buy a car because a number of us will look at the car and chime in with our own critiques of the vehicle. Of course if you get something here in the states, it would have to be shipped and then made to adhere to UK specs.

The car you are describing sounds like it could be a nightmare or a nice deal. With no pictures or price mentioned we would have a hard time judging. In general most of these swaps are jacked pretty badly unless done by a real rotary shop that knows whats its doing.

Banzai

iTrader: (13)

Owning any SA (modified or stock) will require a certain amount of regular care and maintenance. It's an old car, eventually something will need fixing. It certainly helps to be mechanically inclined. If not, it will cost you and if you have to factor in that the car has had major modifications, it could become a lot more difficult to figure out and diagnose problems.

SA's aren't all that rare. (at least here in the US) Even nice examples still come up for sale. It sounds like you would prefer a nice stock example. Unless you just absolutely love this car, I'd be patient and wait. It's easy to let your emotions get the best of you when chasing something you dream about, but you need to stay focused and you eyes wide open when making the decision to pull the trigger or not. When purchasing any used vehicle you are inheriting the previous owner(s) level of care and expertise that went into maintaining it.

DreamInRotary

iTrader: (49)

Honestly, a 13b TII swapped FB would be a riot to own as your first RX-7.

Post some pics or the link here and we will go over it as much as possible, many of us can spot issues from a mile away
[Disclaimer: I can spot many issues because I've done them personally, not because I'm a professional. I TII swapped an FB so I can usually tell the difference between a hack and a nice one now.]

morrissethunter

Sure,
Mazda RX-7 SA22C - Cars for sale in USJ, Selangor

This is the link.
I've moved back to Malaysia for the time being.
Actually I am planning to get this as a weekend, and occasionally road trip car. I really love the stock clean look of this one.

To be honest, I don't mind a 12a. But I am unsure if a 13b swap would actually be a bad thing too. Seeing that the 12a must be very old by now and maybe it would have needed that swap sooner or later. Higher highway cruising speed is also a big plus.

I have very experienced mechanics in my workshop (crane rental business), but they're only good with piston engines. But they can help me out with the other stuff.

Ultimately, I think what I want is for my SA22C to be reliable and predictable, engine swapped or not. So far I'm planning to install better brakes in the near future.

lduley

iTrader: (1)

That looks like a very clean swap

But, my big red flag to me would be it doesn’t look like the engine was rebuilt before being installed, at least not by the upper intake looks, the aluminum is rough looking, so i would want compression #’s (course i would with ANY rotary purchase)

KansasCityREPU

iTrader: (9)

The foreign market and US market SA are different animals. The rear lights, front fenders, and bumpers on the one posted are US S2-S3 spec. The dash is US SA spec.

Their asking almost $4800 US for that one.

morrissethunter

That's true. But in this parts, imported vehicles are always around this range even for something this age.

Do 13b to 1st gen swaps usually require a lot of cutting into the chassis and body?

If I do make that trip to go see the car, how do I make sure I'm avoiding major problems.
Where are the rusts most common for this model?
What rpm should I expect my engine to idle at?
What kind of torque curve should I expect from a 13b ?

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

no cutting at all, you need to swap the engine front cover, buy the racing beat front engine bracket thing, and a stock oil pan for a 13B 1st gen, and the engine is in.

common rust spot is under the rear seat, or storage bins (we got ours as 2 seaters, Japan was all 2+2, not sure about the UK)

an 89-91 13B turbo engine will idle at 750rpm +/-50rpm. that one looks completely stock, btw

it should feel pretty good, max torque is around 3500rpm, and max power is more like 6500rpm.

problem areas? on this old of a car you just want to look at everything. it looks nice overall, but panel fit on the left front isn't great (these almost pass a ball bearing test). those seats don't look correct to me either, but not a great pic.

you want to look for rust, damage. interior condition is a biggie, its the hardest part to get right. the engine should start right up, and it'll fast idle cold and then work its way down to 750 when its warm. it shouldn't leak oil, or coolant. a puff of smoke is acceptable, but no more than that. make sure all the electrics work, they are usually pretty easy to clean up and get working, but its nice to know before.

car should drive straight, handle nicely. not sure what suspension is under it, it may ride well, it may not.

have fun!