Nikedecades

I have a seemingly stock RX7 SA with 150 thousand km on it. I am interested in restoring it in such a way that I am able to take it on long distance trips into the United States and across Canada.

Is there anything I should know before hand? Would one generally not advise going on long road trips with a 1st gen RX7? If I really wanted to move forward with this what are somethings I should be looking at in terms of what to replace/work on?

If there are any build threads where people have done a similar set up I would find that helpful.

Thanks in advance.

LongDuck

Might do well to define what a long distance road trip constitutes for you. If your car can drive for the next 3 fill-ups without requiring any maintenance, then you're in 750-1,000 mile range already. If you're talking about 1,500+ miles, you may want to look at and/or rebuild and replace the following if it hasn't been done recently; (*in order from most common need to less common)

Rolling gear - brake pads, rotors, flex lines, wheel bearings
Tires - wear, balance, etc.
Cooling - Fluid level and color, radiator hoses (*particularly under the oil filter tower), thermostat, water pump, radiator, heater core
Engine - Spark plugs, Oil change, Oil filter, air filter
Transmission - change oil for synthetic 90w gear oil
Differential - change for synthetic 90w
Exhaust - inspect for leaks
Electrical - New battery, but you can get one just about anywhere if yours is currently fine. Carry spare Fusible Links and Ignitors.

These cover the most common things which might cause a problem on a road trip. Cover the basics and have some rotary specific tools on hand, and you can certainly go for a long trip with very little concern,

Richard Miller

AAA has a $129 premier membership that includes 200 mile range for towing. And that is 4 service calls so 800 miles total for the year. Also $250 locksmith coverage. And $1500 in trip interruption insurance. Your car breaks down and you have to stay unexpectedly somewheres and you can be reimbursed for expenses.

This is the service I have because the cost for the first tow already makes up for the membership cost. There are other options out there for travel/towing insurance but I would deeply consider having something if touring in a classic car,

Nikedecades

Some trips i had in mind were from Toronto to Pittsburgh, New York City, Detroit, Washington DC.

So 200 - 500 mile trips. Was thinking of doing these drives individually over the course of next summer.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

i just did the ~700 mile Sevenstock trip in a 1985 car. its actually quite a nice long distance car, its quiet, rides nicely. it could use a little more power, the mountains felt really tall...

anyways, i started with a 118k car that had been parked since 2005. i did the 120k service, new tires, and that was it. except the brake master cylinder failing about a block after i left home, it was completely trouble free and i averaged 24mpg

you should look over the car really thoroughly, its old, but a long road trip is like the easiest thing you can do

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

As long as you address the usual maintenance issues for an old car like this, these cars love long road trips.

7aull

iTrader: (2)

TWO trips to Alaska-and-back, and this fall ma 1600Km run from N. AZ to-from 7-stock/LA in my 1980 SA w 110,000mi on the clock. No probs except 1st alaska trip (2003) when the starter croaked (in Northern BC), meant I needed to park on a slight incline anywhere I stopped for dinner, no a biggie considering...

As others suggest, if you have replaced the consumables recently to bring them to new-(er) car spec then you have most everything covered:
-new/recent cooling/heater hoses, T-stat.
-rad cleaned/new(er) coolant
-mechanical fluids (agree here with synth in gearbox and diff) or at least confirm levels are correct-
-tires.
-tune-up gear: dizzy cap, rotor, plug wires. Plugs every 12K miles, so where ever you are in that cycle.

Check you insurance to see if they offer a towing option, usually stoopid-cheep add-on. Ask if it covers you outside Canada!!
Otherwise CAA offers it cheep with a membership. And maybe other travel perks...

For the trips themselves, may I recommend as many 2ndary highways and bi-ways as possible since that is where the Real America is hidden: off the interstates! Mid week or off-season travel guarantees many of these roads to be virtually empty for your enjoyment.

These sort of trips is what really makes these cars special. Have a blast.

Stu A
80GS
AZ