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.

 

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,

 

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,

 

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.

 

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

 

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

 

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