Hi guys, after selling my '85 rx7 20+ years ago - I am back in the group with a new 1st gen. I picked up a 1983 GSL that was too much of a good deal to pass by (Was Posted for $7,500 and drove it home for $3,500). My goal was to get a 84-85 GSL-SE but with them being rare in my area and also sky rocketing in price as of late; I decided to settle for the 12a motor. The car belonged to an old lady that serviced the car at Rotorsport (no longer exists but Paul was the best when I used to take my car in for servicing). The car currently sits at 173k, having had a used refreshed motor installed by Rotorsport at 110k in 1996 per the service record receipt (car came with a binder full of service receipts). The gentlemen I bought it from had the car for 3 years as he purchased it from the estate sale of the old lady. Although he says he maintained the car; I get the feeling he drove it with just changing the oil. I was able to find the most recent service record from the old lady that dates back to 2018 (Car had 163k miles). At that time she replaced the electronic fuel pump, fuel filter, spark plugs, distributer rotor/cap, spark plug wires. I am going to say the car sat some time if it currently has 173,050. Therefore, I plan to replace all of the above mentioned with the exception of the fuel pump. To add to the laundry list, I will also replace all fluids ex. radiator, diff oil, tranny oil, brake fluid etc. Is there anything else you guys recommend or suggest I inspect? The car steering is very nice and tight. The acceleration is good with the exception of it hesitating in 1st gear a bit when going from a stop. It wants to bog down and I find myself reving the engine to 2k so it doesn't stall. I was thinking using the Carb cleaner and also some seafoam on the tank to see if it helps.

 

Welcome back old timer! Bet it feels good to be back in an FB.

It sounds like you have a good list there of maintenance things to do. These cars aren't terribly complicated, so just keep up on those items and drive and enjoy.

Oh and post a picture of the new ride

 

Only suggestion I would have is to drain the fuel and replace the in-tank and external fuel filters. You may want to check the inside of the tank for rust while you have it out. A lot of people are having problems with rust in the tank when the car sits a while. Welcome back to the asylum.

 

Welcome home!

 

These guys with 20 year badges, impressive! Welcome home, post some pictures!

 

Thank you gentlemen, I appreciate the positive vibes and advise - it's great to be back. Here's the pic from the FB marketplace post. I will take a picture of the interior when i get a chance this week. The old lady had the car garage kept and the interior and exterior definitely show it. I just spent the weekend vacuuming and cleaning up the interior as the previous owner had a cat that left hair all over the car. On top, he was a smoker (vape) so I took out the seats and shampooed the carpet along with using vinyl/leather cleaner on the interior. I didn't smell any smoke smell but I figured the carpet and seats might have the sticky tar on them.

 

Wow it's a beaut!! Definitely sounds like it's in the right hands to get it back into shape. Glad there are people like you and most the forum (hopefully lol) who does extremely good maintenance, very important! Definitely post more pictures when you get the chance and keep us updated on it! Welcome back!

 

awesome looking fb, welcome back.

 

Welcome back! The GSL you just bought is in great shape from the above picture. That version has some upgrades to it such as rear solid disk brakes and an LSD, plus the wheels look to be stock FB vs. some of the GSL wheels which featured a BBS-style spoke design. Your signature icon looks to be a Mariah front bu per on a red FB - can you tell us more about the car you USED to have?

Great that you remembered your login from so long ago, too.

 

Welcome back! Looks great.

 

As others have said, welcome back! I also just recently purchased a FB again recently. I had forgotten how fun these cars are to drive!

 

Welcome back, good luck with it!

 

Welcome back. This seems like a Saturday Night Live script for the 5 timer club.

 

Looks like a well preserved 7! Sounds like you have things covered on maintenance and maybe a carb rebuild.

all the rubber in the engine bay should be on the list. Vacuum leaks were the biggest idle problem for me.

 

Welcome back to the forum, glad to have you back!! Your GSL looks to be in great shape! I would love to see more pictures of the car as you make progress on it! Your cars has a ton of potential!!

 

Here’s some more pics. So far I upgraded the shift **** to an extra one I had from Rx8. While they aren’t the exact thread size, it works as the rx8 shift thread is plastic.



I also replaced all the vacuum lines with a silicone vacuum kit I had left over from my Turbo Eclipse. I took out the seats and vacuumed every inch of the carpet (big help from my son - Ioves the car). Things next that I have ordered: 1. Water pump 2. Coolant flush 3. New thermostat 4. New spark plugs and wires 5. New radiator cap 6. New air filter 7. New drive belts

 

Here’s the previous rx7 I owned. It was a 1985 and I was running a street ported 13b 4 port with a Weber 48 Ida. ​​​​​It was built by Paul at Rotorsport in Santa Clara, CA. It was a gift from my uncle and I drove around in the 12a for some time before upgrading to the 13b. I owned it for 5 years and basically upgraded everything. I ended up selling it after I bought a 1997 Eclipse GSX and all my attention shifted to that car.

 

Here’s some more interior pics I took just now.

 

Great looking car. Very well maintained. Carb cleaning and rebuild will solve your hesitation problem. Check all your smog valves while your at it.

 

Your RX-7 looks great inside and out!! I do like the addition of the RX-8 shift ****!!

 

Going through an '82 FB myself so I would recommend looking at all the suspension rubber. Sway bar links, tie rod ends, control arms, radius arms, rear watts bar ,etc. Age is the biggest factor at this point for soft parts. Being a prior owner, you probably know all the usual rotary specific maintenance. The rest is just an old Japanese car. Rockauto has been a good source for parts in addition to the folks at Atkins and Mazdatrix.

 

Thank you gentlemen for the valuable feedback. I agree, a carb rebuild is definitely in the future. The rx8 shift **** was a bit of luck as being gentle while you thread it seems to be the trick to getting the size difference to mold and fit in. The suspension is definitely in need of some TLC. All the rubber looks old and brittle. The rear also sags a bit even though the shocks are good all around. The better route would be running some RB lowering springs to replace the worn out stocks. This weekend will definitely be filled with installing all the parts that came in from Rock Auto and Atkins rotary throughout the week -lol.

 

MazdaTrix, Racing Beat and Online Mazda Parts are my go-to source for maintenance items these days. Be aware that many of these parts will be NLA but still show in inventory, so don't get your hopes up seeing it on a web order page until you read the descriptions!

https://www.onlinemazdaparts.com/Maz...linder-MT.html

 

Hi guys, hope everyone and their cars are doing great. Just wanted to follow up as requested and share updates to the car. So far, here are the upgrades i have done as of late.
1. Full stereo system
2. BC coilovers (about a 2 inch drop)
3.Racing Beat Air Filter Assembly
4. painted center dash
5. Clay bar’d and waxed car again to finally get rid of all the rough feeling paint.
6. 15% Car Tint all around

 

Nice seeing that alphasonic eq as it looks period correct.