So im new to the rx7club...
My father and I want to totally rebuild his 1983 Rx7 GS. And I have been researching until no tomorrow.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CORRECT ANY AND ALL MISTAKES.

1.) Plenty of rust, need to refinish the entire car.
2.)Since its a GS, rear drums and ONE WHEEL DRIVE! So, I need to get an 84' GSL rear differential? Anyone replaced the the drums with discs? What are the problems I can expect to incur by doing this step?
3.)Engine/Transmission. I found a 1991 13b non turbo core, but it has 160k on it. 500$$ which isn't to bad. Have a feeling I would have to get it lapped and re-nitrided, anyone know place near maryland that does this cheap/good quality? Atkins Rotary has a great price on a rebuild kit so doing that myself would save boat loads. What problems do you think I might come across with doing this? I also am going to do a mild port on the engine before I get it re-nitrided. Is that sound like a good deal? Or should I just find some compete bolt in , which doesnt seem like much fun. Transmission seems to be in good condition, I read that 13b bolts right up to the 83' tranny, as long as I swap the oil pan with an 84' why is that? I would replace the clutch and flywheel, is the tranny gonna hold up?
Last question for now, anyone use the JDM Sites to buy an engine/trans combo? I heard it was illegal... So i was considering staying away from them unless I hear otherwise...

If anyone has done this type of setup before from total rust bucket to shining beauty I would really appreciate any and alllllllllll advice. I have alot more questions but I dont want to write to much and have people not respond.

 

2) It's got a differential, so it's not "one wheel drive." It's just not LSD.

 

Hey, Don; first question is, 'what do you want to do with it?'

If this is a father/son project, then my recommendation would be to bypass all of the 'performance' upgrades and just restore it to stock. If your dad bought it new, then so much the better - he'll get back the car he bought so many years ago and get to relive his youth.

If this is more about you modding the car to make it fast, or something, then there are plenty of threads here to help you in that direction.

Replacement with 13b comes with problems. Getting a GSL rear swap has issues, too. If you need this car to pass emissions testing in your home state, that's another consideration. Basically, reply back with what you intend to do with the car - what you aim to accomplish - and I'm sure we can post back with more help.

 

Well its a restoration/upgrade.
Goal is 300hp+, this is a daily driver so we don't want to make it too un-driveable. We want to keep the interior close to stock to make it appear to be original.

This is a father/son project but at the same time its more than that. Im currently at UMD getting my Aerospace Engineering degree and have a passion for rotaries. So I want to learn as much as possible about anything dealing with the rx7, I drive an rx8 myself. I want to learn the entire rebuild process, about porting, performance upgrades, everything, I can never get enough.

He did buy it brand new back in the day, and we all would have a problem with parting with it. It has over 220,000 miles on the entire car/engine/drivetrain. Leaks oil like crazy, and can't imagine the engine going much longer.

Emissions are a concern as well, but a (series 5 )13b with a mild street port, turbo possibly later down the line, should still pass... right?

Yeah my bad, I don't know why I said that about one wheel drive, does the 84 gsl have an LSD?