I'm pretty much set on getting a first gen 7 for my next car (had a POS mustang previously) and am on a semi-limited budget. I'd imagine, once the car is purchased, $3000 +/- $500 is the maximum spending budget. I have a decent idea of what to look for and what to do after purchasing, so I'll list it off and ask if anyone would mind elaborating on any of it. My father and I will be doing the work ourselves for the most part, him having decades of experience with piston motors and a rotary rebuild or two under his belt.

Oh, the car may be done in California, but it will be Kitsap County, Washington registered, no emissions or inspections. I want to be sure we're on the right track and figured you guys would know.

What I am looking at in the car is a 5-speed of some sort, decent interior (at least a decent dash and driver's seat), decent exterior and little rust, with only the engine removed. I don't much care about the radio or accessories, but preferrably get the engine accessories.

For the motor, I was looking at doing a 12A. Which is more suggestible: Buy a non-running one and rebuild it or buy a running one and rebuild it?
We're going to rebuild it just to be sure and so we both have a clue of how the little beasties work internally.

As for the motor, after the rebuild I was planning on swapping on a new fuel tank, uprated pump (keep reading about the stockers being inadequate during hard driving), new lines, a carb rebuild kit and a new air filter or a new carb setup for the fuel systems.

Should we just buy a carb rebuild kit, get a new carb setup completely, or send it to RX7Carl or Sterling? My father has tons of experience with carbs and I shouldn't think a simple rebuild would trouble him, it's not like we're going for much more power.

Exhaust-wise, I'd just like to stick with stock for the moment, because I'd eventually like a turbo and spending all the money on an exhaust now would be a waste. Just make sure the cat isn't plugged to death, right?

On the oil side of things, I was thinking new oil filter, a new pump, new lines for the cooler and possibly a new cooler. Any suggestions here?

New radiator, new e-fan, new hoses, new thermostat, anything else?

Brakes, brakes brakes. Rebuilt calipers, new rotors and some uprated pads, new lines (SS?), a new master cylinder (or just go with the old stock one?). Any suggestions there too?

As for the wheels, just new Les Schwab Jupiter rubber that worked well on the Mustang for daily driving.

What should I do with the suspension? I was fine with the Mustang's suspension being shot to death on the criticals (dead right rear shock). I was thinking of leaving that for later and my own budget, but if there is anything that is a real saftey issue (i.e. snap oversteer or otherwise quick-to-hit problems) with the suspension, what are they?

Okay, what would be the estimate on these things?

Yes, my dad and mom are paying for the car and the fixups. We'd be doing almost all the work ourselves, however, as dad has enough experience. I'm more than grateful for them being as willing to help as they are. I'll probably be doing some power mods later, but for now it needs to be reliable and driveable.

 

I know alot of stuff you can find in a junkyard. Otherwise try Victoria British's catalogue. I let the rest of the FB crew let ya know what's up as I am too lazy to do the rest. heh

 

Racing Beat, Victoria British and Mazdatrix seem to be the names being thrown up a lot around here. I'm gonna order a catalog in a few weeks from each of them to see what the prices are like. Unfortunately, the RB and Mazdatrix sites load slowly on 56k, so the catalog is the only way to go.

We're pretty much looking at bringing it back to factory spec for reliability and consistency.

After this I am looking at a few performance modifications, mainly handling-wise (performance comes last: If the suspension can't put the power down, what's the point of the power?). I know I will need a set of bushings and lighter wheels at the least. How dramatic of an effect would a set of Eibach Prokit Springs, Tokico Illumina shocks (struts?), a good set of tires, and a C&P Racing VW R&P steering kit make on handling and daily driveability? Sounds like a nice combo to me that would be suitable for daily driving, reducing a lot of weight, and significantly more traction.

And what's this I hear about rear suspension design flaws? Easily fixable or something I could live with?

 

hey, if your lookin to do all that to your ride, have fun. there are some that are for sale that have great engines and running gear for a good price. heck if it hasn't sold yet, theres one that has a ............well, here's the thread.https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...hreadid=253398 .

the car runs awsome. and it will be cheaper than you buying one and rebuilding it. and you got your exhaust and carb upgrades. i'm sure your dad will have no problems with a Holley.

good luck.

 

Oi! Crap! That's a good deal, I'm gonna e-mail him. All things considered, maybe there would be enough $ around by the 19th of January, then I could drive it back down. Heh, never even thought to look through regional forums, thanks for the tip. Sounds like the only things I'd have to worry about doing would be the brakes and tires on that, not a bad deal.

 

sounds like you have your work cut out for you. welcome to the club.

 

Go for the reliability first. Sounds like a great project for you and your dad to work on. All the stuff you listed sounds really good. If your dad is good with carbs, then you guys can tackle it. If you need advice, just ask. A running one to rebuild is a much safer bet as a non-running one can be very $ to rebuild. During the rebuild if you can tackle it, would be some porting, but that wont gain you much till you upgrade the exhaust and then intake. As far as suspension, just make sure its all in good order. One definate thing to replace is the idler arm bushings. Check for slop in the steering and find out what the cause is. How sure are you that you wanna go turbo? Just wanna gauge your intentions for the car.

 

Going turbo isn't a sure thing for me. I'll be moving back up to Washington come June and have no experience driving a turbo car, let alone a turbo car in the rain. If I do, it will be at least a year from now, so I can get accustomed to it before I do that.

Main thing with the car is it needs to get me from point A to point B without dying, in my parents' eyes. I like driving, on the other hand, for fun. I would like to upgrade the suspension, but unless it is vital to safety, it's my budget. Eventually I'd also like to autocross or open track the car, on the weekends, or just hit the backroads for some fun (I know a camping spot that has some very very fun, well-paved roads on the whole drive there).

 

Well since you budget is limited, upgrading for N/A power wil be cheaper. An when you decide to go turbo, you can sell the parts to help finance it. Just an idea. For a cheap rear suspension mod, go to my website www.pbandjracing.com and look in teh tech section.