hey guys. i know nothing of the first gen. but i wanna get into it too..i have a sec as of now. but im going to go get a 79.. but anyone has any pointers tips for me... or anything.? thanks. anything will be good cause i know nothing.. i appericate it greatly. thanks..

1990_whotecomet

 

ok here is some basics.

the 1979-1980 are known in america as an Sa22c. they only came with a 12a motor. wich is a 1.1 liter(almost 1.2) 2 rotor motor. with a nikki carborator.

when inspecting a car you might check under the bins behind the passanger and driver set. that is a major area where rust may occur. also check under the car, and exhast for any rust.

also drive around in the car and get a feel for the stearing. rx7's have real bad wear on the stearing rack and will feel realy loose and slopy.

the bolt pattern on a stock sa22 is 4 x 110.

 

same basics applied to an SA/FB as an FC. keep up on maitnence. watch out for wheel well/storage bin rust. make sure it still has the smog pump, be aware you may have to replace interior pieces, points ignition system, you will want to convert to electronic ignition

 

kool. thanks. whOa* thats some stuff for me to look for.. check under the bins behind the passanger and drier set.? you mean in the bin.? sec gen has eM. but their used as storage as it is very common, but their always clean and never rusted in the sec gen.? but i will look for that.. oh the wheel well/storage for rust. yEs! i will look for that.. the smog pump.? whats that.? and what is it used for.? im very new to the fb's.. i got no clue of them. eheh.. thats why im depending on you guys here to help me out.. thanks!.. when i do grab it. by this friday! i will try to take some pictures and post it.. thanks.. oh yea. is there anything else. i should be aware of.. other than its an old car and i must manitence it well, and replace alot of parts..

1990_whitecomet

 

no no. pull the bins out completely and look at the metal underneath. that tends to be a common rust spot.

the smog pump is an accessory that feeds the cats o2 in order to operate properly. can't pass emissions w/o it. and you can cheat on your emissions test with it.

 

Ya main spots for rust are most definitly in the wheel wells. If you have a moon roof sometimes they get rust around the inner gromet. With the wheels being 4*110 your wheel selection is limited alot. But a simple suspension swap from a gsl-se should fix that problem. Or you can go to cpracing.ca and they have a 4 to 5 bolt adaptor which will also fix the problem. Interior parts are extremely hard to find so when stripping keep them in good shape wash and clean them up then paint or dye them. mariahmotorsports.com sells carpet sets. Something people learn the hard way is. If your ever driving and your car continues to rev and build speed sometimes its because the floor mats have been shuved up way to far. So before you drive give them a quick pull down. Anyway this is a great place to start with your rex. Everyone has tonnes of info and experiences to share which will make your life one hell of alot easier!!

 

I got an 85 GS on Saturday. Find a nice car and buy it, you won't look back.

Things to look for really aren't that different from any other used car. Look under the fenders for rust. Listen and look in the engine bay for anything unusual. Check the fluids for contamination, the RX's will have a gasoline smell in the oil if they've flooded recently.

Once you get it check the oil every few days. They aren't as forgiving as piston engines because they do use some oil in the combustion chamber to lube the seals.

Be sure to look at the sticky threads at the top of the forum, they helped me a lot and taught me what problems to prepare for or prevent.

 

if you have a 79 model, the smog pump supplies fresh air into the thermal reactor. if the pump is disconnected, it is possible for the reactor to overheat. this will cause 2 things. bad reactor, and possible engine/water seal damage. if you want to keep it stock and your reactor is bad that is not good. they are expensive. however, i am sure someone here will prob give you their old reactor. if i were you and i was not concerned with emissions, i would put a RB exhaust on it. check the front suspension parts as well. they tend to expire with age. also, the gas tanks are prone to leaking fromthe top. fuel level sender wires like to corrode and rot. weather stripping likes to wear. basically, with a 25 year old car, you may run into a few things. nothing you can't handle though!

 

If you can, try to get a later model. 83+

 

smog pump is same as the air pump on second gens. Basically the same thing.
Yeah as it was mentioned before one of the big problems with first gens is the storage bin/wheel well rust. Plus other rotary and non rotary related on the car same as any other car. Expect to do some work on the car, even if it is in good shape. First gens are fun to drive and fun to work on and we have a nice community here to help.

Hope to see you around...

Cheers,

 

thanks you guys... yea, i know already it has been alot of help i've gotten from you guys!. kOol. i'll be sure to look into these.. i'll be going to see the car on friday!. and already i got a wHole list to be asking question and inspecting the car.. thanks..

1990_whitecomet

 

buy an 85 gsl-se...

 

we are all here to help. we all have questions. no-one knows it all.

 

I'm gonna be looking at an '80 with a streetported 13b dropped in it this weekend. I'm hoping it's as nice as it sounds!

I had a 1st gen as my first car, but I was 17 and it was a POS that I didn't appreciate. If I knew then what I know now!

 

hind sight is always 20/20

 

hind sight is always 20/20