back to the Wankel!
11-10-07, 04:38 PM
#1
ASE ****** Mechanic
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back to the Wankel!
i just joined the Forum, but i am a previous Wankel owner... i keep seein all these "FD" "FS" i have no idea what some of these terms mean. but anyways, i bought a 1980 RX7 off a guy here in Hawaii when i got here. It had been gutted out inside and engine compartment, no P/S , no A/C, not even a back seat or carpet.... it has a aftermarket Intake manifold and Carburetor but i am not familiar with it to know what it is....its a racing beat manifold. i am gonna post a picture of it up here, someone let me know what it is, and what kind of capabilities it has with this car. dont mind the crappy body kit, it was on it when i got it. would like to find some rims if i can, let me know what i can fit under this baby. also, it seems as if someone cut off a coil or two off the springs in the front and rear, it rides REAL STIFF, kinda like if i had airbags on it.... HAHA... very uncomfortable. let me know what i can do in terms of suspension for this thing to keep it tight for drift, but soft enough for daily driving.
11-10-07, 04:49 PM
#2
whaa
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drift and dd does not go together well at all. also when you cut a coil or two off it makes the ride bouncy and softer. my guess someone just put a decent suspension on the car to stiffen it up.
11-10-07, 04:54 PM
#3
Yankle My Wankel
Nice car, looks like it will be fun for the track. It all depends on if the engine has been ported or not, if it has a mild street port, you can expect power to be around 160hp, the 12A isn't that big of a power house unless its boosted. You might want to consider a 88' rx7 TII swap later down the line for more power. I find even with my GSL-SE even tho the engine has a fair ammount of power, I couldn't seeing it enough to be a good drift car. Now suspesion wise theres not a whole lot of options. You can buy some aftermarket shocks off ebay I believe they are tockico's they have 2 different types, the blues, and the white adjustables. From what I've heard they offer a fairly good ride, and increased performance. Springs you can get some racing beats, I believe re-speed has some suspension upgrades (bushing and what not), eibach makes a spring set for the first gen rx7's but i'm not posistive if they still sell them. I've heard of people hacking up their suspension to fit in a coilover setup, but for the most part, theres not many choices for bolt on parts for these cars. ebay has some o.k. parts, just look around, some times you have to look in the right places at the right times to find stuff for these old cars.
11-10-07, 04:57 PM
#4
Leaking oil like crazy!
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Welcome. Check the FAQs to answer some of your basic questions such as what SA, FB, FC, and FD mean (you have an SA). As for the suspension, do a search. The suspension options are rather limited for the 79 and 80s as they changed them for the 81-85 cars (FBs) but from what I hear you can switch to the later style relatively easily if you are handy. Good luck.
11-10-07, 05:25 PM
#7
ASE ****** Mechanic
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Awesome Response
74Rx4 thank you. i had no idea what it was. that is definitly it, but the aftermarket filter gets on my nerves. it doesnt quite fit well, so it is right up against the top of the engine... kind of a pain in the butt, but from what i can see about the carb, its a good upgrade to the car. only issue i have with this is that unless im clutching and gassing at the same time, it kinda stumbles a little, and if i try to floor it without the clutch it stumbles... i checked out the ignition components, and the cap is a little older, and the plugs got the white burn marks on them , but they seem to be good shape.... what all could be causing my stumbling issue?
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11-11-07, 02:42 AM
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ASE ****** Mechanic
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yes i am in hawaii. on Oahu island. if u do live on the same island, let me know, we can get together... i still dont know where all the ricers and tuners hang out. i love smoking hondas !!! 
11-11-07, 02:51 PM
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A vehicle with airbags installed will not ride like how you described it. I've driven different types of vehicles with airbag setups on them and they do not ride stiff. Air pressure is what regulates stiffness and softness. Cadillac, Land Rover, etc all use airbag suspensions on their cars. They wouldn't continue doing that if they were known to ride stiff.
If you stuck airbags on your car, you'd get a much smoother ride, and better handling to boot. Hell, it'd be a good option to have if you wanted to go from DD to Drifter. Changing the air pressure will make tuning easier.
11-11-07, 06:46 PM
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BTW, nice find, we could use some more pics. And, FD and FC (never heard of FS) are different generations of the RX-7.
SA/FB - 1st Gen
FC - 2nd Gen
FD - 3rd Gen
As far as a proper setup for drifting, look up a user by the name of Driftlanta. I don't think he frequents the Forum anymore, however he has videos of him drifting. In one of his posts, he should have a list of how his suspension is setup, complete with toe, caster, camber, and the like. Hope this helps.
SA/FB - 1st Gen
FC - 2nd Gen
FD - 3rd Gen
As far as a proper setup for drifting, look up a user by the name of Driftlanta. I don't think he frequents the Forum anymore, however he has videos of him drifting. In one of his posts, he should have a list of how his suspension is setup, complete with toe, caster, camber, and the like. Hope this helps.
11-12-07, 12:58 AM
#15
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okay.... 85 fsbim not saying that it DOES have airbags on it, im saying it is real rough like what it feels likewhen you install an airbag system on a car... like a hydraulic lift setup... real bumpy and real stiff. i dont know whats under it yet, but i will find out probably tomorrow.
11-12-07, 03:44 AM
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oh i know how to look at my suspension brother.... but i dont trust them damn scissor jacks. i stick with the hydraulic 2tonners. and yes this one is the one with the whale tail. You've seen me running around i take it?
11-12-07, 01:36 PM
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Now, as far as what you're suspension probably has, probably just stiff springs. If someone previously cut a part of the coils to lower the car, you'd get a stiff ride but then that car would be low as hell. Actually, cutting the coils would be just plain dumb. Car sits low enough as it is. Previous owner might've just stuck on aftermarket springs. OR! Might've stuck on some Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings. Now, those things WILL transmit what's on the road up to the seat of your pants. And, will give a stiff feeling ride.
11-12-07, 02:59 PM
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^ All you have to do is look up "bolt pattern" and you'll get a ton of results. A lot of questions are asked about rim sizes versus the weird bolt pattern on any trim model that isn't a GSL-SE.
11-26-07, 06:31 PM
#23
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i live up by Tripler AMC
Okay got a question for EVERYONE!
WHAT KIND OF A$$HOLE CUTS A LOOP OR TWO OFF HIS SPRINGS!!!! i was checking my car out today cuz i was hearing an annoying clicking coming from the front right and when i lifted the car up, i noticed that the front springs had been torched off a coil or two. on top of that, my front strut cylinders are shot. so everytime i hit a bump, it rattles!! pain in my ***
Okay got a question for EVERYONE!
WHAT KIND OF A$$HOLE CUTS A LOOP OR TWO OFF HIS SPRINGS!!!! i was checking my car out today cuz i was hearing an annoying clicking coming from the front right and when i lifted the car up, i noticed that the front springs had been torched off a coil or two. on top of that, my front strut cylinders are shot. so everytime i hit a bump, it rattles!! pain in my ***