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Today was an exciting day Curt aka Kansas Ciiy REPU came over he got the engine to turn over and start using starter fluid and some gas. As the original owner it is exciting to that it will be able to be brought back from it thirty year sleep. Much work to be done. It all seems a little crazy considering my lack of mechanical ability.
Congrats, looks like a Sonic Bronze beauty under that layer of dust and dirt. An early build too, judging by the RH hood prop and lack of passenger side mirror.
Yes I purchased it way ahead of the first delivery. It was delivered in Seattle where I lived at the time I had been hooked on rotary with my previous car an RX2 I had purchased. They were having trouble selling so they discounted a new one by 25%.
Wow, must be a low VIN # then. There is a SA / FB owners registry sticky thread in the 1st Gen general discussion section. You can see others VIN's and compare them to yours. You can add yours too if inclined. Welcome home!
Bringing the car back to life after sitting for 30 years will be no small task. But it will certainly be a rewarding one. And with the help of Curt and the rest of us, we can help guide you on getting the car back on the road! The biggest thing will be the fuel system. Getting the tank cleaned properly, installing a new fuel level sender, fuel filter, New fuel pump if yours is stuck, cleaning th elites from the carb to the tank after the tank is down, rebuilding the carburetor are all a must. Then replace the plugs wires, points, condenser, gap the points, Flushing the coolant, replacing the engine oil, trans oil, rear diff oil, New belts, hoses, vacuum lines, clutch master cylinder and hose, slave cylinder, brake and clutch fluid flush, and a new air filter and you should be in business.
Then comes new brakes, tires, suspension inspection, and exhaust inspection. The little stuff that may be needed such as bulbs or trim will tidy up the restoration.
How many miles are on the car currently? Is the car mostly original? Would definitely love to see more pictures of the car!
The first thing we did was to remove the input fuel line at the carb and check for fuel in a bucket. The pump did run but we had no fuel. The gauge did register after putting in two gallons with premix. Still no fuel in the bucket. The fuel tank will be the hardest task. At least the fuel level sensor working.
I could see the happiness in Paul's eyes when it did run for a few seconds. It sounded good. Didn't even need to pull the choke.
Recommend getting some SeaFoam directly into the block/comb chambers (down thru hand-opened throttles works best), hand/dry crank to circulate (no ignition) and let it do its overnite magic on any long-dead carbon build up around seals and springs! Rad should be dropped and pro-cleaned at a Shop.
Barn-find stuff. Very exciting. Best of luck with the resurrection!
Keep the thread updated with the progress, it is cool that you are the original owner and are bringing it back to life.
I would pull the tank and take to a local tank refurbishing shop. Will come back good as new, you might pay a little $$ for it, but I think will pay for itself in the long term.
Last edited by tommyeflight89; May 9, 2021 at 05:16 PM.
Agree, you can futz with the running for a while, but usually a poorly-pickled fuels system, starting with old, dead gas left in the tank, will lead to continuous aggravation as you move forward. Keep an eye on the (hopefully new!) fuel filter (you did buy a clear one, yes??). If continuous/intermittent stalling persists, its the tank, as it sheds internal grunge off the walls that float into the pick-up port.
POR15 and others offer Tank Kits that are a chem mix you can use to treat, clean, prep and seal the tank innards. I used one (POR) successfully on my 80 SA.
The tank needs to be dropped, which involves:
-detach, remove level sensor: behind plastic panel in driver-side wheel well. I believe the seal is now NLA from Mazda (as is the actual level sensor assy), so you might want to be generously hosing it with WD40 as you work it off the tank surface!
-remove mount hardware in gas cap area to allow hose to detach with tank
-beware of various smaller gas/vent lines underneath. several go to the top of the tank. PICS should be taken to know which hose goes where!!
-tank is mechanically held in place with 2 straps. Obv empty tank is easier to maneuver. ONLY way to drain tank is thru gauge port and filler hose. SA RX7s have NO drain plug.
PARTS MANUAL (which you have downloaded, yes?) illustrates nicely how all the bits go together!!
