i have a 85 12a gsl with 216k original miles all original car all stock, its in sleeper rust condition but runs with good compression and my question was is it even worth doing the exhaust on and maybe doing a new 4 barrel carb or would it not be much worth it?

I'd like to possibly up the whp maybe 15 horses and would like a few suggestions. Thanks.

 

it would be worth it if the car is not a complete rust bucket. any pics of the car to share?

 

Yeah definitely some fun can be had.

 

Sure it is. The Nikki holds plenty of potential. The exhaust is where you must go 1st.

 

its got a bit of rust yea. faded paint. kinda thought after the rotary died id get a t2 setup. look at my main page for my pic of it i jsut put up after not being on this site for quite sometime.

 

Fix the rust, then put shiny new parts on it.

 

rust is too deep to even begin to fix it. but its my sleeper none the less. just seeing if the 12a would benefit from some light modding. mainly exhaust and some carb work.

 

this

 

If the rust is that bad it should not be deemed safe to drive on our roads. Use it as a parts car and look for a clean shell to swap to.

 

lol its why its a sleeper. im not going to use a 215k mile engine on a new shell when im not about to buy another just to have a non rusted one. i drift it everyday with its stock carbed 12a and it has some worn struts in back but other than that it drives fine. 7k launches no problem.

Now i only wanted to know if modding the 12a engine would yeild in any more power than stock or be a waste in time and money. My rust has zero to do with the engine at this point, just seeing even if maybe a 2.5" exhaust would benefit it or would it loose torque? that kind of thing. i paid 440 for it running and driving with new tires and and slave cylinder. also add to the fact its the second fb ive ever seen in my town so sourcing a shell wouldnt be very easy.

I even have a 13b and tranny i thought about putting into it but think the 12a is doing fine just want a little more out of it.

 

Well in answer to your original question, yes it will benefit from some mods. I would start with suspension, but since you specifically asked about the engine here is what I would do as a start :

1) header and 2.5" exhaust to a rb muffler or similar
2) ignition - an msd setup will do wonders
3) strip the nikki and do the mechanical secondaries or do a weber or holley setup
4)cold air setup to the air cleaner - not sure what this would do for you but it can't hurt. While you are in there I would use freeze plugs to block the coolant passages to the intake.
5) emissions removal - rats nest, air pump, shutter valve, etc...
6) remove anything and everything from the interior that you aren't using..passenger seats, bins, carpet, door panels, so on....
7) either premix or rebuild omp and use a catch can with 2 stroke oil to feed the omp

Always start with the exhaust first on these cars as it is the most restrictive point in regards to engine power. You should be able to feel a good kick in the pants from exhaust alone...

 

As it sits now it has proper powersteering delete, air pump delete, and cat converter delete. emissions is all there i dont know what else is removable. was thinking a efan might lighten the load on the little 12a vs the clutch fan.

Would i loose torque if i went with a more open exhaust. nothing ricer and cut off but something that flows alot better. i love my current stock muffler so something very close will go in its place.

 

You may lose a little torque from the exhaust sytem, but I don't think it will be a whole lot...not enough to really miss anyways, and the rest of the setup should improve a bit (wot, mid range acceleration)

 

Poor car.

 

lol poor car. if i didnt take it im sure it would have seen the crusher. id think poor me for having faith in such a rust bucket. but i love my rx7s and this one is no exception.

 

Just source out a second hand Racing Beat exhaust and feed a funnel from the radiator surround for cold air with some Blaster 2 coils. Instant 20 HP gain. Now remember it is a 100 HP car stock so thats 20% with a few bolt ons. Dont bother with premix. As long as the OMP drips oil inside the carb (visually inspect while idling) your fine. If your worried about power to weight then strip it. A 120 HP car that weighs about 2100 pounds is very fun. A proper tune up will free up lost power too.

 

A 12a carb'd with dlidfis, exhaust, and a little weight shedding is a hellllllll of a lot of fun. I replaced my '83 GSL with a '84 GSL-SE and I regretted it. Regretted selling the SE even more, though.

 

I want to run a 12A carbed with DLIDFIS, exhaust and a light flywheel in my GSL-SE. Best of both worlds?

 

Well I have an SE injected 12A with a light flywheel in an SE. Am I close?

 

^Yes.

 

dlidfis? and at idle you should see the omp working? i was wondering but my oil levels are always getting slighty lower so i figured the omp was working.

 

DLIDFIS is an ignition upgrade.

At idle, reach down and pull up on the OMP rod. You will see it pump oil at a faster rate if you look inside the carb at the nozzles. I just did that yesterday. Interesting to see to flow rate difference illustrated so dramatically.