Infohiker

I have two ways to ask for this, first the simple question:

Can anyone recommend a good 1st Gen RX-7 Mechanic in/Close to Northern New Jersey (I live in Bergen County).

Here's the rambling background. I have a 1984 GSL 12A, Silver, Red Leather interior (seats need help, steering wheel needs recovering, otherwise pretty good shape). Car was my father's, a daily driver to the station for 17 years. Grand milage total, just under 58K. Now let's just say that my father was a dedicated worker - this car has seen all kinds of weather, and salt. It was garaged at night, but pretty much out in the weather 5 days a week.

Anyway, bought the car from my father and have used it off and on for the past four years. Main driver the first two years, then garaged and seldom used the last two. I have wanted to restore it (not mechanically inclined) and have pretty much been finding and replacing interior parts as I can. MAde sure the car was started and run regularly, battery charged, oil changed even though I was not driving it often.

Now I am being forced to put it back into daily use. I had the exhaust replaced (midas) a few months back. As I am driving it again after driving a new car, I am noticing all the issues that I have to face. The steering being loose is issue #1, I get way too much play on the wheel. Now I brought it into a local dealer (the regular mechanic of this car for the past 10-15 years has retired, I dont have the same faith in the guy who runs the shop now, I was desperate) to look at the steering issue (Mazda RT 17 Ramsey). They refused to even look at it. Point blank refused. So I brought it to another dealer (rockland county on RT304? for those who care) and wanted an estimate for a tune up, to look at the steering box (and what a replacement would cost if it could be found)
Here is what they came back with.
(please note, I was not able to talk to the person as I cannot take personal calls at work, and my job is from 6:30am-5pm, so I am getting this second hand)

Tune up
Drive belts
Front rear pads and rotors
and then the cryptic "air hose to valve"

To do this they want $1760 plus tax.

Aparrently they looked at the steering box, made adjustments and it is "better" but not fixed. Dont know how much of the estimate this is going to cost me,

Not included in the estimate but they say I want to get done (and I cannot argue, I saw the underside of the car when I was at midas and it had me worried):

"sway bar links rusted and control arms"

There was no $ given for that but I have been researching the GNP of small third world nations for a ballpark figure.

Help. Please. I love this car, I grew up with this car, I want to keep it. I cannot spend a fortune, but I am not adverse to spending what it *legitimately* takes to get this done. I don't really trust dealerships, and I have nobody I personally know who can recommend a good, competent mechanic. Preferably one who can get reasonably priced parts.


Thank you
Rob Morgan

Maniacmikey

You should ask around in the region specific area of the forum.They will be better able to recomend a good shop.The hose's and belts you should be able to do yourself and save a lot of money.

kenn_chan

First of all, for that kind of money, you could fly me over there to do the work (I live in Japan)
the rust on the sway bars, and control arms are not a problem in any way shape of form, your frame would rot out first, honestly.

tuneup is 4 plugs, a dizzycap, rotor bug, plug wires, and air/fuel filters about 3 hours if you are slow.......DIY

fan belts are about 30 minutes give or take

brakes... take it to a brake specialist if you are not mechanically inclined.

steering gearbox adjustment takes a couple of minutes, and at that mileage should not need ot be replaced (unless you watched to much Dukes of Hazzard as a kid).

Remember the famous lines of Kathy Bates AKA Mama Bouche "Mazda dealers are the devil Bobby Booche!"

Oh, and that cryptic air hose to valve sounds like the air hose from the air pump to the emissions control, unless its idleing bad... whoopidty frickin do

kenn

web777

Fly me out and and I'll do it and still be under $1000 . Try to find and independent mechanic who can do the work if you can't do it yourself. The only thing different in our cars is the engine. Everything else is just like a normal car. I'm trying to find you a link to adjust your steering but I think the site is down.

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

That is a lot of money just to do those few things. You are best off learning to do those things yourself. The tune-up, drive belts, and even brake pad/rotors can be done with simple hand tools. The air hose to valve is maybe the hose to the shutter vavle that goes under the carb. Try posting in the NE section of this forum too. There are several guys in the New Jersey area that would probably help you do some of the repairs if you wanted to learn to it yourself (you may have to provide beer/lunch as payment ). At the very least, they could recommend a shop to go to. Our group tends to be very helpful and are always willing to help a fellow rotorhead in need.

Most of us do our own repairs because of the cost of taking it to a mechanic and the fact that very few mechanics know a thing about rotaries/RX-7s and tend to break more stuff then they fix. They also have a habbit of just replacing parts (new parts $$) just to find the problem.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

Kent

drozhenbane

First off, the forum community here contains more technical advice than just about every dealer mechanic would ever know about the 7. There are alot of people here who have torn thier 7 to the frame, and built it back up. In fact some of us have done this to more than one. The price the dealer quoted you is rediculous and I feel they are trying to take advantage of you. In fact I can rebuild an entire engine, remove the emissions, put a new exhaust, intake, and carb on for that cost! Now you say you are not mechanically inclined, but a little reading, and a few books will get you on your way to being an informed car owner! You will find that once you understand what each part under the hood actually does the car is very simple and straight forward to work on. A simple $120 set of tools from craftsman will give you all the tools you will need to perform the restoration process. Another option is to attend rotorfest:
ROTORFEST 2005 will be held at ISLAND DRAGWAY in Great Meadows NJ on July 10th 2005
Its at least in the same state as you. There will be enough tech guys there to more than help you make some good contacts in your area! Heres a link to the thread to learn more!
https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/rotorfest-2005-fb-camptrip-392153/
In the meantime you can visit this site and download very useful manuals to help you for free:
http://www.iluvmyrx7.com/1st_gen_manuals.htm
Also its relatively cheap to buy a haynes manual at a local parts store. THey are only $15 and worht thier weight in gold! Welcome to the community!

tjgosurf

Yeah dude for what you want to do, spend the money to buy a set of tools from sears( ), the haynes manual(you can find them CHEAP on amazon.com used), and you always have us here on the 1st gen forum, im normally here after 4:00 pm and can always help in some way just take pics with a digi. To do it yourself would be almost a 1/4 of the price the dealer quoted you, plus you would learn so much.

The only thing I see you having a problem with is really nothing at all,. its a gsl so it has disc brakes all around. I say you roll up your sleeves and DIY, you are looking at a weekend worth of work. Oh yeah get something to remove those rotors some kind of thread loosener and a hammer to knock those rotors off they are gonna be on there kinda tight.

Midwest 7's

iTrader: (4)

i agree. these cars are not hard to work on. just follow directions and use common sense.

ArmySoldier

One more option.... check out http://www.victoriabritish.com and order a FREE subscription, you can get replacement parts for alot cheaper than auto parts stores, yes I have bought alot from the stores and now I always order from British Victoria, wayyy cheaper for OEM parts. As for the rust NO problem, sand some of it off or wire wheel it and apply http://www.por15.com get the starter kit, it's $15.00 and works awesome! (I used it and am getting more) absolutely will NEVER rust again GUARANTEED. (nor will it come off of your hands very soon, wear gloves!) your problem is easy, although I know for you right now it doesn't appear that way. Brakes are just brakes, take them apart one at a time and reassemble in the opposite order, its easy. (it helps if you know someone who is a regular mechanic) most of all, you get to feel the pride of having taken care of your 7 , on your own and without being robbed by dealerships.

ArmySoldier

the "Super Starter Kit" of POR15 is awesome!! I used before I dropped my new engine in my 83, works like they say! I am going to undercoat my entire car with it.