My name is Joghn Irving. I am 13 years old . I am plannign a restoration project of my dads old 1981 RX-7. I was just looking for people with experience with the cars and know where to get parts and stuff. Please , if you could send me an email at johniman7@gmail.com or AIM me at "johniman7". The car is in good condition but has been sitting for years so it need some paint , carb cleaned out , some hoses replaced etc. I plan to start as soon as there is some warm weather and as soon as i get s job ot get some money . Thanks - John

 

You should hang around here. Lotsa guys (and a couple girls) with lots of experience...

I bought an RX-7 because of fond memories of my mom's when I was little....

The FAQ at the top of the 1st gen forum page is a great place to start

 

wow that was a fast reply. yeah ive been here before but the project was just an idea. now i have actually decied to go through with it an "restore it " i can get some pics up here in a bit. AIM would be best as i am on it a lot.

 

Hey man great to see that you got a 7. From the description sounds like a pretty nice one too. I agree with SMNC when he say to hang around here. Whatever you are looking for you can find. There are some really cool threads and if you use the search button and take a little time to read then you can learn alsmost anything you want. And hey if that fails just post a new thread. Jus a little advice(not sure if you have done this before) post it on your local section. There is a guy near me that was willing ot come out in a heartbeat and help me out with my seven. Most people are diehard fans and willing to help other rotoheads out. Have fun!

~Z

 

I'll dust off my aim... hang on...

 

Hello. Sorry for the really late reply and not being here but I am here now. Thanks for all the instant messages. I will start posting pics of the project -John

 

Just thought id update that I will be starting this upcoming summer, and starting a few things now. This is because I now have some garage space to work in and I will have a job soon. As for pics... If I can find my zire 71 charger I will get some pics. I will probably put up a page with pics, specifisct of the car eactly what needs to be done , and will use that page thoruhgout the restoration. Thanks again for all your replys and instatn messages.

 

You picked the right car to work on: parts are pretty cheap and widely available, and this is the best car forum i've ever seen.

For starters, here are some parts sources:

www.mazdatrix.com OEM parts!
www.victoriabritish.com good aftermarket parts, order their catalogue now
www.rockauto.com best prices (I've found) on reman parts like brake rotors, etc.

Keep us informed.

And like the man says, check in with your local forum. What state are you in?

B

 

www.racingbeat.com Aftermarket Exhaust: Come here. Also great for upgrading to a Holley, and they have fair prices on springs and shocks.

 

Alright. I started sanding and touch up painting the body. I got most of the rust off of the hood and front fenders and will do the rest when time allows. Now I have pics .

 

thats not an 81 its a 79 or 80 also known as a "sa"

 

Ok thank you. I wasn't exactly sure I knew it was somewhere around 79-81.

 

btw nice car just needs a little bit of work

 

thank you.

 

Welcome to the forum. Shes a little rough from sitting, but she can be brought back. Expect to spend more time than money on this project. Where are you located? You really should put that in your loaction. Like z-beater said, I bet you could find some local help and guidance, and maybe even someone to help out with parts. Most of us have acquired more than one 7. Like a Lays potato chip, betcha cant have just one!

 

LOL, I am from Pennsylvania. My main goal is to get it running. Unfortunately, I have no experience with cars or rx7s. Not that I don't konw anything about them I am decently knowledgable about them but have never worked on cars. Let me make my lit of things to be done...

-Need Starter Motor
-Clutch Cable Stuck
-Carb Needs to be cleaned.
-floor should be examined and fixed if neccesary.
-Hoses and wiring in engine should be replaced

Thing that I don't need but should do.

-Dash Replace ( It is cracked from sitting in sun for so long)
-Seats Replaced ( Are torn )
-Lots of little things like door handles hsould be taken off cleaned oiled and re attached.

I will let you know as I make more progress.

 

How do you know the starter is cooked? Id cheak and replace both pos and neg batt cables. They werent that good from the factory, especially the aluminum pos cable to the starter.

There is no clutch cable, its all hydraulic. Probably needs bleeding and/or replacing of master and slave cylinders. Try bleeding it first.

Rebuild or have the carb rebuilt. Its been sitting to long not to do this.

Hoses and belts along with plugs, wires, cap, rotor should be changed.

Get a manual for it, even if its a Haynes shop manual. Look in the FAQ thread, theres an online factory shop manual. Download it and save it.