I plan on doing some modifications in the near future on the FB

I was thinking installing a mariah mode 1 widebody package and of course repaint with the same oem color, (its a tan)

How much should i be expecting to pay, i have no experience when it comes to bodywork

Also whats a good cheap power mod? i have heard throwing on a aftermarket carb will do lots? Its a 1985 12A GS.

Thanks!

 

ive heard many good things about the racing beat headers...get rid of any back pressure created by ur exhaust unless its helping keep the noise down. i think Aussiesmg has a mukini carb??? i think thats the name and loves it but im not into 12As as much. only other thing i can think of is (i know you can do more but cant think of them) if u do a rebuild u could do some porting. or you could wait for trochoid to answer cuz i know he will give more/better info.

 

good luck with the body work, I don't have any experiance there either.

But, there was a thread a little while ago called Rx-7 modifications, or something similar, that gave a recommended order in modifying the car, good cheap performance ideas where on there.

 

Well the engine may not last long, it has 230,XXX miles on it. Still worth tuning?

Time for a new engine? it's leaking lots of oil from somwhere and the radatior is leaking coolant from the top. Lots of coolant leaking from the sensor area....

Gut it all?

 

Total cost for body kit, install and paint will run over 8k shopped out. You live in Denver, see if you can get the car to pass emissions before you even start any bidy mods. As for performance mods, you're sol.

 

Shipping for a Mariah kit is gonna be steep.Luckily for me,Mariah is just a 5 hr drive,so I picked mine up in person.
And installing it isnt cheap at all.My kit/bodywork/paint came out to about 10K after basic install and spraying,sanding....and thats not including all the custom stuff like the hood and side/rear skirts.

Id worry more about mods and maintenence first.A widebody is a lot of work,and it also is kinda pointless on a car with 100HP.Youll just attract unwanted attention.For the money it'll take to get the bodykit done right,you could totally refurb the car mechanically, and easily more than double the HP.......thats why I saved my widebody and paint for the LAST mod.

 

How much money to save ? SAVE ???

Listen to trochoid. I have spent probably 20 grand including original purchase price of $3000 for an '81 GS I bought in 1985. You'll never stop. But it just keeps getting better.

...and still cheaper in the long run than being an avid hunter or fisherman, but it is a serious investment to do it first class.

 

Unfortunately he's in Denver, and thier emissions are as bad as Cali's. One reason why I moved back, couldn't play.

To have the car done right, by a shop, it will easily be over 20k for the kit and a TII that will pass emissions. If you can find a decent shop to do it right.

Last line in my sig a link to my project. The pics and details are the 1st page of an unfinished book.

 

Agreed, thats why most of the guys with the widebody kits and TII swaps research like crazy and perform the modifications themselves. Easier on the check book and you can upgrade components you see fit at the same time. Is it cheap? No, but if its something you are passionate about and want to create a challenge for youself do it. I can tell you though, you will NEVER get what you put in to a car, if you decide to sell it.

 

I belive i can get a classic car plate, i actually dont live in the city. I live in highlands ranch which is about an hour away from denver. A while ago the 7 had an extra cat installed in it and passes NC emmisions. Not sure how well it will do here but i will be getting it soon because there is no room for my father to keep it down in NC, besides he got a new car. How does the insurance work out with 20k extra in a 2000$ ish car? pay premium on it or does the insurance even know you have your car with all the mods in it?

 

Better save some more money, putting 3k into stock.... i guess it would be more logical to put a new engine in it before doing stuff to the body. I dont think the original 12a will be humming for much longer.

 

Highlands Ranch is in the Metro emissons area, iirc. Classic won't get you out of emissions and you would need an agreed value insurance to cover the 20k if you did put that much money into it. I find it's cheaper to buy tools and learn a new skill, that's how I learned to do fiberglass, body and paint work.

At this point in time, get the car and go over it. See what it needs to be tagged and legal.
Then make a plan on what you want to do, step by step, part by part, $ by $.

I put a used engine in mine when I 1st got the car, then rebuilt the entire suspension and brake system on the stock body. Things quickly got out of hand from there and there is still more to go.

Research is going to be your key. I spent 2 years before the project and there is more I need to learn before/during the TII swap.

It's possible to do a TII swap and still pass emissions, I believe. Check with the Testing Service on upgrading to a newer engine.

 

Stock is the best way to save money and maintain value in these increasingly hard to find rotary classics. And you can usually work around the emissions by swapping in a cat for inspections, then changing to a presilencer that replaces the cats for day to day driving.

Of course I'm prejudice, I like 'em the way the Mazda engineers designed 'em.

Ray

 

If I can do it in CA,(twice) then he should be able to do it in Colorado.
The TII fuel injection has a lot of potential for upgrades, being metered air type.Install isnt that difficult,after all you have this forum for all the info youll ever need,to pull it off.As said before,research and learn before you dive in.Being informed makes the most difficult jobs bearable, and even fun.
The BONESTOCK turbo engine makes 185-200 HP depending on the year,and another 50HP is easily obtainable with bolt-ons,AND while retaining your smog legal status.Thats a lot of power for such a light car,and itll still be reliable.Just be sure to get the rest of the car up to spec to safely handle that infusion of torque.Most 1st gen components are designed to handle a fairly weak,high strung engine.Turbocharging makes power where there never was any before.That torque is what breaks old drivetrain parts and taxes weak brakes.

 

I agree with it being possible, you have proven it quite well Steve. I qualified my statement because I am not familiar with all the details of the Metro emission regs. Who knows what beaurucrats will do these days. lol