I have an 85 RX-7 that has been sitting at my parents for probably 5 years.
It has about 135,000 on the clock. I took it off the road 5 years ago when I purchased a 92 Corvette. I have since sold the 92 and purchased a 93 Corvette as a daily driver and a 90 Corvette ZR-1 for car shows. I am into the Corvettes big time but have lost touch in the RX-7 world.

My dad wants me to sell it but I don't want to get rid of it- I had it through college and have alot of good memories with it.

The car is an 85 Base Model S so no power anything. It has the 12A Stock motor.
The only thing I did to it was I put a set of racing beat headers on it, and the timing may be advanced a few degrees. The car got a clutch at about 88,000. I was the only driver and did not beat the car or do burnouts. It has the sharp spoiler that comes off the back end of the car .... (it's small like 944)

The paint used to be real nice but it has sat outside some so in order to make it look real nice it needs some paint. Also I'm not sure about the AC. My dad has started the car every month and let the motor run so the apex seals got lubricated.

Things that would need some work mechanically:

New muffler - currently muffler sounds like angry bumble bees. Back in the day the mazda exhaust was real expensive. Can you put a cheaper muffler on it that won't burn up due to the heat of the rotarys exhaust?
Tires - Tires are very hot and have some dry rot - what would decent tires run.
Rims - look good but show wear. Need to be stripped and clear coated.

What are the chances of my rotary, tranny and rearend going 200,000?
I'd really like to start driving this car as a daily driver but I don't want to sink a bunch of money into it that I will never get out either.

My thinking is that even if it takes some $$$, it will be a real nice car once I'm finished with it.

Any help you could give me would be appreciated.

Are there any big Rx-7 enthusiasts in the orlando area?

Thanks.

 

th emuffler, at cheapest is about $237 from mazdatrix or racing beat. other than that, i wouldnt go with anything else, but that is my opinion because thats all i have used. other people have had results using different brands. you can go with any tire you chose. they used to say that tires with irregular patterns worked best on the rx-7. i use a set of le-mans tires on my SE and they are made by firestone. i like them and they were pretty decently priced. as far as the trans and diff are concerned, with regular fluid changes, you should be ok. its usually the bearings tha go in the trans if you don slam gears and the diff is pretty well made. it is a non limited slip unit and is very durable. i would just worry about wheel bearings back there and change the fluid. other than that, make sure you flush the cooling system and change the oil and filter. it probably wouldnt hurt to do plugs, wires, cap rotor, and fuel and air filters as well.

 

Thanks for the good info.

 

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Dont cheap out on a muffler. Get the RB one from Mazdatrix.
200,000mi? Sure as long as you take care of it. Keep the car, youd regret it if you didnt.

 

I got cheapo tires through a mechanic friend for around $80/each

 

I got 215/50/13 Sumitomo HTR 200 for $45 each from tirerack.com

 

go to places like firestone and goodridge for tires that can b lke 30 bucks each...i agree with the RB muffler and change every fluid and filter there is...also the fuel pump might want to b checked and water pump might want to be checked...is the radiator still good?

 

Thank you for all the great advice.

Not sure if I am going to do this. I called my insurance company and they want
like $1,000 per year with no collision. I don't have any tickets or chargable accidents. This car almost as expensive as insuring the Vettes.

I'm not sure why it is so expensive.

 

Wow, check with other companies. My 7's have never been $ to insure.

 

Yeah, that insurance rate is WAY to high. I pay $60 every three months on mine for liability coverage and the rate would be $150 every three months for full coverage. Check around. I get my insurance through Farm Bureau (sp??).

 

I only pay about $60 every 6 months, but then I'm an old man so they know I won't drive fast, ha,ha...I have a magnaflow s/s. Was a little over $100. You will probably need a RB pre-silencer with it because of the headers.
TCS

 

Thanks for the help.

What other insurance companies do you think I should try?

I currently have State Farm. I'm 31 and my record is clean.

 

I also use Farm Bureau.