1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

major rebuild or scrap?

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Old 12-26-07, 10:40 PM
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major rebuild or scrap?

i have a 85 with a 12a that has died i want to replace everything under the hood and the exhaust about how much would that cost

and approximatly what would it cost to rebuild the entire car and how long
Old 12-26-07, 11:00 PM
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too much.
Old 12-26-07, 11:06 PM
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alot of time and money.

my roommates are in to one of their cars about 7 years and over $15,000.

im at 2 years and $7,000. and im just starting the cosmetic part... it all depends on how far you want to take your car.
Old 12-26-07, 11:07 PM
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Short answer: A lot.

Long answer: Engine/tranny combo alone can run between $1500 to $3000, depending on what you do with it, what you want, who you get it from, etc.

Car body, if it's loaded with rust, there's no real success story there, junk it. Hardly any rust, or a few repairable rust spots, along with body work, paint, can easily run you past $5000, again depending on how you go about it.

To rebuild your car, how long depends on how much time you're willing to invest (time and money) into it. A few members here have some nice "toys" that took me over a year or more and they thought it'd only take them 6 months.

The exhaust would be the cheapest, at around $800 or so from Racing Beat.
Old 12-26-07, 11:11 PM
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Uh yea but he didn't say if he wanted to mod it or restore it to oem.

Big difference in cost. If the body and frame are solid then do it as a project.

Compared to other vehicles it's just as cheap or cheaper to rebuild a non turbo 7 stock 7.
Old 12-26-07, 11:41 PM
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He said "rebuild the entire car". To me that means like a restore job.
Old 12-27-07, 12:23 AM
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You can get it all done for under 4k.
Old 12-27-07, 04:36 AM
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Welcome to the forum and the Darkside. In my sig are links to the online FSMs, carb manual and other rotary related reading. The last link is my project that's still ongoing. A good build is like working on a good marriage, the work is never done, one simply takes the satisfaction along the way that they can get.

Your question is too broad and open, you need to narrow the focus quite a bit and set some firm goals A far as time and cost, the 2 major factors are your skill level and budget. Since you asked, I will make the assumption that your skill level is low, thus cost will go way up. Reading through your other posts tells me that you know very little about RX7s and have yet to fiind a direction/goal to pursue. My first suggestion is to read through the thread on my widebody build. Reading between the lines will give you and idea of time, skills, tools/equipment and costs involved. What I've posted in that thread is but a small part of what it takes to get to that point and I've since done more mods and still have a ways to go.

You are also going to need to spend a great deal of time reading and researching for the goals you finally decide on. My suggestions to get you started are as follows, since you have a car to start with.

Set a goal for the car. What will be it's primary use? Daily Driver, Road Race Warrior, Drag Queen, Show Car, Combo of 2 or more of these options? Once you've decided/picked within these parameters, then you'll have a starting point from which to begin your build and assess time/cost. Otherwise, you might as well ask how is the sky, you'd get a better answer with that question.
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Old 12-27-07, 07:24 AM
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Well, I have about $10,000+ into my car. The way I look at it, a newer car will depreciate, or a loan/lease will cost a ton of interest plus higher insurance costs. For me, my car is paid for long ago, so I budget about $1200 a year in improvements and don't even worry about it. Think about an RX8, buy a new one for $30,000, pay and extra $500/year in insurance, $900 in interest (assuming 3%) and $3000/year depreciation averaged over 5 years. To drive this machine for 5 years costs approx $22,000, just to "drive it". So to spend $1200/year taking pride in your own improvements and restoration, you're still miles ahead. Too many people think sinking $5000 into a 7 is a waste, but if done over a period of time, and looking at the big picture, it's really not that unwise at all.
Old 12-27-07, 12:39 PM
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I think sinking money into a newer car is a waste.

Let's see. My blue S model needed a tranny, engine, radiator, oil cooler and now it needs a gas tank. I have just about everything I need to put it together. Since your car already came with all those parts, you're further along than I was.

I do have a little somethign which you lack; experience and self confidence. How did I aquire these? By doing the work on 1st gens instead of scrapping them.
Old 12-27-07, 12:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Jeff20B
I think sinking money into a newer car is a waste.

Let's see. My blue S model needed a tranny, engine, radiator, oil cooler and now it needs a gas tank. I have just about everything I need to put it together. Since your car already came with all those parts, you're further along than I was.

I do have a little somethign which you lack; experience and self confidence. How did I aquire these? By doing the work on 1st gens instead of scrapping them.
a true poet

Old 12-31-07, 04:13 PM
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i want to put a tII under the hood and use it as daily driver/ road racer in the body is in pretty good shape some small rust spots thanks for the help guys
Old 12-31-07, 04:26 PM
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If the body is in good condition, that'll help. And, be sure to do searching on turbo installs. That's covered 5 times a week. *L*
Old 12-31-07, 04:34 PM
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rebuild or replace new, both expensive.. its expensive just keeping my going
Old 12-31-07, 07:09 PM
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Originally Posted by new RX7 driver
i want to put a tII under the hood and use it as daily driver/ road racer in the body is in pretty good shape some small rust spots thanks for the help guys
How expensive comes down to several factors, how skilled are you, what tools do you have and do you have the time and space for a long term project. The first stage of my widebody project took me over 8 months working nearly full time For a TII swap figure 5k for the engine/tranny and up to 2k for all of the suspension, brake mods, then tires and wheels. The 7k is based on you doing the work yourself and shopping well for parts. If you have to out source the work, it will easily double, depending hp goals and durability/reliability of the parts chosen.

I have over 7.5 k in my project, do all my own work, have yet to build and install the TII drivetrain and still have some suspension mods left. I have over 2500 in the suspension. tires, wheels, shocks/strut, springs and brakes so far with at least another 500 left to go. The TII install, with a rebuild, turbo, standalone, clutch, driveshaft, intercooler, cooling and fuel system upgrades is going to run at least another 4k and I already have 2 TII engines and trannys to work with. Out of the work left, the only item that I will farm out to a shop is having a new driveshaft built.

If I were to shoot for over 350 hp, the turbo upgrade and Ford rear end could easily add another 2500-3k. That takes care of the drivetrain, suspension and braking. In your case, you would still have the interior, body, paint, gauges, tuning, etc. left to do.
Old 01-01-08, 12:07 AM
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the interior is in ok shape its good enough to get me by we have a new stereo and speakers in it but the main focus is to get it running (well)
Old 01-01-08, 02:01 AM
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Here is what I did. First of all I have been working on cars since I was thriteen, Im 30ish... Last year I bought an SA with a great body and blown engine. I know nothing about body work so a rust bucket was out of the question for me. I have a two car garage so I can do work at my leisure. I knew the engine had blown rear oil seals. Engine was sitting for ten years. I also knew it could be rusted inside. First step was to take the engine apart. Once I did that I knew rebuilding was something I was able/willing to do, and that most of the internals were reusable. My goal was to get it running again with minor mods.

You should do the same. Take it out, tear it apart. First see if you you like that kind of work, then see if it is rebuildable in the first place. Then make decisions from there...

Originally Posted by new RX7 driver
the interior is in ok shape its good enough to get me by we have a new stereo and speakers in it but the main focus is to get it running (well)
Old 01-09-08, 09:43 PM
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does anyone know where i can get a rebuilt 12a or 13b
and what can i do to chang the bolt pattern for the rims
thanks
Old 01-09-08, 10:18 PM
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Originally Posted by new RX7 driver
does anyone know where i can get a rebuilt 12a or 13b
and what can i do to chang the bolt pattern for the rims
thanks
You can send your 12A engine to a reputable rebuilder and get them rebuild it. Since your car is a 85, to change the bolt pattern, you need to get the GSL-SE brakes and rear end. What you need is the GSL-SE backing plate, caliper, rotor, and the entire rear axle assembly (All really easy to do).
Old 01-10-08, 10:13 PM
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im sorry i failed to mention i have until february to get this stuff i need the bolt pattern to be 4 x 100
and does anyone know of any good customes shops in hamilton for upholstery, paint, fiberglass dash
thank you
Old 01-10-08, 10:19 PM
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February of what year?
Old 01-10-08, 10:31 PM
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next month
Old 01-10-08, 10:33 PM
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Good luck. No offence man, but you will have to work round clock to get anywhere near that timeframe.
Old 01-10-08, 10:40 PM
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the car may be a project at school for the semester if i can get an engine
Old 01-11-08, 07:41 AM
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I wouldn't set a 1 month time limit on a project like that. You'll just get disappointed and frustrated.


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