Starbase89

Hi, I'm Joe, from central New Jersey, and I'm looking into purchasing a 1979 RX-7 as a restoration project. As far as I can tell from pictures, and from what the current owner has told me, it needs electrical work on the fusible links, it needs regular maintenance, and it needs paint (right now, its faded yellow). He's asking for $400, and the car is local. Is it a good deal? I like the idea of a rotary engine, but I've never worked on one, just the I5 in my volvo 850. I like the styling, and it would be a good opportunity for me to learn stick shift as well. What does everyone here think?

Midwest 7's

iTrader: (4)

take a screw driver and poke around the rear fender wells for rust. if it is not rusted out and the interior is decent its worth $400.

Rx7UnitOne

Welcome Starbase.

I would go and actually look at the Rx-7.

I will start a list of things to check and I am sure the gurus of the board will chip in.

-Check the body for rust and dents that might not be able to be pulled.
-I am curious to know if it even starts or not.
-If not, try to get as much information from the guy about how the motor sounded and felt.
-How many miles does it have?
-How good/bad is the interior?


I paid about $600 and $700 for my 82 GS. I would think that $400 is about right. The "regular maintenance" is going to cost about $250ish (it did for me anyways) That involved new distro cap, plugs, cables, air filter, fuel filter, new oil, new trans fuild, a few cans of seafoam(search for seafoam for more info), brake fuild, and cleaning fuilds.

Let us know what you find out.

Frogblender

The fusible links aren't much of an issue, if you have the time replace it with a 2nd-gen block or just use a slightly higher gauge of fusible link wire for troubleshooting purposes. I got about two feet of it at my GM dealership for pennies.

I'm not too sure what the seller means by regular maintenance? He could be suggesting it hasn't been maintained well during his ownership, do a VIN lookup if necessary and ask for shop records.

Being aware while test-driving the car (if it does run) is very valuable (if not obvious). If you're willing to spend the little bit of money, fill the car up with a bit of non-synthetic oil and give it a go then to avoid engine damage. How is the throttle response? Does it choke a lot or not seem to respond well to your input? Is the idle rough? Does the engine shake after a cold start? Does the engine like to die when you try to put it in gear? Expect to spend about $1000 on a rebuild depending on the state of the engine, most rotaries don't take too kindly to sitting for long periods of time. It's hard to troubleshoot them completely without a compression test or other equipment, but if you can find a rotor-head nearby, offer him a beer and take him to see the car. His opinion will be nonpartial and will help greatly in your buying decision.

I learned my lesson the hard way and bought a lemon, but hopefully with some extra work I can turn it into something impressive. Always, ALWAYS keep in mind that even though it's a token sum, it is YOUR money that's being spent. Don't be afraid to ask to-the-point questions or request an inspection or any pertinent documents on the basis that it's "rude". Be careful, and in the long run it will pay off.

Starbase89

thanks for the info. I do plan on seeing the car in person once I get all the info I want via email. Interior is decent, no rips in the seats or carpet. I do have experience with seafoam with my volvo, (just did it 2 weeks ago). It does not currently run, but the owner says it is because of sitting, and possibly because of the fusible links. I have read some of the stickied posts on the forum, and read about turning the engine by hand to check for carbon buildup inside. also, in the listing, the owner says he has a weber side draft installed. What does this mean?

Thanks
Joe

Rx7UnitOne

+1 for seafoam. That stuff is the best. If you get the Rx-7 only put it in the fuel tank.

Midwest 7's

iTrader: (4)

that means he took off the stock 4bbl carb and put a much better carb on.
more power and easier to work with. probably a weber dcoe 45 or 48.
carb alone is worth $400.

Starbase89

More information.
Owner says no rust, including near the rear fender wells. This is something I will have to check myself. It is equipped with AC, and is in fact a 5 spd manual. Says its been sitting for 2 years. He has a clean title in hand. And he said that the price of $400 is NOT firm, so I will ,likely be able to get him down in price.

Rx7UnitOne

Sounds good so far. As for the sitting two years, might want to wait til some of the forum gurus jump on the thread and offer some advice. I don't think you want to try to start it without doing some things first.

+1 Weber carb going to make it worth the purchase. Lucky

bliffle

sounds pretty good, especially if it is a jersey car with no rust in the rear wheel wells.

Midwest 7's

iTrader: (4)

beware, i have looked at many cars that were suppose to be rust free and they were really rust buckets. gotta know where to look.

vipergts_3

iTrader: (9)

dido on that , i just drove nearly 2 hours to look at a 'rust free' 79 , when i got there i found the car was in terrible condition had rust , dents all over. and the motor was seized . needles to say i wasted my time.

two79rx7's

pm'ed

all the best, and welcome!
look over everything carefully. ignore spit and polish meant for a sale and look deeply into the mechanicals.

the condition of the radiator, gas tank/even inside - check the fuel filter!!!!, rear wheel drums and bearings/noise that will surface soon after driving it. Tranny condition. struts, shocks.
whats with the fusables is there a short somewhere.
get the story why he wants to sell, has he been the only owner. what seasons has the car been driven in and where has the car resided all its life.

Has the car been raced or autocrossed. Look for bends in rear end housing if car has been slid into a curb ect.

lube the engine well before turning it by hand first

if you have a state mechanical inspection please make sure sale is contingent that major systems will pass or else a 200 - 400 purchase could be much more than that. Though he carb on the car is great!!!! you may need to swap back the original carb to pass inspection.

bring all of this up during your purchase and hopefully you will gain as much info as if you had already bought the car and owned it and explored it for some months

Please be prepared to spend time and money learning, repairing, and maintaining, if you like doing this then this is for you.

regards
two79rx7's