k, im new to this site, lookin for info for my bro. he found an 81 (gsl???) with about 130k mi, it needs a new clutch and the guy is askin 600 for it ( its a bondo buggy/ spraypainted yellow) my brother is dead set on getting an rx7 and this is the only local rx7 for sale currently. (he only has about a grand to buy his first car) he thinks that he can do the clutch replace himself (with help from me, im somewhat mechanically inclined, but never done a clutch install) but does anyone have a writeup on how this is done or does anyone want to try and help me convince him to wait for a different car?

 

drain the tranny
remove the driveshaft
remove the starter and all the electronics on the tranny
remove the 6 bolts holding the tranny to the engine
remove the tranny mount
separate the two
remove the old pressure plate 8 bolts
align and install the new clutch and pressure plate
change the pilot bearing and throwout bearing

installation is reverse from removal

peace

 

How many miles are on the rx? sounds like it could be a good deal.

 

I dunno, $600 for a bondo buggy is pretty high, esp. with no clutch. I see you're in WI, but are you near a large urban center like Chicago or Minneapolis/St. Paul across the border? If so I'd say keep looking, or offer like $300 and use the savings to pay for the clutch job.

 

nope, we are in central wisconsin, out in the middle of no where... yeah ive been lookin in the cities (carsoup.com, where if found my prelude) for some, but cant find any in his price range.
i cant remermber exactly but i think there are 130xxx mi on it.

 

Hi.

I bought the cheapest RX-7 I could find, knowing that I would have to do a lot to get it tidy. But even so, I underestimated the cost even if I did the work myself. For instance, consider that in your case it may be expensive getting parts because if RXs are rare in your area, there won't be parts at the local wreckers yards.

Do I regret buying it? Hell, no! I love driving it. But with the amount of money I've put into it I could have waited, saved up and bought a nice one to start with. But that would have meant waiting...

I would look at the price as being $600 + the cost of the new clutch. (so, the car will be costing $750 or whatever). Because that's a guaranteed cost that he'll have to pay. Any other problems he meets will be on top of this price. And as old cars they do develop problems.

Should he buy it? I have no idea, but I hope this helps a little.

If the body has had a lot of bondo/bog, you should do a search on storage bin rust in this forum. That can be a real killer.

Bye,
ScruffyChimp

 

With old cars you are much better off buying the best you can afford. For the money I am about to spend on the Mound for a new RB exhaust, all new shocks/springs/struts/bushings, exterior trim pieces/seals/weatherstripping, bodywork and paint I could easily afford a mint low mileage (sub 50k) first gen GSL-SE (if I could find one.) But will I trade the Mound for another child? Hell NO! I could never do that to the Mound....you just don't understand until you own one.

Just try to tell the honda accord/camry/boring reliable guys at work why you put up with your 18 year old no A/C working, windows falling off the tracks, stinky clunky POS....it's no use.

Sorry, I got off on a tangent....moral of rant, buy the best you can afford...

Right on.

 

plus you forgot the worst part,
if it still has the stock heatshield you will need to remove it all,
dont even bother trying to get it back on,
chances are you will snap every bolt taking it off "if its even there"
just leave it off unless you feel you "need it"

and i would offer no more then $400.00
how do you know what it runs like if you cant drive it?

 

hey, what city in wis are you from? i live in plymouth, thats right by sheboygan.

 

oh its drivable,but barely, the last owner bought it when the clutch was bad, and then learned how to drive a stick with this car, so its in pretty bad shape...

my bro lives in loyal, its by marshfield, i got to school at uw stout.

 

I'd say find another one, IMHO. It might take a week or three but $600 for someone else's headache seems high. Kudos on your brother's choice of car though