linkster87

Hey i have a 1980 RX7 and i love it to death. Its only got 90k on it and still has the kick of a new car. I am interested in looking for a turbo kit for it. I have heard that there are some available and i would like to know if anyone else has seen or heard of any that i could look into. Another question that i have is that is there anything you have to do to the motor to make it turbo ready? I am just really open for any info that can be offered. Thanks. IAN

EonBlue

Bolt-on turbocharger kits were available at one time but nowadays they're incredibly rare. Most of the guys who are under boost are using custom fabricated systems or have engine swaps. Like everything else there are advantages and drawbacks to turbocharging so I would suggest using the search function to find more information and then see if that's the road you want to take. If it's more power you're looking for then there are quite a few options out there and a wealth of information on this board. Oh, and welcome to the forum!

custom13B

Ian Im backing up Eonblue. If your very meachanically inclined and really want a turbo then doing a stock low mileage t2 swap would be the easiest route to go. I had a 12a turbo kit Rajay brand and it used a holley carburator. Never was happy with the throttle response and ended up going with a fuel injected turbo 13B. Those 12 a kits are rare and not as good as a stock 13B. Stock equals reliable and streetable. I would suggest enjoying the car as is if it really is in that good of shape. Possibly comprimise and get a YAW carb and keep it close to stock. Do a google search for Paul Yaw and read his site info on first gems. You can get a good 20 to 25 HP with his carb and a RB exhaust. Hope I helped.

steve84GS TII

If smog isnt an issue,you can really perk up the stock 12A by adressing the detuning issues that Mazda did to retain fuel economy and reliability.50% power gains can be had for about 1000 bucks,give or take......50%!!!Try that with a modern car!

1st, exhaust system.Save yourself about 60lbs and ditch the thermal reactor/heat exchanger.It does nothing for power and its god-awfully heavy.Install some headers and a decent muffler.Racing Beat if you want quiet and bulletproof.Many others exist thay will hold up to a hot rotary,but all are substantially louder and may not be to your liking.
2nd,igntion.Ditch the old school ignitors and trailing cut ignition and upgrade to 81-85 ignition and distributor.A good set of wires,81-85 plugs, 3 blaster coils and an MSD direct fire system on the leading plugs will gain you a nice boost all around.It also helps with idle quality and economy since the rotary has a naturally poor combustion chamber design and the older igntion systems are pretty weak,and old.
3rd, intake.You already have the best intake manifold.Sterling came up with a stock carb that rival Yaw's.Yaw is out of the 1st gen game and used versions of his carb are tough to find and generally coveted by owners.They do rock however,so if Sterling is still doing them,its well worth it.If you decide to go aftermarket,there are Weber,Dellorto and Holley carbs made for 1st gens.Some are better than others,most have some comprimises over stock driveablity and will likely require some tuning.
4th,light flywheel.This can REALLY make a 12A fun.While it doesnt add horsepower,youll feel a big difference in acceleration in the lower gears due to its lower mass.Driveability is close to stock with a steel unit,a little harder with an aluminum one.Id go aluminum simply because after about 2 days I was able to drive the steel flywheel like a stocker,even though it still had great response.The lighter aluminum flywheel is probably a real hoot and still shoudlnt be too hard to slip and clutch with such a light car.Good idea to drop in a good clutch while in there too.