Pics of My Beater FB and the "Other" Car
04-14-06, 10:23 PM
#1
DD Rex
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Pics of My Beater FB and the "Other" Car
Here's my brand new (to me) 1984 GS. I bought it for $500 a week ago to run as a beater, but I've accidentally grown to like it a little too much in a short period of time ("the dark side"). I'll probably leave it pretty much stock, but I'm going to fix the rot along the rocker panels, paint the faded spots, fix the little dents, replace the center console section and generally make it a little nicer.
This is why I need another car:
1978 Chevy Nova. 355 - Ported 2.02/1.60 World Heads, .525/.525 Erson Solid Cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM Intake, 1 3/4" headers, 3" dual exhaust, Full Manual Valve Body th350, 3.73's. It's getting an 8 point cage so I can go back to the track
Nice site by the way, lots of good info.
Kev
This is why I need another car:
1978 Chevy Nova. 355 - Ported 2.02/1.60 World Heads, .525/.525 Erson Solid Cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM Intake, 1 3/4" headers, 3" dual exhaust, Full Manual Valve Body th350, 3.73's. It's getting an 8 point cage so I can go back to the track
Nice site by the way, lots of good info.
Kev
04-14-06, 10:34 PM
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DD Rex
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The Rex is actually kind of fun in its own right. The Chevy just doesn't rev like the little rotary does. The 5 speed is a blast too, although it is a PITA in Pittsburgh city traffic. I think it just needs a couple tires and an exhaust gasket and it'll pass inspection with flying colors. The car only has 90k miles on it and seems to run fairly well. It's a fun little thing, and the only Japanese car to ever enter my family (from great grandparents on down). It definately does better on gas than the Nova and I think it'll be more reliable as long as I don't start pissing around on it.
Kev
Kev
....... nice car by the way whats it run in the 1/4
04-14-06, 10:45 PM
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DD Rex
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11.79 @ 114 mph on a banzai pass before I got the boot.
The Rex misses a little bit at part throttle. I'm gonna throw a new cap, rotor, plugs, etc. and spray some carb cleaner at it. It might be the leaky exhaust too, who knows.
Kev
The Rex misses a little bit at part throttle. I'm gonna throw a new cap, rotor, plugs, etc. and spray some carb cleaner at it. It might be the leaky exhaust too, who knows.
Kev
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04-14-06, 10:54 PM
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DD Rex
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Okay, it's rear mounted along the back frame rail then. I'm used to them all being up by the engine. I've got a lot to learn about these funny spinning motors. 
Kev
Kev
04-14-06, 11:30 PM
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Haha, funny spinning motors indeed. There is a lot of weird little things on this weird little car that I'm still getting used to. Just wait until these guys try to get you to do all sorts of weird, naughty things to it. But I agree with 81gsl, just like I did in another thread like 2 minutes ago, pretty soon the nova will be your beater I've owned my 7 for about 3 weeks now and I love it already despite it's little quirks.
I've owned my 7 for about 3 weeks now and I love it already despite it's little quirks.
04-15-06, 03:38 PM
#18
Canadian, eh?
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Welcome to the club, these guys are great and don't mind very much if you do have a domestic as long as you don't have a Honda! LOL. I've got a 1985 F-150 that's done up pretty good and now gettin the works including a pair of turbos, but let me tell you not to be afraid of these "strange" motors. They're fantastic and when taken care of (lots of high revving) go forever. Check out the 1st Gen Archive and you will find a mountain of info on these things. I didn't know a thing about them until I bought mine 6 months ago and started checking out this forum. Now I feel like I am an expert and if you ask any of my friends they'll tell you I'm an expert with the rotary. And as for not tuning it? That'll change. I changed my mind about that as well, thanks to these guys, and now that it's been off the road for a month or so it's got all the trick, easy mods almost done now (you know those vacuum lines? "Rat's Nest" = get rid of it!). And probably next summer if my truck is back on the road the FB's gettin' a 26B four rotor baby!! LOL. I wish, but the J-spec turbo motors are a fairly easy swap and you can't beat 30,000 to 40,000 kms on those suckers!
Have fun!
Darren
Oh yeah, check out my truck... I know I know it's a Ford but I got it for free!!
http://fordtruckworld.tenmagazines.c...y.asp?id=13379
Have fun!
Darren
Oh yeah, check out my truck... I know I know it's a Ford but I got it for free!!
http://fordtruckworld.tenmagazines.c...y.asp?id=13379
04-15-06, 08:56 PM
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DD Rex
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I drove the Nova for 4 years as a daily driver. Not too terrible in the rain, AWFUL in the snow. The gas mileage was bad, the exhaust was loud, the car got a lot of rock chips and a little rust, but I had a ton of fun. I took it for a ride today for the first time in a month. It's still a beast
Nice truck by the way! I'm not a big long bed fan, but that one's pretty sharp.
Kev
Nice truck by the way! I'm not a big long bed fan, but that one's pretty sharp.
Kev
04-15-06, 09:22 PM
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DD Rex
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I went over the Rex today.
1. Put plugs and wires on it
2. Flushed the radiator (it was pretty sludgy),
3. Changed the oil/filter
4. Popped a couple of dents and blasted down some body rot
5. Did a backyard rotor "cut" with some brake fluid and emory cloth because NO ONE has the augor to cut RX-7 rotors with molded hubs and I wasn't paying $64 a side for them.
6. Lubed up the doors, glued the door panels back on, painted some interior trim, and rewired the clock.
I need to get a set of tires, they're dry rotted. I need a gasket for the seal after the cat. Those flanged seals are everywhere in the stock exhaust! I'm going to sand and paint some of the peeled sections on the roof tomorrow. I also need to pull the tank and fix a little pin whole up on top somewhere. Maybe the seal around the sender is leaking, who knows.
It needs some work, but it's not too bad to work on and it's a fun little thing.
Kev
1. Put plugs and wires on it
2. Flushed the radiator (it was pretty sludgy),
3. Changed the oil/filter
4. Popped a couple of dents and blasted down some body rot
5. Did a backyard rotor "cut" with some brake fluid and emory cloth because NO ONE has the augor to cut RX-7 rotors with molded hubs and I wasn't paying $64 a side for them.
6. Lubed up the doors, glued the door panels back on, painted some interior trim, and rewired the clock.
I need to get a set of tires, they're dry rotted. I need a gasket for the seal after the cat. Those flanged seals are everywhere in the stock exhaust! I'm going to sand and paint some of the peeled sections on the roof tomorrow. I also need to pull the tank and fix a little pin whole up on top somewhere. Maybe the seal around the sender is leaking, who knows.
It needs some work, but it's not too bad to work on and it's a fun little thing.
Kev
04-15-06, 09:33 PM
#22
Terrified.
Welcome to the lovely world of rx7's. I bought my first one, a 1983 GSL over two years ago, and now have added a 1984 GSL to my collection as well. The more of these rotary engines you get, the more you want. After I find another job and work a while saving up some money I am planning on getting rid of my 1983 and perhaps buying a second gen to sit alongside my 1984.
04-17-06, 05:48 PM
#23
Rotary Freak
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Just two things to remember to make your rotary last:
1-add a little motorcycle 2-stroke oil to every tankful of gas: 8-12oz. seems to work. The rotary has some similarities to a 2-stroke vis a vis oiling, if you think about it. Some guys use Marvel Mystery Oil, some guys send away for Idemitsu premix (www.rx7.com).
2-don't let it overheat: it's a low-mass engine so it'll overheat in a hurry. Usually the problem is that the heater hose that goes under the oil cooler beehive rots out and ruptures, dumping all the coolant in a hurry. Replace it. Easiest is the warped up OEM part, $40 from www.mazdatrix.com, but you CAN wrangle a 5/8 hose from the autostore if you think about it.
I've been getting the rest of my consumables from rockauto.com lately: great prices and good selections and 3-4 day delivery.
1-add a little motorcycle 2-stroke oil to every tankful of gas: 8-12oz. seems to work. The rotary has some similarities to a 2-stroke vis a vis oiling, if you think about it. Some guys use Marvel Mystery Oil, some guys send away for Idemitsu premix (www.rx7.com).
2-don't let it overheat: it's a low-mass engine so it'll overheat in a hurry. Usually the problem is that the heater hose that goes under the oil cooler beehive rots out and ruptures, dumping all the coolant in a hurry. Replace it. Easiest is the warped up OEM part, $40 from www.mazdatrix.com, but you CAN wrangle a 5/8 hose from the autostore if you think about it.
I've been getting the rest of my consumables from rockauto.com lately: great prices and good selections and 3-4 day delivery.
