I bought a jdm/rhd 1980 rx7 but I bought it disassembled and without a motor. I want to start this project with a good game plan. I'm thinking of getting a parts car, maybe a 84/85 with a 6 port 13b and rear disk brakes. Any suggestions for the motor, tranny, and diff set-up? I need some advice. I'm new to rx7s.

 

do you have any pics of the car? i just bought ont about 4 months ago....it seems like all thr rhd cars are in bad shape!! wtf? im putting a blowthrough turbo motor in mine....

 

It's actually in good condition. No major body issues. The interior looks good. The driver seat has a few tears and the dash has a crack. The rear seat and the passenger seat look good. It has faded yellow paint with black/grey interior. It has an aftermarket ac system. I towed the car to my house and brought the engine and boxes of parts to my house. Unfortunately, I'm not too familiar with rx7s and swapping parts from different years. I heard the 13b will fit into a 1980 with minimal grinding to the 12a motor mounts and will require an additional 1/2 inch in the front and 1/2 inch in the rear of the original location of a 12a. I also heard a 5 speed from a rx7 after 1980 will require a little grinding to clear the shifter. I don't have any pictures. Right now it's just a faded yellow rhd rx7 with an empty engine bay.

 

680RWHP12A, where exactly do you live? I want to check out your set-up.

 

witch setup?
i live in Chatsworth , ca...please come by anytime...i have lots of projects you can check out, and ride in!!

 

well for somebody that dosnt know much about rotaries, you must have done some homework!! your right on about the tranny mods as well as fitting the 13B motor....you only need to slot the engine mount 1/2" , thats it

 

My brother lives in Chatsworth. I'll be there from Sat June 19 to Tuesday. I'll try to reach you then. Maybe I can give you a hand. I read a few things in Grassroots Motorsport magazine when they had a 1980 project car in the 90's. They talked about the engine mount and where to slot them. Should I stick with the 1980 tranny or is the 85 tranny better? Is the 85 13b decent or should I look for another year for a parts car?

 

1/2"? Come on you know japanese cars use the metric system. You actually need to slot the mounts by 20MM or 2 CM. IF your a little bit off your probably gonna have a funy time trying to get that tranny to bolt back up. Or you could by the racing beat mount and be done with it.

 

keep the 80 tranny , it will work fine... as far as motors go a 84-85 13B motor would be a good starting point.....

 

Aren't you going to have a problem with the RHD car needing a rotary engine that rotates Counter-clockwise, when we all have LHD rotaries that go the other way?

 

Why should that matter?

 

'cause you'll end up going backwards down the highway...

(Sorry, the entire reply was meant as humour...)

 

Should be OK. I plan to turn the seats around so it will be a front wheel drive with rear motor.