fmj355

I have experience with pistons, but I just fell into this 1983 RX7 very cheap. I have done some searches on this site for a few things, but maybe somebody can give me a list of things to do and a reasonable order to do them in.
Example-first-take off pollution controls, second-improve handling with new shocks, third-upgrade other suspension components

See what I want? Of course I would like to start with stuff that costs no money and work my way from there. I am interested in a handling car, I can use my 454 chev from dragging.
Don

nopistonsforjoe

i'd take off the ratsnest first and drop in a k&n filter for a little extra getup. new springs and shocks would definately improve handling but don't forget polyurethane bushings(drool) there is another good thread on this somewhere... would someone post the link? welcome to the addiction.

82streetracer

iTrader: (1)

Exhaust and Fuel.

1st gens are horribly restriced in the exhuast section.

A racingbeat setup and a new fuel fuel pump will yield huge gains. 15-25hp

Manntis

Racing Beat exhaust, from header to power pulse muffler tailpipe. I did it, a bit skeptically but on the advice of those I respect, and was AMAZED at the difference.

fmj355

These are great.
Can anyone point me to a thread on removing the rat's nest as well? What needs to go and what needs to stay? Mine is 100% stock all pieces there right now.
A new fuel pump, do you mean a new stock pump, or an after market?
Don

Wattz

All I can say is that if you're gonna remove the rat's nest, it's probably a good idea to put a different carb on there.

The stock one minus the rat's nest has caused some people problems.

SilverRocket

That's because they made mistakes, plugged the wrong things, etc. Do your research before you start yanking stuff and you'll avoid this. There's inherently nothing wrong with the concept.

Many of us have run the Nikki intake with nothing but a vacuum hose for the brake booster, including me. No problems, idles fine, runs nicer than with all that junk. Not to mention, greatly simplifies problem diagnosis and working on the car. Really cleans up the engine bay.

I recommend using the 'search' button to read up on the procedure. I've personally written it out at least 5 times lol. It's an easy job, provided you understand what you're pulling off, what to cap off and what to leave open. If you're somewhat used to doing some jobs on cars, you'll have no problem with this.

Of course it is much better to throw that clunky old Nikki far away and install something decent

Here is the route to the most power you'll achieve without opening up the motor and enlarging the intake/exhaust ports, or going with forced induction/nitrous:

Important things:

1) exhaust system (Racing Beat is fantastic)
2) Improved carburator (Weber, Dellorto, Holley, etc.)
3) Fuel pump (Carter 7psi) and fuel pressure regulator.

Not-so-important things:

1) Ignition system upgrades (MSD, etc); popularly contested as to the value of, mostly agreed that power gain is minimal.
2) Electric fan; nice, but very minimal power gain.
3) Pulleys; same thing.
4)4) A *little* ignition advance won't hurt. That means about 2 degrees over stock at idle. If going any more than this, be sure that your mixtures are perfect, and run colder spark plugs such as 4 trailing plugs from the 2nd/3rd generation RX-7s.

Oh, and in terms of creating a beast of a handling car, there are all kinds of parts available. I'd give the guys at Ground Control or G-Force Engineering a call to figure out what setup would be right for your goals. They have coilover kits, etc. Other sources for good parts are www.mazdatrix.com, www.racingbeat.com, www.mazdamotorsports.com, and www.rx7.com.

Tire/wheel combo is limited due to the odd 4x110mm bolt pattern, however there are some options available. Generally look for as sticky a 205 tire as you can afford all around, in whatever wheel you happen to find/run.

hayden sims

listen to me, ive had four. of course you get rid of the factory exhaust with a header-$140- then put a cold air intake-you can make one for $8 out of flex tubing from auto zone. you will have to remove that waste of plastic stuck to your blue intake and run the intake to the bottom of the car. replace your coils-$50 or less for chrome. next, remove the radiator overflow canister and run the tube down the side of the radiator. this will allow you to add a secondary battery to the vehicle, put a four gauge wire between the two with a fuse and battery isolation relay. it will cram into the corner with the passenger head light. of course replace your plugs and wires plus distribution cap. next increase your intake and output fuel lines at the carburator from 1/4 inch to 3/8. if you do not have the money for a beefy feul pump, simply add a second factory fuel pump at the carb for an incredible boost at the pedal. a second fan in front of the a/c radiator blowing in towards the primary fan is a great idea, electric of course. you will have to remove some panels for that one. get that smog pump off of that car, its as useful as perfume on a pig. if you dont mind, take the a/c pump out of there and replace it with a second factory alternator for that second batter. it practically bolts on perfectly. oh- change your oil every 1000 miles! and do not run synthetic!!! you can run blue gas but no nos!!! it will blow! you can advance your timing a hair for $30, or you can just buy a timing light for $30. the hanes manual for this or any car is a waste of a tree, try to get microfiche from mazda.victoria british is a name you need to be familiar with. they will send you free catalogs of factory and performance parts for cheap.also, mazdaspeed, mazdatrix, etc. keep an eye on the dope in the tranny and rear end. thats all for now.

Manntis

Removing the radiator reservoir completely isn't a good idea. It's exactly what it's called - a reservoir. When the coolant is hot and has expanded, some flows into the reservoir, but when it cools it's drawn back into the coolant system to avoid air pockets.

Air pockets can cause nasty hot spots in your cooling system. Hot spots or other cooling system compromises, especially in a rotary, can cause havoc with the engine.

Also, you'll have no way to add coolant when it's hot. Removing a rad cap when the coolant is boiling is a big no-no; people end up with third degree facial burns or worse.

In addition, running a hose down the side of your radiator will cause it to **** out coolant when it's heating up, which in some areas can get you pulled over and slapped with an improperly maintained vehicle fine - and how many of us want to give them more reasons to pull us over?

Do not risk your engine, your health, or your wallet by deleting the rad reservoir. If you wish to place something where the reservoir is, just move the reservoir. It has a simple mounting bracket that can be bolted virtually anywhere under the hood.

If adding a 2nd battery is your thing (though not really required unless you're starting under very cold conditions without a battery blanket) you wouldn't want to put it where the reservoir was anyhow. Stock batteries tend to be just under the hood for ease of access and nothing more. A popular mod is to relocate that heavy block of lead and acid to a position lower and closer to the center of the car. Many BMWs locate the battery in the trunk ahead of the rear axle for this reason, then retain a 'boosting' post under the hood to jump-start the car in emergencies. On an RX-7 it makes sense to relocate the battery/ies to inside the storage bins behind the seats.

ioTus

iTrader: (5)

What all do i need to relocate the battery?

Manntis

well-insulated thick electric cables, a tie down mechanism (metal or plastic strap) a rubber tray (in case the battery boils over for some reason -you do NOT want battery acid seeping around in your carpeting) and a ventalation hose. This can be that clear tubing used to drain fishtanks. Run the hose from wherever the battery is located (trunk, storage bins, etc) to an outside vent point like through the frame to one of the vents to the outside by the rear glass. Power cell batteries emit corrosive fumes and this vent hose will keep them from accumulating in your car's interior on a hot sunny day.

REVHED

The mods should delete hayden sims post because most of it was just complete and utter bullshit.

Telling someone to remove the over-flow canister? Recommending a second battery and alternator? Suggesting an upgrade of the lines at the carb from 1/4 to 3/8? (like that's going to make any difference)

But, the best line of all was this...

inittab

Hello..... it's September 7th not April fools day!

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

guys, you almost made me choke on my frickin' jolly ranchers! holy *****!

anyway, welcome to the forum fmj355 ...

man, look ... start with a good tune up, and clean up the engine bay (thank me later ) i would tell you check throughout the forum with the search function, but they're experiencing technical difficulties.

as far as mods go, when you tune up the engine, i'd say start with the exhaust. RB all the way is my recommendation, but this is not a dictatorship.
you said you want to focus mainly on handling, and for that reason, i wouldn't tell you to get a carbie. the stock Nikki is totally capable of giving you max performance on a stockported engine. definitely go with the upgraded pump (Carter 7 psi pump with Holley 1-4 psi regulator) and you're good for whatever you plan for the future.

suspension: i'd recommend the Tokico Illuminas (the adjustable ones) match those with some quality springs (RB, Eibach, Suspension Techniques, etc.) and a front sway bar ... i don't know your style of driving, but you can also consider a rear sway bar, too. and replace all bushings with polyurethane (just be prepared for some grunting! ) ... round that out with some decent tires and you should be good to go.

pjr

iTrader: (8)

Hey Joe... can you elaborate on the polyuerethane bushings? What specific benefit do they provide? Thanks...

Manntis

The poly boshings don't 'give' like rubber ones do so it holds the swaybar more firmly in place. You get more precise cornering without all the bits wobbling their own direction.

The trade off is this; where rubber bushings are virtually silent, poly bushings squeak as the components try to make them flex.

I have the Racing Beat front swaybar and end links with the poly bushings in, and cornering @ 50 kph is absoltely no problem (unless cops see it ) but whenever I'm going over speedbumps in a parking lot my car sounds like a box full of loose styrofoam sheeting.

fmj355

Great advice guys! Mostly??
If you look at my profile you will see that I am tech college mechanics instructor, so none of these mods is too intimidating for me. I've done some solo racing in a Datsun 510 10 years ago and some dirt track stock car racing recently.
I am thinking at least solo racing/street machine for this car, so I want it to be solid. Mostly it's the rotary thing I don't know about.
The Holley 1-4 regulator I don't quite get, I would have thought 4-7 psi supply for the carb. Is the stock pump so far down on delivery that affects the power?
I have been digging through a bunch of searches and I still can't find the goods on removing all the pollution stuff without turning the carb into a turd. Can somebody help with a link to the right forum page? Running no vacuum lines but the brake booster sounds fine to me.
Don

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

unless you're running a Holley carb, chances are you're not going to need more than 4 pounds of fuel pressure to run anything on a carbureted rotary. RB recommends 4.5 psi on Dell'Orto and Webers, but speaking from my experience with the Dell'Orto, 4.5 psi was way too much! my carbie was pissing gasoline out all over the engine bay. i used to have the 4.5-9.0 psi unit, and since i changed to the 1-4 unit, it's like a new car. the stock carb is a very good unit, and with the right mods, like i said, it can handle anything you throw at it with stock ports. however, it doesn't require that much pressure ... volume is the important issue

the stock fuel pump is adequate for street driving, but for performance street or racing, it is grossly inadequate. i didn't truly believe that until i switched to my Carter ... now there is no turning back for me ... EVER! the only thing i would do is upgrade to EFI. but let me not digress ...

exhaust will be the single most beneficial upgrade you can make for a rotary, it can easily acount for a 25% increase. and the motor wakes up like you wouldn't believe! then tune your suspension, and at that point you can decide if you want to mess around with more power.