Should I get it??? Advice about a possible First RX-7
 

well, there is a guy selling an 1980 RX-7 on the HardForums. I have always been interested in a Rex, and this one is close to our 2nd home, and its really cheap.

http://www.hardforums.com/showthread...5&pagenumber=1

i basically am looking to know if it will be a good platform to build on to make a decent autoX car eventually, but sooner, make a good driver. My Chevelle will be laid up for a while for the motor/trans swap, and i need something else to drive, and if i could get this car running for the $300 that he wants for it, i think thats the best of both worlds, i get a Rex, and a daily... and its still cheaper than most things.

what do you guys think about some of my questions there? and do you think that this would be a smart starter car? I do have a lot of mechanical knowledge, and i could do most of the work myself.

what kind of mileage would i see with the carbed 12a?

I piad 250 for a running 85, 4 years ago.. w/o zero rust.

Looks like the rust god has got that car and it doesnt plan on letting go...

I suppose if you want to try to get it running $300 isnt bad

Yea I say go for it. $300 for a fixer upper toy is pretty good

Go for it! You do know how all that stuff goes back together right?

well, not offhand, but again, i'm quite mechanically savy, and i would be able to figure shit out with a maual (which is ovbiously included)... and shit, i get 2 motors with the car, thats pretty badass.

so you guys dont think that the rust on the rocker panel is a real big issue, and that i wont miss the overdrive? What are some of the quirks of the 80' models, and how do the handle stock with some upgraded rubber (which it seems to have, at least mildly upgraded) Do they have LSD's in the back... or at least something akin to a posi?

what 5spd trannies go into that car easily?

I have an 80 LS (Luxury Sport) in addition to my 84GSL-SE and it is a different car, mostly because of the refinements made in the later years. Some specifics of the 80 model;

This was the first model year to have the electronic ignition option, the 79's still use points and condenser, which is harder to tune, and more prone to problems if not check and replaced during tune-ups. The 80 also has the front-mounted oil cooler, which is more efficient than the oil-filter stack cooler - much larger surface area, but also has the tendency to leak from the front cooler bungs and oil cooler lines. Also, this cooler mounts below the radiator, which is not the same as the front cooler on the SE's, which is in front of the radiator. This makes for a more reliable engine, and my 80 12a made it to 207k mi before losing seal pressure (side seals, I think). This was also running 2 seasons in SCCA Solo II competition in CSP class.

The nice thing about the 80's is that they're pretty easy to work on and to tune to get good performance. I didn't like the heat exchanger however, as it weighs about 50 pounds and is hard to remove to install headers - takes a special tool or ingenuity. The intake and exhaust system are the first things to work on, but the 80's had fairly open exhausts, and some tuners go to 80 mufflers on later year cars to free up some power (not much). The 81's and on had catalytic converters, so these tend to rob more power than a heat exchanger. The 79's and 80's also had a tendency to snap oversteer due to specific location of the rear susupension mounts, trailing links, and watts linkage. These were changed in 84's and 85's by moving the mount and link locations slightly, but a little oversteer can be a lot of fun.

Cosmetically, the 79/80 bumpers are standalone and have shocks mounted to their edges, making them more resilient to parking lot bumps. These bumpers are heavy gauge steel and very robust. Front and rear bumpers are about the only significant differences, though front quarterpanels are slightly different, as well. No 79 or 80 models had rear wipers, so the rear deck is clean and fairly light. Sunroof's were different in 79's but were standardized in 80 and later years.

Carburation on these cars can be 'iffy' at best, as the mileage you'll likely see on these cars will about require a rebuild as soon as you get it. Take it to a good shop and they can rebuild it to work very well for you. They are easy to rebuild, and fairly easy to tune.

All in all, the 80 is about the best SA model that you can get, IMO, since it gets you a bunch of technology improvements that were discovered in the 1st year of the RX7 on the market. You get some good improvements that would cost you money later on to upgrade to. Also, many of these models can be easily converted from the lug bolts (specific to 79/80's) to lug nuts via your local speedshop or PEP Boys. Installation of studs allows mounting of 4x110 wheels, and the market on these is immense - you should be able to find something that you like in 14x6 or so, much larger, and you'll be bumping your fenders.

Hope this helps - for $300, expect to put another $1000 in it to make it a car that you'll trust and enjoy driving.

$1000 is the minimum you should expect to put into it.

I bought all three of my rexs for around 1200 and hve put about 4000 into the 85 just to get it on the road none of the motors had good compression so I had to get another shocks , struts, bearing , clutch, lights, various gaskets, welding , body repair, tires......it can be cheap if everything he is giving you is good if not it adds up quick

http://members.cardomain.com/dwilliamsfaq

peace

well, i think i'll go take a look at it when i get the chance... see what i think.

thanks for the info guys, keep it coming.

just be careful about it and make sure you look and see if the rust is repairable without extensive body work, the rear fender wells is a bad place on our cars, mine has a hole the size of Kansas on both sides, i have found a lot of rust on my car since i started stripping it down and now i realize i have a lot of work ahead of me, but hey thats what makes it fun if you have the time and money go for it dude i certainly do not regret getting mine although i wont be driving it fot the next 5 or so years im still happy i own a rex soon to be the biggest baddest 12A monster car there is on the track :)

the guy updated the thread with a lot more pictures, they are on the 2nd page... please take a look for me and see what you think (again)

It looks like thats an uncracked dashboard. Thats worth 200.00 alone.

well i think i'm probably gonna buy it... i've decided that there's no way i can lose money on it.

did these cars come with LSD's? or open rears?

I'll disagree, maybe $75-$100 tops. And if it's got drums on the rear then it's an open diff, disks and it's an LSD.

Supply and demand, nimrod... mebbe Texans wouldn't pay $200 for a pristine dashboard, but SoCal residents would...

One more reason to love Texas. :cool:

allright... open rear :(

what kind of costs am i looking at to put a 5spd and a lsd rear into it?

Didn't the car come with a spare 5spd? The lsd might run you as much as $250 from a junkyard, the tranny maybe $100. All bolt up parts, easy install.


p.s. I'm taking offers on my dash now...hehe.

300$ to get it running ?? my ass try close to 900 . me if its something to play with fine but if you going to put a crapload of time & $$$ I would pass and fine one that is less rusty... trust me there out there

Plain and simple. It is obvious that the car will need some work. For $300 I wouldn't pass it up, knowing that I would have to spend more money to get it up and running the way I want it too. A simple rule I've learned is that when you estimate the cost of repair, multiply that by 1.5 and that would give you a good enough idea what it will really cost you, plus for any loose ends that you might have forgotten about at the time of original estimate.

If you have the time and money...I would say go for it. If there is any way you can see the car first and inspect it first hand, that of course would be the best way to make up your mind.

-Error402

i'm going to get it on friday!!!

yay!

it;ll be home to work on sunday night, and then its all about all nighters and shit to get it running.

i agree. there is nothing better thaqn a cheap car to start out on. if you already know alot about fixing up cars than its a next prject. and if you dont than its a perfect start to learning how! you cant figure it out if you dont try it. and for only three hundred for the car and 2 engines is not a bad deal... go for it

~dave:)