Hey guys great forum. I'm only 14 but I got a 1979 RX7 kind of as a gift from my step dad and I'm pretty much completely rebuilding it and I was asking for some help/tips from you guys. Well I'll tell you what I'm doing to it and you guys could tell me what I should change/do. I'm going for 300 HP with a non-ported 12A. Is it possible. I still want it streetable. Do they make a turbo kit for a 1st gen 12A. I'm also looking for a set of affordable racing seats for it too but they have to be reclinable. Where can I get a good looking body kit for a 1st gen. I also need a new sunroof.
I need some tips on what I sould buy because I'm not very familiar with rotaries but I'm learning. I could really use the imput.


Thanks,
David

 

Tip 1. READ THE FAQ'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tip 2. Don't make duplicate threads.

 

Ok……..14 years old and you got a car…Must be nice……..Well im 17 and my rx7 was given to me too…….But it was given to me with a blown engine so I had to rebuild the engine, and paint the car, pull out 3 dents and redo the interior. So I’ve earned the right to have the car. O and I pay for my gas registration and insurants on the car.

Having that been said I think you need to sell the car to some one who will really appreciates it and buy a mustang and miss it all up with the racing seats a big *** tack and fart pipe. O and the mustang will git 300 hp with about a $1,000 in to it.
O and for the 12a 300 hp with out any engine work. Will ony last about 30 min before you have a blown engine and crying to step dad.

 

someone sounds jealous.

 

Yeah Drschwinnn chill out. The kid is only 14 so let him learn a little. When I first got into the game I was 15 and I learned A Lot so far. First you need to go into the FAQ'S and you should do all regular tune-ups. Learn how the rotory works(there is all kinds of info around). And also use the search button.....A LOT!! Good luck and take care of your car. - Nick

 

welcome to the club! what kind of body kit are you looking for? like a wide body or a civic JDM one? if you are going for 300 hp you will definatly want to put money if to suspention and brakes. also if you want racing seats, get real ones not fake reclineable from autozone. for the sun roof look in the forums for sale section. oh and post some pics!!

 

You need boost for 300 HP in a streetable motor. There are no turbo kits, you'll have to make your own. If it hasn't been rebuilt recently, do it before going turbo. At that point there is really no reason not to give it a nice streetport. Turbos love big ports. It'll be expensive, but that's the price you have to pay for big power.

 

Welcome to the world that is NOT the Fast and Furious. If that's what you're looking for, find a different car and supporting forum.

Since school is out, I suggest you begin your own summer reading program and read everything you can on the forum. From your questions, it's obvious that you've read very little here. We're here to help, but you need to help yourself first and you've just stepped into a very anti-rice forum.

That said, enjoy reading. In my sig line are some links for further reading, including the FSMs, carb manual, rotary engine history, etc..
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You should be able to get 300HP with a bunch of ricer stickers on it!

(sorry I couldnt help it)

You dont need 300HP in a 1st gen. not at 14 years old at least.

You have a 79, its the first year why dont you invest the money into making a really nice all orig car. You will turn more heads and not end up dead!

 

Step dad gives son a big gift...


OK, what happened?

 

Well mine came with a non working motor too and I had to fix it myself, pay for it myself, and mine also has way worse than 3 dents. My front right fender looks like a crushed can. I also have to do all the work myself. I'm also not going for the ricer kind of car if thats what your thinking. Ive been learning about and working on cars since I was like 9 or 10 so this isn't like the first time working on a car. And you don't know how much I appreciate having this car. And if you ask me, I'd rather have an RX7 than a mustang. I also have to do the whole interior because of water damage and it looks like the seats got attacked by a bear. Everything that i've been able to do on it came out of MY pocket. I'm not spoiled like you think I am. The only reason I got the car is because my step dad already had one and he didn't have the time or money to fix it up.


Having that being said

 

O ok im sorry....Ill be a man and take back what I said.........I totally tuck to you in a wrong way.......I hope you take my apology and run because I don’t do many of them.
I just git rally fed up with kids getting nice things and mistreating them because they are not grateful of what they have and to them its easy come easy go.
Welcome to rx7club I did most things my self but for really had things the form helps out a lot. Well send me some picks I would like to see how far it has come. Drschwinn2002@aol.com

 

Here are some photos more on the way.

 

Its alright man. I just hate it when people think I'm spoiled just cause im a kid and i know how you feel i know some people that really treat their things like crap but i'm not like that

 

I remember when I was 14, just barely. Nice find Dave, the 7 is going to give you an interesting perspective in life.

Now, make it run.

Ray

 

Man looks like you have a lot of work to do........at least you dont have to find a gas tank.......that was a Bitch to find....lol

 

I'm going for a wide body kit and i found a pretty nice kit from blackdragonauto.com but it's 1200 bucks and i found a body kit from extremedimensions.com for 850 that i like. I want the reclinables because i want it to be a daily driver so it has to be confortable. I was looking at corbeu and sparco.
Heres some pics of the ED body kit.......

 

At least you are working on it by yourself! Most kids I know would run to daddy. Its good to see other kids (i'm 17) that are into old rotaries!

For a turbo, there is a stock Japanese 12a turbo setup that can be bought used, but I don't know much about turbo systems.
I prefer all motor baby!! (search bridgeport for tasty rotary goodness!)

Be prepared to send you life savings and all subsequent money on your new baby. Also, spend what you can on replacing worn out parts (clutch, brakes, cooling...)

300 is not possible at all unless you turbo or go peripheral port (extensive and costly). These cars feel much stronger than you would think, with only 100 hp stock. Starting small is not a bad thing. And NEVER let anyone tell you a honda is better!
We are certainly not the ricer forum as you can already tell. Enjoy your pure sports car, not a compact!
Good luck, and keep us posted!
-Max

 

I remember when I was 14... I was playing The Need For Speed on my old Panasonic 3DO. The CYM yellow R1 was my favorite car on the game. It wasn't till after I graduated HS when I came across my first rx, the 87 SE... AH! Sorry, started to ramble.
Welcome to the forum! Good luck with your project, it will never end

 

yeah i know they feel strong. the second day i got it i got the motor running and took it for a ride (i live in the country on an old road so it wasn't a very big deal) and it felt a lot stronger than i thought it would. I kind of smoked the tires a little that day ( the tires were no good anyways) Now that i think about it i'm thinking about getting it bridge ported or at least street ported but it's just expensive. I've been looking at parts on racing beat a lot too. They seem to be a great company.

 

Definatly look in to an racing beat header and exost to replace that stock one. and also think about taking off the rats nest(read about in the facts)

 

Definently remove the rats nest and air pump. For cost effectiveness, look into modding your stock Nikki carb and streetporting. exhaust is pretty much necessary.
Racing Beat is a very good company. Also check out Atkins Rotary and Mazdatrix.

Read as much as you can about carbs (search for Sterlings posts). PBandJ racing
modify stock Nikkis and do a very good job from what I hear. I've never had one.
The only reason I didn't go this route was I fell into a little bit of money and went straight to a bridgeport. But, I would highly recommend the streetport route if money is tight.
Good luck!

 

To start I would really start looking around the entire car for rust spots. Search the forum for common rust locations too. No matter how much you do to your car, rust is the big killer of these things and if you can fix it or stop it now... that should be... in my opinion... top priority. Car this old rust really starts to take its toll. POR-15 is your friend too

 

when i was 14 I really wanted a ws6 trans am, lol have the times changed for me.

 

Before wanting to make that sort of power you're gonna want to do something about the suspension and brakes first. always the best way to do it. koni yellows will fit in the rear of these pretty easily (read: only a little bit of modification) and also in the front. i'll be getting these in the next month or so. make sure you ahve all new bushes (noltec, nolathane.. any kind of urethane but i cant stress enough to make sure they're quality items. no use in pissing around with cheap ****. i did and i regret it).

as for brakes, im not sure what if available in the states but i know an australian company called hopper stoppers makes big brake packages for these cars which include adaptors for the callipers, bigger slotted and drilled vented rotors for the front.
here in canberra there are a few unported 12at's that are making well over 300hp.. think like 300kw (google it, i cbf'd to)

the popular combo though seems to be a mild street port (just to help it flow) and a GT35/40. the little engines are able to spool these up very easily for the size of the motor thanks to the rotary deisgn.

personally, however, i wouldn't even try turboing a motor that hasnt been running for god knows how long so i would be pulling it apart. it's ALOT easier to pull apart a rotor than a piston (the 15 moving parts inside may have something to do with that :p) and i'd be rebuilding it with new, bigger apex seals, checking the housings to make sure that the chromium covering on the housings is ok and then when you do that, d'load a street port template and give it a bit of a go with the dremel.

once it's back together then you can start to work on an injection system. again, it's alot easier to make all this stuff yourself than on a piston engine but you sound pretty clued in.

ocne all this is done then i would start working on the turbo system as converting these to turbo is nowhere near as difficult as on a piston engine (note, rotaries are easier to work on than piston engines on the whole)

with an aftermarket computer system (needed anyway), a good tune, the GT35/40 and the streetport, a 3" mandrel bend exhaust (as free flowing as possible, rotors need to have extraordinarily free flowing exhausts.. they love to breathe!!) it should be a very realistic and relieble package that will surprise ALOT of people off the line.

P.S. please dont put a bodykit on it! jsut some nice wheels like watanabees or something and lowered nicely looks the best. you can't change the looks of a gen 1. best looking car ever!!

P.P.S. more will come later when im not at work