Lil Red Resurected From Dead

Ok guys heres my little dilema Ive been working on my 79 sa for a little over 2 years now with little to show for it except a room full of parts. The reason I havent installed any parts on the car is I'm not sure what direction to go in. Originally I wanted to resto mod this car to its glory days however I'm a broke a** muthaf***er at the moment I really want to do something with it and would like advice from the forum. First let me tell you what I'm dealing with. The car is a 79 gs stock suspension brakes tires and a street ported motor with what I believe is a stage 1 clutch the engine and clutch were bought used with 50,000 on the motor maybe 5,000 on the clutch and motor and clutch were used for auto cross. Now what I have for the car is a full GSL-SE suspension with from coilovers from re-speed combined with tokiko illuminas cross drilled rotors hawk racing pads SS Lines and stock calipers. Falken tires mounted on se rims and an old school cartech turbo system.

My main interests for the car are drag racing to run in a class with street tires maybe shoot for 12s

SCCA Road racing although I have no clue on the rules and regulations there.

But I would love to go take this bad boy drifting for the simple fact that in stock form I've never had a problem slidin her sideways down a street in a straight line stock.

I would like to weigh out the pros and cons of the above mentioned and maybe some help from you racers as to what additional I would need minus the obvious roll cage in all of the above.

Thanks guys you are the best on the web!

Kentetsu

Well, if this is the same old question "should I keep it original, or mod the hell out of it" then the first question I'd ask is, do you ever plan to sell it? If not, then I say make it into whatever you like, and enjoy the hell out of it.

With the parts you listed, it sounds like you have the start of a very nice build. But, drag racing? Yeah, maybe it could be fun, but its not really where your car will shine. Throw some turns in there man! lol. Have you ever considered autocross racing? Dirt cheap, and a blast to do. And it doesn't require major modifications, I mean the kind that turn your car into something that can no longer be daily driven.

However, building the car up for autocross (or for track use) does not necessarily take anything away from drag racing it either. So if you throw those parts on, and maybe add a Respeed swaybar for the front, you can have a car that will excel at just about anything you want to do with it.

Do you know what spring rates are on the coilovers?


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Lil Red Resurected From Dead

Unfortunately I do not and only have them for the front I was gonna get some racing beat springs for the rear for now and just try to dial her in. But very much appreciated info autocrossing sounds like fun just don't know of any outlets around here. I'm not too far from taking it out to Lime Rock but don't know the scca rules and regs. I'm done with original with this car it would just take too much I have alot of the stuff to bring it most of the way back but original aint too much fun. So a respeed sway bar and I would love some rear coilovers but not in the budget right now.

Kentetsu

Still, you've already got most of the parts. Autocross is everywhere, but nobody knows it. Check out the SCCA website, find your local region's website, and you've got your foot in the door.

Take a look at www.myautoevents.com too, that's where most upcoming races will be listed.

Good luck.

ourxseven

iTrader: (1)

I have struggled with the same dilemma you are going through . For me the only answer was to get two cars .

I am keeping one '79 stock ( or as close to as possible to still drive it reliably - header for example ) and now have another '79 where I am putting no rules or restictions on . It is likley going to have something in it from every series of RX7's from S1- S5

I think you'd be happier focussing this first one on what you really want to do .... sounds like performance is what your after .... I'd say mod it to get what you want . I wouldn't worry about protecting $$ value, I can't ever see these cars , stock, or not, ever being on Barret-Jackson.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

i think overall that something stockish and streetable is probably the most fun vs time and money spent. but there are different challenges

stock; its fun NOW! the 1st gen has got to be one of the easiest cars to run ever, smile per gallon is great. i bought a 79 SA, and eventually sold it to NODE, and in those 4 years or so, we've done quite a few back road drives (on 7/7/07 we did the http://www.californiamille.com/ route), its been to sevenstock twice, without having to do much at all to the car (original engine too!)

way modded. i'm in the tinkering phase of a basically ground up (except paint) rebuild of an ex race car to hopeful track day monster/sunday driver. its been really nice, i work on it when i feel like. i havent done a P port before, so the learning curve is steep. i got to build the engine, transmission, suspension, wiring... everything. which has been fun, but its too loud and its not tame enough (yet) for the street. i've driven it enough to know it will be fun, once i get the exhaust dialed in, but i'm not there yet!

which is more fun? it was a pretty cool feeling when the P port, I built, and wired, and plumbed fired up.

but making the marin/stinson beach run in the SA is a hoot too

Lil Red Resurected From Dead

Kenetsu I believe that between your videos of autocross and the website you posted that is the direction I will head in for now... But I do still need that respeed sway bar and a set of rear springs or coilovers. Anyone got any kicking around the garage they want to donate for a good cause? Lol that would be a site to behold!

Kentetsu

Glad I could assist in your corruption.

You do, of course, know where to get your suspension parts at, right? www.re-speed.com