So I bought a 1983 RX-7 recently and am in the process of replacing a few things. I just replaced the battery because I killed the old on buy accident and it just didnt want to start so thats all good now. I will be replacing my fuel pump this weekend ( Hope to god I dont mess this one up ) because the old one is cutting out on me and im going to have to bleed the fuel line anyways because it seems im getting to much air!

Anyways im not only new to Rotarys but im new to Cars in general so I went out and found me a hanes manual for my car and loving all the info those things can give you!

As im doing all this im wondering what I want to do in the future with this car! Where I live theres only one track that I can think of and its not that exciting but I would still love to take it out to the track (even if I have to travel somewhere to do it! ). I guess what I really want to know is what is a 1st gen Rx-7 capable of and is not having power steering a problem if I wanted to make the car into some kind of track car?

If you dont mind I would love to hear your opinions and if you have done anything with your first gen I would love to hear about what it was and see some pics if possible!

Thanks for your time guys and I hope to hear some good things!

 

Pics are everywhere on this site and many others if you just search...

You definately don't need power steering for the track. lol

But the crappy thing about 1st gen rx7's is that the steering box is pretty lame.......and the cost of installing a rack and pinion isnt the cheapest thing in the world.....but the original box is ok.

There is so much that can be done...and the steering box sholdn't be your first concern

 

Safety and reliability should always be your first concerns. Then start looking at modifying stuff after you know the car is ready. Respeed, and Racing Beat are both great. A Sterling carb is always a nice addition too.

Jamie

 

What are these cars capable of, you ask?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWpEYAKo0fU



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^ They are clearly capable of beating up on cars with twice the horsepower, better suspension geometry, and newer chassis'. You just have to put the right driver behind the wheel.

 

I'm a newb here too and in much the same boat....
First, read the 1st GEN archeive, you'll find a tremendous amount of very good information.
Second, keep posting (and reading), there are plenty of people who have taken the same path we're on. You'll quick understand who to listen to, and who just dismiss. You can also start to recognize which guys are doing (or have done) the same kind of stuff you want to do (no use in reinventing the wheel everytime). Talk to those guys....most of them are pretty cool about sharing tips and pretty patient too.
Third, get a quality (Racing Beat IHO) free flow exhaust. From what I've read, everything else will give you incremental gains, but nothing beats a header/presilencer/powerpulse for power and performance.
Lastly, Glazedham is right on target! Make sure all systems are in top order first (tune up, oil change, cooling system, brakes, suspension), then start adding stuff.
Good Luck.

 

Welcome to the wonderful world of rotaries! Glad to see another FB on Canadian roads.

There's a bunch of stuff that you could do both with the car and away from it.
For great background info, check out the FAQ:
https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/1st-gen-rx-7-faq-page-237777/

I would also suggest going to Sgt Fox's website (he's a member on here). He's got some great info including "downloadable" copies of any manual or wiring diagram you could ever want: http://foxed.ca/foxed/index.php?page=rx7manual

For pics, you can order yourself a first gen calendar:
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...hlight=sgt+fox
and go to: https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-general-discussion-207/%2A%2A-post-pictures-your-1st-gens-pics-only%2A%2A-596488/ for a ton of first gen pics.

Next, follow Glazedham42's advice and address all of the safety issues, making sure that brakes etc... are all working as they should.

I would suggest that after you decide what you want to do with the car (ie daily driver/weekend warrior, or whatever) start hunting the for sale sections of the Cdn and first gen forums for parts that other members are selling.
I would strongly suggest upgrading to polybushings and new shocks/springs. It'll make the car feel better than new. Plus it'll help with planting the power to the road. Then start to look at the exhaust and then the intake. Here's a pic of what's been done to my seven over the past few years.

 

I wish that I could type faster! Patmac6075 already mentioned most of what I said.

 

I don't think I'm that great a driver! Maybe 20% driver, 80% car in my case.
Due strictly to good, clean living, I somehow ended up with a car that will happily do damn near anything I ask her to.

But really, this did not happen by luck. I found the most experienced person I could (Bwaits_), and followed his advice to the letter. Like someone else mentioned, why try to re-invent the wheel when someone else has already done all of the trial and error?

I only wish that I had found Billy before I had spent all of that money on Racing Beat suspension parts. Installing all of those parts, only to find that they did not perform to my expectations, was a real bummer. Then I had to pull it all off, find a buyer for it, then install all of the new parts. Do it right the first time, and you can save yourself these issues.

 

new carb, rebuild, suspension.

 

Right now making the car run smoothly and safely is my main concern. At the moment I seem to be having idle problems where it will die on me when I come to a complete stop sometimes. Im pretty sure its the fact that my fuel pump is dying and it seems theres to much air in my fuel line. So later in the day I will be changing the fuel pump and bleeding the fuel line (going to have to look that one up).

Heres one thing I have a question about tho. Last weekend I went to reposition my body in the car and I pulled on my steering wheel and it popped out of place. The plastic case for it is a little whack right now and I havent had a chance to look at it properly yet so ill be doing that as wel today. What I did notice tho is that if I pop it back into place it doesnt fit right and it either wont turn or it will turn the turn signal on as I turn. It steers normally with it popped out a bit but its about half an inch away from the plastic covering (sorry for my horrible terminolegy here! Still new to cars and just got home from new years!)

Hope to hear from you guys soon and I will continue to browse the threads on these cars and what they are capable of. I think I might buy a second gen as well if I can get the chance just for fun :P

Happy new years everyone!

 

Bass, i love your engine. i want a carbed 13b painted like yours in my first gen.

 

Autox is pretty awesome. Everytime Igo to one I learn something new. Not to mention most of the other drivers at those events are very friendly and helpful. Good luck with the car.

 

Congrats on the new car. When replacing the fuel pump, you don't bleed the lines, I honestly don't think you can anyways. Just drop in the new pump and go. Are you sure the pump is your problem? Have you tested it? You should do a full tune up then go from there. Anyways, good luck and welcome to the club. You would be surprised with what others have done with the 1st gen, remember to always search!

 

the first thing you need to address should be, brakes, tires, steering, and suspension. make sure they are all in decent shape. next, rebuild the carb, replace the fuel filter, plugs (NGK) wires (NGK), cap, rotor, coolant flush, belts, hoses, oil and filter, air filter, trans and diff oil, inspect the fan clutch, and vacuum lines. that should get you a reliable driver that will last for many many years.

as far as things that i've done to an RX-7, here is my most recent restoration: https://www.rx7club.com/build-threads-293/85-l6-gs-se-project-restoration-822222/

 

Thanks. I went with that colour scheme because back in the early days of racing, the sound of a bunch of rotaries was often compared to a swarm of angry hornets. I'm toying with the idea of painting the carb too.

 

Right now I have good tread on my tires but it sounds like my breaks might be getting a little bit squeeky. The previouse owner did the suspension last year.

The two things Im working on right now is changing the fuel pump which I can hopefully do tommarow if its not raining down on me again. I need to go pick up a car ramp or some stands tho so I can get underneath the car.

The other issue is when I pulled on the steering wheel and it snapped the plastic covering around the ignition and the steering wheel is not in the right position. I fixed the plastic thing and was reading my manual so tommarow I will tighten the bolt on the steering wheel so it stays in one place. The other thing with the steering tho is the previouse owner put some slack in the steering wheel and I want to stiffen it up but im not sure where the bolt I need to tighten is.

So far Im really enjoying this car and happy with the buy, specially it being my first car!

P.S. If the weather is nice tommarow I will be posting some more pics of the car including my attempt to switch the fuel pump.

 

I don't want to sound like a nanny, but please go with high quality jack stands when working under your car. Having been under cars for almost 50 years, jack stands will provide the best support and peace of mind. Sure, a little more of a hassle because you should pull the front wheels, too. And, invest in a high quality hydraulic jack. It will get the car up and down quickly.

Good luck. Take and post some pics of your progress.

 

At the moment I cant really afford anything High end so I ended up with two 3 ton stands from Canadian tire. Sadly I havent had a chance to take any photos because we have been racing with the daylight and cold lately. Really wish I had a garage at the house!

The fuel pump was a pain in the but and because our hands were getting so cold and the fact that gas was all over our clothes we have to wait to do the wiring for the pump (I know its not hard but because we were in such a rush we forgot to lable the + and - wires so we have to use a tester >.<

If I get a chance Ill take some pictures of all of the car and what I have left of my adventure! Had to borrow a sunfire today and its nowhere near the same as my baby!!

 

For instructions on tuning the carb (to get rid of the stalling issues) head over to www.sterlingmetalworks.com

Sterling's got an excellent writeup on tuning the idle.


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If you were getting air in the fuel lines then it may not be the pump. You may have a bad rubber fuel line. It's probably time to replace them anyway. Also check the steel line that's mounted on the backside of the bin. I had one that had rusted enough it had a tiny pinhole leak that took a while to find.

 

Well tonight we finished installing the pump. The one I have now is a carter and it was a pain trying to fit without being able to drill any new holes. Specially while lying down in a giant mud puddle. Talk about a good shower afterwards!

The old pump was literaly dying on me. It would work for so long and then crap out so I would hit it with a hammer to get it going. Lately tho it was working less and less and giving it a tap with the hammer wasnt working very well anymore.

I took it for a test drive and it actually seems to be running smoother with the new fuel pump in it. I did loose my RPM a couple minutes into my drive but after that it was all good. Ill drive it around some more when I get a chance after work and see if it does it to me any more.

Carb wise I have no idea which one I have in there now but the previous owner is going to give me two different ones to play around with. He said the one in there now is the one he found worked best but I will take a look at the link you posted when Im off work tommarow Kentetsu .

Next thing on my to do list is figure out why my rear defrost isnt working properly, get rid of the slack in my steering wheel and play around with the carb! God I missed getting my hands dirty :P

Thanks for all your help guys, this community is filled with friendly people and a endless line of knowledge if you take the time to look for it. Glad I got myself the car I did

 

Welcome to......








The DARK SIDE ...a hAHAAA hhhaahhaha aaaaaa hahah ah aHAHAHa ahhaaa

 

Sounds like how my fuel pump went.
I went cheapo on the replacement though, with the NAPA budget pump, which had been on sale for $27 or something like that at the time.

 

The CT stands should be fine - I use 4 of 'em as I like uniform clearance under a car. If you use 2, be sure to chock the other wheels.

Do NOT cheap out on a jack. I bought a Michelin jack at CT which has served me well. A friend of mine bought a lookalike, no-name jack at Princess Auto. Mine has lasted years. His folded in half on the 2nd use (went over sideways and bent - which was really weird) slamming the front end of a Dodge to the ground and damaging an exposed, wheel-less brake rotor. Fortunately he had walked away to fetch a jack stand at the time and wasn't dumb enough to be under the car with only a jack holding it up.