Summer of 05. I found a 1982 12A in better condition than I would have thought to see in a junkyard while looking for parts for my '90 4-cyl stang. I went to the front of the junkyard and talked to the owner of the junkyard about the car. He had no paperwork on it. And no idea who the original owner was. But it had passed hands of a few junkyard friends of his. Nobody could get it started, for the those 10 years.

I spent 3 days in the junkyard, checked the carb, changed oil, gas...etc. Now I had gone to the parts store the first day and got a haynes manual. When i popped the hood i had noticed a few extra wires (going to the ignition coils) that were not in the diagrams i was looking at. Plus the z-lock (hood lock) I figured they were some sort of mid 80's security system. So I checked the engine to see if it might have been seized and it seemed ok. I then tested the ignition and no spark. Clipped the wires and tried again. And low and behold It worked.

the rest of this story goes...I traded him my car for the rx-7, i mean who wouldn't. I found a carbon copy reciept (falling apart and barely readable)...did a whitepages search on what i thought the name was....and found the owner. Got a title now. And ready to start my restoration...

Now about the car.
Interior = Dead
carb is missing some parts...
Engine????

I've just spent a good amount of time reading lots of the sticky threads. Maybe more than what i should have for a beginner..cuz now i'm just confused. But I'm sure you all will be great help.

ps sorry for the post being so long...lol. But I'm a total noob to rotory and I am excited to finaly start its restoration. (my first car restoration)

Rich

 

Hey, good to hear we have one more member! And especially one that reads the FAQ's first, thats a rare occurance!!!

Depending on the condition of your interior (fixable, or requires replacment) you should be able to find someone on this forum with what you need. This is the best forum, and it becomes very addictive when you love these cars as much as some of us on here!

 

welcome to the forum buddy i agree 100% with dan it does become addictive i havnt missed a day since i joined crazy huh well i truly love my car
i bet u will have lots of fun and a good sence of acomplishment as u do bit by bit

 

YOU GOT HEART>>SON!..Got to hand it to ya..dedication like that will get you a nice set of wheels!..as Dan said ,the cars are like crack!..you can't get enough of them!..the first drive inyour car will leave you "breathless"..and you won't want to get out of the driver's seat.(was for me,anyways)..the info on the forum is amazing..it covers everything and more..just have to look..someone at some point has had the same thing happen ..so if a problem arises ..someone has had it.posted,replied ,diagnosed,repaired ,modified,estimated cost,shown pictures,..or is just wonderin what would happen if?...(wish you luck on your restoration)

 

Welcome to the forum. But you cant give us that great story and not show us any pictures.

The biggest question you might want to ask your self at the beginning of this project is Do you want to pass smog? What kind of emission testing do you have in your area?

There is a lot of performance that can be gained by simply removing the smog equipment for you car. But just get a horse power goal you are looking for, also figure out what you mostly want to use the car for and go from there. Such as Street/Strip/Auto Cross or just a daily driver. Good luck with your project. And keep your eye on the For Sale section for most of the interior.

 

Welcome to the forum!

Awsome story!!! and sounds like you fell inlove with the car when ya saw it, i mean thats pretty comitted......3 days....(never driven it, at least thats what im assuming) but good work anyways.

So i assume that its in running condition?

I totally agree with RX Seven on thinking about what you want to do with the car....so many possibilitys!!

What are you thinking though, give us some ideas of what ur looking for, and we shall steer ya in the right direction, well at least try!

 

So, you actually found the owner to get a title from an old tatered receipt?? Sounds like a great quest =)
That is a stroke of luck! Have fun with it!!! You can find and learn everything you need to know about that 1st gen from the resources found on this forum.

 

Yeah I am a copy guy for an engineering company..and we have some pretty good copiers. So i scanned the receipt like 50 times on different settings till i got it the contrast and brightness set till i could read the name better. And Yeah It sure is love...

now I did get it to run for about 5 minutes....But as i said the carb is missing a few external parts so i was playing with it by hand. I bought a rebuild kit and for some reason after I tried to start it again...it like started to supper flood. I took it back out and checked it...and it seemed all ok...so i'm guessing it has something to do with one of those external parts..

Now what i want to do with the car...Originaly I wanted to restore it to as close to original as possible. But after looking at prices for "original parts" i think i might have changed my mind a bit. But thats left me wondering what I should do with it.

But I don't have a camera right now...But i'm going to get one this week so I can take some pics. Once I get them up here....I'll ask for suggestions. Cuz your experiances will jump me past making tons of mistakes. Money...isn't really an issue... I have no life....so i'm more than willing to spend all my time, (and most of my money) working on it. Actualy...I'm going to go get a camera today...What the hell right :-) I'll be back in a few hours with pics.

 

Ok, first things first. You have just entered a relm that seems like reality, but you soon find yourself in the RX7 ZONE. You will have to get a second job to support your new found habbit. All of your friends and family will disown you now. You will have nightmares about Dr. Felix Wankel coming to your house and taking your first born for payment for the RX7. Just kidding. I think you will come to the realization that there is nothing else out there like the Rotary. Good luck with your project. Don't foget to check the FOR SALE section if you need anything.

 

Rats nest removal isn't a horsepower mod, It's a realiability mod. You won't see any real gains without intake and exhaust work.

 

Good luck with your 7! Interesting way to acquire one.

Before you get too deep, search the forum for topics in 'bin rust' and how to remove the bin to allow inspection of the wheel well areas, which are prone to rust due to the laminated construction/reinforcement of the inner fender well. Remove rear tires to inspect externally.

If you find it pretty solid, you'll have something worth making roadworthy again.

 

I know that, I just said that as a general statement. Because the cats, air pump, and a lot of different pieces in the carb are there for emmission. I could even argue that the stock exaust manifold is for emmissons because the only reason you would need to keep it would be to pass smog. I hope you do under stand where I was comming from.

[QUOTE=N-xOn-X]Money...isn't really an issue... I have no life....so i'm more than willing to spend all my time, (and most of my money) working on it.QUOTE]

Well you found the perfect car, from now on you will no longer have any free time, any money, or even a life that does not revolve around your 7

 

so much for the camera idea...Went to homedepot....and forgot to stop by the mall. I'll stop on my way home from work tomorrow...

Now i'm pretty big into body work... Not engine stuff....thats where i'm going to need help. I do a lot of small repairs for people... I did a pretty thorough external inspection. There was some small repairs to the corners of the doors...After talking to the Original owner...they were done when he had the car. shitty work...but from how well they have held up for so many years. I'm assuming the car was kept out of rain..either with tarp or something...I put the car up on jackstands and looked at the underside..also pretty good condition. ALthough all the rubber under it is totaly fudged. All needs replacing....

And the windshield....I didn't tell you guys about that yet...cuz it was the saddest part but i guess nows the time... The junkyard where i got it...the guy had just a few days prior put it outside... the next day some kids went around the junkyard and smashed in windows to tons of cars....Guess which one also got it...Thats right... Does $380 sound ok? Because its the only 1 in my area i could find.

It will be dark by the time i get home though...so i'll have to take them the next morning before work.

Rich

 

Look in the for sale section or make a WTB wanted add foe Rx7 front windshield $380 seems high to me but I say look around before you spend that much. You can make that $380 do a lot more things for your rx that would be alot more fun.

 

^^^^ i payed a profesional 190 for a brand new windshield for install to it also has lifetime garentey if seales brake srry for the spellin lol

 

thanks for the info...i'm glad i never got that window...

 

glad i could help
i was qouted 60bucks at a wreckors but these a chance its little warped of ya break it on transtort or installation but if your confident have a blast if u do ull have to find some where to buy clips for the trimming. i watched and they break really easey

 

Sounds like a good deal.

So they only smashed the windshield?? Consider yourself lucky.

 

"got yea bitch" your hooked in now lol, I also had to track donw a previous owner to get the car into my name, i was scared when i talked to him cause he said he wish he never sold the car and since the car was still in his name (the owner before me didnt get all the paper work done adn just left it sitting in a garage) I was scared that he would jsut take the car and screw me over but he was nice about it all

 

lmao: you traded your 90's car for an old and weathered 7...that's love
welcome from a fellow nOOb
have fun with the project

 

Just found a windshield for $180+ tax. Thats installed and warranty. Much better than 380. :-D

 

Got the Camera, Canon SD450....So So nice...And its going to be happy taking lots of pics of the 7 through its rebirth :-P

I'll have the pics tomorrow for you all.

 

Who hates snow? i do, looks like it will have to be one more day.