Hey, i'm a new member here, so why not make my first thread bout my car.. I bought this 1988 Sapphire Blue RX-7 with around 110,000 miles on it for 350 (split it 175 a piece with my friend). I did a compression check and found the rear rotor to be blown, probably 2 apex seals. Sooo that means, tear the engine apart. I've been reading the FSB like mad, and looking carefully through the blog of Aaron Cake with his badass photography + description is much better than the damn FSB IMO.

Here's the pics of the tear down..

Stock!! Missing the snout took that off already..

Taken apart slightly here's where we took a break from workin on it a couple hours.. including air pump, the accessory except AC, I didntk now how to take that **** out.. yet..

A couple hours later, came back out work on it, took out AC and the power steering, those won't be going back in, haha.. Took out intake manifold, engine is just about ready to be pulled now, couple things left tommarow morning i'll do.

Here's a front view shot of the car since i didnt take any real shots of the car before taking it apart.. lol maybe tommarow when we push it outside. Notice the nose paint is pretty good.

More updates tommarow Questions or anything i'll glad to answer.

I'm happy to now be a RX-7 Owner I love rotary engines haha, very nice board it seems too.

 

wow I think thats the first time I've ever seen the stock radiator panel Good luck with the rebuild. I wish I would have done pics for my rebuild but oh well.

 

Are you talking about all the black plastic pieces in front of the rad hondahater?

 

yeah that supposedly works better than any of the aftermarket ones.

 

while you got that motor out swap the ps steering rack with a manuel rack!

 

How would I go about swapping?

 

It's actually pretty easy. Just unbolt the P/S rack and bolt in the manual rack. I did it on my first 7 a long time ago..but I did it with the engine still in. Talk about a PITA! My knuckles..as well as my wife's...were bruised for days after that!

It sucked.

 

Where do I get this manual rack?

 

on this forum in the for sale section.

 

wow, how did you get that car for so cheap? the body looks it pretty good condition...

anyways, there's a better way to removing the power steering and converting it to a manual rack if you want to spend a little more time:
https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-gen-archive-72/how-de-power-your-steering-rack-right-way-440198/

- Aaron

 

Since this is your first rebuild, I'd recommend that you get the video by Bruce Turritine, Um... Torritine? Turtine? Whatever.. get Bruce T.'s Video, on "How to overhaul your mazda 13B".. Exceptionally helpful and worth well more than the 30 bones they charge for it over at atkinsrotary.com.

Welcome to the club

 

Ah thanks for the tips for the rack, and i'm thinking about getting that video.. though i'm bout ready to yank it now lol

Thanks

Incase you were wondering what the interior looks like, not bad for a 17 year old car?

 

Wow....super clean. Super good find. Any ideas what your are planning on doing during/after the build? Keep it stock? Suspension? AutoX?

 

Since I got the AWD subie, and hope to get this engine running in the coming weeks i'm going to convert my rack to manual, take all the smog related items out, then getting new shifter bushings, look into springs/shocks for this car, and if I can get some new bushings for the suspension in various places..

I plan to do some SCCA and autocross events with this car being it a fun car i'm going to keep the interior the way it is, its one of the very nice features of this car being that the interior was kept so nice over the years, so even if a rollcage were to be installed the interior would be in place.

I'm lucky to find this car the way it is.. if anyone got suggestions on what i'm interested would be good?

 

10:30 went outside and finished her off, unbolted final things and yanked it out

Pics:

 

Im lovin it man. Such a clean car.

Keep us updated.

 

Cant wait to tear it apart

 

whats the difference between having a manual rack and a p/s rack with p/s removed?

 

weight

 

The ratio is also different.

 

Well, went ahead and tore it down this morning.. looks like such now:



Tell me what ya think The Rear rotor seals got owned but the fronts looked ok..
Front Rotor housing + rotor


Rear Rotor housing + rotor


Peekaboo.


The Aaron Cake wannabe setup..



Someone tell me what this gunk crap is?? looks like calcium deposit or something it was where there wasn't a runner for coolant and probably got stuck in there..

 

ugh..
looks like FC threw up alittle bit inside

 

That is "normal".
That's what happens when the engine isn't flushed of all it's deposits.
It's technically "aluminum oxide", as the aluminum parts oxidize due to the whole engine + coolant turns into a mild battery.


-Ted

 

AHAHHAhhh get that E shaft of the concrete!!!!

 

I wouldnt be putting ANYTHING on the concrete...much less the shaft!