GothicBlade

Well, I applied for a loan on a very nice white '89 TII this morning With luck, it will go through, and I'll be driving an RX-7 in about a week's time. Anyways, this begs the question: What should my first mods be? I'm sure the car is going to be fast enough for me (at first anyways), so I'm thinking the suspension area is the best place to start. I can work on the engine later.

I read that Grassroots Motorsports article about how the pulled off 1G with some simple mods, so I'm definitely going to do what they suggest and rotate my shock towers and retorque everything. I'd also like to get some STBs and, maybe, if someone can explain what they do exactly, some Sway Bars.

Is it worth it to take out the DTTS with the racing beat rear-toe eliminators? They dont seem to cost much but how much are they to install? Would it be worth it to get a full set of urethane bushings and have them all installed at once? I dont have access to a press so I cant do it myself.

I'd also like to lower the car a fair amount with a good set of springs and dampers, but since I dont think im going to take her to the track that often, this would probably be more cosmetic than functional... still, I think FCs look awesome low to the ground. I like the look of Scott 89t2's car a lot... it looks perfectly lowered. What are you using?

Also, is it worth it to get braided brake lines and upgrade my brake fluid to something a bit better? How about pads, any reccomendations?

Well, thats all for now... wish me luck on the loan

-Patrick

Scott 89t2

my suggestion, buy a car you can afford and don't get a loan. or if you must, pay off the loan before you start spending $$ on it. you will just sink deeper and deeper into a hole. trust me you will be speding enough on gas, insurance, and they require lots of gerneral mantiance. not to mention repairs when things break, this is a 12 year old car. make sure you always have atleast a grand or 2 in the bank at all times. unless you don't mind having it parked for a month or 2 when something happens.

I am going to assume you are probably pretty young. is this a first car? If so I'd also suggest not buying a TII. but it's hard to say without knowing you. I know of 2 people in my city who have crashed them within the first week of owning them. and I'm sure there are lots of others. this is not your mamas civic, this is a real sports car which can be dangerours in the wrong hands.

my $.02

GothicBlade

Second car. As for the loan issue... its not such a big payment that I'm going to have to scrape to pay it. Insurance is affordable too (I've already gotten my quote and policy.) As for wrecking it.... the possibility has crossed my mind. As such I intend to get instruction on the proper driving of this car at the earliest possible opprotunity. The local SCCA chapter runs schools out at Thunderhill Raceway, which is about a 30 minute drive from where I live. I *dont* want to get myself, anyone else, or the car killed. I'm aware that this is a completely different beast than what I'm used to driving. As such I intend to learn how to drive it properly, and skilfully, not recklessly.

As for not getting a TII..... If I could find *any* FCs that are in good shape for sale, I might consider a GXL... but this TII is in perfect condition, still on its first owner, the works. Its too good to pass up.

But thank you for your words of warning Scott.

Audiofight

Well, never tried this advice myself, but most people recommend going out to an open parking lot when it is wet and kinda slippery out and whipping the car around to get used to what it can and cannot do.

I know it took me a couple weeks to get used to the increased handling ability of my 88 SE when compared to my ol' 90 Grand Prix. Totally different beast.

Like he said, pay it off first, then mod the hell out of it. Especially if this is going to be a daily driver. Parts aren't always readily available at the parts store and may take a day or more to get in when ordered, not to mention the price is sometimes higher than a standard domestic car part is. I just spent $50 on a couple heater & coolant hoses ($29, 9, and 13). So, keep a couple hundred or a grand laying in waiting in case something happens.

Biggest piece of advice, drain and change ALL the fluids. Doesn't matter to me whether the car is fresh on the oil and fluids, still do it myself to guarantee it is done right. Who knows what Mickey Mouse brand stuff is floating in there? Use the good stuff, really makes a difference when it comes to these cars. High performance comes with a price, but it doesn't have to be overly expensive, just a moderate increase will keep you running just fine.

Welcome to the rotary world!

GothicBlade

Heard about the coolant issue... can I get OEM parts at a dealership, or should I go to a Mazda mechanic? Also, where do I go to get Redline gear oil... I read thats what's best to use in the Tranny and Diff.

black7

I would never recommend going to mazda for anything other than the oil filter. They charge an arm and leg. www.mazdatrix.com is a good place to get oem parts at a lower price but it still won't be cheap. Good Luck with the car.

GothicBlade

Well the oil filter is what I was thinking of. How much do they run?

black7

i think 6 and some change maybe 7 . but i do know it was cheaper than the Fram i was buying before. read that site about the oil filter study a guy did and decided to stick with mazda on this one.

Node

iTrader: (1)

oh and stay away from any mazda dealerships and mazda mechanics

also here are some useful links for you
http://exit13b.com/ <----exit13b/sevenspeed's site
http://2ndgenrx7.freeservers.com/page1.html
http://www.fc3s.org/ <----fc3s.org's site
http://www.1300cc.com/ <---scott89t2's site
http://home.rmci.net/panther/tech.htm
http://www.se-rx7.com/20b/
http://www.monito.com/wankel/wankel.html <---good history of rotary engines etc
http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/ <---great site, bunch of how-tos and recorded convos etc etc

GothicBlade

So Node, you're saying I should do all the work on the car myeslf? I'm just an amatuer wrencher man... no way I can do any kind of major repair.

Node

iTrader: (1)

No, just don't take it to a Mazda Dealership unless you are POSITIVE they have someone who knows their way around a rotary. As from what most people say here, not many left. We'll help if you need to know what to do, there is plenty of information on the net, and I'm sure you'll find a RX-7 club in your area. Also there are quite a few (well not really) Rotary Specialists around.

*edit*
just saw you're in CA, theyre all over CA. Both Specialists and RotorHeads

GothicBlade

Well there is a Rotary shop in town.... my friends in the local RX-7 club take their cars there... so it looks like I'm set on that aspect.

BhamBill

Very smart! And if you really want to spend some money to make the car faster, Take $2500 or so and go to a 2 or 3 day drivers school. Your TII will be faster and so will every other car you drive the rest of your life! There are several good school in your area.

GothicBlade

Thanks for the words of encouragement Bill. I'd love to go to say, the Skip Barber school at Laguna Seca (the closest one to me)... the trick is just to save up enough money to do it : ) Definitely a priority.

Antonio

How much are you going to end up paying for this RX-7? As far as mods are concerned why dont you write down everything you would like to do to your RX with prices then create a spread sheet from what you would like to do 1st to last. I would suggest first get your RX to excellent running condition as far as oil changing, fuel filter, air filter etc. then suspension springs, struts/shocks, sway bars, toe eliminator etc. wheels and tires. then worry about whether you will be lightening the overall weight by removing anything not needed. then ofcourse engine mods and what not. As far as a driving school is concerned rather then dumping $2,500.00 on a Skip Barber course (and im by no means saying its not a great place for training.) why not seek out Autocrossing in your area. they should have some sort of mini driving school for about $50.00 and you get to race through a real tight course with nothing around to run into. im sure you would be satisfied. anyways thats my info. good luck

GothicBlade

I'm paying blue-book (well, a little under) for the car itself. As for autocrossing.... im not sure where there is any. I know they run a school out at Thunderhill that gets you 6 20 minute track sessions with an instructor for about $175.... seems like a good deal to me.

JerryLH3

iTrader: (11)

You're on the right track, Patrick. The best mods you can do are to learn how to drive cars at the limit. It will improve times at the autocross more than any other mod could. It also makes you a safer driver out on the highways.

I can also see you're focusing way more on handling than power at this point. Kudos to you, for taking that line of thinking. Most people always get obsessed with more power, but I don't worry about that, since I'm one of those N/A guys. :p

Antonio

WWW.autocross.com. Jerry you engineer you. create some extra power for our N/As

JerryLH3

iTrader: (11)

Two words: Peripheral port. But I don't know if you'd want to drive it on the street. :p

And I'd never thought about doing a spreadsheet type of deal with everything I wanted to do. That's pretty organized. It sounds like something I would do, since I'm one of those super-organized, **** types. Although my room is a different story right now.

Scott 89t2

I have a big list of stuff I want in order. but the dam thing is too long and the total is too big maybe I'll reach the bottom in a few years... the top part should be done by the summer. lots of suspension goodies

Ryde _Or_Die

So you know with the help of guys on here you can do just about anything & everything to your car yourself. Even rebuild the engine. Might take time but then you learn your car more. As long as you can figure out what is wrong then you can fix it yourself. I have fixed many things with everyone's help.

GothicBlade

Thanks for the compliment Jerry... I'm buying this car because I want handling. (and a fair amount of power, hence the turbo) And well, I havent found any other car that combines what I want in a car as well as the FC I spent a long time looking into the S14 240SX/Silvia, and still want one, but theyre out of my price range... and I really dont like the S13 that much. Both are very good handling cars though. Anyways, I'll know tomorrow morning weather or not I'm going to be getting this TII... if it turns out I dont get the loan, well its time to start looking at N/As again. I'll be happy either way, but I figure its always a good policy to shoot for the best first.

And Ryde... I've noticed that just about any problem someone has can be answered by another member of this board... combine that with the fact that I'm in school to be a mechanic (hey, I can afford the classes ) and well, I should be able to fix things when they break.

-Patrick

BhamBill

Hope your loan came through. Try this site for autocross in your area http://www.sfrscca.org/solo2/ Seems there are events just about year 'round down there. The Thunderhill program is a good idea too.

GothicBlade

Well I got the loan yesterday. I get the car friday. Cant wait : )

NathanRX7

Patrick,

Jef Card and I are certainly willing to help you make your car beastly and fun. Buddy, on the other hand, screams if he gets grease on his hands. Anyway, back to the point...you won't need to take your car to a shop with us around, unless of course something goes wrong with the motor requiring a rebuild, but we do have access to a lift if we needed one. I think between Jef and I, we have most of the answers, and the ones we don't, you can find them on this wonderful community called RX-7 Forum. Stop by when you get the car.