Hey guys, I recently got "given" a non turbo '87 rx7 and just had a few questions. I have read a lot about them, so I'll try not to ask any noob questions.
1st off, the car has 205,000 miles, runs great, and has a TII vin number. Would it be safe to assume that the engine has been replaced, but not with the turbo motor for some reason? Because it doesn't have turbo brakes either, could it have been used as a parts car, then put back together with non turbo parts?

2nd, it sometimes overheats after running really hard for a few minutes, should I rebuild the engine, or is this normal?
Finally, I'm trying to make it a weekend race car, would it be more cost efficient to sell it and just buy a true TII rx7?
Thanks for the help.

 

That's what it sounds like. [Put together with spare parts]

http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/cooling.htm That should help with your cooling system problems.

Well, depends on your budget and the type of racing. The cars handle very well in either trim [perhaps even better in NA because of the decreased weight]. Generally you should upgrade suspension parts first [springs/shocks, bushings], and then worry about brakes/power/etc.
Unless you're drag racing.

 

Thanks for the link! that will help me a lot.
also, i was thinking about a making it a track car, or maybe drift. now i know those are to extremes, but i figured it would be a good starting platform for both. Coilovers are first on the list of parts for me to get, so i think that it should be able to do both drift and track, with few changes, maybe just some suspension tuning.
Also, do you know if the cx racing turbo manifold for the fc will fit the turbo, or N/A model, because i have heard the manifolds are different because the intake ports, or something like that.
here is the link for it

http://www.cxracing.com/mm5/merchant...Category_Code=

Thanks for the help.