Hello, looking for some advice on what rout to take with my first rx7. I'm a car guy and have a few projects (350z, sc300, 2g eclipse, trucks etc.) but want an rx7 to add to the list. I want to learn to rebuild the motor right away, and go with a bw s366 turbo or something aiming for 400 hp. Probably do some stand alone system, some meth along the way, and maybe put some in the car too. Jk.
​​​​​​ If I'm going this route should I just buy this beat up one for 1000 dollars that doesnt run and rebuild that? Or start with a 4000 dollar mildly built one. Problem is the 4k one won't have a big enough turbo or the right parts I want so I feel I would be paying for nothing. Also
Where should I be looking for rebuild kits?

 

You can basically just look at my sing to see what a good build looks like for that kind of power with excellent response in a street FC.. aside from maybe the mechanical fuel pump as that's a bit overkill. As for the engine you will want to reinforce it with studs and full length dowels for reliability. Atkins Rotary sells decent rebuild kits. Water/Methanol is always good regardless of what fuel you run. Being in Cali you'll have a hard time passing emissions so keep that in mind. I went from a base model s4 non turbo car to what I have now. it was a great learning experience over the years. As a person with that experience, If i were to get another, I would buy one as built as I could find with mods that aren't redundant/outdated for my goals and start from there.

 

the FC is a pretty complex car, and it also does not share much with any other car

in order of difficulty here is what to look for;

1. Interior condition. the little plastic bits are cheap and available, but everything else is either rare or really expensive.
2. Exterior condition. sheet metal is either NLA, or very expensive. there are lot of aftermarket kits/parts, but that can end up being a rabbit hole
3. the Engine. its easy to get new parts, but expensive, used parts are getting kind of tired. the FD engine is still available new from Mazda, so this is a viable swap, and its more work but can be made to be smog legal, although you would need to use a CARB approved turbo (HKS and Greddy had them). hurdle is cost here
4. chassis/drivetrain. its pretty simple/straight forward here. calipers are hard to find (you might rebuild yours).
5. other. shipping can be an issue, lots of stuff for these cars but shipping can be an issue.

that all being said i built my FC from a pretty bare shell, and except for the time it took and some of the dents, i ended up with something cool. its been totally reliable too

oh and its fun!