b20forlife

iTrader: (2)

ok first of all i did look on the stickie but not much info on the 86. I have an 86 na rx7. has 5 lug no pwer options no moon roof and no aluminum hood. so is it a glx or gtu or what? I just want to know what model it is and also if i have 4 piston fronts. the rears apear not to be vented but someone might have changed them out over the past years? lmk thanks

waldog

iTrader: (12)

Hood I believe was a option, it doesn't determine the model.

Did you look on the title?

Vashner

If it's GTU it would have a GTU decal.

powrdby13B

Yeah, just like if it was a gxl it would have a gxl decal... LoL @ vashner.

You need to check the stickies for answers to questions like this before you post. The top two threads - the one that says "What did the 2g rx7 come with options and standard features" just jumps right out at me. It's here -> https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/specifications-what-did-2nd-generation-rx-7-come-w-options-standard-features-642372/
The one right under it - FAQ for FC - has some helpful info too and it can be found here -> https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/frequently-asked-questions-2nd-generation-rx-7-faq-fc-494667/

If you want to be sure of what kind of rx7 it is, download the FSM (that's in one of the threads I just pasted a link to) and cross reference using the VIN. Parts can be swapped, and I've had gxl's with GTU parts and vice versa. I had one I was sure was an 88 GTU until I checked the VIN and it was an 87 base. It had the new steering wheel 88's come with, 5-lug, big brakes, etc. After you figure out what it's supposed to look like, you can see if anything has been modified.

daviddeep

iTrader: (4)

Won't checking the VIN only tell you what model year your car is and whether it was a coupe vs. convertible and a turbo vs. NA? Checking the VIN won't distinguish a GXL from a Sport, for example.

By the way b20forlife, if you're certain the car is an '86, it can't be a GTU because that model was introduced in 1988. It could however be the similarly equipped Sport. If the five lug hubs were retrofitted, it could also be a base or luxury model. As others have noted, equipment can easily be changed by owners over the years, so knowing exactly what it was originally is often difficult. One good clue is the label in the driver's door jamb. That will at least tell you if the car originally came with 14", 15" or 16" wheels which is a good starting point.

rotordad

A 1986 GXL would have 15" wheels, power windows, power mirrors, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, auto adj. suspension, 4 wheel vented disc, limited slip, rear hatch wiper, electric sunroof, driver's seat had adjustable lumbar & height, courtsey door lights & would have a GXL sticker on the fenders.

lastphaseofthis

iTrader: (8)

sports have 5 lug and some power stuff, but most notibly, they don't have the AAS suspention.

daviddeep

iTrader: (4)

From the description, the oddest aspect is the fact that the car appears to have solid rear discs with five-lug hubs. This combination didn't appear on a stock FC until 1989 and was only on the base cars (GTU for '89-90, base Coupe for '91). If this is true, then a previous owner probably did a five-lug swap. The best way to find out if the car has four-piston front brakes is to take off a wheel and look at them. I'm pretty sure the base S5 floating piston front calipers don't have the "Mazda" name stamped onto them the way the four-piston calipers do.

87jdmturboII

iTrader: (1)

You pobbly just have an 87 gxl model. just cause it was manufactured in 86 dosnt make it and 86 year model. I had a white 87 gxl with 5 lugs and soild rear rotors and vented in front. Also had the sport supension on it. it was a fun car. So that is probbly what you have. but look in a Hans manual and it can tell you what each number in your vin. is and that should let you know more.

texFCturboII

iTrader: (17)

Sorry to thread hack, but in lieu of starting my own thread, Ill ask here:

On my newest Rex, I have no seats or storage bins, yet have a sunroof....... what am I?

20Bforme

no seats?

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

broken? need more infoz.... rear wiper? 5 lug? 4 piston brakes? cruise control? am/fm/tape? eq? leather steering wheel? power windows?

texFCturboII

iTrader: (17)

no seats, no bins, no rear wiper, 5 lug was swapped over, no power anything, no leather steering wheel. The radio was replaced with a better one, but its got the little cubby hole underneath so Im thinking no eq. was in it...

Im thinking a base model? But when I saw that it has nothing in the back I got really confused... Its just carpet, it is "raised" per say so that if one were to cut holes in it, you could put stuff in there, but nothing is there, just carpet.

lastphaseofthis

iTrader: (8)

base with sunroof

daviddeep

iTrader: (4)

All S4 five-lug cars (GXL, Sport and Turbo) were supposed to have the vented rear brake rotors. I'm pretty sure Mazda didn't build any five-lug cars with solid rear discs until '89, so a previous owner may have made a substitution on your car.

It is true that a 1986 build date doesn't automatically make it a 1986 model year car. There is a build date/model year decoder in the FAQ.

b20forlife

iTrader: (2)

well my car turtle says 86 so that's why I'm saying its am 86. also the car still has a rear wiper and no power options. no sunroof either. it does have crusi control. ill be pulling of the font brakes off this weekend and checking if it has the four piston calipers.

texFCturboII

iTrader: (17)

i wish i had a car turtle, that sounds pretty f-ing badass.

Spirit-RE

iTrader: (25)

b20forlife

iTrader: (2)

lol I meant tittle.

now I just looked at the calipers and they say mazda on them so are they 4 piston calipers? and do you guys belive this might have been a 5 lug swap? also on the door the tire size say 205/60vr/15

daviddeep

iTrader: (4)

People rarely change the door jamb sticker, so if it says 205/60 VR-15, your car was originally a five-lug car. This means it was either a Sport or a GXL.

With no sunroof, I'd say it has to be a Sport then. The sunroof was a standard feature of the GXL. Unless somebody removed the sunroof and went to a lot of trouble to weld a panel in perfectly and replace the headliner, you don't have a GXL. This is consistent with the absence of power windows and the lack of AAS.

In '86, only the GXL would have had a rear wiper, so a previous owner must have swapped hatches I guess. Maybe a rear wiper was available as a dealer-installed option. I know it was for some other Mazda models at the time. With the four-piston calipers up front, you should have the vented rear rotors too. It is possible that the previous owner substituted the calipers and solid discs from an S5 base car for some reason, though that would be a downgrade.

Assuming the interior of the car is still original, another clue is the seats. Sport (or base) seats have an integrated headrest while GXL seats would have a separate adjustable headrest.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

titles usually go by selling dates, the CAR goes by build date, the FC sold well, so its not a big deal, but there is a build date on the door jamb sticker. that'll tell you for sure what year it is

rotordad

I think you have a sport model, the base & luxuryhad 14's. You don't have the right stuff to be a GXL

Demonsniper1

iTrader: (2)

Open driver door and look at the door jam plate. Let us know what size tire/rim it has on it.

rotordad

He said that it said 205/60-15 a few post up.

b20forlife

iTrader: (2)

ok so I dont have vented rotors in the rear. but is there a way to tell if it originally came with vented in the rear? and is there a difference btween the cars that came with vented rears vs solids? Did sport models come with 4 piston calipers?