Rotary Chicken

Hi guys, sorry if I don't take the time to fully introduce myself.

I'm 17 and don't have a whole lotta money but I came across something this afternoon that really demanded some attention.

I found a 1986 RX7 (base model it seems) at a junker. It's all there. No collision damage, engine's still there (don't know if it runs though), the tranny is a little suspect but I'll get to that soon enough. The interior looks like your typical 1986 model vehicle. It's pretty messy, but the seats are in good shape.

Now what I want to know is if anyone thinks I should just avoid this car. To the best of my knowledge (kinda a newbie wannabe mechanic with bare minimal knowledge) the car is good. The engine, though covered in cob webs, looks like it's in good shape.

Cosmetically it's not the nicest thing in the world, but if it runs.

As for the tranny. Once we got the door open (no handle on drivers side.. really the only missing part other than the stereo) the first thing I did (after moving the seat back) was press the clutch in. It gave me some resistance so we figure the thing is still good clutch wise. However with the shifter in neutral the stick likes to bobble around. I don't know if this is normal. Really I'm only used to riding around in my friend's honda's. The shifters in those are pretty much erect if the car is in neutral.

I wanna know if that's something that could be problematic.

As for the price of this whole thing I'm not really sure. My mom's boyfriend (and my long time friend) has been doing business with these guys for years and there's really no doubt in my mind that we could get the car cheap. The only thing that would stop me from getting it are my mom and the work that might need to go into the transmission/engine. The rest of it is stuff that I'd have no problem taking slowly.

ps. The car has no keys, it was hotwired to get it onto the lot. I woulda fired it up but they removed the battery.

Thanks for any help guys.

Jeff

Rotary Racer

I would say this could be a good project car for you to build and learn from or a great car to be stripped and made a purpose built racecar. But you mentioned that you don’t have a lot of cash, and by the sounds of it I already got a mental picture in my head of the car. This car is probably going to suck up more money than you might be able to afford. But to answer some of your questions:

- The design on the shifter and bushings on these cars was not the best to begin with. It is a common occurrence that the shifter bushings go out causing the shifter to be very wobbly even when the car is in gear.
- With cobwebs in the engine bay I would look to see if the motor even turns over any more. You will need a 19mm socket on a ratchet and turn the motor clockwise very carefully. If the motor does not want to turn do not force it, it is probably locked up for one reason or another.

The long and short of it I would pass this one up and try to get a car that is in running condition.

- Dana

Rotary Chicken

Thanks for the imput. But the way it sounds I might as well pick this up and see what can be done with it.

I'm kind of fortunate. I have a lot of support when it comes to cars.

Rotary Chicken

ttt