MommysLittleMonster

Alright, I'm in need of a little help from the RX7 experts/enthusiests on here.

I'm looking at an '87 RX7 Turbo that's for sale locally here, but I dont want to get in TOO deep rebuilding the 13B if it's smoked. The car is immaculate inside and out (no rust whatsoever- the underside of the car is clean. I paint cars professionally so i know a clean car when i see one), it has 18" Advan gunmetal rims with new Kumho shoes, a full cat-back HKS exhaust, and it's got a nice tint to all the windows. If this were any other car that had a regular 4-cylinder motor in it, it would be in my driveway this second with no second guesses.

Now here's where i need help. I'm told by a friend of mine i work with it may need apex seals, but he's not positive. It's got 131,000 miles on it (of course, right where Rotaries start to go downhill) so i'd say that's pretty accurate. My questions are, have any of you rebuilt a 13B by yourself before and how hard was it to do, and how expensive will it get to rebuild it myself? I looked on AtkinsRotary.com and found a full rebuild kit for $1k which is boarderline too much for me, and that's excluding the rotors themselves.

I've built up a few smallblocks with some help from my dad, and i'm definately what you would call "mechanically inclined", i'm just looking for some info from guys who have rebuilt these motors hands-on. Any feedback is welcomed.

Thanks for the help guys!

FirebirdSlayer666

iTrader: (3)

Rebuilding 13B's is easy work. If the rotors aren't trashed, you won't need new ones. Typically a rebuild will cost anywhere from $1k to $2,500 or so depending if you do a stock rebuild or get into cereamic seals and porting. You can buy a used 13B with lower miles on it possibly for the same price. If you're looking into a cheap car that you won't be dumping money into, pass on it and get a 4 banger. But all in all it's your decision and if you are willing to learn and be patient I say go for it and post pictures

MommysLittleMonster

i figured it would be around $1k, most of the guys i've talked to so far have said the same thing. I know it's not your everyday motor to work on, but i'm willing to learn- the best way to do it is to do it yourself. Thanks for the input, here's a couple of cell phone pics from when i looked at it last night.

freemanrx7

Will it start? Does it try to start?How much?
If you can get it running good it's a very fun car

dwb87

iTrader: (22)

If a $1K rebuild kit is too much for you... then you may want to reconsider.

VacavilleFC

yeah i agree, rx7 are not cheap to maintain

MommysLittleMonster

No idea on the running condition at this point in time, i just went to go look at the car while the owner wasnt there. It's at a local exotic car dealership, but the owner owns this car. It was last inspected in '05, and they took in as a trade in- so im not sure what it's like under the hood. As far as the price goes, im guessing $2.5-3k. If its any more than that, i'm gonna say forget it.

He'll be back next week, ill update this then.

j n

honestly, if the car cost 3k, then get yourself 4k. ya never know whats gonna happen down the line. things will go wrong and if that rebuild kit is to much for you right now, just hold off till you do. otherwise you might have a roller sitting in your garage. but all in all, do a compression check and if its around 100 the motor should be okay for the most part anyway

MommysLittleMonster

I know that if i buy the car for $3k its going to cost me at least $4k, but the nice thing is, i can earn the extra $1k in two or three weeks with the hours i'm working this summer. Everything breaks at some point, but i'm pretty used to this fact- i run a '69 Nova as a drag car during the summer which always needs tuning, a '74 Monte Carlo as my cruiser/show car, and i have a '97 Blazer for a daily driver. The Nova is going back to my dad so he can race it, and i want something else i can race around with (i was looking for an S13/S14 240SX, a 2nd gen RX7, or even a AllTrac Celica when i found this car). For all i know the car runs great and he wants $3,500 for it, i havent talked to the guy since i went to look at the car. I'll bring my compression tester with me when i go back, I'll update this tomorrow or tuesday when i talk to him too.

SpeedOfLife

iTrader: (16)

heck, buy the car. I'm sure whenever you have it running you'll love it

I just got an '87 TII this summer and absolutely love it despite its many imperfections (mostly due to previous owner abuse).