Priority Modifications --
 

I have about $2,000 to spend on my Rx-7. It's a 1987 N/A GXL with good compression. I have a shitty exhaust, in fact it is blown and horrible. I get what seems to be less then 10 miles per gallon in the car using the method of filling it up and using the odometer. Still has power, plenty of for me. Car is unreliable on the start, i.e. it is sometimes flooded out and won't start, have to hit the gas on start up or it will not turn over and ultimately flood unless it is warm. The interior is fine, not too worried about it.

My question-- What should I start with, what should I focus on, what sounds best?

count on a rebuild soon. save your lunch money. Install a fuel pump relay switch to prevent flooding. Run the car to redline as much is as feasible. This will keep your seven alive long enough to save the $$$$ for a rebuild.

Oh yeah.... A RacingBeat True Dual exhhaust is THE premium exhaust system for NA'S. I have one myself....

Ramses666

Price?

My compression was at 98 and 99, I don't need a rebuilt bud :/

About 1K$ give or take. It will last forever for sure.... its a work of art. don't be decieved by cheap bull@#$!@ You will regret it.

Ramses666

dont spend money on it, fucking get a nice new car, that is good on gas

Check your injectors, buy a new exhaust including headers and do some suspension work.

Have fun.

dont listen to this fucktard...



i think the best thing you could do at this point is get some suspension parts,

you could get some coilovers for about $1k, or some struts and springs for around $500

Get a bushing kit and maybe some sway bars and strut bars, then you will be owning in the twisties!

I have a full Corksport exhaust that i just got, and i LOVE it!

its real loud, but hell it sounds damn nice.

I would say keep saving up your money and at about $4k just go for the build. Then you have a strong car thats reliable.

I agree.... I'm seeing more & more injector flow problems lately. Get them serviced for sure.

Ramses666

just keep going the way you are, i started out with a N/A and built it up(then it got wrecked by illegals, long story, got another one) and i put a tii motor in and all kinds of fun stuff, just do what you want

i started with the ex, cat back, then headers and test pipe
then an elec fan, and intake stuff, got a jet chip for the ecu
i'd say it's a matter of personal choise, whether you want loud first, good performance or mods that'll keep the car running mint....

You rip on other posters yet you suggest coilovers for a guy who is going to be driving his car on the road. If you are putting coilovers on a daily driver that isn't used on the track, you are wasting your money.

TII Motor?

see also the suggestions for the struts and springs...

this is what I would do...

Fun thing to do now is spend money on suspension goodies..

The good thing to do is fix your exhaust issue, and do a full tune up. (Regular maintenance) If you have money left over, start looking replacing your worn 20 year old important parts that just doesnt get enough lovin.

Smart thing to do....put that 2k back in your savings account and build up your cash for those real awesome parts that people always complain that they want but cant afford. or for those many days out of the year where the rx7 loves to just...break down on you, and you wonder why your so broke and cant fix it to run.

First, fix the car. It should not be getting 10 MPG. Start with a full tuneup and then take it from there.

Fix all small issues like bushings, broken trim, ball joints, bearings, etc. etc. This will greatly enhance your enjoyment of the car. Fix that blown exhaust.

Now if you have anything left, get a good set of struts and springs.

The NA will never be fast without radical modifications but a good suspension, spirited exhaust note and interior that isn't broken will make it into a very fun car.

I didn't clarify, aha, I don't care about excessive speed. My N/A has pulled over 130 and I don't need even that much speed.

Struts and springs? Any good references or brands to look at or stay away from?

I really want to fix this chronic flooding and 10mpg issue, but no rotary shops around my house that I know about. Atkins in Puyallup, WA but they're expensive and I think they only do rebuilds, not engine maintenance. Anyone know of a rotary mechanic in the Seattle/Tacoma WA area that could look at my car?

Good shocks/struts are Tokico Illumina or non-adjustable, and KYB AGX. Stay away from the over-priced shiny Japanese stuff (HKS, JIC, etc.) or the cheapie Ebay coil-overs (Megan, Ksport, etc.). You can get decent street/autocross springs from Racing Beat, Suspension Techniques, and Eibach. Be sure to change out your old, nasty bushings when you install the new suspension components.

However, suspension mods are not going to fix your exhaust or engine issues. ;)

umm y not make the car run 100% before putting money into goodies... u said the car has flooding problems.... chances are your gonna be looking at a rebiuld.

There are quite a bit of rotary mechanics floating in the seattle/Tacoma area, check out the NW regional forums of rx7club and meet some of the guys at the upcomming meets. You might get some good information on how to get your 7 in good condition.

So am I the only one thinking the flooding and low mileage have something to do with the injectors?

I have one of those. Here is what I would do.

CAI- I bought the K&N system

Fix shifter bushings. See mazdatrix for this one

Have the injectors prof cleaned and tested ( I would do this first)

Def a Racing beat exhaust. You only need the catback exhaust. Just hollow out your first 2 precats and leave the main cat alone.

Full tune up / plugs,wires,fuel filter,grease all hinges and latches,coolant,trans fluid, diff fluid,belts, and check timing. How much is left on the brakes? What kind of condition is the radiator in? How old is the thermostat?

Replace all factory bushings with stock.

You should be able to do all this if you do your own labor or most of it. These mods will make a nice driving 7 that will last for years to come.:)

I would say to definitely get your injectors cleaned. they can easily cause flooding & terrible gas mileage. Fix your exhaust. Full 60k tune-up.

Ramses666

turbo swap, sell your NA stuff.

^ Hope you have $4.5k or know the right people and/or have a lot of luck. Or if you don't have those and you go cheap, hope you have more than $4.5k when you fix it later.

10 mpg is way too low. At 12k miles per year you'd be losing almost $5k per year in gas. Fix the car first. Grab a Haynes manual or anything with a list of scheduled maintenance and start with that. As mentioned, do everything listed as if nothing was done in the last 60k miles (often most if it isn't). That might catch some problems, and is probably necessary anyway. Then go from there. If possible, figure out as much as you can ahead of time so you can find out how much fixing it will cost you. If it's way too much, ditch the car.

After it's fixed, then mod it.

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