Folks,

First of all I'm capable DIY person with equipeed garage and tools.
And, since I'm here - I want RX-7 FD

But I don't want "any" FD. I want white on black manual, preferably 94.
Also, I'm realistic about money that I WILL spend after purchase.

My plan is to find even automatic with shot engine and converti it rebuilding engine and transmission at the same time.

Does it sound financially smart decision? I found that it's easier to find good condition roller on automatics...

Again.. Manual/automatic recorded in VIN. If I convert and need to sell, will it be price dropping issue?

Please let me know what you think about it..

 

i just got my FD last weekend (94 white/tan manual) and i've been looking for a car for about 1 to 1.5 months. It is cheaper to buy a roller and then do all the work by yourself but the resale value might suffer somewhat. I think if you are a very inclined DIY person and have the time on your hands to work on the car do it! you will definately learn a lot

 

Can you elaborate on why "resale will suffer"?

Because of the fact auto-manual conversion? Other that that there will be no difference. Rebuild motor is nothing new for those cars, how would you know it was built from roller?

 

Get a project! They are fun (sometimes).

 

Very encouraging

 

Sounds quite reasonable.

Just be sure that the rest of the car (outside of the engine and tranny) is in good shape. A few cracked or scratched interior parts may not look like much, but when you price out fixing them it's insane.

I've rebuilt an FD tranny, and unless you have an interest in doing it for your own sake, it's probably better to get a whole other one and install that instead. The 'JDM' low mileage trannys have made a lot of people happy for a price that's less than a full rebuild kit.

Dave

 

I also find WAF reasonable

So, let me throw some numbers for your judgement:

Given:
1. Clean automatic with shot engine. Let's say $7k

Do:
1. Rebuild motor $3k
2. Get used JDM tranny - $1k?
3. Find donor parts for swap - $1k?

Other expenses that usually happen WIT (while I'm there) - $3k?

So, for $15k we have clean car with new motor where I know each nut/bolt

Am I off on my estimates?

All labor except for engine rebuilt is free

Can I buy clean properly running FD for $15k?
Did I overestimate/underestimate spendings?

Also, this can be done in stages, I can first make it run with automatic and then slowly get ready for swap..

 

Do it you wont regret it. But my personal reccomendations are this; Take your estimate and double it (a non-running car will have things wrong that you wont know about till you drive it), and find a roller that has as low mileage as possible and a perfect interior and exterior. I've been searching for some missing interior parts on my FD for several YEARS, and when even a simple broken window switch will cost you $190 bucks, it can quickly add up. Good luck!

 

Thats a question... Will I own car that worth as much or more as I will spend on it? I understand "my baby" factor but don't want to get into 20k+ if I can find very nice running "baby that not needed anymore"...

My expierence tells me that it's cheaper to get nice car than to make one... But with RX-7 price margin is soo big I don't even know how to count..


Just wonder if that's because this switch broken everywhere? It seems that "for sale" section here has lot of cars for pars sales..


Thanks for advices!

 

Unless you are doing it for the fun or have a lot of experience with FDs already with many parts lying around, FD projects do not really make financial sense.

You will will probably spend $15k and hundreds of man hours - for which price you could buy a clean running FD that you can drive immediately, instead of looking at a project sitting in a garage for 6-12+ months.

Also, clean rollers are hard to find (I have never seen one in several years of keeping half an eye out for one) and generally have worn exteriors and interiors. So you could spend $15k and still have a car that looks like ***** and need to spend $5k+ more to repaint and restore the interior.

 

$190?? yikes! i paid $135 shipped, wtf.

anyway, as long as you don't kid yourself about how much time and money money money will be involved, it'll be a great project. and just be prepaired to do a lot of parts hunting, because some things are just hell to find.

 

Taking your original estimate and doubling it is a good tip...but don't think that that is far fledged. If you double it you will probably come really close to spending that much or even go over that amount. I think an easy build up to a nice car, in good shape, that is 'relatively' reliable can be done for not too much. The things that really bite you are when you want it perfect, or you want more...more power, more handling, perfect interior, the nicest gauges...etc.. The list can go on and on.

My project that was fun when I started is turning into a nightmare. I am almost done, but I have gone way over budget and now I regret some of the purchases I made earlier. It also has taken a tremendous amount of time out of my daily life to even finish the thing in 5 months. It is always some 'little' thing that seems to take up my whole night. Every weekend I spend at least $100 on something...even when I swear everything needed has been purchased. I chalk it up to the nature of the beast.

In all honesty, I think a good running RX7 is enough of a project for most folks...and that's the truth!