speedy41

Hi,

I am on the market for an FD, and I have come across one that has been dragged. I am not sure how much, but enough that the guy has some drag radials on the car.

I know drag racing can be killer on the whole drivetrain, and I am just looking for some advice on what the weak links are for the FD.

He says he has trouble getting it into second gear when it is cold, but when warm it gets better. I made a post about that the other day and a couple people responded and said it was relatively normal.

The car in question also runs at 13 psi on stock turbo's, with a power FC, dp, mp, cat back with no cats, and an M2 intercooler. From what I have read on this site, 13 psi is basically right on the ragged edge of what the stock fuel systel can handle. Should I be concerned?

Are there any problems I should worry about with the rear end or anything?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Nuvolari

iTrader: (4)

Look for another FD. This one has some $$$$$ issues .

1) Gear box problem, I would walk away just for that. Ask him what he launched the car at ? Just wondering how hard he beat on it at the track.

2) He's pushed his stock turbos hard, 13 psi and they wont last long . FYI new turbos 2k and up

3) He raced it, take you time there are still plenty of FD's that havent been heavily modified. What ever performance parts come with the car wont make up for the time and money you will have to put into getting this one running.

I must have driven ten FD's befor I chose the one I have. It was well worth the time and wait

speedy41

Thanks for the reply.

I totally see what you are saying. It is a shame though, cause it is a low mile (30000) R2, and it looks to be in beautiful shape. Oh well.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

I agree with Nuvolari....mostly. But you didn't mention what he was asking. Obviously, if you could buy it cheap enough that you could cover yourself if/when serious issues arise, including your labor, then I would consider it. With only 30k, and being an R2 it's pretty desirable.

birdy01

Are you Joking? I have my Stock turbos pushing at 14.5 to 15psi at track for two years now? There's no problem at all.


So what are trying to say here? The guy should go look for an FD that has never been race? These car are built for racing purposes. I don't care if the a seller beat the **** out of the car, as long as it is WELL maintain and still in excellent condition. Good compression, and so on...

speedy41

I thought there would be mixed reactions. I would sure hate to have the thing blow up on me, or have the turbos go kaput, or the tranny capsize

rx7what

iTrader: (6)

tranny's arent that expensive I have seen quit a few go for around $250 on this site. ow much is he asking for this car?

Matt Hey

If the asking price is low it could limit the risk of $ for potential problems. I fail to see the problems below...

I have 2 non-abused <100k mile '93 RX-7s that don't like to go into 2nd when it's cold. One even has Mobile1 in the tranny and it still doesn't like a cold 2nd. Neo sythetic would propably help more but when it's cold enough it's going to happen some. My daily driver (non-rotary pickup) is worse about going into 2nd than either of my RX-7s. The easy solution is a test drive.

Would running 12 psi be considered high boost? The M2 intercooler should have 1-1.5 psi less pressure drop than stock meaning the turbos aren't working any harder than a stock car running 12 psi. Factor in the cooler charge temps (from IC) as well as the reduced restriction because of intake and exhaust mods and 13 psi looks conservative to me. If he was serious about drag racing he probably did turn the boost up a lot more and this would be a concern. Ask the seller what boost he ran at the track. The boost is easily changed with a PFC.

Most RX7s will have been raced at some point by now. Drag racing is by far the hardest on these cars also. However, that doesn't mean this car is bad. If he was serious about drag racing then he will have broken some stuff or replaced it before it broke like rear diff bushings, half shafts or diffs. If they were broken then the car could have new stiffer diff bushings, chromoly half shafts and/or a replacement diff and may be more reliable than it was before. If he was just playing around at 13 psi on stock turbos then this may not be the case. The drag tires may be because he had aftermarket wheels he took off and his stock wheels had his drag tires on them which is a popular thing to do. IMHO, Some people assume too much and others don't ask enough questions.

This part I agree with. These cars are expensive to maintain to a high standard and it's usually cheaper to find one that's been well taken care of than to find a fixer upper and fix it. These are fun little cars that are worth it if you can afford it.

Nuvolari

iTrader: (4)

Go ahead and buy it just so I can say "I told you so". After reading the responses to my reply, I have some more advice. Take the car to a shop you know , that knows FD's ( thats not easy ) and have them check it out. Without seeing the car none of us can give you more than generic advice. If you think this is the only FD in the world buy it, but your crazy not to try and find a stock one, or one that didnt hit the track.

The other point is alot of bull **** on the forum....

Conv.WS6

I saw nothing wrong with nuvolari's comments. A 30K mile car shouldn't have trans problems. 13psi with an upgraded intercooler and increased flow of the engine with an intake and exhaust requires the turbos to spin much more in comparison to a 10 psi stock car. It also provides added strain on the internals of the engine making it really not 30K miles of pristine perfection like the asking price probably is. If you are looking for a nice low milage FD look for a stock one that was a weekend toy for some grandpa. Upon inspection look for wear on the bolts holding the stock intercooler, clamps holding the stock intake hoses on, stock exhaust bolts, and interior clips that cover the ECU. If you are looking for a modded rex, look towards the 70K milage car with a replacement motor, and all the mods and records to go with it including tuning by a good performance shop.
good luck on your search and take your time if you want the perfect car for you. There are quite a few around, so stay patient and really inspect the cars you are looking at.