habofro

I'm planning on buying my dream car, an FD and I do NOT want to make the same mistakes I did when I bought my first car, an FB, which is why I'm making this post.
I know (almost) exactly what I want in an FD but I would still love some recommendation and tips.

Here's what I'd plan to do:

On the mecanical side of things:

• Streetport and possibly semi-peri port the engine (My biggest worry is how much the semi would affect the lifespan of the engine)
• Single turbo setup, I'm looking for a fairly flat power curve and since porting the engine helps it make more power in the top end, I was thinking of going with a fairly small turbo that spools quickly, unsure which size would be best.
• As for the ECM, I'm still unsure which one would be best for me. Is the PowerFC still the go-to nowadays or are there better alternative for the price?
• What else should I do to make the engine more reliable and durable? I'm planing on "Daily-ing" it most days during the summer, putting around 5-7k km every year on it. My power goal is fairly modest at around 350HP.
• How is the electronic holding to age on the FD? Are they generally unproblematic or would it be worth it to invest in a custom engine harness?

As for the aesthetic side:

• Spec-99 front bumper (Is it simply a simple swap if I get a 93-95 car? What other parts would I need to make the 99-spec bumper fit?)
• Mazdaspeed Wing (Are there other non-oem wings that look the same and would be a better buy?)
• LED lights all around. I'm still unsure which one to get, any recommendations?
• Mica Yellow
• Carbon fiber front lip
• Fifteen52 Tarmac White (Unsure what offset I'd need, any recommendation? Any other wheels with a similar look that you'd recommend over these?)
• As for the seats, I don't want a really snug bucket seat, something like the seats of the RX-8 R3 would be great. Any recommendations?
• Should I keep the stock steering wheels or is it worth it to get an aftermaket one? How well does the OEM wheel hold up to aging?

Considering I have a pretty specific idea of what I want, would it be a better idea for me to buy a rolling shell and build it myself? What kind of base car should I look for? I was thinking of going with the PEP or PEG car since I'd love to have a sunroof and leather upholstery without having those ugly bose speakers in the back. However, they seem to be pretty rare.
How much should I expect to pay for the car itself and how much would all of my planned mods cost me? Keeping in mind that I'm from Canada, Quebec. (Please say if your prices are in USD or CAD)

When buying an FD, what should I watch out for, avoid and what sort of mod should I look for in a car?

What do you think of my plan? Anything else I should mod?

Thanks for the help and tips!

nmoffatt

iTrader: (15)

Search is your friend. You can find pretty much all you need on the site.

habofro

With that logic, what's the point of a forum? Literally everything can already be found online.

I'm asking for people's opinion, I'm asking for some direction on where to look at the very least.

There's a lot of conflicting information out there, I'm looking for people I can actually engage with, talk with and understand their logic.

Why did you even bother answering my thread with your useless comment?

cr-rex

iTrader: (114)

its because this exact conversation has been had over and over again. there are no pre-purchase questions left to ask. theyve all been asked. theres nothing unique or original about the information youre looking for. there are an infinite amount of threads on what to look for, what you want, what you dont want, options, questions to ask, you name it. considering you made "mistakes" with your FB, learn from yourself. there are enough resources to price out all the parts and everything you would need to piece together a shell if you wanted to go that route. not to mention how much work it is and how much space you need to do that. your post is the perfect example of how NOT to use a forum. this is the ultimate archive of rx7 information from all 3 generations.

if you sat down and researched your questions, you would come up with more info than you can use. as far as conflicting information goes, theres nothing conflicting in terms of answers to what you asked. if youre this lazy about doing research then youre not going to last very long with an fd.

AE_Racer

iTrader: (1)

The great thing about a forum (compared to other options like facebook) is that there is years of topics and questions being answered, and pretty easily searched.

If you haven't owned a FD, understand what you are asking about doing (motor build, single turbo, 99 bumper, wing, etc) will be very, very expensive. You'll easily be $10k+ (USD) deep in just a basic engine build and single turbo setup. Add to that, proper fueling, ECU, tuning, cooling, etc.

In my experience and knowledge, i'll answer the questions you provided.

• I would not want a semi pport on a car I plan on dailying, nevermind the added costs of doing so.
• You mentioned 350hp, the stock twins can do this or you could upgrade to BNR's and save quite a bit of change by not switching to single. The downside is the "complicated" vacuum and solenoid system to running those twins in sequential. Remember, you usually only see the complaints, not the success stories. Many people still run the factory setup with little to no issues.
• The Power FC is a great ECU for what it is. It is old, it is simple, and there is lots of knowledge out there. Newer ECU's will provide more bells and whistles, more safety features for your engine.
• Durability. Premix, remove the catalytic converters (reduces heat), refresh the cooling system, have atleast the factory twin oil coolers.
• Electronics depends on how the car has been treated, how many miles it has, etc. My 92 is running the factory harness, turbo control solenoids, etc at ~78k miles.

Aesthetics are fully on you as everyone has different opinions

• To do it right, the 99 bumper is more involved than slapping it on. This is one of those things that has been covered deeply in the past and would be found by searching. I can't rattle it off from memory.
• Search for RX7 wings and see what you like. There are a few others around the 99 oem and mazdaspeed style.
• Wheels, again, covered in the wheels/tires/suspension section. A lot of it depends how much tire you want, how you want it to look, and if you're willing to roll the fenders. Not an easy answer.
• Seats are difficult. The RX7 cabin is really narrow, not every seat will fit without hitting the center tunnel and the door panels. There is a thread of what seats have been tested and fit in the interior section.
• The stock USDM steering wheel is ugly as sin IMO. It would be the first thing I changed out.

Typically you would be much better off buying a complete car. Again, things are expensive. If you buy a roller missing the engine, trans, etc, a JDM drivetrain is $4k-$5k USD, which you should expect to rebuild the engine, and then all the other little things that may be missing. Otherwise you're stuck buying an engine keg (shortblock) and everything that attaches to it.

Best thing to do, IMO, is spend the money up front on a car that has been recently gone through and is stock, or is modded to your liking.

habofro

Thanks for answering most of my questions!

• Why would you advice against Semi Pport? I've heard conflicting information about them, some people will say that they're better than going raceport/bridge port while others say that they should only be for race cars. Is streetport really the best option for a street build?
• I'm not that knowledgeable about turbos but, why are BNR turbos better than the stock ones? I'll look up what's needed for the single turbo conversion. As for making 350hp, what should I look to upgrade? How will it affect reliability and longevity of the engine? Does the factory turbo setup still give you that nice turbo kick?
• So, if the car I end up buying has the PowerFC, it wouldn't really be worth it to upgrade to a newer system but, if it doesn't, then I might want to look into newer offerings?
• What kind of exhaust system should I look for if I'd have to delete the cat? Seeing as I'll probably end up driving it at night quite a lot, I don't want the car to be insanely loud. By refreshing the cooling system, do you mean doing a flush and changing the radiator? From what I've heard so far, most people tend to upgrade the rad as overheating is the main issue they encounter. Are there cars that do not have the factory twin oil cooler?
• What can usually cause electronic issues?

As for the aesthetic stuff

• From what I've seen I'd need these to do the conversion: - Dual oil coolers and R-Magic cooler ducts (from RHD-japan)
  - Front lip (93 wont fit good. Also this has more downforce. F138-51-9K1B and F138-51-9L1B)
  - Air intake guide (F138-50-A21)
  - Undertray air guide (F138-50-AH1)
  - 99-spec lip air ducts for brakes (F138-43-63XB and F138-43-64XB)
  Does that look right to you? Where can I get those pieces without having to worry about receiving them broken or in "not great" condition for a decent price?
  
• Not really looking to roll my fenders, planning on going 8-8.5" squared, I'd simply want a nice tuck in the arch
• That one?
• Any recommendation? I really have no idea where to start with steering wheels and would love a recommendation!

How much should I expect to pay for a car here in Canada in good condition? Mostly stock
Is it worth it to spend 5k+ on LHD models? I've never driven RHD so I have no clue what kind of issues driving RHD could cause.

​​​​​​​Thanks again for all the help!

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

newtgomez

It looks like you've done a lot of thinking, but not the biggest amount of research. I would personally recommend staying with the twins. It's the cheapest way to make good power and it's super streetable. If you do your research and commit time and resources in the right places, these cars are great. If you're doing street driving, the oem radiator with twin oem coolers will be plenty. I would stick to bolt ons and a tune. Think of porting like a cam upgrade where a street port would be like a drop in cam and the semi p port or bridge ports are like a big hog of a cam that doesn't make any torque down low (Think stop and go or driving in parking lots) which makes it a bear to drive even though people do it. I would look in to Haltech or Link as they're great ecus for the money and the PFC is really outdated at this day and age. Browse the 3rd gen faqs and single turbo/ecu/alternative fueling sections and you'll get a good idea of what works and what doesn't.

Molotovman

iTrader: (49)

You really need to search around. There is great information all over the forum, read, read, and do more reading or just buy an FD and drop it off at a shop with a pile of cash because even though you've stated you know what you want want you wrote shows that you don't. What you're talking about with labor is easily $20-30k over the cost of the car if you want it to be solid with all new parts.

H_M

iTrader: (7)

Answers

Nakd n Fearless

iTrader: (4)

“I USED TO OWN A FB”


“NOW GIVE ME CYM FD +150 HP”

jimbo1184

I used the sticky threads at the top of the New Member RX-7 Technical Section before buying my first FD last year. Definitely be sure to check those out as I still frequent them as a new FD owner. There are several reliability mods threads links in addition to those listed here.

Watch this video on youtube:

I thought this video was super helpful and recommend subscribing to his channel! (I believe he is a member on here...or at least that's the conclusion I drew based on his content and a post I saw)

Good luck!

mkiv98

iTrader: (5)

Don't even think about all that useless aesthetic **** yet. Just worry about getting the car first, preferably a good running one. But keep in mind even one that is expensive and runs good may break down on you in a week or even on the way home. If you're ok with that, then by all means proceed. Once you have the car and have specific questions then people may be more willing to help out.