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Owning an RX-7 FD has always been a dream of mine, and now it finally came true. This is my very first FD, so I’m definitely not an expert when it comes to the 13B, but thankfully the RX-7 community here in the UAE has been really helpful in guiding me through the early steps. Big thanks to the local group — it’s a great community to be part of.
About the car: I found it here in the UAE — a guy had imported it from the US. Unfortunately, it had an engine bay fire at some point. I tried contacting the first owner to learn more about what happened, but haven’t gotten a response yet.
The positive side is that the interior is in excellent condition, and being a LHD FD, it’s hard to find one in good shape and at a fair price in the Middle East. That’s why I couldn’t pass it up.
So far, I’ve pulled the engine and stripped most of the engine bay to start figuring things out. The car looked stock when I got it, and I’m slowly piecing together what’s needed.
My plan for the build:
• Full restoration
• Single turbo
• Target: ~400hp (HBP)
• OEM or aftermarket parts where possible
• Biggest challenge right now: finding a front harness LHD (everything else seems doable either OEM or aftermarket)
Here are some photos of how it started and where I’m at now:
I’ll be updating this thread as I go along. This project means a lot to me, and I know it won’t be easy — but that’s part of the journey. Any advice.
Here are some photos of the project so far. I pulled the engine out and started stripping the bay. As you can see, most of the parts were melted from the heat of the fire, so there’s a lot of work ahead.
Even though it looks rough right now, I’m excited to bring it back to life step by step. Next up will be figuring out what’s reusable, what needs replacing, and continuing the search
I honestly don't know the full story behind the fire. I bought the car as it's and couldn't get any response from the previous owner. the guy who imported it to UAE mentioned it might have been fuel-related, but I can't say for sure.
Nice to see you bringing this back to life. Looks like the intercooler and possibly intake box are salvageable. Intake box may need to be sanded and cleared unless there is more damage we can't see from the pictures but both items are quality mods for these and should support your horsepower Goals.
Nice to see you bringing this back to life. Looks like the intercooler and possibly intake box are salvageable. Intake box may need to be sanded and cleared unless there is more damage we can't see from the pictures but both items are quality mods for these and should support your horsepower Goals.
@boostin13b Thanks! I’m excited to keep the project going and get the car performing at its best.
I’m planning to go for a V-mount intercooler and a new radiator, either buying ready-made or having them custom-made. The reason is that the weather here is very hot most of the year, and winter only lasts about 4–5 months, so the car needs components that can handle our climate here in the UAE.
My 1992 parts car had a fire where the fuel lines come out of the firewall. This fire was worse, but in the same general area. Someone may have forgotten to tighten a clamp after doing a fuel pressure test.
I suppose you have considered it, but you may soon want to get the bodyshop manual and check that your front end has not warped.
The good news is that you can get front clips in Japan almost free, you pay the freight.
My 1992 parts car had a fire where the fuel lines come out of the firewall. This fire was worse, but in the same general area. Someone may have forgotten to tighten a clamp after doing a fuel pressure test.
I suppose you have considered it, but you may soon want to get the bodyshop manual and check that your front end has not warped.
The good news is that you can get front clips in Japan almost free, you pay the freight.
Find someone bringing cars/parts by container.
Honestly, I just hope the car gets back to normal soon. From what I saw, the fire and heat were mostly on one side, so it didn’t cause any warping or serious chassis issues. After pulling the engine and interior, I sent the car to the paint shop. They’re going to refresh the engine bay and respray the whole car in the original color.
For the burnt/rust spots, the painter will sand everything by hand, treat the rust, and then paint it. I don’t trust sandblasting—it can do more harm than good—so I’d rather stick with proper handwork.
For the front end, I’ve got a clip cut from another car (after the headlights), which already includes most of the important stuff like the reinforcement and support brackets. I also ordered a set of headlights with motors, but I still need to test if the motors are working—I’ll check today 😅.
As for parts, I already have most of them or ordered them a while back:
No way I’d convert it to RHD. Luckily the interior is all complete, even the original jack and spare are still with the car. There was just a small burn mark on the dashboard but it’s already been fixed. After stripping the interior, I found out the firewall insulator needs replacing. I’m currently looking for one, but the prices and shipping are pretty high. (1992–1996 Mazda RX-7 Firewall Insulator)
I’ve been working on the body and preparing the car for its new look. Left front side panel needed straightening and attention before moving forward, so that was the first step.
The engine bay has now been completely refinished — starting with repairs, primer, seam sealing, and then a fresh coat of paint. I went with a deep blue finish for the bay, which already makes a huge difference.
Over the next few days, the rest of the car will be painted as well, and I’ll keep sharing each step of the process. Really excited to see the transformation come together.
straightening Fender Seam Seal Engine Bay After Cleaning & Fresh Coat
I wanted to share some progress from the last few days. I’ve been busy with the front end of the car while the engine bay is getting painted.
I stripped down the entire front subframe, had it sandblasted to get rid of all the old grime and rust, and then gave it a fresh coat of paint. It looks brand new now.
While I was at it, I tackled the steering rack. I took it apart, gave it a full rebuild, and replaced all the old seals. I’m just waiting on a new set of boots to arrive, and that’ll be complete.
I also replaced all the control arm bushings. The old ones were completely melted and worn out. The new set should make a huge difference in handling and feel. For now, I’m keeping the old suspension on the car until the engine is back in and running. A full suspension upgrade is definitely on the list for the near future.
All the new bushings are from a Superpro kit, and the power steering pump and rack rebuild components are from Autopart.
I’ll post more pictures of the car itself once it’s out of the paint shop. And don’t worry, I’ll be giving the arms another thorough cleaning before final assembly in my own garage.
Here are a few pictures of the process:
Disassembled front subframe and suspension Disassembled front subframe and suspension Close-up of the old suspension and brake assembly Close-up of the old suspension and brake assembly New Superpro bushings in their packaging Rebuilt steering rack and more new parts in a box
Just wanted to share another update on my RX-7 FD build. Big progress lately — I finally received my rotors and housings! Huge thanks to OnlyRacing for the amazing work 🙌 They look perfect and are now ready for the engine assembly.
During the last two weeks, I took a trip to Tokyo, Japan to hunt for more parts and see what I could bring back for the project. I visited a few shops:
• UpGarage – Yokohama
• RE Amemiya
• Car Shop Glow
• A Pit Super Autobacs
Big thanks to all the shops for their help and guidance — everyone was super kind and really went out of their way to help me find what I needed. I ordered a few things that are still on the way, and I brought back some cool parts with me the thing that i found in shops available at time & I also picked up a few rotary souvenirs and collectibles from the shops — couldn’t resist grabbing anything related to the rotary while I was there :
• RE Amemiya Gear Shifter Lever
• RE Amemiya Carbon Door Outer Handles
I also orderd a few more parts recently:
• New uncut windshield cowl
• Used steering bump
• Master Engine Hardware Kit, which replaces most of the engine hardware including:
• Upper Intake Manifold
• Lower Intake Manifold
• Throttle Body & Elbow
• Pulleys & Alternator
• Front Engine Cover
• Oil Pan
• Water Pump & Pump Housing
While in Japan, I was surprised how much cheaper the prices were compared to home. The only downside is that shipping big parts back can get expensive. I even saw a stock FD engine rebuild at RE Amemiya for 450k Yen (around $2,930 USD) — if I had known about it earlier, it would’ve made the project a lot faster 😅.
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What’s Next:
I’m currently looking to buy a few more parts this month — if anyone knows websites that usually do Black Friday or Christmas sales, please share! 😅
I’m planning to get the Chase Bays Single Piston Brake Booster Delete, Brake Line Relocation, and Clutch Feed Adapter.
Has anyone here used these before or tried something similar from another brand? I’m going for a clean engine bay setup, and I’ll be deleting the ABS controller as part of that.
Would love to hear your thoughts or recommendations before I place the order!
Also here are some pictures of visiting some stores in Tokyo
