SOsavanna

Hello all, my names Matt, and I'm a rotaryhaulic. Problem with that is, i'm a serious rookie when it comes to ground up builds and things of that nature, my buddy Johnny are starting our own little fab shop / youtube / instagram / facebook hoo hah as SO Motorsports and we've been spoiled by doing work on newer cars/bikes, with minimal rust, and readily available parts.

Our first "build" that is in progress is a budget rally tiburon, currently the majority of our videos, and now waiting for more funds to buy our tubing bender and tubing.

The newest, and one that I'm most excited about is our 1984 FB Rx7, it's a 12A, drum brake, 5 speed, crank window, manual locking, carb'd, mildly rusty, beige paint peeling, beauty, that i've appropriately named Savanna. She has 140k+ miles, with probably the original seals, and I absolutely love driving her.

Let's face it though, after 33 years and 140k on the clock, she probably doesn't have many of those 100 ponies left, and could use a refresh in many areas.

Until yesterday, my plans were to drive the car for the rest of the summer and wheel her into the shop in the winter for heart and plastic surgery... Then on my way home, I had some form of brake failure (i assumed the master cylinder) and onto jack stands she went. I replaced the fuel filter since i'd been meaning to do it, (it was disgusting) and looked around under the car just for a general inspection. Then I noticed the severe leak from my passenger side drum brake, a bad flange, weather it had stripped or rusted out idk, but there went the rest of my brakes, and since we plan on doing a disc swap do I really wanna fix it just to drive it for 2 months and then swap out the axle...?

Here comes the plans and where I'm gonna need the wealth of knowledge from this beautiful forum for suggestions and help.

The 12A is going to get brand new seals, a relatively aggressive streetport, and potentially the water jacket mod. (if it isn't scored and completely scrap)
Intake: Modified Nikki carb, emissions removed, potential for mechanical secondaries but always up for suggestions. There is a strong possibility, (if the price is feasible) for a blow-through turbo set up.
Exhaust: Either a Modified Turbo II header if the turbo is happening or it will be a RB Headers (probably a street header but really want whichever gives more power) Straight through pipe (is 3 inch overkill?) and most likely the racing beat muffler (open to suggestions here too)
Rear End: would like a GSL or an SE, an SE changes the gearing but also gives a better bolt pattern, both give the LSD (really need help finding one near NJ)
Suspension: I'm lacking in much research here, but probably a slight lowering on coil-overs with poly bushings. Thing handles nice enough on it's blown out struts so I doubt i'll go overly stiff.
Steering: has a ton of play, doesn't look like I can get a rack and pinion kit anymore so looks like I will just be adjusting the manual steering it has to clean out the slop.
Body: She has some rust on the Rockers and Wheel Wells So that will need to be patched, the door/window/hatch seals are bad so I will be ordering those, and she needs a respray. Potential to shave off the rubber strip on the body and add the OEM wing, most likely going ZF fender flares like that of an old fairlady.
Brakes: 4 Wheel Disc, SS brakelines where applicable, aggressive pads (HAWK?)
Interior: Most of the rear was shot so it's been stripped a fair amount, we saved what we could, removed the spare so now we need to make a cover for where it sat. Front is overall pretty decent, may keep it as is, modify stock wheel for a quick release (extra security and I always wanted one) or upgrade wheel. 4 point roll bar color matched brown (maybe 6 point if we can make a nice clean install) and flock the dash. Seats are acceptable but may be upgraded as well.
Other supporting mods will likely be done as the build moves forward and we see what issues arise and what is holding us back like cooling system, oil cooler, fusable links (still don't even know what these are), strut tower braces, AC delete(doesn't work anyway) and rats nest removal/re-plumb.

If worse case happens and the 12A is completely shot, and some of the body rust is just too much for us to want to really restore and paint so it looks like a semi resto-mod, then we are throwing a 5.0 and a ford 8.8 (or 9) in and going drifting!

So far we've done minor fixes, made new door panels (we have a video coming for how-to) because the old ones were shot, done fuel filter, new headlights (LED SEALED 7S), fabricated a new wiper rack only on the drivers side and refurbished the wiper motor, cleaned the car inside and out, as well as bled the clutch and brakes.

Thanks a lot!
-Matt

Please feel free to message me or follow us/contact us anywhere else for suggestions and general debauchery! We do driving events and all that in the tri-state area and would love to meet up.

RGHTBrainDesign

Well, not to completely throw you off here, but I have a Small Bearing GSL LSD with zero miles on it sitting in a box here, waiting to be sold. I'm almost positive it's the 3.9 FD ratio.

Pretty hard to beat a BRAND NEW LSD, but you'd want to find a Small Bearing Rear Axle to fit it to with disc brakes.

I'm of the school of thought of do it right, do it once. Willing to ship (since I've already shipped out the other 3). It's the last one in my inventory and it needs a good home and an owner who's going to use the **** out of it.

Let me know if you need anything else.

For your turbo setup, I have a brand new Synapse DV w/ Softer Spring and tapped PROPERLY for a 1/8" NPT because they had a machining tolerance issue, and honestly anything else you can think of I can help acquire.

Sounds like you've got a Gem. Do this right.

SOsavanna

Thanks man, I really appreciate the support, if you hold onto that LSD I will have no doubt that i'll purchase from you. Sadly I need the right rear end first and that hasn't happened yet.

As far as that DV that would be awesome too all comes down to timing.

Do you own your own shop or?