Spetz's 1985 5 Letter Resto/Build
 

Hello!

Recently purchased this 5 Letter from a friend after he decided I needed it. I had been looking for a 1st gen in good condition for a while and he finally convinced me when he sold it to me for a really great deal! Plus the car has a rich history with it that some of you may recognize. :)

This is my 4th 1st gen and my last. My forever car so to speak. If my child is lucky enough, I may pass it down :P

So the car is a 1985 Rx-7 GSL-SE - No A/C or power steering. Almost everything is OEM except the paint/tires and plug wires from what I can tell. It was repainted a Rose color after a theft recovery.

Here she is half-way through the trip home. I had to stop and take a picture out of pure excitement.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...cbbb18290a.jpg

And after I unloaded her at the homestead with an instagram filtered glamour shot ;)

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a762e9606c.jpg

The dog looking at me like....this again?!

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...12347aaf0e.jpg

Thanks for checking it out. I will be adding more stuff as I go along.

The following day after getting it home I decided it needed my personal steering wheel. I have had this wheel in all of my Rx-7's, always kept it upon sale and swapped it into my next one. My lucky steering wheel :)
I also pulled apart the steering console to find some out where the non operational alarm system wires were hidden. I will be fully removing it since I do not have any of the remotes and it is already halfway removed.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c74f92b850.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...178b5f2994.jpg

This vehicle did have a remote fuel pump switch for clearing floods but it was a toggle switch. I didn't like the thought of a toggle switch on the steering console and possibly hitting it accidentally. Fuel cutting out while making a turn or merging on the highway didn't sound too appealing to me.

I decided to switch it with a lighted push button :)

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a59e35df52.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...9bac533eb4.jpg

congratulations. i like it. looks nice and clean.

what's the long term plan - just restore, or are you planning on a few modifications?

The plans as of right now are fixing/repairing anything that is broken and making sure its running right.
I currently have on order a new igniter coil, dimmer switch, map light cover and a brand new set of Solex Locks to replace all 3 (drivers side was punched).

After winter I will be doing the following;

-Full interior deep cleaning and restoration of the paint. Along with painting the A pillars black again since chrome is now showing.

-Suspension upgrades, probably a slight lowering / stiffer suspension.

-15x8/9 wheels with some sticky tires.

-Full racing beat header to muffler exhaust.

I will most likely be keeping the engine stock until the motor goes, then consider doing a street port or something cool like that.

She's a beauty! N-Joy. And Welcome back the the Rotary-side :)

Stu A
80GS
AZ

Thanks! I'm in love with it already

Thanks for keeping it on the road, man. Sounds like there may be some story behind you getting it - is it now safe from being stolen? Good luck,

It is definitely safe from being stolen now ;)

Will keep this one on the road until I'm too old to drive her :)

She's beautiful! With the painted mirrors, I assumed it was Royal Maroon Metallic. What's the paint code on the engine bay VIN tag?

yes, 3A is a factory color, late 85 GSL-SE only

Yep, thanks, j9fd3s. Lately, 3A SEs seem to be popping up more often.

It's not a factory color guys haha. It was actually repainted with a Candy Apple Red but it looks more of a Rose Red so I've been told.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...fa56bae41b.jpg

oh so shiny! I had mine looking like that with One Grand , omega glaze, something polish, carbana wax, and 40 hours of elbow grease...in 1992. +$100 in supplies.

nice find, but to be honest no Ac is a no go for me, I did a week without it during the summer and it was not fun at all.

I live in a desert so i'm used to the heat :P Once you get moving its fine, and we have no traffic out here

Nice car. As far as the flooding, there is a bug in the software that if you start one of these and don't let it warm up, it will flood the next time you try to start it. It has only happened to me once in 24 years. I pulled the car into the garage and shut it off. It flooded the next time. I always warm the car up and it has never happened again.

There's plenty of traffic in California =(

So today I just received my Solex Lock kit, all the way from Australia. Always wanted these when I was younger in my corolla days but could never afford them. So needless to say, I am excited to get these installed. :)

I also purchased the additional black trim rings for them to remove the Solex Lock writing, but once I install i may end up liking them.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...33a0d504cc.jpg

I also ended up doing the fuse-able link swap for the newer style fuses. They work great and its nice being able to tell if they are blown. Updates are always nice :)

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...7192cdc7d.jpeg

Nice locks
 

Wow I want to install these locks too thx for the info I never knew something like this existed.

Do the solex fit like oem?

Your welcome!

I ordered them through these guys. Fast response time and shipping, friendly and knowledgeable.

https://niceproducts.com.au/products/solex-locks/

The kit you would need is NUL1320.

I haven't installed them yet as we have been doing a lot of other home renovations but once I do I will be sure to update the thread :)

The Solex locks are (were) a popular theft deterrent in Australia.

They don't fit exactly like OEM. You need to slightly file out the notch to make them fit, see eg: solex locks - Page 2 - AusRotary

Great information! Thank you!