IamWill's Fixer-Upper
 

What's good RX7 club!

Recently bought my first rx7. 4 days ago to be exact lol

Paid $800 for it and honestly don't know if i did ok on it hopefully you guys can chime in with some words of wisdom. I'm on the fence on whether i should keep it when i have it up and running or if i should sell it and use the money to buy a cleaner, already 5 spd shell so i can do the turbo swap i've always wanted please feel free to state your opinion and help me make a decision!

This thread is mainly to help me keep track of what I've done, where i'm going, and keep my self organized. Nothing too crazy planned as of yet.



About the car:
1990 RX7 (Base?) {I'm not sure about the trim level because the doors have manual windows, but they came off another car and I haven't checked the diff on it yet}

Auto-tragic

123,xxx miles

Turbo II hood

doo-doo prelude wheels, but have almost new bridgestone Potenza's on them so I can't complain.

Known problems:
Front rotor has 0 compression
Rear has 90 psi
It's automatic
Minor dents on drier side ( Driver side quarter panel and driver side door)
The paint is AWFUL on this car. Originally dark blue, but painted grey. Almost looks like someone did it with a spray paint can and a brush lol. And the inside of the doors are red.
The middle section of the stock exhaust was stolen

Current progress:
Prepping motor for removal
Planning on tearing it open and seeing whats bad. Then I'll decide between a mild rebuild or sourcing a running NA motor, which is near impossible in my neck of the woods. ( I've managed to fine 1 running S4 motor so maybe i'll swap that into the S5 or use the rotor from the S4 in my S5 motor?)

Research questions/tips:
Are NA S4 rotors the same as NA S5?
Would an NA S4 housing work on an NA S5?
Most efficient way of engine removal while leaving the trans in.
Would you recommend i keep the car or should i find a cleaner shell to make my turbo swap project?


On to the pictures: (Sorry for potato quality pictures, GA's crappy weather doesn't help either)

When I picked it up!
http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps1a37fb4b.jpg

As it sits today after most of the harness/vacuum lines were disconnected
http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps0dc2c974.jpg

Minor dents
Attachment 651412

Attachment 651413

Attachment 651414

Aaaaaaand some of my previous cars!

The car that got me into the scene, SR swapped S13 on SSR Xr4Z-Kai's
Attachment 651409

Sold it and bought a WRX which died on the dyno
Attachment 651410

Then i bough another S13 because 1 is never enough, this was my drift missile. KA, welded diff, and a Bride seat made it the most fun car i ever owned. I wish i hadn't sold it.
Attachment 651411

Dead motor and automatic = barf
Don't bother with S4 rotors in S5 motor. The s5 motor is better, but if it's dead and you're going through the trouble to find a new motor... get a TURBO!

800 was probably too much... sell it for parts. You have some parts of value!
TII hood, S5 tails. Interior looks clean, you can probably get some bucks for things in there.
S5 OMP is electronic. Some people need those along with the ECU. Automatic trans count weight. Mirrors, rear wing, other miscellaneous doodads. Truthfully, you may barely get the 800 back that way though. Then maybe the 175-200 for scrap.

I could use that rear bumper, and a passenger dash vent just sayin... Wouldn't mind getting that three spoke steering wheel either. If you do ever decide to part out let me know!

You could definitely get a better deal on a car that actually runs and is NOT automatic for cheaper than you would spend to get this thing even running with an AUTOMATIC transmission.

Not in my area. Bare 5 spd shells sell for $1,000 with no motor in them.
Running NA FCs go for 3-4k

Location is everything, you have to keep in a mind a good deal in your area might not even be what the car is valued in my area. I wish prices were universal, but the reality is that they are not.
If i decide to part it out i'll let you know, but i think im gonna get it running and sell it.