MathewBux

Recently got a '85 GSL SE and everything in the car is still stock. Both a good and bad thing as I have had to repair the carburetor because the engine would shut off instead of idle when off the choke. Anyways now that I got the car to consistently work what are some of the things that are most important to change in the car. So far I know that I need to change the Exhaust, Radiator, change the tires to wider and sticker for better traction. But does anyone know any specifics that work for them well or any recommendations? What I want from the car is something that I could drive everyday (realistically won't be), but has some good power behind it (hence changing the exhaust, etc.).

RX7_Renesis

iTrader: (1)

If you have a stock '85 GSL SE with a carburetor .. the first thing I would do is convert back to the factory fuel injected system .. or possibly upgrade to a factory S4 or S5 intake.

If you want an RX7 that you could use as a daily driver, your best bang for your buck will be tires. Be careful not to get anything too wide or too low of a profile for the area that you live.

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

welcome to the board.

so firstly, your car is either not stock, or it's not an SE. the SE is a fuel injected 13B from the factory. so first we need to confirm what you have.

you said you just got the car, so unless you knew the previous owner and how it was previously treated and maintained, you'll need to assume the car is closer to being a basket-case than it is to being a reliable form of transportation. your ordeal with the carburetor supports that.

as for your main question, a full exhaust system is probably your single, most potent modification in terms of power. however, i think suspension (including bushings), stainless brake lines and nice pads, nice tires and maybe a flywheel would make a nice driver.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

lmao, i can't think of 5 things i'd change in a GSL-SE, they are really good just when its 100% stock and everything works.

i guess the exhaust is the easy one though, the RB system is worth the $$, but if you wanted something more stock an FC exhaust manifold is bigger diameter, and then you can just make the exhaust make or modify one of these https://www.racingbeat.com/RX7-1986-...rs/S16206.html run it into a converter or center muffler and then to the rear muffler.

other than that, if its not a stock car have fun with it, there are a bunch of neat wheels and it looks good in any color...

RX7_Renesis

iTrader: (1)

I just thought of one more thing:

Your GSL-SE (if verified) should have a 4.11:1 rear end ratio.

You can improve off-the-line performance and acceleration by using a 4.44 Gear Ratio Ring & Pinion Set.

Your RPM's will increase across the range for any given vehicle speed .. which gets you into the rotary engine's happy zone sooner. This swap was very popular back in the day for parking lot autocross.

Remember .. everything is a trade-off. Your gas mileage will suffer especially for highway cruising .. but other than that the car should drive and feel like it's completely stock.

peejay

I would change absolutely nothing because a stock GSL-SE is getting to be worth stupid money, and making any changes will make it less and less valuable.

Didn't one go for $25k recently? A modded -SE is probably worth like $3000-4000. Would you spend $20k for a header?

$tinkfoot

With this diff ratio and 15" rims 72 mph will be @ about 4000 rpm.

KYPREO

I would only perform reversible mods but really, just some little reversible mods can improve things substantially.

I would consider:

1. Catback exhaust eg Racing Beat
2. Remove rear swaybar - this comes down to personal preference, but I definitely found the tendency to snap oversteer was drastically reduced with this simple mod.
3. 4.44 final drive - yes it will increase the cruising rpm but not dramatically from the factory 4.11. At 60mph, the difference with factory 205/60/14 tyre size is 3050rpm (4.44 final drive) vs 2800rpm (4.11 final drive) - negligible for the difference in acceleration at lower speeds. For me, this produced the single most noticeable improvement in performance and enjoyment in a standard N/A engine 1st gen.
4. Lightened flywheel & heavier duty clutch. Clutch doesn't need to be much heavier.
5. Better shocks, springs, upgrade front end bushes, watts link and lower control arm bushes to polyurethane (upper rear control arm bushes can stay rubber). This isn't technically one mod but I'd do all of these at once.

Almost all of the above reversible if you keep the factory parts (although a few of these involve a bit of effort). The only exception is some of the poly bushes as the factory rubber bushes are brazed into the rear control arms and can't really be reinstalled.