Hello there! I'm Jennifer;
Bought my first RX-7 in November 2016 so still fairly new to the club. It's an 85 12A all stock, blue, with near perfect and clean black & grey interior. The aftermarket sunroof that was put in years ago needs work but other than that it's tip top and it was in great running condition for all of 2 weeks, then kaput. I had been trying to figure out what went wrong with it ever since. About a month ago my cousin and I got the engine out and figured out that one of the front rotor's apex seals broke off and had gouged the rotor and probably the housing I can't even say how that happened...crappy rebuild maybe?

But recently I've been planning out my finances and looking to swap in a 13BT (leaning towards buying from RX7World) and doing it up right! Going from NA to FI, adding the "brap brap port", rotor housing cooling mod, polished rotors, 3mm Apex Seal upgrade, and corner seal spring upgrade. And I know I'll need another flywheel, GSL-SE oil pan, motor mount, and computer. I am so excited just thinking about the possibilities!

I'll be browsing the forums like crazy and be preparing for a totally BA new heart for my Rory! I want to hear that BRAP BRAP! Suggestions, advice, and critiques are welcome!

 

Welcome! Would love to see pics of the car! Sounds like you have a great plan laid out for your rebuild!

 

There's my 85. And since I've posted this I've completely turned my plan around. Going to stick to my 12A and rebuild it. There was sooo much more to swapping to a 13B than I originally thought, but I'll just be happy when it's running again, even if it doesn't have a Turbo 😁

 

That sounds like an even better plan to me! I prefer original unmodified 7's over heavily modded ones. The 12A will be more of a reliable setup and I think you will enjoy the car more so with it over a modded 13B.

 

Also, it looks to be a Tender Blue Metallic 85 S model. Looks like non power mirrors. Does the car have AC? Do you know any history or have any previous maintenance records on the car?

 

You know your stuff! No power mirrors or windows and yes there's A.C. I agree, I'll enjoy the car more stock, and the guy that's rebuilding it for me said the 12A is "meatier" than the 13B and more reliable. I'll just be glad when I get to drive it again haha!

 

Oh and the previous owners (of the last 30 years) kept nearly every receipt of everything done to it. Is there anything specific I should look for? And I have the original maintenance manual.

 

Having a clean original car with a service history is amazing! That's a car I'd keep original. Well, I keep them all as original as possible and all of my restorations are to original specifications, so yeah..lol. My customers base is mostly unmodified RX-7's though I will take in modded stuff for repair.

I would check to see what weight of oil has been used in the engine over the years and make sure you're running 20w50 in the warmer months and 10w40 in the cooler months. Check to see if the transmission oil and rear differential oil has been changed. Check to see when the last coolant flush was. Should be done every two years. Spark plugs are also a required maintenance item ever couple years as well. I change mine every two years or 10k miles. I think its great to get to go through a car's life on paper and see what's been done to the car, what's failed and see how its been cared for. I recently picked up a 2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder and it came with a complete service history since the car had 15k miles. It lets me know how the previous owner cared for the car during its life and because he did it runs so very well.