Kunim62

Thank you to this forum and every member. I would have been lost and made terrible mistakes without your numerous posts and discussions.

This is my first “project” car. The only things I knew about RX-7’s when I bought it were: rotaries are unreliable, RX-7’s are light and well balanced, the 787B is legendary, and the FD is gorgeous. I did not know anyone that owned an RX-7, I have no mechanical training, and I did not grow-up working on cars. Basically, I had no idea what I was getting into.

I purchased my 1993 FD RX-7 on December 10, 2016. I got it for a good price, but it was in rough shape: several dents, discolored panels, seats in taters, punctures in the exterior body panels, missing trim pieces inside and out, leaking rear differential, cracked fifth gear synchronizer, and an engine that had a bunch of minor problems. To exemplify my lack of knowledge, the first six months of ownership I did not realize the second turbo was not working. When Pettit Racing got the second turbo working it was like seeing color for the first time. Luckily, the apex seals were not a problem.

The first step was getting the engine working properly. Pettit Racing has done almost all of the engine work. I live in South Florida and having a reputable shop so close has been great. Thanks to the advice and comments on this forum I know that they are a bit pricey, but, again I have no technical background. I also have a busy job and small kids. If I want to work on the car, at best it is after 9:00 PM on weekdays or maybe for an hour or two on weekends. I know it costs a bit more, but that is the price of having a job, family, house, etc. Whenever I have a problem, this forum has been an invaluable resource for identifying the cause of the problem and potential solutions, even when I cannot fix it myself. For example, I had the 3,000 RPM hesitation a few months back. This forum told me it was an electrical problem that sometimes could be fixed by checking the ground wires, but usually fixed with an Apexi ECU. I checked the grounds, but it did not solve the problem. I purchased an Apexi Power FC and the problem is gone. Now the engine is running smoothly.

Engine and suspension work includes: Apexi Power FC; battery relocated to passenger side storage; Pettit Racing intake; Exhaust (unsure of make); 180 degree thermostat; AST delete; 185F fan switch; and numerous replaced OEM parts. The goal is reliability over performance.

The next step has been aesthetic. Thank you to this forum for giving detailed instructions on how to disassemble interior parts and fitment issues with the 99 spec front bumper. Many of the parts are brittle and I would have done a lot more damage without these guides. Some interior parts needed complete replacement and others just needed some TLC, acetone, and black bumper paint. The seat covers were replaced with real leather from Leatherseats.com and installed by E3 Upholstery. They also patched some foam that was missing from the seats. The back of the seats are black, giving a nice contrast. In my mind it looks like a comfortable racing seat. Body work and paint was done by Alltech Collision and Paint in January 2018. They really liked working on an RX-7 and did a fantastic job. Finally, there is a rear lip spoiler that was painted to match the body. I prefer an understated lip over a full spoiler.

My plans for the future are to upgrade the intercooler, Spirit R wheels (BBS RG-R), feed side skirts, and fixing whatever breaks along the way. The speaker wires have gone bad, and I have not had any music since the car was purchased. It has never bothered me, as opening the window and enjoying the drive are the best sound track.

Below are some pictures of the build along with some pictures from a local car show. My only regret is not keeping old pictures of the car when purchased to see how it has been transformed.

poncho45

Dang, thats really cool. The end product looks super good too