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Purchased my first RX7, a black '93 R1 from a JDM auction about 2 months ago! Patiently awaiting its delivery next week and been lurking on this forum for the past 8 weeks just acquiring knowledge about the FD life.
It is in mint stock condition (both visual and mechanical) with less than 20k miles and absolutely not modifications done to it (only thing that needs a touch up is the front lip). Intentions are to keep 100% stock look inside and out, perform all the reliability mods, and do a light tune with the stock turbo setup. Here she is before getting shipped over:
So why the FD, haha: I was the weird kid on the block in the 90s that wanted a bunch of JDM cars, while my friends all had posters and models of their Lambos and Ferraris! They didn't get it, nor did i get them, haha. IMO the FD is the most gorgeous sports car ever designed (unobtainium/hyper cars aside). Top it off with so many unique design choices Mazda chose, it makes it in the top 3 of all time in my book Also stoked to get into the weeds of learning to rebuild and tune rotary setups. Thinking of trying to find a FC or FD project shell this summer as well.
Any good clubs/shops/communities around the NY/NJ/CT catering to the RX7 community.
Great choice. I spent a year looking for my 94 FD and found one with 5,000 orig miles. First things I did were the reliability mode like you. smart choice. Good to keep it stock otherwise, value wise. Welcome to the forum and good luck with your car. When I got mine shipped I wound up standing in my garage sometimes at night staring at it with a smile on my face. See if that happens to you.
ready to shower her in some gifts once she arrives! About 80% of the round 1 reliability/maintenance parts have arrived so just waiting on her arrival!
It was quite the long adventure trying to get her for me as well @jricci . About 7 months of auction hunting 2x a day, 4-5 days a week! No doubt will there be a lot of weeks of just looking and admiring in my future haha.
Just wondering what else you’ve got planned for the rest of phase 1 and phase 2 reliability?
Also, I see a down pipe, is that needed for reliability since your car is JDM and doesn’t have the stock precat like the USDM models?
New R1 lips are still available from Mazda and not too expensive. I’d recommend just buying a new one to make sure it’s super clean to match the rest of the car’s condition.
@RXSHUN Great question which would be awesome to vet on here in case my R&D on these forums resulted in some misses. Here's my all-encompassing project work list:
Phase 1:
Vac lines and check valves
Engine Oil
Trans Oil
Diff Oil
Coolant
Thermostat
Coolant Cap
Apexi PFC
Fuel Filter
Injector o-rings
Air Filter
Low Premix levels (if oil pump in good condition)
Plugs
Brake Pads
Basic Cleanup (wipers, lights, detailing)
Phase 2:
Downpipe (realized the JDM didn't have the precat after I bought it, got it used for a steel anyways, technically not needed)
Midpipe cat delete (maybe not reliability as much as also wanting a little bit of grunt, inner child in me and extra smiles/mile)
Cera-cote turbo manifold
Cera-cote hot side turbo housings
Cera-cote downpipe
Wideband
Datalogit
New R1 Lip
Ding removal and scratch touch-up
Catch can (? not sure, pending inspection)
Radiator (? not sure, pending inspection of tanks)
Ceramic clear coat paint (? not sure, pending inspection)
Oil Pump delete (? still on the fence about this)
Good call on the R1 lip, I was going to go with an Ebay replica, but you're right, seems like i can get an OEM for $40 more and guarantee perfect fitment. Really appreciate that pointer.
Overall, its a quick and simple list thus far... Did I miss anything from my stock FD maintenance and reliability list? I know there is a little scope creep with the downpipe/midpipe upgrades, but figure its an easy swap back if i don't like it or wind up appreciating the stock more.
Looks like you’ve got a pretty comprehensive list there.
The only thing I didn’t see was the air separation tank. You can read up on the debate around replacing it with oem, going with an aftermarket aluminum AST, or eliminating it altogether. People have varying opinions.
I also wouldn’t consider the downpipe to be something you would easily or frequently take on and off. Depending on the design it can be frustrating to install and some people even have to loosen engine mounts or spend quite a bit of effort getting it in.
I agree with rxshun. A new AST is at the top of the list. Reliability 1st.
Down pipe, big yes. it will cool off your engine bay and is usually a close 2nd on the list behind the aluminum AST.. I'd wait on the midpipe until I have some kind of tuning for the pfc. Too much flow and you'll start to creep., which is dangerous for the rotary. A hi-flow cat works great!
Coolant hoses: good call, thanks for the tip. AST: definitely what I meant when I wrote "catch can", not sure where my mind wandered off to. Only looked into an aluminum replacement, but intrigued by "eliminating all together", gonna look up what that entails to make sure things still operate well. Thank you.
Also finished up making the cufflinks for the big date
ready to shower her in some gifts once she arrives! About 80% of the round 1 reliability/maintenance parts have arrived so just waiting on her arrival!
It was quite the long adventure trying to get her for me as well @jricci . About 7 months of auction hunting 2x a day, 4-5 days a week! No doubt will there be a lot of weeks of just looking and admiring in my future haha.
are H4 the size of the low beam headlights for the fd? I want to change the yellow to white. Thanks
Does anyone wanna help out a new fd owner? I would appreciate it I have questions about AST and I just bought my fd a month ago it’s been at the mechanic and I haven’t even driven it yet. I don’t know where to start I had him do tuneup but I don’t know if it has original omp and where to look for it. Also need it to pass smog but don’t have stock air I. And it has fc commander.
are H4 the size of the low beam headlights for the fd? I want to change the yellow to white. Thanks
Yes, that is correct.
Originally Posted by rx-smebbin415
Does anyone wanna help out a new fd owner? I would appreciate it I have questions about AST and I just bought my fd a month ago it’s been at the mechanic and I haven’t even driven it yet. I don’t know where to start I had him do tuneup but I don’t know if it has original omp and where to look for it. Also need it to pass smog but don’t have stock air I. And it has fc commander.
thanks guys
Probably not the answer you're looking for, but I would start by educating yourself using free and easy methods such as googling specifics and the repair manual. Seems like you are at the beginning of your journey so its actually the easiest to get that good high level understanding with minimal work (its the details where it gets more challenging). Great starting points for things to research are "RX7 FD reliability mods", "RX7 FD AST problems", "RX7 FD omp", "RX7 FD PFC commander setup..." etc etc etc. Once you start googling you will read about more and more things, just keep a tight list, notes, and slowly punch through it all until you feel like you got a hold on things. Then you can work with your mechanic to get through it or DIY. Also browsing through the RX7 repair manual for specific things that come up from searches or posts is a great idea to see and understand what it is and how it integrates (which is available via download if you just google it).
I don't have enough experience yet with the FD, but IMO just like any car project, you want to understand the platform's nuances, quirks, and specifics before hopping in and getting started. Otherwise you potentially risk frustration and unnecessary costs in the future.
Originally Posted by Ermo_x7
Hey how do i get into the JDM auction? i am currently looking for one. Thanks
You must find someone in Japan with an auction license and work with them directly. There is no way you can do it on your own. You can find a number of sellers/exporters on the internet, i initially scheduled a few calls to chat with them and vet them to make sure they were a fit and I felt comfortable working with them, i suggest you do the same because there are a lot out there with mixed reviews. Overall, I was planning for a lot of time to go into making it happen, but it definitely surpassed that by a lot. Additionally, the fees and time along the way add up, so despite the car auction prices being lower there are $1000s to tack on to that when all said and done. Not trying to dissuade you, but be prepared as it will be many months of steady work and lots of waiting If the full experience winds up feeling too daunting, you can surpass a lot of this through other means such as finding a JDM importer here in the US that makes it infinitely easier for you.
You must find someone in Japan with an auction license and work with them directly. There is no way you can do it on your own. You can find a number of sellers/exporters on the internet, i initially scheduled a few calls to chat with them and vet them to make sure they were a fit and I felt comfortable working with them, i suggest you do the same because there are a lot out there with mixed reviews. Overall, I was planning for a lot of time to go into making it happen, but it definitely surpassed that by a lot. Additionally, the fees and time along the way add up, so despite the car auction prices being lower there are $1000s to tack on to that when all said and done. Not trying to dissuade you, but be prepared as it will be many months of steady work and lots of waiting If the full experience winds up feeling too daunting, you can surpass a lot of this through other means such as finding a JDM importer here in the US that makes it infinitely easier for you.
Thanks for the reply, by no means I would feel dissuaded, I understand it must be a painful process. And all I got is time on my hands so far.
I have been looking at RHD specialties web site, but would like to check other reputable vendors.
Also stoked to get into the weeds of learning to rebuild and tune rotary setups. Thinking of trying to find a FC or FD project shell this summer as well. 
