After letting it sit behind a shed for a decade, my dad finally agreed to let me get his 80 rx7 running again! Going to be my first time tearing down a rotary engine, lets see how this goes.

 

Do you know for certain it needs to be torn down or do you just want to look inside?

 

Welcome!!! Would love to know more about the car and see some pictures of it as well! Theres a chance that the engine is fine if it was running when parked.

 

Welcome to forum

 

Can you turn the engine over by hand? If its free you may want to add some marvel mystery oil to the rotors and spin it to get some lube in there. A compression check is a good test to know if you need a rebuild. Normally, its the fuel system / carb that needs attention after sitting for prolonged periods.

 

My dad tried to get it running for 3 months before he let me look at it. My mechanic friend who is walking me through all of it said that the engine wont turn and I guess failed the compression test he did? The oil we took out also was more gas and unidentifiable sludge than just old oil. My dad also is okay with resto-modding, and I want to make it fuel injected, so we are doing a ground up rebuild at this point.

 

My friend who is a mechanic said it needs the tear down, and I want to look inside and replace all the seals, so a little of both?

 

Unfortunately its in pretty bad shape right now. It was barely running when he parked it, and definitely isn't running now. It basically needs new everything. Its kinda funny, he kept the glass top in the whole time he had it, so the other top panel still has untouched paint. Its gonna be quite the project to make it nice again.

 

That's a beautiful Solar Gold 80 GS! That car has a lot of potential and I would no doubt restore it! Here's hoping you start a restoration thread on the car in the 1st Gen Builds section!! My 80 is the same color but it's the Leather Sport trim level!!

 

If the engine doesn't turn over, it's impossible to do any sort of compression test.....yes it looks like a teardown is in order. My concern would be the housings. A stuck motor could mean an apex seal has imbedded itself in the housing. They are NLA and difficult to find in good condition. Not impossible mind you, but they probably won't be cheap. You need to think about how far you want to fix it. Do you just want it running and back on the road or more of a total restoration?

Be aware, things like the door cards, dash and many other trim and interior parts are also hard to source. No aftermarket company currently makes any new replacement parts. Not to discourage you, just providing the hard facts of what you will face. I realize there is probably a sentimental attachment to the car. Your best bet in the long run, may be to try and find a donor car to source needed parts from.

 

My Dad wants, and is willing to pay for, a total restoration. We agreed to resto-mod it. I want to make it fuel injected, and he wants to put racing seats in it, so its going to be a very different car once it is done. I am already looking for a donor car, my dad is just deciding on how much he wants to spend on it. I have a few friends who are machinists, and already have someone lined up to do the paint job. Its gonna be a lot of work, but I think I am in a good place to do it.