Accepted that the only way I’d be able to learn hands on with a rotary would be to buy one in need of a rebuild off eBay and try to somehow make it fit in my e30 but boy oh boy I stumbled upon what I consider an unbelievable find as far north in Wisconsin as you can go without taking the polar plunge in Lake Superior. Found myself a 100 percent complete fc sitting in a hay field. I could even afford it because it hasn’t ran in 19 years luckily it was stored in a garage for 17 of them but got pushed outside to make room for other projects I guess. I’m super excited to take this on slowly because my daughter is now a year old money is tight time is even tighter and it’s 4 below outside this morning but the window sticker is in a picture frame the car is happily in the garage protected from the 2 1/2 feet of snow we just got in 2 days last week and I finally had the time to make this post.
Hello all hope everyone has a successful day

Mac

 

Welcome to the club!
We'd love to see a few more pictures of what you're working with. Also consider making a build thread if you're planning to keep track of the progress.

 

Welcome, and best wishes for your FC project.

 

Welcome to forum

 

Welcome to the forum!! Is that a 10th Anniversary RX-7? Sure looks like it to me. If so, I have a thread that I started that keeps track of these special cars. I would love to see more pictures of the car!

 

Thanks everyone. Nice eye it most certainly is an anniversary. It was in really tall grass when I first spotted it. I just thought someone put a hood on it at some point I’ve honestly never seen a factory turbo car in person. My sister had 3 different fc growing up base models and I really enjoy going to usair it’s the closest track to me for drift events and I sometimes get to see some fcs there that’s about it. Anyway upon wading through the grass it revealed itself.
I believe I have scrolled the thread your referring to I noticed that the last post was someone looking for tail lights so I figured it might be sorta dead my apologies. I also have reluctantly devoted my time to work instead of the car so I haven’t really wanted to post much and not be able to show any progress but I think I’ll start a build thread hopefully everyone is understanding that I do want to spend every free moment on my project but I recently started wrenching for myself so that’s a giant step for me and I’m going to do everything in my power to succeed meaning the rx7 will come second. I also will try my best to figure out how to post properly. Maybe it’s called tagging someone in your post so they get notified that I’m speaking to said person I grew up on a farm with dial up and 3 channels so I apologize for any mistakes I make.

thanks everyone

 

To "tag" someone, you type @ then their username.

Take things at your own pace, do research and if you get lost or need direction ask away. There's no need to rush and cut corners or put off other more important priorities in life.
We're here to share and help. Lot's of very dedicated enthusiasts here who love to see these back on the road.

A genuine 10th AE is an exciting find, so you'll definitely have people interested in your progress.

 

@GtiKyle thanks for the tip. It’s pretty intimidating for me to open up online but I’m definitely feeling much better thanks guys. I grew up with my dad restoring a 72 challenger rally sitting in the parts car on a milk crate winning drag races while he worked and I’m hoping my daughter likes to hang in the garage also and this will be our car. My dad didn’t put a dollar from his paycheck in the car instead he collected signs and or whatever and traded. We would go to car shows and swap meets together it was great finally finished the car when I was 14 and crashed it 3 months later. He had the frame straightened then it sat in pieces in the barn till I went to school and got a job at our local ford dodge dealership. He had moved away but asked if I wanted to work on it of course I did so he started sending money and part. Now it’s my fingerprints on it and I can’t really explain how special it is to me. I’m hoping my daughter and I can share a similar feeling with this one so I plan to build it to the best of my ability and I always wanted to build a rowdy rx7 but being what it is and the completeness of it I could never do anything but try to keep it as original as possible and only make changes in attempt of reliability. I don’t have many pictures but I have a few from the day he pulled it out of the field so I could get a good view and a few more when I brought it home.
I hope whoever reads this doesn’t mind a bit of story telling I’ll try to stay more on track but hope everyone enjoys


Gardener snake caught me off guard that always gets your heart going



Door trim was safely stored on the roof



I’m super pumped for the factory radio




I disconnected the fuel pump and put a battery in because they just look so good with their eyes open

 

91k on the clock story is he bought it from a guy who had a vacation home near him that’s all the info I got about the first owner other than dealer warranty card and an old Minnesota registration. Second owner who I purchased it from sounded like he would take it out for spirited drive quite frequently also had it at road America once. I found a paper for Midwest rotary rally under the seat for 2005 I believe with a note for the judges stating it was for sale. No blue ribbon in it though. It started running rough or something along those lines and he changed the fuel pressure regulator and I think the plugs at the same time then proceeded to tell me how long it took him to find the plugs lol. Internet is an amazing resource that is easily under appreciated. Ran good till it didn’t want to start he found a varmint nest in the air cleaner cleaned it up got it to run for the last time “ran great better then it ever did” for the day parked it then the next time it wouldn’t start. Not sure how much he tried the airbox was open and a few rags stuffed in inside. I was thinking possibly after cleaning it a vacuum line may have been forgotten and perhaps the waste gate stayed closed and it got a bit too hot first thing that came to my mind listening to his story.
I haven’t even put a wrench on it to see if it’s locked up and I honestly don’t want to. In my experience I’ve seen lots of rusty piston holes and broken rings. Now a lot of these cars have had the chance to sit around for awhile so it was easy to read about people in very similar situation time wise and it’s been the atf and giver. I don’t understand maybe there is an advantage for disassembly to have it be freed up but what comes to my mind is I want to avoid any unnecessary damage. I imagine the housings are pretty durable with what I’m guessing is sorta like a nikasil 2 stroke coating but I really don’t want to score an iron or anything like that. I plan to go straight into removing the engine and bringing it in the basement for a winter rebuild. I don’t think this is the place to ask questions so when I have access I’ll start a build thread.
Is it ok to ask questions in a build thread? I’d figure it would take longer to get a reply but I would make a different post in the area I thought it fit best second if nobody said anything. I just don’t know if it’s frowned upon or anything I just want to use proper etiquette if I can.
Thanks again guys

 

Awesome story, thanks for sharing. You really lucked out, as I'm sure you're aware they only made 1500 of the Anniversary edition cars. Some special features include the badging on the outside, the steering wheel and shift ****, floor mats, special bronze windows and windshield, and the white paint/white wheels. Sadly, the white paint was notorious for flaking off like your cars, so that's no surprise.

There's a chance that the engine might be free and just needs some time to soak. Unless you're set on doing the rebuild, the ATF trick can work wonders. If it requires a ton of force to try and break it free, it's likely not worth doing and should be pulled apart. It's up to you the level of tear down you'd like to tackle.

Also, a build thread is a perfect place to post your progress and ask for any specifics. Its easier for people to track what you've done or tried and help give some guidance, plus i love following the progress as these cars get put back on the road.


How's the rust on the car?

 

You'll want to start posting in the 2nd gen section where you'll find more information specific to your needs. It includes a build section too. https://www.rx7club.com/build-threads-294/

Questions are welcomed here and there are a bunch of enthusiastic owners who can provide experienced based knowledge. Just about the best place to learn and from and get your car back on the road.

 

@Banzai and @GtiKyle thanks for all your input and helpfulness. I’m even more excited to get some time with it now and not so nervous about sharing the good and bad mistakes or irrelevance I appreciate it immensely. I’m also feeling ready to start a new post in the build section hopefully soon with actual hands on content lol also thank you for the link.
For anyone reading that hasn’t joined and shared out of fear of judgement or making a mistake or what have you I hope this helps change your mind I’m glad I did.
Hope everyone has a great day

This is the most recent pic I have of my dads challenger still not 100 percent done but I’m not sure if any vehicle really is

 

I really enjoyed reading about the car's history and about your time with your father! Your 10AE appears to be original and mostly unmolested. This is a huge thing for the restoration! Shoot me the last part of the vin like this, 0623272 and I will add you to the registry! Let us know how we can help you get the car up and running. Great find!! I bought my second and current 10AE from the original owner. It had been sitting for some time and I got it running and it runs and drives great!!