Proud new owner of a 1979 RX7
 

Hello Everyone. I'm a proud new owner of a 1979 RX7. I owned and tinkered with several RX7's and other rotary powered cars extensively back in the 90's. Life happened and my hobby took a back seat to family and work but I am happy to say that I am now "back in the game" so to speak. Here is a picture of my new car. I look forward to becoming a part of the great community that exists on this forum!
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...8779276ad5.jpg

Welcome!!! Always been a fan of Daytona Blue. Looks as though your car has been well cared for appears that the interior was reupholstered at some point. would love to see pictures of the interior and engine bay! Do you know any of the car's history?

Thanks Mazdaverx7! I don't know much about the cars history unfortunately. The car seems to come from North Carolina (I am in Chicago) as it has an old North Carolina Troopers Association sticker on the back quarter glass. It was then registered in Virginia before being brought to Chicago. Finding cars of this age here in Chicago that aren't completely rusted is near impossible. The sticker plus the fact that there is near zero rust on this car leads me to believe that it has never seen salted roads like we have here. The young man that I bought the car from purchased it from the person that brought it to Chicago. He didn't own it very long and didn't think or know to get much information on the work done to it prior. I haven't had a chance to take too many photos but here are a couple I had on my from the day I bought it home.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a79a1d82e6.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...6afb0ee05f.jpg

The car is in very good shape for its age and that was the primary reason for buying the car. The body, chassis, and interior all solid and its generally all there which is what I really wanted. The engine has been modified differently than I would have done it but the prior owner(s) was thoughtful enough not to hack up the car. Unfortunately we see alot of butchered examples here on this vintage of RX7. All in all seems a good foundation for what I want to do with the car.

As for the current mods, well its kind of a mixed bag. Some of them are done extremely well with quality components while others seem like more of an afterthought or creative solution using cobbled together spare parts. The ignition, for example, is very well done with 2 MSD Digital 6AL's. That carburetor on the other hand is a spreadbore marine Holley 650 mounted to a factory 12A intake manifold with a very crude adapter/spacer plate that is welded on. That FPR and hoses, they are done well, but they go back to a generic inline fuel pump you might buy at an autoparts store for $20. My best guess is this is the result of different owners over the years with different experience levels or resources. Taking everything down, separating the good from the bad, and rebuilding is all part of the fun though :)

Welcome Manny and congrauts! Like Dave says, Daytona Blue is normally a rare and special color, I believe the Blue is even more rare than Spark Yellow. Sounds like you have a good understanding of the car and what has been done to it. I agree, from your pictures, it appears the car has good bones. I know there is an core group of Rotary enthusiasts in Chicago to help and provide assistance. Still, this site has a load of information and knowledge to tap into. Hope to see more of your car in the 1st Gen section.

Thank you for sharing the pictures. The car looks to have been well cared for and loved. Odd to see a beehive oil cooler on the engine. Its apparent that someone replaced the engine with a late 83-85 12A, as they may have been confused about the oil cooler setup. I would consider using the original oil cooler, lines, and oil filter pedestal, Not only is it a cleaner look, provides better cooling, but it allows for more working space under the hood. You will need the original short radiator with this setup and if a later long style is in the car, it will need to be replaced if you plan on using the SA oil cooler.

Also looks like the door cards and seats where replaced with a 1984/1985 model.

Yep, good eye MazdaveRX7. Thats an 83 + motor in there. I actually scored an 80 RX7 as a parts car. Its got the front mounted oil cooler, radiator, and shroud in tact and my plan is to move that over.

Great looking car!

I really prefer the look of the original style door cards with the chrome stripe that matches the stripe on the dash. The door cards on the '80 parts car are in great shape and the plan is to move them over. The dash too. Its mint and the dash currently on the car has an aftermarket dash cap that has some cracks and bubbling on it. Only problem is the replacement stuff is brown. I am going to try my hand at some vinyl paint and see how it comes out. Wish me luck.

Keep us updated with how the vinyl painting goes. Also, all you will need to do is transfer the dash top. The dash is split into two pieces and the entire dash does not need to be removed to replace the top, just the top itself.

Daytona Blue looks great on these

That color :drool1:

Thanks guys. I saw alot of these cars back in the day but had never seen one in this color. I didn't even think it was a factory color when I first saw it. I really like it and think it's pretty unique. I got to spend some time bonding with and working on the car over the long weekend. I'll start a separate thread with some of the things I found out about the car while working on it .