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Hello everyone! Proud new owner of a beautiful 1979 RX7 Limited
A little bit about me:
I'm Krys. I grew up working on cars with my dad because my older brother had less than zero interest in anything mechanical. My dad had a 1979 Fiat Spyder as a daily driver for as long as I can remember, and still has it today (though it has a new body since the old one rusted through), and he's retired so drives it less frequently. I remember working on/under this car from the age of about 5, since my hands could fit into places his couldn't, heh. We took apart the engine and put it back together, twice. We repainted the new rust-free body, changed out sensors, have done brakes, suspension, put a new soft top on it twice, replaced seats, etc. I feel like I have quite a bit more experience than most women, but definitely don’t know much about car mechanics.
Fast forward a decade or two, I have owned a few VW Golfs, my Yamaha V-star, and my Mazda2 for the last 8 years. My boyfriend is a bit of an influence, as he's very much into cars and owns an FD as well. I'm happy to have brought home the newest addition to our family, a 1979 RX-7 SA Limited, 5 speed manual!
This is a local car from Vancouver, BC. I have original service records for the first several years of the car’s life (1979 to 1995), until it sat in a garage. From everything I know, I am the 4th owner. I was told that it was owned by a woman for 35 years, then sold to a mechanic who owned it for a couple years. It passed through another gentleman’s hands for 2 months before I lucked out last week.
The car has minimal rust on the body, but it does seem to have a fair bit under the hood. It is quite greasy/grimy under there as well. Suspension is pretty shot, but the engine runs strong, it shifts smooth, and the interior is in incredible shape (aside from a tear on side of the driver seat).
Original colour is Tornado Silver, however it looks like it has been painted/resprayed, I think? I have a bottle of the original touch-up paint that came with the car. It’s totally dried up, but I think I should be able to get a local paint shop to match back to this original colour.
My goal with this car is to repair and restore. I'm not looking to modify this at all, except maybe trying to source a clear glass moonroof instead of the solid sunroof it has.
Pics from our first photoshoot. Can you tell it’s hard for me to contain my excitement??
Welcome Krys! That's a beautiful 79 Limited you found!! Hows the interior and does the digital clock still work? The 79 Limited came only in Beat Black Metallic, color code E6. The paint appears to be correct from what I can see in the pictures. And you have the rare optional oem Almex wheels. Does the spare match the rest of the set?
Super glad to see that you know most of the car's history! That's a very important thing to me when buying a 7 and I always ask on the introductory threads if the new owner know any of the car's history. So glad you do! Would love to see pictures of the interior and engine bay! Also did you get the original window sticker or owners manual set with the car?
Welcome and congrauts! Dave is correct, Beat Black is the original color for 79 Limited's. Kinda hard to tell from a picture, but it might have been re sprayed. Beat Black looks black in flat light but mostly comes across as a grey color pretty close in appearance to Tornado Silver. Those wheels are standard on Limited's. Part of an appearance equipment package that included the paint, special pin stripes, wheels w / RWL tires, special blue / grey velour interior, leather wrapped steering wheel and shift ****, an upgraded stereo w /4 speakers and an Amp under the passenger seat.
Post up some interior and engine bay shots. There is a registry in the 1st gen section where you can add the VIN. There has been a couple Limited owners from Canada on here, you may have one of their cars.
I will take some shots of the interior and engine bay tonight. Interior is in pretty great shape, aside from a fairly large tear on the exterior side of driver upper seat. I looked underneath as much carpet as I could and didn't find any rust.
I had a quick peek at the 1st gen registry, and my VIN isn't on there, so I guess I'll need to add me My VIN is SA22C 551539.
It does have a working digital clock.
I'll check for stickers on windows... It has a few that might be from the dealership, but unsure.
The stereo unit is not stock, and I'm unsure if the antenna works or not (haven't actually tried it yet, was too excited over everything else)
The air conditioning unit seems to have been removed and plugged. There's a **** for it on the temp controls, but there's a big empty space in the engine bay where I think it would have been.
There is no pin-striping on the sides, so this confirms that it has been painted. Weird that it came with a Tornado Silver paint pen if it's original colour was Beat Black
My spare tire in the back is the same aluminum rim, which means I have all 5 original wheels! Unfortunately only 3 center caps came with it, so I'll be on the hunt for a matching 4th.
It's fairly common to see the seats in the Limited deteriorate. But given that its 40 years old I think it gets a pass. The seat fabric is unique to the 79 Limited which makes it not only special, but unobtanium. You will likely have to seek out a place that is well versed in automotive fabric.
I also believe that the car has been painted, given that the pin stripes were removed. I also wanted to share this with you. It's a picture from a book I own that includes a page with the original ad for the 79 Limited. Figured you would like it.
Here are some more pics of the car. Happy to take more if anyone has an interest in specific areas.
Digital clock works, no issues!
Unfortunate tear on the driver seat
Original bag & visor, both still work
Clean hatch. Spare tire matches the LE rims. Original jack & parts are tucked away in here, too. Metal decal from Summit Motors of Vancouver, BC, fell off the rear, it is now missing the "T". The RX-7 decal is plastic, but I have all 3 and none are broken, tabs should still hold it in. On the lookout for 4th center cap
Rad is looking pretty old, I know I'll need to do some work under the hood here.
For the age, the car is in great shape! You have an RX-7 well worth saving and enjoying older years to com. Did you get any paperwork or the original window sticker with the car?
I agree, the car looks pretty complete and in good condition. Appears to have an FB shift boot instead of the vinyl SA one. The leather steering wheel and shift **** look to be in good shape. A lot of times, these will be worn. Is the 34K milage correct? The center caps have been hard to find for quite awhile. They also use a wire spring retainer, like a snap ring that keeps them in the rim.
Looks like its also missing the cover for the dead pedal and the belly pan under the front of the car. With a few parts, some spit, polish and elbow grease, this car would come out very nice. I don't see any thing that could not be fixed. Does the antenna still function? This is another weak spot on these cars.
09-09-19, 02:03 PM
My VIN is SA22C 551539.
