I live in LI and i got a 89 gxl. I tried doing a t2 conversion and blew my engine b/c things weren't hooked up correctly. I want to know if there is anyone who can do a rebuild or a differ shop out there i can go 2 for a rebuild. I've already been to various shops in the area but they all screwed me. I want to get the car running by mid summer or i'm going to have to sell it. I dont really want to sell it so please help!!!

 

Tried Smokin joes? I hear he is very good with Rotary. But if you have any mechanic background build it your self man give it a shot read up and ****. Only way you learn. But if not you either tryin searching some more or find a motor with lower miles.


Trini

 

yup smokin joes is the clostest to you and he is very good . he is the only person i let work on my t2

 

And you have one bad *** RX7!!!!!!!


Trini

 

Smokless Joe.
Here's my RANT.
(although: go to see him the decision is yours but be careful. Know you Sh-t and do your research)
Gave him my car about 6 years ago for a rebuild and 8 mnths later still didn't have my car?
Rebuilds take how long?
1-2 months would have been time enough. Had to take the car from him to later crap out on me after 50 miles.
Was a novice fd owner back then but know the book now with my white 95 pep originally owned w/ only 52K.
Have pictures as evidence from back then. Car was missing parts and then some. Things weren't hooked up right.
When I took the engine apart at KDR with Dave we found a nut lodged between the rotor and the housing causing the engine to lock up. Have pics of that to.
You want a quality build with no issues and can spend the money, get you car to Dave at KDR. He's reliable, as far as my ride is concerned.
Smokeless exemplified a mechanic taking advantage of a person with beginner knowledge of his car.
Don't be fooled.
I wouldn't recommend him but its your decision and the only way to know if he's the guy you want you've got to go there and feel him out yourself.
Mine is just my story and other people have their stories. You should go the way you feel and not by what other people say....to that
Good luck. Hope it turns out well

 

I pm'd you with my recomendation, would you mind sharing with us (or just me) who you went to previously?

 

O damn sorry to hear that. Its the 1st time Im reading something bad about that shop.

Trini

 

Once again this is my opinion. So please take it for being that only.
To Add (soar subject still years after sorry)
When I was there I did not witness much work on 3rd gens. Yes there were a few that came by.
How do I know this cause there was a period over the months that I had stopped by daily (staying out of the way of course).
There was lots of other work getting done there on VW's and such. Maybe a second gen. here and there but the only other 3rd gens I saw come by were people who had just pick one up looking to solve there problem. Never saw them back though.
Seemed like he was better at preventing the problem then actually solving it.
Told my story to Dave at KDR and he was not surprised.
He had gotten a lot of work back then from cars that had been by Joe's and he thought it was horrible.
So conculsion is, is if you have the money (willing to spend it)and want top quality work with first class service, not to mention some of the best knowledge about rotaries around.
Dave and Kim would be you answer and solution.
Remeber were talking (or I'm talking) 3rd Generations so money shouldn't come into it cause if you've bought one I'll bet you've done the research on what it costs to maintain and own one.
My piece of mind again please no critics or bad naming cause again it my opion from my situation with him. Everyones could differ.

 

Smoking joes wanted $200 to press in my new rotor bearings....no thank you.

 

hey mybaby when did you have yor motor done at kdr...i built all there motors in 2004-2005

 

also 89fc3s if you are interested in getting it rebuilt let me know..pm me for my number

 

I am not going to get into the shop bashing going on here but Ive heard quite a few horror stories about the 2 most popular local shops.

If anyone else is looking for a rebuild or any rx7 work in the area I personally recommend Powerhouse Tuning on braddock ave in queens village. Theyve worked exclusively on my last fc and my current one without incident. Ive watched them build several tii and fd motors as well as engine swaps (fd into fc, cosmo ect) and many varieties of standalone installs. You can get their address from powerhousetuning.com .

 

Crap my mistake.
Didn't have the engine rebuilt (actually somewhat) and had it done more like mid 07.
(more story details for those interested)
Car was sitting for a while while I bought up parts from Mazda that Joe stole/broke (intake Airt tube coming of turbo-many nipples broken off solenoids-busted dtc-the worst was the main engine harness that looked like it had been shredded at many points, new one came from Mazda from our special friend we all know)
Could have gone ebay/club but wanted to start a new.
I know for a fact that Kim built my engine. Car was sitting in my garage for a while.
One rotor and Housing were not useable cause there was such a deep impression from where the nut got lodged in both.
Bought a 2 brand new housings from RHDjapan cause they were such a great deal. I got them within a week that they first offered them and the price was drastically different then they are now. With that I got a PFC w/commander and a few other great things and the whole thing was a great deal especially the PFC.
Rotor came from Ebay. Managed to steal one from a great ebay seller, with barely any wear, for 56.00.
Complete Rebuilt kit came from Atkins.
So sorry, i guess it was my fault, for not explaining more clearly and concise to the facts.
Engine was built a few weeks after they moved into there new place and Dave & Kim were the only one's doing the work there.

 

this is who you want building your motor.
i did business with him. great builder and cool guy.

 

mybaby is the right name for u because you stated your story and still goin on , every shop has good and bad stories you are bound to find a critic . but either way i have been dealin with smokin joe's for yr's and he has always looked out for my best interest when it came to my car , he built my t2 motor for me over 3 yrs now and its yet to fail me and i literally beat the **** out of that car . sorry you had a bad experience with that shop but at the same time to i cant let you bash in dudes name cause he did alot for me and my car and for a couple other people i know . but either way to each it's own and i wish u and ur car the best
trini...

 

PM me I have a closer shop right here on L.I. for ya. My seven's also being rebuilt there.

 

I've been to three shops, two local ones: KDR, Powerhouse Tuning and T&R.

Honestly, I've never been to Joe's, but out of all the feedback I've heard, I've only heard one instance of good feedback, and that was from Trini and his T2. Keep in mind though, that Trini is a frequent customer and gets taken care of. Most of the horror stories that I heard of were from first-time customers. I'm sure his work is good if he focuses on your car, but the lack of confidence that I hear from an unanimous crowd sort of puts me off.

The same can be said about T&R, to a lesser degree. I had them work on minor repair stuff when I first came on the NYC rotary scene. For minor stuff, they were good about it, except for A/C repair. Tony's (the owner) a good guy though, and does great work. It's his staff that you may need to watch out for. Once again, I have heard horror stories about them, my personal experience with them was slightly below average.

Powerhouse Tuning is the only shop I would go to, if I had to have my car worked on in the NYC area. Personally, I feel that some of the prices are higher compared to others, but the work is quality. I've never had to go back a second time to complain about a job that was done. I had one bad experience with the shop though, when it came to parts ordering, but I believe the owner took care of that problem. I may consider going back there again. The owner (Taco) is the only person that touches the customers' RX-7's when it comes to serious work. His mechanics may help on small jobs (oil changes, bolting up shocks, etc.)

My preferred shop is KDR. To me, the three hour trip (each way!) is worth it. The prices are very competitive, if not the cheapest, for service when compared to other shops around. I've heard horror stories as well about this shop, but the owners took care of those problems awhile ago. (i.e. bad employees). Nowadays, Dave & Kim (the owners) run the shop for the most part, with the help of one or two mechanics. Those mechanics aren't bad, they'll make the occasisonal small mistake, but for the most part, they do the job right. For all the job that Dave has worked on my car by himself, I've never had to take it back to him a second time. He's also the one that tuned my mid 160's whp stock port S5 engine. Plus, if he has free time, he's pretty fun to shoot the **** with. I'm usually confident that when I take the car from the shop, I won't have to go back for the same thing.

 

trinimazdax:
be clear that I did state at the beginning of my post this was just my opinion and each has there own experience. I even stated that the dude should check him out and find out for himself.
Furthermore many people have there stories (many post them), so this one was mine (sorry if it got to harsh for you to read).
Yes, to each his own, so no need for the mybaby remark.....

 

Mybaby and Trini ~ I realize that everyone has there own experiences but are those experiences based on amount spent?

No trying to be an *** or pry into info but how much roughly have each of you spent there? Some price is an issue at some shops.

Something a little closer here on the Island ~ http://function7.blogspot.com/

 

you dont really wana talk price with me , i got a full t2swap with a microtech lt8s fmic installed with an upgraded turbo for 5500 , and thats with no parts just droped off and picked up . and my turbo died recently and he gave me a rebuilt garret gt40 he had on the shelf for 500 . he has always looked out for my cars best interest thats why no one works on it other than my self .
trini

 

That is exactly how I am as well.

I'm about 15K into my FD

 

Ah, he quoted me 3 grand for the rebuild and after the 8 months I only gave him 1500 and then took the car from him cause he said it was finished. That was after he fixed a rear main seal for me?
So not much as opposed to the 6K at KDR who pumped quality work into my FD and warrantied everything for a year but with the work I'm sure everything will last much longer. (thats engine build and a bunch of extra's needed) with mods I've pumped in about 5K on parts installed myself

 

Stay away. My car was there for a year and i had to take it from there because it was going from bad to worst

 

Thank you very very much. I called them and all they wanted was 50 bucks to press in my new bearings. Other places wanted $200 and also $100. Im taken my rotors and stationary gears to them tomorrow. Once i get them back i will let everyone know if everything is done proper.

 

Cool, I might run into you, I will be there tomorrow to drop some stuff off for my car. They are just finishing up my megasquirt install on a 6-port turbo. All thats left is some minor wiring and the tuning.