BigSchmid

Used to have an account here and was very active. Time passed and this is my second post under a new username. It's been almost a decade since I've really been in this hobby and I seek guidance from people much more wise than myself. I've a fan of RX7s ever since I played Gran Turismo 2 and it was the first car I ever used in the game. When I was 18, my Father got me an 87 Coupe before I really, truly knew what I liked about the cars(which is that I liked the S5). In my 20s, I snagged an 89 Vert. Then life happened, kids happened and my passion for RX7s went away..until recently. Went back to my parents home where the cars are still sitting. Neither currently run for various reasons. The fiancé always liked the Vert but she'd never seen the S4 and she thought she'd look good in it. And that made my ears perk. Here's the issue (and where I seek said guidance) - as much as I love RX7s and have since I was like 12, I have minimal tools, minimal garage space and no knowledge on how to fix cars. Owning them was the priority and I never took responsibility to learn about them so I could fix them. Until recently. Been watching yourtube channels and going on here and trying to absorb info. I'd like to find a way to get the 87 White Coupe back to bone stock for the wifey and I'd love to get a TII in my Vert. Given all of this info and the possibility that both engines might need a rebuild after years of sitting indoors and outside, is this, among other things, something I can learn how to do myself? Can I rededicate myself to the hobby and learn to do things that will save me money? Or should I just take money over to Atkins Rotary and have them take care of everything? I'd prefer to learn and then do things..I guess it depends on what real RX7 experts such as you think is truly realistic. Would greatly love and appreciate some feedback guys. This thing is nagging at me pretty bad as far as the "never knowing enough" part keeping me from diving back into the RX7 hobby the way I always wanted. I'm 34, I just had a newborn girl with the wifey and if I'm going to get back into this, I want to do it right. But I want to know some hard truths first.

-Marcus

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

welcome back. if u message an admin, they might can get u access to the old account.

mr2peak

It's all good as long as you can afford it with a newborn, that's the hard truth

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

I manage a fleet of 12 cars and have 6 children. I also work two jobs and I still find time to work on my cars. Trust me, you can get back into this. Also, I can recover your old account. Just give me the username and your current email address and I'll go in and reset your password and shoot you a pm on this account with your new password and you will be able to log in to your old account and continue using that.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

OK, here’s my take…
You have no mechanical skills, no space, and no tools and equipment. But you do have a small child and you’re not even marrried yet. Time to be a big boy with better priorities and judgement. Get married, get a house with space. Make or keep your wife and kid(s) the priority in your life and spend the money on making THEIR lives better instead of fantasizing on the resurrection of two cars that have sat at mom and dads for a decade and will be worth half of what you’ll end up spending on them, especially when you’re paying someone else for the work.

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

I'm leaning towards agreeing with SgtBlue, though I'd word it a tad differently. One thing I would invest the time in doing before anything else is a Compression Test.
Banzai Racing Compression Test

If you have healthy compression, the intended result becomes MUCH easier. But if you discover one (or both) needing an engine rebuild, I would seriously reconsider. The first lesson I learned is that success is often a result of being able to plant your feet and get things done. With that said, here is where I would start. You'll find this useful for most questions that come up:
https://www.rx7club.com/new-member-r...faq-fc-782402/

BigSchmid

Thanks for the brief replies. I have a good job, the fiance has a good job, we have a brand new home and can afford our mortgage. Money for the essentials and our happiness is not the problem. I have three daughters, two with my fiance and, quite frankly, I spent my entire 20s being told my hobbies were stupid by various people close to me. Now that I've found a life partner who supports me and my hobbies and loves me enough to talk about them and treat me like an adult, I figured I'd get technical support from car people about whether or not it's simply possible to learn how to do things by yourself. I don't have space or tools in the conventional sense that I don't have a shop and a lift. I have basic tools and my home has a garage that is usable for an RX7. I have a new home, free of home maintenance issues and enough driveway/corner lot space to have up to eight cars comfortably around the home. This isn't a "if I pick the car, my life will fall apart" type post. I was merely trying to ascertain if I could learn how to rebuild engines and learn how to do the work necessary to stick around in the hobby now that I know I have a stable place to enjoy the cars. I'm not in jeopardy of losing my family or my kids over an RX7. It's not a dire situation. But I have two cars, neither of them start, neither of them is even getting to a place where I can turn them over, neither of them is a giant shitbox....but I don't have that compression tester, etc, etc, etc...

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

first of all, welcome back.

well, when it comes to working on cars, my opinion is that building an engine (correctly) is toward the deeper end of the pool. there's a lot of detail and dexterity involved. you need space to work and at least some half-way decent organizational skills., you need to familiarize yourself with the engine and how it works so the tasks make sense to you as you do them. as far as tools are concerned, the only special items that readily come to mind are the socket for the flywheel and couple decent torque wrenches, one 1/2 (or 3/8) - inch, and a 1/4-inch one, outside of that, basic metric sockets and wrenches are all you need - maybe a nice breaker bar, too.

support from the wife is a big deal! you are very lucky in that regard. it should make your life easier when work needs to be done.

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

No worries. I started out in a similar situation, making do with what I got and making targeted investments in tools where needed. No garage for me though. Nearly everyone around me said a 20B conversion was impossible, that I didn't know anything, was wasting my time and money, and so on. Their collective tune changed when a friend and I started it up on camera and put it on youtube. It was done with common tools, homework and determination. Now when anyone mentions an issue with a 20B or a Cosmo, I'm almost always on speed dial and the first words are usually "Help Me Obi-Wan". Bottom line is you have the will, and the means to pull it off. Go for it!

Most stuff you'll encounter can be solved with 6-19mm sockets, wrenches and a few screwdrivers and stuff from Harbor Freight will be good enough for most anything. A cheap multimeter is plenty for most electrical issues. As for compression testing, I just used a regular piston engine compression gauge since the "proper" Mazda tool was basically unobtainable (in 2007) and the Rotary Compression Tester (https://www.ebay.com/itm/263457090217) didn't exist yet. A $20 compression gauge off of Ebay will get you 90% in the ballpark, and that's the key here. Plus, it works on every other vehicle out there too. Beyond that, one thing I would suggest is spending the extra to get a 3-ton floor jack and jack stands instead of the Walmart "2 1/4" stuff. Might take a little finagling to get into place, but the extra lift range makes any under-car task a lot easier.

For rebuilding an engine, you'll need a 54mm socket for the Flywheel Nut, plus a Flywheel Stopper tool. The rest is spelled out by our friend Aaron Cake here:

Disassembly:

Reassembly:

Sit back, watch and enjoy. You can do it!

mr2peak

You'll be fine, go for it! It's not a race to finish. Also nice that when you buy tools, they will work for more than one car. You have a huge advantage starting with complete cars you know the history of, no missing parts, no mystery mods. Sounds like your wife supports it too

GtiKyle

iTrader: (5)

Welcome back! Shoot me a PM, if you'd like. I'm in Washington too, and depending on where you're at, maybe i could lend a hand with anything.

BigSchmid

Thank you for the encouraging replies. When RX7s were a major passion of mine, I was really young, had no money and my idea of "learning how to fix things" was to network with PNW RX7 people who could simply do things for me. My idea of upgrades was whatever neat little light up bullshit trinket I could get at Schucks that would make my car look cool. Now - I just aspire to have nice working cars, as stock as humanly possible on the interior and minimal cosmetic mods to the exterior. Having said that, I know that putting a TII in a Vert is no small task so that's obviously further down the road. For now, I'm very open to learning as much as I can. I watch RadPotential Youtube videos and have the FAQs on the forum bookmarked. I'm a little embarrassed that I love the cars and don't know how to work on them. Hoping to fix that.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

Mmmm, you went from “minimal space” to a lot of space, one child to multiples including a new born. But, apparently, plenty of money. Still, you have not one but two old cars, neither of which run, no current skills to fix them, minimal tools and both are still at your parents house. One car you want to restore and the other you intend to do an entire drive-line swap on with a T2. And you’ve come to an enthusiast forum for input from strangers, albeit enthusiasts, to make a decision about whether to pursue that ‘passion’ instead of opinions from others close to you.
But you want to learn, that’s awesome!

Seems to me there are two questions in this thread…CAN it be done and SHOULD it be done. The first is an easy yes. I think you already knew the answers to the second or you wouldn’t have started the thread. Sounds like you just wanted the “encouraging replies”, and if you would’ve indicated that I wouldn’t have responded.

BigSchmid

I have a lot of space for a family, small space for cars. I have multiple kids. I've been fairly forward with details of my personal life that are actually irrelevant but I felt like context was needed since these kinds of posts are usually only helpful if there's some transparency and self-awareness in them. I've come to an enthusiast forum for input from people who have some insight into what it might take for me to get back in the hobby. I forgot how much gatekeeping there was here. I apologize. That was my mistake. Thanks for the input. Cheers.

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

you, sir, are my new hero! now, you've got me thinking: exactly what am i doing with my time/life?

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

It can be tough at times honestly. I work my second job so that I can have extra play money. Usually spent on car parts lol. I include the kids on the restorations that I do and that keeps the wife off my back about spending too much time in the garage. I always make time in the evening for dinner and family movie or TV series time. The cars are getting to be too much and I think I'm gonna sell two of my RX-8's and likely my Miata project. I just want to be able to focus on the cars that really mean something to me. I'm struggling with stage 4 kidney failure on top of all of it so some days are plagued by how I feel. I manage though and find a way to work through it and find time for everything most days. I can't complain though, I have a great wife and beautiful children. The house is nice and we can swing our mortgage. I'm just thankful to God that I am able to provide a roof over my family's head and that they are comfortable when they go to sleep at night. Now....if only I had more garage space, lol

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

^ Well this “gatekeeper” will say a little prayer for better health and your continued good spirit.

For the record I did speak from considerable experience in this thread.

Axton

You can do anything you put your mind to if you're willing to learn!

A lot of people have already weighed in, but of you're hesitating and have to ask for suggestions, your heart might not be in it.

Honestly, my 2 cents. Plan an early morning and bring the S4 home on the weekend. The importance of the S4 is there sounds like a connection there already from your Fiance / Wife.

If you wake up that morning and feel like a kid at Christmas that you're going to pick it up and spend the day just servicing it and trying to start it, going through what it needs or even start taking it apart, that's the first good sign.

Take plenty of pictures, post a build thread for us all to see, Just start DOING and stop questioning your decision. If you want to do it, GET TO IT! 👍

If you get stuck, ask questions on the forum, we're all here to help and there's plenty of information, guidance and spare parts available.

Once you start, the bug will either bite or not. But by asking if you SHOULD do it.... Once you start, you will know yourself.

I'm 36, Wife, Son, mortgage, and I rebuilt my FD in my garage during a global pandemic. If I can do it, anyone can.

You will never know unless you try.