Hello folks, just joined this morning as I realized I might be jumping in over my head and would like to get a better understanding of what I am up against before buying what will likely become a money pit.

Be warned that although I am a farm kid from the AB prairies, I have limited mechanical or bodywork knowledge/experience to draw from, maybe just enough to be dangerous. Haha. Never had the experience of working on smaller vehicles much, and what I have had is just basic maintenance and repairs, never any upgrades.

Im looking at buying a LHD '94 FD "big single turbo" that has a rebuilt status, and I am concerned about bodykit fitment. Unfortunately the owner has no idea or chooses not to disclose the extent of the damage/reason it was wrote off, and I cant say I am not worried about how this may effect the fitment of a Veilside Fortune body kit (a little beyond your basic body kit). Am I being over concerned about how much of an issue this could present in getting things lined up and straight?

And from a mechanical perspective, what do I need to know before I buy? Rotaries are completely new to me, and from my understanding they seem to need frequent rebuilds. Some info sources I have read and watched implied that when buying a used rotary, one should expect (and factor into the price) to do a rebuild right after you buy the car. Are these cars really that mechanically demanding? The one I am looking at claims 40k km on the rebuilt engine and 80k km on the chasis. If thats the case than following the pattern its in it very well could require a rebuild in the next little bit, correct?

Any additional tips on what to look for/check when buying an FD would be a huge asset, might be off to look at it tonight.

Lastly, should I choose to do an LS swap in the future, what could one reasonably expect for value out of a used running/non-running 13B and trans?

I know this post will likely infuriate a few purists, I dont blame them, but I will take full advantage of the Newbie forum's immunity. Haha.

Basically at the end of the build I want a car that stumps people as to what it is. Looks like a modern sports car, sounds like a modern muscle car, basically a modern AC Cobra. Thats the dream anyways.

Thanks for reading, hope to become more involved in this community and learn lots here.

 

I'd stay away from it.

 

Fair enough. May I ask why? Mechanical, or body reasons?

 

I've seen some really clean "REBUILT" titled and some really nasty "REBUILT" titled cars and one thing I can say for sure when working with a fiberglass body kits, 99 times out of 100, the fitment needs work. Even if the car is straight as an arrow expect many fitment issues if you want it to be perfect...


Plus I feel body kits ruin the look of the FD especially the wide kits. 99 Spec bumper and FEED skirts for the win

 

Thanks for the input Mike, I expected as much about fitment. If the front half of the car looks pretty good I am thinking the body kit should mostly be normal fitment issues.

I totally get the opinion on wide body kits, and I am in the same boat with you on all other RX7 kits except the Veilside Fortune. In my opinion if you are going the Fortune route, the car really isn't an RX7 anymore, just the start of a new car. Thats part of the reason I want/don't mind the idea of further bastardizing it with an LS swap at some point to truley make it it's own thing. I personally can appreciate the RX7 for what it is, but I would never buy one to keep stock or minimally body modded, and I could never be persuaded to buy one for the love of a rotary engine, you know? Same way I would never buy an AC but would love to own a AC Cobra.

Anyhow, back on topic: what mechanically should I look for and consider when looking at the car this evening? How serious do I need to consider rebuilding the engine in the next 20k km if it already has 40k km? What would an expected cost of rebuild be? Thanks for the input so far guys!

 

If funds are a consideration and you're considering a body kit and an engine rebuild, you might start with one that has a bad engine or minor body damage that has not been fixed.

 

So correct me if I am wrong but is the car in question currently on Kijiji with an unfinished Veilside Fortune Kit on it?

IF SO:


Take it from someone who has a ridiculous wide arch kit; just fitting, prepping and painting that kit to the standard you will want in order to do it justice could run you $30,000 +

Then you still have to sort the car mechanically and get it re certified for the road.......

If it was me, and you really want the Veilside Fortune kit, I suggest buying that car as cheap as possible, then taking the kit off and installing it onto a running road legal FD. This will avoid several headaches.

Bottom line when making your decision - you need to be 100% sure the kit is genuine - STAMPS and RECEIPTS!

Also you need deep pockets. Do not underestimate the magnitude of this build, there is a reason he is selling and the reason is that the car is a $50,000 - $100,000 project depending on what you do.

Think carefully and do not pressure yourself, trust me, that car is not going to sell fast.

 

Im going to have to agree with FEED here ^^. If you are not extremely gifted with body and finesse work its going to break the bank and take years to complete. This kit isn't a normal body kit, or even a wide body kit, its a complete redesign of the car and if you haven't had much experience I would steer clear.


For the $25k he is asking id rather be in a fully furnished C5 or FD, just my .02

 

Some thoughts....
Assuming a "rebuilt" status in Canada is equivalent to a "salvage title" in most of the States, then the car is worth maybe half of what it would be otherwise...(i.e.all else being equal). Do your research. There is also some info for prospective buyers in the 3rd Gen. FAQ at the top of this section under 'B' for buying.

AT BEST a body kit narrows the resale market of the car. Most of the time it reduces it. NO body kit I have ever seen or been involved with has not had fitment issues that require a professional to make look decent. NONE. And that's before refinish time. Additionally most 'kits" seriously compromise crash worthiness which puts you at increased risk. And you might want to first speak with your insurance agent before dropping serious money for one to find out if aftermarket components would be covered in the event of an accident. Not sure, but some insurance carriers may balk at providing more than liability for a car with a "rebuilt" title regardless.

Now, add on the facts that the rotary is new to you, you have limited DIY experience and presumably a budget. Considering all that, hopefully you can determine for yourself whether this car is for you.

 

First, yes it is that FD on Kijiji.

Second, hold up. When you are saying a running road legal FD: is that not what it is, just with a rebuilt title? When I called him last night and quized him he said it has been ab registered with an out of province 1.5ish yrs ago.

Third I have not come across a fake Fortune RX7 kit yet (not saying there is not any!)

Forth I kinda gathered that it was an expensive project, and I do not mind having it in the shop for a year or two to get the body prepped for paint and learning im the process, but mechanically I dont have the gumption to mess with much I dont know anything about. I do have a good friend that is about to become a Journeyman Mechanic to show me the ropes, but is by no means a Rotary guy, so thats a big factor in wanting to ditch the Rotary for an LS.

Lastly, thanks for posting that "slow down and think it through" nudge in the ending to your post. I needed that!

Hearing both you guys helps me wrap my head around the scale and cost of this project, and I do agree his asking is steep for a project car especially with a rebuilt title.

However, I am unsure there is a cheaper way to end with a LHD LS powered Fortune kitted FD. I dont see many roller chasis come across Kijiji, and most that do are RHD. RHD is no bueno to me.

 

His asking price, assuming the kit is genuine and complete is not that steep.....just buying and shipping a full Veilside Fortune kit to Canada is likely around the $30,000 mark.

So basically you are getting the car for free, However I would still be trying to drive the price down simply based on the fact the kit is not new.

As an FYI my car took 11 months from start to finish and the wait damn near killed me! So I hope you are very patient or are prepared to pay big $$$ for labor.

Finally, please do not read this as me trying to put you off you dream. I just want you to understand what you are getting into

I also agree, when I saw this car on Kijiji, my brain did start working on the math of "how cheap could I get that and build a Fortune Widebody......" there is an opportunity to save some money on your build here. But regardless it will still cost a fortune..... (sorry couldn't resist!)

 

The kit is about $18k cad before it leaves Japan, so I dont know what kind of fees it would take to get here but I can not imagine it being another $5k let alone another $12k.

I am very patient. I am used to this zort of wait as all the coolest stuff in my other passion (firearms) often takes an extra 3-4 years to come to market in canada due to RCMP inspections and testing. As such I am willing to take my time to learn and slowly grind away on the body work portion to save scratch for the actual paint work, and hopefully the car will mean more to me in the end.

I have a lot to think about, I guess mainly what the cost will be after instal of the kit to finish off the body/paint work and buy some appropriate wheels and tires. Then I will need to consider if an LS swap is the way to go and what that will set a guy back.

Those of you who have paid for a decent paint job, what should I expect for sticker shock?

Thanks for the wealth of knowledge guys!

 

I've only painted cabinets and walls but i can say it's definitely worth going pro and prep work!

 

I can imagine if you plan to put a kit like this on your FD your not going to skimp on the paint job. Expect to pay close to $5k for a nice 2 stage paint job, prep, and wet sand. Not saying you cant get one for $1000 but you get what you pay for... Pick your color, talk it over with your painter, and maybe if you do your own prep work and help with color sanding you might be able to get the price down some but expect to pay at least a few thousand for a decent job.

Good luck on it, really excited to see what your final decision is...