down the road from where i live i saw a 1984 gsl-se sitting in the on the edge of this guys yard. i knocked on the door and asked if i could buy it. he said i could have it if i can get it off his property. im wondering if i should restore it or part it out. haven't been able to look underneath but it doesn't feel to rusty. its been sitting for quite a while now. tell me the usual problems with the first gen rx-7. tell me what you think heres some pics.

 

You can almost bet that underneath, it is swiss cheese. I suspect that the engine is full of water, and it has had a hard life.

Unless you have some deep pockets and a lot of time on your hands, it is likely a source of parts.

 

Wow, that would be quite the restoration job though...

 

welcome to the board.

i don't know how the PM-thing works with new members, but i sent you a message. if for some reason you can't read it, post here and i'll just post what i wrote.

 

Try to bring it back to life, part out if that fails.

 

this would be my first car ever restoring or ever for that matter. i have a neighbor who has restored many cars and the guy that said i could have it said he would help me who has also restored lots of cars. they both seem willing to give me a hand. my hope is to try to bring it back to life in the year and a half i have before getting my license. i have a job and the only other thing id spend my money on would be my dirt bike. i have a lot of time being that im only 15. what i want to know is what should i look for that would determine if its worth restoring or not

 

well, at the risk of talking you into keeping it (wink, wink) - you're pretty much going to want to look for one major thing ... rust!!! the places you want to look are at and around the suspension mounting points, the rear floor panels, the quarters and around the inner rear fenders (under the stoarge compartments). basically anywhere that will compromise the structure of the unibody.

it's the one thing that would absolutely drive costs through the roof if it's bad, but salvagable OR deem the car a loss if it's not. to me, everything else can be fixed, replaced or massaged with money, hard work and time.

 

im jealous, it's restorable, definitely.

 

are replacement parts hard to find for this year or not so bad?

 

agreed, if u got the money and time for it, bring it back to life, it is possible

 

better of parting it out, good luck

 

Part it out

 

If you are going to restore it, be realistic about it from the start.

The cost will be about $5000 - $7000 to get it on the road. A car that sits is going to need most mechanical components replaced. GSL-SE engine parts aren't the most common but not really that hard to find. I doubt you'll have anything usable in that engine so looking at a replacement outright is probably the best bet.

Pull up the carpets and start poking with a screwdriver before you commit. Replacing the entire floor pan isn't fun...

 

really for what your gonna spend on this to get her up and running your better of saving your money and buying one thats in good condition, its not worth the hassel trying to bring it back to life. my advise to you would be to get it if you want and part it out and sell anything thats good and use that money for a running car w/n body work needed

 

just like everyone has been saying the money your going to spend restoring it you could buy something new and in better condition. AND it would be alot less work and hassle for you. PARTOUT.....

 

My opinion, for what it's worth, would be, take this car and use it as a parts car. Find yourself a decent 1st Gen (thats running) and cannibalize this car. Maybe even learn on the junker (like strip the engine apart and try to rebuild it...put it up on jack stands and figure out how everything works), you can always sell some parts on ebay and make a couple of buck....hell I'd buy the rear end from you sight unseen!

 

I don't know, but FREE? Grab it! Does he have a title for it? No matter, part it out. Put the money in your RX7 fund. I would never turn down a free RX7, but then I have the room for it.

Grab it.

TS Gonzo Penn

 

+1 on the restore. I think that it would be a good learning thing, Rip it apart and then go from there. If you feel you can handle it then restore if not... part it out

Grap it

BTW is that a beer bottle by the drivers side trunk release? lol

 

Hell, from the amount of sitting the car has done, there probably aren't very many usable parts either.

The interior is trashed.

Much of the glass is junk.

The engine internals are probably rusted.

All the EFI stuff is probably seized or clogged.

Every bolt underneath is going to be seized.

Brakes, suspension, linkages are going to be junk.

Oil cap looks good though.

 

Dude, definitely restore it.Like someone posted earlier it would be a great learning experience. Not to mention that if you get way up over your head you can always part it out later. Invest in a full repair manual. You can probably find one at your local Napa or Chucks. If not find one online. Make sure that it is based on a full tear down and rebuild. I have one for my 91 Civic Hatch and I know the car inside and out due to it. Also see if you can't grab a book on tips and tricks of body work and learn as you go, I can tell you right now your going have to strip it of everything and media blast it. Considering your 15 and have the time and money do it but remember that its going to be a project and a half so get the help you need and talk to experts don't rush it... NEVER rush it its a classic and deserves respect. Your looking at about 25 - 40 Grand to do it first class.

 

Are you insane? I mean that as a serious and respectful question. Are you actually insane suggesting that a 15 year old kid take on this project, dump a bunch of money into it, and just part it out if things start to go bad? And $25,000 - $40,000?

 

I'm with Aaron Cake on this one, that is too much of an undertaking for most 15 year old's. not to mention a lot of money that could easily go twords a running rx7. I say try to part it out and get what you can from it.

 

[QUOTE=patmac6075;9557732]My opinion, for what it's worth, would be, take this car and use it as a parts car. Find yourself a decent 1st Gen (thats running) and cannibalize this car. Maybe even learn on the junker (like strip the engine apart and try to rebuild it...put it up on jack stands and figure out how everything works), you can always sell some parts on ebay and make a couple of buck....

Good advice. Sometimes, free is too expensive. Check out the rust, remove the spark plugs and see if the engine will turn over (it's probably junk). Rust is the villain.

 

you should part it out, it is a lot of work

 

It's too late to save her...