Hi Everyone,

Great forum! Lot’s of info. So much so, that I’ve already overwhelmed myself to the point of paralysis. So I’m looking for advice on how I should approach my RX7 resurrection.

My goal is to get our 83’ GS back on the road after 20 years sitting in the garage. I’m looking to create what I would call a sporty, summer touring car. So performance improvements are on the table, as long as they don’t greatly compromise comfort and street driveability. I have no plans to race it. I want to keep a stock look from the outside.

The original engine is out, and is going to go to KD Rotary for rebuilding. I plan to buy a Sterling carb, but haven’t decided which one. I had the tranny rebuilt, have a new Centerforce clutch, and a new Rotary Engineering Exhaust. I’m no longer required to pass emissions, so the rats nest, et al., will remain out.

I’ve virtually stripped the engine bay, so I can address some surface rust before the new engine goes back in. What else should I do while the engine is out? I’m thinking about things that I won’t have such good access to afterward, like steering and suspension.

I have minimal experience with autos, limited to maintaining my daily drivers. The most aggressive projects have been brakes, clutch, and a front differential swap on a 4WD truck. So don’t assume I know too much. I've got all the manuals.

Thanks,

Al

 

What I would do in this state is take care of the surface rust as you said. Look at your steering and make sure its not loose. It'd be real easy to replace any of it right now. Check your engine mounts and make sure that they are up to par so as to when you put the engine back in you wont run into any other probs. Also if you plan on repainting it I'd go ahead and start on the engine bay.

 

Thanks for responding!

The car had 125K miles as a daily New England driver, but rust is minimal, considering. All the color matched painted surfaces have held up well. It appears as though the original owner had it undercoated, because the entire underside up to the top of the frame rails is black.

Parts that were just plated, or painted a non matching color is where the rust is. I don't want to commit to having the entire car repainted right now, so I was thinking I'd order color matched paint (Savannah Brown, T5) in aerosol spray cans to use in the engine bay.

The cross member that supports the engine, is more heavily rusted, but still strong. I plan to paint that with KBS Coatings Rust Seal. I'll put in new engine mounts.

Parts like the Idler arms have heavy surface rust, so I'll need to either blast and repaint them, and then replace bushings, or just buy new ones.

I've also read a lot of post here about replacing the front stabilizer. Since that too will need paint and new bushings, should I consider replacing it? It's not heavily rusted. Given my intended use for the car would replacing it be too much of a good thing?

The car hasn't been driven for 20 years, so we don't recall how the ride, steering, braking, etc., was. I figure that as I go though it, every bushing, rubber hose, or belt should be replaced.

Since the engine rebuild and carb will be a big investment by themselves, I want to keep the unnecessary spending to a minimum. I realize though that I have a once in a lifetime (I hope) opportunity here with the engine, tranny, radiator, etc. out of the car. So I don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish.

Al

 

Hi Al.

Idler arm: go to www.rockauto.com and order the Moog idler arm. Vastly superior to the stock piece. You can also use them for tie rod ends, ball joints, etc. which you will probably need. I also use their cheap brake rotors, and they work just fine.

You'll probably be wanting new springs, and will definitely need new shocks. I use www.re-speed.com for these items because of their customer service and quality of parts.

Front swaybar: This is a great upgrade, no matter what you use the car for. It won't have much effect on ride quality (no add harshness), but will eliminate nearly all of the "lean" the car experiences in corners. Again, you can look to Respeed for this if you want the best, or if you don't mind adding weight to the car you can get a cheaper option from Racing Beat.

Sterling carb: excellent performance, and the cheapest option out there. I've been using one for years and love it.

Try to address items in this order if you can:

1. Safety (brakes, front end pieces, etc.)
2. Reliability (eliminate anything that doesn't have to be there, because if it ain't there it can't cause issues).
3. Performance (springs, shocks, Sterling carb).
4. Aesthetics (paint and body work)


Best of luck with your project.




.

 

^the man has some good advice.

If you feel like sharing your project, start a thread and post up pics. Everybody loves build/rebuild/restoration threads.

 

Thanks to all who've responded! Sounds like I should be replacing some of the front end components sooner rather than later. More money up front, but less time spent sand blasting and painting. Plus I'll know for sure the parts are good.

I have lots of photos of it in it's current state. What is the appropriate place to start a restoration thread and post photos?

I also need to assess the condition of the gas tank and fuel pump. I haven't checked, but I'm sure it has some 20 year old gas sitting in it. I know it needs paint on the outside, but I don't know what the inside's going to look like.

FalseStart

 

replace every bushing you can possibly see. they are likely very old and hard/cracked

 

Rust: I've found that the absolute best way to restore rusted parts (as long as its not aluminum) is to soak them in Muriatic Acid. You can buy a gallon of this stuff for just a couple of bucks at any hardware store. I picked up a big plastic storage tote, and keep a 50/50 mix of acid/water in it for just this use. It only takes a few minutes, and the part will be stripped of all rust and look brand new. Rinse with water, dry it with a propane torch or hair dryer, then prime it IMMEDIATELY. This gets the metal so clean, it will start to rust again within 15 minutes sometimes. This also works good on body rust, and keeps it from coming back. Paint it on, rinse it off, slap some touchup paint on it.

Bushings: contact Billy through his forum at Respeed, and he will set you up with only the bushings you need rather than buying an entire kit somewhere and only using half of it.

You can go to the 1st gen Non-tech section and begin your rebuild thread. We all love pictures.

Good luck!