rotorbrain

alright, these pics were taken at night and i didnt have a lot of time. . . so, no engine bay pics right now. just figured id let you guys know what this project might entail. hahaha, cause im still figuring it out.










i really wish i could have gotten better interior shots. . . the seats (at least) are in about immaculate condition.

i paid $75 for this thing, so thats why im okay with the restoration. ive been pricing them for a while and it seems as though one in decent shape (stock or restored) is worth roughly $4k. . . i think with that amount of money i could restore this one the way i want it . . . i mean the way my wife wants it. . . cause its her car. . . yeah. . . anyways, i could get the body and other things i want done for that money.

since this is one of the early rotary engine models i want to stay with that platform. . . so the plans are for some higher powered rotary. . . yes, the 20b is in the mix. . . that or some other hybrid 3rotor. . . to be installed. itll have a 5 speed tranny, the rear end will get a mini-tub (i wanna keep the back seats if i can) and will more than likely house a ford 9".

another plan is to drop my drivetrain into this car (cause its more than enough for my wife to handle ), and put an LS1 in my car. . . cause the FD is just too expensive to be playing with for years to come.

who knows, the first thing will be getting the car totally stripped down and prepped for metal restoration. on that note: anybody know of a media blasting shop around here? preferably one that wont rape me while im cold and sit me on the curb?

anyways, just thought id let you guys see what it is. . . im stoked to see what we will end up coming out with!!!

Jesuscookies

iTrader: (1)

Haha. Cool car!!

I am going to have to start a thread on my project real soon.

Fitness Stain

sweet

so you finally got your car tuned and good to go and your STILL scheming on an LS1?

lol

cant wait to see this car progress ... way to go mang

1973duece

75 bucks!!! Now thats a very good deal.Good luck with your project.

KeloidJonesJr.

iTrader: (8)

wow good pickup, does it run? alot of rust though. GLHF

rotorbrain

it RAN. pulled it out of the driveway, and turned it off. . . never to run again. hahaha, no biggy really, it obviously needs to be stripped down completely in order to become road worthy again. . . i really didnt trust driving in this thing. . . i was even afraid of jacking it up!!!

i dont feel bad about the purchase at all since it was only $75. . . itll be work, but i figured that if it IS salvagable, the cost of restoring it would probably cost just as much as buying one in the shape it WILL be in. . . plus, i get to do things to it in the process that id be afraid to do to a car in good shape.

Crit

iTrader: (6)

A GREAT point. If you want to give it a shot, try it. If you screw it up, so what. Sure, it's a loss of a RX-2 sedan, but it looks so clapped out that you're its best chance at a new life. I doubt it would have lived again, anyway. There aren't many of the cars left, but there are a lot fewer people that would want to restore it. I'm going through the same thing (less rust, but also paid more) and just keep telling myself that at least I'm actually DOING something. They'd rot away without us anyway.

Best of luck, man.

trainwreck517

iTrader: (1)

Man great find, make sure to update with progress.. can't wait to see this beast back on the road.

rotorbrain

thanks a lot guys!!! its nice to have some reassuring voices out there. hehe, most everyone in my "neck of the woods" thinks im crazy!!! i guess they just dont appreciate it that much.

whats really cool, is that all the emblems are there. the two rotor emblems are off of it, and have been cleaned up. a buddy has them right now. . . actually, the guy i bought it from. he says, theyll be a "project finishing" present. i dont think he realizes how long its going to take to get it back to snuff.

i plan on doing most everything myself. . . excluding the replacing of metal, bodywork, and painting. i do all the work myself on my other car, and find a sense of enjoyment in it. my wife and i will actually be taking it on as a project together. shes been bugging me about restoring an old car and this one was a Christmas present to her. she was shocked. she said, "nobody has ever bought me a car!!" i said, "honey, dont worry. . . right now, its hardly a car!!!" hahahaha. . .

i want to keep all the emblems on it, but i think im going to take the side marker lights off. im not completely sure i want to do that or not right now, as i definately dont want to take too much away from the stock appearance. . . but then again, i just dont really care for them.

car will more than likely be painted a gunmetal color, retain the stock interior (hopefully, a mini-tub wont interfere), and have some sort of turbo rotary in it. i definately want it to be fast, and have never been really too fond of an all out restoration back to stock specs. the way i feel, the car would be slick if it had more of a "restification".

id like to replace the steering with r&p, and the rear end will definately be something that can handle the load. itll mostly be a fun weekend car, that will frequent shows/cruise-ins, and have a fond taste for fuel and air.

RX7UP

Great resto project!..... Congratulations!... Dibs on the motor....

rotorbrain

which motor?

RX7UP

Twin Dizzie?.....

trainwreck517

iTrader: (1)

I currently have a S5 T2 motor in my rx-2 sedan..

Man its QUICK! Only running 7psi on the stock turbo and already beat modded STI's and EVO's.

The swap was pretty easy... If you can get the exhuast manifold made and ecu wiredup.. the actually swap could be done in a weekend, Everything just drops right in as if thats the way it came.

Only hard part is the S5 T2 tranny is longer, so you will have to modifie it orcut the tunel.

Well good luck!

rotorbrain

well, i guess i could work that out. i need to take it out and clean it up and whatnot. ill have to let you know when i do that, as i just havent had enough time to really get started on it yet.

that is very nice to hear!!! im really thinking that i may just try to drop my FD single turbo motor in it, and run an lsx swap in my FD. i know itd end up being more laborous to do that, but given my plan for both cars, it just might be THE thing to do.

im guessing ill have to make another manifold for the car since the stock placement seems to not fit very well. i guess i could deal with that. . . and just sell the xs engineering manifold to someone else. its ceramic coated, so it should sell pretty reasonably.

ive read about the tranny issues. i figured i should ditch the FD transmission and go with t2 unit since it can be cut down shorter. if the FD transmission can be cut down short enough to reach well, then maybe ill just stick with that. im assuming that if i went with a t2 tranny, id have to redo the clutch (obviously), and maybe the flywheel. . . not sure if theres a difference there or not.

thanks for the great info!!!

13B-RX3

iTrader: (2)

Great find. You have a long road ahead of you, good luck and congrats.

rotorbrain

hehe, yeah. . . i figure so. i dont think my wife understands totally what will have to be poured into this "little" project of ours. she keeps on asking when well get it running. hehe. . . "when the cow jumps over the moon, baby."

i have a question about the rear end. would i be stupid for trying to make it IRS? i know something like that would more than likely be a project among projects, and that keeping a solid rear axle is easier, but i just thought it might be cool to do something to that end. id like to be able to update the drivetrain as much as possible so that it might be of some competition at an auto-x or something. plus, my wife would be driving it a lot, and id like to make it "somewhat" safe for her to drive. hehe, though, im sure i can throw that out the window since itll have around 400rwhp.

im no suspension savvy person by any means, just wanted to know if anybody had done anything like this.

Jesuscookies

iTrader: (1)

I have looked into doing this, and have to say, without the fabrication skills it is going to be very expensive. If you can do the work yourself, then it may be worth it. You can get a prefabbed Jag IRS, with big brakes, and a dana 44 rear end for about $3500. However, this is only the beginning as you will need to fab up a carrier, and do exstensive cutting to the under carriage.

Another option I looked at was using the Miata rear end with a TII pumpkin. You will be able to source the parts for less, but you will still need to fab up the carrier, and do the extensive under carriage mods.

rotorbrain

all of the work would very much so be done myself. . . and with the help of one over-qualified individual. i just need to figure out a decent route. one that would be cost effective, and very worthwhile. i dont see any good reason for jerry-rigging it. ill be looking into it!!!

rest assured. . . ill let you in on this, mr. cookies. i have no reason to NOT gain research already done on good rear ends. . . hehe, i wont intend the pun either.

banzaitoyota

nice find. AS LONG as you have a nice shop to park it in and work on it. That way when you get fed up/discouraged it will be protected while you regain your enthusiasm

rotorbrain

hehe, yeah. . . that always helped when i was working on the FD. this car is most definately gonna be parked for a good bit of time. i called someone about getting it media blasted. . . $900!!!! yowza!!! dont know if i can come up with that anytime soon.

xrotaryguy

Sweet car man! Aside from the rust (which is not small deal) the car looks great! It has the hub caps and everything! I say keep it stock. Restore that thing and preserve a piece of history. Beautifull interrior too by the way.

dgr8julius

GREAT TO SEE ANOTHER SEDAN COMING BACK TO LIFE!!!

I finished mine not so long ago, now I got a coupe in progress. GOOD LUCK and let me know if you need any body parts. I have managed to find quite a couple donor sedans in my area.