Managed to hand crank the engine after all. At first it was a bit stiff, but after a little I was able to get it turning.

Every two tugs with the ratchet I got a litte sigh sound, and it flushed out the MMO that had been sitting. I presume that 'sigh' was a sign the seals are good, but not sure exactly how it should sound if full compression.

Hooked the battery up, put the plugs back in and tried hitting the ignition. The prior owner set up separate switches for the power, the fuel pump and the ignition. First tried without the fuel pump to see if it would turn under power. It did. Then tried with the fuel pump. You could hear the pump going, but the sound was identical, pumping the gas didn't have any effect either (nor choke or throttle arms).

Popped the plugs again, hand cranked in case flooded and out came some gas, but not too much. I just went out and got some fresh gas. It had already been flushed once, but figure stale gas in the lines and replace the fuel filter is next. Have the filter ready.

Any other simple tips to check out to debug why the engine won't catch?

 

i have a 64 4th sr alpine... cant get cam or bearings for the 4 banger so im planing to drop a 3 rotor in it 1 day. looks almost like yours white but i dont have a hard top. and if you look on ebay you will see them from time to time. ive see a doz or so in my rotor years

 

don't stuff rags in the plug holes. you don't want them getting sucked in. stuff rags next to the engine. you can drape an old bath towel over the motor, let it hang down by the plug holes.

19mm socket on the crank pulley nut if there was room. 1/2" drive socket wrench is longer and more leverage.

i still prefer to hand crank it after it's been sitting. so much slower and easier on every thing. you can also get a socket on the alternator pulley. if the belts are still good it'll crank the motor. 22mm i think.

 

As for why it won't catch, just go down the list of things that you need to make it run. You are getting gas, so thats the first thing. Are you getting a spark?

 

cool car! Th original 1725 cc one here in england had 80-90 bhp depending on spec.

good luck with starting it- if it all goes wrong or engine is a gonner then a later rx7 12A will slip in with the only major mod's being shortening the prop shaft, moving gearstick forwards if you go for a 5speed and maybe new exhuast.

And wiring on the later electronic 12A dizzy is much simpler and cleaner looking.

Then you'd have an even more usable daily!
Id love to put a 12A into a mg midget or triumph spitfire.

 

I got poked for an update on the car.

I haven't been working on it over the winter. Just getting started again. The car is a hilarious mix of parts. Its got toyota master brake cylinder, opal struts, I'm not even sure whose actual brakes, obviously the Mazda engine and trans.. and for a kicker? The gas tank is from a 61 Ford Falcon.

Now, I pulled the old tank as the filters kept jamming even after replacing and there was no saving it. But even more interesting, the original owner a) cut the trunk to fit the Ford tank and built a wood frame for it. And then he cut and welded the tank to move the neck from one corner to the other. I've gotten a new tank, but now looking for a local welder to do some work on it as well.

As for the engine, I need to go through the wiring. Most of the electrical works, but I'm just not getting a spark. Swapped out the coils and the plugs and wires and still no spark, so clearly the coils aren't getting juice. This'll be my first time playing with a multimeter, so I'll be learning as I go. Luckily I have a diagram of his custom wiring, but its still a bit over my head since I'm having to sort of teach myself. This is why I got a car though, to learn.

Hopefully I'll have the new tank in place within the next weeks, and be able to puzzle out the wiring in similar. If anyone has any good tips of books or videos on learning to trace wiring in a car, feel free to link me up.