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Just won an eBay auction for this early 1979 RX-7. The pictures don't do this car justice. I saw it in person a couple of weeks ago and this thing is remarkable. Hasn't ran in 20 years so I have some work to do.
The engine bay looks like new and the interior is just the same. I'll post more pics once I pick it up tomorrow.
sa22c501673
105,000 miles
GS - non-sunroof, no air, 5 speed
Last edited by KansasCityREPU; Feb 19, 2017 at 10:09 PM.
Congrats! Hope no "surprises" once you dig in. Curious as to _which_ door panel is original to the car? Both are 79, but the passenger one is an early item (or pulled from an "S"?). I see the vestige early right hood prop frame in place too. Looks to be an interesting cross-over car...
Post some more pics once you have her tidied up!
I didn't notice the door panel difference till it was pointed out. All ask the original owner what the story is.
He told me the car did not come with the passenger mirror so he added one. The car came with the passenger hood prop and he also added one on the drivers side for convenience.
He also added the aftermarket front spoiler. My planes are to fix it and keep it on the car.
I'll probably find a matching mirror to the drivers side and install it on the passenger side. I think I might have one already.
I'm also on the lookout for a factory driving light switch.
The seats are in good shape with one small tear. They are black/gray cloth cross pattern.
Last edited by KansasCityREPU; Feb 20, 2017 at 10:18 AM.
Since it's a "gs" it looks like the passenger door panel was replaced cause I believe the "s" didn't come with the pocket in the door panel. Like it that it has no sunroof
I picked the car up today. Story of the drivers door panel is that the owner wanted the pocket. To my surprise, he still had the original drivers side door panel.
Some of the other goodies include the following NEW mazda parts still in the original mazda package:
1. Shift Boot.
2. Brake handle boot.
3. Shifter rubber boot.
4. Dash chrome accents.
5. Front metal bumper.
6. Electric Antenna.
7. Mazda touch up paint in small can.
8. Rear axle brake line.
9. Clutch master.
10. Rear quarter window.
11. Quarter window triangle trim.
I picked the car up today. Story of the drivers door panel is that the owner wanted the pocket. To my surprise, he still had the original drivers side door panel.
Some of the other goodies include the following NEW mazda parts still in the original mazda package:
1. Shift Boot.
2. Brake handle boot.
3. Shifter rubber boot.
4. Dash chrome accents.
5. Front metal bumper.
6. Electric Antenna.
7. Mazda touch up paint in small can.
8. Rear axle brake line.
9. Clutch master.
10. Rear quarter window.
11. Quarter window triangle trim.
Original window sticker
I'll take some pics later in the week.
I also love it that it has no sunroof.
wow i think you really scored. my 79 cleaned up to look new, they seem to have been built very well
I saw this car on eBay a couple times. I noticed the 2 types of door panels and remember the ad mentioned having a stock bumper with the car. Curious to know what seats it has. You mention a black / grey criss cross pattern, those look like generic high back covers. Since it's an early car, I'm guessing it came with red dots under those covers.
That's a stellar find!! Was the owner the original owner or has he just had it for 20 years? I think that car would be great to restore and drive! Did the seller share any interesting stories about the car?
What's the build date on the car? The car looks to be a garaged, well preserved example!
That's a stellar find!! Was the owner the original owner or has he just had it for 20 years? I think that car would be great to restore and drive! Did the seller share any interesting stories about the car?
What's the build date on the car? The car looks to be a garaged, well preserved example!
I bought it from the original owner. He gave me tons of stuff. The car was garaged all its life. Not a spot of surface rust, even underneath.
The most heartfelt thing he left was a four page typed document that out lined everything major he had done and steps I should take to get it back together. I could tell by this letter it was his way of letting go and to try to ensure the next person took care of the car. I want to honor that wish.
Carb Kit
Last edited by KansasCityREPU; Feb 22, 2017 at 11:42 AM.
Here are some pics of the seats. I was wrong, they are black/tan cross.
That is cool, those are the white plaid seats, usually you see more red plaid ones. Plaid inserts were the more upscale seat cover that was later replaced by the velour inserts as opposed to the standard red dot covers. Not sure I've ever saw them in a sunrise red wrapper before. It's been said for generations, but buying an older car from the original owner really is the best way normally. Kind of sad to see that another original owner bites the dust however. You should see if he has any pictures of him and the car like the day he brought it home. Gather as much of that as you can and put it in a binder. That kind of history along with your own work on the car should be documented, preserved and go with the car for future caretakers to see and continue.
lmao! notice on that sticker there is a dealer bin location line? see what it says?
those stickers are pretty self explanatory, but just for fun; in the dealership parts world, the blue Mazda tag is the thing that makes a part official, Mazda put those on in Japan.
the tag in the middle is the tag Mazda USA's warehouse put on it when it was ordered. there have been a few tags, the old one is maybe a 4x2" strip, it says Mazda in blue top center. then there is a new one from about 2004. this one was used from the early 90's.
top left is the warehouse that the part was shipped from, the Kansas PDC was closed by 1997 (when i started). the DLR number is the dealership it was supposed to be sent to
next line, LOC, is the location in the Kansas PDC. the part number, date, and quantity are obvious.
the next box down, has the description of the part. DLR line is the line number in the order, in this case 109. in 1996 orders were probably weekly, not quite sure how, in 1997 we had a modem with an OS2 piece of software.
next bit is the order number from the dealership, think of it like a PO number. the S at the end of this one suggests that it was a stock order, which would have been weekly.
you could do a CSO (Customer Service Order), and for a 10% charge they would ship it faster. most dealerships are hesitant to do these, because there was no telling when the thing would actually show up, and its not free...
next line is the dealer bin location, which is where the dealership would put it. if its for a customer, usually the customers name would go here, although sometimes you see funny stuff.
not sure about the bundle, probably refers to the cage or box they put the order in.
Did some work on the car today. Connected the starter, added a Optima red top battery, and started the car for about 15 seconds. Didn't want to run it any longer.
The car hasn't ran in 20 years. The good thing is that the previous owner oiled the chambers and I was able to rotate the engine via the belt before startup.
I still need to drain the old gas, flush and fill the radiator, change engine oil, change the trans and rearend gear oil, and redo the brakes. The car has NO brakes. The good thing is the owner gave me plenty of brake parts.
This weekend is going to be fun. I was so existed when it ran today. I still haven't ran it long enough to tell if it has good seals and idles on it's own but the results today where promising.
KC - seriously consider PULLING the tank and getting it professionally flushed at a rad shop.
Sitting long period with "some" gas = condensation in the tank = rust/old gas munge. A recipe
for ongoing fuel issues (ask me how I know this...). Buy POR15's gas tank reseal kit ($30?) and reseal the tank once you get it back from the flush.
As you may have discovered, the SAs have no drain plug in the tank, so you will need to scoop out as much as you can via the Fuel Sender port at the rear drivers wheel well behind the plastic panel. You WILL need a new Sender gasket, which is still available I believe.
Tank is a bit of an ungainly "drop" to remove, and the more gas you get out of it the less tipsy it is to pull, but is very straight forward. DO photo the 4+ connection points on the TOP of the tank or you will never remember the correct order of re-attachment
New fuel hoses too!
Patience grasshopper! I wouldn't run anymore of that crappy gas through it until you have
completely flushed the tank, replaced all the rubber hoses, filter and gone through the carb.
Don't bother with the fuel sender without dropping the tank. Thats a sure recipe for stripped
sender bolts for sure. Dropping the tank is easy (sorry Stu) compared to fuxing with the sender
on the mounted tank. You need to drop it anyway to clean it good and inspect it.
