Learn me about 1st gen RX-7s

I have owned 7 or 8 FA RX-7's and 13 NA Miata. They are quite similar in nature but even Mazda is no longer stocking the parts for an FA. A miata is the better purchase for most people. An early RX-7 can be lots of fun with just fairly simple mods but even those fun parts are getting rare.
All the high and low spots have been covered. Both will be fun to own and drive. It just depends on whether you want to do it in a classic Japanese car or modern car which has none of the quirks.

njansenv wrote:

P71 wrote: Gas mileage isn't that bad when you uncork the exhaust, I see 20-21 on the freeway (at 60, it goes down to 17-18 at 70) and about 10 autocrossing

That's terrible mileage for the power it's producing.

It's awesome mileage for any 26 Year Old car with almost a 1/4 million miles!!!

You will probably never find a piston engine with 200,000 miles that will still turn 7500 rpms on a daily basis and stay together. Rotary engines rock! You do need to drive the dog mess out of them on a regular basis to keep them carbon buildup to a minimum.(edit: isn't that a shame) Don't crank it up and move it 10 feet and shut it down. It WILL flood and be an absolute bitch to start. Engines I would not want to rebuild, dollars per hp just don't add up, but 12As are a dime a dozen and anything will fit in the engine bay all the way up to 500+hp v8s. The transmissions tunnels are huge, so just about anything will fit.

For autocross and general fun driving they are hard to beat. For wrenching, they are pretty easy, particularly if you remove the rats nest off the top of the engine. They aren't the fastest thing in the world. The Miata is quicker, but in this day and age, it's just another car. Nobody notices them. The FB has character, it's not just another blob in the crowd of blobs.

After market parts can be pricey. E-bay is your friend. Re-speed.com has a bunch of stuff for them as well and their prices aren't too bad. Wheels can be a pain due to the odd bolt pattern. Konig, makes a set of 15x7s for about $400.00, or Marsh Racing will build you a set of steel wheels for about $70.00 each.

I bought one as soon as I could afford one and will probably have it the rest of my life. The Miata is a better all around car, but you couldn't sell me one. I would rather drive my primer gray, sloppy steering, noisy, stinky, oil burning, $200.00, pos, RX-7 than a Miata. Besides, it's just plain fun to work on, drive, abuse, ect.

1st Gen Rx-7s are easy to work on and fun to drive. There is so much information on rx7club.com that fixing problems comes easy. Has only let me down once when the fuel pump failed. My '82 1st Gen is my winter/rallycross car. I enjoy rallycross much more than autocross with this car. My '90 2nd Gen is DD autocrosser. It handles 10x better than the 1st Gen. Go for it and enjoy the Hmmmmm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHzeGEHWMjo

P71 wrote: It's *awesome* mileage for *any* 26 Year Old car with almost a 1/4 million miles!!!

Without wanting to get to far into it, I really don't think it is. I have two e30's of roughly that vintage that I believe offer comparable performance and get 30-40% better fuel economy on the highway.

Another poster said "there are no piston engines that will turn 7500rpms daily and last 200k miles." While I'm far from a Honda fanboi, there are a "few".

I LOVE early RX-7's, and they're really fun cars, but lets try to be realistic. That said, the OP mentioned that "for him" fuel economy doesn't matter...so...moving along.

Greg Voth wrote: and a 79 Spark Yellow car.

Excellent choice of car my friend, I have the same car. 5/78 production Sparky GS w/o sunroof,or A/C. Best car I have ever owned.

To the original poster,I would suggest finding an 81-85,and leave all the ultra cool SA chassis for me.

Chris

I have owned 8 FB chassis RX7, and a RX3, I currently have 2 FBs, they are very easy to work on, and respond to simple mods very well, the stock 12a was rated at 115hp, add a decent exhaust, a mikuni carb, upgrade the ignition using the modified 2nd gen ignitor and get rid of the OMP. (I premix) Power jumps to an easy 150hp in a 2400 (roughly) lb car with pretty decent handling.

IMHO Definately look for the 84/85 for the bigger bearings, LSD rear disc options. Some prefer the earlier models for the interior or classic style, but as a driver the last series were the most solid.

As for the steering it can be either improved significantly through adjustment, or replaced with a Respeed rack and pinion conversion.

I love my 1st gens and will always have a couple at least.

I stuck a 12A in the Abomination (1980 Spitfire) with a Dellorto and headers as the only mods. That's ~145 HP in a ~1700 pound car, it's very entertaining. About premix: it is certainly doable but there is something to be aware of: in the dirt bike world ethanol fuels (even the 10% types) have been known to cause problems with 2 stroke oil not staying in suspension. Make sure whatever oil you might use is compatible with ethanol fuels.

I just bought another 79 Spark Yellow car this weekend and will likely be parting out the rust and smokey 79. Anyone need parts?

This "new" one has 10/78 build date with no passenger side mirror and the hood prop on the wrong side. 47,000 original miles and the AC still blows cold. Kind of a barn find at $2,000 but it had a soft high hit and need the front valence and fender replaced.

my 79 spark is rusty too

Greg Voth wrote: I just bought another 79 Spark Yellow car this weekend and will likely be parting out the rust and smokey 79. Anyone need parts?

I could use a good throttle cable. PM with price, please!

I need power window switches and possibly taillights. And a passenger headlight motor/armature/cover/assembly. And a rear view mirror lense. And maybe the marker lights.

In fact, you should start a $200x parts thread...

Jensenman wrote:

Greg Voth wrote: I just bought another 79 Spark Yellow car this weekend and will likely be parting out the rust and smokey 79. Anyone need parts?

I could use a good throttle cable. PM with price, please!

I have a throttle cable from an 83 if that is the same(should be) I will let it go pretty cheap.

I have so many FB parts I just want out of my garage because while some are compatible with my 79 many are not,and my 79 is a very early model with a 5/78 build date,and of course it is Spark Yellow. You can see pics of it here:

http://web.mac.com/cdirado/iWeb/Diradosite/Mazda-RX-7.html

Chris

P71 wrote: I need power window switches and possibly taillights. And a passenger headlight motor/armature/cover/assembly. And a rear view mirror lense. And maybe the marker lights. In fact, you should start a $200x parts thread...

I have all those parts,and even have the sub-harness for the conversion to power windows from a manual car. email me if interested in these parts.

Chris

Chris,

Coming at you.

Having parted out more than a few miata to keep my racing habit going, I frequently find 220k+ BP motors(that is the designation for the basic miata motor) with the original cross-hatching in the cylinder bores. Any issues are usually in the head, not the bottom end. There have been some failures due to the oiling on number 2 bearing. I was a dedicated fan of rotary motors thru my ITA RX3 and ownership of more than a few RX7's but rotaries are fussy and unreliable compared to BP's.

Mazdax605 wrote:

Jensenman wrote:

Greg Voth wrote: I just bought another 79 Spark Yellow car this weekend and will likely be parting out the rust and smokey 79. Anyone need parts?

I could use a good throttle cable. PM with price, please!

I have a throttle cable from an 83 if that is the same(should be) I will let it go pretty cheap. I have so many FB parts I just want out of my garage because while some are compatible with my 79 many are not,and my 79 is a very early model with a 5/78 build date,and of course it is Spark Yellow. You can see pics of it here: http://web.mac.com/cdirado/iWeb/Diradosite/Mazda-RX-7.html Chris

nice classic collection

I've been to Chris' place, and I do concur that it's a nice little collection he has between the 1st. gen, REPU, and '78 Dastun 510 hatch.

Chris, check your e-mail about the FC end links.

Nice collection Chris! I am probably going to just go with some Konig Rewinds for the 79. Less expensive than finding a good set of LE wheels.

I will definitely make a thread one the parting out begins. First I need to get a transmission in the Aspen so I have a daily.

fastmiata wrote: Having parted out more than a few miata to keep my racing habit going, I frequently find 220k+ BP motors(that is the designation for the basic miata motor) with the original cross-hatching in the cylinder bores. Any issues are usually in the head, not the bottom end. There have been some failures due to the oiling on number 2 bearing. I was a dedicated fan of rotary motors thru my ITA RX3 and ownership of more than a few RX7's but rotaries are fussy and unreliable compared to BP's.

My BP in the EGT still has original crosshatching, and i beat it like it owes me money. It's unsure if it has 158k or 258k, but either way, it runs like absolute nuts, and LOVES be revved out to rev limiter. The head needs some freshening, though. I'm fairly sure that it has 258k. Carfax reported odometer discrepancy at 100k miles back in 1997.

Greg,

Better buy those Rewinds now. $346 shipped for a set of 4.

Mazdax605 wrote:

Jensenman wrote: I could use a good throttle cable. PM with price, please!

I have a throttle cable from an 83 if that is the same(should be) I will let it go pretty cheap. Chris

Check your PM's.

Again it all depends on what you are realy looking for. I paid 1500 for my FB already setup to run in spec rx-7 classes. its sen alot of track time and it is a blast to drive and with some hawk blues up front and so 048 advans I can chase down "faster"cars. I do get killed on the long streches snce in the spec 7 class we have to leave the motor stock but i would love to see what it would be like with 50 more hp. they are easy to work on and there are pleanty of parts out there.