Big-K's RX-7 Aspiration

Sirdeuce · December 09, 2010, 05:37:43 PM

I'll buy it if you'll take payments. $15.00 over a period of 30 months. It's the best I can do right now. Payments to commence next June.

kdogae86 · December 09, 2010, 05:42:39 PM

ill think about it... cause i know how much you love nissan. hey i was thinkin if i could ever get this fc thingy goin i wonder if your mazda speed 3 engine would fit? is it direct inject?

Sirdeuce · December 09, 2010, 06:15:17 PM

MZR engine, direct injection, rediculous tuning. Not sure if there is a longitudinal set-up for it.

BryanH · December 10, 2010, 08:14:50 PM

I miss my '88 RX-7. What an awesome car it was. Soooo comfortable.

The NA isn't fast but it's reliable and entertaining anyway. The burbles and pops of the 13B with cat delete give it a lot of character.

Still want to get an FD someday...

BigMike · December 11, 2010, 02:11:47 AM

Bryan, can you post some pics of your old RX-7? Why do I not remember you having one? Was it gray or silver? hmmmmmmm

BryanH · December 11, 2010, 01:16:22 PM

Arctic Silver. :)

Now it's Arctic Oxidation.

But still going strong last I checked.

I think I brought it by the shop when I got it. I know Kevin drove it once or twice.

Anyway here's some pics I have handy:

Can't beat blue shag style carpet!

Superbly balanced suspension. Mine had the TurboII suspension/brakes/seats and a clutch-type LSD, and was the lightest NA model you could get (crank windows, no cruise, etc). It was the best handling FC of them all. Handling is remarkably similar to the first gen RX-8 actually, which is still the best-handling car I've ever driven (the FC is a close 2nd).

Great cruiser! Tall 5th gear, stunning wind noise control and smoothness on the highway for a 1980s car. I caught myself doing 90 a couple times on the drive home. In an AW11 you could tell the difference between 68 and 70 just based on the wind noise.

In the RX-7, 90 felt just like 60.

Some really amazing things about this car's engineering. One of the coolest things, to me, was the driving position. It was perfect. But not just for me - the current 6'4" owner loves it, and a guy I know back east who is probably 5'4" at best loves it too. Best seats ever.

Another cool thing - the headlights. Even in the down position the lights themselves pointed forward. You could flash your lights through those clear lenses above the turn signals, without having to raise the light assemblies. Mazda used a neat pivot system to keep the lights level as the housings went up or down. Kind of fun to stand in front of the car and watch.

Oh yeah the use of aluminum in the car was pretty trick for the 80s, too. Some suspension parts were aluminum, I forget what else. Aluminum hoods were optional - mine was steel though.

It was actually pretty easy to work on, too. Much easier than MR2s. I remember having the intake manifold and fuel rail off to replace a coolant hose (the toughest one to access on the whole car - which is why the previous owner's mechanic overlooked it probably). But all the nuts and bolts were easy to get to and didn't give me any trouble. Did some cooling system maintenance on the car (since that's pretty critical on a rotary) and it was so much easier. Thermostat was right there. Coolant replacement was cake. I think that's all I did to it in the year and a half I owned it.

I definitely want another one someday. It might be tough to find one as nice as mine was, at least in that trim level. The '88 GTU was unique in a number of ways from other FCs.

kdogae86 · December 13, 2010, 07:26:09 PM

yeah i remember test driving it to buy it but for some reason i didnt and really really really kick my self for not buying it. i know i would still have it and would have saved alot of money cause i eventualy ended up buying a subaru.

well im in talks with a lady in so lake tahoe for an 87.looks like a good deal. i think shes trying to get it outa her garage cause she already talked herself down to 500.
trying to get the vin for a carfox but she doesnt want to give it up for privacy reasons.check it out what do you thing gentlemen
http://reno.craigslist.org/cto/2048059156.html

kdogae86 · December 13, 2010, 07:28:28 PM

only down side is doesnt have a cat so one will need to be installed,not a big deal. vehicle is not current on registration and i would like to drive it down. was thinking of getting a temp moving permit to move it down. or would need to trailer it all the way from tahoe.

Sirdeuce · December 13, 2010, 07:34:19 PM

Make sure to check the body for cancer! I'm a bit leary about cars in snowy areas. I'd rather buy a car with an engine on it's last legs.

kdogae86 · December 13, 2010, 07:38:13 PM

i agree. shes supposed to be taking more pics to show.they say no rust but of course they would to make a sale.they lost all bargaining power by saying they will take it to pik n pull

Sirdeuce · December 13, 2010, 08:59:13 PM

If the car has any plastic mouldings, side skirts etc., it's the place to find rust concentration. Other than that, all the typical spots need investigation.

BryanH · December 14, 2010, 12:00:32 AM

Those look like the phone dial wheels, which are 4-lug, which means this is a base model car. I forget what all the differences are. Smaller wheels (and brakes) for sure. Probably no LSD. Umm... oh yeah, base seats which I hated (my friend Matt had an 86 GXL with those seats for a while).

Looks like quite a project.

FWIW, my RX-7 had three cats in a row (or maybe it was two, but I know it was more than one) in the pipe that ran from the header to the split at the rear axle. I don't know if welding in one generic cat is smog legal or if it has to be the OEM cats. That's why I ran the RB test pipe all the time and just swapped the stock pipe in every 2 years. Wanted to preserve the cats for as long as possible, just in case.

BigMike · December 14, 2010, 12:15:41 AM

Bryan should be banned from this forum for owning really clean cars. That is a beautiful RX-7

Kevin, we need to check about insurance. You might need to prove to the DMV that the is insured before you drive it with the moving permit. Some insurance companies will have a 1-day insurance option.

BigMike · December 14, 2010, 12:23:14 AM

I just checked out the 1987 in Tahoe. It looks awesome man, if you are able to drive it away for $500 then I'd say that is a steal!

This is pretty interesting:

Quotethe glass is good on it, and runs so freaking strong and fast

The glass runs strong and fast. What does he mean by this?

Well it is a 1987 which is the best year for sports cars in the history of mankind. This is not debatable.

Also Kevin, I don't know what your plans are, but starting next Monday I am willing to drive to Tahoe with you together in my MR2 and then caravan back to Fresno. Need to be absolutely certain the car is road worthy. The safest method would be to throw our two-wheel dolly in the bed of our Tundra and caravan with the Tundra. If it breaks down for any reason, we could just pull the trailer out and toe it.

Also, I drive in my Rock Crawler to south lake Tahoe at least twice every year to play on the Rubicon trail. In a car like my MR2, it will only take about 3-1/2 hrs to get there if we don't have traffic on HWY50 after Pollock Pines. Worst case will be 4-1/2 hrs max. Pay no mind to Google Map's 5 hour "Grandma in an automatic Kia Spectra" approximation.

Mike

kdogae86 · December 14, 2010, 12:43:12 PM

or is this one a better deal? http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/2072596892.html