ribs

Well...not new, but new to me. I sold my all-trac this weekend for a pathetic price, but had some extra money after I cleared some of my debt up so I decided to buy another car as my porsche is sitting with a blown headgasket and I have no other transportation. Of course, I had to get something cheap (less than $1000), rear wheel drive with limited slip differential, fully independent suspension, a weird engine and good looks...can you guess what I bought?

Yeah, I got another rx-7. Its an '88 GXL, and I paid $700 for it. The only things wrong with it are: big dent in the driver's side front fender (going to replace the fender with a junkyard piece), driver's side window doesn't roll up without help from your hand, air pump is toast causing a big nasty exhaust leak, and the check valve is toast. It runs good until about 3000 RPMs then there is a massive power loss, most likely from the bad air pump. I have a used air pump that works coming on its way from an rx-7 club forum member ($25...a new one is $900 or so) but I still need to find a check valve.

The motor has good compression (105 psi across all 3 chambers in both rotors) even though the car has 177,000 miles! It seems to be well maintained (it was originally owned by a rotary mechanic until a year ago, and it was still serviced by him). It has no visable leaks, new tires, new rear shocks, new brakes, new cats and exhaust, new radiator, hoses, belts, ignition, etc. I found no rust on the car except the fender where it was hit. The syncros grind just a little when shifted at higher revs but are not bad at all...the shifter bushings seem to be deteriorated though. The interior is better than most I have seen (just a little tear on the driver's seat, pass. carpet is stained funny). Its silver w/ blue interior, power everything, and it has that electronically adjustable suspension (all though they ditched it in the rear when replacing the shocks...I'll probably put some decent dampeners on eventually).

I pick it up friday and will hopefully have it inspected, tagged, and titled on monday. Here is a picture from the autotrader ad:



So...thats that. My brother in law is going to let me fix my 951 in his garage once he gets all moved in to his new house (they just started moving today) which should be in a couple of weeks.

Raceit

Nice score for the price!


How come the wheels look funny? They looked photoshoped or something. One goes one way and the other the other way.

Either way congratulations!

Tom R.

there is a left on the right and a right on the left. you decide which way they should "saw". I traded a chanpagne (or diaper gold) one of those in for my convert in '90.

I put tokikos on all four corners and the car handled nicely. the 88 has the 7000 rpm redline while the 89 or 90 got the extra 10 hp and the 8000 rpm redline.

the rear speakers are a piece of work mounted on top of the shock tower blasting straight into the glass.

It is a fun car to drive though. my convert is more fun than the 944. I wouldnt change the fender. i think it would look worse with a different color fender.

Flight_951

[quote]Originally posted by Tom R.:
<strong>...I wouldnt change the fender. i think it would look worse with a different color fender...</strong><hr></blockquote>

When I needed a trunk lid for my wife's Mazda, I called around for a used trunk lid -- in dark green. Took three junkyards but got the right color for the same money (and they delivered it to my door). I'm surprised how many people are driving around with blue doors, red hoods, and yellow fenders... Just ask for the right color!

:-)

SamGrant951

ribs..nice pickup for the cash. you still gonna fix the 51 and sell it? or now have a driver and the 51. I just think the p-car will be fine once you get this last issue sorted. not much else can go wrong now! you might as well drive it and get some use out of it w/ all the money youve spent!

dont be a stranger, and keep us posted w/ what youre up to...

AndyK

Damn! I remember when I couldnt afford a '88 RX-7! And they are going for less than $1000 now!? Great looking car...hope you dont enjoy it more than the 951 (quite, smooth, reliable as the Mazda is)!

Try looking here for a matching fender:

<a href="http://www.car-part.com" target="_blank">Car-Part used parts online</a>

GOBOGIE

Looks like the 2nd Rx-7 I had right after high school. I had an '87 same color as yours (can't remember the name of the color) GXL. It had those exact rims on it. I love that car. Leather, roof, CD etc. One of these days I'll have to buy the 3rd generation.

I live very close to a BMW/ISUZU/Mazda dealership where my wife and I purchased our Trooper from a few years ago and they have a red '90 RX-7 GTU sitting out front for about $7500. It looks like it is in really good shape with low miles. If I didn't have such a full plate right now, I buy it.

Good luck on your purchase...

ribs

[quote]Originally posted by Raceit:
<strong>Nice score for the price!


How come the wheels look funny? They looked photoshoped or something. One goes one way and the other the other way.

Either way congratulations!</strong><hr></blockquote>

Thanks! Yeah...I think they misrotated the tires or something...two of them need to be swapped left to right, but I'll take care of that later.

[quote]Originally posted by Tom R.:
<strong>there is a left on the right and a right on the left. you decide which way they should "saw". I traded a chanpagne (or diaper gold) one of those in for my convert in '90.

I put tokikos on all four corners and the car handled nicely. the 88 has the 7000 rpm redline while the 89 or 90 got the extra 10 hp and the 8000 rpm redline.

the rear speakers are a piece of work mounted on top of the shock tower blasting straight into the glass.

It is a fun car to drive though. my convert is more fun than the 944. I wouldnt change the fender. i think it would look worse with a different color fender.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Tokikos and KYB AGX shocks are all reasonably priced (around $100/ea for the fronts, $75 for the rears) and have adjustable valving. I think I am going to keep it of the beater status for a while though and not mess with too much stuff. The S4 ('86-'88) has 146 HP while the S5 ('89-'92) has 160 HP as well as 1000 more RPM's to redline. The main differences are the intake manifold and ECU. Porting/boring the stock manifold on either an S4 or S5 can get you huge gains as this is the biggest restriction for the motor...I'm going to look into this as it is a free mod and can be worth upwards of 20 HP. I will probably get rid of all of the emmissions garbage (cats, air pump) since there is no emmissions testing around me and that stuff saps lots of HP. Either way, it will be a fun beater, and I will try to keep it low budget. Regarding the fender...I may paint the whole car anyways since I have access to a nice paint booth and equipment...all I would have to pay for is the paint.

[quote]Originally posted by Flight_951:
<strong>

When I needed a trunk lid for my wife's Mazda, I called around for a used trunk lid -- in dark green. Took three junkyards but got the right color for the same money (and they delivered it to my door). I'm surprised how many people are driving around with blue doors, red hoods, and yellow fenders... Just ask for the right color!

:-)</strong><hr></blockquote>

I'll call a couple of junkyards around me and see what I can find. That didn't even occur to me...thanks!

[quote]Originally posted by SamGrant951:
<strong>ribs..nice pickup for the cash. you still gonna fix the 51 and sell it? or now have a driver and the 51. I just think the p-car will be fine once you get this last issue sorted. not much else can go wrong now! you might as well drive it and get some use out of it w/ all the money youve spent!

dont be a stranger, and keep us posted w/ what youre up to...</strong><hr></blockquote>

For now I am going to keep it and fix it. I have a place to fix it finally but will have to wait a few weeks until I can start. I am pretty sure I am going to get the head redone and maybe get it decked, ported/polished, valve grinded, and maybe even get the exhaust valves hot jet coated!

[quote]Originally posted by AndyK:
<strong>Damn! I remember when I couldnt afford a '88 RX-7! And they are going for less than $1000 now!? Great looking car...hope you dont enjoy it more than the 951 (quite, smooth, reliable as the Mazda is)!

Try looking here for a matching fender:

<a href="http://www.car-part.com" target="_blank">Car-Part used parts online</a></strong><hr></blockquote>

Thanks for the link! I am also going to try the rx-7 forums wanted ad section. I don't think I could have gotten much more car for $700, and it is very well maintained with a lot of stuff done recently which means I won't have to worry about stupid stuff going wrong for a while...and...the a/c blows ice cold! This is the first car in 4 years I have owned with cold a/c. Most of the n/a 2nd gens still go for 2000+ unless they are beaten to hell...the reason I got it so cheap is because the girls mechanic told her it would cost $1300 for a new air pump and check valve, while I was able to find a used one for $30. Other than that, it is in better condition than most rx-7's of the vintage. I actually prefer the handling on rx-7s to my 951 as they feel a little easier to drive at the edge. If I ever rebuild the motor, I might do it with a monster street port and have a 220+ HP n/a 1.3 motor (there are lots of strange tricks to these motors) in which case it would probably be as much fun as my 951. As far as reliability, the n/a rx-7 motors are known for going forever without a rebuild. There are only 3 moving parts in the mechanical portion of the motor (2 rotors and the output shaft, and various bearings) so not much can go wrong. You eventually start to loose compression from worn apex seals, but the motors will not die unless you blow the seal out, so they will run like crap for years until finally they won't start.


[quote]Originally posted by gobogie:
<strong>Looks like the 2nd Rx-7 I had right after high school. I had an '87 same color as yours (can't remember the name of the color) GXL. It had those exact rims on it. I love that car. Leather, roof, CD etc. One of these days I'll have to buy the 3rd generation.

I live very close to a BMW/ISUZU/Mazda dealership where my wife and I purchased our Trooper from a few years ago and they have a red '90 RX-7 GTU sitting out front for about $7500. It looks like it is in really good shape with low miles. If I didn't have such a full plate right now, I buy it.

Good luck on your purchase...</strong><hr></blockquote>

The color is arctic silver. I had an '88 turbo II and an '81 w/ and '89 n/a motor in it before, so I know these cars (but I always had a mechanic work on them...never did stuff myself like I am going to from now on). The turbo II was a blast, and I considered rebuilding it from the ground up after it blew up but bought my 951 instead (kind of wish I rebuilt it, but I enjoy my 951). I was going to get a 3rd gen but couldn't find any I could afford when I was looking and ended up with my 951. I still want one some day, but they are a nightmare unless you fix a couple of problems designed into them (the factory sequential turbo set upshould be ditched for a parallel set up which takes only a couple of cheap/free modifications, the air box likes to suck hot air from behind the intercooler and grenade the motors, the fuel filters like to clog and lean out the engine, the vacuum lines all need to be replaced with silicon and glued in place, the coolant bleeder needs to be bypassed, etc.). Maybe after I graduate college...

Tom R.

Ribs
Your problem is you can't prioritize things. So I will do it for you (regardng the cars only)

1. rotate any two tires so the car looks normal.
2. replace air pump which should arrive just as you take the car off the jacks.
3. Fix the window regulator. Notice how the cuts from working on the 951 have all but disappeared.
4. drive the car a few weeks.
5. maybe tune up the car, try summitracing for parts. they are the cheapest place! Price a Borla cat back from summit and then try to get it for 75 more than summit.
6. replace the fender only if you can find one the same color.
7. drive the car some more, and start working on the 951.
8. finish work on the 951.
9. drive the rx7 some more.
10. make shure the shocks are shot, then, and only then replace them.
11. drive the car some more.

Notice how things are staying stock. Leave the damn car alone. with 177k you are going to have fun just keeping it running.

Now have a beer, focus on girls and school (yes in that order), and use the damn car for transportation.

Remember what confucious say: he who f's with car will ultimately get f'd by car.

And I agree the RX7 is a nicer car to drive than the 944, at least my '90 with 39k compared to my '89 with 71k, and a lot less headaches.

ribs

Tom,

Thanks for the advice. I'll take care of the wheels when I get it back to my house at school (thats where all of my tools are). The guy shipping the air pump used UPS ground instead of 3 day (it was like $30 or something to ship it 3 day according to him) so I may not get it on friday when I go to pick up the car. I'm not too sure what is wrong with the window regulator. It rolls down fine, but when you try to roll it up (power window) it just keeps clicking and the window doesn't move. If you use your hand to boost the window while rolling it up, it goes up fine. I'll work on it...its probably a gear or the window came off the track or something.

The car has a fresh tune up (less than 6 months for everything)...it has new plugs, wires, belts, cooling hoses, radiator, tires, brakes, rear shocks, exhaust and cats, so I doubt there is much more needed to keep it from giving me headaches for a while. The trans has worn syncros (just a little grindage when shifting hard) but they weren't nearly as bad as the ones on my turbo II which held up and didn't get any worse the whole time I owned the car.

As far as the fender is concerned, I will either try to find one in the same color or I may just get any fender then paint the car. I haven't painted a car since I was 15 (I took votech for 2 years for auto body and paint) but I remember it wasn't too hard, it just took a long time to do the prep work.

I found a guy selling a dual (60mm) borla cat back stainless exhaust for $200 shipping included. He said it just needs to be polished to look good. I may pick it up as the car is too quiet for my tastes.

The 951 will get the works in a few weeks once I have a place to fix it (my brother in law is moving into his new house and currently has his garage filled with boxes).

I probably won't mess with the car too much (I may replace the front struts as they are toast...the rears are new though...I may want to get performance shocks for the rear to match whatever I get for the front...I'm not sure) for a while. Its a $700 beater that probably should have cost me a lot more, so I'm probably not going to go too wild on it. Maybe I'll get another turbo II some time in the future if I want to have something that would be more fun to hook up.

Even with 177K miles, the motor has perfect compression and all of the little headaches that usually happen on cars this age have been fixed recently so hopefully I won't have to have too much fun keeping it running. If I blow the motor up, I know I can get a JDM S5 (your motor + 10 or 20 HP) n/a motor and ECU for $400 or $500, and they are supposed to have less than 50,000 miles and guaranteed compression.

I am anxious to pick this car up, fix it, register it, and drive it. I am anxious to drive anything really, but I think I will be happy with my choice.

Tom R.

Ribs
Try a little wd40 in the track first. there is probably a $2 plastic gear that is worn.

I have the borla cat back on my 90. It is great with the top down, but with the top up a little too much bass gets into the cockpit. it may be completely different with the coupe though.

The problem with the borla is it takes what little low end grunt there was to start with away. I have to keep the revs over 4k to get any pickup. 5th gear is a waste under 75/80 mph.

The synchros were a weak spot on these cars. the was a recall in 91 on miatas and I think the rx7 too. i got the dealer to replace something when the car was about a year old. my symptoms were a grinding when upshifting quickly from first to second. The shifter cannot be slapped from gear to gear quickly. kind of takes some of the fun out of driving the car hard. so i wouldnt be too worried about that.

worry about paint next summer get it through a winter first. remember to buy three wiper blades with the gxl.

Also, I don't remember feeling that much difference in pickup between the two motors. The big difference I felt was when I had an 85 GSL-SE with the original 13B motor and the convertible at the same time in 96. The 85 was quicker etc, but I heard the rev buzzer a lot since I was used to an 8k redline. I miss the way the 85 would bounce over any imperfection in the road.

I bought my '86 in '90 when my '85 GSL with 30k was stolen. I thought I would like the 86 a lot more than the 85 with the 12A motor but was sort of disappointed.

All in all the GSL-SE was the most fun for the dollar, a lot more fun per dollar the the expensive to keep running 944!