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The answer is suprisingly alot. Somehow my idea to buy a new winter beater backfired horribly and I bought this beauty, located three hours away from me, for the princely sum of $1,000. A 1989 Mazda RX-7 GXL with 210,000 KM on it.    This thing is ridiculously clean for up here, its got some oxidation on the sunroof and very minor rust spots right at the bottom points of wheel wells but that's more or less it. The only thing the ad mentioned was that the apex seals were blown and every communication I had with the owner was him strongly urging me not to drive it the three hours needed to take it home. Fortunately for me local rotary expert McTinkerson was more than willing to take a look at it and recommended that I absolutely buy it. So we had an impromptu Alberta AI meet up and in the most  way possible I purchased this car in -30C weather, that the PO never registered, on a bill of sale written up on a piece of paper. The original plan was to drive it down but given the fact that the car handled like a VW Beetle with jammed rear drums on acid, the brake pedal went straight to the floor and it had an unquenchable thirst for coolant common sense prevailed and we just drove it to McTinkerson's garage.From there the news just got even better, the spark plugs looked like something out of a two stroke, so the coolant wasn't leaking into the combustion chamber (as it turns out the water pump gasket is just a little leaky). Not only that but a compression test showed there's still a bit of life left in this baby. Rotor 1:  Rotor 2: I'm told that at 80psi Mazda would replace the RX-8's engine. So while the results may be a little bit like my college transcript, it is infact technically a pass and there is nothing preventing me from driving this car around town after I tackle a few minor issues. I sold my SVX less than a year ago to fund my entry into karting and I would like to get this car to the point where it would be a nice summer car to cruise around in so I could replicate the experience of driving a nice looking japanese coupe around except without the schizophrenic shift map. Winter driving up here is kind of out of the question as she'd rust away immediately so I do have some time to do some work on sorting everything out. The immediate issues preventing me from getting this thing moving are the water pump and gasket, the rear passive steering bushings, and either the brake lines or a brake flush. Looking towards the tong term the interior needs some major TLC. The instrument cluster doesn't have any backlighting with the headlights on  the popup headlights are fully functional, there's no driver side sunvisor, a lot of the air vents have been cut up for some reason, the sunroof and window motors may need a rebuild, the cassette deck may be shot and minor bits of plastic trim have been chipped up/cracked. Just based on the little bit I've been driving it shifting into third is a little dodgy, either the motor mounts or the U joint on the driveshaft are shot and the suspension could use a bit of a refresher. I'd like to keep the auto adjusting suspension system but I think like the passive rear steering bushings that battle may be over before it has started, if the motors are all okay I may look into finding a place that could rebuild the shocks. Overall though this car just drives like it needs a lot of maintenance, the PO was clearly in over his head with this thing and its just been neglected as a result, a bit of basic wrenching, minor wiring and fluid changes should bring a lot of life back into this car.I live in a condo so any work that I can do is unfortunately limited to weekends and my parent's garage. I'm hoping to at least do a few things next weekend and at the very least have a closer look at everything. Until then we can debate what sort of crazy dumb cassette mixtapes I should make for when I am cruising this car round in the summer. Stay tuned.
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Jan 25, 2016 03:41
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 11:47 |
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Having exited my cave-dweller hut of introversion and seeing this car in real life, it really is as nice as the pictures show. Amazing buy for the price, and I cannot wait to see it get back on the road.
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Jan 25, 2016 03:58
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It's a hell of a find, this car. I expect great things. Who made the OE shocks? Maybe we can drop in Koni inserts or something and keep the magic robot adjuster?
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Jan 25, 2016 04:09
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I've never played around with adjustable shocks but looking through stuff online it looks like 2/3rds of a turn is the maximum range of adjustment on the AAS, I imagine something like koni's go a little further and wouldn't be a direct swap. The secondary issue is that it looks like the system firms up the suspension every time you hit the brakes, so there is a distinct possibility that the motors are burnt out, in which case it's probably going to be best to just go after market to preserve my sanity.
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Jan 25, 2016 04:59
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Or we could just delete the system and replace it with a piezo buzzer that makes the Six Million Dollar Man sound whenever it should be running. CH-CH-CH-CH-CH-CH "What's that" "Oh don't worry baby it's just my bionic suspension"
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Jan 25, 2016 06:02
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I see so much I like. Bronze exterior, brown interior. A cassette deck with equilizer! What's the deal with the warning lights by the clock? I've never actually sat in an early RX7 and I've never noticed that in photos before. Also to answer your thread title question, this much: http://skagit.craigslist.org/cto/5401183116.html 
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Jan 25, 2016 06:22
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This car is unreal, and the pictures don't do the interior Justice. It's dusty and has a little wear but it's way too good looking for a Japanese car that's spent so many years in Canada.Seat Safety Switch posted:Or we could just delete the system and replace it with a piezo buzzer that makes the Six Million Dollar Man sound whenever it should be running. Amazing idea
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Jan 25, 2016 06:29
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1500quidporsche posted:Until then we can debate what sort of crazy dumb cassette mixtapes I should make for when I am cruising this car round in the summer. I don't know exactly why but I vote for this as the lead-in track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I8mWG6HlmU Maybe it's the line about keeping it alive. LloydDobler fucked around with this message at 08:11 on Jan 25, 2016 |
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Jan 25, 2016 08:08
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You should have a talk with the spyder; I think he bought an FC this weekend Also IMO the FB looks more like a 924, the FC like a 944.
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Jan 25, 2016 08:49
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Yesssssssssssss.
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Jan 25, 2016 11:39
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Great find. I always thought the FD was the generation where the RX-7 got really complicated - I didn't realize the FC had active suspension and such. I've always wanted one so I'll live vicariously through you for a while and see if my desire diminishes at all. 
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Jan 25, 2016 15:59
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Mat_Drinks posted:I see so much I like. Bronze exterior, brown interior. A cassette deck with equilizer! The warning lights are just a bunch of different specific warnings that light up and sound an ear piercing buzzer if something is wrong, a nice touch for the mid 80s where if you got a low oil pressure light you were lucky, but a bit kitsch looking at it now. And yeah the joke of the topic title is that I've been looking for a low budget 924 for lord knows how long and they're all in miserable condition. If that car had a VW badge on it like it was originally meant to there's no way they'd hold the kind of value they do. zundfolge posted:Great find. I always thought the FD was the generation where the RX-7 got really complicated - I didn't realize the FC had active suspension and such. I've always wanted one so I'll live vicariously through you for a while and see if my desire diminishes at all. The first thing I immediately noticed on this thing versus the SVX is how much better this thing is at being a luxury car. Alot of the stuff this car has is fairly advanced for the time period, it was probably necessary for the rotary to survive increasingly strict CAFE requirements but still they certainly went all out in more than a few areas of this car.
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Jan 25, 2016 16:49
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Holy poo poo that whole car is bitchin'. Best of luck getting into shape, looks fun!
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Jan 25, 2016 18:00
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When does the LS go in?
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Jan 25, 2016 18:15
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Larrymer posted:When does the LS go in? Somewhere in Australia, a cyclist is very angry, and he doesn't yet know why. A rotary is still on my list of "Mazdas to own". I wish there was any dream of finding a first/second-gen RX7 with an interior that isn't reduced to shards of razor-sharp sun-blasted plastic for that kind of money here. Bodies don't rust, but interiors get obliterated.
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Jan 25, 2016 18:29
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IOwnCalculus posted:I wish there was any dream of finding a first/second-gen RX7 with an interior that isn't reduced to shards of razor-sharp sun-blasted plastic for that kind of money here. Bodies don't rust, but interiors get obliterated. Just buy a rotted out one in the salt belt with a mint interior, replace the salt-soaked carpet and fill your boots. Interior pieces are basically worthless here because it's the first thing anyone tries to sell from their rotted-out carcass. I have a basement full of seats.
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Jan 25, 2016 19:27
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1500quidporsche posted:The first thing I immediately noticed on this thing versus the SVX is how much better this thing is at being a luxury car. Alot of the stuff this car has is fairly advanced for the time period, it was probably necessary for the rotary to survive increasingly strict CAFE requirements but still they certainly went all out in more than a few areas of this car. Mat_Drinks posted:I see so much I like. Bronze exterior, brown interior. A cassette deck with equilizer! My Z31T had this fantastic unit (but with woodgrain finish!) and a digital climate control system which shockingly worked reliably. Can't say the same for the digital driving gauges though. 
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Jan 25, 2016 20:13
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Interior pieces are basically worthless here because it's the first thing anyone tries to sell from their rotted-out carcass. I have a basement full of seats. This is more or less what I'm banking on. The carpet, dash and seats are all good so its really just about finding little bits of trim, as soon as somebody parts out their FC with red interior I've hit pay dirt. slidebite posted:Really? That kind of surprises me. I would have genuinely thought the SVX would have beaten it in that way (well, that and general weirdness). It's hard to explain but if you look at the SVX's drive train it really is conventional for the 90s, it wouldn't be that shocking to see the stuff they were including in there on other cars. Alot of the interior stuff feels cheap when you live with it for a while too. When you look at the RX-7 it had coil packs, active suspension, and what looks like some licensed version of L-Jetronic at a time when even Ferrari was using mechanical fuel injection and distributors. I'll see what the interior feels like long term but yeah at this point the RX-7 is winning my heart.
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Jan 25, 2016 20:35
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IOwnCalculus posted:Somewhere in Australia, a cyclist is very angry, and he doesn't yet know why. It just seems like the perfect candidate with low compression. After driving a 6.0 FC, it seems like a no brainer. All you're giving up is braps in favor of...pretty much everything else. Either way, I like RX7s and interested to see where this thread goes. 
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Jan 25, 2016 21:44
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Yeah unfortunately I'm going to be the bearer of bad news by saying that I have zero desire to put an LS into this thing. I really did buy this thing because its about as close as you can get to buying a 924 and swapping out the crazy German engine concept for an American V8 would really destroy the spirit of that in my mind. McTinkerson has said its possible to get a JDM turbo 13B for $1,000, and while that is incredibly low on the to-do list for this thing I might be convinced that the car really needs one at some point down the road.
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Jan 25, 2016 23:10
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1500quidporsche posted:Yeah unfortunately I'm going to be the bearer of bad news by saying that I have zero desire to put an LS into this thing. I really did buy this thing because its about as close as you can get to buying a 924 and swapping out the crazy German engine concept for an American V8 would really destroy the spirit of that in my mind. 1UZ it is, then! Nice thread. Nice car.
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Jan 25, 2016 23:20
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I can't believe you found an FC in that condition for that price. I'm lucky to find a rolling shell with parts of the interior for 1,000 USD.
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Jan 26, 2016 18:48
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Man 1500q, this is an awesome car. I wish I could have been part of the retrieval team though.
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Jan 27, 2016 02:28
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Everyone please take note of item 3 located on page 28 of the 1986 Mazda RX-7 Sales Brochure
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Jan 27, 2016 03:49
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Black Dragon Auto makes smooth ABS louvers for the FC's. It's a special order item and it's not in their catalog anymore. Wilpak industries makes a textured ABS set for the wiperless hatch and an aluminium three piece set for the wiper hatch. Edit: If you want to pull a Tugg Speedman and go full retard - then Mariah Motorsports has you covered with the Mode Six Package (http://www.mariahmotorsports.com/gallery_2.htm). If I ever get a FC again - Mariah Motorsports is breaking out the mode six molds. McTinkerson fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Jan 27, 2016 |
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Jan 27, 2016 04:26
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 The front end of that thing looks amazing. I'm kinda of two minds about the louvres, I think I'd probably think that's totally rad for a year then find them tacky after that. Its probably going to be a wait and see situation. As an aside what's everyone's thoughts on products to preserve the vinyl dash? My current practice with the Scirocco is to just nuke it with Armorall but that's more because it removes dirt and adds a bit of shine and color and less about preservation since its already cracked to hell. Obviously a windshield visor is going to need to go up whenever this thing is in the sun, but if there's any sort of product I can treat it with to help I'm probably going to use it.
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Jan 27, 2016 05:29
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http://www.carzilla.ca/einszett1z/1z-einszett-vinyl-rubber-care-protectant-169oz this is some pretty good stuff; stay away from the Armor-All protectant though. It looks good short-term but it has chemicals in it that actually attack plastic and vinyl long-term. Also if you want to keep this car looking good, I highly suggest stopping by Carzilla sometime; they're in the sketchiest little mall just off 16th, but they have good poo poo as decent prices there.
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Jan 27, 2016 05:48
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1500quidporsche posted:Everyone please take note of item 3 located on page 28 of the 1986 Mazda RX-7 Sales Brochure That's ok, but not as good as that person who has the build sheet for his old Chrysler(?) with the horse cock leather or whatever it was
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Jan 27, 2016 05:53
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1500quidporsche posted:
303 is the best poo poo I've ever used, pretty much saves a dashboard here from the FL sun if it's not hosed already. Hands down the best poo poo for vinyl tops. http://www.amazon.com/303-30306-Protectant-Trigger-Sprayer/dp/B000XBCURW
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Jan 27, 2016 06:12
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Louvres: yes. Alternatively; 
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Jan 27, 2016 08:11
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88h88 posted:Louvres: yes. Angry Earls Truckosaurus FC is legendary.
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Jan 27, 2016 13:55
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leica posted:303 is the best poo poo I've ever used, pretty much saves a dashboard here from the FL sun if it's not hosed already. Hands down the best poo poo for vinyl tops. I also use 303 on everything I own. You can get it at Canadian Tire now, even.
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Jan 27, 2016 16:08
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MrChips posted:Man 1500q, this is an awesome car. I wish I could have been part of the retrieval team though. Saturday the 23rd was pretty uneventful actually. Drive up, load car, drive back. Only hardship was the car didn't have enough traction in the snow to drive itself up my ramps onto the trailer. I had to use one of my ratchet straps as a ghetto come-along and pulled it on by hand, 1500quid working the brake in the car to make sure it didn't roll backwards whenever I ran out of space on the spool and had to reset. No big deal, just took a little time. Saturday the ninth was more interesting. Lots of excitement, trying not to freeze, chiseling through ice to get into the hood, doors, and hatch, running around getting parts and fluids, overheating, no grip, bad roads, hosed up suspension, no way to bring it back safely, trying to find a trailer late in the afternoon, giving up, trying not to get crushed by a motorcycle, and, of course, donut mill donuts.
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Jan 27, 2016 16:48
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Slung Blade what happened to your project thread? That car is my dream classic 
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Jan 28, 2016 01:11
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Yeah there wasn't much excitement in the retrieval. The tires are complete garbage and the rear end didn't even have traction once it was on the ramp and off the snow. Also I can confirm Slung Blade's Coronet looks rad as gently caress in person, that interior is absolutely amazing and the car is definitely deserving of a project thread once you start working on it again.
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Jan 28, 2016 02:26
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leica posted:Slung Blade what happened to your project thread? That car is my dream classic It's buried in parts, boxes, and deer skin. I need a place to work on it before I can do a thread justice again. It's coming soon, I promise.
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Jan 28, 2016 05:04
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The Corvair forum I check out frequently seems to recommend Gojo for cleaning vinyl. As dry as you can keep it, then get it wet to wipe off. Supposedly works a treat.
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Jan 29, 2016 03:14
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Nice find, awesome colour. BTW if you want to keep the AAS you either go to Mazda or you are SOL. I think they are either Tokicos or Showas but I am not sure.
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Jan 29, 2016 05:26
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Wow, astonishingly good deal. I decided to stop hunting for FC's last week and you got the best one anyways. Living vicariously through you!
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Jan 30, 2016 02:59
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 11:47 |
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So things went a little bit tits up today. This happened as I tried to put the drain plug for the rad back in.  So where can I find a replacement one?  Its worth noting that the bleeder screw on top of the rad, which appears to be exactly the same is stripped, so I was more than a little shocked when the drain plug one popped its top off from a little bit of force.  Aside from the comical amount of oil coating the oil pan the underside of the front generally looks okay. Motor mounts seem okay, no cracking or bulging in the rubber brake lines. Control arm bushings look shot, so those will probably need to be done at some point. Other than that this thing looks extraordinarily good. The one concerning thing was that I initially tried taking the undertray off and half the bolts are seized in place. Which brings us to the task at hand:  I'll be perfectly blunt, I gave the 10mm bolts holding the fan onto the water pump pulley a few tries with no movement and decided that since I've already hosed up one part of this car today it was probably best to wait for my dad to get back in town and get his assistance since they seem seized on. I know enough about myself to know that this situation has stripped bolts and missing fan blades written all over it if I went at it alone. Given that I decided to give the glass a quick once over and spray down the vinyl in the interior, which revealed a few more interesting things like the mystery of where this screw should belongs  Also found this, note the date.  Given that St Albert isn't near where I bought the car, but the original owner was from there I'm pretty sure that at least two people sold this car because the water pump was leaking.
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Jan 31, 2016 01:27
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