thinking abt RX-7 project car

[tipota]

im thinking about getting a second gen RX-7 non turbo for a project this winter, though itll probably take me longer. im going to try to rebuild the engine myself, but i have very little mechanical experience and have only read about this stuff. i only think its feasable because a guy i knwo who used to rebuild engines said rotarires are easy and i can probably do it. do you think this is feasable?

[Aruba27]

hehehe, i'm doing just about the exact same thing you are. go to www.atkinsrotary.com and buy their rebuild video, mine is on it's way, and from there i'll decided if i can do it or not.

[tipota]

thanx. lemme know how it goes for you because i wont be getting an RX-7 for a month or two. hows aftermarket support for these cars? im planning on puttin ga beefier suspension on too.

[drftk1d]

aftermarket owns. just there are some things are very expensive

[Aruba27]

yeah, i really like the suspension kits from RX7.com, but i think you can find the same stuff for cheaper elsewhere. Well yeah, that suspension upgrade won't happen for about a year or so, since i'll be getting wheels and tires at the same time. i'm thinking of going with 16x6.5 inch wheels. that sound reasonable?

[drftk1d]

16x6.5? stock TII wheels are 16x7. Honestly i'd go for at least 16x7.5, even 16x8 (which is what FD wheels are stock, but you need a 20mm spacer).i think 16's look a little small in the rx7's wheel wells, my kei office wheels are 17x7.5.

[Aruba27]

Well i'm looking for something lightweight, so i can keep my handling. I'm getting them according to what sizes Falken Azenis are available in: http://www.falkentire.com/tires_rt215_sizes.htm

[drftk1d]

haha thats kinda backwards. i wouldnt go smaller than 7 inches. Try to find a 8 inch wide rim (ie fd stock rim or mustang) and run the 205 width tire on it.

honestly it doesnt make much sense to run a rim according to the tire you want to run. what if you want to run a different size or brand tire? it kinda traps you with respect to tire choice.

[Aruba27]

you mean 225? 205 is stock width. i was thinking about going up to 225. i think 16s is still the way to go, i think if i go with 17s i'll have to get lower gears in the rear end to retain power.

[drftk1d]

Originally Posted by Aruba27

you mean 225? 205 is stock width. i was thinking about going up to 225. i think 16s is still the way to go, i think if i go with 17s i'll have to get lower gears in the rear end to retain power.

no i mean 205. Stretched, baby. 16s look small imo. you can get lightweight 17s, its not like they dont exist. remember its the overall diameter of the wheel/tire combo that changes the gearing, not just the wheel.

[ghostrx7]

check out the volk racing line-up, they weigh about 15 lbs each and are all sizes.

[Aruba27]

i like that. well the stock rims i've got weight about 15 lbs each. i was pretty surprised by that. yeah, i'm definetly heading over to volks site to check it out, i've heard good things from them. Also, i got my rebuild video today, they make it looktotaly easy! of course... i'm sure they're also showing the best case scenario. there are some lessons from that video though:
1. GET AN ENGINE STAND!
the job looks like it's going to be a pain in the ass without one
2. get some friends to help you
i usually work on cars with multiple people, it seems that every time i run into a problem, we can come up with 3 solutions, and only 1 of them will work, its' not always mine
3. rotaries are freakin awesome

[drftk1d]

volks are bloody expensive.

yo aruba, make sure you get an impact gun to take off the flywheel nut. you have been warned.

[Aruba27]

Impact gun: check. hehehe