1981 Mazda Rx-7 Gs, 53,000 Miles on 2040-cars
Portland, Oregon, United States
I'm the second owner of this RX-7, I bought it from the original owner in September of 2012. She lived close by, and was the neighbor of a good friend of mine. She bought it new from John Link Mazda in Oregon City, Oregon in 1981. She had a debilitating illness and wasn't able to drive it any longer, but she still very much hated to see it go. She was only able to drive it 274 miles in the five years prior to selling it to me. It didn't run very well at all when I picked it up, but I loved it's original pampered condition and could tell it just needed mechanical work to be brought back to great driving condition. Since I've had it back on the road, it attracts lots of attention because of it's wonderful condition and originality. I've put tons of my time and lots of money into fixing this up, but RX-7s are quality cars that are easy and enjoyable to work on. I've loved every minute spent under (and above) the car, as well as time spent driving it.
I rebuilt the fuel system - flushed the old fuel, cleaned the carburetor, replaced the fuel pump & filter. Rebuilt the ignition system with new plugs, wires, cap, and rotor. New Odyssey battery. It now runs and starts perfectly, and is pretty damn quick as well. RX-7s are light, so don't need a ton of power to feel fast. A/C blows ice cold. New radiator, all hoses, and belts. I did a full brake rebuild with new master, rear wheel cylinders, Porterfield R4S pads in front and R4S shoes in the rear, front cryo treated and slotted discs, new caliper pistons and seal kits, and stainless lines. Don't believe supposed experts who tell you that GSLs with rear discs are the only way to go, rear drums on a car this light are just great. The brakes on this now stop very quickly, exhibit no fade even on a long descent, and have great pedal feel. You just have to know how to set them up correctly. I rebuilt the suspension with Tokico HP blue shocks and Racing Beat springs, this set up lowers the car about an inch and gives a great ride and super handling. In font I replaced all four tie rod ends, ball joints, idler box, and main steering box. This last item is the source of many complaints about lack of steering feel and "play" in the wheel, but nobody replaces them because they cost $650.00 and are lots of work and hours to install. First gen. RX-7s have excellent steering with no slop, but most folks have never driven one with a good steering box and so think all first gens. are sloppy. This one steers like a good sports car should. 15 X 7 Konig Rewind wheels and BFG G Force Sport Comp 2 tires round out the suspension. As you can see from the photos, this is very clean car with original OEM paint and interior. The only paint work I see is that it appears the bumpers may have been painted, but it's such a good job it's hard to tell. I counted six small pencil eraser sized dings on the outside, and seven small scratched areas, but you have to look carefully to pick these out. I tried to photo these, but they are too small and light to show up on screen. It's 33 years old, so it won't be perfect, but it looks very, very good even up close. People are really blown away when I mention that it still has it's original paint. No areas of peeling, fading, or micro cracking. The pinstripes are vinyl and are under the factory clear coat, so can't be removed, and are starting to peel off in areas. The burgundy interior in this car has the typical fade problem that you can see in the photos, and 2 small burn marks. Overall it looked too good to me to want to change the originality by replacing it, but for perfection you might want to change the carpets, seat covers, and dye the plastic to all match. One of the storage bins in the rear has a broken hinge. The analog clock worked when I bought the car and now "ticks" but the hands don't move. One of the contacts for the rear window defroster has come off and will need to be soldered back on with the rear window removed and laid flat. I think I've covered most of the flaws present on the vehicle, but I may have missed a few. As I said, I've enjoyed rehabilitating this RX-7, but I'm a "project" guy who enjoys the work as much as the drive and it's on to a new one for me. Don't bother with shipping - I would not hesitate one moment in advising you to fly into Portland, Oregon and driving home anywhere in the US, you'll have a lot of fun and won't have to worry about reliability. Please feel free to call my cell if any questions - 503.351.2684. I take PayPal, $500 deposit due within 24 hours of auction close. |
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Auto blog
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