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1981 Mazda Rx-7 Gs, 53,000 Miles on 2040-cars

Year:1981 Mileage:53515
Location:

Portland, Oregon, United States

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.

Auto Services in Oregon

Uncle Al`s Automotive Svc ★★★★★

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Address: 180 E Clarendon St, Aurora
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Tim`s Automotive ★★★★★

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Auto blog

Mazda Skyactiv-D racer first diesel to run at Indy in 60 years

Thu, 25 Jul 2013

While it may not be touting the old "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" axiom we all know and love, Mazda recognizes that racing can only improve its cars. And so it's no surprise that the Japanese automaker is testing and refining its Skyactiv-D diesel engine by sending it out on various race tracks around the country - notably being the first diesel ever to compete at Daytona and the first to notch a Grand Am win at Road Atlanta.
Next up? Indy. It has been over 60 years since a diesel-powered machine ran at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Cummins-powered racer that competed in the 1952 Indy 500 with a 6.6-liter inline-six-cylinder oil-burner was a fast and brutal machine that set a new lap record in qualifying leading up to the race. Though that car was withdrawn with turbocharger failure 71 laps in, its diesel powerplant left an indelible impression on the racing community, and that's something Mazda hopes to accomplish once again.
Mazda says that the diesel engine in its race car is pretty darn close to stock - 51 percent stock by parts count, and 63 percent stock by weight - which means the way it performs in competition is at least a somewhat meaningful way to the stock engine's durability in the real world. Check out the image of the Mazda6 Skyactiv-D racer posing alongside the 1952 Cummins above (click to enlarge) and feel free to peruse the press release below for the rest of the details.

Here are your 2016 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year finalists [w/polls]

Tue, Dec 8 2015

The 2016 Detroit Auto Show will kick off with the announcement of the annual North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year awards, and the three finalists in each category have just been revealed. Following this announcement, the jury – which includes Autoblog editor-in-chief Mike Austin – will re-evaluate each candidate before casting a final vote for the winner. This year's finalists are: Car of the Year Chevrolet Malibu Honda Civic Mazda MX-5 Miata Truck/Utility of the Year Honda Pilot Nissan Titan XD Volvo XC90 The 23rd annual awards will be announced on the morning of Monday, January 11. For now, we want to know where you stand. Let us know which vehicles you think should win, by voting in the polls below. Chevrolet Honda Mazda Nissan Volvo north american car of the year NACTOY

Road & Track to take Miata on million-mile march

Sat, 11 Jan 2014

Road & Track has taken on a Miata project. One hell of a project, if we're honest. You see, the Miata in question, a 1989 example in Mariner Blue, isn't a high-mileage Mazda that the publication intends to fix up, or make race-worthy, or try to flip or give away to a reader or something. No, it's a rather typical well-used NA, with a hefty 325,000 miles on the clock to-date that the staff plans on driving until the six-digit odo reads all zeros again. One million miles or bust (or both, most likely).
Procured for the bargain-basement price of $1,600, complete with seat covers that "really do look like muppet pelts" (according to Zach Bowman) and a bondo-filled love tap on the nose, the NA Miata actually looks like just the sort of fun-machine that a real driving enthusiast would pick up to get some cheap thrills in. The R&T team already has some interesting plans for the Miata, including a potential run up Pikes Peak and loaning it out to readers (or perhaps your author...). Click through to read all about it.