1980 Mazda RX-7 1st Gen SA Model with Wide-body Kit

“Let me start by saying I’m not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination”

This beautiful1980 Mazda RX-7 model GS California car with a wide body IMSA kit and rear tail is a garage find. The original owner spent a lot of time and money in the early 80’s creating his dream RX-7. The car was found sitting in a garage under a car cover and blanket in 2017 and had been sitting since 1985. I have the original plates with the last registered 1985 CA tags on them. It’s been a fun journey bringing this beast back to life but as this is my first experience with a rotary powered car, I feel it will take someone with more knowledge and rotary experience to take it to its next level. The original owner replaced the 12a motor with a 13b and proceeded to slap a turbo on it. It’s an old school Arkay draw through turbo setup that still makes good power. The car has an automatic transmission so the original owner had a high stall put in to address the low-end turbo lag. I purchased the car in September of 2017 and immediately went to work going through the vehicle to get it back on the road. The 3 most difficult things I had to figure out was locating the battery (relocated behind the driver side), figuring out what turned on the fuel pump (switch installed), and how to put it in gear (this was set-up to work with the choke button as the carburetor is electric). The car will not pass smog and is currently registered as a classic vehicle. It has a clean title and no major accidents that I know of. There is some minor driver side damage that is pointed out in the pictures provided. The car has low miles on it at only 44,247. The interior is in great shape. No cracks in the original dash. The car has authentic Recaro LS seats with matching door panels. There is slight wear on the drivers seat but no holes or tears that I can find. The car also has 15” 3 piece Epsilon mesh wheels, some road rash but nothing major. The car has a sun/moon roof and has the hardtop and glass top. I’ve included a list of everything I’ve had done or replaced thus far. As I mentioned before, the engine runs strong but really needs someone who knows how to tune a carburetor.

New/Replaced Parts

Tires

Brake Rotors & Pads (4 wheel disc brakes)

Wheel Bearings

Racing Beat Springs

KYB Excel-G Struts & Shocks

Idler Arm

Front & Rear Control Arm Bushings

Front & Rear Sway Bar Bushings

Link Pins

Crankshaft Main Bearing Seal/O-ring

Spark Plugs

Plug wires

Oil/Coolant/Transmission/Rear Differential/Brake Fluids

Yellow-top Optima Battery

Battery Cable

Rear Hatch Struts

Reconditioned Gas Tank

Rebuilt Carburetor

Fuses

Fuel Filter

Fuel Pump

Carpet in hatch