Where do I begin?

[parrotfever]

I brought her home new in '89, parked her in '93 with approx 130m miles (87m on odometer), and have left her sitting ever since...Where would you start?

I know the engine was smoking and had lost compression when last started. Body is good, but mice have partied under the hood and inside. The paint has crazed and chipped. I'm starting with a general cleaning and will pull the engine within the month. In the meantime, all advice, suggestions, and warnings will be greatly appreciated. My goal, initially, is to return to NA functionality. My eventual goal will be to gain what I can in HP w/o turbo - up to the convertible's ability to handle the stress.

I waited this long in order to gain 'classic' tags to reduce my insurance costs. With 3 driving age kids, I've come to realize that that was one of the stupidest ideas I ever had! Money's tight, but I want to do it right.

I'll post some more photos in an album today showing other perspectives of the car and its current home.

parrotfever Bob

[classicauto]

First thing I'd do is address the old fuel, try to fire it up and then assess the smoking.

Could (and likely does) need a rebuild, but you may as well sort out things it'll need to run (ie. gas, brakes, etc) before diving into the engine.

[need RX7]

Make sure those mice didn't chew up any of the wiring or anything. They can be assholes like that sometimes.

[Phoenix7]

Originally Posted by need RX7

Make sure those mice didn't chew up any of the wiring or anything. They can be assholes like that sometimes.

asshole mice!!!

Gives a new meaning to getting rid of the rat's nest.

Can you go into detail about the "classic" tags please?

If the motor is dead then pull that out first and then start cleaning things up while it's getting rebuilt. I don't know what else to tell you since I have the same problem getting started....so much to do that it's overwhelming.

[RotaryRoadRage]

the motor had low compression in 93 ? trash that mofo , i'm sure it's eaten alive with rust inside..next would have to be the wiring..mice can tear shit up in less than a month , let alone over 10 year's.. the location look's prime too for a nation of them.. lol after that and some clean'n up , she should be ready for a transformation.. i would suggest doing some research to find out what kinda set up you're looking for.. myself , i'd go with a RE .. small streetport , a haltch and some e85 should bring her back to life.
that my 2 pennies.

chris

[Max777]

Nice, lol!

Look into getting a remanufactured engine. I would pull the old one apart just for kicks, but I would not expect it to be any good. I wish you good luck with this man, looks like fun!

[Phoenix7]

no way, go TII....plug and play...but he said no turbo.

[RotaryRoadRage]

ahhh.. yes , i see that now.. in that case.. do a NA 20B

[parrotfever]

Originally Posted by Phoenix7

Can you go into detail about the "classic" tags please?

in New Jersey any vehicle older than 25 years can be registered as antique, does not require vehicle inspection, and it's a one time fee of 55 bucks as long as you own it; the only time in your life that the State officials of N.J. won't bleed you for every penny you have left. Insurance cost is based upon your appraised valuation of the vehicle.

[djmtsu]

Nice white vert!

Just start taking things apart, buy or download the Service Manual (can be found here in the 2nd Gen FAQ).

Good luck!

[TitaniumTT]

CT is the same way with the 25 yr rule, I can't fucking wait. Especially considering the last emmisions "test" cost me a motor Anywho, you're still 5 years away from classic status. Are you expecting this to take you 5 years?

What I would do.
1) Put the car on the lift so you can work a little easier.
2) Pull motor
3) Pull Fenders/front bumper
4) Pull suspension/brakes/rear subframe, rear LSD, fuel tank.
5) Inspect EVERYTHING. make sure the diff isn't rotten on the inside. Make sure the brakes move freely, fuel lines aren't rotten, wires chewed, etc etc etc.
6) Replace EVERYTHING that needs it, but not just one piece. If one rear brake cali is frozen, I would do both. one rear shock is gone, do both. Hell I would look into some "sport" replacements. Tockico, Eibach, KYB etc etc etc.
7) Crack the shortblock open and see what your looking at in terms of what needs replacement. It'll be obvious. If you're not planning on doing it yourself I would be in touch with a few local rebuilders to see what's what. I say local becuase if you don't know, you can actually bring the engine to them. For example, personally, I would recommend Dave @ KDR or Ihor @ IRP. You're actually closer to Dave than I am so don't complain about the drive. Take the block to him, ask what it would cost for a rebuild. If you're to squeeze the most HP out of the car as possible, than some porting would be in order. However, you could need new plates, housings, rotors etc etc etc. if it's too much, you can pick the motor up, drive to the nearest mazda dealershipand drop it off as a core for a reman. Last I looked a 13B-REW shortblock was $4000. Potentially cheaper than the rebuild depending on whats needed.
8) Reassemble.
9) Keep kids away
10) Enjoy

[parrotfever]

Many thanks to all for the time & interest/support! Hood came off this morning and so I begin. I'm photographing each move so I can remember where I'm at. As I dig in, I'll let you all know how it's shaping up. I definitely intend to dismantle/rebuild all systems but was curious as to where to start.

I'm guessing that I'm older than most (all?) of you in years but a baby in rotary knowledge. I'll welcome everyone's advice each step of the way. Time? With 1 in college, 1 starting in the fall, and 1 two years behind, it COULD take 5 years...I hope not! Bottom line is, my RX is the last remaining memory of my 'middle' single life & I'm determined to save her.

Having read the turbo suggestions, I'm curious. Opinion at the time of purchase was that the convertible wouldn't stand up to the stresses involved. I see many of you taking these engines into the HP stratosphere! What have you'all learned that I would like to know?

[djmtsu]

There are plenty of turbo verts running around, some with ridiculous power. The can take it. Fero313 is nearly done with his turbo vert, it is an easy swap.

And remember, in Japan the turbo was the only way you could get a vert!

[TitaniumTT]

Originally Posted by parrotfever

I'm guessing that I'm older than most (all?) of you in years but a baby in rotary knowledge.

I'm 30 and these kids consider me an old man...

Originally Posted by parrotfever

I'll welcome everyone's advice each step of the way. Time? With 1 in college, 1 starting in the fall, and 1 two years behind, it COULD take 5 years...I hope not! Bottom line is, my RX is the last remaining memory of my 'middle' single life & I'm determined to save her.

Yeah I know what that's about, believe me. Don't sell her no matter what. She can hang on the back burner as mine did for a while, but never give in.

Originally Posted by parrotfever

Having read the turbo suggestions, I'm curious. Opinion at the time of purchase was that the convertible wouldn't stand up to the stresses involved. I see many of you taking these engines into the HP stratosphere! What have you'all learned that I would like to know?

As mentioned above, overseas the only way one could get a vert was turbo. The chassis is plenty strong enough for it. Think about all the e-prod verts running around. Granted they have integral cages but still. You could stiffen her up if you needed to.

However, A TII drivetrain with a few simple bolt-ons will net more power than the wildest N/A rotary. So if you want a platform to build from, I would seriously consider dropping in a TII drivetrain. It's basically plug and play which is even better. No real additional time over what you'll be investing into this PJ as it is.

[Max777]

Did you have any solid basis for the opinion that "the vert wouldn't hold up to the stresses involved with turbocharging" or what? It just sound like such a load of baloney to me if you know what I mean... like something a salesman would tell you in order to get you to buy the turbo model or something... where did this wildly inacurate hypothesis come from and what was it based on?



I really want to know.