A friend of mine and I been talking about modifing a 13B rotory motor. I had done some research on 13b Rx7 but I dont know where to find any high performance parts for it. We have a cold air intake from Advance and thats about it. Doe anybody know of anysites that just specialize in 1st gen Rx7's?
Thanks!

stat talking about putting a high winding small block in there- they fit nicely, there's a ton of room- and then people will be falling over each other to help you out..

I've had a few first generation RX-7's including an 85 GSL-SE with the 13B, great cars!

Maybe the problem is you have a first generation (1979-85) and are looking for second generation parts?

There is a better second generation 13B engine as well, so be sure what you have first.

Those rotary's make a lot of power to weight, especially turbocharged. I used to get parts from Racing Beat in Anahiem.

Good luck!

Is there any way my friend and I can hook up a turbo on his rx7 from a 2nd or 3rd gen?

Racing Beat is where I used to buy most of my hi perf RX7 parts. Looks like they are still in business - http://www.racingbeat.com/
I had one of their Holley 4bbl kits on my last '79.

A good source of info on rx7's of all generations is the RX7 Club forum - http://www.rx7club.com/forum/

If you want to put a smallblock in it, check out http://www.v8rx7forum.com/

There was an RX7 at Drag Week last year, running a twin Turbo LS2. Thing was unreal, I think he came in second.

My 19yr old has a 91' RX7 and is a member of the on-line club/site posted above. RX7's are amazing little performance machines, and my son reminds me of this non-stop, lol. They also sport fickle engines that have relatively short lifespans, and turbo engines usually have a much shorter life than non-turbo. My son has wrestled with the idea of doing a turbo upgrade OR putting a SBC in it. His web site/club is a great place to find out answers to your questions.

I ran an 83 bought new with the 12A for almost 300,000 miles!! I bought an 86 13B GLSE with 150,000 on it and my buddie I sold it to 8 years is driving it with about 450,000 miles on it!! My other 85 GLSE 13B that had injection problems got a 4bbl on ita street port from racing beat along with a header and prima flow muffler. That little sucker gave many v-8 powered cars a beating.

It's my opinion a rotary will last a very long time if you do three things. Change the oil every 2500 to 3000 miles and maintain the cooling system and air filters. If it gets hot you done and the oil needs to stay clean and filled to keep the apex and side seals clean. Get dirt in the seals and your done also.

The engine only has 3 major moving parts, the esentric shaft and the two rotors. Each rotor has 3 sides witha small dish in it, they each act like a cylinder (a very small one) and move trough the 4 stroke process in the tricoid housing. They also inject oil like a 2 stroke with the fuel for lubrication, this is why they use oil. If it goes low your also done!! The engine is ficlke in a sence I guess but it's the owner that creates a short lifespan with them by not properly maintaining it.

Joe

I agree, Joe. I guess I sounded a bit harsh. It's just that I've found (or really, my son has found...being a member of that club) that many folks don't do those preventative maint. things. In other words, you can get away with NOT doing them for a bit longer on "regular" engines, but not long at all with a rotary. Geez, it kills me the way it works of you accidentally flood the engine....have to pull the plugs and purge fuel out. I had to move his car one day to get mine out, and I didn't let it idle long enough! I'm the one who bought his RX7 for him, and he's soooo glad he didn't go the Del Slo or CRX route . He loves his car.

My first car was a '79 RX7 GS that my dad had bought new, and the rotor oil seal o-rings were trashed by 80K. This is what happens when you don't change the oil regularly. He gave it to me for my 15th birthday and I rebuilt the engine. Only perf mod I did was a JC Whitney header (no presilncer, stock muffler... it was LOUD). I put another 12K on it, then lost the lower radiator tube in traffic one evening. By the time I got to the side of the road, I had warped the rotor housings and was sucking water. This is what happens when you overheat one.

LOL. Last week, I had to move his car again. His temp light came on immediately after I started the car (keep in mind the car was cold and it was approx 35*F outside). When I told him later that morning, he just about freaked out...giving me hell about "running it hot". It took me about 5 mins to get it through his head that it was impossible for the car to have overheated on immediate start-up. Of course, later he found he had an electrical issue .

I love em and would own another but I have my 72 Datsun 510 project and the 67 Camaro. The last thing I need is an RX7 taking up money, time and room!!! Besides, I also have a 63 Falcon sitting in the wings also and there are many other cars that I see that I would rather own these days.

My RX7's had their time and I really enjoyed them. They were fun cars but not cheap!! You could make a monster of a street car out of one and have fun at the drags and parking lot street couses they set up on week ends. They will never have the look or sound of a first gen or turn heads the way first gen does. You can't just buy that and put it on!!

Joe