300zx

Hello all its me again!!! well i am going to look at a 83 GX today. what do guys think of that model? pro and cons? what do most of you have to say about the 12a? do you like the preformance of it?power ? and all that! i heard the 12a are one of the more stronger engines. all i want to know is what you think?!?

Matty's first 1st Gen

i have heard that the 13bs are more reliable

851stgen12a

GX??

300zx

13b' in the 84-85 se are the stongest they got 3mm seals. yeah a Gx it got leather and rear disc brakes and rear windseld wiper.

vipernicus42

iTrader: (4)

Yeah... GX? That sounds more like a second gen model.... If you mean GS, I have an '84GS, I'm happy with it, but it doesn't have all the great stuff the GSL-SE does.. The rear disc brakes and LSD, the 13b fuel injected engine......

But the GS is a nice model, it IS an Rx7, so you can't complain there And if you like carbureted go for it

Jon

300zx

do you like the power to it or is to underpowered? is it easy to work on ?

FB II

very easy to work on if you have some basic mechanical sense. hahaha, not really underpowered, easy to wake up with a few bolt-ons and emissions removing.

Northern 7

iTrader: (3)

300zx - that could be my old car. Is it black and low milage? Targa band? RB exhaust?
for those that asked - the GX is a Canadian only model similar tio the GSL - pretty well loaded with the addition of LSD, 4 wheel disc, (at least on the one I used to own)

300zx

what kind of bolt ons? how much money are we talking ? the reason i want to know about the power in all my buddy are driving civic and they say rx7 suck and not to get one but i love them so will i be able to beat the civic the mostly 88-91 there is one 00. one of the 88 have a b16 and one 89 got a zc! will do well agaisnt the civics?

300zx

northern 7 are you at home right now ? can i give you a call ?

300zx

^^

Aviator 902S

Uh, actually there is such a thing as a 1st gen GX--- but only in Canada. It's the exact same option package as the GSL in the states, except that here in Canada it was labelled the GX from '81 through '83. In '84 they began calling them GSL's in Canada as well.
The '83 GX has all the bells and whistles (including LSD, 4-wheel discs, power windows and mirrors, cruise, overhead console, sunroof, rear window wiper/ washer, headlight washers, and LCD clock) as standard equipment except for leather, air, and power steering. Leather and air were listed as options on the '83 GX, and power steering wasn't available until (I think) '84, and only on the 12A-powered "limited edition" GSL. (Limited edition not to be confused with the SE, which was 13B-powered)
I've owned 3 of the 1st gen (series II) GX's. They're as reliable as any of the 1st gens, which are arguably the most reliable of all RX7's. Less-complex than later versions, and lighter than the 2nd gens, but less powerful. Also, the 12A is carburated, and mechanics who are familiar with the 12A carb and associated emissions systems are becoming fewer and farther between.
In spite of the lower hp of the 12A (101hp vs. 146hp for the 2nd gen 13B), the performance of the 12A 1st gen RX7 is as good as that of the more powerful 2nd gen due to the excessive weight of the latter.
The 1st gen unfortunately uses a recirculating ball-type steering box, which doesn't even begin to compare to the rack and pinion units used on later generations.
One thing to watch for on all 1st gens is RUST. The stuff that you can't readily see is the most damaging--- take the time to inspect the unibody in the vicinity of the front lower shock towers (especially because this is where the steering and suspension is attached. Rust here is very difficult and expensive to rectify), and also remove the carpeting and storage bins behind the seats and look under the carpets in that vicinity for rust. This rust starts in the rear wheel wells and then eats its way into the interior undetected, causing massively expensive damage. Other common areas for rust are rear fenders, rocker panels, and body seams.

vipernicus42

iTrader: (4)

Bolt-ons for power:

RB Exhaust
Fuel Pump, new lines and Pressure Regulator
K&N Air Filter
And even a new Carburetor (Holley, Weber, Dellorto)

These will all add up to substantial HP gains, but more importantly, allow you to beat the living crap out of those Civic ricer buggers.

Remember, your car loves LOW octane gas... the lower.. the better And no synthetic oil! That's a no-no!

Jon

snakes99

hey, you will waste civics. with mine, all i have is exhaust and a little bit grippier tires and i can whomp on civics. my friend has a 94 or 95 soemthing like that del sol si. it has the 1.5 v-tech i think in it, and i beat him by 3 car lengths in teh quarter. i wouldnt worry about too many civics. and i raced some 01 civics and if you can get a better launch off the line then you got them, cuz it was about the same speed as mine was. i did pull away a little more in 3rd though. anyone who owns a civic and says a true rear wheel drive sports car sucks can eat a dick in my book.

300zx

thanks for all the info guy. i went to look at it and its got some surface rust and a few dings in her. there is a auto pack claim on the front so the bump will be fixed and paint and ****. Some rust in the bins but aint that bad. the engine is running strong but pissing a bit of oil so that little Oring needs to be changed other then that everything works. its got 137000 on it. not to bad for a 83. if you want to know anything else ask or tell me some i would like to hear it thx James

Aviator 902S

That oil leaking from the o-rings on the left side of the engine won't have any effect on engine life or performance, but it could have an effect on the life of the car if it CATCHES FIRE. (a very real possibility, since this stuff not only leaks straight down but also gets blown back along the underside of the car at highway speeds. Messy as hell.) Fortunately this only occurs on very old engines, and even then only on a few of those with over 150,000+ miles.
Problem is, the only way to replace these 0-rings is to tear down the engine. Coupled with what you've indicated regarding rust, Unless you're specifically looking for a project car I'd steer clear of this one, unless you can pick it up for < $400. Even then, it's better to pay $2000+ for one that's in flawless shape than to pay $400 for a fixer-upper and then finding yourself spending upwards of $5000 over the next year or so restoring the body and engine. Keep looking, there's bound to be some better choices than this one.