Hey everyone! So glad to find this club! Long story short, owned a 79 I bought at lien sale drove the heck out of it til Husband (now an ex, and yes, partially due to the fact that he )[B]drove it on super low oil level and cracked the block!
So I'm bidding on E-Bay now for a couple, and of course a little knowledge is now a dangerous thing. In your opinions...which is zippier, more subtle in acceleration and more fun to drive??? The 12A or 13B engine? I probably won't be doing a lot of mods at first, just been jonesin' for another RX7 ( HOOKED ON FIRST GENS!!!)
so I guess it'll be a daily driver that rocks is what I'm wanting.

Also, anybody know anyone near or in Wichita, KS that works with rotaries thats good? I don't have a lot of patience with those guys who won't talk to me because I'm a chick and supposedly chicks don't know cars and don't mind being ripped off and sneered at. Not that I'm defensive or anything, just a smart girl who digs her first gens and wants a straight shooter!

I am SO GLAD you guys are here!

 

Contact Kent or Jesse Prather at
Phone: (785) 836-2265
5422 SW 93rd Street
Fax: (785) 836-2211
Wakarusa, KS 66546
Email: kprather@networksplus.net

Ive heard a lot of good things about these guys. Not sure how close they are to you. Welcome to the club, and I noticed you joined my site today as well. Glad to have ya.

 

Welcome to the club!!! You'll find a plethura of knowledge here. You could simply take a look at the first few pages and easily gain a semiesters worth of ITT Tech know how. If you can find an 85 GSL-SE with the 13B then that's probably the best FB you can get unless you found the J-Spec 12A Turbo. I'd go with 13B just for the fact of fuel injection and not having to deal with the complex carbs of these cars. ALOT easier to work with. Hope this helps out and again welcome to the club!!

 

the EFI can be just as complex as the stock carb, if not more so. a freshly rebuilt carb should last for a very long time and 12a's are kinda fun since its a lighter car, easier to toss around.

i guess just look around and figure out what suites your needs the most. make sure there is still good compression and its not blowing lots of smoke (could mean bad seals). check for the usual stuff, rust behind the storage bins, lots of mileage, lack of power, im sure theres a bunch of threads on buying new FBs if you search around.

g'luck

 

Heres a potential idea, for christmas I got the DIY13b-re video showing how to rebuild a rotary engine. Its very simple, and since you seem to enjoy these engines you may be interested in putting one together. The video seems to be well put together and step by step shows you what to do, and what to look for while assembling a engine.

It may be something that you are interested in, and may end up saving you money. But then again, you may be able to find a shortblock engine locally for a good price. The 12a is a fun little engine, but if you want more of a powerplant I would go for a T-II swap or something along those lines. If you are just getting into these cars go for the 12a, and maybe if you feel crazy and the need for more power the T-II swap may be an idea.

Good luck and keep enjoying the FB's!

 

They are both tremendously fun to drive. The 13b has more power out of the box. GSL-SE's are the option with the 13b (unless someone has swapped it in), and are harder to come by than any of the 12a models. Either way, great fun, great buys. I would suggest buying at least the GSL (or GSL-SE if you can find one) with the limited slip differential and disc brakes in the back.

 

midwest7s seems like a nice guy in lawrence

 

Yes, this is your best bet. Actually contact Jesse. Jesse has been building motors for a long time. http://www.pratherracing.com/

 

As you may notice you have made the right choice joining the club. Lots of info and great group of people. I had both 12As and 13Bs and they are both fun and have noticeable power. Of course the 13B carries a bit more. I agreed with the post that advices the GSL and GSL-SE, simply because they were the ones with more options. Any choice you, make sure and put a header set up in it. Once again wellcome.