Monday, May 9, 2016

The RX7

My very own, rough and ready RX7
I always dream to follow in my father's footsteps. More than anyone knows, I just want to be like my cool old man. Back when he wasn't so old and I wasn't either, cool we were as I used to ride shot gun in my booster seat in dad's black 1979 Mazda RX7. From that moment, as an infant, I have always been destined to be a Rotary enthusiast.
Not me, but John and Mum, with dad's RX7. Time to get an RX bro, its in the family blood.


Swapping bills for slips.




Finally fulfilling my dream, I very nervously purchased for a very fair price, my own 1985 Series 1 Mazda RX7. Anxious I was, as I was in the the depth of the Bronx in New York City, handing over cold hard American cash to a nice but stereotypical Puerto Rican American. Sigidfiedo assured me that the car was a gem and had been well looked after, and after a test drive through the industrial back streets, I was happy to find myself not mugged or murdered and now the proud new owner of this classic dream.










As I am aware that Rotary engines come with certain mechanical particularities, I was a tad worried. I am happy to report that the car has functioned well above my expectations, with few mechanical issues to speak of. Any that have come up, I have been able to take care of myself, both cosmetic and mechanical. Learning as I go I have successfully replaced the carburetor and exhaust gaskets while fixing an engine housing coolant leak. Removed the air conditioning components from the engine bay, for increased aesthetics, rolling with windows down at all times now. Replaced the master and slave clutch cylinders, while successfully working with the most difficult to reach bolt on the vehicle. Nervously removing meters and meters of now unneeded wires from the engine bay and an unfortunately disappointing effort repainting the front bumper, however some very successful reconditioning of the black exterior trim. A lot of this maintenance could be seen as unnecessary, that it is, however I have taken a lot of pride in my successes and in what I have learnt.



This car is everything I ever dreamt of. Its quick and nippy, it gives feedback and feel through every gear change and input, it growls and purrs and gets a lot of attention every time I'm out on the road. Thumbs up and toots from passerbys will never get old.