Looking for an RX7 specialist near York???

[claire]

Hi
 
I\'m after any info on Mazda RX7 specialist garages / mechanics near to York!
 
After much researching on RX7\'s I\'ve decided I want to customise my own, basically I want to get a 2000 RX7 shell and customise it with an RX8 engine (for reliability) and then I can select my own bodykit, interior etc... But I\'m struggling to find anyone who can do this for me, I\'ve got a few contacts for the bodywork, interior etc but no-one who could do the engine work, so any contacts at all in the York area would be much appreciated.
 
Cheers
Claire

[M@r]{]

I\'m not aware of any of the specialists that near to you.  But unfortunately as there are not that many specialists quite a few of us find ourselves in the boat of having to travel miles for their expertise - part of owning these Rotories!!

Your best bet imo would be to head over to Pip / WGT in Middlewich, just south of Manchester.  A bit of a trek but the excuse for a drive over the Peak District would make it worth while!   Pip comes well recommended, he has some good experience putting various different rotary engines in previously non rotary cars.  He would certainly be able to give you some good advice on your idea.

On that, personally I would keep the 13b in the RX7.  A 13b in standard form, with a recent rebuild, looked after and regularly serviced would be as reliable as an RX8 motor I would of thought.  It would also be quicker  :3gears-lh   And not much more juicy on the jungle juice than the RX8 lump.

But if you are determined to get rid of the 13b - why not spend a few extra and get the LS1 put in it?  :King   Can\'t get much more reliable than those big V8\'s!!

good luck with what ever you decide

[claire]

Thanks I\'ll give him a try..
 
I\'m not that bothered by the speed (it\'s still gonna be nippy), it will be used as an everyday car so driving round York you don\'t get too much opportunity to get to 150mph  I\'ve always wanted an RX7 but as a blonde I don\'t have a clue on engine mechanics to look after it as much as it needs (bearing in mind the distance you have to travel to get to a mechanic). Where as looking at the updated renesis engine in the RX8 just seems the perfect compromise. Plus should actually bring insurance level down slightly...

[D2BBA]

Going on previous experinces with insurance companies I would have thought you would end up paying the same amount to insure an RX7 with an \'8 lump in as a stock RX7.

Dont forget that even the \'8 will require a regular service schedule and maintenance to keep it running healthy and reliable too

Chris

[M@r]{]

Sounds like you have it all worked out  

I wouldn\'t get your hopes up of cheaper insurance though.  Insurance companies can get funny about engine conversions.  You may find you have a limited choice of insurers who will even entertain it.

[peterwolds]

Claire definately nobody near york pip at wgt or lindop see headed at top are as near as it gets

[T11MNM]

You\'ll pay more insuranace than a standard RX7 with the RX8 engine in..

[claire]

It would seem your right - Insurance would go up!
 
Seems theres no way round the insurance issue....
 
Looks like the only way forward is to bite the bullet and buy standard with reputable rebuild and modify the exterior to what I want.
 
Just need to sell my Yamaha Raptor 700 to finance the veilside kit I like and I\'m away.
 
Thanks for talking me out of a stupid idea!
 
Oh and if anyone fancies a Raptor 700 racing quad let me know it\'s an animal!

[M@r]{]

That sounds a lot more doable and i\'m sure you will be more than happy with a 13b.  Also, look around and you may well find a car ready to go just how you want it - saving you even more cash    Just take your time and dont rush into buying one, do the research and choose carefully.  There are a lot of abused examples out there tempting you with their low price tag and ready to empty your bank account!!  Any questions just fire them up on here, most are a really helpful bunch.

As for the Raptor put it up for sale in the For Sale section with some pics.  Most of us like our \'toys\' on here!!   So could sell no problem!

[karl_tate]

also the price of buying the rx8 engine and then getting it fitted would probably mount up as well.
 
like others have said there isnt any in the york area at all. if you look on the main forum page and have a look through the venders you will find out where they are located.
 
just find a nice example with proof of rebuild and compression test results and you will be fine.

[skybusr34]

i think you`ll find as previously said, changing the engine will make your insurance go up. prob by 30% straight away,

then you`ll have the initial outlay for the renisis hump 2.5K second hand

labour and sundaries for installing it prob another  3k

so if your insurance for a rex with a normal engine is say £400pa
with renisis                                                 £600


so your first year of ownership is gonna cost you almost 6k.

imo get yourself a rebuild standard rex, leave it be no boost upgrades and will have no more hassles than with the rx8 engine :-)

[FD3SNuttah]

renesis!!! i was gonna say why make your car SLOWER?!  besides it might not be a straight forward swap either. why are you so concerned about reliabiity? i have had my rx7 for two years+ and not had a single problem!

yeah, you do hear some horror stories but dont forget that these engines can actually be reliable as well! i know i can drive mine there and back without even thinking about if it will or will not make the journey! if your really worried about the engine sell the raptor and then keep that money as an emergancy rebuild fund just in case.

Veilside kit!!!11 ohhh dearrrr!!!! thats the one kit i really dont like on a rex!! its like the japanese delta kit!! but whatever turns you on - each to their own blah blah.

but yeah theres not really a specialist about these parts, but these cars are really easy to do regular services on, and theres enough members around here in case you get a problem who wont mind doin the odd favour.

[D2BBA]

Unless its the newest version of the Vielside kit that takes your fancy I would think, cos its been out a few years, you should stand a good chance of either get a car with one fitted already (isnt carl selling one at this very moment in red???) or buy the kit 2nd hand as alot of people are upgrading to newer kits.

Chris

[claire]

It\'s the fortune kit I want, problem seems to be that if someones been through the trouble of making the car look great then they\'ve done huge mods to the engine and I cannot get insured on any with engine mods, all the cars with standard engine\'s don\'t live up to my expectations in appearance... (Plus my current celica has a vielside kit on it it\'s had to be modified to fit but it does look great)
 
400pa??? at 24 you must be kidding quotes more in the region of £1500-£2000, on a standard engine!! (apparently allot of it is based on the power you\'ve had previously and with a 2l celica it\'s a huge leap)
 
It\'s more my bf who\'s concerned on the reliability as a 4x4 driver he\'s not the most adventorous with cars and we do always seem to get ripped off when we buy a car so I see his concern with this one.. He seems to think with that much power I\'ll be temped to race from time to time so it\'s more my driving I think he\'s concerned with. But there is alot of stigma around the rotary engine which is why it\'s been great to hear from everyone with good experiences of them rather than the horror stories he seems to find..
 
Thanks Alot for everyone\'s advice i\'m sure I\'ll be back to join when I finally find the right car...

[M@r]{]

With THAT kit you would see an increase in insurance too.  It costs a Fortune as well      Don\'t feel you have to modify the engine, the FD is quicker than most cars out there in standard form anyway.  Not sure how much weight that kit add to the car though?