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Thread: Looking at a '75 REPU
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chuyler1
Hauling
Posts: 140
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posted February 19, 2012 10:10 AM |
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Looking at a '75 REPU
Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum. I was cruising Craigslist the other day and came across a '75 about 3 hours from my home. I'm looking for a fun project and the truck appears to have a solid drive train (recently installed 12A and tranny from a '79 RX7) but needs some body work and a lot of TLC inside the cab.
Anyway, before I borrow a truck and reserve a Uhaul trailer, and drive 3 hours, I have some questions that I was hoping you could answer.
1) I am 6'3". Is that going to be a problem in a '75? I read that the '77 has a longer cab but they are hard to come by. I've never been comfortable in the NA and NB Miatas so I'm worried I simply won't fit in this truck.
2) Is swapping the 13B for a 12A a typical thing? How does that affect payload capacity and potential towing duties?
3) There is perforated rust on the driver's side rocker panel as well as the battery cover. Would this be a no-go for you guys (ie, signs of more rust elsewhere) or would you chance it? The rest of the truck looks passable. Some surface rust here and there, but nothing a little sanding can't clear up.
Thanks in advance for responding. I've been reading up on the forum and it sounds like there is already a lot of information for someone like me jumping into this head first.
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jm1fd
Revvin Up
Posts: 83
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posted February 19, 2012 10:33 AM |
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I'm 5'9" and I have a 1977 and I was comfortable in it on a 3000 mile road trip, but then again I had the seat all the way back. That having been said, my truck has had the bench removed and aftermarket seats put in, so I would guess that eats up an extra inch or two.
As for towing/payload capacity, it will decrease some with the 12A but these trucks don't have a whole lot of either to begin with. Is it a common swap? I'd say no. He probably got a 12A cheap, or had one lying around, so that's what went in.
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chuyler1
Hauling
Posts: 140
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posted February 21, 2012 12:49 PM |
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Thanks for your reply. I've been cruising this forum as well as the other rotary forums. I see lots of different engine swaps. I don't intend for this to be a trailer queen, but I do intend to bring it to shows. I suppose the 12A is a lot better than a Toyota 4-banger.
I think I'll make the trip to see the truck. If all goes well, you'll be seeing many more posts from me :)
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chuyler1
Hauling
Posts: 140
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posted February 27, 2012 07:41 AM |
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Well I went to go see the truck and didn't come home with it. It is more of a project than my bank account can afford right now. If anyone on the east coast is interested, here are the details...
http://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/cto/2848113655.html
The Good:
The rust is not beyond repair. Both rocker panels need to be cut out and replaced and places in the cab floor need to be repaired. The cab floor appears to have rusted from the inside (due to previous owner installing home carpeting that probably got soaked with water). It isn't bad though. A few pin holes but that's it. The frame is in great condition and the underside of the cab and the bed looks good. In short, the body could be salvaged by the right person. Also good (for some) is that the truck drives and doesn't shake or shimmy at highway speeds. It runs, it shifts, it stops. You could probably drive it home.
The Meh:
Parking brake doesn't work, Speedometer doesn't work, brake pedal falls to the floor (owner says just needs bleeding), clutch slips when shifting under WOT, heater doesn't work, radio doesn't work, radio bezel cracked, wipers not installed, window crank missing, interior mostly missing, turn signals blink at a rapid rate. Front suspension bushings, struts, and other stuff were replaced but it doesn't turn very well and it feels pretty sloppy with a very large dead zone that would have me nervous above 65 mph. The exhaust is custom with no emmissions and only one muffler. It is very loud at idle. Some may prefer this, but I'd rather be able to hold a conversation next to it. The engine stalls at idle unless it has been completely warmed up. Owner adjusted the idle several times before the test drive just to keep it from stalling (this might be typical in a car of this age, i don't claim to be an expert, but for reference it was about 40 degrees outside and had to idle at 2,000 rpm for 10 minutes) Anyway, All this is fixable given time, cash, and a community of people to help you source the parts. I call it "meh" because most of it is just the cost of buying a very old vehicle at a very low price. You get what you pay for.
The Bad:
Every panel on the truck needs massaging to be show-quality. As-is, the truck would be great to drive around town (except maybe the loud exhaust), but I personally wouldn't bother bringing it to a car meet. Although the frame doesn't dictate a frame-off restoration, this truck needs some serious body work before anyone would even consider paying for a paint job. And speaking of paint, a previous owner painted it dark blue. The door jams and engine bay show that it was once sky blue. The engine/tranny is a non-rebuilt '79 RX-7 12A with 80,000 miles on it. It will need a rebuild relatively soon and while its out, it will need a clutch. Don't let the fresh paint in the photos fool you. And one final point is that the owner belongs to a very active vintage rotary club. Why do I put this in the bad? Although it is good that the vehicle is being maintained by rotary experts, it is bad that none of them want to take this off the owner's hands for their own use.
So in short, the main reason I didn't buy it is because its probably a month or two and several thousand away from just passing inspection in my state. From there its several more thousand before I'd enjoy driving it, and about 10k for me to enjoy it more than my Mazdaspeed6 daily driver. As much as I'd like to own a REPU, I can get a lot more classic car for my money with something else, and frankly, given my resources and skill level, I'd be better off paying up front for an already restored REPU that has the original 13b engine.
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boyotoyo
1st Gear
Posts: 33
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posted March 03, 2012 05:46 PM |
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Thanks for the info Chuyler. You make some good points in your comments and it certainly sounds like you have been around the block a few times and know what you're looking for.
I think it really comes down to how bad you want the vehicle. I don't really surf the net like I used to but I know the REPU's dont turn up nearly as much in the northeeast as they do the northwest or cali or texas. That saves you on the transport costs. I have seen people post 'want ads' on this site practically begging for a Repu so if any of them are on the east coast this would be a great opportunity.
It's also nice to have a "running" project to clean up a little at a time instead of just having a heap of metal and misc. parts taking up space. It looked decent enough in the ad but like you said, if it wouldn't pass your state inspection or be something you could drive while fixing up then that's another story. My state is just tough on emissions but little else :)
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2wankel
Hauling
Posts: 133
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posted March 08, 2012 08:45 PM |
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Chuyler1
Hauling
Posts: 140
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posted March 09, 2012 06:16 AM |
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Good to here. I didn't think it would last long on the market. I'm currently working with Gary in California on purchasing his restored orange REPU and getting it shipped to NH. I'll be bypassing the restoration part of owning one of these classics but there will still be plenty for me to tinker with...and it will probably save me money in the long run.
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Chuyler1
Hauling
Posts: 140
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posted March 09, 2012 06:24 AM |
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BTW, I signed up on your VMRC site. I'm pretty far away but it looks like you guys hit a lot of shows. If I end up with Gary's REPU I'll keep tabs on the shows you attend and try to catch one so you can check it out and see the work he put into it.
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2wankel
Hauling
Posts: 133
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posted March 12, 2012 05:16 AM |
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quote:
Good to here. I didn't think it would last long on the market. I'm currently working with Gary in California on purchasing his restored orange REPU and getting it shipped to NH. I'll be bypassing the restoration part of owning one of these classics but there will still be plenty for me to tinker with...and it will probably save me money in the long run.
quote:
BTW, I signed up on your VMRC site. I'm pretty far away but it looks like you guys hit a lot of shows. If I end up with Gary's REPU I'll keep tabs on the shows you attend and try to catch one so you can check it out and see the work he put into it.
Great! Post up pics if you get the truck under albums. We already have two show we are going to.
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VMRC Website
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