I'm new to the RX7 experience. I just bought an '86 for $600. I plan to use it for AutoCross here in Salt Lake City Utah. Anyway, I have to tear the engine down(coolant leak into the engine). Also inspect/replace clutch. I need to replace shifter bushings.... and the list goes on. But the question that I have is this. How in-depth is the Haynes manual for this stuff. The previous owner gave me his Chilton book and it really sucks. It tries to cover too many models of mazda from 1978 to 1989. I would like to get something rx-7 specific but don't want to spend the $100 for the factory manual. Any suggestions.

I think the Haynes book is pretty decent. It has detailed, step-by-step directions, with decent (for black-and-white) pics showing exactly what they mean. An entire chapter is dedicated to engine maintenance, with the following chapter dedicated to a complete overhaul.



That said, I haven't seen an opportunity to actually use my copy. You may want other input, but from what I've seen Haynes is for mechanical work (the car's "guts," not so much body repair), and Chilton is for selling it when the project is done.

I believe you can download the factory service manual from fc3s.org. For help rebuilding the engine you can buy the 13B overhaul video by Bruce Terrentine(sp?) from Atkins rotary. It is very useful. The Chiltons does suck but it is better than nothing when the time comes.