There are times I wonder about putting in a 4 banger (now, it might be turbo'd).
Gas so expensive and the cost of a rebuild makes me sometimes think that when the 12a goes it might not be a rotary that goes back in. Am I the only one that thinks this way?

Now to be fair, I dream about getting a SE 13B (no turbo) in because I love the drivability of that SE engine. I am so conflicted!


Scott

 

Going to have to get input from members about non-rotary threads even in this section. :-)
Yes, or no guys?

 

<--- been sr20det powered for ~1 1/2 now and loving it.

do et

Oh, and yes... may as well include everything here.

 

I have thought of a 1.6L VW turbo engine. No power but 40mpg.

 

It takes away what makes a rx-7, a rx-7, but gas prices and other factors would make me switch to something more practical.
I have the SE 1.3b engine and gas prices still haunt me at night....

 

I thought about getting another 7 (banged up) as daily driver and slapping a 4 cyl VW on it. Main reason? Im in Argentina and 7 parts are non existant. vw parts on the other hand seem to appear under every rock.

The rotary engine makes a 7 a 7.... no doubt, but sometimes is nice to have a car to move around. My 7 is in my hands since 2004 and I was unable to take her around the block yet. Maybe in 2008...

 

hehe how bout a rb32 out of a holden thats a 3L nissan motor
duno if there in america but its popular in nz to swap in skylines or pulsar's

 

Its kinda funny but my DD has a 2.5L inline 6, weighs a ton and has a slush box, but gets better mileage - like 30 on the highway - the joy's of modern electronics and FI.... I know my dad had this same dilemma back in the 70's with his corvette's when gas "shot" up, he almost went with an aluminum Buick engine. He never put it in!

What is really sad is my son's 95 neon can accelerate with me or "possibly" faster than me and gets 35mpg+....

Scott

 

I am surprised he is not getting flamed to a crisp

 

by who, half here have done a swap.
Plus we decided this is not the Lounge.

 

honestly, why?

your reasons make no since. you want to do it to save money right? what about all the money being spent to buy the parts and all the custom work? itll be A LOT more than youre expecting. if you are that worried about it, sale the 7 and buy a honda or toyota. youd save uch more money in the long run.

now, if you wated to do it for power and reliability, id be all for it. ive been researching piston swaps for a while. IMO, SR20DET and 4G63 are great options. neither swap would be really cheap. theyd both be cheaper than a built rotary making the same power, not to mention the reliability and cheaper market though.

sale your car and buy a tercel, theyre tanks and get great gas mileage.

also, i used to DD a 85 GSL. i never saw less than 20MPG and saw 25-27 on the highway regularly. its all about tuning.

 

yea i've been non-rotary powered for just about 8 months now and im happy too....even if my car sees more air time (always on jack stands for new fab work) than most airplanes...

BTW...ka24de-t another nissan motor mwhahahahah...soon we'll rule the world!!!

 

IMHO, when people first started really talking about swaps, the first concern was that it was going to ruin the handling. Then it was "the rotary is what makes the RX7 an Rx7.

But now as more and more people are doing the swaps, and the handling isn't affected as much as previously thought, and reliability appears, I think it is becoming more acceptable.

I for one, want to do the swap, but have decided to wait until the rotary dies.

I think that reliability is overcoming the idea that the car has to remain pure. Everyday over on the v8 forums, I see another person who is a die hard rotary purist who has become fed up with reliabilty- especially for someone who wants more power.

Am I anti rotary? Absolutely not. Am I anti piston? Again, absolutely not. I like the rotary because it is different. Not because I'm a purist. I am not. I just like things that are different, that run outside of the box.

I love how my 12A sounds and feels "raw", unrefined. The feeling I get as I run through the gears, especially on a twisty road is unparralled. So is the feeling I get when some other car easily accelerates past me in a stock vehicle that is not even designed as a sports car.

Later,
Bill

 

I am not a fan of other power plants for the 7 by anymeans. However If I was going to do one I might consider the old Aluminum buick 215CID V-8. Fully dressed it's probably about the same weight as the rotary and is not much bigger than the rotary.

 

Sell it for a Honda? Never. I'd keep er as an occasional driver, and buy myself a saturn. I've rebuilt with my father 2 saturns of my own, and redo total loss vehicals for my grandfather which we in turn sell for him. I love the little cars. Plastic siding, never worry about rust, light weight.. I only have one complaint with the S series saturns - They cant turn!

On my 30+ Hour trip, we figured out I was getting anywhere from 35-48 miles to the gallon with my traveling vehical . Besides, then you can own something different then a Honda and can avoid flame all together

 

I forgot to add that I get 29MPG on the highway with my Se and average 24-26 for intown driving.

Even with todays vehicles that's pretty respectable numbers for a 7. :-)

 

I'm with SSRx7 (reply #13). It depends what you want from your car. If you want power and fuel efficiency, and have the money to spend upfront, it sounds like a move that has been successful by plenty of other people. For me, though, I like that my car has a 1.1L engine. I like that it gives me >13L/100km. I don't mind being overtaken by other cars. I enjoy my 12A as it is. But that's just me.

 

Doc-I'd agree that about anything goes here (especially threads like these)...

Scott1982-I'd have to keep a rotary in my 7, but if you love the car and hate the gas mileage swap in what you've got laying around. Or if you can find something reliable for cheap, go for it. At least it's another 7 on the road...

 

I have been thinking a lot lately about what I'm going to do if my 12A dies some day. I've noticed that 7 parts are getting a lot rarer, even in the midwest. It just seems like you don't see as many used parts on ebay, in the classifieds, and I can't even find a 2nd gen in a junkyard anymore...

Someday in the future if my 12A gives up the ghost, (heaven forbid) I've thought about putting a Miata powerplant in it. Supposedly the whole back half of the swap is the same. (According to Peejay). All you've got to do is fix up your front engine mount.

I think a carb'd Miata 4-banger with a 6 speed would be the cat's pajamas in the FB. I'm not even sure if it is possible to carb those engines, probably not. Just sounds like it would be cool though. Sure it wouldn't have neck breaking torque, screaming revs, or VW diesel fuel economy. BUT, it would keep a Mazda powerplant in there, provide some reliability, endless amount of spares, and a little old schoool flavor with the carbs.

That's my backup plan anyway, if Rosie's heart quits pumping...

Jamie

 

Okay, never mind the carb idea. How about the 1.8 BP engine from the Miata with ITBs? This would look pretty good in the rx7 IMO. They only thing is, by the time you spend all the money building up the Miata engine, it's still only got 150 hp. Why spend all the money to get right back where I'm already at??

 

You're right. Let me help..

Hey @$$Hole!! Leave the RX-7 Rotary powered and get yourself
another car for daily use. The Rotary is not considered fuel efficient
by today's standards - period.

Unless you found a NON-RUNNING RX-7 at the boneyard, and you
saved it from the crusher - then I am not in favor a piston swap.

That being said, I have nothing against pistons. They are great engines.
By the way, F20C engine would be pretty sweet in a 1st Gen.

 

Is the F20C the S2000 engine or is that the F22C??

 

Ooops... I think I figured it out. The F20C would be the 2.0 liter powerplant, which is also where the S2000 gets its name from, as in 2000cc. Am I correct there??

 

Both engines were in the S2000. The F22c is the 2.2 liter version.
Same power, More Torque, lower redline.

 

Cheaters. Should've called it the S2200.