13b-rew Swap into FB
 

hi guys i just have a question about the swap....is it pretty much like the TII swap or are there any other things i need to get that are different?

Your gonna need alot more information,, hasen't been done to much yet and your not going to find everything you need on the internet, prepaired for a bit... If you look through this forum, someone recently posted about his...

Not trying to be rude, but judging by your question, I wouldn't attempt it... Heck I wouldn't even attempt it if I had the money, still need some more knowledge lol... its alot different TII isnt bad, the 93and up rotaries get harder alot harder.

So because he asked how different one swap is than another, you tell him to not try? Might wanna put your blanket in the dryer ;)

I don't know how to do either, but I say GO FOR IT!!!

People told me the 2JZ wouldn't fit in an 83 Corolla, either

There are 2 ways that this swap can go down.

1. Full FD front clip using stock twins, ecu, and wiring harness
2. Just the REW engine and intake running a single and aftermarket ECU

If you are looking to do #1 you will have to make a craddle for the engine. Using a GSL-SE front cover is not an option because you would be keeping the FD crank angle sensor and all that jaz, it will not fit in any other front cover. After that you will just have to sort out the factory wiring harness and transmission mounting. There was a writeup on this in the archive.

If you are looking to do #2, which I will probably be doing, you would save yourself alot of headache. Doing this makes everything just like a T2 swap but with the REW block and intake.

Hope this helps

Not that bad of a swap actually. If you have the knowledge to swap a TII you can swap a REW. Since my swap has a large single I did not have to mess with the twins. Most complex part of the build is going to be wiring in the ECU. I would reccomend that you start with the FD harness and then later if you decide to mod the car you can just throw a PFC in it.

There are a couple things that are different.

1. bolts on the oil pan do not quite match up. You can drill/tap new holes or generously put RTV on the pan/motor. Don't place too much though. Drilling tapping is a better method

2. CAS. The CAS on the 3rd gen has magnetic pick-ups. Swapping over to a 2nd gen CAS is not a big deal. I just placed it in the GSL-SE stock hole.

3. Water pump. If you are not intending on using the stock waterpump you will need to modift the bolts that come out from the engine. They are too long for a 2nd gen water pump

I am sure that I am forgetting things but those are the major obstacles. Price is a fair amount more as well.

SteveoO, listen to z-beater. He is one of the very few that has successfully accomplished this swap. Many parts of the swap are similar to the usual TII swap, with some of the noted exceptions. If you follow Steve84GS's post on his TII S5 swap, along with Z's, you will have most of it covered.

Be prepared to spend at least 50% more than you've budgeted for and buy a large bottle of Tylenol. The TII swap has been done much more than the REW and has more documentation to read through when you run into trouble.

Btw, welcome to the forum and the Darkside. In my sig line is a link to the online FSMS and other rotary related reading. Download whatever you need and read, lots.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

I remember Kevinbtz posting a bit of a write up on the swap a little while back, search it up.

thanx alot for the info trochoid and z-beater.....yea i know there isnt too much info on the swap so thats why i finally deceide to ask. I know im gonna spend more on this then a tII swap...but i got the 13b-rew for a steal only 800 bux for tranny,wiring harness,ecu, and the motor so i kinda have some money left over. Guess ill just have to read up more

o and another thing how much room do you think there will be if i just use the stock twins or would it just be a better idea to just do a single turbo swap?

Here you go: https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/13b-rew-1st-gen-write-up-495644/

ty for the thread Dan_s_young

Oh yeah, quick question about this topic.....

What clutch, preasure plate, flywheel setup do I use to mate a REW to a TII tranny?

I searched, but not much info on an REW.

First off I thought that he was asking about a rennesis motor, and I was trying to be honest... Theres alot to be done. I never said not to try, just a little warning that a can of worms would have to be open, sorry if I came off to strong.

I'm using a TII flywheel w/-rew rear counterweight, TII clutch and PP

Since you will be using the TII tranny, you want a clutch kit that's designed for the TII tranny since the slave mounts on the tranny. Fun part is deciding which clutch kit to buy. That choice will be determined by the torque the REW produces and what the main use for the car is, i.e., street driving, autoX, roadracing or drag strip.

A good all around clutch that I've found is a ceramic/kevlar disc. Good holding power, reasonably gentle on the flywheel and pp and ease of engagement. I you aren't doing much street driving and a lot of hard drag strip launches, look into a brass button disc. They are not very street friendly, i.e. stop and go traffic, starting from hills, but have great holding power and zero break in time. they are, however, very harsh on flywheels and PPs. A 6 puck spring loaded disc is more street friendly than the 4 puck solid disc.

Button clutches are also not a good choice for heavily ported engines, such as a bp.

I went with a 6 puck non-sprung act clutch with the h.d. pressure plate. I use this on my daily driver and have virtually no problems with it, however I am also using the stock fly wheel (smother than a light weight fly wheel). Depending on how you are going to shift the car under power you might want to go non-sprung. Since I have gone to a decent sized single turbo I have been shifting faster and have not been letting of the gas as much so the turbo will stayed spooled.

Good luck,
Kevin

ACT 6-puck and HD PP. I am a little far from stock though. Both came from a TII. If you have any more questions just ask.

is it possible to use the subframe from the fd and retro fit it to the fb?

The subframe is too wide by a few inches. You might be able to modify it to fit. There are a lot more variables that you need to consider though. I would just swap the cover and call it a day.

Thanks guys. I may run in to a few more questions later. Right now I am planning everything out and getting all the parts I need squared away. I have begun prepping the chassis, suspension, and brakes.

This project is going to be extremely slow going. I know my final parts list will be around $15k, and even that isn't everything. But the final product will be a total blast.

Hmmm, I wonder which would be better cause an engine swap for my Fb has been on my mind.


I have a 12a

which would be better to swap
13b or a 13b-rew.

Flywheel & Website
 

I'm using a similar setup -- ACT 6-puck solid hub, ACT Extreme PP, and lightweight steel ACT flywheel. I like it -- but then I've been driving a puck-style disc for a long time. It's important to note that the sprung hub doesn't do what most people think it does. It doesn't cushion the impact to the driveline when you dump the clutch. The springs in the hub aren't nearly strong enough to do that. As soon as you dump the clutch, they collapse totally. Their function is to absorb the pulses from the engine while you're at light throttle, which will keep your tranny gears from beating against each other and causing "gear rattle". I didn't want the springs because I race my car, and I had one sprung center clutch disc self-destruct on me. For a daily driver, the springs will probably increase the life of your transmission, and they will definitely cut down the noise under certain conditions.

I have an -RE engine in my car, and I've covered some of the issues/concerns with retrofit into an FB on my website. Some of the issues/concerns are the same with either engine: http://sites.google.com/site/elwoodsturbofb/

Depends on your budget. Plan to spend 5k min for a stock TII swap.

or if you are very talented you can do it all yourself for less but you'll probably kill yourself for it

A local friend built a stock TII swap for 5k. He did all the work himself.

It might only cost 1k for the motor. But I can promise that the swap will nickel and dime you to death.

You will have no idea how true this guy's statement is until you start. :lol:

For example....

"Hey! those bushings look bad" +$90 some dollars for RE-Speed Bushings

"Damn those tie rods are gone!" = $221

"Sonova bitch, I need GSL-SE front cover and gas tank and pump and some other bits" +$200

It adds up fast.
But then again, if you own an RX7 you have sold your soul to the Rotor already :)

dude im with ya on this swap! we got this man! how far are you? and what year is your fb?

I say fing go for it it will be a learning expieriance and just make sure to take loads of pics so we can have good documentation.

Been there, done that and have the T-shirt. After doing so, and spending 15k, why not just buy a FD and get all the other goodies too. Better brakes, all the right mounts, wiring harness adapter to do a Haltech etc etc. I could go on and on. Only benefit doing this is saying you did it, is it worth it? Some pride is more valuable than dollars?

My eventual goal for the widebody has always been a TII swap. I've spent the last 3 years preparing for that with the installation of the body kit, suspension, brake upgrades and larger wheels/tires, twice, frame off unibody restoration. yada, yada, yada..... Suspension and brakes have cost me more than I ever expected to spend on a professional engine rebuild. The only possible mods left that I can do on suspension/brakes is coilovers, panhard/tri-link and ReSpeeds R&P unit. Some of the upgrades aren't even available any more.

I have 2 TII engines and trannys on hand, both engines need rebuilt. Last year I did a quick list of parts that I still need and even after spending 8k+ so far, I still need another 4k to get the engine rebuilt and installed with the parts and hp goals I want. As a side note, I've spent less than 200 bucks on outside labor so far since I'm a stubborn old fart and prefer to do ALL my own work. I figure I can fuck it up as easily any 'professional' mechanic.

A very expensive part of any turbo buildup is rebuilding the engine once you've blown it. Many people on the forum that are making a lot of HP have had the heartbreak of this extra expense -- myself included. My advice is to get a very knowledgeable and respected tuner -- one who has boosted rotary experience -- to make sure your spark and fueling are correct in the boosted range (greater than 100% efficiency). It's worth every penny and should be factored into your cost.

Here is a thread I put together for people interested in swapping a REW.

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/13b-rew-write-up-764389/

My car?

Attachment 701178

Attachment 701179

Im on the same quest. Id rather have a an REW in an FB rahter than an FD, I think they can look better Im crazy like that I know. So by way of comparison, Ive spent $2k on my REW, 1200 on a rebuild kit, $2500 on the BNR turbos (GORGEOUS), and Efini Y pipe. I got a bunch of small/misc. stuff for $600. I tore the motor down to find gouged housings, so Im looking at another $2k or so for that. How did the previous poster find one for 1100? And I havent even started assembling, nor installing yet. I havent even got into the PFC nor injection systems yet... Thought Id give my input as this can EASILY run to $15k and above, just so your aware.

At this moment in my life, Im entertaining buying a Lotus Esprit, but will be on and off with my REW swap. Gotta have a daily driver you know :D

Trying the rew 12a swap. Motor and tranny in. working on wiring. Any body want to by a car. Just kidding. Motor turns over no prob fires every now and then. Any hints or suggestions on how to get it right. This project is breaking my budget.

I don't want to sound naive or any thing. I know the OP got his motor for a song. that aside.
After you go single turbo and GSL-SE front cover. what exactly is the benefit of the REW over the TII? other than uniqueness?
I had planned eventually on going T2, after the prerequisite mods. Lately I've been trying to compare all possibilities, even strong NA.

hey can u swap a 13b into a fb without having to do any fabrication// and could u still use a fb trans.

Hey man, Im right there with you on the swap. Just picked up motor, tranny,ecu,harness,PFC from my friend for 1300. And the great thing about it is that the motor is good and doesnt need a rebuild :D. Anyways what are you doing for the rear-end? ford 9 inch or 8.8 or stock? I have a almost perfect stockie but i also have a 8.8 that could work what do you think?

i think we are screwed wankel lol

If I am already using a apeci power fc will I have to swap the cas? I'm using a 13b rew out of a 93. I am getting the motor(with water pump) trans harness and ecu from a running car. I'd like to keep stock twins for now just because of budget reasons. In my case what would I have to do?

z-beater hasn't been on the forum in a while.