Hey there everyone. I just picked up a 1980 gsl rx7. It has the 12a motor in it and i think i read that it had 100bhps. I wanted to know if there was a faster motor that i could swap into it that would be a bolt up. I would be willing to buy a new tranny and motor. I just wanted to know if a newer rx7 motor would fit or what the easiest motor to swap into it would be. Thanks so much

 

 

There's no such thing as a 80 GSL, the GSL was first introduced in 81, and yes any rotary can be made to fit in a first gen, the most popular of these swaps is the second gens 13b turbo, there is plenty of info about it on here, a little searching for "13bt swap" or something similar will yield many results. Good luck, and welcome to our little world.

 

welcome to the site and this little world is getting bigger it seems that some rx7 guys are coming back to the cars that started them all(the better ones)

 

Please,please,please search.Its all been covered and beaten to death 4-5 times a week!!!!!!

The 140HP non-turbo 2nd gen engine can be tranplanted.For the same amount of work,you could also install the 200hp 2nd gen single turbo engine,along with the stronger tranny.
Its not a super difficult job,but it does require a moderate knowledge of EFI,wiring and rotary engines.I dont recommend it for a novice or someone who just bought their first rotary.
Walk before you run..........

 

If you arent good with efi or custom brackets or anything like that, a direct fit swap would be a gsl-se engine, and then put a carb intake on it. It bolts up with stock mounts. The only wiring is the distributor system and gauges. Its not gonna be a lot faster, but it is an improvement.

 

Welcome to the forum and the Darkside.

Since the previous poster have covered the search suggestion, in my sig line is the link to the online FSMs, and other rotary related materials. Fwiw, full exhaust, carb and intake upgrade will put you near 140 hp, without opening or swapping the engine..
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I'm with Trichoid-
LOTS can be done for the existing motor: exhaust, carbs being the most obvious, for F-A-R less $$ than new (er) bigger engines and all the complexities of adapting harnesses and hardware etc. But the sky is the limit, as our Loony Chums in Oz prove with 20B cosmo 3-rotor transplants!
Stu Aull
80GS
Sterling Carb/RB exhaust
Alaska

 

A different approach is to go back in time - say an RX4 13B. Four ports are easier to fool with, put the RB carb on it. Only takes an 84-85 GSL oil pan and front motor mount support. Basic issue is do you want to fool around with EFI or go nuts trying to get a Holley to work?

Henry
1980 LS with 76 RX4 13B

 

I had a lot of fun with my 4 port 13B.
It was the engine I ran before going EFI/turbo.....roughly 160-170hp,it had a full RB exhaust,light flywheel, MSD direct ignition and a Yaw carb/mani flowing about 425CFM.Sold it to RSdevil, and as far as I know,its still running strong.You could duplicate the same setup,for relatively less work and a lot less hassle than an EFI/turbo swap.Since Yaw isnt making carbs anymore,order a Sterling carb.They are made on the same principle of building up the stock carb,so it flows enough air and fuel for a modded rotary.
That was a very responsive enigine,and made more usable power than the 12A running the same setup.It had stock ports,so lowend grunt and idle quality were very good.Also,it was very reliable since the engine was no more stressed than when stock.The same results can be had from a 2nd gen TII 4 port 13B,which is an easier engine to locate,than the the old school 13B's from the 70's.....or you can make a 4 port 13B with 1st gen 12A/13B parts.