first off i own a 1985 Rx7 gsl. the current engine is the 12a (1.1 liter, 4 barrel carb). it's an ok engine but i'm looking for more power. i was thinking of putting in a 13bt or 13btt. i need some help!! i'm not looking for insane power, i just want enough for auto-cross and some goofing around. i don't want to spend a lot of money, but i do understand it will cost more than $1000.




HELP please...

thanks

 

Read the FAQ.


You can Streetport the 12A, Header and new carb and get into much better power.

 

Also welcome to the forum.

 

rebuild a 12A and do a big street and aftermarket carb and exhust. Just for starters and see how you like it. The 12A can give good power and be alot of fun to drive. Only swich to the 13t or 13btt is you really want to spend some real money and can do alot of the work yourself.

 

Turbo engine = potential for lots of money spent.
Not only becasue of the higher stresses and reduced reliability,but also because they are addicting and its easy to squeeze them for power......which of course is the root cause of the former issue.

That doesnt mean you cant do the swap for a reasonable amount (I did mine for about $1500) ....but you have to be prepared to spend money and expect the unknown to bite you in the ***.If you arent ready to shell out the $$,then stick with N/A and your engine will last forever.

If you do decide to go turbo,the 13BT is a great swap and has been done many times by many people,who are USUALLY happy to help you out.Just make sure you do plenty of research and digging on this site and in the factory service manual.Your question is THE most often asked question here,averaging about 3-4 times a week.We do get tired of typing the same responses over and over to the same question.Typically,you can find all the basic answers in the search function.If you have a specific question during the swap,then we'd be happy to help.
If you decide to do the 13B-REW swap,youll be much more in the dark, since far fewer people have done that swap while retaining the stock ECU.It has been done,but there is less info to be gleaned on the subject when compared to the popular and successful stock EFI S4 or S5 13BT swaps.

 

Upgrade ignition. Remove rat's nest. Get a good exhaust put on it. Get an upgraded carb (Sterling is good if you want to use a modified stock carb). That will be a significant increase in power alone. And you are looking at around 1,000 dollars buying everything new. If you want to do a swap you will be looking at 1,000 dollars just for the engine, then you have to think about the transmission, custom fabricating, wiring, ecu, etc. etc. etc. It will be a hell of a lot more expensive than you think.