After much thought im still debating the build of my FB or to sell it. i enjoy driving the FB but i really would rather own a FD. at first i was goin to do a 13bt swap or even a COSMO swap, either way im trying to put the FD's power into a lighter vehicle. is it worth trying to build a FB to handle the powerplant of a FD? or would it just be wise to discontinue my fabrication of the FB and start saving for a FD?

the FB right now has a strong 12a, RB intake/headers, Holley 600cfm 4brl carb (built for rotary), MSD and all the extra little knick knacks of a 12a. I wont a lot more power from the car b/c of the fact that ive driven many powerful cars and im not really a cruiser. The only thing thats holding me back from selling her is b/c i have a complete IMSA widebody kit, Eplison 3 piece 15" mesh rims, and ive put a lot of time and money into this car. Even if i was to sell it i dont know what i would ask for it. The car has only 53k original miles, and runs very strong.

For those of u that have gone to the TII, COSMO, or even 13b-REW swap can u give me any advice about the amount of finances that go into building the car for the engine? i can do most of the work myself and i have a tuner thats awesome with rotary's, so im not too worried about the work being done correctly. any advice is appreciated, also if anyone wants to see the car just tell me and we could meet up during December and ill let u check her out.

Thanks everyone

 

Keep her, you've put a lot of time in her. I think that the first gen is the coolest of the three 7s imo. It's your decision though. I would keep it though with everything you've done. Modified 85 spent around 19k he said for his 13b rew swap, but he had a speciallist do it. I f you know had to do everything, you'll save a lot.

 

I can only speak for the lightly modded SA/FB club, but honestly I think it largely depends upon whether you have another daily driver or not. I mean knowing full well that you are considering buying an FD, then I'm assuming you do have a daily driver, and if you do have a daily driver then go buy an FD and sell the FB (If you have room enough to own both, do that. I'm quite sure you will end up missing your FB a lot). That's just my two cents. I also don't think I would ever get rid of my FB, though. Not even to buy an FD.

 

sell it. FB chassis is dime dozen, while FD is just a whole new ball-park.

now if it was an SA... i'd say keep it, especially if the SA is clean.

 

Well coming from someone who just sold their FB and bought an FD, id say go for it IF you have the money. Just starting out an FD roller (no motor or trans) will cost you 5k and up, and another 4-6K with a strong motor setup. Parts for FD's are WAY more expensive than FB stuff. But in the long run the FD will always be worth more and hold its value, but the problem is the cost of keeping it running.

Whatever floats your boat man, if you can get good money for your widebody sell it, but sell the Epsilons to me .

Good Luck!

 

You already have one of the best platforms for doing a turbo swap that I have heard of in quite a while. I would stay with the FB chassis and finish it up with a turbo swap. As it sits now, it has value with the IMSA kit, wheels and low mileage, but don't ever expect to recoup your outlay unless it has some actual racing heritage

Reading between the lines of your post, while you enjoy driving the FB, it sounds like you would rather be 'seen' in an FD. Egos can be tricky somedays. While the FD is a great looking car, I'd be more than happy to leave one in the dust with a turboed FB.

As far as cost, that will depend on the amount of work you do yourself and your hp goal. If you can find a good TII engine, tranny and associated parts that doesn't require a rebuild, it could be done for 1k, netting around 200-230 hp. If you're shooting for 400+ hp and start from scratch with new, top of the line parts, 10k+ can be on the cheap side.

Btw, don't sell Carl your Eps, he has exceeded his lifetime limit of Eps already. LOL.

 

I am in the same boat as trochoid. The FD is by far a timeless design and still looks good in bone stock form. I have owned every rx-7 except the FD and the reason being is because they are just ticking timebombs.

If you are searching for HP and speed i say do the 13bt swap and save yourself alot of dough. Getting into the FD realm is quite exspensive and can cause alot of headaches. True, FB's are a dime a dozen is because they were good made cars that were the most reliable outta all the rx-7 gens. Numbers will prove that.

I dont know what you do for a living but theres no way i could spend 10-20k for a FD and all the time wonder when it was gonna pop and what the hell am i gonna do when it does. In other words, FD=rocket power and good looks, while a 13bt swap in a clean fb=rocket power in a classic look with less money and more reliability.

 

Maybe I've hit my mid-life crisis at age 20 , but if you want an FD now is the time to do it. I just wanted a new look.

 

I agree 100% with Trochoid and 91Verty.

However, after seeing your webpage:

http://www.picturetrail.com/nopiston_racer

I can the see the direction you are headed
with your mods... - (TV, PS2, Stereo's, Modern front nose, etc)

Just Get an FD.

Sell the FB to someone who can bring it back to its true state of glory.
The FB is meant to be an "old school" sports car.

 

+1

 

we talked a long time ago about your car and such. i know you truely want an FD. it sounds to me as if youre trying to justify with yourself on why to keep the FB. dont. you really want an FD so go for it. theyre expensive to keep up though so id invest is a cheap beater ride.

to go all out with your car to a high output 13BT youll have to swap rearends and front brakes. there goes your epilsons and you having to buy a new set of wheels. there are a lot of mods youll have to do just to keep the Fb safe, thats if you do things right.

directfreak said it before, for the price of his car he could have easily bought an FD. why didnt he? that wasnt what he wanted. you on the other hand want the FD. why spend all this money making a built Fb when its not what you want? isnt building cars all about being something for yourself? do what you truely want. no one else can make that decision other than you.

 

thanks for all the input...as stated above yes i want an FD but i truly love my FB. i understand from Directfreak's post about me modifying the car for TV's, stereo's and what not. Well for starters that website hasnt been updated in over 2 years, the TV and all stereo equipment has been removed. As of right now the FB only has seats and a dash now. also i do want to return the cars front end and front fenders back to the original GTU race spec but i dont have $1500 for a front clip and fenders. Also i was goin to return the headlights back to normal if not flush mount. Ill run what i have right now b/c it works for the time being as i wanted better performance and then finish the body.

As stated i would have to change the breaks which would in fact change my bolt pattern. This is another thing that i have taken into consideration. If i was to go 13btII, would that be the easier swap vs goin with a 13b-REW?? Im not into the EGO thing as stated with wanting "to be seen in a FD" b/c i know for a fact that i get a lot of attention in the FB as it is right now. I just enjoyed driving the FD while i had one, and liked the power of it. I want to be able to race decent autox with this vehicle and thats y i really wanted to keep it with the widebody and a simple turbo upgrade, but things kept getting in the way of my plans.

If i do keep it would the easiest thing for a power gain be to 13btii the setup or to just keep the 12a and streetport it. I guess ive been seeing this car as a money trap since the day i bought it and i want to finally fix it so that its only normal wear and tear i need to fix and no more performance upgrades. Thanks for the posts and keep them coming b/c i have to make a decision on this car by the end of december...thanks again..Parker

 

well, what kind of power are you hoping for? maybe a nice ported motor would do the trick for you. if not, maybe a blow through set up? much cheaper than having to go full stand alone and such.

 

Parker, the bumper you have on that car needs to go man. It may look alright on an FD, but for a widebody, you need to go for the oldschool look on the outside.

 

+1

 

Whether we are willing to admit it or not, it's all ego. I can pull into a rotary meet with the widebody, side by side with a 3rd gen, you tell me which car everyone is looking at. Is it ego when they prefer the wb over the 3rd, hell yeah, it's also the pride I have that I built the car and the respect I've gotten for it.

It doesn't matter what we do with our cars, when other members give us a thumbs up, we get an ego boost. That's why I like the 1st gens, I can build my way to the car I want, not buy it like many of the 3rd gen guys have. My hands are much happier being busy in the shop, than writing checks.

 

keep it or sell it? how bout give it... to me. hehehe