Hey guys.. new to this forum, but not a newb.

Looks liek some great info and peopel here, soon i will be working on the old RX7 again. Here is a history of the car:
in 1995 me and my dad got a 1982 Rx7 with a blown roatary motor for 500 bucks. we made some custom mounts and dropped in a Buick 3.8L V6. My dad used it for work for about 2 years , then let it sit until now. At its current state, teh brakes are seized and the engine overheats.

I plan on working on the rx7 as soon as my civic comes out of the garage ( just put an intgra motor in it).

I hope to find some good info here in terms of brakes, suspension, rear end, body, interior, etc.

I have no idea what model it is ( S, GS, GSL? ) the link in the FAQ section does not work..

There a few pics HERE

 

You have a nice looking car there. But I'm sorry to say that your going to get flamed BADLY around here. Just about every RX-7 owner hates piston engine swaps in the 7's. So don't even ask anything about the engine around here. I don't mind piston engine swaps. I actually thought about doing that for a while, but decided to stay with the rotary.

Ok, to start, most will ask how you got those rims to fit. It doesn't look like they were redrilled, and I know for a fact that those rims are a different bolt pattern then the stock 7 rims (they are from a mustang, 4x108). Stock 7 rims are 4x110, so how did you make those work?

But for everything else you want to know, the search button and the FAQ are good things to use. But the first thing I think you should do is get a new engine for it. If its going to be custom, and your not too limited on money, go with an 89-91 Turbo rotary engine. You'll thank yourself in the end. For the brakes and suspension, you can convert to GSL-SE parts. This should solve your brake problem and it will also get you the better suspension and a more common bolt pattern. All the info you need to do these swaps can be found in the FAQ or searching.

 

2 mm difference will bolt up. I've seen this done, whether it's safe or not, is anyone's guess. I've got a 12a for sale if your interested. Check ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=7908607230

 

well for now it will stay with the v6 until it blows. personaly i hate chev and their motors..

teh rims are from a mustang GT , i will have to ask my dad how he got those on.

the car flys alot faster then the old rotary would have..
I have heard that rotarys are very unreliable.. but i have never owned one taht has worked so i dunno.

 

Buy the 12a give that car some dignity.. a beauty like needs it!

 

Buy the 12a give that car some dignity.. a beauty like needs it!

 

welcome to the forum

I really liked your car tell you opened the hood. If you want to beef up a mazda do something like this. Get that freakin Pisston motor out of there. The rotary motors are very reliable. With just little matanince.

 

Actually, rotaries can be more reliable than piston engines if they are taken care of. They normally blow earlier than piston engines because people don't know how to take care of them.

I realize that the wheels will probably bolt up, but the 2mm difference is enough to put a lot of stress on the bolts. They could sheer off a lot easyer.

If you want help with solving your overheating problems, just PM me. I am willing to help you, but I'm not sure about others. I also have experience with the Buick V6.

 

only if misused, abused or turbocharged

 

Whoa there buddy, turbocharging has NO adverse effects on a rotary if its in tune. As long as its not running so lean as to cause detonation, it doesn't really affect reliability at all.

 

i definatly want something beefyer then stock, and with fuel injection..

what options do i have for a good price?

 

I'm no expert in this department, but having thought along the same lines with my '80, I think the Turbo II motors out of the '87-'91 RX-7s are comparable in power with the 3.8l you have. I have no good idea on price, but I would feel safe in estimating at least $1000 to find a good TII motor and installing it. That number would likely vary depending on how much the rest of the drivetrain has been modified.

Assuming you have no particular attachment to the rotary engine, I would recommend that you solve your cooling issue with the 3.8l, install the correct bolt pattern wheels, and consider yourself lucky to own a car that looks that good with what is undoubtedly better than stock power.

I'm not one to champion the rotary overmuch; it failed the popularity contest for very solid engineering reasons. Don't feel pressured to conform to the wishes of the more hardcore on this board. Pistons have proven to be a more viable and efficient option thus far.

On a side note, I would personally find a way to have the air cleaner clear the hood without cutting a hole in it. A cold air intake might be an avenue to explore to do that. But that's just my taste, so feel free to ignore it.

-dave
1980 RX-7

 

it will definatley have some kidn of cold air intake hoodscoop installed.
You guys dont have to bash because of a different type of engine in my car. That's teh whoel fun of modding cars, making somethign powerful, and unique compared to other cars IMO. I've always found stock to be quite boring. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with a rotary engine, it was my dad's idea, and if you ever went for a ride in the car you would agree that it has a hell of alot of pep.
We were thinking of a V8 originaly , but were worrying baout the wieght issue especially with no power steering, yet i seem to see quite a few V8 swaps into these things.

Let your car be what YOU want it to be. It's YOUR car, not anyone elses.

 

i've had my rotary for 3 years and although ive heard acouple of weird noises here and there it has given me less problems than my brothers toyota has given him. And i smoke him ontop of that.

 

This statement is not accurate. Turbocharging puts additional stress on an engine which decreases its life expectancy, a fact well-known to the entire auto industry. Reliability is also affected because adding additional components also introduces additional points of failure (a basic application of probability). Therefore adding a turbo will both decrease engine life and decrease reliability. QED.

 

keeping that in mind, havign experience with honda motors i know there are many aftermarket possibilities to strenghthen the internals of teh motor for turbo applications... So how easy is it to get stuff liek that on the rotary motor? Turbo would be a possibility in the future, but for now on a tight budget i would like to just have something more powerful then stock, maybe there is a later model RX7 rotary engine that i can drop in.. what options do i have for swaps? are there mount kits avaliable?