20B...Would you still go through with it?
 

Those of us doing this modification have most likely got to feel like Neo in the Matrix making the leap of faith jump from building to building. We thought we could do it no problem and all this stuff started happening along the way and now we're falling or are splattered all over the road at this point trying to collect ourselves and wondering just what we got ourselves into.

If given the opportunity to start over from the beginning...would you do it again, and/or how would you do things differently?

I'll start - Absolutely I'd do it again but I would have saved for another year or two, bought all the parts as I could afford them so I'd have them all at once and not be waiting for vendors to ship (this has been the largest overall problem is getting parts in any reasonable amount of time). I also would have done more of the prep work myself to get the car ready for the swap. Other than that, it's been going relatively smoothly and I can't wait to have it finished which should be this summer some time :) Maybe...

my problem was that i tried to do the swap in 2 months, and real life cought up with me. i got behind a couple of weekends. at the time that the only time i had. then i lost my job and and to pack up the half done project and haul it home, that was a big set back. its ok now, i took it back apart and put it together better, and now it almost done 5 moths later. the other thing was that the car had been broken into and i could have put it back together in a weekend, but what fun is that?

mike

I would still do it again, as I have wanted a 3-rotor engine for about 13 years now. :D

What I would have done differently:
1) Kept the stock turbos (for a while, anyway). This not only saves the cost and trouble of the single turbo conversion, but also keeps the power level down to somewhat manageable levels for a TII drivetrain (except for the clutch). My biggest problem right now is what to do about the transmission.

2) Started with a TII. For what it cost me to source the TII hood, GXL 5-lug suspension, TII power brake booster, etc., I could have just sold my SE and bought a TII with a blown engine and saved myself $1,000. The S5 front end was still a good deal, though, as the S5 cars sell for entirely too much money in my area.

3) Used a larger fuel cell. Orignially, the car was being built for a BP 13B, but then the 20B became available and the rest is history. Anyway, the 15 gal fuel cell would have been great for the 13B, but I'm calculating the fuel consumption of my T66 20B at 4mpg @ peak HP, and about 12mpg for city driving. My 1Gen needed a fuel cell, so the 15gal Fuel Safe has found a new home. I still need to order a new fuel cell of at least 24gal capacity.

Never mind would I have done the one I just finished,
but I am really thinking if I can get another front clip I
might do another:),,, I really wanted a convertible!
Evil Aviator,,, you said something about getting a
TII power brake booster,,, I didn't know there was a
difference between the TII and the gxl..
as for a trani the stock cosmo auto is working well!
I have done a couple brake stands now and it has
no trouble turning the wheels:) lol

matt

How does the vacuum line for the GXL power brake booster work if there isn't any vacuum when under boost?

I don't have the TII power brake booster in the car yet because I am still trying to sort through the SPO rules to see if the rollcage really needs to go through the firewall, which would in effect nix my power brakes altogether.

BTW, you could have simply bought a 20B convertible. :)
http://www.efini.net/rx7s4sale.htm

The booster works the same in the TII as the gxl,
both will run out of vacuum if you get on the brakes
enough while under boost. each have check valves in
the line, and I am not sure if there is anything different,
but I am using the gxl booster and master cylinder.
O ya I am going to run out and buy a vert for 39,900 u.s.
that like 60,000 Canadian! I could build 4 or 5 for that
price:) I have my eye on a 1990 vert and if its still there
on Friday I might buy it:)

matt

where are you going to tap the engine for vacuum? theres no port. maybe this is someones way of telling you not to have power brakes

mike

some people are drilling a hole in the intake and putting
a fitting in for the brake vacuum, i just took 2 of the
unused little vacuum ports already on the intake
and t'd them together, it seems to work fine.

matt

thats what i was thinking of doing. what did you end up doing with the tstat housing?

mike

here is a picture of what I did for the tstat cover and
highest point fill location,,, it doesn't look great but it works:)

matt

LOL, adding a vacuum hose fitting would be nothing compared to the other custom work on the car.

Hmm, I thought that one of those vacuum hoses on the stock engine went to the power brake booster. Maybe I need to look at my engine again. I assumed the JC Cosmo Luxury car had power brakes, so how are they actuated if not by vacuum?

i thought they were hydraulic but theres no hydraulic pump either. my engine was really complete and there was no vacuum port.

mike

hey... start another thread guys :)

the cosmo did have power brakes but they were not vac
assist there is a electric motor that is under the master
cylinder that provides the boost for the brakes,, not
sure how it worked but I have one on a shelf that I don't
need:)
matt

hmm its like a reverse mpv one then? the mpv's had load leveling suspension with air shocks

mike

If Im not mistaken they do need to go through the firewall but I'm at work can cant check easy.

Funk it man! You can sleep in a T2, but you can't drive a house!!! :D

I can make your dream come true...except for the part about getting one cheap. ;)

Yes i seen your car for sale,,, and your right,, yours wouldnt be cheap, it is nice but by the time you convert your price to canadian dollars it would be cheaper to
buy a house:)

matt

I have a house. Trust me. The car is better.

Do you recall the tale of Hercules fighting the Hydra? Well, the story is allegorical. He didn't really fight a 9-headed beast--he just bought a house.

if the car was simple i'd like to see complicated

mike

No, you wouldn't. "Complicated" will give you nightmares and lead to impotence.

I don't think I ever said it was simple--just better: The car will give you an adrenaline rush of purest joy. People will spontaneously burst into applause when you drive by (yes, this has happened more than once).

No house has never produced these results.

I agree. My neighbor was clapping after I wasted his GN. :D

i didn't think about it that way, i guess i should drive the tr3 more, evryone loves that one =), my 20b looks so much like any other fc nobody noticed, even though it has like 90+db of 20b

mike