I took a totalled 20b FD in on a trade. I have a nice CYM roller and a 13b laying in the garage. My question is....is it worth taking everything out of the totalled car and putting in my FD or would it be smarter to just have the 13b built and put back in the car. The car is a weekend driver. I dont know many details on the 20b such as model or how/who built it or what ecu it has. I do know that it has been converted to a single turbo. They guy doesnt know much about the car and says it has a power fc as an ecu, but I didnt think it was possible to manage a 20b with a power fc. Please give me your expert opinions.

 

if it was professionally done and the main parts are not damaged (subframe and turbo manifold are the big ones) then I would say it is worth it. Once you have driven with the power curve of the 20b, no other engine can compare. It is the engine that all FCs and FDs should have come with.

If it is a hack job or the major components are unrepairable, it might not be worth it, as the 20b and ecu alone are probably worth what you have in the car. Still not a bad thing to consider though. Find me someone who has a properly installed 20b and doesnt like it, and I'll lay you a golden egg.

 

I could use a few golden eggs. Do you have any way to quantify the difference in power curve? Like some comparative dyno graphs.....I cant tell if the cradle is bent. It looks good but wont really know until I take it out and do some measuring and test fitting on the good FD. It doesnt look like a hack job in fact looks pretty clean. This car was nailed on the pass side so the unibody is bent in between the subframes. I will be making a parts list of everything usable off of the car.

 

Also how can I tell what model 20b it is? Where are the casting numbers to tell and what do i look for?

 

The advantage of the 20B is the torque curve, which is typical of internal combustion engines with increased displacement. I am not sure if the dyno graphs will help you much because it is difficult to tell whether the increases is due to displacement or boost. However, for an example, the stock 20B-REW made its peak torque at only 3,000rpm, and it fell off less than 10% by the 7,000rpm redline.

Look at the serial number stamped on the rotor housings. It will have an A, B, C or D letter prefix unless it is a very early engine. This is not to be confused with F, C, R which stands for Front, Center, and Rear housing.

 

True Story..

 

Look at the serial number stamped on the rotor housings. It will have an A, B, C or D letter prefix unless it is a very early engine. This is not to be confused with F, C, R which stands for Front, Center, and Rear housing.[/QUOTE]

Is one model better than the rest?

 

The engines without a prefix are prone to failure unless rebuilt by Mazda, which will be indicated by ground-off numbers and black paint. The engines with a prefix are all just fine. The drag racers put a premium on the C and D series because the side plates are made a little better.

 

"C" engines and higher have the stronger e-shafts and more metal around the upper dowel areas. This helps keep them from cracking as easily. I have a "D" series block. I just noticed that your from Abilene. I play softball over their frequently. I live 155 miles west of you over in Midland. Next time we have a tournament, maybe I could stop by somtime and give you some pointers?

 

That would be much appreciated man! Could you give me a run down of parts you have and that have been a success for your 20b?...such as turbo, ecu, and ignition. Thanks my number is 325-428-7078 and my name is Daniel. Deff give me a call next time you are coming to town.

 

I gotta ask since my curiosity is killing me. How on earth did you find a totalled 20b FD from someone who didn't know anything about it? That's just so crazy to me given the relative rarity of the engine and chassis, to find someone with one of those that didn't know anything about it.

I guess it depends on the level of the install, motor build etc, but it seems like you really got lucky there!

 

HAHA yeah I have been wondering that very same thing. I think this person (who is a young guy) bought the wreck with intentions of having everything swapped over to his good FD and lost interest. I dont think he knew enough about the 20b other than it was a sweet upgrade and is probably the reason why it never happened. I did really get lucky since I really have nothing in the car. I should come out way ahead on this one.........I hope lol. Havent really had the time to check the engine out yet or even see what code it is. I will have time this weekend to really tear into it. I will keep you all posted on my findings. Hoping for a C or D code.

 

pics?

 

I will load some this weekend.

 

just a number means it has a weak (ish) eshaft. A+B have an improved eshaft but no other changes. C+D have better castings on the irons with more material in the dowel pin area.

if you search my name you should come up with some dyno graphs somewhere, ive posted them several times. Try the '500+ hp club' thread.

 

Thanks for all the help. This is truely the most helpful and entertaining forum that I have used.

 

Hey, Please post pictures of the engine bay and the car

 

Agreed.. Pics!

 

From everything ive read it seems your very lucky to get ahold of everything :P it took me a while to pay for mine and i still have people asking me why i didnt just by a very clean fd with the money :P but when im done with my swap and they take a ride it should be completly noticable why..good luck on the build :P pics please