Virginia/ DMV area!!!
Hey guys, so normally this is an undertaking I would rather do myself, however my situation does not permit me the time to to do this so I come here asking for opinions. I have an 86 n/a base model, I have a lot of good mods already done (racing beat header back exhaust, turbo brakes, and 5 lug hubs to name a few), but (I suspect) the coolant seal has been blown and the car no longer runs or drives. What would be a good shop to have build a new 13b turbo and swap it into the car with a new transmission and re-do all the hard lines (brakes and fuel) to essentially build the car to have the car work as a reliable daily driver? I was thinking about Angel Motorsports but some posts on here have made me weary of choosing them. To reiterate I'm looking for a shop to basically rebuild/fully build the entire car so I can daily it again. Have any of you had a shop do anything similar for you? Or do any of you have any good shops you think I should look into?

 

In my opinion, if you're in the right situation it's best to learn and do everything yourself. I used to be like you but after countless times of getting screwed by dishonest people I say screw it! I'm going to do everything myself because if you do it yourself you can take your time and do it the way you want. It took my 7 years to get my Rx7 where it's at today but I learned a lot during that time. I taught myself to weld and rebuilt my entire engine. I'm sure there's still some good honest people out there but there's also a lot of bad people who are only looking for a quick buck.

 

It will cost you a lot of money to have a shop do all of that. And I mean a lot. Unless you have plenty of disposable income and also no free time or space, it doesn't really make sense to have a shop do this.

I agree with Hygoog, if possible it's best to do it yourself. It won't be cheap, but you can at least you can save on the labour cost and learn as you go. Plus, you'll always know what you did and how you did it.

 

I agree with the others about this being more suited to DIY. Seems to me labor would eat you alive on doing a rebuild and turbo conversion at the same time. That said some of what you need doesn't need a rotary specific shop. The brake and fuel lines could be done by any good reputable shop. Even that isn't terrible. Getting the flares right is the hardest part and you can buy lengths with the flares and connectors already on them and just bend them to shape.

 

I'm rebuilding my entire 13bt as we speak. Just so you know what you're asking... a core rebuilding on a 13bt with NEW housings (old ones are getting old and it sounds like you want it nice)is about 7 grand for a short block from a reputable builder. A new turbo can be found on eBay at the lowest today for 1500 bucks, anything less is blown (rebuilds are options but not cheap). Not to mention gasket kits around 500, engine bay paint peeling, likely lots of stuff on its last leg depending how well kept... you're gonna be in the 5 figures fast. If you're asking how and not doing it yourself for cheaper, you probably don't love this car enough to survive the journey as these other guys have implied. Sell it 😆

 

Or do what I did and keep it on ice until your situation improves years later... oh and I literally used 300 bucks in decreaser, carb cleaner and the like for the entire build. Stuff is old and greasy... how are your injector plugs? Probably gonna break when you touch them. Is your mechanic gonna wire them back in? Where's he getting the plugs? He will never find them to do it right but you can with patience on the forum ​​

 

So, to answer your question, do you wanna put 15 to 20 grand (2023 dollars) into this car?

 

FYI, if you want to save yourself from doing that ever again, Sodium hydroxide, the active ingredient in drain cleaner, is the easy way to clean all your iron parts. It actively attacks oil and grease, while being benign to iron. Just don't use it on Aluminum parts. Then simple green, or any industrial degreaser will clean up the aluminum housings well. $40 in chemicals and a plastic storage bin and you've got yourself a makeshift parts cleaner that will make it fairly painless.

 

Great suggestion and it probably would have saved me a few brain cells...

 

I bought an 86 two years ago at an impound auction from Alexandria Va. I had it sent via rollback to RPM Rotorpistonz motorsports for extensive work like you have in mind. Including a rebuild.
it's been there ever since with no time frame on getting it back.
​​The advice above seems pretty sound.

 

That's so funny you got yours in Alexandria, I still have mine on ice! I left for the marines and I get out in a year. It's down in King William Va now but I bought mine in Alexandria when I lived there.

 

If you have $30,000, and are OK with a 12-month lead time, I'm your guy...