ok i recently aquired an 88 gxl non turbo... apparently the water seals were going b4 i got it and now i think its bad enough to where im having trouble getting it to start.....

the question is... if i am to rebuild the rotary, what track should i go to yeild 150+ whp?

as long as its reliable im set to do whatever.... i just want a strong daily driver, and the closer to 200 wheel the better but i dont expect that.

whats up with people using carburetors? at what point and why would i want to do that? and should i keep the 6 port? or get the turbo housings?

i think na-t is far fetched for reliability... and a t2 swap is a lil out of the price range... any quick answers would be nice... thanks

a lumpy idle or a peaky power band really dont bother me that much as long as it works....

 

While you have it opened up you should do some, or have someone do some porting on the motor (BDC in dalas does some great port work). You will need probably a half to a full bridge to get those numbers along with some sort of fuel controller like safc or standalone. What is your budget on the rebuild? Because a rebuild can get costly, especially if you are buying new seals and springs all the way around. This price just gets even more crazy when you start talking about housings and irons. With that money you might be able to afford a tII swap with a jspec motor. The N/A fresh rebuild would be nice but you can get good jspec motors from ...... Crap I forgot his name on this forum but he compression checks all the motors before he sells them, maybe someone can chime in on the members name. Also to get any real power out of an N/A costs more money than it's worth in my opinion. You will get die hard N/A fans on here that will call me retarded but when they spend the same amount of money on a car that gets 200 hp as someone else that has a turbo fc pushing 400 hp one should really stop and reevaluate what they are doing.

 

I dont think u need a bridge of any sorts.. I figue a street port and freeflowing exhaust should yield 150hp

 

150 yes, 200 wheel horse power, no.

 

200 wheel I still dont think u need any bridge... I think a street port, good tune with a SAFC a free flowing exhaust and a good clean free flowing intake will do it.

 

ask kahren. he has reached 200 whp on a street port.

 

ok a few have done 200whp on a streetport but if it's easier to get 200 from a bridge, why not? He said he doesn't mind a lumpy idle. Of course N/A guys are alot different than I am. I don't mind putting a t70 on my car to get 450 or so hp, n/a guys seem to be all about squeezing as much hp out of what they have. I just think if your shooting for higher than normal numbers with the n/a you may want to do it right the first time you open up that motor

 

yeah but he may want it to be streetable a a bridgeport is not a very streetable option

 

I made 149 rwhp with a rebuilt/streetported motor with a couple thousand miles on it. All I had was an 8 lb. flywheel and a shitty catback that the PO put on. Since you have an S4, I would think a streetport with a full exhaust would get you at least 150. Here's the link to my thread if you want to check it out: https://www.rx7club.com/time-slips-dyno-128/my-1989-na-dyno-quarter-mile-info-702674/

 

Your engine maybe trash inside due to corrosion. Be ready to replace housings/rotors/irons when you open it up.

Street port, headers, good exhaust system, decent cold air box with intake and a good tune.

[qutoe]
as long as its reliable im set to do whatever.... i just want a strong daily driver, and the closer to 200 wheel the better but i dont expect that.
[/quote]

Very difficult to do with an NA engine. Some have done it, most don't.

They are stupid. Don't do it.

Yes.

No.

Bridgeports are for higher power levels (above 200HP NA) and should not be considered unless you are willing to convert to a full standalone, put up with 8 MPG in the city and can tolerate a LOUD (and I mean ungodly loud) exhaust.

 

wow thanks for all the great replies!

ok well it seems to me like im going to just do a basic rebuild... do a street port get an safc and call it a day... and if i want more power ill throw a 50 shot wet on there...the car already has a k&n cone filter and a racing beat header and taylor race wires... ill just have to build the box for a cold air and buy/ fab an exhaust

what size exhaust piping should i use for optimal non turbo powerrrrrrr?

now im assuming that all my internals are good... the car was running and driving fine on the way home before i accidentally disconected the fuel pump switch... it was when i took the plugs out i noticed the front ones were much wetter than the rear.

what can i get away with on a cheap rebuild? what MUST i get and have?

im comfortable with getting port templates and doing the porting myself... i do lots of fabrication in the shop so it shouldnt be too hard...

ive seen most rebuild kits between 800-1200 dollars... can i do it cheaper than that? i really want to keep the build under 1000 if possible, i myself will be doing ALL the work

it doesnt need to be perfect... just 150 wheel, lol

thanks for the speedy replies!