well i am new here. i own 3 mr2 turbos. i have been building them for a few years now. there is a 87 rx7 for sale locally and it really caught my eye. it wasnt a turbo which was kinda disappointing. it has 110k miles on it. the body looks great. they are asking 2k for it. heres my concern. is the car worth 2k? although it isnt a turbo can i do a motor swap and make it a turbo? if so how much does it cost and what motor and extrs do i need? as far as doing labor i can do all my own labor and have performed many swaps in mr2's. please shed some light on this because hopefully i will be a new owner within the next few days.

 

You'd need a bit of money and a WHOLE lot of time to do a conversion.

Is that car worth 2K, yes. Odds are it needs a new clutch/tranny. They are selling it because they don't want to spend 1500 dollars to make their resale value go up 1000.

 

where do you live, maybe i could go snag it. If you want a turbo i think you'd be better off buying the turbo then modding it or just trying to keep up with maintenance.

 

well time really isnt a problem. i just need to know baout things like wiring harnesses what trannes are comatiable whiich engine and a estimated cost to convert.

 

Well, ****, i'm drunk so take what I say lightly, and try to respond quickly (before I am too drunk and start playing with dog...). Are you thinking about a TII transplant (engine, tranny, etc) or slapping a turbo on a NA? I'm going to presume TII transplant. For a TII transplant, you'd need everything that a TII has (for the most part).

Basic list:

-Engine
-Tranny (yes you could run a NA tranny, but it's not designed for higher HP)
-Driveshaft
-Whole damned rear assy, diff, half shafts, etc
-Exhaust
-Wiring harness
-ECU

I know there's more, but I can't keep a train of thought to save my life. If someone else wants to chime in, or you can catch me when I am sober.

Basic cost:

Engine: 1000 JSPEC (rebuilt TII all the better would run 2-3K)
Tranny: 3-500 used then rebuilt add 600
Driveshaft: 15-250 depending on where you get it from
Exhaust: 175 for a DP/MP combo, still keeping a NA CB which would choke the turbo....
Wiring harness: Stock used a few hundred new, over a thousand. For that price, i'd SERIOUSLY think about an aftermarket ECU such as a haltech.
ECU: Haltechs run around 1200 for a ECU, sensors, harness, etc...stock TII ecus run around 50-300 dollars. Keep an eye out on eBay....

 

heres my dlimea. i would be interested in buying this car as a daily driver til my mr2 engine comes back from being rebuilt. then after my latest mr2 is done i will start the swap. i just need to know what i am getting myself into.

 

Well, the biggest thing to note would be if it smoked (bad O-rings, or blown coolant jacket) or if it overheats (again, REALLY BAD). If it just needs a clutch/tranny, i'd go for it. My 83 lasted to 183K miles, as long as everything is ok as far as oil consumption and not overheating goes, i'd buy it.

 

well like was said earlier are you planning on doing a full engine swap, or are you just throwing a turbo on?? Also if you plan on putting a V-8 in. That is gonna be frowned apon by 99% of the forum members. So let us know what your plans are specificly. Yes 2k is a good price for the car. Best of luck

 

i plan on a full swap. i hate turboing cars that werent meant to be turboed. so i would want the full monty. also whats the 20b engine and will that fit. i read it was a 3 rotor. please fill in the gaps

 

20b is really expensive