it is sooooooooooooooooo much lighter. search for the thread about the guy who put an sr20 into an FC. the whole front of the car was lifted up because the engine was so much lighter than the t2 engine, which many have disputed weighs the same as an ls1. The Ls1 is a light v8 but its still a v8 it is in no way lighter than an sr20. It's stupid to go around arguing that a gigantic v8 is just as light as every other engine out there. Also, theres a reason that 90% of drift cars have turbo 4 cylinders and only .00001% have v8's. A stock sr20 isnt that great, i'll admit, but if you slap a big turbo on there it will definitely impress you.

 

You should lose interweb privileges for 1 year.

--Gary

 

that was sort of a joke, like when people say 'mad tyte yo', sorry if i didnt make that clear bob... or uhh gary? his car really is sweet though.

 

wasnt saying that its not a good motor, but i think the instant torque and n/a powerband would be more suited, plus drifting is a japanese sport.
the viper and v8s are just now getting popular as its getting more corporate in US.......dunno if thats just coincidence or what

 

Kepp the 13b in it or go 20b even but a freaking SR20DET? if you want that buy a nissan, ick rx is rotary only

 

here's something interesting, according to these sites, the LS1 with a transmission is only 7 lbs heavier than the SR20DET with a transmission...

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...06/ls1ls6.html

http://www.drifting.com/forums/archi...hp/t-2082.html

 

i agree, sr20 belongs in a 240 and a 13b or 20b belongs in an fc. however, i feel that an sr20 belongs in an import drift car more than an american v8.

and to node, you make a good point about the japanese engines being more popular in a japanese sport, i never thought of it that way. I dont really like all the american cars and big sponsorships getting into drifting though, a big stupid new GTO couch has no place in drifting IMO.

Personally, i think an sr20 would be more fun than an LS1 though. if you beat a corvette with an sr20 and explain that you did it with a four banger he'll probably be more pissed than if you told him you did it with the same engine he has (or camaro whatever the LS1 came in). its the same reason its fun to have a 1.3 liter n/a (you can argue it to the death, mazda says its 1.3 ill stick with it) and beat people with v6's.

 

Ok, So how much would i be lookin to pay for a WHOLE front clip for an RX7? I need the entire harness, motor, trans, and all the componets to make it work. Plus all the things needed to freshin up the motor. And then all the aftermarket to get a nice bit of horsepower. So by then, Im atleast at like 5-6 grand. Or I could go the other route, make power thats alot more dependable, and more than likely cheaper.

If i could find a nice rotory swap for the right price, I would be all for it. I'll be straight foward, I feel more confident messing with an SR because i have built one, and i have it in my personal car. And Ive built V8's. I have no clue what im doing when it comes to a Rotary, Im sure it would be no problem for me to learn. But from my standpoint, im not really trying to go the cheapest route. But horse power, torque and price really cant be overlooked when talking about either an LS1, or LT1. And all you guys talking about drive train reliability... Hinson runs a mid 9 1/4 mile on from what i understand to be a stock rear end (maybe an LSD) with stock axels and a 3.909 gear. Ive been told by several companys that a stock rear end can with hold up to 500+ hp. A stock LS1 isnt puttin out that much....

PS: i really didnt mean fo rthis to become a Rotary vs: V8 thing

 

I am telling you man you might be getting power from a V-8 but it's just about it being not the same car and plus I love the sound of a RX-7. Plus the RX-7 bulit to run at high rpms which you will be doing in the turns to keep the car going side ways.

 

This is gonna be a low blow to all of us import guys. Cus I love the imports that dominate the drift series...

But is the V8 and V10 is an insufficent drift motor.... Then why has Millen and Hubbinete dominated the series for the last 2 years? and this past weekend, Gushi won in the mustang.

I know they have built motors, but they STILL arent turning the same RPM as 4ag or a built SR.

Plus all these guys claiming 51-49 weight distribution with the LS1... thats sweet

 

nice project...keep us updated
oh yea and i say keep the 13b

 

if price is an issue then go with a 13b, it is cheaper to buy and you don't have to buy all the expensive vaulvetrain crap either. if not then just get a frigg'n camero or stang and go usdm.

 

just throw a big old V8 with a 3 speed auto out of a truck in that to **** off everyone here
I'd do it hehe.

 

i don't see whats wrong with the 13B for drifting
its used in japan alot too


well i guess that would be the 13BT

if u want to see, go to the audio visual section, a post by me about a FC drifting
that guy had a 13B no turbo only suspension AGX with GAB i think... no LSD and he drifted very nicely

so i think if u do a 13BT that would be decent enough... if u port that thing, it would be much better, and well yeah, crowd-pleasing...

 

hahaha that would **** people off (including me), mostly because its justg about impossible to effectively drift in an automatic, you can never predict what those things are gonna do and its a scary combination of your flying around a corner sideways at 45 mph.

Also, at the professional level in D1, the car has very little to do with who wins. It's 99% driver at that point. You have to keep in mind this isn't a race, it's like a battle. Boxing gloves don't make the boxer.

 

i love sr, but a bridgeport would stand out alot more than an sr in forumula drift. pretty much everycar there has sr, i kinda like to hear something different. bridgeport loudness!!

 

there is nothing wrong with the rotary motor setup BUT for cost and reliability reasons, a modded rotary motor is gonna be a problem compared to a stock LS1 setup. you guys need to stop balking about his motor swap choices... a lot of you are badmouthing his choices without any hard facts to backup your statements. this guy is building a race car on his own terms and seems to have minimal rules to follow, why not use an LS1 which even in stock trim it puts out monster torque and delivers it very smoothly, not to mention it is an incredibly cheap motor to modify up to 450hp!

an LS1FC on 245 fronts and 265 rears would be one sick drift machine, especially set up on the right kind of suspension and dialed in just like you would with any other drift car. the days of a V8 ruining the handling of an rx7 are over, since the all aluminum LS1 has a negligible difference on the weight of an FC. trust me, Ive driven a bunch of highly modded FC's, some rotary and some LS1, and have to say that your wheel, tire and suspension choices will make the most noticable difference in the cars handling, far beyond the choice of motor.

a lexan hatch might be a good idea, theyre cheap thru Percy's Speed Glass and I think you will have a lot of fun in an LS1FC setup for drift, oh yeah!!!!!

 

This is a car that's going to be drifting, though, and the drifting crowd (in their infinite wisdom) would probably hate to hear a LS1's roar coming from an RX-7. They booed Rhys Millen when he came out with the GTO drift car and that's a car that started with a V-8, but they eventually got shut up when they saw how good it was. But I don't know how big this car is going to be and how good the driver will be, because it could easily become a target for negativity.

For once, I say it's probably better to stick with a rotary engine in this case. Put in a seriously aggressively ported engine, the drift crowd isn't the smartest bunch, so as long as it's ridiculously loud and sounds like a chainsaw, they'll poop their pants with joy about how "wicked JDM" it is.

 

A GTO couch huh? Millen's car weighs a whopping 2700lbs. So you should do some research before you bash people.

On to the drift project car. A streetported 13B with a GT35R type of turbo would be more than sufficient for drifting. A bridgeported motor is not suited well for drifting. If you don't believe me then go to a D1 event and ask all of the teams why they streetport their motors or leave them with stock ports like the Apex'i FD. But like some others have said, a stock LS1 would be cheaper and probably more reliable in the long run. I personally would stick with a rotary, but it is going to be up to you on that one. Either way, I'd really like to hear about this project as you guys make more progress. Best of luck to you guys!!

Zach

 

Thanks for the info man. Ive been searching for one of these. I will deff. Look into it.

On a side note. Even the Rotary guys over at Auto RnD recommend the LS1 We're from Ga, you know we have to redneck the car somehow!

 

I stopped there because I left for vacation the day after. Today i went back in and knocked the primer off and filled in the spots, So now it has 1" strips every other inch. Im going to do the whole body before i paint it, 1" welds on the fender wells, strut towers and other stress points. All the other interior pieces im just going to spot weld. Ive seen it done both ways, Chris Forseberg and Ryan Hampton just had spot welds on there cars. The roll cage will still take care of any flex.

 

...lame. That is all I have to say....rotary>all for 2k or less you could pick up a monster 13b thats bridgeported or a 13b-re ..

 

You find me a Rotary with 400-450 hp RIGHT NOW, For less than the LS1 swap, and i will buy it right now. Then when that rotary blows up down the road while that LS1 is still rollin strong, Im still diggin in my pocket to rebuild that POS rotary.

My car, My money, My choice.... Bottom line, Its not gettin a rotary.

 

I thought drifters wanted to be lighter and have better weight distribution? While the LS1 is fairly light, it's still adding more weight up in the nose area of the car...

While we're on the subject, how much do you think an LS1 conversion is going to cost you in total? I'm talking engine, transmission, custom driveshaft to TII rear end (or whatever you choose to use), custom mounts, and everything else involved? Look at that price and then compare to what you can make in a rotary, you might be surprised.

It is your money and your car, just wondering if you really looked into it and thought about it hard.

 

Most of the RX7 LS1's Ive read about, on here mainly, come out with like a 48/52 or a 49/51 weight distribution. We plan on spending grand at the very most on the swap. Motor tranny and harness can be found for 3000-3500 easily around here. And the Mounts and Drive shaft can all be fabricated by either myself, or personal friends that work at shops capable of doing it for next to nothing.