I know thare's a ton of these "should I do turbo swap?" threads, but I feel like my situation is a little different than most, so here goes.

I have a really clean '91 N/A. I got it from the original owner, with all the records since Sep '90, when she bought it new from the local Mazda dealer.

It's just about time for an engine, and I have US$5000 to spend. Other than the need for a motor, my FC's in almost new condition. It's all clean and it all works.
I figure, with the parts on it, my FC is worth about 4 grand... so here's the big question:

Would you just rebuild the engine with a streetport, and save the extra money for other stuff?
or

Would you do a full TII swap? I'm talking about a true swap, with everything from an S5 TII into my car. This is the most desirable for me, because I know the history of my car, and I just plain LIKE this FC.
or...

Would you sell the N/A and begin looking for a clean S5 TII? This is probably the easiest way to go about getting more power, but it's getting more and more tough to find a clean, unmolested S5 TII.

Here's a pic of my car:


Mods include: HKS D-Spec coilovers, Enkei RPF1s, F&R ST swaybars, RB true duals, and a few other goodies.

Whaddaya think? I really wanna keep this car, but if I do, I've got a ****-load of work ahaed of me( I plan on doing the swap myself)


Thanks for any advice or links to parts I may need, and flame away if you feel like it.

 

wow thats really clean. i have the same problem. i cant find many other clean t2s or just plain stock ones. id say do the t2 swap. you'll keep a beautiful rx7 thats now turbo. im thinking of doing the swap myself too.

 

Yeah...I'm leaning toward the swap, although i may just settle for s4 stuff. My car won't be a "proper" S5 anymore, but parts are so much easier to come by...especially US spec OEM engine/turbo parts.

 

if you have 5k to spend find a bad t2 motor for cheap, rebuild with a nice port job, then buy a decent turbo for now and use the rest of the money for tranny rear end ecu etc etc. then later down the road you could go bigger turbo. thats what i would do. but i dont have 5k to spend

 

Don't settle for S4 stuff. You will be happier down the road with S5 stuff

 

From what I've been reading, S5 JDM motors really aren't that different than US spec engines. Maybe I'll go that route.

lol, Decisions, decisions. My buddy just offered to sell me his '87 N/A for 500 bucks. It need a clutch, but other than that it's in good shape. Now I'm completely confused..His car may be a better candidate for a transplant than mine.

 

I saw buy new rotor housings and a master rebuild kit from atkins rotary, take the time to clean and paint everything. In the end you might not be as fast but you will have the peace of mind knowing that your car will be reliable and last.

If any money leftover then get stuff like 5th +6port sleeve inserts from pineapple racing, or buy a ground kit (I picked up the rmagic one)
or how about a new clutch and/or a aluminum flywheel to go with a nice fresh rebuild

 

I hear ya. I just want more power. lol, My Miata's faster than my FC!

I've just about made up my mind to
-find a JDM S5 engine
-rebuild it
-go from there.
I realize there's a lot more to this swap than just the engine, but I think I'll be the most happy with that set up.

 

That would be best UNLESS you can find a totaled S5 at a junk yard or on any of the auction sites that sell totaled cars this would be the most economical path.

The most important part is that you be true to what you want and need. If you need the speed then you MUST go TII and your car is too clean to sell.

 

yeah since your car runs now, finding a used/jspec s5 t2 motor and rebuilding it is a good idea, that way you have time to do it right.

plus if you get the trans with the engine, but you can swap the drivetrain later, or to put it another way, it can be done in stages as you find stuff