2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992) 1986-1992 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections.

to V or not to V...that is the ?

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Old Dec 15, 2006 | 03:28 PM
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Exclamation to V or not to V...that is the ?

well i have an 87 n/a and i need morepower? tII swap? ive looked and there is not a donor in sight....what can i do? here are my options...... 1. wait till a TII comes around.......2. Build my n/a and get what i can out of it....or 3.drop in a V8...i know i know its a sin to pull a rotary out of a 7 but i just got my *** handed to me by a CRX......this leads me to the conclusion that i need more power.. i have a ford 351w stroker from a mustang vert i started but never finished (mainly because of my rx) the motor is freshly built and 0 miles on it.... so i was wanting some feedback from people that are more enlightened on the subject...has any one put a 351w in a 7 before? got any figures(t1/4 times) the difficulty of the job....thanks
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Old Dec 15, 2006 | 04:19 PM
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Dont V, throws the balance off and the rest of the drivetrain is not designed for that much torque. Best solution is to get a standalone and buy a donor or just get the swap parts from the for sale section and order an engine from one of the many good builders on the forum.
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Old Dec 15, 2006 | 04:26 PM
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Just a heads up, if you do go T2 swap, try and get a Aspec one. It will save you a lot of trouble in the future. I'm still working on my Jspec swap and I am so sick of finding unknown wires.
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Old Dec 15, 2006 | 04:48 PM
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dont buy the 351 for the love of god! 351's are a tall deck ford v8, this means that unless you have a great idea for an engine cradle that will put the motor super low and far back in the car you will never come close to getting the motor under the hood.
It is not a sin to pull a rotary out of an rx7 (well if it is i guess i am going to hell!! oh well), but it is a sin to put a rotary into a honda! I dont think that a v8 under the hood will mess up the balance of the car to bad. I am doing a 5.0l swap right know so if you want to ask me some questions about it just PM me. if you want to see my swap as it is now search my name on torquecentral.com
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Old Dec 15, 2006 | 05:22 PM
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do the t2 swap! putting a v8 in a 7 is just perverted!
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Old Dec 15, 2006 | 05:55 PM
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Wow, https://www.rx7club.com/v-8-powered-rx-7s-299/v-not-v-question-596669/
Still debating it. Google grannys speed shop they make kits and have some owner testimonials, Hinson (sp?) supercars, torquecentral. All places too look. V8 swappers don't get too much love on this forum. Also, don't believe anything anyone tells you on the internet unless you yourself know its true. There is tons of hersey out there and personally it kills me when I read some of the stuff people say. Sorry for the rant, but tahts where my 3 page saga of the same title got me.
Oh yea remember CRX's are light and he may of had a swap, it doen't matter if you only have 100hp if your vehicle weighs 300lbs its gonna move.
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 01:19 AM
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Id say go for the T2 swap---

I dunno about the 351 but I know some people have swapped in LSx motors and maintained the balance of the car. Despite how appealing the end result of swapping in a V8 looks, its going to take alot more modding than it would just to swap in a T2 drivetrain.
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 01:32 AM
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Are you making a drag car? or a daily driver... Do you like the handling of an RX7? Or are you more concerned with speed? Those should be the questions you ask yourself.

If you want an awesome handling daily-driving powerhouse, go TII.... If you want a super powerful drag car with a messed up weight balance, do the V8.

I personally feel that putting pistons in an RX-7 (Unless you are dragging them behind your car) disqualifies you from this forum. I suppose you can still post in General Automotive.

j/k man. Whatever makes you happy.
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 01:58 AM
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Do the V!! I did a turbo swap with an aftermarket ECU and between getting good tuning and emissions testing being about impossible, the turbo is in the back yard with no motor waiting on it's LS-2. The LS-1 always runs right, gets much better mileage, has the same top end power and much more bottom end, and emissions testing is a breeze.
I had two differnet "experts" charge me big bucks to make the turbo run worse than I got it running with a wideband and I got LOTS of tuning practice. You will be essentially alone in making it run. The V-8 ran good out of the box and when the tunning wasn't spot on, $100 and a couple of hours and it kicks *** in all ways. A million guys can make a chevy run and price wars keep it cheap.
I still like rotaries but if you have to just get'r'done, go V-8. Let the flames begin, and no, it still handles swell.
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 02:07 AM
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build your own na 3rotor with individual throttle bodies.....my dream car. sounds amazing.

or be a god and find a way to put the w16 bugatii veyron engine into it hahahaha jp
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 11:52 AM
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well to start i pretty much know that i am going to have to swap out the drive trane the only thing that really worries me is the rear end. I would appreciate any info on how to beef them up... I am going to buy a lsd off a turbo II...

Thanks for that insight seventh rx thats good to know...

Highway i already have the 351w its a small block akmost exactly the size of the 302 and if i decide to go that route a hood scoop is a must...

jvalo7 i am a purv

Micaheli..... i love the handles that my slevin has and would love to retain that as much as possible but i am willing to sacrafice that for hp. i will be driving this car almost daily but worst comes to worst she will be a weekend driver just to eat corvettes,gtos,chargers ...ect i am positive with the right tuning she can be a daily driver.....How will throwing the balance off affect the car????? If i come across a TII for cheap soon and i mean before january i will consider that but spring will be here soon and i need to have something to bust out with...Right now i am leaning to the V so if there is any one in here who feels like they dont want me here i will leave all i wanted was a little feed back..
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 12:09 PM
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btw i was thinking of going to go carb till i can get the parts for efi....like i said i have that 5.8 that i spent my life savings on literally stroker crank rods , racing cam victor jr heads victr jr intake, crane lifters 12cfm holly double pupmer.... all for a mustang project that i am going to scrap...
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 12:19 PM
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With the aluminum block v-8's you can actually pretty much retain the handling. They are of a similar weight to all of the stuff asociated with a turbo rotary. It has been proven that you can still keep the 50/50 weight dist with a V-8.
Now a 351w, on the other hand, is probably a much heavier motor than any rotary. With the propper suspention it will still handle well, just not as good as one with the rotary still in it. If you have the engine, the money, and the skills to do it, I say just put in the v-8.
Also, you will get a much better reaction in the other engine section, thats where all the v-8 swap people are.
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 12:26 PM
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no V, stay true to the rotary movement!
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 12:30 PM
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^ even so, how about the center of gravity? low polar moment of the fc?
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 12:31 PM
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(Rotary) buddy. my boy has a hybrid t2 and got a rebuild and streetport and bunch of other things that i forgot. try rebuild and port it
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 12:55 PM
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I say, sell the 351 and get a LS1/2 with T56 tranny. It will weigh almost the same as the 13b, make tons more power and torque, and will be pretty reliable. And you'll get alot better gas milage then the 351.

And with the LS1/2 you won't really throw off the ballance of the car, I have driven a LS1 FC with Coil overs, and it stuck just as good as my SC S5 with coil overs. And resale value with LS1/2 FC are pretty HIgh, I seen one sell not to long ago for 18k.


Well good luck.
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 05:25 PM
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+1 ^ if you're gonna run with the V you gotta mate either an alum. block to a trec. T-5 or T-56...i wouldnt recommend anything other than a lt1, ls1, or something along those lines...i personally would like seeing a:

5.0, cobra intake manifold, GT-40 heads (cobra heads i believe), 550 cam, underdrive pulleys, CAI, A/C delete, 70+ mm TB, shorty headers, no cats, 40 series flowmasters, T-56, GTUS diff..you know for a daily driver

Damn rx7's are sexy..if only they came with a little more power originally.
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 09:27 PM
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If you go V, do it right, LS1/2/6, LT1 with a T56.

If you want to put in the 351, do yourself a favor and sell it for more T2 parts or just something with a turbo rotary. Or go big block rotary and get a 20B.

If you swap, pick the best options to swap to.
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Old Dec 17, 2006 | 12:23 AM
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those r all good ideas but after some thinking i have decide to take plan F...sell the rx and hold out till i can find a TII for a good price...hopefully i can get one cheap with very very low compression (dead) soi have to rebuild..... i can start from the ground up and do what i want...thanks you guys convinced me of hope for a rotary....with that said does any one want to buy a 1987 rx7 n/a? It still runs strong and doesnt smoke one bit, it needs some loving but for the most part she is a beautiful peice...700$ obo local pick up only( delivery may be possible) PM me
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Old Dec 17, 2006 | 12:41 AM
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Where are you located? I might be interested at that price.
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Old Dec 17, 2006 | 12:42 AM
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northern new mexico
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