So I picked up this 1986 FC at the start of the year after dreaming about it for the past couple of years. Every time I rode to my local MTB trails I saw it sitting in a driveway in pretty bad shape, so after selling my 2002 VW Bora I decided I'd offer the owner a reasonable price. A week later I towed it home and started tearing into it.

I bought it as a rolling shell with no engine or transmission, all the engine accessories were missing and the owner said it had been sitting for 5 years. It's definitely had a hard life, as shown by the non- original bumpers, dented doors, body filler, and overall filth.

So, fast forward to now, I've owned it for 3 months and have been saving money and trying to learn more about these things, trying to figure out what I want to do with it. It just so happens I've got a broken down 2003 VW Bora with a 20v VR5, with nowhere to go. So I decided I'm engine swapping my RX-7. I've always been a rotary purist so the original plan was to buy a built s5 turbo engine and go from there, but with the price of purchasing and maintaining a rotary, it's off the cards for now. I'm moving away next year so I have to have this car on the road by February 2022, and I figured the cheapest and quickest route will be to VR5 swap it.

Here are some photos of the car as I saw it:

This angle shows the beautiful home job re-spray quite well

Yes, those are stock S15 wheels. Anybody in need of a set?



Looks like the 80's materials have aged quite poorly, so a top to bottom interior restoration is much needed

This photo describes to overall condition pretty well, coated in red dirt and infested with juicy red-backs

 

Well you certainly have your work cut out for you!

When do we start?

 

ETA 9 months-Better get started, good luck

 

At least, it's rust free.

 

Certainly looks like a lot of work. Interesting swap though, nice to see some less traditional (ie. Not LS or SBC) swaps.

Good luck, definitely interested in seeing how it turns out

 

So here's where I am today:

The donor engine (I bought a second one)

Donor engine after being disassembled. I haven't taken the head off yet but from what I saw under the valve cover, it looks to be in good nic.

The spare block being reassembled for mock-up

Seized set screws are the worst.

The current state of the engine bay

Cool subframe brace that I found in the boot of the car. It was filthy so I took a wire wheel to it and now it's looking pretty good.

I haven't seen any of these online so I assume it's pretty rare.

S5 taillights after removing the diffusers and a wet sand + clear coat.

This pretty cool Varex 4" muffler came on the car, not exactly my taste. I think I'll go with a racing beat cat-back.

My JDM S5 Turbo 2 gearbox complete with eBay short shifter.

Fuel tank after being cleaned

 

If anyone is interested in any parts you might've seen that I have laying around (I have plenty), shoot me a message and offer a price and I'll see what I can do. Located western NSW, Australia.

 

So a few months have gone by and I've slowly been making progress with the build. I'm still waiting on parts orders from the USA and Germany, but for the time being here's what I've been up to. Keep in mind everything you see here has been made in my shed with basic tools (except the adaptor plate)

Make a custom sump from 3mm (1/8") steel sheet, with baffles and a magnetic drain bolt.

Driver's side engine mount made from 10mm steel bar/plate. Attaching to factory Mazdaspeed engine mounts

Passenger side mount attaches to the transmission adapter plate as seen here.

Passenger side engine mount made from 10mm steel bar/plate, attaching to factory Mazdaspeed engine mounts.

Here you can see the current state of the engine, when piston rings arrive I'll be tearing it down and rebuilding with rings gapped for boost, new bearings all around, ARP main studs and rod bolts, and all new gaskets and timing chains.

Air box on the passenger side, sealed off to comply with ADR regulations and an acrylic lid for aesthetics

Here you can see my attempt at a RAM air intake, there's a 3" scoop that upsizes to 4" underneath, feeding the air box through the inlet in my factory s5 front bumper

Prototyping for my intake manifold flange, expecting delivery of the intake kit from NUBWORKS soon. As you can see the clearance between intake and alternator is going to be tight

Engine finally in (early stages of mount prototyping)

 

welcome to the board.

i really love builds like this - just about everything done at home. i can't say i know much about the VR5, but i am a huge fan of the VR6s and the W12, so I definitely dig this project. i can't wait to see how it all comes together.

much respect and good luck!