heres my story:
I was looking for a TII originally, i've always loved them. I only had about 3k to work with and needed a running car. All of the TII i found in my price range were either not running, or would need a lot of work to be in decent condition, i almost bought a few with the intention of working with it over time. Instead i found a 91 N/A for 2300, it was a one owner, an old lady who bought it brand new off the lot in 91 and she had only put 95k miles on it. When i bought it the car ran great, the paint is practically flawless, and the interior looks like the car just came off the lot, and literally every function on the car operates. Most people say this N/A's value was near 4k-5k range to the right buyer.

Yes you are correct, my swap is costing me 1300 for the motor, and another 1300 in parts and labor, and this is a budget swap at this point, i will be doing the tranny and rear end later on this year which will probably cost me another 1500. The way i see it, i bought the car for 2300, and if i put another 4k into the complete swap, i have a PERFECT condition TII swapped S5 rx7 for 6300, find me a flawless TII for that price and i'll sell everything i have and buy it.

I do see your point though, not everyone finds deals like i did and is in my situation, but for others sometimes its just easier to do it in a roundabout way and spend money at different points then it is to make a large investment up front.

 

Well I just bought an n/a. I live in Houston. I flew to Cincinnati to get it. I'm used to warm weather. It was 22 degrees when I got there with 2 feet of snow on the ground and ice in the parking lots. I saw pictures and talked to the owner several times but was still a bit unsure as to what I was really getting. The car is mechanically sound. The VDI isn't opening but that's easy to fix. The tps is also out of adjustment. Aside from those little issues and the fact that whoever installed a stereo in it previously shouldn't have ever been allowed to touch a stereo system, the car is great. The biggest thing it needs is paint work. The car sat in a garage and the owner had a cat that climbed all over it. There are claw marks everywhere that will require wet sanding and buffing. It's not much money to fix what needs it. It's just a little bit of time.

I just got back in town 2 days ago which was 2 days and 1313 miles after I bought it. Not only did I buy an n/a over a TII, I also went all the way across the country in the winter to do it! I did drive through all of that ice in Kentucky too. A good RX-7 is a good RX-7. A turbo isn't what determines it. Will I turbo it? Probably not. I've been there and I'm really just content having a working reliable one.

 

Educate yourself before making a statement like that.

Have you ever worked in the claims department of a huge multinational insuranc company? One of the highest rated at that? Ever work in the finance department of an insurance company working on P&L/budget & forecasting? I doubt that you have based on your lack of knowledge. Insurance companies target to earn a nickle on each dollar of premium they sell. A 5% profit margin. Yet you think they're crooks? Education, please seek it.

 

i did it for the experience. and because all the dam t2 look like crap and a good one is too dam expensive

 

My reason for going N/A over to turbo is this.


86 Base - doesnt weigh much specialy when gutted.

Turbo II - weighs a lot more than a base.

Combine the 2.

Win!

Im a ricer... I know!

but the car is being bult for the Redline Time Attacks.

 

Unless my engine blows, i wouldn't even consider doing a t2 swap. I wouldnt agree with going out and buying a n/a with the intent on do a t2 swap immediately after........but there are different circumstances...maybe u have a clean n/a shell and youve just come across a rebuilt or low mileage t2 engine for a decent price...makes sense to swap then........but i wouldnt take out a strong running n/a engine to swap in a turbo one just for more power...not worth it in my opinion

 

i did my swap for 1900 and where i live the are 4 rx7s and i own 2 of them
and one is n 88 fc that is a shell and the other is a 94 fd that hasnt moved since i have lived here and i have been here for 2 years

 

Ya, I see the OPs point. Cheaper to just start with a TII. But people either like having a project or have a lack of foresight and look only at the $1250 for the JDM engine. Not putting it in, rebuilding it, etc. Btw I'm not dissing those who know what they're getting into and restore beat up project cars. Those people are awesome.

 

i brought a t2 swap for 800 engine was toast with most t2 cars the motors have been hammerd hard..

3grand later i built my self my brand spanking new motor consisting of low mile jdm plates and new housings etc etc most rewarding part was hearing its first idel..

i cant find anything more rewarding then knowing i have done everything how i want and it works right..

 

^^^^ +1

So true....And the knowledge gained from doing a swap saves so much money in the long run.

Anything goes wrong...you have the confidence and understanding to fix it.

Holy thread bump.


john ny

 

Well in my case, my gf knew I wanted a RX7 again, very badly after selling my 86. So she found a 88 GXL and bought it for me for my birthday. I found out it had a blown motor and rather sell it(and **** her off) and keep saving up on the side for a FD I did a TII swap. In the long road it probably wouldve been cheaper to buy a TII right off the bat. I was going tpo just do a basic swap but as it progressed I know have a pretty build FC.

 

I know I'm just saying more of the same, but I am currently doing that myself. For me, finding an fc in the first place was a little difficult, during my search, I found that moonroofs are not liked on the tracks, making my search even harder. Then I thought about the smog issue, while never owning one myself, but I heard it was difficult. so thinking hey in two years to 86 model will be 25 years old, which means it only needs to pass smog one more time. And well mazda didnt make a turbo model in 86. So after a long search i found my 1986 n/a model, so far I have changed over to a 5-lug, TII brake set up, I have also installed racing beat sway bars and end links with brake lines as well. I have also put a TII LSD, driveshaft, and tranny. I am getting my cf TII hood on monday. I only need to build my motor now and I dont ever have to worry about smogging it again. So this is why I am converting a n/a to a TII

 

Because they never imported the TII Verts. I wanted one, so had to do the swap.

Liked it so much, I did it a second time.

See my sig.

 

Before I did my LS1 swap (Hoffman would like that ) I was going to do a TII conversion on my SE.

Why? Because I didn't know **** when I bought my SE and it's honestly been the cleanest RX7 I've ever worked on. Sometimes with a 20 year old car it's easier to buy a clean chassis then it is to swap motors.

 

I went T2 because I was smart enough to be patient and wait for the right 7 and not the first one I saw...

 

Good for you. Some of us had to wait over a year for an affordable FC within a reasonable distance.

 

S4 GTU = lighter than a TII. Turbo it and bam! Best of both worlds.

Personally I wanna go NA-T like AaronCake.

 

I really wasnt a rotary guy, but when gas was over 4.50 I decided to get rid of my v8 2000 silverado with 289,000 miles. I tried to sell it but couldnt get any offers over 2000.00. A guy got a hold of me and asked if I would trade for his 88 SE n/a. Car was really maintained and ran really good. The local rotary guru that checked it out said to take care of it cause compression was good and it was working well all round. I've had it for 2 years and have had no problems with it. I drive it a little harder than normal, 90 mph to and from work and just smooth. I will probably do a TII swap but for now she has done me good.

And now im magic triangles or bust

 

im still NA and i plan on swapping recently found out i had a blown coolant seal a perfect time for a t2 swap right?

Well not for me i work a low paying part time job but april at tax time guess who is getting a t2 swap...

ME =]

I just personally love working on my car its fun i bought a parts car for 450 just to take it apart and so i have a motor i can rebuild without the loss of my DD

so anyone that needs s5 gtu parts let pm me (sorry for the small thread jack)

so i say NA to T2 is better than just outright buying a T2 im new to sevens and i love my na

 

My reason:
My shaved/ricey 86 base with a complete but blown T2 swap besides the 5 lug.(has ricey rims i guess they wanted to keep,cant wait to do my 5lug swap) Even T2 seats, mirrors, s4 t2 rear, manual rack and pw. No under rot! Price 1k. Always under construction.....

Now has a strong n/a with a custom driveshaft in it while i daily drive it till i get my tax returns and drop a T2 into it. Price of drop in strong n/a with mods $350!

My reason for n/a to t2 swap: Im not rich but can buy parts as i go along, Im half way there, i like making my car into what i want, and will be same thing as a T2 in the future.

 

Question, are the TII engines and tranny a bolt on or is there some fabrication needed to get them to fit? Looking at RX7 prices in the GTA (Ontario) and as ppl said, TIIs seem either rare, broken, expensive or badly riced up:
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...AdIdZ159537946 (freaking lambo doors on a RX7???).

Another question: The Turbo was brought out in 87 right? Will the engine fit in a 86? Might go that route so I don't have to pay for emission stickers (In Ontario, any care before 87 doesn't need e-testing).

Either way, getting excited as I get closer and closer to affording one !

 

i like... its like the 240z, everyone just swaps the engine!

 

an fc engine will bolt into any other fc. no matter if its a t2 or not.

now there are specifics, but they arent any that require fabrication at all unless you have an automatic car and wanting to go with a manual setup. that takes some fabrication.

 

Add:

The search button is your friend. Tons of threads on the TII swap subject that will answer ANY question you might have.

 

Buying a t2 is the lazy way to get a turbo fc.



john ny