Hello everyone, I finally got my hands on a 1994 FD two or so weeks ago and it came with a ton of parts essentially just needing to be put together. However I really don’t know where to start (pictures attached) and I’ve got some general questions I’m hoping to get answered.
So the main question I have is has anyone seen a 4.3L V6 swap in the FD before? The guy I bought it off of said he had swapped a couple different motors (13B-REW, 20b, LS) and had said that the rotary didn’t have enough low end torque for him and that the LS and 20b were too heavy on front-end so the V6 would be the way to go settling in between the two problems.

Now I’m a die hard rotary fan but seeing as he gave me the V6 to put in it and I don’t have the money for a rotary atm I intend to see it through and finish the build he had planned. But I’m curious if it’s really a good option or if it was more of a personal preference for him.
I also need all the help I can get because I don’t know where to start and while I’m ready to learn I’m not that mechanically adept. (Just the basics)
I want to do everything right but also would like to get it done within the next year or sooner.
I’ve got the engine, a T56 trans, Holley efi sniper kit, and some other odds and ends and really only have to get bolts, hoses, trans fork, and a starter to my knowledge. What do I focus on first?
Thanks in advance!

 

If it were my car I would sell the v6 stuff and save money so I could make it rotary. A v6 has no business in such a nice sports car in my opinion. Save your money and you wknt regret it.

 

Well I can always swap it later and most likely will given time but otherwise she’ll just sit there for the next several months and I don’t want to do that.

 

Whatever direction you go you will have a fight on your hands. Working with any heavily modified car is always difficult since you don't 100% know what the last guy was thinking and doing and this was definitely gone through big time.

The RX-7 is a rotary engine car in my book. But, that's my opinion. The rotary, if you treat it right, can be powerful, reliable, and a blast to drive. The new EFR turbos spool so fast that the whole low end torque thing is not a concern any more.

Swapping in an LS or 20b is a fairly documented path. There are subframes out there to bolt in the engine and a lot of the hard work has been done already with how to hook things up, what fits, etc.

4.3l v6 is a great engine but you are completely on your own there. You will have to fab and figure EVERYTHING out.

Realize that pretty much any route you are going to take will require a LOT of time and money. Big thing is figuring out right now what your end goal for the car is - street car, track car, drag car, show car, etc. Each end result has different parts and requirements to get there.

Also remember this is a VERY light car with no traction control. 400hp in an RX-7 is a face-melting blast, much more than that and you just spin tires in any gear. Going for giant horsepower numbers will get you internet points but that's a car you won't want to drive on the street.

Dale

 

getting the 4.3 up and running is going to take months too.

 

I never understood the 'rotaries don't have torque' thing. An N/A 13B, sure, but the 13B-REW has decent low-end torque, with the sequential twins making nearly full boost by only 2,000 rpms. The torque is similar to many cars designed for road course use in that it is adequate, but not enough to upset the chassis of the car on corner exit. High revving N/A Ferraris and Porsches make less torque than horsepower as well. I have an Integra GS-R and that thing genuinely makes no torque - FD feels like a torque monster in comparison.

 

me neither, especially when its in an Rpm range that doesn't see a lot of driving time (under 2500?)

 

Dale Clark's guidance is SPOT_ON.

 

I think if you are used to old-school V8's that you stab the throttle on and the front bumper comes up 2 feet, sure. You also then have it fall on its face and work its way up to a big 6000 RPM redline.

LS1's are a whole different story, decent redline and more of a high RPM engine. Drove a friend's Corvette at DGRR this year and was pleased with the power but I didn't get out saying "wow, that low end torque!". But he did LOVE driving my FD and the throttle response, so there ya go .

Also the old school turbo kits SUCK for low end power. Yeah you are now making 500hp but you are making 130hp until you hit 4000 RPM. That crap SUCKS to drive in the city. That's what the EFR turbos changed, you get that instant low-end response like the twins but building to crazy power at redline, it just keeps shoving you back in your seat.

IMHO, 20b swaps are a neat thing to do but you can accomplish a lot of the same goals with a 13b for a LOT less money. It IS unique, sounds cool, and is very exotic, but it's not the easiest way to achieve many goals. Especially when a stock port engine, Haltech, EFR 8374, Greddy V-mount, full exhaust, and a tune and you're at 400hp, all bolt-on parts, and have headroom for more power if you want it. Hell, you can do 350hp to the ground with stock twins with bolt-ons, PowerFC, and a good tune.

Dale

 

I definitely agree on it being a rotary car and I’ll definitely be going that route later on. For the most part it looks like he gave me all the parts needed to get the 4.3 in there and set up save for a few odds and ends so hopefully I shouldn’t have too much “fab and figure out” for myself. Thanks for the all the advice!! Im super excited to get started on everything

 

I hope tou did not pay more than «rolling shell» price for it. Imo an undocumebted swap is worth nothing.

Its going to cost you loads of time and money to get it working (i know, im putting s v6 in my miata). The engine itself is a fraction of the end cost. I would go bck to rotary, and work on getting the car back together while saving up for the engine.

rotary will defo be cheaper in the end, and much easier to own.

 

Paid 12k so from what I’ve seen pretty standard considering the suspension work it’s had done as well. I have plenty of time but no money (seeing as I spent it all on the car lmao) so I’m fine giving it a shot to see if I can get the V6 to work. I’ll be saving for the original engine in the meantime but it’ll be a bit considering I don’t do payments or loans for anything and I’m young and livin on my own and pay for all my expenses except cell service

 

I would suggest thinking about what your ultimate goal is for the car, and do that from the beginning. And like Dale said, if your ultimate goal is a realistic power figure, then you're probably going to be happier in the long run.

I don't think it makes any sense to go through all the work of installing a swap, just to take it all out again when you decide to go rotary. There is going to be an incredible amount of work that goes into a V6 conversion, even if you have all the parts, and you're going to be spending months chasing down gremlins and making things 100% if you want the car to actually drive nicely and not be like 90% of the hackjob swaps out there with no A/C, P/S, etc.

I'm also in the camp of going the rotary route. From what I understand, you could probably get almost as much money for just that Tremec T56 as for an entire FD powertrain. One of the cool things about the RX-7 is how cheap the engines are compared to other high performance sports cars.

Also, you'll make all your money back if you go rotary, because it will increase the value of the car. A V6 swap on the other hand, will devalue the car.

 

More VERY VERY good guidance.....however he's going to do what he wants to do......a really difficult project for anyone......keep us posted on your progress!!

 

Good advice, to be honest my total goal for the car is actually to do everything I can with it. I want to make it stock, a drag car for awhile, then go into drift, and hopefully when I’m old and grey if I’ve kept good care of it return it to showroom condition. It’s ambitious but time goes very slow for me so im not too concerned. Plus I think putting the v6 in would give me experience and a chance to f@ck something up that’s not my final plan for the car. I would rather ruin the v6 build and learn something along the way than screw up my dream engine. I really do appreciate all the advice though. Also not worried about the worth as I don’t plan to ever sell and the manual steering rack will be fine instead of powersteering and it came with an electric water pump.

 

I am quite stubborn, I’ll definitely document as much as I can 😂

 

Well after finally sorting through all the parts he had and trying to put the engine in it does not in fact fit without cutting so…
I’ll be selling all the part I don’t want and looking for a subframe, 13b-few and transmission. Not going to lie I was looking for any reason to go the rotary route the whole time and now it’s happened. Super psyched to get to do it but hoping I can find the parts I need for a decent price. Also going to be selling the wing and rear diffuser and my two extra bumpers. Hopefully that along with the Holley sniper efi and the trans will be enough. I don’t know how much those body parts go for.

 

you were in fact right and it didn’t fit either, was a good learning experience at least

 

i'm glad to see this project is getting more grounded/realistic.