WANKEL POWER

wow. that is awesome. its kinda funny listening to an rx7 that soundslike that , but wow!! awesome, if i had money, i'd go for the conversion

maxcooper

That looks nice -- good to see a completed conversion finally. That is a very tempting option for those of us with SMOG or rotary reliability woes.

-Max

artguy

yes...very interesting

so..just curious...what is total cost of the conversion...parts...motor...labor....


just wondering...all ballpark figure is fine


jason

Kiflin

Price does not include the engine btw. Its for the kit to put it in easier. The engine is 2800-4000 used, 5000 new.

paw140

You need a tranny too, and all the accessories, etc. I was looking on Ebay, and complete engine/tranny assemblies go for around 3 to 5K, depending on mileage and year.

artguy

so 12k so far right...approx...

what else...how much?

how bout labor....how many hours labor?....a rough estimate.



j

yzf-r1

iTrader: (1)

crap, by the time Jim gets his lifer project done, this V8-7 stuff is going to be old news

ArchangelX

Surprisingly, that engine looks QUITE at home in the FD. One question, is the LS1 lighter than the 13B?

Brentis

He said within 50lbs when you include the turbos, intercooler and associated parafinalia.

rotorbrain

HELL NO!!!!!!!!!!!!


i hope that was a joke. . . i wanna know what kind of handling characteristics it has now that the f/r weight ratio is off!!!!!

if its still good then this conversion might be veeeeeeeeeery worthwhile.

paul

rynberg

I have a hard time believing that "owners will not notice a difference in handling" when half of the engine is hanging in front of the wheel axis. Despite the neglible weight increase, a portion of that weight is now in front of the wheel axis instead of completely behind it like the 13B.

Also, there is a mandatory bump steer correction for $85. What does this consist of? How is the steering and bump steer compared to a 13B-powered FD? Jimlab went through a lot of time, effort, and $$$ with his conversion to avoid messing with the steering rack.

All that being said, the price of the components seems VERY reasonable for such a customized project.

wptrx7

so why is jimlab's install taking so long?

luigi

yzf-r1

iTrader: (1)

to his credit, Jim is a serious perfectionist....and time is irrelevant to such

well, at least until you are too old to drive

jimlab

Half?? Hardly. Don't you people ever get tired of making snap judgements that you obviously have no experience or facts to back up? Take a look...



At least 85% of the bulk of a Chevrolet V8 is behind the rear edge of the motor mount, which you can obviously see is located even farther back in the chassis than the wheel centerline, which corresponds roughly with the lower ball joint. VERY little of the engine's weight hangs in front of the wheel centerline.

You're also forgetting that the swap eliminates all the weight of the intercooler, which is located in front of the wheel centerline. Cut a little more weight here and there (sleek light kit? extra wiring?), and you've actually concentrated your weight farther towards the center of the chassis, as well as lowered the center of gravity somewhat. A V8 carries most of its weight centered around the crankshaft, which is at the very bottom of the block... about 2-3" lower than a rotary engine's eccentric shaft, give or take.

Perhaps, but there are other mitigating factors, as mentioned above. At least reserve judgement until you've seen the results of a 4-corner scale weighing of a converted car.

The LS1 is taller than an LT1, so something has to give. A 20B conversion also requires relocating the steering rack, unless you want to start cutting the firewall...

jimlab

Because until recently, I only worked on the car when I felt like it. Which wasn't very often.

jimlab

I'm pushing to have the car done in January or February, with a little luck. I'm going to start throwing money at everything I can control, and start getting shitty with the people who are handling the things I can't.

Crash

How much cash?

cewrx7r1

iTrader: (2)

Interesting and nice, but you need to change that exhaust system so it does not sound like a truck!

Besides it is too loud.

jimlab

Compared to a rotary engine with a full open exhaust??

rynberg

Upon closer look of the picture (and your picture- thanks), I'll take back some of my statement. The engine does still have some weight in front of the centerline, whether that is equal to the effects of an intercooler or not, I don't know. And Jim, I wasn't just jumping into something I know nothing about, I was just a little taken aback by their statement that the handling would not change. I have a tough time believing that there would be no noticeable change -- perhaps THEY should cornerweight the car.....

True, but I wouldn't do a 20B swap either.... I just think the company is glossing over some negatives to their conversion, which no previous poster had mentioned.

I am not a "h8ter", I have nothing against your V-8 swap or others like it (even if I wouldn't consider it at this stage). What I don't like is the swap being presented as "perfect".

jimlab

I hear ya.

cabaynes

iTrader: (4)

really this is exactly how i feel about it, after reading Jimlab's thread i was very accepting of the LS1 in the FD, but this thread now is kind of starting to frighten me... i'm afraid that in 3 years when someone comes to this forum and asks a question about the 13B everyone will respond like "well if you were smart and did the LS1 conversion like everyone else... blah blah..." and i dont think that this is really what this board is all about. i guess i'm just afraid of this idea catching on, and i mean really really catching on... with these guys in this thread offering their 13B engine for sale on the spot, it does upset me just a little to see so many people "giving up" on the rotary just because something easier came along... but i guess thats just me... or does anyone else feel this way too? i hope i'm not alone and that the 13B will not soon be a thing of the past in the FD

streetraceseven

who cant.... is a better question.

jimlab

Considering that even if you doubled the number of current finished and "in progress" V8 conversions that you'd only account for about 0.02% of total FD production numbers, I don't think it's something you'll need to lose too much sleep over.

A few V8 threads in the 3rd gen. section is hardly an epidemic. I doubt you'll see any measureable decrease in the number of rotary-related troubleshooting threads any time soon...

ZeroBanger

And his car is no longer an RX-7.