Ya, i started thinking about all that after i posted that. I mean, if he is doing it right, and it is going to be reliable, then, maybe its worth it..... What kind of warranty is he offering? any news on that???
KB

 

Dclin is correct in his assumption. Emails have been sent from people requesting stock new and used engines all the way to high horsepower 383 stroked engines. With the broad range of cost, it is much easier to discuss this directly with the customer than trying to cover all possible options on the web site.

yzf-r1 is also correct about the ground work that you don't see when looking at the car. Many different attempts were made before choosing the perfect setup for the car. This time was spent so that our customers don't have to spend it themselves. They receive a hand built and guaranteed setup to out perform their rotary counterparts.

This conversion is not cheap for the do-it-yourself guy or the turnkey customers due to the engine price itself. The LS1 is a modern engine with great horsepower, torque, and reliability, but it also comes with a modern day price tag. 400+ Horsepower, an eleven second time slip (N/A), reliability to sit in traffic all day with the A/C on or go on a cross country trip without a second thought, and still maintain over 23mpg in the city and 30mph on the hwy doesn't come cheap.

The "turn key" price has been discussed on the website on the following page: HERE It can be reached through the 3rd gen conversion cost page.

The price of the conversion was determined by calculating the cost of completing the initial car the right way. The estimated price of $8,999 includes all parts and labor minus engine and transmission. There are more economical ways of achieving a similar product and saving over $1,500 depending on the transmission you choose. The "turn key" conversion could be done for as low as approximately $6,450 for the budget minded performance enthusiast.

Many of you could do the LS1 conversion with our components over time in your home garage. We have completely removed the guesswork from the equation and laid the path for the do-it-yourself person to build his/her own powerful machine. The question isn't ability, but rather efficiency: How many of you can pull an old engine and transmission, design and implement a custom cooling system, custom air conditioning system, custom fuel system, custom braking system, install a LS1 and transmission, rewire the LS1 engine harness to eliminate unnecessary wire, rewire dash harness for auto to manual conversion (vice-versa), and mate the GM engine harness with a Mazda harness so that everything works including gauges on the first turn of the key? Now, do all the above in under one month with your name and guarantee on the craftsmanship.

We aren't building toy cars or slightly modified 1.3L rockets. These cars compete and outperform all cars this side of $65,000 for a price tag under $15,000. Kids need not apply as you're right in saying that your monthly allowance won't cover it. These are cars for the serious enthusiast.

Brian Hinson
www.HinsonSuperCars.com

P.S. - For those who have looked at the installed parts and still feel $2,000 will cover everything, I would like to know where you shop for your new parts.

 

I think its a great idea...especially if you can get a cheap rx-7 with a blown engine and turbos pretty much destroyed. Anyone have any ideas how much one of those might be?

 

Hey, if this option was avaiable two years ago I would have done it instead of what I did do.

Ken, 58 years young
'94 white, pep, red leather,
mods: Hayes/KDR street port & polished,
3mm Hurley racing seals,
upgraded coolant seals,
Power FC ecu, Commander, Datalogit,
XS T04e single turbo kit,
GReddy SMIC (400+cu.in.),
Aquamist 2s water injection kit,
Pettit ss resonated MP,
Pettit ss cat-back,
RP Racing fuel pump,
1600cc injectors,
Profec B(15&21psi),
3-Bar Map Sensor,
Centerforce clutch,
Racelogic Traction Control,
Under pulley kit (no air pump),
Pettit short shifter kit,
LaBreck's bushings,
Evans Coolant
http://nopistons.com/luv94rx7.html
http://flathat.woodstream.net/LUV94RX7/

 

Doing a V8 swap will bring down the value of the 3rd gen.


I think.

 

Why would you want to sell it. The V8 will last a very long time.

Ken

 

Doing a V8 swap will bring down the value of the 3rd gen.

depends on the buyer of course.....

for all but a hard core rotary fan, it should increase it

 

Damn....all my bitching got deleted!!!

**** this forum sucks sometimes....

 

Is it the forum or perhaps some of the members?

 

Gotta love people that don't want conversations and information to be seen. God forbid anyone read anything controversal. I hear ya gotboostd7.

 

Errr, well since I was referring to the forum database crash loosing a days worth of data....I'd say it is the forum.

 

Nah...it wasn't anyone that didnt want something seen...

Not that it hasn't happened in the past...but this time the database crashed and they had to restore it from a backup which was like two days ago.

 

GotBoostd7,
Since your post somehow got deleted, why don't you type it up again?

 

****, cause they were long as hell, and I was drunk when I posted!

I have to wait for ErnieT and some dumb Canuck to post, then get drunk, THEN I can retype my posts

 

hahaha, thats one of those combos that barely ever comes around. hahaha.

paul

 

I have to wait for ErnieT and some dumb Canuck to post, then get drunk, THEN I can retype my posts



sorry you had to "waste your hate"

takes alot of energy out of you....time to thrash!!!

Testament, baby

 

No hate here, choir boy...

Just displeasure in the stupidity of others...

 

glass houses

 

Congrats on completing the conversion. But I must ask, why purchase an RX-7 and then put a domestic motor in it? The rotary engine makes the RX-7, that's what makes it special, besides the fact that it's a spectacular looking sports car! I was surprised to find that no one else seemed to feel the same way as me, you all seem to embrace the idea of putting a chevy motor in a japanese car, let alone in an RX-7 twin turbo!

 

and why does it matter what he does to HIS car? who gives a **** whats under the hood? as long as the car is still quick that's all that matters.

 

You say "the rotary makes the RX-7." I have to disagree.

The RX-7 a car that consists of many parts! The parts [chracteristics] most important to me are handling, looks, reliability, and performance.

Obviously the 7 lacks a little in the reliability department (Let's be realistic folks... If you doubt what I say then just take a look at NUMEROUS threads about blown motors on THIS FORUM), as well as the performance department.

Certainly, I can spend 6 or 7 grand and have a low 11 car-maybe even a 10 second car, but chances are, it will be even less reliable than stock (once again kiddies, let's be realistic here!). Oh, and just how many rotary motors did it take for me to get into the 10's? <cough>

So, why not take the aspects that I love of the 7 - handling and looks, then combine it with performance and reliability? Ergo dropping an LS1/6 into a 7.

No, it doesn't offset the weight of the car (handling is AT WORST unaffected), it does get 33 MPG on the Highway, and it has over 400 HP on tap at ANY time WITHOUT putting in $5.00/gal gas! Oh, and did I mention I will go AT LEAST 100K miles without a problem (more like 150K-200K).

It is at this point that I would like to add that the STOCK LS1 can safely [reliably] handle 600-650 HP. You can take your stock LS1/6, add a 150 shot ($450), heads/cam($2000), and I will have over 600 reliable RWHP. With traction my 7 is now a LOW 10 second car.

All this for pennies on the dollar compared to what it would it cost to reliably (hell, I don't even know if you /could/ do this reliably with a 13B...) build a rotary!

So, you see, what "makes an RX-7" is different to some folks. Personally, I like the appearance, the handling, and the [new found] potential of the car. I do not particularly care for the original power plant.

Please, let's not restart the argument of why a rotary is better. It's my prerogative to not have a rotor fly through the hood when I hit the gas.

Let's give credit where it's due! Way to go Hinson Super Cars! Wow!

(You folks cannot fathom this car until you ride in it! I'm going to start the conversion in less than a month!)

 

ETraylor3,

Nice job. And don't listen to the ignorance on this list. They speak not with experience or engineering relevance. Back in '92 I worked with Kenny Taylor to create one of the first 5.0 V8 miata converstions with great success-not so much in handling as this thou!
Curious how you set bumpsteer error correction geometry since your rack is relocated and not lenghtened (zbend ext., etc.). I'm planning a 20b project for '03 and I'm in the middle of a custom subframe drop assembly design (have it only in CAD right now to check everything).

Tell everyone they also need to compare cost:

my current 400+rwhp setup cost me more than $10,000 in parts alone. I did all the labor and fab at my shop over the corse of 6 months. Plus I will NEVER get 30 mph or even 50,000 mile out of my ported motor.
Oh yes, i have to also worry about the occasional DMV emissions road blocks as well. It can't be a daily driver for all the above reasons, fact.

If I had to do it all over, well-" no replacement for displacement "

-Ed

 

the etraylor post above reminds me of the movie reviews Sony did of their own movies a couple years ago...trying to pass them off for real reviews.

fantastic!

a must see!

The best movie since Gone With the Wind!

AMAZING...ENTHRALLING...I love it!!

all this for movies like duece bigelow or some ****

LMAO

anyhow...point being that this kind of a vehicle is UNTESTED and UNPROVEN. The reviews about it are coming from the builders and not actual customers right?

When we see this car performing as long as the builders are promising then we will believe you. when it is on the track doing what people are hoping it will do then I will believe you.

the idea is fantastic...gotta love trailblazing...

HOWEVER..being a GUINIE PIG is not a fun experience. I did that with my gt30 twin setup along with capt bill on the forums. We researched and worked...researched and worked...and in the end it was worth it. However it took nearly a year of headaches for both of us to get the cars bugs worked out. I wish I had waited til now which would given me enough information to do it right much quicker. Instead I pushed when only a couple guys were doing the same thing. I learned a lot. Still, the gremlins come out on occasion. I imagine you guys doing this full conversion will run into the same kinds of difficulties....headaches...frusterations....and elations.

however...I do think it will be worth it if you can get it to work. I will search out this thread NEXT YEAR to see how your 20 thousand dollar+ investments have come out. I wish you luck...

til then...


jason

 

....double post....sorry

 

I've been following this thread for awhile and am still surprised to see it near the top so i can't resist chiming in my 2cents anymore.

its a very impressive project, and a very unique accomplishment. i definitely respect the engineering and mechanics that had to go into such a project.

i'm surprised at how many people are willing to jump on the bandwagon so quickly. i guess the grass is always greener on the other side. i concede that the LS1 is a more technologically advanced motor, and given the advances in emissions technology in the last ten years its no surprise that it has better fuel economy. but i think the renesis will "catch the rotary up" to the current state of piston advancement that the 13B has fallen behind over the last 10 years.

i was rather incredulous at the figure posted about the engine being only 50 lbs heavier than the 13B and refused to believe it until i did some checking on my own. i found that a fully dressed 13Brew weighs around 350 lb vs. the 390 lb crate weight of the LS1 --- now of course to truly weigh apples to apples i would say to remove the air pump, p/s, and some other things from the 13b since those are not included with the LS1, you could also debate whether to use the weight of a single turbo and get rid of a lot of the plumbing weight and manifold weight, etc. but the end result is that your 50 lb figure is probably not far off when comparing stock 13b vs. LS1. but the key is the weight savings comes in the dressing not the motor. if you look at a side by side picture of the two in the engine bay, you can see that the LS1 takes up hte full length of it with metal engine block. the 13b takes up barely half (just to the shock towers), and as such should be considerably lighter but then it hangs all this extra bracketry and crap off the front and side of it, and of course the turbos, and the intake runners are metal whereas the LS1 is plastic. this led me to conclude that if the 13b were redesigned today it would be considerably lighter due to the advancement in engine bay plastics, etc. which leads me to my second point: the renesis. from what i have seen of the renesis it has the plastic intake and the much lighter engine componentry, as well as the lack of turbos and air pump etc. this engine will be considerably lower in weight while retaining the power of the 13brew which means if you were to swap one into a fd the results would be very interesting. now of course its never going to compare to your frankenstein 600 hp beast but that brings me to my 3rd point which is the v8 swap simply turns the RX7 from a sports car into a muscle car, simple as that. the goals are very different in creating a sports car vs. a muscle car, and the heritage and design of the rx7 has always been to be a sports car which is one of the things i like so much about it. but thats a personal choice we've all got to make i guess. i just would hate to see the day when v8 engine swaps become so popular that Mazda (Ford) decides theres really no point in releasing an engine that people just swap out, so they just give the 7 a v8 to start with and alas we end up with another mustang on our hands.

oh and as for reliability once you dump that turbo i think the renesis will be just as reliable as any v8, the rotary is actually quite reliable if you give it a chance, i'm pushing 140K on a 1979 RX7 original engine N/A, and mazda did rule lemans with the rotary back in the day.

anyway just my 2c...