^aint that the truth

 

Thanks guys. Now for the big laugh: the dealership here wants $13,500 - $15,000 to put in a re-manufactured motor with new turbos. I told them I'd think about it, the car still drives okay, just has one weak rotor that, when hot, has no compression in two of the three champbers. Heck, it doesn't even smoke.

 

I scream RAPE! You cab buy another car for that. Idiots! As you can see, you can get a nice build for a couple of grand.

 

never never never NEVER take your fd to a dealership for anything.

 

Arizona Rotary rockets is near Nevada also. It is an option for engine building and their prices are pretty competitive!

 

Yes Reno Mazda Kia is straight rapage no matter what you go there for. The only time I go there is for a cheap parts that I don't feel like I'm getting robbed on. BTW RenoCYM there are absolutely no shops out here that will do a good job when it comes to our cars. I've heard bad stories from just about every shop when it comes to any RX-7. Your best bet will be to hit up Sacramento or pull the motor yourself and ship it out to one of the very reputable shops that have been mentioned on this thread.

 

Times 10

 

This is such a common misconception with us Reno people. Always hearing the famous "oh I was just in Vegas last weekend". That is an 8hr drive away. So Arizona is even further so we get the bay area for our option.

 

this is a good deal, and this guy actually knows about rotaries too!

You could go the used route, you can get a basic shortblock on here for about $1500-2000 in really mint condition. I got one that will prob last me 80,000km. (mind you I treat my car well)..... But thats only really cost-effective if you are doing the install yourself. still an idea

 

its really 1650 for the rebuild though if you look at the parts prices.

 

You are correct, apex seals don't grow on trees

Parts prices vary. if only soft seals are needed, you're looking at only 200 buck or so. If bearings and all hard seals are needed, then the price approaches a grand.

Given the amount of time that goes into *properly* cleaning, prepping, clearancing, and building a motor, that's the absolute cheapest that we can go

 

Still, excellent prices!

 

The rebuild at RotorSports Racing cost me ~2300 but I had many extra things done. Urethane motor mounts, brake pads, clutch, boost controller, install gauges, and probally couple of things I have forgotten. 2007 ZX-10R is correct. Once you start the process you tend to do other mods or replacements that are much easier when engine is out. It is less expensive to do the mods while engine is out. My final cost was >5000.

I have to say that I was very pleased with their work.

 

do it right, and do it one time...

 

I was quoted 5400 JUST to swap a reman through a local shop, that didn't include anything extra along the way, just a straight trade out.

Doing it here at the house, I've spent almost 5k with everything from new clutch, rebuild kit, IC, etc, and I have a hell of alot more under the hood than just a reman to show for my money.

 

No **** buddy







you guys got one of the best prices around (AND a great rep)

(dont mind the smiley i was bored..)

 

lol, it's all good pink. thanks for the props......we've been getting a lot of work lately because in our neck of the woods, there just arent enough good, honest rotary builders around. Sure, there are quite a few, but the demand exceeds the supply.

If you us pay for a part or service (be it 3mm seals, portwork etc) then you'll get it. Sad to say, there are lots of horror stories out there.

Of course, maybe it's not that there arent enough good builders, maybe there are just too many people blowing up

 

Rich,
Why would you bother to rebuild an engine with only soft seals? Or are you just trying to sugar-coat it so that it looks like you would build an engine for $$850. It is a very rare occasion that only the soft seals would need replacing, be honest, how many $850 rebuilds have you done?

Our rule of thumb is that if we are going to open an engine up then it is getting all new apex seals, spings etc.

I do have to agree with your horror story statement we see them every day, a lot of times it is the result of a half-*** rebuild...

Chris

 

No sugar-coating here, not my style.

I've seen it happen a few times with a fresh build......chipped seal due to poor tune/bad gas etc on a motor fresh out of breakin. It happened to me personally just before I deployed to Iraq back in 2002.

Is it common? nope. Does it happen? yup .

 

I just spent $1200 on my Atkins rebuild kit. After researching, it really seems the best way to go.

 

I'm not too familiar with the Atkins stuff, but 1200 bucks seems like a lot. what all did you get in the rebuild kit? also, what made you think it was the best way to go? not breaking *****, genuinely curious.

 

A chipped apex seal requires hard parts, you opted to only replace the one apex seal and the o-rings? If you cracked one then it should lead you to question the integrity of the remaining five. This would be why we replace everything.

 

A chipped apex seal may need hard parts but i would think Rich would make sure they were not defective before he just replaced a seal. And for the soft seal replacement if it is a coolant seal problem then yes it might need hard parts since it was overheated and probably warped something but if a seal just fails without a cause(unlikely but possible) or just put it wrong then it just needs soft seals it is the cheaper way to go and i would think Rich would recommend the hard seals being replaced while they have it apart unless it is low mileage. He is building my engine and as far as i know it has oil seal failure but i know it was overheated so i am expecting to buy some irons.He seems like a pretty honest guy and he is doing my rebuild so i would expect him to tell me what is wrong.

 

You get what you pay for. The posts on this thread that are crying foul for 5 to 7k engine replacements are either naive, or ignorant.

If you contract for a reputable builder to remove and replace/rebuild your engine and you have everything fixed while they are in there, you are looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 to 7k.

The PO of my FD had the engine rebuilt. The final bill was 7k. And even then, the PO did not opt for new turbos as the rebuilder suggested. And before all of the flames start take a look at what the 7k paid for:

The shop removed and replaced the engine. This is a lot of labor, don't discount this when you price an engine. Yes, I realize that a lot of guys (including myself) will pull the engine themselves and ship it to a builder, but that is NOT what this original thread was about.
Complete reman engine.
Complete new silicone hoses throughout.
All fluids (nobody counts this stuff in a rebuild)
All gaskets (again not in a rebuild, they are just doing the block)
New plugs (ditto)
New plug wires
New PD
One new motor mount
One new solenoid
New wiring harness (we all know what they cost don't we?)
Plus tax. (you save that, but make up for it on the shipping costs)
Final bill $6965.68

My point: Don't get fooled by just looking at the cost of the rebuild. That actually may be only one half of the final cost. In my example above the reman was $2850.
Don't go in to this process with blinders on, you will get a nasty surprise.

Now, the more labor you can do yourself, the more you will save. But, if you are wanting to take your car in, drop it off, and pick it up ready to go in a week or two you are going to pay for that service.

 

Exactly what I was thinking. Most of these bargains are describing a service dependent on sending them the motor. So I'd have to worry about removal, shipping, install, and all the other things I want done.

I'd rather drop it off at Gotham and hand them $5k-$7k . But I have more money than time.

Don't forget the tuning that comes with such shop-service prices too. I'd also rather have one cook in the kitchen.