Austin's FB TII Swap - Details and Pics Aplenty
 

Hey guys, I'll just start off with a few pics and details of the cars: as I promised.

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1984 Mazda RX-7 GS
1.1L 12a carburetor engine
Stock engine, trans, rear end
No ECU
Complete burgundy interior

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1987 Mazda RX-7 Turbo II
1.3L 13b turbo engine
TII transmission
Stock ECU
Interior partly gutted but should be complete

Project description:
I plan on swapping the TII 13bt engine and TII trans out of the 87 into my 84, along with all of the wiring and necessary parts.

I will be posting up all of my links that have helped me in this post, then quoting a member's post that has proved to be extremely helpful in my considerations of what to do during this swap.

Links I found helpful are as follows:

Other Member's Build Threads
Chronicles of a TII Swap
Sean's TII 83 S
Matt’s T2 FB Build (pic heavy)
(TURBO) TII swap into GSL-SE
Matt's Original Swap
PeteyTurbo’s TII Swap

How to notch the 12a for a 13b install
How to Notch the 13b for install in a previously 12a car
How to Notch the 13b for install in a previously 12a car another way

FB FMIC?
FMIC Installation into FB

FC TII 5-lug conversion
Write up - FC subframe swap (how I did it)
Any one have 5 lug pictures of their First gen
BBS vert wheels on 1st gen with big brake kit
5 lug fc conversion on the rear of 1 gen

Difference between 13b and 13bt
13b NA and 13b Turbo engine differences

Downpipe
What did you use for a Downipe?(FC)

TII Swap Questions
TII swap couple questions

My favorite single post on the TII swap, from Directfreak, found here at (ENGINE) TII swap into GSL-SE page 4

START DIRECTFREAK QUOTE
================================================== ========
Sorry Guys, I decided to use this as my running parts list. I will add to it, change it, and so on as the project continues. It was originally a PM I sent to another member, and I posted it elsewhere (area 51). I figured it belongs here anyway.

Aftermarket ECU? Much fabrication?
Info? I got your stinkin’ Info right here!!.

First, let me tell you, a GSL-SE is the best model available to do a 13B Turbo transplant. It already has several things necessary to make the swap easier:That is just the GSL-SE stuff. For my particular swap, you will still need:SUSPENSIONGAUGES:
EVENTUALLY:As you can see,MY parts list is quite extensive. Luckily I am about 90% of the way there. I will be completing this list within the next 60 days, and then tearing into the car shortly thereafter. I anticipate finishing by the end of the summer if it all works out.

By the way, this does not include Labor, misc parts, time, time, and did I mention time?
Also TOOLS. Engine lifts, engine stands, Air compressors, parts washers, extra nuts, bolts, aluminum sheets for fabricating, etc. Labor is very expensive, as only a real quality rotary mechanic can do this, unless you know how to do it yourself.

I will be doing most of it myself, with the exception of the fuel system, Haltech installation, tuning, and Dyno testing. All of which is very expensive as well.

As you can see, it is not easy, quick, or cheap. It is quite an expensive toy that will NEVER be worth what you put into it. In other words, even if you do a real awesome job, that looks like factory OEM - you will never even get half of the money you invested into it if you try to resell it.

Why I am I doing this? Because I have always wanted a Turbo 1st Gen since my first RX-7 over 14 years ago. I plan to keep it as long as I can, and make well over 400 hp to the rear wheels. It will be my “fun” car. Not a daily driver by any means.

Before you consider this route let me recommend a few things.
1) Have another Car for daily use (pick-up truck recommended)
1) Don’t start until you have all the parts you need. (you will need more than you think)
2) Unless you want more than 250 hp (which is a shitload for a 1st Gen),
go another route.

ANOTHER ROUTE:

1) Take your (12A) engine, rebuild it, Streetport it, get some nice headers and a good carb (Weber/Dellorto) and you’ll be at about 200 hp for less than $1200
2) Same thing, with a 13B = 230 hp, about $1500

3) Turbocharge your 12A. – Get a Holly 550, a Rising rate Fuel Pressure Regulator, an Intercooler, an old RX-7 Turbo with manifold (modified), a locked distributor, and you’ll be at 220 HP on a stock port 12A, 250 HP with a Street Port. – Less than 2K

4) Turbocharge a 13B. – Get a Holly 550, a Rising rate Fuel Pressure Regulator, an Intercooler, an old RX-7 Turbo with manifold, a locked distributor, and you’ll be at 240 HP on a stock port 12A, 280 HP with a Street Port. – Less than 2200

5) A Nitrous Oxide System. Good only on a Street or Bridge port, you must do this EXTREMELY Well, with plenty of safeguards to avoid blowing your engine. – Less than $500 for the kit, and Extra 50-75 HP over what you currently have.

I hope this has provided you with MORE THAN ENOUGH information concerning a swap like this. Go to the RX-7 Forum, the web and Read, Read, Read.

Check this particular thread for all the goodies:
TII Swap itno GSL-SE

Good Luck and keep us posted!
================================================== =======
END QUOTE

(I just didn't like the italicized way a regular quote is used so I wrote where his quote starts and stops)

Now, as anyone looking at this thread should know by now, I am a very open guy that likes to share info and things for others. I've provided my list of links so far to things that have helped me learn and move towards my goal.

I'll keep posting here with pics, videos, and ideas and I'd appreciate those of you that are considering the swap and those I've featured above could help me out as well.

Thanks,
Austin

Here's a short video of a walk around of my TII car that I'll be using for the swap.


Not meaning to double post, it just came through right now.

Nice detailed post so far, much better job than I did with mine lol. Hopfully I can put together a better writeup when I get to the T2 swap in my GS in a few months...

Good luck with the swap, you're off to a good start.

looks like a good swap you got going on! glad to see another turbo fb guy starting up. welcome to the club!

In about 2 hours I'll have my turbo and exhaust manifold too. :D

But I've still gotta lot of time left on building my BP engine... And a Shiton more money needed.


I'm not gonna intercool. Just because I don't like all of the plumbing involved. It detracts from the beauty of the engine bay IMPO.



Spool up brother! \m/




.

Thanks :biggrin: I'm looking forward to your help throughout the swap, I'll need it.

I can't wait to drive the thing! Just running the TII is fun enough, and I'm taking it out for a drive tomorrow.

Hope your turbo install goes well! I figure buying a running, driving car with good compression on the engine is more beneficial to me right now than tearing an engine down since I don't necessarily have the space, time, or tools to complete the engine build in a reasonable time.

Tonight I got in the Energy Suspension bushings for the rear control arms and the Watts linkage for the rear axle from UPS.
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1360820709

I'll be taking out the TII for a drive tomorrow just for the heck of it (if the roads are somewhat decent and I don't see any cops) and will tape it with the Gopro. I just want to make sure the engine warms up, idles decently, and the trans works well also.

Saweeet! Let the games begin. I'm really glad you went with the turbo swap. You're going to have a blast man!

Your car is CLEAN. First that's one of my top favorite colors on an FB, second that interior is mint. Don't get rid of it!

I'll be keeping the interior just as it is now - as much as people rip on the burgundy I do love it when it is in mint condition :icon_tup:

Here are a few tidbits I bought with the car:
A Walbro 255lph fuel pump
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1360883284

A Turbonetics wastegate
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1360883284

An eBay shiny BOV
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1360883284

And here's all the paperwork that came with the car and I may be getting a title for it as well...maybe...
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1360884284

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1360883284
And I found all of this while going through the entire car with all the bins of parts and such that was included in the sale. Among other things was:
A complete A/C system for the S4 engine
Another S4 UIM and LIM
Complete rat's nest
Stock Turbo II TMIC
And some other odds and ends

So today I took the TII out for a spin and that thing RIPS!! Compared to my little, completely stock, worn out 12a the TII felt like a rocket! Unfortunately the plows haven't cleaned up the 3" or so of snow and sleet we got yesterday and into last night so I couldn't fully open her up. I took a video again of my drive and will post it as soon as it's on YouTube. Uploading 1080p 30fps video takes a very long time...

Here's the driving video I took.

Nice! makes me wish I had mine running... :(

It's amazing how fast a T2 engine feels compared to the 12a isn't it? Wait till you have it in the much lighter FB :D

Dang dood that looks chilly.

I will no longer complain about 38 degrees (F) and gravel all over the roads. You're driving down that road I'm like SHIT BRO SNOW WATCH OUT!

But when you're embedded in it like you are i suppose you totally get used to it. When I sand bag it and put winters on the rear I can drive teh FB no problem in snow. I prefer not to, and after my WRX wagon, AWD with 4x studs, its hard driving anything else in the snow.

I hope you have a good shop heater ;-)

Gotta love S4 Turbo motors, low compression ratio ahoy woopwoop.

Looks like its getting underway. Hope it turns out well.

It's a blast, let me tell ya. As Sean has told me, the 200hp that makes the FC a fun car will make the FB a rocket and after driving it I cannot WAIT to swap!!:egrin:

Oh it's ridiculous! And in the video I only took three pulls, and only one of them kind of counted and I am anxiously awaiting the day I get the engine in the FB and get it running :icon_tup:

You had my fiance and I literally laughing out loud with that one! I have never typed lol but LOL, :lol:

Yeah, it just takes a few times in the ditch and you learn real quick how bad it can suck. I blew out a 4 speed automatic tranny on a 4x4 truck because I got stuck in the snow and had to rebuild it in my bedroom in 2 weeks. I learned real fast after that.

And there's a Subaru Legacy Outback AWD 5-speed Wagon under a lean-to connected to our shed right now waiting on an $800+ driveshaft since Subi made sure not to put replaceable u-joints in their cars so you had to buy the Subi shaft. Dumb. But that thing is a blast in the winter in an open lot :nod:

Well, I use a shed...what's a shop?? is that like a garage???:scratch:

I have no protection for this car right now besides the exterior body panels covering the interior and the hood covering the motor. My FB is in my grandparent's one car garage and that's where I'll be doing the swap (even though it's an hour away from me) but I have to deal completely with the elements, and have had to since I was born. You get used to that too, and it'll make me appreciate the shop later in life.

Oh yeah, bunches of fun and a little safer than S5 with a higher compression ratio.

Thanks! I hope so too :icon_tup:

sweet !!! i just did mine this wkd and gotta redo the my intake gasket since i forgot to order mine,, i just made me own w/ cork and it didnt do the trick.. got vacuum leak so after i get that fix i think im set besides exhaust :)

Yeah, I'll be ordering a few different gaskets from Atkins before the swap so I can take the external parts off of the engine to paint it before the install. If I would have stayed 12a I would have done the same thing this winter because I want a nice, clean, shiny engine bay instead of the dusty one I have now.

Exhaust...:facepalm4: I got the stock downpipe with the purchase and will probably use it for a mock up for a while but I'm extremely undecided what I want to do. Probably 3" stainless with two Magnaflow mufflers, one acting as a presilencer and the other as a muffler at the end of the car. I just don't want to restrict it too much but I don't want it to be extremely loud either..:scratch:

On my s4 turbo swap I had the RB 2.5" down pipe, single 2.5" presilencer, then 2.5" over axle into a 2.5" inlet (street port) RB powerpulse muffler.

Best soundin exhaust I've heard on any car ever.

However, a little birdy told me they can get a hold of super secret 3" RB powerpulse mufflers.

Honestly that may be the way to go - full 3"

I'm doing 2.5 all the way back.

$15.95 glasspak & whatever $15.95 muffler I can find.

$20 of steel piping....

$50 exhaust good to go!! :D

Be ready to do it over again. I had a similar setup, eBay special N1 style muff. That lasted a week. Couldn't bear to drive it

Nope... There is a local parts dealer that has a rack. Good stuff sold cheaply, not cheap stuff. ;)

Well, I've researched it out and I don't think I can justify the cost to get full 3" stainless exhaust. I think I'll be doing the RB downpipe, because that seems to be a reoccurring theme in TII swaps - and why not use what works?? I'll try to get the 3" DP and go into a presilencer, to a Magnaflow muffler out the back. Would got from 3" to 2.5" but we will see.

Yeah, I'll probably go a bit more all out than that - but with how expensive this build is getting I may have to go with something along these lines. Hopefully not though, I'd like the system to last a few years until I can do a complete system that will support 500whp :egrin:

Now, what I've done over the last few days:
I went on an hour and a half excursion to meet up with a local member (username TOFUDRIFTER) with my RX-7 buddy and found Mike to be an awesome guy who I look forward to hanging out with this summer. He has an 83 LE that he's stripping the interior out of and put up for sale. So I went out and picked up some parts from him and would like to come out and get anything else he doesn't use.

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361290621

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361290621

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361290621

And here's a video of what I believe is the dreaded S4 ECU fuel cut. Take a view and let me know.


This has got me considering running the Rtek 1.7 or 1.8 to avoid this fuel cut and get better performance out of the almost stock ECU. We will see...

Here's another video of the loping idle issue I'm having and trying to figure out - any ideas??


Oh, and I tested the compression in both rotors yesterday - 110psi for 3 solid bumps on both rotors for the win!!! :suitdance:101384_l::suitdance:101384_l:

NICE score on the interior parts - that carpet, seats, and panels look amazing!!!

Def go with the rTek. I'd get the top model -what is it 2.1 or something?

I'd say you're on the right track with the exhaust. Get the solid downpipe, and count on doing everything there-back over at least once ;)

With two magnaflows, you should be alright, though it may be a bit loud. I think with 2 in there it shouldn't be tinny at all though, so you should be good to go there. The turbo quiets it down a bit, almost like 1/3 of a muffler, one magnaflow I dont think will be enough.

One thing to consider is that if you're using 3" on a stock-ish turbo, you may encounter boost creep after the wastegate is maxed out and the exhaust is still welcoming more flow. It will suck through the turbo, spooling it faster as the wastegate is now effectively "blocked" (still flowing but at max capacity).

Yeah if you want to keep all the stock functionality but have the ability to tune it then go Rtek, i'm very happy with mine.

If you plan to go standalone in the future, a cheap way to get around the fuel cut is to just buy one of those fuel cut defenders that RB (and a slew of other places) sell for like $50.

I agree fully with ioTus, whatever you decide to do now on the car, whether it be the exhaust or the intake piping etc, expect to redo it at least once or twice. I've redone all of mine several times over lol It's just how it goes. Like I said in that one email, you're biggest concern at this point should be to get the engine in the car and running/driving without issues :)

Oh yes they do! I'll be going back and getting some more parts from him if I take the time to go down again, maybe on a day off I'll go work on my car and get some parts from him at the same time.

I actually just found a deal for an RB DP and presilencer for a turbo application - praying that no one else steals it from me before my next pay check on the 27th....tempted to put money down on the setup to ensure I get it.

Ohhhhhhh boost creep! I actually just read on porting the stock wastegate on the S4 turbos since they are prone to have the issue of boost creep. Aaron Cake is becoming a rotary legend and I will be following his tutorial on his website for porting the stock wastegate. And I'll be doing the 2.5" method now, looked at prices and want to go with a worthwhile exhaust but one that I won't feel bad about replacing later.

Rtek it is! I'm just not sure which version to get:
1.5 too outdated
1.7 550cc primary injectors, 720cc secondaries minimum $150 new install
1.8 720cc primary and secondary injectors minimum $150 new install
2.1 Can be tuned, but looking at ~$500+, and for that price I could get a Haltech with a harness

I looked into them and I decided that for an extra hundred, why not just send my chip into the Rtek guys and have them address many common issues instead of just the fuel cut? I figure it would be a $100 well spent on a safety feature, performance is also a factor though as well. Trust me, the RB FCd is the first thing I looked at then I found the Rtek option.

Oh yeah, I plan on getting it running well then redoing it all - I'm a realist :nod: I plan on putting it all in, driving it until the engine goes or I have another car and the income to build it into the monster I believe it can be. Like upgraded turbo, exhaust, ECU, widebody, interior work, rims, tires, among many other things :egrin:

I'm having a serious issue right now figuring out how to run the fuel system. I have that Walbro 255lph in line fuel pump that I could use, but finding a post or thread on how to do it safely is proving to be difficult.
Fuel Pump Research
Directfreak's Fuel System - nopistons
(INTAKE) EFI-prepping a 1st gen
Best upgraded fuel pump

Or I could do a FD pump for $55 but that's in-tank and I'd have to mod the fuel tank - which isn't out of my expertise, I'd just like not to.

One other thing, I picked this up off of the forum here as a fail safe in case I can't use the S4 subframe, decide not to, or something else comes up.

It's a 13b GSL-SE front cover so I could mount the TII engine in the FB and have the correct engine mounts, it would also make the OMP swap easier as well.
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361339173

I'm not sure if I want to hunt for a pan or not, still deciding on whether to go subframe swap or not. Will figure it out soon though, when finding out how hard selling a TII shell is with and without a subframe...

Best bets is to get the gslse pan. itd be Easier n less stressful

I have the rtek 2.0 since I wanted the ability to tune it (albeit with a palm until the droid app comes out).

I'm running an in-tank fuel pump setup - it's well worth the work to make. It keeps the external plumbing incredibly simple and is nice and quiet. :)

I completely agree, for the baffle - I don't have to worry about taking corners and losing fuel pressure resulting in engine detonation.

I'll research my options completely before making a decision on an Rtek model - I do like reading about that Android tuning app, that would be awesome! :egrin:

So you built an in-tank fuel pump setup? I've read about cutting the top of the tank, putting an FC fuel pump and sending unit in, and replacing it. If that's the case, I may have to purchase the FD fuel pump I have available so I know I'm good up towards 400whp (which I won't reach for years), for cheap, and know that it'll work well.

Here's how I'd follow it, (INTAKE) EFI-prepping a 1st gen, which I believe is how you did it Sean.

Luckily I have a full car instead of just buying the engine for the swap, so I have all of the parts available :biggrin:

Yeah honestly it's not a very difficult job if you can cut and weld. Just make sure the tank is fully cleaned out and free of fumes before you let the sparks fly.

I'm running a walbro 255 in mine, works great and they don't cost much.

Here's a few pics from back in 2007ish of mine

https://www.rx7club.com/attachments/...date-tank2-jpg

https://www.rx7club.com/attachments/...date-tank3-jpg

Oh AWESOME! Thank you, I appreciate the pics. I've been trying to comprehend how the slosh cup mounts in the archived write up and I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. And as I stated and have a pic of earlier, I got a Walbro 255 with the purchase so I won't need anything else! I'm used to the louder fuel pump noise in my 95 Mustang (the thing whines like crazy), as well as an old Chevy truck I used to have. Thanks so much Sean, I appreciate it!


After you said you run the 2.0 Rtek, and ioTus agreed as well, I went on and watched their product video on how the PocketLOGGER system works and that pretty much sold me on it now. It looks simple, easy to use, can be run in races and looks stock, and they are developing an Android app to make it even easier - completely sold! Should be ordering the Rtek 2.1 and sending in my ECU by the second week of March and I plan on getting the swap started tomorrow if at all possible.

I have the day off so I'll be going and getting my fuel tank out of my FB (it only has about 1 gallon of fuel in it, I've been planning on removing it this winter no matter what) and the FC and start the fuel pump swap shortly. I'll also address some of the interior parts I bought from the 83 LE and maybe consider doing something along these lines:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6...fa23c99a_z.jpg
with the dummy lights from the FC. I don't know why, I just like the way they look and I was already thinking of taking out the ashtray anyways for a single-DIN flip up screen install but I'd rather do something like this. I know I'd have the dummy lights on the stock gauge cluster as well but I was considering swapping it out for the FC cluster anyways. I'd adjust the mileage to be exactly what my car's body has on it right now. Just a few things I'm considering...:egrin:

Glad I could help :) What you might not be able to tell so easily on the pic of my tank is that I cut the top of the tank larger than the mounting ring. That gave me room to get the slosh cup in there and actually weld it. Once the mounting ring was in I just used a piece of sheet metal to close it all back up. The whole thing is sealed inside with Por15's tank sealer to keep it clean and leak free. The outside was sandblasted, sealed up with some good primer and 3m undercoating. The vent tube is just a piece of brake line welded in there. It's been working fine, some people go the extra mile and put the vent assembly from the FC tank on there. I might do that on my current build....

Oh as for the Rtek, yeah it's a nice simple way to go. You can always sell it later one when you go stand alone. The turnaround time was incredibly quick. I had it back like 3 days after I sent it to them. Also, to tune it I just bought a cheap ($10 shipped!) palm M505 on ebay. All it needed was a new battery and charger ($7 shipped on ebay lol). The biggest hangup by far is the fact that you need a 32bit computer to sync up with the palm. Thankfully I had an old laptop that had a 32bit version of windows Vista on it. Once the software is on the palm you really have no reason to sync it to a computer again unless you run a ton of logs and have filled up the palm...

The droid app should be out at some point this year so it shouldn't matter too much longer.

Awesome, I'll probably go this route as well. I have a welder and am as experienced as I can be having taken a class in welding and the work I've done at home. Learn as you go!

I was planning on doing this anyways this winter, so it's good to be doing it for a TII swap! There's only 1-2 gallons in the tank because I was preparing for this no matter what.

I'll probably do that and make a write up of it for others, and you'll help me edit it :nod:

Yeah, I'm pretty much sold on this option. I've been choosing which tool I'd like to use for the tuning and I think I've chosen my favorite and will be getting it off of eBay soon :)

My fiance has a few older computers with Windows XP on them, which I believe are 32 bit, that I'll be using to install the system. Luckily I only have to do it once. I might make a VM on my computer in 32 bit XP though so I can run the palm through my laptop I use all day.
VM is virtual machine, which you can essentially run two versions of operating systems on the same computer - I may try it, never done it personally though.

Lord hasten the day! Just curious which cable I'll have to get to make it connect to my phone...

The droid app will come with a bluetooth dongle that you would just have hidden up under the dash somewhere. As long as your phone has BT (I think they all do at this point) then you should be good to go.

As far as palm's go, I just found the cheapest one I could that had a backlight since I knew I was going for the droid app as soon as it comes out. :)

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/ELM327-Blueto...5cQ~~60_35.JPG

http://1.androidauthority.com/wp-con...rque-app-1.jpg

I actually have this exact adapter in my Mustang and I run Torque Pro in it while driving to see everything that's going on with the car. Very nifty tool and I love its functionality so far. I know a BT dongle is different, but it should work in very much the same way. I'll have to start pa-trolling the Rtek forum on the board here to learn more about the system and this app coming out..:egrin:

I'll probably go the same route. Looking at the m515 because I like it being in color and backlit. The Z 71 is cool as well, but like $35+ and I don't really want to spend that on something I'll only use for a few months.

I'll be off to go visit my FB within the hour here, get to hang out with the grandparents and hopefully get some stuff done! :nod:

Yeah I use torque on my 99 Impreza too. The rtek app should be similar I'm thinking.

good luck working on it, always a good day lol

Hah! 32 bit OS! And look sir, Droids!

The Haltech F9 system I'm building requires DOS to run NATIVE with a Serial r-232 cable to connect it.

Blue tooth you say? Let me go grab my denture paint....

lol dear lord. Even megasquirt got with the times and put a USB plug on there...

Haha holy crap! I have the option to get a Haltech E6k with S4 turbo harness for $800 but I'd rather go with a cheaper option so I can get the car up and running quicker. I'll eventually go with a standalone but the 2.1 Rtek will be fine for now.

Denture paint :lol:

USB would make the most sense to me of any of the options for connectivity.

Just to prove that the car is truly mine, and this is the first time I've seen the car in a long while:
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361497340

Current mileage:
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361497731

Current interior shot:
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361497358

Got the gas tank out of the car and will be bringing it home to get it ready for the TII swap. Only took me 20 minutes total to get it out :icon_tup:
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361497358

I got my wiring for my amplifier install (battery will be relocated as well).
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361497358

Here's how I left the car tonight, found my interior car cover and left the 83 LE seats next to the car - not sure if I want them installed or not yet.
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361497358

Will be fixing the rust (of course, wouldn't want to leave that sit!) with sheet metal, a MIG welder, and some POR 15.

Gas tank will be brought home to get ready for the FC fuel pump install and I'll plan it out from there.

It was nice getting to see my FB again and realize why I'm doing the swap, started to get overwhelming but it made me excited and ready for getting the project done :egrin:

Looking good. Don't get overwhelmed, just keep it simple and don't go crazy modding everything all at once and you'll be fine.

Also - research is always helpful, but reading too much will just confuse you. I'm definitely guilty of over reading and over planning out projects. Sometimes you just need to jump right in and get to it.

So what is your final plan, keep the FB suspension and use the SE front cover/oil pan method?

I've been told this as well, I have a tendency to over plan and over research sometimes and it can cause me to act like I know what I'm doing even though I don't have a clue!

Oh good Lord, I am still undecided as of right now. I'd really like to go full TII swap with the front subframe, steering, brakes, hubs, rims, etc. but I'm looking at selling the TII shell as well. I'm going to be listing it up here soon. I'll add a link to it soon.

If someone will buy the complete rolling shell from me for a decent price I'll do that. If not, I'll do the whole TII brake conversion as well and be done with it all.

Oh, decisions decisions.

haha I've got the same car cover :D

I daily use mine. As I don't trust my parking lot at work! :squint: Or UV for that matter.

I hope it doesn't rain! Mine is like a bedsheet with no protection, but I just use it while it's in storage.

Pics of current progress. I took apart the gas tank and am letting it air out and drain outside for a day or two.

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361678869

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361678869

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361678869

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361678869

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361678869

And what's in the black bag you may wonder? Soon...:egrin:

So my question now is - is my tank baffled??

There is a metal sheet separating the tank in half from about the snow line in the first pic, almost in half. Just curious, I'll be doing the splash cup no matter what.

Gad dam, dood. Ur a badass.

I would NOT be out airing out my gas tank when it was embedded in a snow bank!

Use acetone to dry the tank faster. And DAMN that is a CLEAN tank. (I'm used to dealing with some rusty ass tanks.)

Nope I watch the weather like a hawk with myt cover. It keeps the leaves out of the crevases and the UV off of my dash. and it does breath so it won't hold water to the car causing cancer. ;)

After you can't feel your fingers or hands anymore its fine :lol:

Yeah, I was EXTREMELY excited to see how clean the tank was upon removal of the parts. There is no debris in there, no rust to speak of, no holes - in pretty much perfect condition so it will be awesome for the build.

I'll be getting an outdoor cover soon hopefully since I don't like leaving my baby outside in the sun or weather either. But I'll put up a car port type thing in the driveway this summer though to help with that :icon_tup:

Well, today wasn't too productive. I got home and found a package on my bed with my new (to me, not new at all :lol:) Palm m515.

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1361836619

I was actually able to get the device to HotSync to my Windows 7 64 bit Home Premium laptop within 15 minutes of searching. I came upon these two helpful links:64 Bit Windows USB drivers for Palm Desktop which refers the user to this link to get the actual drivers 64 bit USB Windows Driver for Palm/Garnet OS

So now I don't have to have a 32 bit Windows XP or earlier computer, I can use my regular computer and record data logs and such instead of having to run Virtual Machine (I'd have to upgrade my Windows version) or using a different computer. Pretty successful evening I'd say :nod:

Damn I tried everything I could find to get my 64bit to sync with my M505 and it wouldn't work... Oh well it's done now as long as I keep the battery charged in the palm...

Yeah that is a clean tank man, take good care of that one! Surprisingly, given how rusty the rest of my cars were the inside of my tanks were good too, guess it's because they both saw regular use and didn't sit much... The outside of the tanks were crap, but nothing a sandblaster couldn't fix. Just make sure you flush it out with water a few times so anything flammable is gone before you start cutting on that thing :)

Yeah, I've done these kinds of things quite a bit and it was still difficult to go from serial to USB and get the correct driver installed, then get it to HotSync with the computer. I'm tempted to do a How To writeup in the Rtek section in case there isn't one already. I think it would be much more convenient, easy, and would help promote the ECU by helping to make it look less outdated.

I think that's the key here as well - it didn't sit much and was used regularly and appropriately. The tank is mint on the outside too, another reason I love having a low-mileage car :nod:

I'll start cutting into it within the next week here as I'm going down to visit an 89 FC in a junkyard to possibly get the fuel pump sending unit if it's still in the car. They also have a 99 4x4 Sportage so I may get the 4.44 or 4.78 LSD gear ratio as well - we will see :icon_tup:

Tomorrow I'm making a 4 hour parts run and will post my findings on here when I'm finished :egrin:

One thing that I don't think is mentioned often about the FC in tank mod is that the S4 pump hanger is preferable since it's the correct height. S5's have larger tanks and the pump hanger is a bit too tall. It can be made to work without much hassle, but the S4 is easier if you can find one.

The mounting ring and baffle can be cut out of any FC tank, that is all the same.

Que??

Sportage 4x4's use a compatable diff?