Now i know there's been a few renesis swaps before into first gens, but I'm going the extra kilo

I will be swapping the entire drivetrain: motor, trans, stock ecu, subframes, diff, driveshaft, full suspension, hubs, everything. Its basically an rx8 with an fb body...

Why?
1.I got a running rx8 shinka for dirt cheap, ill be running under stock power, stock everything pretty much so itll be "reliable"

2. Its new, no rust, corrosion or brittle plastic to worry about, or caked on oil filth. it has about 80k miles

3. more power than a 13b, even with a master rebuild and coil packs, it's gonna be cheaper than trying to source a bunch of used parts from an fc, and 12a parts are horribly expensive

4. everything i would want to mod is already there, lightweight flywheel, oil coolers, ram air, torsen lsd, carbon driveshaft, massive brakes, its basically a racecar already

so here it goes






interior was stripped out so we got right in to pulling the motor








sold the motor that same day, had around 79k on it


















Just for kicks, these are 15x8 +0. I'll probably run 16s

 

prepping for seam welds







spot welded the door seals





got some headers and a midpipe cat delete for the renesis, I know they offer no power gains but they were basically free






not sure why its sideways but here we're paint stripping

 

cut off the front bumper shock support









with some help the rx8 tear down took about 2 days












the dash was very close to just fitting right up













the rx8 irs rear subframe curves down right in front of the axle much like the rx7, so itll be much easier than trying to fit say, a miata irs

 

 

Nice....

 

Sweet!

 

wow, i can't imagine tackling a project such as this...awesome. keeping an eye on this one.

btw, may want to ask a mod to move this to the build thread section.

 

Awesome. Gonna keep an eye on this

 

This is awesome! I was strongly considering doing the same route until I started getting FC parts left and right at a reasonable price. REALLY looking forward to seeing how this one turns out. Nice work so far!

 

fb tails are pricey, since these were faded out i just pulled off the covers to see what i could cook up.





not a bad look but the edges needed some trim





the lenses popped right off so I adhered them with some rtv








1/16" ABS plastic works great for stuff like this








They kinda have a period correct look, reminds me of an 86

 

The throttle had some play in it, which is strange since its sensor driven







I found the pedal attachment point had a lateral gap and the dowel it sat on was too small






a copper shim worked great, but time will tell if the pastic holds up







I also made a cylindrical shim for the dowel









also got an intake, probably wont see any performance gains but it'll free up some space as the stock filter was massive

 

If you're going to be running the RX8 MAF, that intake is definitely going to be a performance decrease. RX8 MAF is extremely sensitive and is affected badly by turbulent air. Needs a long straight section of intake piping and/or air straightener fins.

Awesome build though! Can't wait to see how it turns out

 

Retrofit the factory Rx8 or S2000 intake system and run front ducting to guide air as needed to your intake/radiator/oil coolers, etc.

 

I like how the dash looks in the fb

 

Nice, I'm putting my chair over there by the door so I can watch how this goes.

 

I got some work done on the door panels, since im using full rx8 wiring i decided to utilize the power door locks and handles, the actuator almost bolts right up!



I also cut out some rust on the doors and frame

 

 

Cool stuff, I will gladly take the left taillight cover off you if you still have it.

How are you mounting the rear subframe??

 

the covers kinda shattered when i was washing the car, thats why i didnt use them.
not sure about the rear yet, im trying to keep original as much as possible but i may have to hack it up a bit

 

This is going to be an interesting build, subscribed!

I can't begin to count the number of times I thought about making a cart like that to set the body on for my build... I still might.

 

Is the wheel base the same between the two cars? What about the shifter to rear end distance?

Looks like a somewhat doable project.

 

the rx8 turret is further back but so is the dash so i may just move back the seating position. driveshaft is too long and will have to be retubed.

 

its been a busy summer but i managed to get the subframes tacked on, the rx8 hubs are about 3" wider but with a little trimming they fit right up in the stock locations















I cut out some more rust on the front fenders, all that remains is some water damage on the floor pan

 

 

Now i can start fitting up the motor, transmission, brake lines and driveshaft. It wont be strong enough to sit under its own weight until i get the cage in, but its essentially a rolling shell