S5 Swap into S4, or Fix the Frame?
 

Hey guys, so I'm trying to get back into working on my RX-7, after it took me so long to get it on the road, I crashed it after just two days, thanks to rain, tiredness, bald tires, and bad excuses for crappy driving.

So what I've got for RX-7 parts, are:

1990 RX-7 GTU with some slight frame damage to the front left side of the car, no mechanical damage whatsoever, car still runs and drives straight. Only real problem is that the headlights don't work, and my coolant reservoir got smashed, but everything else is fine on the car.

1988 RX-7 GXL with no motor, and no dashboard inside, just a steering wheel. It has a transmission, and it is apparently a 'special' model that came with 5-lug hubs, an aluminum hood, 2+2 seating, and a Limited Slip Diff.

So, my dilemma here is that, I've been told that to swap my S5 motor and the entirety of it's ecu and harness is one incredibly difficult job. I'm not sure whether I should save up and get my frame straightened on my S5, or try and do the swap into the S4. I'm about to start my research on the swap, see what I can dig up, but any suggestions would be great, thank you guys very much.

Should I come to a decision, I will start an actual build thread. I would like to make a circuit/autocross car with some breathing and miscellaneous goodies to have fun in, and possibly to be my daily driver.

I'd think the motor swap would be much simpler than any sort of frame repair.

definitely the easier of the two if you are not used to fixing that sort of thing.

I will say though since it is only the nose of the car, you could always cut off the nose of your car and tube frame it, Relatively straight forward and is very cheap if you can weld. This also allows ease of installation and movement of your front cooling pieces radiator/ oil cooler/ intercooler, and gives a very easy v mount set up if you ever want one. Not to mention way more protection to these systems as well.

edit: forgot it is was a 6 port, still a possible fix just obviously will not need a v mount :D
also cutting the front nose off the vehicle will most likely in your states eyes mean the car is technically totaled.

After rereading the first post, I'm now wondering what this "frame damage" is.
Real damage wouldn't leave the car driving straight, checking the alignment would be a quick way to tell.

With a smashed reservoir and non-functional lights, I'd guess there's more "support" damage than anything else. Most of the sheetmetal forward of the radiator is pretty flimsy and not structurally important (except to the components bolted to them).

Let's see some pictures of the damage.

i'd be tempted to fix the body, as its swap headlight/frame support/etc and paint

swapping EVERYTHING else over isn't hard, its remove from S5 and put on S4, simple, its just a HUGE job as you will end up swapping almost EVERYTHING and there is a lot of stuff

Well, I was thinking about this, I'm just worried about the work needed to be done for the swap, although I am more than willing to do it if necessary.

Hahaha, so are you saying I should just cut off the front ends?

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/...20449559_n.jpg

This is a picture of the car after the accident almost 1 year ago. Also, by "frame" damage, I basically mean it only got a wrinkle spot. This all looks really bad, but I did still get the drive it, and the wheel was in the same place. Although, I badly needed an alignment, so my wheel is/was on an angle originally.

I'm incredibly tempted to fix the frame, but I have not experience in body work, I was more leaning towards getting a shop to do it

Also, just to add, that was a TII hood I had bought after, it was steel, and my car was not a TII

it would probably cost a body shop more to fix that then go and pick up a turbo car. I would swap everything out of that and keep the chassis if you ever plan on making a track car, otherwise that is a ton of work to fix if you want it back to stock and it is probably not worth it.

Haha, I was worried I'd hear someone say that :P oh well, I guess I'll be swapping the S5 stuff over to the S4 then. Thank you very much for the input, I'll start a proper build thread when I can start the process.

actually looking at that pic, it seems like the frame is buckled all the way back to the drivers door, so its not really an easy fix.

sell the scoop off the hood though, those are $$$$$$$$

Actually, that's just the fender that buckled, underneath, it's all fine, I peeled it away a little bit and it all looks fine, nothing irregular

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...f77c8d2706.jpg


So this will be the donor car, it is an S4 with many parts available for salvaging.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...762290135a.jpg


This is the car that I damaged, very obviously, although it doesn't look anywhere near as bad now, and there is no structural damage, a little bit of rad support damage and the bumper section was shifted a little aside from the obvious driver's side headlight area damage, but aside from this, not too bad, frame is still straight

And so, in this very old old thread, I am terribly sorry this took so long, but now the project continues.