Hello,

Is there anyone on this board that's either in the process of putting one together or has a running one which they have put together? I would like to go this direction for my next build and would love to pick your brain for a bit.

Thanks,
Khiz

 

Check out the V-8 section: V-8 Powered RX-7's - RX7Club.com

Are you planning to use an LSX376 or LSX454?

It looks like GM updated the LSX recently: Stronger LSX

Is this for street or track, and are you building for the dragstrip? The cast-iron LSX block is about twice the weight of the aluminum LS1 or LS2 blocks. It looks like the block is capable of handling 2,000 HP: 2,000 Horsepower Chevy LSX Block - Hot Rod Magazine

 

Hey thanks for your reply. I have been going through those posts. I am trying to see if i can get a hold of someone local who is or has gone through the process. I'm looking more into the Do's and Don't, what they would have done different, shipping, vendors used etc.

 

Try “ paul_3rdgen “ on here, over the years he has pioneered most of the Do’s and Don’ts with this swap.....what’s wrong with the rotary engine?

 

Don't do it! It's going to be too heavy up front and is going to be slow

 

Don't do it Khiz.

Buy my FB instead!

 

I have a LSX-RX7 (FD).

You can message me if you want. Rather than get into this discussion about 'slow' or anything else, you can message me privately.

real1st

 

Real slow

 

Another great site is www.norotors.com

 

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the input. I don't really want to get into the argument of which is better. I have done enough research and at the end i can honestly say that it comes down to preference. You can make power and have a blast both ways.

khiz

 

Khiz.

Having experienced both, must agree with rx7rocks, your car can be real slow when your seals on a rotary need to be replaced every 10k. It runs even slower when you need to find a reputable shop for repairs. And when you do, the thought of your rx7 will make you feel better about having to work even more to pay for the higher repair bills.

The real positive is that more people who try and deter you will continue to have their shops, where you can rebuild your engine every couple years.

Take comfort in knowing you will get your chance to pay their bills

Just a thought.

 

Neither is "better". They're both a tool performing a task.

Do whatever pleases you, it's your car.

-Geoff

 

It really does just come down to preference. Those who bash the rotary and call it unreliable just have no idea what they are doing. I've owned a rotary since 2007 and have had no problems even when I daily drove one. If the ls engine is what you want I would go aluminum block for sure though. Either way, both options have their pros and cons and both will empty the bank account.

 

Every 10k for apex seals? You have no idea what your talking about. High repair bills? FD..enough said. Which is why most RX7 owners know how to fix them themselves. You want a cheap car to just do what its got to do? Thats not an RX7. They require constant care and attention. NA rotaries can last just as long as some piston engines..200-250 000kms.
Turbo? Yeah...if it was treated properly and maintained 200k easy. FD? idk.

Oh look at this crazy german rotatey thingy engine I'm too lazy to read up and understand it. Lets do a V8 swap!

 

LOL.....

 

I think the joke was lost on you.

This was a sarcastic reply due to the V8 haters.

-Geoff

 

Mike bought that Red RHD FD from Greg a while back. That thing was fast. Pauls car is fast.

But on a serious note, c5 vettes are SO cheap down in the US (relatively speaking). Why not just pick that up and drive it? or a 911. Scrap that. Buy a 911.

 

Apex seals that need to be replaced every 10k, what an idiot. My 20b is approaching that. Maybe I should do a rebuild by your logic. Oh wait, my last 13b went 60k of hard track abuse @ ~450 rwhp and there was nothing wrong with when i pulled it out. That engine went to DGRR 4-5 times, spent 3 months in Florida and made a few visits there after that too including the Florida keys, has been to Chicago, has been to Ocean City.

V8 debates are idiotic. If your dumb and don't want to learn something new, don't buy a fucken RX-7 in the first place and act like an arrogant ***** when people don't like your bastard car that should have never happened.

If you want to complain about the shops, that's fine. Ontario is useless in regards to true high performance rotary shops.

thewird

 

Hey guys I think we are getting off track here. I did not start this post to start trashing people and their cars. Like i said before this is purely a preference decision. You can't trash a rotary for what its capable of and the same goes for the LSX swaps. Let's try to keep the replies mature and not something posted by a 14year old sitting in his parents basement.

 

I agree it's personal preference. I've had my FD since 1996 and I'm planning on doing an LSx swap for a change of pace. I love my FD and I also happen to love Chev's so I'm pretty comfortable with my decision.

 

Its not off track. People comin in here bashing rotaries hmm last time I checked this is RX7club right? Not no rotors. The RX7 is not an RX7 without a wankel. With a V8 its just a wanna be muscle car.
I have absolutely no problem with V8s especially Chevys..I've built a few myself but Id rather put it in the same brand of vehicle rather than wasting money doing a swap on a car that is what it is because of the rotary.

There are however good reasons for swapping..like people that have gone through 3+ engines. I mean at that point okay yeah its getting pretty costly and for the cost of 3 REWs you could have built several v8s.

But the people who have no idea what they're talking about and continually bash the rotary with 0 experience in them are gonna get what they deserve. That's when us rotorheads get defensive. You can't come on an enthusiast forum and talk **** about the reason why most of us love these cars.

 

Childish comments are appropriate here. There is a forum if you want to learn about bastardized cars freely http://www.norotors.com/



thewird

 

I didn't detect any sarcasm. I hate sarcastic people. Why use sarcasm to try to be funny? Same with passive agressive people..can't stand them either.
If he was sarcastic and does know what he's talking about then I apologize for my tone. But still come on we don't go on norotors talking **** about v8 swaps.

Lmao at the seal! People seem to forget that the majority of us are under 30..Yeah I'm immature I admit that and don't really care. When I have kids ill definitely be a different person.

 

rx7rocks: "Don't do it! It's going to be too heavy up front and is going to be slow"

In fact, the LS1/T56 is about the same weight as the 13B/Tranny. Especially when you consider the 'addons' for each engine, in the end the weight difference (if any) is negligible. For further reading on RX7Club on this section, where the myths and spectulation are fully discussed/debunked:

https://www.rx7club.com/v-8-powered-...weight-255423/

MazdaMike02: "Every 10k for apex seals? You have no idea what your talking about."

Actually I do. I along with others have had to rebuild/repair our engines when seals are needed to be replaced, even better is when you have a car rebuilt, and lackluster fashion, which results in an engine that needs to be 'fixed' right after.

MazdaMike02: "High repair bills? FD..enough said."

So you are not disputing what I said about that. At least you are showing some understanding of what I actually said (albeit a bit sarcastically).

Mazdamike02: "Which is why most RX7 owners know how to fix them themselves. You want a cheap car to just do what its got to do? Thats not an RX7. They require constant care and attention. NA rotaries can last just as long as some piston engines..200-250 000kms. Turbo? Yeah...if it was treated properly and maintained 200k easy. FD? idk."

So, what you are suggesting is that majority of RX7 owners, are capable of ripping apart their engine, rebuilding it themselves, and avoiding paying those fees? They KNOW how to fix it themselves? If so many people are able to do this, why are you in business fixing them for them? Why are specialty shops in business if this is so common? Your argument is not only fantasy, but illogical. The people, primarily who get 'offended' by any comments that promote LS swaps, are those who are in the business of fixing ROTARY engines. Look at this thread alone. Speaks volumes.

Again, a bit of researching found a good number of people who disagree with you. Those people, who have/had RX7's with rotary engines. Looking for RX7 FD's that are doing 200k-250k per rebuild were few and far between on RX7CLUB. I would love it, if you could please educate me on this, by providing any threads that even suggest or show this to be the case. Since my specific post was specific to FDs, since that was what I was talking about, I would love to see your documentation that suggests any of the rotaries in FDs are getting anywhere near 200k-250k per rebuild. I am certain you do not need me to show you the opposite, but to be thorough, I have provided one of many links below:

https://www.rx7club.com/other-engine...0-swap-728918/

thewird: "Apex seals that need to be replaced every 10k, what an idiot."

Clearly you did not catch onto my sarcasm, but regardless, let's evaluate your comments:

"My 20b is approaching that. Maybe I should do a rebuild by your logic."

Do me a favor, where did I say you should voluntarily rebuild your engine? My post was discussing the need to, do to problems.

"Oh wait, my last 13b went 60k of hard track abuse @ ~450 rwhp and there was nothing wrong with when i pulled it out. That engine went to DGRR 4-5 times, spent 3 months in Florida and made a few visits there after that too including the Florida keys, has been to Chicago, has been to Ocean City."

Your 'last 13b' went 60k. You decided to pull it (from your post that is what it implies). Tell me something, if you were buying a car, and the salesmen told you, "You should buy this car, its amazing! Look at those curves! It's a great sports car, but be sure to rebuild your engine every 60k (can be 70k, 80k, 90k, 100k)" Would you buy it? If you say yes, you are a fool. Reliability, that being not having engine failure every 100k (or less) is something someone should expect. To suggest I am wrong because I find something inherently wrong with an engine that needs a rebuild before 100,000KM shows that you may be drinking the koolaid a bit too much.

thewird: "V8 debates are idiotic. If your dumb and don't want to learn something new, don't buy a fucken RX-7 in the first place and act like an arrogant ***** when people don't like your bastard car that should have never happened."

So anyone who decides they want to have an LS in their RX7 is dumb. I understand. So, anyone who decides to change their RX7, that does not fit what you believe an RX7 to be, should not buy one? Your argument is very convincing. Using your logic, anyone who modifies the RX7 in anyway, is an idiot, a person who does not respect the 'soul' of it, and is creating a bastard car. If that is the case, the minute you changed your car from twin turbo to single, you ruined it. That would make you an idiot, and you should revert back to stock immediately, then sell it to someone who will appreciate it. I look forward to reading your sell post.


MazdaMike02: "People comin in here bashing rotaries hmm last time I checked this is RX7club right? Not no rotors."

RX7CLUB has a forum for V8's, clearly this site is looking for people who do not necessarily have a narrow view of what an RX7 is or can be.

MazdaMike02: "The RX7 is not an RX7 without a wankel."

I would love for you to show me where it says that an RX7 is not an RX7 without a wankel. Are you the leading authority on what determines what is and what is not an RX7?

MazdaMike02: " With a V8 its just a wanna be muscle car."

If putting an LS engine in the RX7 is a wanna be muscle car, what is it when you slap single turbos, every aftermarket part you can find, and anything that looks nothing like the engine when you bought it? You are speaking as though you are maintaining the original engine. Most times when you look at an RX7 (FD especially) the engine bay looks nothing like the original engine. You search RX7Club, you see 'going single' posts, sales, and discussions. If the rotary is so great the way it came, why change it? Show me in the manual where it says that a METH KIT is a recommended add-on for the RX7. I must have missed that fine print in the manual, perhaps I will go get mine, and break out my magnifying glass to find that part. For every insult about LS's as being foreign to the RX7, the same can be said about every aftermarket part that currently gets put into the car.

MazdaMike02: "There are however good reasons for swapping..like people that have gone through 3+ engines. I mean at that point okay yeah its getting pretty costly and for the cost of 3 REWs you could have built several v8s."

There we go. So you in fact agree with part of my comment, about costs, advantages of swapping, and reliability. Finally! We are getting somewhere.

MazdaMike02: "But the people who have no idea what they're talking about and continually bash the rotary with 0 experience in them are gonna get what they deserve. That's when us rotorheads get defensive. You can't come on an enthusiast forum and talk **** about the reason why most of us love these cars."

This is not a ROTARY enthusiast forum. It is a RX7 enthusiast forum. You keep mixing those up. You said I was bashing, in fact I was being a bit sarcastic to offset the ignorant comments made by others. You 'rotorheads' get defensive, that is great, as do people who have a different view than yours, and what exactly do you think they are 'going to get'. You think I am worried about being insulted? For every argument that is made, I can counter it just as easily. That is why this is about personal choice, the problem becomes when 'personal choice' is being hindered by comments that are ridiculous.


MazdaMike02: "I didn't detect any sarcasm. I hate sarcastic people. Why use sarcasm to try to be funny? Same with passive agressive people..can't stand them either."

Whether you can stand it or not, is not an issue. You appear to only like to read things that you agree with. The problem that happens on these forums is people take offence by anyone who disagrees with them. They resort to name-calling.

MazdaMike02: "If he was sarcastic and does know what he's talking about then I apologize for my tone. But still come on we don't go on norotors talking **** about v8 swaps."

I am happy for anyone who has THEIR CAR, any way THEY WANT. Just as I am free to do whatever the hell I want with my car, so is everyone else. The problem is, that anyone who suggests something different, all you get is stupid comments about 'weight difference' which is non-sense, or better yet, you get the 'soul argument,' which is nonsense.

MazdaMike02: "Lmao at the seal! People seem to forget that the majority of us are under 30..Yeah I'm immature I admit that and don't really care. When I have kids ill definitely be a different person."

I suggest you take a look on RX7CLUB, start tallying up the number of 'seal' threads. Then come back and talk about how ridiculous my simple point was.

In the end, I really do not care. The fact is, anyone who believes that a person should be able to rebuild their engines on their own, in order to qualify to PURCHASE a car is living in a dream land. One day if I choose to purchase a Porsche, your logic requires that I study every part of the car, learn how to do everything, so that I may never need to have service done by the manufacturer or anyone else. I hope that I am in a financial situation that I can quit my job, study the car, that I bought in essence to DRIVE not rebuild, so that I can meet your requirements.

The RX7 is a collection of parts. Many RX7's (FD especially) are made up of primarily aftermarket parts. So there is very little legitimacy in the argument of preserving the RX7 with a rotary. Any person on here that has an RX7 that has not been modified in anyway, that is completely stock from the factory, and if you were offended, I apologize. You are a true naturalist, a pioneer in maintaining the integrity of the RX7, otherwise I should not hear many complaints or insults. I can toss them back, citing countless RX7CLUB threads that disprove any illogical notions that are held.

If your RX7 is what you want, with the rotary, GREAT!~ Otherwise, when someone wants to try something different, it is their car, their business, and unless you have something positive to add, perhaps you can control yourself, rather than calling the car a bastard or anything else.

Before I go, because a big issue was made about how all RX7 owners should know how to fix their own cars, and that is so common that fees/costs can be avoided (although Mike already admitted that is not the case), a little tidbit, even Mazda, if you need work done on your car must call in a specialist. The almighty Rotary is so commonly fixed by average car owners, that they require an appointment with their specialist, to do any repairs (specifically the FD). Of course, this benefits shops who do the repairs on rotary engines.

As for anyone who thought insulting me, citing your extensive knowledge of RX7's and my apparent (perceived) lack of knowledge. You can rest assured, that I have been called worse, by better people

Have a nice day.

PS: Feel free to message me if you disagree with me. I love mail. Let's not ruin Khiz's thread.

 

I tend to go overboard with my feelings over v8 conversions because it truly makes me feel down when I see it or hear an rx7 is about to be converted. And I really get upset when people give their usual list of reasons for it blaming seals. I'm rotary all the way, it just makes me proud to run the car with spinning triangles.

Everyone seems to blame the seals when really every engine failure happens due to an external source. Pretty much all the failures can be attributed to the engine running lean for one reason or another. Proper maintenance would avoid the common issues. A common example is people never change their fuel filters.

Anyway, rotaries don't last less then 100k, that is a silly misconception. Of course people are gonna post when they have problems, they're hoping for a quick cheap fix. Nobody is gonna make a thread saying I'm just checking in to say how well my car is running this year. From my experience a typical FD on original engine will go 150,000 km on average. Older N/A's will typically go 200,000+ km. FD's have gone to 200,000 km but that time has gone as now every original engine is over 20 years sold sitting with old expired coolant (a standard maintenance item) and coolant seal failure is imminent on the ones that didn't receive coolant flushes. The big problem comes from the fact that these cars sit for years and are barely driven. How can you expect an engine to go high mileage if it spends most of its life parked in a garage? The coolant ages, the oil gets acidic, the iron parts of the motor begin to rust, and the injectors gum up.

And not that it matters, but the reason I pulled my engine @ 60k was because I had my 20b to put in it, not because there was anything wrong with the engine. But these 60k mean more then peoples 150k. That engine was basically a track engine, it probably saw around 50 track days of hard abuse through its life. Most piston engines would never last the same about of use on track.

Also, 50/50 weight with an LS doesn't mean anything. You can move weight around when you corner balance the car which anyone would have done if they can tell you the weights. The center of gravity is still forward which affects the real dynamic balance of the car, not what it says on the static scales. So yes, the weight balance argument is valid.

Ionno, these engines are so simple, its not even funny. All they need to be reliable is proper operating temperatures, oil pressure, and the correct amount of fuel going in. THATS IT. Its not rocket science. Hell, now (well, for a while now) you even have unbreakable seals which makes it even easier for the "clueless" owner.

thewird