airman90

iTrader: (2)

Sounds good bro

mrecoolgar

Yeah, after 10 months it's now in the garage.
:woo-hoo:

mrecoolgar

I tried my 68 Cougar wheels on the RX7 today.
And they fit.
Front 245/40/18 on a 18x8.0 wheel.
Rear 275/35/18 on a 18x9.0 wheel.

MacLuiz

iTrader: (1)

Wow, never seen this type of swap,hope it goes good and post up videos of her runing!

tbleezy

nice looking 7

mrecoolgar

Test fit reveals R&P in the way.
If the R&P was 2-3 inches lower it may be good to go.
I can replace the sway bar with a custom made unit.
Sway bar is directly below the lower rad hose outlet.
And engine needs to come forward about 2 inches.
May have to add a boss 429 style scoop to the hood as well.

olie05

nice hybrid project!

RL20zero1

very interesting, good luck with the swap!

mrecoolgar

I removed the sway bar and dropped the R&P.
Front of engine now sits lower.
Oil pan is 8" off the ground on a cinder block.
I will replace the cinder block with about 5" of wood support.
This will lower the engine another 3".
Finale location will depend on drive shaft angle.
The subframe mounts the sway bar, R&P, the lower A-arms and ties the frame rails together.
The front center of the subframe should be modified (dropped) to allow engine to drop more.
Or I may have a subframe made by the guy who made the suspension system for my 1968 Cougar.

mrecoolgar

Dropping the R&P should be ok.
Notice the tie rod end has a drop.
The opposite can be done thus raising the ball joint.
Just need to find the right one or have a custom one made.

mrecoolgar

I found an easy way to remove the egr mount and boss runner.
Take it to a machine shop.
It took me 3 hours or so with a cut off wheel, hack saw and a bare hack saw blade.
Maybe a grinder would work better.
I removed the timing cover and the metal backing plate.
Both need cut for clearance.
And thanks to offroadsho and his 1/2" intake risers the intake is in place.




Now if only the oil pan wouldn't occupy the same space as the R&P.

DRPUCH59

that motor looks proper! keep the pics going

Drift_Ace

loving this unfamiliar project keep it coming!

holiday63

interesting build. good luck

Teriyakibbs

Oh boy

liberty

different is good in my book

mrecoolgar

Looks like the R&P will have to stay where it is.
If I could move the engine rearward 2 or 3" that would be ideal.
But I don't want to modify the firewall or climate system.
So the engine needs to come up about 3".
And that means the intake will be 3" higher than shown here.
A tall hood scoop will be needed.

mrecoolgar

Screech............ time for a new unibody.



But lets back up a bit.
Engine with trans fits fine but.
Shifter mount hits tunnel and causes oil pan to not clear subframe.
So I will be modifying the subframe prior to the next test fit.

Meanwhile, I had a chance to replace my less than perfect drivers door and fender.
Then a better top became available.
This prompted me to remove all body panels and address broken bolts and look for rust.
Rust was found in the trunk, under the carpet and underbody.
Some I knew about, others not.






A rust free body from FL. :woo-hoo:
This move eliminates a bunch of problems.
So first I need to unclutter my garage and get the body back together.
Then subframe mod followed by third test fit.

butters149

loving the progress so far

sam.holfeltz

thats sick

.:Yoshii:.

welcome!

mrecoolgar

Stock 5.0 flywheel.
5.0 Clutch but not sure which type.
New body time, out with the old.

New body time, in with the new.
Looks about the same.

mrecoolgar

Here are the same non rusty areas in the new car.

mrecoolgar

And floor to rocker rust in the old car.
It's worse than it appears and had been quick repaired once.

mrecoolgar

Here are the accel, brake and clutch pedal assemblies.
Compare to the original unpainted brackets.
I sandblasted all, installed new bumpers and regreased all.
I also chased and oiled all threads.
I used Spray Gray on the brackets and cleared the aluminum pedals.
The accel pedal is steel and was black but I decided to clear it.