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Need tips on buying a V8 RX7...

Old 11-24-12, 04:08 PM
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Need tips on buying a V8 RX7...

I'm looking to purchase a 93+ RX7 with a V8 swap.
Looking at LS1-LS7, not really too interested in steel block engines.
Pretty need to know what to look for when purchasing and what a good price range would be. I know it's hard to to answer but a ballpark would be nice.
Old 11-24-12, 10:07 PM
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If it has a V6 engine in it,walk away...(good tip for ya!).
You do realize there is a whole section on this Type of car and that you can read up on info,right?
But,let's see where this goes.Thread approved.(no flames guys.)
Old 11-24-12, 11:13 PM
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TX Dont



unless you want to be this guy^^^^^^^
Old 11-25-12, 09:14 AM
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Honestly, that is one of those things in which you shouldn't be in the market if you don't know what to look for. There is no standard modification method for swapping a V8 into a car that was never intended for that engine, so there is no telling how good or bad of a job was performed by the "mechanic" unless you have a good background in that field. Likewise, I don't think that any of the mechanics on this forum would be able to transfer the wealth of their information on this subject in a simple forum post, although I guess we will see if any of them can at least give you some pointers. It has been my experience that most of the V8 conversions were performed by ignorant wanna-be mechanics who did not want to rebuild their blown rotary engine, or by broke mechanics who figured it would be cheaper to swap in that old V8 they had sitting on the garage floor rather than rebuild the rotary engine. I have seen a couple of well-built V8 RX-7, but those are pretty rare. My financial advice is to not purchase such a car, but rather buy one that is mostly unmolested and can be accurately inspected by your local dealership. Some similar used cars would include the Corvette, Supra, and the Z-cars, or if you just really like V-8s then there is always the good old Camaro and Mustang that you can buy for cheap.
Old 11-25-12, 06:36 PM
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Sounds kinda dangerous Gerald m. Remember the v8 Mustang 11 ? I had one for a bit Now there was a rolling coffin if there ever was . 302 v8 and wouldn't be surprised if they weren't a tad lighter than a 7 and maybe even smaller but not road friendly at all. I recall well there were kids getting killed every weekend in the mustang 11 .. They went like nuts and started to hover about 110 MPH .
Old 11-25-12, 06:48 PM
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Leave a rotary in it will work just fine.
Old 11-25-12, 07:04 PM
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Rotary vs V8. Man, I love both engines ! Can't someone put a transverse engine in Front & rear. Maybe the V8 Northstar in back & somehow a Rotary in Front-transverse. lol
Old 11-25-12, 07:26 PM
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I love the styling of the FD, but I don't have the time to keep dealing with rotary problems. A stock ls1 is reliable, simple and puts out more power. To each his own.
Old 11-26-12, 03:06 PM
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To answer your original question. What too look for is pretty much anything you would look at on a swapped car. Take a good test drive and have a good look at the install from the top and underside of the car.

As far as price, there is really a huge range depending on what you are getting. I'd say around $15K or less for one that will need a lot of work up to $30K for a really nicely done car. I would expect to pay between $20-25K for a nicely done car that you can just buy and drive with no worries.
Old 11-27-12, 05:44 PM
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there are multiple selling on another rx7 forum that are very well done for 20-25k
Old 11-27-12, 05:45 PM
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Any build that has a cobra diff and hinson or samberg components are normally well done. NOt always, but most of the time.
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