88 Rx-7 --- V6 (Help)
 

I have a 88 Rx-7 When I got this car I didn't know there was gonna be so much work involved in this as I have did other motor swaps b4 okay I got the motor in the car and mounted securely the motor and tranny are in the car the motor is a 3.8 liter Chevy V6... Okay so don't flame I bought the car like this... but i Woulda took tohe rotary out anyways anyways back to what i'm getting at heres the steps I know for sure I have to do can anybody else please help me if I miss anything...

1) Get driveshaft built $150 - $300
2) Strip underneath the hood almost completely
3) Relocate Radiator (Will Stock Radiator Cool A V6???
4) Install Electric Fans Disregard clutch fan
5) run fuel line
6) run vacuum lines
7) Relocate Battery (Trunk)


What Else Should Be Done Like I Said The Motor And Tranny Is In The Car Already Just Gotta Get It Going I Will Probably Need Extensive Help With This Project Everything I Have Read About The Swap Has Been A Nightmare

Is it going to be Carbureted or fuel injected?

this car will be carbureted sorry I didn't clarify that b4

I also see your in N GA me too lol maybe we could meet up sometime and ride or who knows you might be helpful maybe you could come help me do this haha anyways if you know where rossville is you know where i am

can anybody please help me with this or know of a walk through with a step by step tut somebody has made i really wanna get this car on the road i love it to death... i would really like to get some good advice.... and what about advice as far as the driveshaft is there any way i could modify my own driveshaft... it doesn't have to be balanced at this time i will buy the right 1 for the car when i have a chance but i would like to modify my own for the time being and just to say i made that haha

okay so... I'm not getting to much help with my project... I'll brb I'm gonna go outside and post pics of what has been done so far keep in mind i have not did anything to this car and any help would really be appreciated thanks in advance everyone "That actually helps out, or tries to anyways" I would really love to get this car on the road...

okay here are some pics just got them uploaded the car still has everything under the hood as of now i haven't started stripping it out yet please give some advice as to what i should do what i should take out and where to relocate what thanks in advance

sorry for the ginormous pics

http://www.fileupyours.com/files/284...ture%20011.jpg
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anybody on this site have any pointers or anything i need some help please and whats the easiest waya bout gettin a working driveshaft

okay so my interior lights don't come on i checked the fuse and its fine i checked the bulbs and there fine to what else would cause this to happen... also what would be the best kind of shifter to use when i bought the car the was no shifter in the just a open hole in the floor this car was originally 5 speed but will be auto for now

Dude, those pics aren't big enough.

Props for this though. It's gonna sound NASTY when you're done!

1) Get driveshaft built $150 - $300

Yep. Get one built... at a driveshaft shop. You'll need to bring in flanges at least. My driveshaft shop was able to get me a brand new flange for the diff when I swapped in a TII trans and used the NA rear end. If you have both driveshafts, they can possibly weld the 2 together, provided you give them a proper length.

2) Strip underneath the hood almost completely

Yep, do that too. You'll need to ditch the PS and AC stuff, then get a PS pump from the chevy engine you just dropped in, then make custom lines. A hydraulic shop can help you there, just once again though, you'll need the overall length and fittings for both ends so they know what they have to make. If you don't want power steering, then TRY to find a manual steering rack. They're hard to come by though. If you want AC, you'll have to use the Chevy compressor and make more custom lines.

3) Relocate Radiator (Will Stock Radiator Cool A V6???

Yes, the Rx7 radiator is pretty decent actually.

4) Install Electric Fans Disregard clutch fan

Yes. This is easy, as there are kits you can buy from any parts store for this. It comes with a temp probe and all necessary wiring.

5) run fuel line

Pretty easy, but you've got to get a regulator that can drop the pressure sufficiently. See, the FC has a fuel pump made for an EFI system, and it'll overpower the carburetor, which should be at like 4-6 psi. Not 40-50.

6) run vacuum lines

Ok, sure. But how many vacuum lines are there for this really? Brake booster, and MAYBE cruise control if you plan on using it.

7) Relocate Battery (Trunk)

A better place would be the storage bin behind your seat. You can run the positive cable centerline, then through the shifter hole, straight to the starter. Make a junction box where the stock cables were for jump starts.



There really aren't any writeups for this. Just do it. It should be similar to installing a SBC, so search for that, and go from there.

You posted a picture of oil cooler lines, I think. Don't worry about them. They were for the 13b, not necessary for the v6.

wow nobody offers help well thanks AGreen you provided alot of info i already checked on getting a driveshaft built for it.... but i was thinkin if they can weld it so can I.... so how would i go about welding a driveshaft together this car isnt gonna be a performance car anytime soon so i just wanna be able to cruise with it nothing major i might light em up a time or 2 but could somebody give me an idea about how i could weld the driveshaft together and get it as balanced as possible

Terrible idea. Get it done professionally, or you'll suffer some SERIOUS vibrations unless you know exactly what you're doing. If you get the u-joint phasing off, it'll shake itself apart in a hurry. That being said, you need to make sure that the driveline is in the same plane as the pinion. Otherwise, you'll eat up u-joints and possibly differential and output shaft bearings.

As for the shifter, you'll want to use the shifter from whatever car it came from. You'll probably have to make some custom brackets for it to work if it's automatic.

And for the interior lights, you just need to grab a wiring schematic for it and trace back power and ground. It's probably something unplugged when the previous owner pulled the car apart.

Like I said before, this is entirely custom work that you're going to have to take responsibility for. I don't think anyone's put a buick (it is buick, right?) engine in an FC before, at least that I know of. So you're pretty much on your own. I know it's a little overwhelming. I'm trying to put a 13b in a 1994 Mazda pickup. A little more difficult than I thought it would be :D

Good luck with your project though.

No, this is a Chevy motor its a 4.3 i do believe but i could be wrong I'm really not sure the v6 is just a temp motor anyways i will be putting a v8 or 2jz motor(If i get my hands on 1) in the car but everything is going to be the same going from the v6 to the v8 or should be very close anyways I've been striping under the hood more earlier today I'll finish tomorrow with that but here's a couple problems the car has...

Well my headlights come on but the headlights don't raise up like there supposed to and as far as I can tell everything is hooked up correctly I will use a multi meter and find out if the power wire has any power tomorrow

Interior lights don't work and as far as i can tell nothing is unhooked but I'll go back over that tomorrow as well

Brake lights parking lights and turn signals are also not functional as of now not sure what the reason for that would be though lmao

Sunroof hangs up when you try to open and close it, i think its because of the build up on the tracks though I will clean it and grease it and see how things work out

ohhh and ummm i have a question....


the other day i was looking at the car and ummm well its sitting funny the driver side is higher than the passenger side but the shocks don't feel worn out when i push up and down on it are they adjustable or what or am i gonna have to dump more money in it :)) well when i get the money for it kinda broke around here so this project is gonna take a while lol.

if anybody has some input let me know whats up any advice is well appreciated thanks in advance everybody

What are you using for ignition, did the engine come with a stock distributor? Having a carb and distributor is gonna make this install a hell of a lot easier then wiring in a standalone ECU. I would worry about the big things like getting the car running and moving before putting time into tracing interior lights...

So to expand on your list, your fuel system will need a carbureted fuel pump, and a carb regulator. You can probably re-use the stock lines if they're still there, just get them plumbed into the carb and the return back to the tank.

Don't bother trying to weld a drive shaft, that's retarded. Slight imbalances cause crazy amounts of vibration, if you have to ask, you shouldn't do it.

It almost sounds like you're in a little over your head here. This is not an easy thing to do, and you won't find someone with a "walk-through" step by step, you need to figure out the problems you have and fix them one at a time.

So which engine is it, a 4.3 or a 3.8? You said the transmission is already in there, which transmission is it?

If it's the 4.3 then it's the exact same motor as a chevy 350. GM just whacked off 2 cylinders. This makes installation alot easier, and you could probably follow a generic installation guide for any SBC.

As trots stated, worry about getting it running first. If the transmission is a TH350 or similar, then it'll be easy for a driveshaft shop to customize your current Rx7 driveshaft. Use whatever shifter came from the transmission too. It looks like you have a regular GM HEI distributor, so the stator, pickup, and ignitor is all bundled inside. So pretty much all you'll have to do is find a wiring diagram for THAT distributor and see how it gets wired. Probably all you'll need is power, ground, and a signal wire going to a coil. There's also probably an output for a tach signal as well. Since the Rx7's fuel pump is internally mounted, it'd be easiest to find a FPR that can drop the pressure down enough to where the carb can handle it. Just ask some of the guys that drop carb'd SBC's in their cars how they did it. There is never just one way, so in your case, choose the EASIEST way. Once you have fuel and spark, cooling, a driveshaft, and a shiftable transmission, it should be driveable really. Hell, even the stock wiring for the Rx7's starter should work with yours, unless it's on the wrong side and you have to extend some wires.

Then you can worry about changing out the springs, because worn out shock absorbers (unless badly damaged) will not cause the car to sag.

okay well i dont know the springs feel fine as far as bouncing the car but the passenger side sits lower and every since i noticed it its driving me crazy... but what i really need help with right now is getting all my interior lights, headlight motor, tail lights and turn signals to work lol i don't have the money for a drive shaft yet so im sorta stuck i gotta get a couple gaskets too i'll be working on this project little by little i appreciate all the help everyone has given me if anyone has any imput on doin things let me know all advice is appreciated

if somebody has some pictures of there swap could you please pm me for my email and send me some pics so i can compare what i have done to what i have to do...

also i have a question... how am i supposed to put a air filter on this beast.... does it have to stick out the hood =)) I can make a vent but i would rather not if there is a way around if i want it to be stock looking ya know i love the look of the FC

fuses are all good and as far as i can tell nothing is shorted out but i don't know this is my first FC

So, is this a 3.8 or a 4.3? I can't see the pics, but I've done a 3.8L and a 4.3L swap, and to me, its definately worth it to keep it fuel injection. Better hood clearance too.

I think you should get the wiring diagram, and find your lighting loads, and then find your main relay, and trace them together. Headlights run on a totally different circuit than all of the other systems. Just about everything else is going to find a power source through the main relay.

Its probably time you get very, VERY intimate with your vehicles wire harness.

yeah so i got the service manual from pdftown.com and the wiring diagram sucks it has a seperate diagram for everything its sorta confusing anybody got any better wiring diagrams for my FC :(

wow ummm any help here and could somebody help me with something.... if you have allot of wiring experience could you please pm me i need help with something on my car thanks in advance

can anybody help me out with the wiring on this car I just need to ask a few questions I can go from there

where exactly is A-2-1-S-B

and where exactly does is all the connectors located in the car I need to test for all the Interior Lights and the Brake Lights Reverse Lights Parking Lights Storage Lights Glove Box Lights Dome Lights Dash Lights Etc...