DubSeth

iTrader: (3)

I was wondering if anyone had ever swapped a vr6 from volkswagen into an rx? I have a low mileage(36k) vr6 and I absolutely love the sound of a vr. I think it would be a pretty cool swap, what do you guys think? Yes, Im prepared to be flamed for being a vdub guy...

Toyotarx7

iTrader: (13)

IMO i think the VW would be a downgrade to the 13b. besides those crappy VWs are front wheel drive cars, you would have to do a lot of fab work to make it work in a RWD car. i wouldnt waste my time or money in dropping an engine like that in such an awesome car

DubSeth

iTrader: (3)

True, but with fabrication Im sure u could swap in the awd from an r32 or audi and lose the front diff? I just prefer the sound and not rebuilding as often aspects of the VR

Toyotarx7

iTrader: (13)

theres so many options u can chose from to be more reliable than a 13b,

-1jz/ 2jz ( my specialty )
- RB26DETT
- LS-x
- 20B
-VQ35 ( 350z )
-s2k motor

with those engines u can make more power, safely, reliable and with plenty of room to grow

12arotary.

non of these are sitting on his garage floor, unless you want to buy a 20b i'd say go for it, the vr6 is an interesting engine, quite compact

DubSeth

iTrader: (3)

Exactly my point, I already have one so y not?

mopar97

iTrader: (7)

you are going to end up spending thousands to get everything in ( if done right..) and you'll have a 170whp(maybe) rx7.... thats why i say no. but to each their own.

hondawill

that is not going to work like you are thinking with the fwd/awd trans. you are going to need to mount the engine in there and adapt some type of rwd trans to it.

12arotary.

rwd or fwd doesn't make a difference, he will need trans adapter plate regardless, but you need that with any other swap that isn't rotary

dream36realms

iTrader: (4)

no adapter plate needed if you convert a rwd motor tranny combo into the RX7. The only reason he would need one is for a FWD car to work. I say go for it. do some research to see if you can bolt up one of the truck trannies to it. Also measure to see if you can fit it under there and maintain the AWD option of the R32. that would be fun to play with.

geod919

If you were going to swap any VW engine, I would have to say go TDI.

Directfreak

iTrader: (2)

Just build this.



And make sure you use the Flexi-Grips like Mr. Garrison.

DubSeth

iTrader: (3)

Haha nice...but yea Idk if I feel comfortable with turning a rwd sports car into an awd bastard child lol but I am going to have to strip the car and rebuild it cuzi have to fix the floor pan so i figured while everything was out that would be a good time to think about fabricating for a new engine...What is another relatively cheap swap that has potential? and I'm not talking about dropping 5k on a 2jz lol

hondawill

Sorry guys i really don't believe that the motor is going to fit in the bay sideways like a fwd. it is going to have to be mounted longways. The awd setup is going to be like a fwd siting in the engine bay like an EVO and not like a rb26 skyline.

DubSeth

iTrader: (3)

So its impossible to position the engine "skyline style"?

StavFC

VR6 engines are nothing special N/A, but turbocharged they are awesome.

Revs to 7.5k and pushes out 500bhp+ with relative ease, very strong standard parts and big capacity means spooling big turbos is v.easy.

There are RWD ones around, usually using BMW gearboxes. Presume some kind of custom adapter plate.

In longditudal form, especially if you dont run the stock inlet manifold, they are VERY narrow too, just look like a normal straight six, but a bit shorter.

Its certainly something I would look in to over here, VR6 engines are peanuts, and the tuning parts/knowledge is huge.

In FWD form theres a fairly unremarkable but powerful VR6 turbo in a ordinary looking Mk3 Golf that has done 207mph in the standing mile already, so...

Heres a RWD turbo VR6-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33cRe_6ST9g

EDIT-
Here's the engine of the above Golf, see what I mean about how narrow etc it is. It may be effectively a V6, but in packaging and manifold terms, its more like a I6...

turbodrx7

iTrader: (43)

VR6's are very cool motors, but i think your looking at more fab work/money then its worth in the end.... maybe sell the motor and put the money towards another motor swap of some kind? Or just put that motor in a MkII and have some fun.

-Austin

DubSeth

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for your input StavFC, I didnt even think of a BMW dearbox/rearend mounted to it...I realize it's a lot of fab work but I need something out of the ordinary. I cant stand having wat everyone else has. Has there ever been a VR6 RWD Rx7? I'll probably get flamed hard for posting this but I just finished wirewheeling and painting my front 4 pots and here they are:
Little different on the color, but will look good on a black car(which i intend to paint it. But even being moar expensive and difficult, I want it because its different. And im not worried about power cuz honestly, I dont need any more power than a T2 swap which is wat the vr puts down...Anyone with swap experience I would love to get tips or even reminders in case I overlook a little detail. Thanks for any help and support guys! Oh and sorry I didnt resize the pics

turbodrx7

iTrader: (43)

^Nice, my wheels and cage are painted almost the same color and my car is black. The green really pops against the black.

-Austin

DubSeth

iTrader: (3)

Ya black with green accents looks great and isnt overplayed. I hate how every brake caliper i see is fricken red. I was thinking about maybe a green pinstripe around the lip of my rims or maybe paint the whole lip black with a green pinstripe but the wheels are silver so that wont look very good...

but anyways, im going to start tearing out my interior because i have to weld up the extensive rust and rot underneath the car(underneath the floor right behind the side skirts running down the length of the car). While the interior is out Im considering a switch to black or grey because the maroon is ugly imo. I do like my backseats tho

I'll see how difficult this swap would be while the car's all apart(I'll probably paint it too) Maybe I will even start a build thread haha

stofficer1226

hey man, unbelievable to have found this thread. I had a turbo vr6 mk3. I sold the turbo kit after I rebuilt the vr6 to buy my 1st gen 7. I'm in the process of swapping in a 302 into my 7 now. I had considered my vr6 or a donor vr6 but the motor is very tall and the CG would be too high. It's also a tall motor due to the DOHC. The only way you'd really get hood clearance is if you went with a custom steel oil pan and mk5 r32 3.2vr6 oil pump. I really hope you consider this because it's something I would love to do but don't have the capital to fund it.
On my vr I ran 10.5:1 with 12psi. It was intercooled and I ran 57trim turbo. The car kept up with 400whp vrt's at h2o. I pulled on a 99 cobra with intake, exhaust and some other crap. The vr6 turbo is an amazing motor. like you stated, na it's nothing to die for. The most power someone has pulled out of a na vr6 is 197whp.

have you looked at USP motorsports b5 s4 vr6 swap? the swap wont be that hard, but it might give you the right return after the effort put in...

DubSeth

iTrader: (3)

Im glad u found this thread! Were/are you a member of the vortex? So you dont think it will clear? Maybe shim the subframe down? I'm guessing the R32 oil pump is very short?

Also, wat engine management were u running?

stofficer1226

Ya I'm still a member on vortex.
The r32 oil PUMP is what you will want. The oil pan isn't worth it unless you want an aluminum oil pan. But the cost isn't worth it. Will you be going with a 2.8 12v or 24v? Or 3.2 24v? My friend made 475awhp on his r32 with C2 tuning. I also ran c2's stage 1 chip. I think to get the motor to fit you will have to do a short runner intake manifold, shorten oil pan/pump. Let me know if you need measurements. for trans options, I'd look at the A4 quattro trans. It's a 5 speed and it's cheaper than the s4 trans which is a 6 speed. Don't go with the r32 trans because it wont hold up past 500whp. 034motorsports will become your new bestfriends.
http://www.034motorsport.com/chassis...s-p-14000.html

look on that site, there's related items at the bottom. If you are doing a turbo 2.8 12v, you will be fine with a headgasket spacer (9:1 cr) 57ish trim turbo, .63 hot side, 32lbs injectors (ford injectors) c2's stage 1 chip, and intercooled. You will easily be able to make in the upper 300's. stage 2 you're looking at 400whp in heavier mk3 jetta/gti. The cost of the 2.8 is a lot lower than the 3.2. The 3.2's bottom end is just as strong as the 2.8's the head just flows a whole lot better than the 2.8. what are you putting this motor in?

DubSeth

iTrader: (3)

I have a 97 12v 2.8 with 36k miles on it. I'm considering a swap into my FC RX7...Im not looking for more than 300hp at the crank. I looked into bmw transmissions but i'll need an adaptor plate...Kinda hoping i could retain my 5 speed in my car already and just modify the bellhousing or use an adaptor....

I searched many threads on longitudinal mounted vr6 engine in VDubs and I know thats possible, Im mostly just afraid of 1)Wiring(im terrible at it), 2)Subframe/steering rack clearance, and 3)Structural integrity/Reinforcement.

stofficer1226

Yeah my reason for steering clear of the vr6 was wiring. Since I discovered how nice a carb works, I will only use that. Contact 034motorsports. They are very helpful. Tell them what you're doing. They have helped many people in the past. They will know exactly what to do. You might be able to keep your stock trans and use a bellhousing adapter plate. That's something that's easy to make with a CAD program and have a machine shop cut it for you. But you will run into issues with a custom flywheel+clutch setup.