351w swap with c4 trans
 

Hi guys I just purchased an 88 rx7 gxl with a 351w swap and 3 speed c4 trans. it has 85k miles on the used engine and an edelbrock rpm manifold, BBK headers, Holley 650 carb and 3" exhaust have been added. The C4 has been rebuilt and has a reverse manual valve body and a hurst shifter. It also is sporting 18" wheels and widebody front fenders. Plan is to pick it up this weekend, tune the carb, finish the wiring and get it drivable. what do ya think? ill get some more pics this weekend when i pick it up

All you need is some new wheels and you're set :)

You know I thought the same thing when I first saw the pics, but when I saw it in person it wasnt as bad.

I'll have to see if they grow on me lol. I was even thinking of painting the rim black and leaving the nice polished lip. In the next couple months the whole car will get sprayed black anyway. I might also be picking up a full Drift body kit for it this weekend. Can;t wait to get it home! :)

Engine RPM
 

Assuming you have a stock differential, I hope you understand that your engine will be screaming at anything over about 45-50 mph without overdrive. I run a Ford AOD trans in my FB with a 302, and it turns 2400 rpm at 60 mph IN OVERDRIVE.


An interesting comparison is my friend's late model Camaro Z-28, with a T-56 manual trans. It turns 1200 rpm at 60 in top gear.

yeah with the stock turbo rearend it'll probably be turning 4000rpm or so at 65-70. Over the winter I might try and source an AOD or a 5-speed or maybe just higher gears for the rearend if theyre available.

This tranny has been fully rebuilt and has a shift kit and reverse manual valve body so it would be a shame to get rid of it.

Got the car home Saturday and had a chance to snap some more photos. Hopefully I can get some of the gauges wired up and the carb tuned in this weekend and take it for a spin. As you can see there will be some serious mods needed to be made to the hood for it to fit.

I just calculated my engine speed at 70mph with the C4 tranny and my 245/40/18 tires and I am looking at 3,780 RPM at 70MPH

Hey man, i love the pics!! I'm actually in the middle of doing this exact swap myself! Today i test fit the engine. Everything clears fine except the oil pan. What pan are you using and how is it situated with respect to the steering rack and sway bar?

As far as I know its the stock engine including pan from a 1985 Ford F-150 Its placed with a Granny's kit. I bought the car with the swap already done so I'm just tidying up wires and other small things to get it running reliably.


Update:
Last night I got the fitting for my Holley carb, lengthened the fuel line, hoked up the tach, got a new throttle nut for the carb,and attempted to start. It fired right up first time with only one pump of the gas and idled steady at 1k RPM. I took it around the block and it seemd to drive well. I still need to hook up the trans cooler lines, air filter, cut the hole in the hood, and hook up some more vital gauges before I can really start driving it but its coming along! :)