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Have always loved rx7s ,and the second gens are actually my favorite. After dreaming of one for about twenty years, I think I have finally found a keeper. It's already missing the rotary, and was converted to a 4.3 vortec v6 w/ l460 transmission. I have a freshly built forged 552 bbf, c6, and 9" rear. And two china made gt45 turbos. If love to cram all this in the rx7, but have no clue what will work and what won't. It looks like it has a decent amount of room left with the v6.
Did they ever make a conversion mounting bracket for the Ford 460? What are some big problems I can look forward to?
Hi Jerry, I don’t believe anyone makes a mounting kit for a big block ford. You will likely have to fab your own mounts. Header room on the d/s will be tight given the physical size of the block. You will have to cut off the front rad support and mount the rad as far forward as possible for turbo room.
Hi Jerry, I don’t believe anyone makes a mounting kit for a big block ford. You will likely have to fab your own mounts. Header room on the d/s will be tight given the physical size of the block. You will have to cut off the front rad support and mount the rad as far forward as possible for turbo room.
Good luck and keep us in the loop!
yeah. I actually got it! I'm so excited. I am such a fan of this car. I took some measurements earlier and it looks like she will set down in there nice and snug. I think the c6 might fit too. Can I use a 9" rear is also a question; do I have to switch to an 8.8"? It looked like I would definitely need to relocate the radiator as far forward as possible. I have to keep intercooler in mind also. I have some exhaust logs from the f150 that can be flipped. Preliminary clearances looked great with those. I also have a set of "turbo headers" that go down and forward, but didn't even fit in the truck, so likely won't work with the rx7 either. I'm probably gonna invest in a band saw and welder. I ha e the turbo headers and some hooker supercomp long tubes that I can hopefully dice up and make work one way or another. It has a 4.3 with l460. Guy said he thought water pump was flowing wrong way causing overheating at speed. Sounds odd to me. Gonna remove thermostat he said he put in and but old water pump back on and see if she will wake up. I'd like to drive it around to get a better feel for the car before I go off yanking stuff out. The initial conversion seems quality to me. I'm so stoked.
What is your overall goal with the car? Weekend cruiser or straight line? A decent welder is a must have. I’ve read a lot of v8 swap threads and the majority of them encounter a cooling issue at some point. I think the biggest issue is ducting. You need a good top/bottom tray and seal off the sides of the rad. A puller fan with a shroud that covers the whole rad is also important. As for the diff I’m sure you could get it to fit. Most people go with an 8.8 from an explorer to retain irs. Might want to check out some build threads on norotors if you haven’t already...lots of great info there. Let’s see some pics!
What is your overall goal with the car? Weekend cruiser or straight line? A decent welder is a must have. I’ve read a lot of v8 swap threads and the majority of them encounter a cooling issue at some point. I think the biggest issue is ducting. You need a good top/bottom tray and seal off the sides of the rad. A puller fan with a shroud that covers the whole rad is also important. As for the diff I’m sure you could get it to fit. Most people go with an 8.8 from an explorer to retain irs. Might want to check out some build threads on norotors if you haven’t already...lots of great info there. Let’s see some pics!
I haven't checked norotors yet, thanks. As contrary as my engine selection may be to the idea, I would like the car to take a turn well....as well as possible. No matter what I'm pretty sure it'll handle better that 6000+ pounds on a twin I beam suspension. I would love to road race one day. Drag racing is cool and all, but straight lines have never been my thing really. I'd love to be able to brake before a turn, maybe engine brake into the apex, and barrel out like a bat out of hell. I want this thing to be bulletproof and able to turn. It will be fun to ignite the wheels at will and drift, but I would ultimately prefer a composed efficient, yet brutally fast gt (grand tourer) basically; minus some creature comforts cuz I'm poor folk.
...pics... My new baby Aftermarket hood I think, but it's metal. One of the forged dished pistons. One of the turbos. The engine is built and in the truck and running with EFI, but I can't find a good pic on this phone.
Given your aspirations for the car, I think you would be much happier keeping the irs. Early to mid 2000’s explorer 8.8’s can be had for fairly cheap. I paid $150 from a junk yard and it has 3.73’s. Ronin Speedworks sells a mounting kit for it.
It looks like you have a good starting point there and it should be a fun project!
Given your aspirations for the car, I think you would be much happier keeping the irs. Early to mid 2000’s explorer 8.8’s can be had for fairly cheap. I paid $150 from a junk yard and it has 3.73’s. Ronin Speedworks sells a mounting kit for it.
It looks like you have a good starting point there and it should be a fun project!
Please excuse my vast temporary ignorance, but will the explorer 8.8" rear setup for irs hold 1000-1400 hp and probably same torque? An ole timer I know swears I need a Ford 9 with 27 spline axles in order to not break stuff. Can the 8.8" out of an explorer be shortened? What drive shaft would I use, or would I just get one cut and balanced with the correct ends on it? I did see the 8.8 conversions on Ronin...more research is needed for sure. Thanks for the tips.
Rear end only has to hold the torque the tires contact patch can hold.
You might get 600ftlbs to hook in 1st gear where torque multiplication is greatest to the rear end on wrinkle wall drag slicks on a drag lane well prepped with VHT.
An 8.8 would hold that.
If you arent into drag racing then you dont need to worry about the max abuse scenario.
With a stock body FC fitment 275mm wide road race tire the tire will be the "fuse" for the rear end and you would likely be fine with a turbo FC 8" rear and axles- except the 4.10:1 or 3:90:1 rears are geared too high for low rev V8 which is why V8 guys do 8.8" swaps.
But the V6 you have in the car would probably strike a way better balance with the FC chassis for roadrace then the big block you want to put in.
A 720lb engine in a car that originally had a 370lb (heavier turbo 13B) is not going to want to turn. Better than a truck, yes...
I autox, hillclimbed and kart tracked my FC for 13 years and with only 300ftlbs and then later 420ftlbs my nickname for it was my "overpowered shitbox".
The chassis just doesnt want a ton of power- you end up drag racing every straight and making things straights that arent instead of maintaining speed and flowing around the track.
If you just want to rule the freeway or do 1/2 mile events it would be a great chassis (good aero and durable) and good engine swap.
Rear end only has to hold the torque the tires contact patch can hold.
You might get 600ftlbs to hook in 1st gear where torque multiplication is greatest to the rear end on wrinkle wall drag slicks on a drag lane well prepped with VHT.
An 8.8 would hold that.
If you arent into drag racing then you dont need to worry about the max abuse scenario.
With a stock body FC fitment 275mm wide road race tire the tire will be the "fuse" for the rear end and you would likely be fine with a turbo FC 8" rear and axles- except the 4.10:1 or 3:90:1 rears are geared too high for low rev V8 which is why V8 guys do 8.8" swaps.
But the V6 you have in the car would probably strike a way better balance with the FC chassis for roadrace then the big block you want to put in.
A 720lb engine in a car that originally had a 370lb (heavier turbo 13B) is not going to want to turn. Better than a truck, yes...
I autox, hillclimbed and kart tracked my FC for 13 years and with only 300ftlbs and then later 420ftlbs my nickname for it was my "overpowered shitbox".
The chassis just doesnt want a ton of power- you end up drag racing every straight and making things straights that arent instead of maintaining speed and flowing around the track.
If you just want to rule the freeway or do 1/2 mile events it would be a great chassis (good aero and durable) and good engine swap.
Anyways, just my opinion from my FC experience.
Yeah, I'm hearing a lot of that. Would the aluminum intake and heads knock of some weight? What if I put torbos in back? Or at least intercoolers and any accessories? I imaging 1400 hp is overkill for any actual good road car, but there has to be ways to even it out.
So the car weighs close to 3000 without the motor and ac? Guess the carpet what if I modify the oil pan so the block can set low and back? Maybe use solid steel tubing for the back half of the cage or add weights to the trunk or bumper. I'm just thinking out loud. The idea being to balance weight more so that reduce it. Can I use strong coilovers on front and significantly weaker on back to make up anything?
Thank you all for your valuable input.
It sounds like I can make it a drift car easier than a gt car.
Do they sell smaller rear gears for the turboII? Even in my truck I was thinking I would need to change the gearing to help with traction...lot a torque....to me.
720Lbs is the stock BBF engine weight with full accessories but without the turbos/ turbo stuff you want to add.
Probably be a wash in weight in the end with engine weight reduction plus turbos.
FC turbo rear gear is only available in 4.30:1, 4.10:1 or 3.9:1.
If you cut the firewall and do a big engine setback it should turn in well. It will also let you keep a front swaybar and the steering rack in the right spot.
My FCs ranged from 2,4xxlbs (na) to 2,5xxlbs (TII) full interior with gas. With another 500lbs of engine, trans and rear end weight it is still going to a light car at 3,0xxlbs.
There is a 240z I race with that was built by a former aerospace engineer. Beautiful hand laid wide body and V8 set halfway in the firewall. Goes like stink and handles well.
I recommend the Tripoint/Ronin widebody route if you want to be able to harness more of the turbo BBF power. It allows you to fit like 315mm wide front tires and 335mm wide rear tires while retaining a classic FC look.
I race with a LS powered FC with this kit and it goes pretty well too.
720Lbs is the stock BBF engine weight with full accessories but without the turbos/ turbo stuff you want to add.
Probably be a wash in weight in the end with engine weight reduction plus turbos.
FC turbo rear gear is only available in 4.30:1, 4.10:1 or 3.9:1.
If you cut the firewall and do a big engine setback it should turn in well. It will also let you keep a front swaybar and the steering rack in the right spot.
My FCs ranged from 2,4xxlbs (na) to 2,5xxlbs (TII) full interior with gas. With another 500lbs of engine, trans and rear end weight it is still going to a light car at 3,0xxlbs.
There is a 240z I race with that was built by a former aerospace engineer. Beautiful hand laid wide body and V8 set halfway in the firewall. Goes like stink and handles well.
I recommend the Tripoint/Ronin widebody route if you want to be able to harness more of the turbo BBF power. It allows you to fit like 315mm wide front tires and 335mm wide rear tires while retaining a classic FC look.
I race with a LS powered FC with this kit and it goes pretty well too.
Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.
Is there any benefit to using the rear out of a 2015 or newer mustang? What about the gt500? Would that be better suited or is the rear from the explorer, excursion, or Thunderbird sufficient?. I know it is said that the t2 can handle 500hp, but the motor is likely over that without forced induction.
05-08-20, 04:00 PM
