FC LS Swap Kit?
06-01-17, 10:16 PM
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FC LS Swap Kit?
Over the next 6 months or so I'm going to buy all the necessary components to do an LS swap in my 88 vert.
I have seen some swap kits online - are these the easiest, surefire way to go to make sure o have everything I need?
I have seen some swap kits online - are these the easiest, surefire way to go to make sure o have everything I need?
06-01-17, 11:25 PM
#2
Unfortunately it isn't that clear cut. What "everything" do you mean? Everything to sit the engine and trans in the car? Everything to get a running car in the end? Somewhere in between?
The only way to ensure you get everything is to drop $10k+ and have someone do it for you. Most kits are targeted at getting the engine and trans sitting in a good place in the car and have little or no extras like plumbing or wiring. While an LS1 swap is not difficult as far as swaps go an rx-7 is not a 240sx and that means much more of the onus is on you to ensure you're getting what you want and need and to be prepared for the shortcomings of anything you buy.
Also, unless you find some killer deal on specific parts, and know exactly what you're buying/need, I would recommend just saving the money and going more for buying the parts in one-shot.
The only way to ensure you get everything is to drop $10k+ and have someone do it for you. Most kits are targeted at getting the engine and trans sitting in a good place in the car and have little or no extras like plumbing or wiring. While an LS1 swap is not difficult as far as swaps go an rx-7 is not a 240sx and that means much more of the onus is on you to ensure you're getting what you want and need and to be prepared for the shortcomings of anything you buy.
Also, unless you find some killer deal on specific parts, and know exactly what you're buying/need, I would recommend just saving the money and going more for buying the parts in one-shot.
06-01-17, 11:55 PM
#3
The Ronin LS swap kit is the best kit you can buy to put an LS and T56 in an FC.
The way to know you have all aspects covered is to research. Do a bunch of reading on Norotors, all the information is there for you to complete the swap. There are many ways to do it, and people have different goals, so there is not one shopping list and procedure to do the swap. Figure out what you want the car to be when you are done, and start working backwards from there.
You'll need parts for a cooling system, exhaust system, wiring work and some fuel supply mods at a minimum.
The way to know you have all aspects covered is to research. Do a bunch of reading on Norotors, all the information is there for you to complete the swap. There are many ways to do it, and people have different goals, so there is not one shopping list and procedure to do the swap. Figure out what you want the car to be when you are done, and start working backwards from there.
You'll need parts for a cooling system, exhaust system, wiring work and some fuel supply mods at a minimum.
Last edited by LargeOrangeFont; 06-01-17 at 11:59 PM.
06-02-17, 09:06 AM
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Unfortunately it isn't that clear cut. What "everything" do you mean? Everything to sit the engine and trans in the car? Everything to get a running car in the end? Somewhere in between?
The only way to ensure you get everything is to drop $10k+ and have someone do it for you. Most kits are targeted at getting the engine and trans sitting in a good place in the car and have little or no extras like plumbing or wiring. While an LS1 swap is not difficult as far as swaps go an rx-7 is not a 240sx and that means much more of the onus is on you to ensure you're getting what you want and need and to be prepared for the shortcomings of anything you buy.
Also, unless you find some killer deal on specific parts, and know exactly what you're buying/need, I would recommend just saving the money and going more for buying the parts in one-shot.
The only way to ensure you get everything is to drop $10k+ and have someone do it for you. Most kits are targeted at getting the engine and trans sitting in a good place in the car and have little or no extras like plumbing or wiring. While an LS1 swap is not difficult as far as swaps go an rx-7 is not a 240sx and that means much more of the onus is on you to ensure you're getting what you want and need and to be prepared for the shortcomings of anything you buy.
Also, unless you find some killer deal on specific parts, and know exactly what you're buying/need, I would recommend just saving the money and going more for buying the parts in one-shot.
Thanks for the clarification, very helpful.
So you are saying it would be $10k+ to have someone else do it all for me...but the cost is nowhere near that amount when doing myself, correct? At least that's what I've seen from reading online.
06-02-17, 09:47 PM
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06-03-17, 06:10 PM
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For Labor or parts? A shop is going to want 80-100 hours of labor minimum to do all the work.
I said for $10k you can have a really nice parts list and cover almost anything you wanted to do. You can do it for cheaper, you might be able to get it to $8k. You can spend a year scavenging and searching for the best deals and probably get the parts for less.
As far as parts, unless you find a really good deal, you are gonna have 5k in the engine and trans minimum, unless you buy a complete turd or you want to go 4L60e
You'll need full exhaust, unless you want to run cast manifolds, that is $1000
New cooling system and fans, will be several hundred.
You'll need a tune at a minimum to start and run the car
You'll need fuel system upgrades and all kinds of nickel and dime parts, wiring work, etc.
You want an engine with more than stock power? You want power steering working? You want AC working? All will cost more money.
I said for $10k you can have a really nice parts list and cover almost anything you wanted to do. You can do it for cheaper, you might be able to get it to $8k. You can spend a year scavenging and searching for the best deals and probably get the parts for less.
As far as parts, unless you find a really good deal, you are gonna have 5k in the engine and trans minimum, unless you buy a complete turd or you want to go 4L60e
You'll need full exhaust, unless you want to run cast manifolds, that is $1000
New cooling system and fans, will be several hundred.
You'll need a tune at a minimum to start and run the car
You'll need fuel system upgrades and all kinds of nickel and dime parts, wiring work, etc.
You want an engine with more than stock power? You want power steering working? You want AC working? All will cost more money.
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06-04-17, 07:35 PM
#8
What sorts of tools do you have? Do you have a place for the car to sit on jackstands for a year (probably more like 2-3 years)? Do you know how to weld? Use a Mill or Lathe? Perhaps you have a hookup at the local auto parts store or junk yard?
Unfortunately, swaps in general are getting very expensive. That $10k+ was the general number thrown around on Nissan forums in the early 00's for both LS1 and RB26DETT swaps if you had someone else do it. The cost of parts then was only ~4k total then if you found some good deals. A clean non minimalist swap will likely cost ~$10k in parts alone. LOF has much more experience than I in that area.
You MIGHT be able to get a decent iron "LS" pattern block for ~$500 now and an auto trans for another ~$500 if you watch different places like a hawk. They'll be of questionable quality and possibly (probably) require a rebuild from the start if you buy a lemon though. You still need the ECU and wiring, exhaust, coolant plumbing, fuel plumbing, how are your brakes and lights?, misc parts like bushings to replace what falls apart in your hand as you take things apart, oh yeah, and mounts and a driveshaft. You'll probably destroy your differential before too long as well...
Yes, you can swap an RX-7 for "cheap" IF you already have access to $5k+ in non-typical tools, raw materials, the knowledge to use them, and time.
I don't want to disuade you too much but what LOF and I are saying is that a swap is a lot more involved, and only gets more involved once you buy the first expensive item.
I'll say this. If I had to pay the cost of an LS1 now, back when I bought my LS1 for my swap, I would not have swapped my car. I'd likely have just bought a C5 or something similar.
Good Luck.
Unfortunately, swaps in general are getting very expensive. That $10k+ was the general number thrown around on Nissan forums in the early 00's for both LS1 and RB26DETT swaps if you had someone else do it. The cost of parts then was only ~4k total then if you found some good deals. A clean non minimalist swap will likely cost ~$10k in parts alone. LOF has much more experience than I in that area.
You MIGHT be able to get a decent iron "LS" pattern block for ~$500 now and an auto trans for another ~$500 if you watch different places like a hawk. They'll be of questionable quality and possibly (probably) require a rebuild from the start if you buy a lemon though. You still need the ECU and wiring, exhaust, coolant plumbing, fuel plumbing, how are your brakes and lights?, misc parts like bushings to replace what falls apart in your hand as you take things apart, oh yeah, and mounts and a driveshaft. You'll probably destroy your differential before too long as well...
Yes, you can swap an RX-7 for "cheap" IF you already have access to $5k+ in non-typical tools, raw materials, the knowledge to use them, and time.
I don't want to disuade you too much but what LOF and I are saying is that a swap is a lot more involved, and only gets more involved once you buy the first expensive item.
I'll say this. If I had to pay the cost of an LS1 now, back when I bought my LS1 for my swap, I would not have swapped my car. I'd likely have just bought a C5 or something similar.
Good Luck.
06-04-17, 08:01 PM
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What sorts of tools do you have? Do you have a place for the car to sit on jackstands for a year (probably more like 2-3 years)? Do you know how to weld? Use a Mill or Lathe? Perhaps you have a hookup at the local auto parts store or junk yard?
Unfortunately, swaps in general are getting very expensive. That $10k+ was the general number thrown around on Nissan forums in the early 00's for both LS1 and RB26DETT swaps if you had someone else do it. The cost of parts then was only ~4k total then if you found some good deals. A clean non minimalist swap will likely cost ~$10k in parts alone. LOF has much more experience than I in that area.
You MIGHT be able to get a decent iron "LS" pattern block for ~$500 now and an auto trans for another ~$500 if you watch different places like a hawk. They'll be of questionable quality and possibly (probably) require a rebuild from the start if you buy a lemon though. You still need the ECU and wiring, exhaust, coolant plumbing, fuel plumbing, how are your brakes and lights?, misc parts like bushings to replace what falls apart in your hand as you take things apart, oh yeah, and mounts and a driveshaft. You'll probably destroy your differential before too long as well...
Yes, you can swap an RX-7 for "cheap" IF you already have access to $5k+ in non-typical tools, raw materials, the knowledge to use them, and time.
I don't want to disuade you too much but what LOF and I are saying is that a swap is a lot more involved, and only gets more involved once you buy the first expensive item.
I'll say this. If I had to pay the cost of an LS1 now, back when I bought my LS1 for my swap, I would not have swapped my car. I'd likely have just bought a C5 or something similar.
Good Luck.
Unfortunately, swaps in general are getting very expensive. That $10k+ was the general number thrown around on Nissan forums in the early 00's for both LS1 and RB26DETT swaps if you had someone else do it. The cost of parts then was only ~4k total then if you found some good deals. A clean non minimalist swap will likely cost ~$10k in parts alone. LOF has much more experience than I in that area.
You MIGHT be able to get a decent iron "LS" pattern block for ~$500 now and an auto trans for another ~$500 if you watch different places like a hawk. They'll be of questionable quality and possibly (probably) require a rebuild from the start if you buy a lemon though. You still need the ECU and wiring, exhaust, coolant plumbing, fuel plumbing, how are your brakes and lights?, misc parts like bushings to replace what falls apart in your hand as you take things apart, oh yeah, and mounts and a driveshaft. You'll probably destroy your differential before too long as well...
Yes, you can swap an RX-7 for "cheap" IF you already have access to $5k+ in non-typical tools, raw materials, the knowledge to use them, and time.
I don't want to disuade you too much but what LOF and I are saying is that a swap is a lot more involved, and only gets more involved once you buy the first expensive item.
I'll say this. If I had to pay the cost of an LS1 now, back when I bought my LS1 for my swap, I would not have swapped my car. I'd likely have just bought a C5 or something similar.
Good Luck.
No that makes a lot of sense man. I seriously underestimated the cost/work involved in a swap. I would just assume buy an old Vette for that price.
I appreciate the insight.
06-04-17, 09:32 PM
#10
With C5 vettes being so cheap now, I won't tell you that a swap makes no sense, but if you are not tied to the RX7 platform and want a "high performance street car", buying a C5 and modding it makes a lot of sense, and will be a quicker path to driving enjoyment.
My car is pretty much a track car. I think I had about $12-13k into my swap, but I did an 8.8 rear end conversion and some other custom fab work. I have probably $20k into the car at this point. Even if I bought a C5 for today's money, and modded it with a $20k budget, it would not touch the performance of my swapped car.... so take that for what it is worth.
All the info to swap the car is available on Norotors. You can do it with common tools, and reading comprehension. If I told you a swap would take 100 hours, you'll spend double that searching for parts and reading/researching. The biggest issue with the swap is scope and budget creep. If you want to get the thing done and on the road, set some realistic goals and a budget to go with them and stick to it.
