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-   -   Mefarri's 1995 FD LS3 turbo build (https://www.rx7club.com/v-8-powered-rx-7s-299/mefarris-1995-fd-ls3-turbo-build-969645/)

mdpalmer 12-13-11 08:45 PM


Originally Posted by mefarri (Post 10898466)
Brief update. As you can imagine, packaging the manifolds, crossover, turbo, wastegates, radiator, water pump, fan AND AC compressor is going to be tough. I spent a few hours looking at the bay and working with my wooden mock up radiator and found it was just too tall. After talking to How Racing and a friend of mine with a turbo LS FC, they both recommended a shorter radiator. I guess I was overdoing it. The new size fits MUCH better. I cut down my mockup to size and it all works. I'm going to rigidly mount it in the car for mock up purposes soon and replace it with the real thingafter I know where the turbos going to be sitting since I'll need the AN fittings welded on in the right lcoations.

I also ordered the turbo last week. Precision Billet 7675GTS, ported compressor, t4 .96 AR turbine housing. Also got the downpipe vband assembly and some gaskets. That should be shipping tomorrow and then I'll be able to build a jig to fixture it in the bay and then it's just connecting the dots with all 8 runners. hahaha.

You're a nut for trying to run A/C, what a pain in the ass :lol: Packaging is a tough job. So you're obviously going to make a shit-ton of torque. What is the plan for putting it to the ground :cool:

mefarri 12-13-11 09:08 PM


Originally Posted by mdpalmer (Post 10898916)
You're a nut for trying to run A/C, what a pain in the ass :lol: Packaging is a tough job. So you're obviously going to make a shit-ton of torque. What is the plan for putting it to the ground :cool:

285's?????:blush:

I'll be running 10" wheels, either 285/295 and a 3.27 rear gear that will make first gear good to 61mph so it should be better than most at getting it down.

FCMadness1 12-14-11 01:02 PM

I'm in love with this swap! And im not the biggest fan of the ls engine only cuz everyone is doing it. But not everyone is doing it like this!

mefarri 12-14-11 04:34 PM


Originally Posted by FCMadness1 (Post 10899798)
I'm in love with this swap! And im not the biggest fan of the ls engine only cuz everyone is doing it. But not everyone is doing it like this!

Haha thanks. Just got told today the turbo compressor wheel is out of stock. Won't know an ETA til Tuesday. UGH.:icon_tdow

JustinStrife 12-17-11 08:11 PM

Subscribing for such an awesome project. Looks like I'm going to need to max out my T-Trim when I'm in your area, so I can keep up!

Maximus385 01-10-12 12:26 AM

Great car is there any video

mdpalmer 01-10-12 09:51 PM


Originally Posted by mefarri (Post 10898935)
285's?????:blush:

I'll be running 10" wheels, either 285/295 and a 3.27 rear gear that will make first gear good to 61mph so it should be better than most at getting it down.

IC. I was thinking about this the other day... IIRC they gear the C6 Z06 & ZR1 @ 3.42 final drive (not sure what the trans ratios are compared to a fbody camaro t56 which most seen to use).... that's probably part of the reason chevy chose a lower ratio. That and they can brag about how ridiculous their 0-60 times are since you can run the whole thing in 1st gear lol. They do put the power down real well. I've been in a ZR1 a 1/2 dozen times now with a crazy driver and his car is planted in 1st... and fast as shit! The Z06 feels very similar.

mefarri 01-10-12 10:29 PM


Originally Posted by mdpalmer (Post 10931393)
IC. I was thinking about this the other day... IIRC they gear the C6 Z06 & ZR1 @ 3.42 final drive (not sure what the trans ratios are compared to a fbody camaro t56 which most seen to use).... that's probably part of the reason chevy chose a lower ratio. That and they can brag about how ridiculous their 0-60 times are since you can run the whole thing in 1st gear lol. They do put the power down real well. I've been in a ZR1 a 1/2 dozen times now with a crazy driver and his car is planted in 1st... and fast as shit! The Z06 feels very similar.

Yea I think the linearity of the powerband shouldn't shock the tires as bad as an FD with a 4.3 and a huge single that comes on like a light switch.

FASTMETABOLISM 01-11-12 01:58 PM

Ls motors just look soooooo good in these cars.
I bet the wiring is going to be a true pita.

mefarri 01-11-12 10:32 PM

4 Attachment(s)
Why the thumbs down?

Wiring should be interesting.

Got the turbo. Precision 7675GTS with the billet compressor and ported shroud. Rated at a conservative 1200hp.

Attachment 723718

Attachment 723719

Attachment 723720

Attachment 723721

mefarri 01-13-12 04:54 PM

So no one cares about gnarly turbos. Got it. Also, I think it's kinda of stupid that my build thread gets thrown in a seperate sub forum because of the engine choice. It's still a build thread.

BurntOrangeT2 01-13-12 05:17 PM

I think this build thread, and turbo, is pretty boss.

Brent Dalton 01-13-12 10:31 PM


Originally Posted by mefarri (Post 10935491)
Also, I think it's kinda of stupid that my build thread gets thrown in a seperate sub forum because of the engine choice. It's still a build thread.

Didn't you post your thread in this section? I'm assuming you are saying this because you asked a moderator to move your thread and they said no?

As far as I can tell, they don't have a problem with other engine choices in the "build thread" subforum: https://www.rx7club.com/v-8-powered-rx-7s-299/mississippi-fd-383ci-forged-ls1-stroker-build-971046/

mefarri 01-14-12 11:16 AM

Yea I posted it originally in the build section and it got moved. I haven't asked anyone to move it back.

If a mod is reading this, can you move it back?

The turbo fitment in the bay is going to be TIGHT.

mdpalmer 01-14-12 01:43 PM


Originally Posted by mefarri (Post 10935491)
So no one cares about gnarly turbos.

Dude, I love gnarly turbos, I like turbos in general :cool: Those suckers look pretty massive, have fun trying to stuff them in your engine bay. I still think you're crazy for trying to run A/C. Questions:

-Are there any other dual turbo ls-fds that have A/C?
-Are you still going to run your heater lines from the water pump to firewall?
-Wiring shouldn't really be any harder for this setup than a N/A car. The turbos don't have any electronics on them unless you count a boost controller or temperature/pressure sensors, etc.
-What are you using for boost control?
-IMO tuning it (air, fuel, timing) and getting your boost response where you want it will be the tough part.
-Who is going to tune this thing?

Is it done yet :tonque:

Brent Dalton 01-14-12 01:55 PM


Originally Posted by mefarri (Post 10936319)
Yea I posted it originally in the build section and it got moved. I haven't asked anyone to move it back.

If a mod is reading this, can you move it back?

The turbo fitment in the bay is going to be TIGHT.

bummer. I'd shoot them a PM to see if you can get it moved back then.

turbo looks nice :icon_tup:

mefarri 01-14-12 10:12 PM


Originally Posted by mdpalmer (Post 10936465)
Dude, I love gnarly turbos, I like turbos in general :cool: Those suckers look pretty massive, have fun trying to stuff them in your engine bay. I still think you're crazy for trying to run A/C. Questions:

-Are there any other dual turbo ls-fds that have A/C?
-Are you still going to run your heater lines from the water pump to firewall?
-Wiring shouldn't really be any harder for this setup than a N/A car. The turbos don't have any electronics on them unless you count a boost controller or temperature/pressure sensors, etc.
-What are you using for boost control?
-IMO tuning it (air, fuel, timing) and getting your boost response where you want it will be the tough part.
-Who is going to tune this thing?

Is it done yet :tonque:


Haha a little clarification. I'm only running the on 7675. Trying to run 2 would be almost impossible and require hacking everything up. Plus, I don't need 2500hp. :lol:

There isn't a single LSX swapped fd turbo with AC that I'm aware of. I'm looking to be the first. I know Beastt is planning on putting it on his car but I think I'm going to be the first. That's the plan at least.

Yes on the heater lines. ALL fittings on the car will be AN unless they absolutely can't be. Ie the boost reference line off the Haltech has to be a barbed fitting I think. I don't think you can swap the integral fitting on the ECU but I'm going to look into it. But all the vacuum lines, radiator hoses, heater hoses etc. will be AN.

The wiring is going to be a bigger deal because I'm going to run the haltech standalone which requires building a custom harness off of their flying lead harness which isn't terrible, but I'm also going to be trimming the body, dash and front harnesses as well as relocating the engine bay fuse boxes and such to the passenger bin. I'm also going to be using a Racepak IQ3 dash so I'll have that to wire up to which should actually reduce the dash wiring since it's like 3 connectors that run right to the haltech. So that will be nice.

The haltech has an integral boost controller to 22 psi if I remember right. I should be over 900whp at around 16-18 so I won't need anymore than that.

And Speedfab will be doing all the tuning. After seeing what he can do with Beastt's car, talking to him a little, and what not, I really trust him to make it safe and powerful. The 14 hour drive to Florida will be totally worth it.

dvo 01-16-12 12:33 AM

epic..... sub'd

perf0rmance 01-18-12 03:16 AM

2 Attachment(s)

Originally Posted by mefarri (Post 10935491)
So no one cares about gnarly turbos. Got it. Also, I think it's kinda of stupid that my build thread gets thrown in a seperate sub forum because of the engine choice. It's still a build thread.

gnarly turbos you say???

hope you dont mind.... :)
GT40 with 4" anti-surge housing

LOL.... not as large, but it wasn't meant for a V8

Attachment 723722
Attachment 723723



ps.... consider this my subscription :nod:

mefarri 01-18-12 08:58 AM

Haha, I was about to be like "cool story bro."

Sorry for the lack of progress. Been slammed at work, one of my best friends had a kid and me and my wife are the godparents so that took all last weekend. Once I can find the time to locate the turbo in the engine bay, it'll be a game of connect the dots (manifolds) to the turbo and IC pipes.

felix_is_alive 01-19-12 06:55 PM

not my cup of tea , the whole ls convertion thing ...i just dont get it (and yes i know i am running the risk of getting flamed for saying this )
but it does look like a cool project
i mean starting with a clean sheet and upgrading it to youre own style
with that massive motor and turbo , you should have quite a rocket there ......only thing that could be more fun then building that thing would probably be driving it
good luck

mefarri 01-19-12 09:31 PM


Originally Posted by felix_is_alive (Post 10944001)
not my cup of tea , the whole ls convertion thing ...i just dont get it (and yes i know i am running the risk of getting flamed for saying this )
but it does look like a cool project
i mean starting with a clean sheet and upgrading it to youre own style
with that massive motor and turbo , you should have quite a rocket there ......only thing that could be more fun then building that thing would probably be driving it
good luck

Appreciate it. Originally I was just going to do a heads/cam ls1. Then I thought, I won't be super happy unless it's turboed. Then I found the ls3 for a steal so it just kinda escalated. haha

As far as the converision in general. I won't flame anyone for disagreeing, but I would for perpetuating all the wrong stereotypes about the conversion. I honestly think that most rotary owners are just ignorant to the actual specifics of it.

I'm not sure what's not to get.

---Exponentially more power right out of the box with HUGE headroom. (heads/cam ls1's routinely make 430whp NA and some have been past 475whp And I'm planning on making around 900whp below 15 pounds of boost or so on a smallish turbo for this size of a motor)

---Substantially better reliability. Don't even try and argue this point. People run junkyard motors with over 100k into the 8's without breaking them season after season.

---Huge amount of aftermarket support

---0 weight gained. Another huge misconception. There is no weight gain when swapping to an aluminum blocked engine. People forget the rotary is cast iron.

---Still maintains the front/rear weight balance. Another misconception. When you relocate the battery to the bins, everything is back to perfect. And it's not hanging over the steering rack either.

---The LS motor is not an old, sluggish motor. Just because it has pushrods doesn't make it not rev happy. LS2 stock rev limit is like 6700 and 7k is pretty standard. I know it's not 8500 or 9k but when you make more torque off idle than 95% of rotary owners make at peak, you don't need another 1500 rpms. It also revs quickly.

---Fits under the stock hood. And now there are no bumpsteer issues at all. Maintains perfect suspension geometry.

So. There you go.

Narfle 01-19-12 10:25 PM


Originally Posted by mefarri (Post 10944291)

---0 weight gained. Another huge misconception. There is no weight gain when swapping to an aluminum blocked engine. People forget the rotary is cast iron.

---Still maintains the front/rear weight balance. Another misconception. When you relocate the battery to the bins, everything is back to perfect. And it's not hanging over the steering rack either.

I would like you to back that up. With a regular lsx engine I'm sure there's not much to talk about. But, aren't you going to be running a front mount turbo? You're throwing quite a bit of weight on the front of your car compared to an NA lsx. Lots of tubing, intercooler, turbo. Same stuff that makes the fd longblock heavy.

Anyways, enjoying following your build.

felix_is_alive 01-20-12 06:20 AM

a while back , i think jimlab made a comparison to this , or something , i am sure its in his thread somewere
i believe the LS swap (aluminium) was same weight compared to the 13b , but i think there was also some discussion that a turbo LS engine would be slightly heavier , because of the extra stuff turbo engines bring to the table , manikfolds , turbo etc etc

dont get me wrong i am in no way downing youre conversion , i think its cool and its great because it "keeps RX7`s in the loop" so to say
i love all rx7`s , be it LS ,RB,2jZ and yes even vtec h powered, i love them all
i like the rotary because i like to be different and not follow the masses , it might be inefecient , etc etc according to some but to me it works just fine , i am just saying if i wanted an LS powered FD i would buy a C5 ....same thing almost ....but again ,...thats just me

Again , nothing against youre conversion , and i particularly like the way you are planning it , very meticulous , i like that approach , i will be following the build also just because of youre attention to detail ...its what sets this appart
cool build , keep up the good work

mefarri 01-20-12 09:18 AM


Originally Posted by Barban (Post 10944361)
I would like you to back that up. With a regular lsx engine I'm sure there's not much to talk about. But, aren't you going to be running a front mount turbo? You're throwing quite a bit of weight on the front of your car compared to an NA lsx. Lots of tubing, intercooler, turbo. Same stuff that makes the fd longblock heavy.

Anyways, enjoying following your build.

Thanks, I'm not sure what there is to back up. I was talking about the NA LS motor, not mine. But a friend with a very similiar setup as mine will be recently sold his and built another and weighed everything before shipping- it was 85 pounds. So yea, I'm adding 85 pounds over a stock FD. I'll trade 85 pounds for 400whp all day. Compared to alot of people with an additional 30 pounds of body work, heavy ass wheels and stereos, it'll all be a wash anyway.


Originally Posted by felix_is_alive (Post 10944573)
a while back , i think jimlab made a comparison to this , or something , i am sure its in his thread somewere
i believe the LS swap (aluminium) was same weight compared to the 13b , but i think there was also some discussion that a turbo LS engine would be slightly heavier , because of the extra stuff turbo engines bring to the table , manikfolds , turbo etc etc

dont get me wrong i am in no way downing youre conversion , i think its cool and its great because it "keeps RX7`s in the loop" so to say
i love all rx7`s , be it LS ,RB,2jZ and yes even vtec h powered, i love them all
i like the rotary because i like to be different and not follow the masses , it might be inefecient , etc etc according to some but to me it works just fine , i am just saying if i wanted an LS powered FD i would buy a C5 ....same thing almost ....but again ,...thats just me

Again , nothing against youre conversion , and i particularly like the way you are planning it , very meticulous , i like that approach , i will be following the build also just because of youre attention to detail ...its what sets this appart
cool build , keep up the good work

Haha see above on the weight, and the C5 is not like an FD with a different engine. That hurts me on the inside to hear you say that. haha.


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