I just bought a 1993 RX7 and am thinking of swaping a 351 motor into it. Any suggestions? Is this smart or am I crazy..Will I have to do some cutting to make it fit? Any help thanks

Steve

 

well your gonna pretty much eliminate the soul of an rx7. By that i mean your goin to eliminate the stock 50/50 weight distribution, suspension is goin to be off due to the added weight so handling may be compromised. When buying an rx7 many buy them not only for the looks buy for the fact that they are rare and have a rotary engine which intrigues some people. to all their own though..

justin

 

The weight problems are debatable, personally I think the 7 is fine with a V8. Should it have a piston engine? Thats a whole-nother question. IMO, if you plan on molesting this vehicle in this manner, your better off selling it and buying a mustang. They can handle pretty good if set up correctly, it will take a 351 with less stress too.

 

You may want to research that thought a little more, I need only direct you to the monster thread of Proffesor Jimlab. He and others will school you on the mis-guided theory you have. Some where in there the explanation is argued over and over again it is a long one though.

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=135921

And as for looks Yeah it looks great and now with a V8 you'll always have a FD to drive

Me personally , I will not do it to a FD until I have an extra one to make into a project. But it is on the list of things to do.

 

So many people out there are looking for FD's to buy. I hate to see them with V8's in them. I say you should research the forum on both the issues of the V8 and the 13B. Decide what is more reasonable and then begin your modifications. I own a single turbo FB and lemme tell you...there is NOTHING like the punch of a boosted 13B at high rpms. I wish I had an FD3S but I know I'll probably never own one. If you are intent on swapping in a V8 at least wait until you blow your motor. Give it a chance. You might like it once you make it faster.

 

sure
it'll work great

but would be even better on a fb, extremely easy swap if you get a windsor

BTW: engine's are a hunk of metal, they have no soul
use the one best for you

 

Perhaps you should educate yourself before you start talking about things that you apparently know absolutely nothing about and making yourself look like a complete idiot.

 

What kind of 351? An LS1 is your best bet since its aluminum the weight is about the same. A windsor 351 or something like that will surely add a good deal of weight.

 

but cheaper and super easy to put in a fb

IMHO if you spend the $$ for a fd, a LSx is the only choice

 

The 351 doesn't fit into a Mustang any better than it fits into an RX7. It takes work for that swap too. It just "sounds" more realistic because it's a Ford motor and a Ford car. And they are both unibody cars with subframes. Either is a good candidate for a 351 swap.

Cosmetically I think the LS1 is the better bet for an FD because the 351 isn't going to clear the stock hood if you don't want to park the oilpan on the ground. Mustangs would be a better choice for a 351 because people aren't surprised to see things sticking through the hood of a Mustang. FD's look best with a stock hood.

 

You rotary guys are like the Jehovah's Witness of car nerds. No amount of math, physics or just plan common sense will dissuade you from your non-sensical faith.

For the last god damn time. Installing an LS1 in an FD adds about 50lbs. By reloing the battery to the back you get 50/50 weight distro. And with the superiour; performance, sound, throttle response, torque, power band, emissions, gas MPGs, reliability, etc etc etc. The car performs better in every respect.

Unless you like a powerband that is similar to a small bore motorcross bike;

wwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaa.... AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

wwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaa.... AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

wwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaa.... AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

It's real good to handing when your engine power output lags the throttle by 1-2 seconds and only half of your powerband is worth a ****.

 

I can't stop laughing. That just made my day.

 

This might be a little late to post on this thread but I HAVE to put my 2 cents in here... I dont think you can get any better platform for a race car then a 1st gen rx7... not for a drag racer... cheap... big motor bay... solid rear axel... hell I came REAL CLOSE to putting a 302 into one... bought all the ****... now a 3rd gen... no... its the heart and the sole of the car... its what makes the car... it is a japaneese super car... one of the best of a era... putting a 351 in it is like takeing a shelby mustang and droping a 2jz in it... might be one hell of alot better then the 289 that came in it... but takes the SOLE AND THE POURPOSE out of the car!!! you can make power out of the fd... been proven time and time again... please dont ruin another fd with a v8... hell I will give you a 1st gen shell... they litter the country side if you want to build a drag racer...

 

It's never too late to make an *** out of yourself in a thread you have no business replying to. We aren't telling you that it's a good thing you didn't put the 302 in the 1st gen because you don't have the respect for piston engines that they deserve.


The car is what makes the car. not the engine. I just bought a 93 with no engine or transmission. Is it no longer an RX7? Because the title still carries the same VIN and the insurance company sure wants the same amount of money if I want to put tags on it regardless of what motor is in there.


No, it wouldn't have anything to do with the non-existent "soul" or purpose of the car. The purpose of the car is to fulfill the owners needs and desires. Period. If you want so badly to keep the FD from getting a piston engine, buy every FD yourself so we can't have any of them.


At what cost? I've looked into the required parts to get 400 rwhp out of an FD with a rotary. It's more expensive than a V8 conversion, and you STILL won't have the bottom end torque I will. I don't care if I can get 2 more peak HP at 7800 rpm if I spend another $2000. I'm not Michael Schumacher. I want my torque where I can use it. I've yet to see a rotary dyno chart that shows 350 lbs/ft of torque at 2000 rpm.


What makes you think FD's won't be littering the countryside in another 20 years like the FB's do now? I agree the FD is a much nicer car, but it's STILL AN RX7 and as such it shares the same status as an FB - it's our car, not yours, so stop begging people to share your opinion.

 

Never too late to show your *** and general ignorance. Whatever you are trying to say, you obviously don't have a clue about RX-7s. You do not even deserve to own an RX-7. Please sell your car to someone who knows and respects its history.

p.s. What the hell is your deal with hondas?

 

My friend had a good point yesterday...

If an RX7 had a soul, and was alive, wouldn't it be sad to be so damn slow? Making it faster with the swap should make it happy.

Get over it guys...

On the same note, the LS1 swap is a lot easier in th FD, already been done, and you can buy all the parts you need off the shelf, basically no major fabbing.

 

Yeah, just keep telling yourself there's no major fabrication required just because all of the required drivetrain conversion components are available What's Hinson's lead time on those parts again?

Add to that the lead time on his cooling system, the $400 he'll charge you for a wiring harness that isn't plug and play, etc. and you get my drift. Even with everything Hinson can sell you it's not exactly plug and play. I get tons of pms a week asking me how I wired something, or what I did to get something to fit. It's tried and true, but not exactly "bolt on", and certainly not for the non-mechanically inclined.

 

Don't put a 351 in it. It's huge, it weighs a ton, and you'll likely have to cut the firewall and the hood to get it to fit. And for what? A dinosaur of a motor that won't provide you any advantage over an LS1. If you're set on a V8, and can handle the challenge the conversion proivides, that's the way to go.

Mines closing in on it's one year mark for running problem free under piston power.

 

Cars don't have souls ********. And I'm so sick of hearing that particular phrase
Or maybe neither will be particuloarly compromised. Open your eyes and read a few threads before you pop off at the mouth. I even posted pictures of my car sitting on a truck scale and yet we still get useless throwaway comments like yours.

Yup, Everyone buys cars for different reasons. If you're not paying the note then just shrug it off. I wouldn't put altezzas on my car...and yet they exist , so I could if I wanted to :shrug:

 

I guess in my eyes the fd is a japanese super car and receives upmost level of respect from me... not just a expensive shell to turn into a race car... you can make more power from a ls1... I wonder why... more money has been spent on devolpeing the heads on that motor then has EVER been put into all the rotary programs put togather... people like you are killing the rotary... as far as fd shells littering the counry side in 10 more years I doubt that... MANY MANY MANY more fb's were sold then fd's... they will continue to cost about as much as they do now and about 10 years from now there value will start going up like the muscle cars did...

 

How is putting a V8 in a car that is no longer produced hurting the rotary.. The FD died because it wasn't reliable (when driven by your typical driver), and cost Ford an assload of money in warranty. So do Vectors earn the utmost respect from you as well? That's an American supercar, what about the Viper?


Wingsfan-

I guess I always forget about Hinson's lead time... assuming you can wait a YEAR to put your car together, it's mostly bolt in (and there are others, like wingsfan to help you when you have questions, with the windsor, good luck, it's new territory).

 

First, why do you care about hondas? Second, why do you say a FD is a supercar and not a FB? They were both supercars at the time they were new and they both good cars but FB was more successful because many more were sold, whereas FD was a failure. A good car but a failure at the same. Now they are both old cars and LS-1 corvettes will beat them. Third, put a LS-1 in your FD and you have a decent reliable car.