Oh, and about the gearing, here's a quote from v8rx7.com:

"When I was contemplating my own Hybrid RX-7 conversion, I considered going with a Chevy LT1 with a B/W T-56. I wish I had, because with a T-56 in 6th gear (0.50 ratio) using the same formula above at 80MPH you'll be spinning at about 2,200 RPM's which is a much more comfortable freeway cruising RPM with most V8 engines."

 

Wonder how and 7 would look with a big blower sticking outta the hood......can anyone photoshop something like that?

 

This is Chris V's rex, he got banned from here when he did his V8 conversion. It's not a blower, but this is what a ford 302 conversion will look like.

 

too bad the v8's dont have the rpm range as the rotarys, i think that looks pretty cool

 

Yeah, I think what I'm going to miss the most is the higher redline of the rotary. Oh well, at least I'll have the torque I always wanted from an RX7.

 

If you go with a LS1, they make their power as RPM increases, comparable to the rotary. Redline is 7k stock, and they pull hard all the way to it. The Lt1 has some more low-end grunt, and doesnt pull quite as much up top. Nothing that cant be changed with a nice head/cam setup.

 

I'm just curious, but since you live in CA, do you plan on making this a smog legal swap? Or are you going to do the whole shady smog technician thing.

 

I'm not being a dick, you had some oddball theory that putting a v8 in your car was going to be cheaper then a turbo2 swap and i'm setting the record straight. Had I done the work myself, it would have been 1k less. I sold my GTUs' diff for 450, and my old header and clutch for another 300. I already had an exhaust, all i paid for was a 90 dollar downpipe from racing beat the bolted right into my exisiting setup. It was a snap, best money ever spent IMO. Makes the power I was looking for and it's satisfying to drive. I no longer have the feeling that i'm beating a dead horse with upgrades that make minimal power gains.

Oh, and btw, that included a decent transmission, differential, clutch, halfshafts, and driveshaft.

 

I've seen that car before... It's beautiful I love the way he did his spoiler.

 

On a side note, if youre going ahead with the swap, I HIGHLY recommend swapping in a Turbo2 rear end as well. The N/A 7" rear end and puny axles wont like that torque that the v-8 is putting out. Especially if you plan on running decent sized tires, or slicks.

 

In two years I plan to attatch all the original components of the engine and run it through a smog station legally. My understanding is that they don't really care about the actual emissions as long as most everything is stock.

 

Actually, it is cheaper than the TII swap that I wanted to do. I was going to swap out the engine, transmission, ECU, new exhaust (I have a 55mm exhaust, not gonna cut it), a rebuilt engine, a rebuilt tranny, and a new ECU, along with all the stuff that I wanted to put in. So it the V8 conversion is easier and cheaper than what I wanted to do for a TII conversion, and it makes more power off the bat.

Yes, you can do a TII conversion for as little money as you want, I just said that the V8 conversion was cheaper for what I wanted to do in total.

 

Yes, I plan on swapping in a 5-lug suspension and slam in a KAAZ 1.5way LSD when I get the money to do so.

 

just go with a torsen from an Fd they can be had for about $600 and ive heard they can take quite a bit of abuse.

 

good luck its gonna be a beast...

i am doing somewhat the same thing....well....selling my TII and getting a c5 vette

 

FD guys swap in S4 T2 clutch LSDs when their torsens break. The S4 turbo LSD, or clutch types in general are much stronger.

 

Actually, i'd recommend shortening a GM, of a Ford rearend end bolting it on.

 

Actually, the actual emissions are what matter the most. But anyways, if you do plan on doing this legally then you will have to go to a smog referee first. You are going to need every emission device that came with the engine you're putting in (and the engine has to be the same year as the car or newer). I don't know if this has any relevance, but all OBD II computered cars (96 and later) have to have stock factory catalytic convertors (which are expensive). When you go to the smog referee he will do a non-biased test on it. You HAVE to pass out the tail pipe (limits will be based on the new motor) and you HAVE to pass the visual (pretty much everything should be or look stock, don't put anything flashy on there that might look aftermarket). When you put that engine in there he will basically look at the car as if it were the stock factory car the engine came out of. If you pass both of those then the referee will give you a BAR Referee label saying that the engine is now legal for that car. The BAR label just says what kind of engine is in the car and all the smog devices it has to have. Your car will basically become the car the engine came out of in smog technicians eye's. After that you can take your car to any smog check place and when they see the BAR label they know the engine is legal for the car. Otherwise they will just tell you to go to the smog referee anyways. Phheeewwww!!! I'm done.

 

i like LS-1 better than LT1 ... well it cost more

but then , 13b-t is not bad at all

 

Not always true, mine is capable of 9000rpm. I will be shifting at 8000rpm because I am running a wet sump system for now, but when I go drysump 9000rpm it is

 

not to start anything but for the record, i spent 800 dollars on my v8 swap and that includes a 257hp/295tq at the wheels 302 with ported heads, mild cam, intake and carb, new king cobra clutch, and rebuilt t-5 transmission.

i do miss the sound of the rotary though

 

Some people just want a fast car for the lowest price, and others want a car that has a unique powerplant even if it isn't the easiest way to go fast. I'm one of the latter, but I think that your RXV8 will be awesome. Good luck with it and keep us posted.

-Joe

 

is there a kit including any motor mounts and tranny mounts to do the swap?
do the stock headers fit or are custom ones needed?
and if you got an all aluminum 351 and put the battery in the back the weight dist would probably be the same

 

http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...40&prmenbr=361

 

240HP with 300 torque is a HELL of a lot faster than 250HP and 180 torque in the same car.

Also: the nice thing about v8's is for another $500 it can make 375HP and 400 torque... there isn't much replacement for displacement, unfortunatly.