I've really been considering replacing my blown 12A with either a SBC or a SBF, and I'm tryign to be as realistic as possible.
I'd probably only order the conversion kit, radiator with hoses, and driveshaft from grannys.
Then I'd be hunting down an engine and trans etc. I wanna be realistic though.
Just how much work goes into this conversion? I can do basic nuts and bolts mechanic work, but this would be the first engine swap I've attempted, and I am wondering just how hard somethign like this is.
It would be a carbed motor whatever motor I did choose, and I'm set on having a manual.
So can I get any info on difficulty, or if I should even realistically plan on going this route with my car?
Also I need to keep it emisisons legal etc.

Thanks, I just don't want to wind up getting in over my head lol.

 

You need an engine that is newer then the year of your car, so keep that in mind. Not many good carb engines from GM post 1979, without doing a lot of emissions illegal stuff.

As far as difficulty, if you can do a brake job well, you can do the swap, it will just take time and patience.

 

Would the conversion to fuel injection so I can run a decent F.I. motor be much harder?
My only real concern is the wiring for all this. I'm not really worried about throwing in the motor etc. thats just turnning a wrench for the most part.
My issue is how all the wiring/computer works, I'm pretty much a total noob with all that.

 

Wiring fuel injection is not hard; there are many, many sites that cover this in depth, and can answer pretty much any questions you might have. A typical fuel injection system (Ford 5.0 EFI, GM Tuned Port, GM TBI, LT1, LS1, etc) only have 8-9 wires to hook up to the RX7 chassis, and those only connect to: Battery +12 Volt, Ignition +12 Volt, and Ground. Don't let wiring scare you.

For fueling, going from carb to FI would require a new fuel pump, and some modifications to your fuel system, none of it is really too complicated.

LT1 engines are pretty cheap now days, so are the 5.3L and 6.0L LSx based truck motors, and all of them will make more power then a basic carb setup, and be legal, emissions wise.

 

for the first gen I would do a ford small block 302 or such, a 351 might sit too high. the fuel injected 5.0 and t-5 bolt in easily. As for the choice of chevy or ford the reason I am going with a ford is that the motor weighs less then a 350 chev (similary equipped) and when you use a ford it sits back and lower in the engine bay due the the fact that the ford has a double sump pan. it will fit under the stock hood if you keep intake manifold selection conservative (as in no high rise, air gap, aftermarket GT40 for fuel injection)


you simply unbolt the cross member in the RX7 and rotate it 180 deg and bolt it back in then you use the grannys kit to mount the motor. hell if you keep mods to a min on the engine the stock rad in the RX7 can even be used.

I would suggest getting a whole car to do this because you never know what you might need off the donor car.

you also can find carbed engines up to 1986 in the mustangs and TB fuel injection in most other cars.

plus they are cheap cheap cheap to do this swap..