V8 conversion for FD3s
 

Well the price of upkeeping a rotary engine is way much more than I want to keep paying through the years. I am considering a Chevy v8 in there or some other sorts. Anyone done this? How much cost was associated with this?


- Thanks

can we just lock this thread right now?

Ummmmmmm ... I have a funny feeling terrorists don't like V8s in RX7s, either.

lock it please

Lock the thread? Differing opinions are what make this country great - lets not try to censor ourselves.

It has been done - don't know the cost but there is an interesting site you can check out to look into it: http://www.grannysspeedshop.com/

a yes v8 conversion, also known as the homo conversion, you can find out about it by emailing yourdumb@dumbass.com

Well, although I think the consenquence for that is public hanging... Granny's Speedshop or something like that sells kit's for the conversion. I stumbled on it in my quest to find a 20B conversion. It's taking away everything from the 7 that makes it great. Please don't take your cars soul :(

I was planning on doing this conversion myself. I would love the power but to have that V8 sound coming from an FD just doesn't seem right. To all of you that think it will add weight to the car, someone put an LT1 engine in there FD and only gained 150lbs. Only think that made it different is that the engine won't sit behind the steering rack like the rotary will. Knowing that they still managed to get an almost perfect f/r weight

God, there's always gonna be fucking dipshits out there! But even fucking dipshits have the right to their own small-minded, ignorant-ass, uninformed dipshit opinons, so I'll let them rant on, and ignore the flames that are sure to follow this post. Oh, and BY THE WAY I'll help answer your question, which is more than some narrow-minded, head-in-the-sand, peter-puffers will do.

The granny's link that Viper posted is good. Also do a search for posts made by Jim LaBreck "jimlab". I don't know how many, if any, have survived the numerous hacks but there were several, back in the day, that were very informative. Good luck. If I had the time and money, I would do it. I'm keeping my 7 rotary powered for now (new engine), but if I don't get it sold, and things go just right, then I'll be hauling ass past all these "purist" sissies in the future (in a PX-7).

It's your car, you make the payments, do whatever the hell you please with it! And laugh in the face of those who say "Oh you're ruining the car!", or "You're siding with the enemy!", or "That's disgracing the marque!". Fuck that, I'm into abundant, relaible, consistent, street drivable, power, torque, and speed. I love Japanese style and innovation, and I think the rotary is one cool-as-hell type of engine, but I also LOVE American muscle. I can't wait to put one together and show those guys my taillights.

My $0.02. Fire away.

Pretty well said. Most people don't know why people even think of putting a LT1 or a V8 in there FD. Most people think it's just to be different, then go on and on about how it will weight alot more and mess up the suspension. Fact is that the LT1's are way more reliable, has more potential for power, and doesn't weight as much as people think. I'm just waiting for a reason to pop an LT1 in my FD. I've just put too much money into my engine to part it out. Flame on:o

If you own the car, do whatever u want. Hell you can put a B18c5 like all the ricers in their hondas. It's just that many owners believe that the rotary engine is the very essence of the Rx7. Switching out the rotary would be more of a loss of individuality and uniqueness more than anything else.

I could really care less what you do to your cars, like the point was made, you pay for it. If you pay for it, I say enjoy it. It seems to me that it's like this... people don't put Supra TT motors in Camaro's or Mustangs. Muscle car fanatics would freak out if that actually happened.

I'm also on a Jaguar list where the
purists feel the same way as some of
you about the Jag/Chev conversions.
The purists call the conversion -
a lump.
Guess what ? The Jag/Chev conversion
has been so popular that they now have
a lump section that threatens to out-
number the XJ section.
If I would have known about the
FD/Chev conversion, I would probably
have gone that route last year,instead
of the Mazda re-man.
I love my FD but I sure wish it didn't
sound like an outboard motor.
I think the younger guys on the list
view the sounds of Imports differently
than us in our 50's who yearn for the
old muscle car sounds.
Excuse me while I dry my eyes.

:rolleyes:

It's not so much the sound of the import motors that I like. It's the originality of the rotary motor that I like the RX7 for. If I wanted to put a V8 in something, I'd buy an authentic muscle car. I know all about the weight benefits of the 7 and blah blah blah... just my .02

This is a free country. Lots of individualism. When it comes to cars we are very passionate. In the future you will see many more piston conversions in RX-7s. It's a fact of life. If you don't like it - too bad. You are entitled to your opinion. I for one have owned RX-7s since 1986. So far 4 of them. My current FD is being worked on with a souped up single turbo. It's on it's 3rd motor. If this one is not reliable then I will seriously consider going the way of the piston. My brother has a '66 Dodge 4-sp Hemi muscle car. It's really neat. He has a FD auto that is modded somewhat. On his 2nd engine(30k miles). He has a V8 Chev FC 5-speed that does 60' in 1.7 seconds. That is really cool. I certainly hope my FD holds up. If it does not I do know pistons do hold up.

Ken

Guys please don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my fd but when I hear my friends saleen pull up next to me I'm practically ashamed that my car sounds like a weed wacker on roids and his car sounds like an absolute animal. Plus I haven't quite figured out why someone would spend 15Gs or so at pf supercars having a 3 rotor put in while they could spend a bunch less, put a vette engine in there, have the car go at least as fast, sound sweet as hell, and not break. Did you guys catch the latest car and driver I think it is...peter farrell raced a 3 rotor against the leightenfelter vette, a mercedes, another vette, and a turbo 911. Hell yeah the rx did real well, actually beating all the other cars in the times...but the damn thing broke like 5 times....whats that all about. It was an 85 grand rx-7. So all I'm getting at is don't bash anybody for doing something that is gonna save him $$$, time that his car will have to spend getting fixed, and also make the damn thing fast as hell. Personally I would never do the swap because I've already spent so much $$$ on crap to make the 13b work better plus hopefully I'll be able to put in a new engine myself. V8 conversion I could never swing. And please stop talking about the soul of the car and whatnot. You guys all changed 95% of the stock drivetrain outta there anyway. Plus its a car-it doesn't have a soul-only thing that counts is hp.

That would be a pointless conversion. Both have great potential for power, both are reliable, both probably weight anout the same. Mostly all they would be doing is changing the sound and the hp/torque curve.

The price was 45K + car which would be about 60K total, not 85K.......now on the other hand did you see the price of the TT Vette!!!!!!! I believe it was WAY over 100K!!!!! And beat the 7 BARELY!!!!!!! The 7 kicked his ass all the way around the track with a time about 7 seconds faster than the TT Vette. The reason the car kept breaking is because its a Peter Ferrel POS, I sent them a email saying they should have used Cams 3 rotor from Pettit Racing instead.

You guys that say you car sounds like a weed wacker just need to get a different exhaust, I have the Pettit resonated mp and Pettit duel tip cat back and it sounds very deep and mellow. The Apexi N1 sounds like shit I think and thats what most people around here seem to run.

I just dont get it. I like V8's and have always ran them up untill my 7, I just dont see the reliability in them. They are fine stock but when you start REALLY modding them to get into the very low 12's and 11's throught the 1/4 they are no longer reliable. I have a friend with a z28 and he's ALWAYS having some problem with it!!!!! Its bone stock with 100K and he has always maintained it within factory specs, its eating oil like a bitch and needs rebuilding now.

As for the speed issue, that doesnt hold water either, a bone stock FD with intake, full exhaust, Power FC running base maps and 12psi runs low 12's with street tires!!!!!! Put a intake and full exhaust on a z28 and see what you get.

I'm not bashing because I like v8's fine but i dont see much advantage in swithing over to one.

I think most of the problems stem from poor maintanence by the original owners. Then when the owners did want to get it serviced the Mazda dealer didnt know what the hell they were doing. Most of the original owners maintained it like it was a piston engine and that just kills them.

Anyway, later guys

I agree with you stephen.

You comparing different mods to different kinds of engines. It's a fact that turbocharged engines get more power from exhaust, intake, race pipe. A full exhaust, intake, and power fc could cost up to $2000. Get a FMIC and it'll be $3000 and will get you up to 350rwhp if you're lucky. I have this setup and managed to do a 12.78 but with a boost leak, I might be able to do low 12's with my new turbos. Now for $3500 you can get a twin turbo system for an LS1. I forgot the company name but the kit comes complete and will make over 600rwhp. That's all streetable daily driver running 6.5#. I would like to see a rotary do the same for the same amount of money or even just make it streetable.

The only reason I would switch to an LT1 is the potential for an already powerfull engine. I love rotary engines but I want power and that's all I'm interested in. I have to admit that I love getting compliments about the looks of my car though, that's why I haven't gone out and got a C5

Can you please point me in the direction of a full kit to turn a LS1 into a TT for $3500, I have some friends that would be VERY interested in that kit. I know all the Corvette/SS tuners charge about $35,000. to do this. It seems to me $3500 MIGHT cover the cost of 2 turbos and thats it. What about the intake, heads, full exhaust, computer chip, fuel injectors, pump, and everything else to support 600rwhp!!!!! You'll probably have to rebuild the entire engine with higher performance parts to get 600RWhp.....not sure about the rebuild job but I would imagine its nessesary. I have a friend that ownes a turbo shop called Turbo Specialty and they just did a TT to a Corvette, it was about 16K in PARTS and that was the shops cost(that includes rebuilding the motor and alot of dyno tuning though)!!!!!!! It also runs low 11's and thats at 10psi of intercooled boost not 6.5 of non intercooled!!!!! There is no way its pumping out 600rwhp and only running low 11's at the track. I think its more around 400-450 RWHP, that would equate to over 500FLhp which is around 200 hp more than stock and that sounds about right for the motor upgrades and 10psi of boost.

If there is a twin turbo kit that you can bolt on a LS1 and get 600RWHP for $3500 I'd like to see it, hell I'll start selling that local and make a killing off it!!!!!

LMAO

Later,

the problem with the fd.
 

mazda should have put a 3rotor in it, just think what the average fd would be like, i bet this v-8 thing wouldn't be a debate.:mad:

Hey JagJack
 

Could you please post a link to your Jaguar forum? A fellow FD owner who runs a body shop here recently painted a beautifully converted '87 XJS coupe. I have a line on a '92 convertible for cheap and I am contemplating "possibilities." I need to learn as much as possible kinda fast. Thanks.

I have also decided to do the V8 engine swap. I just sold my street ported 13b, turbo, ic's, ecu, boost controller, etc etc, and transmission for $7k (all parts only had 7000 miles on them). I picked up the LT1 and T56 6 speed tranny for $2k.

More reliability, more power, MORE TORQUE THROUGHOUT THE REV RANGE (270 or so lbs at 2200 rpm), and more potential (a 6psi supercharger will get you to 600rwhp) are the main reasons.

Don't get me wrong, I've loved my FD...but I've had so many problems (yes my car is tuned properly and has all reliability mods), and just generally turbo power just cant compare imo to NA V8 power. I drive my car everyday around Los Angeles...having no torque low down really isnt much fun for town driving. V8 seems to have all the answers...low down torque as well as massive power. Guess what...it even has better gas mileage =)

And for those who say they would just get an american muscle car - I LOVE the way the FD looks, the feel, the handling, everything about it. Anyone wanna buy my ROTORED california license plate? =)