I bought the FC with the intention of the LS1 swap after reading through various websites.

 

arguments against us doing this go off topic... it only reinforces our side of the argument.... this is the way we like or cars.
my car had mo motor when i bought it.... it still doesn't, but that's not the point.
soul? what soul? its a machine made of metals, glass, polymers, textiles, and composites... and nothing more. get over it.

 

My RX7 had a blown soul. And when you think about it, its the only part of the car that really sucks. The FD is a beautiful looking car, its light weight, and it handles awsome. On the down side, its unreliable, has a funky power curve, and gets pour gas mileage.

I started this thread because I was on the fence. Now I've joined the dark side. My LS1 showed up last Friday.

 

You'll love the engine bumps. I have an 01' vette and the LS1 just screams(in a good way) when you wind her up. Little does the friend that I'm buying a 93 R1 from know, the rotary is going bye bye and being replaced by an LS like the one in my vette. Once you turn to the dark side, you cannot go back.

 

 

I am doing a V8 swap because i was tired of just waiting for my motor to blow and i had rebuilt one before, it was satisfiying except when i figured the costs and risks. I could blow another rotary and run the risk of totalling the motor which was a cost range of $300-$2000 depending on how bad damage was. I didnt want ot do that when i could put a motor in that was better on gas, better on reliability, more torque then 80% of the rotaries will ever have. It just made too much sense to me. spend a total of $15000-$17000 and have performance that any other car of the same price could only dream of.

Also my 10th AE has been beaten and basterdized so much that it has really lost its intrinsic value so i didnt have much of a passion to keep it stock and "original" so i thought, "well what would **** people off more? a 10th AE with mods, OR a 10th AE with a v8?" its clear to see what i chose


EDIT

when the rx7 gets a soul

 

So I'm curious, How much, after all is said and done does a V8 3rd gen cost? Assuming you already have a shell.

 

it really depends on how cheap you wanna be.

Jimlab says he has over $100,000 invested in his project including R&D and many one off parts, but i have also heard people who got thier whole conversion done for under $6,000.

so it really all depends on what you want to upgrade and what you want, if you want a cheap fast car you'll have a cheap fast car. But if you're **** and like everything perfect then you become jimlab or you just end up spending more.

 

I am getting close to finishing mine. Still need to get a few things like rad hoses, coolant, etc.., but this should cover everything else- conversion parts came from Hinson:

LS1
LS1/T56 complete: $3650
Conversion Kit: $1460
Koyo Radiator: $200
Fuel Pump: $75
Brake MC: $89
FPR: $151
Wiring Harness: $425
Speed Comp: $80
Short Shifter: $25
Plugs $35
Clutch line: $85
6 qts of oil: $30
Plug Wires: $35
Power harness extension: $35
HP Tuners addon - $200
Power Steering Line Modification: $36
Radiator Fill assy: $40
Fittings for FPR: $12
Upper Rad Hoses: $22

 

RELIABLE 400 N/A RWHP.
I beat on cars and I don't want to constantly worry about breaking something.

 

Any car that is beat on will break something...bottom line... now how soon something breaks is based on the quality of the motor, and the care taken by the user.

 

Here we go again. I'm not going to start to compare a 400 hp N/A LS1s reliability to a 400hp N/A rotary's reliability and even streetablilty. I'm done with this difference of opinion.

 

May I ask where you got your radiator from?

 

Going to pistons is the ***** way

 

Winning is winning. Which car is faster, the one that has a V8 or the one that has a broken rotary? Personally I think a car with an engine swap is more productive than a car sittig in a junkyard.

 

Rotaries have their place in racing, but for street cars, sticking with it becuase its 'special' or different is fine if thats what youre going for, but Im out for uncomprimising performance on a strict budget. Good ******* luck doing that on a 13B - I got a tight budget and Id rather blow a HG or trash a so-cheap-its-kind-of-sad 2.3T shortblock than a signifigantly more expensive set of rotary apex seals, plus the parts are so much cheaper and its so much better on gas its almost a crime.

Well, it is a crime to a rotard, but who cares? Chevy SBCs and LT1/LS1 motors and certain turbo 4s are EXTREMELY cost effective, and bolt in swaps are nothing. The KA-T is really coming into its own and the 2.3T has been a cult motor for of 25 years with a proven record, and any idiot knows how much power and torque a v8 with more than 5 liters displacement can put down without breaking a sweat.

Besides, why the hell would I want to get an engine that only some dude that Captain Kirk has issues with can tune?

 

Who is comparing? Nowhere did I compare anything I said longevity depends on the quality of the motor (nope, don't see any comparing or a 400HP N/A rotary vs a 400hp LS1, this applies to all motors of ANY output. You besta believe theres sub 200hp motors that are absolute crap design and when "beat on" won't never last as long as some race motors) and the care taken by the user (hm... that applies to EVERYBODY... no comparison there either). It'd be nice to have reasonable discussion here without taking what someone said to an abstract interpretation. And what makes you assume I'm against the LS1 swap anyway? I respect your decision, won't get all huffy puffy over it, or tell you you're gonna "screw up the handling" because I do a little homework before I open my mouth. Besides, a buddy of mine, Mike (a.k.a GsrSol), has Z06 motor in his FD and that is one of the craziest cars I've ever seen/heard/cruised with. I just prefer to make due with what I have.......for now.

Lol, Nihil it is true. The way I see it, there are so many people that want to be different that they all end up becoming the same without even realizing that they are now their own " overpopulated subculture" thus in my eyes makes them not so unique.

 

You're right. I found certain implications in your statement that I guess I shouldn't have.

 

not what your mom said

 

I said much the same thing back in '93 when I did my conversion. A handbuilt, one-off, V8 RX7 was vastly more unique than a few hundred thousand rotary powered ones.. Of course, we have more V8 RX7s now, but percentage-wise, they are still more unique.

As far as comparing the reliability, what we discuss is building a 350-400 hp RX7. Since we know that ensuring reliability in an engine, even more than how it's maintained, is how stressed it is. The closer it is to an understressed, time tested, stock condition, the more reliable it's likely to be. When building for 350-400 hp, a rotary will have to be a modded one, and rather highly stressed. A V8, especially an LT1/LS1/LS2 will be pretty much stock. That reliability comparison for the output is a large part of the reason for the conversion. Combine that reliable power output with the cost of that power output, put them together in one of the best chassis available anywhere, and you have a pretty strong, logical set of reasons for doing the conversion.

 

That and the margin for error is greatly reduced, you start knocking on a V8 you should back off, and it's very audiable... you start kocking lound enough that a non tuning expert knows what he's listening to on a rotary, and you're 2 out of 6 apex seals short...
Not to mention your precious turbo, maybe a dented rotor and some new housings....

 

That falls under care taken by user in my book. And to Merc: Anything is reliable if you have the money to make it reliable. Virtually any adjective to describe something is completely opinionated to each individual. Hell I've had my car for like almost 2 years and just about the only problems i've been chasing have been electrical ones since the motor is still alive and kicking strong, I believe that is reliable enough for me that the motor runs strong even with having a failed OMP at one point in the past.... and you're right about the knocking, Crosby.... when boosted. Some of the more experienced rotary tuners have had first hand experience and have said that the N/A motors are quite stout if you can some how manage to make one knock or ping. I am N/A and intend on staying N/A with this first, of more to come, rex-o-mine. Roughly the 3rd or 4th FC I acquire will be dabbling in a non-rotor motor swap, more than likely, so I can have a wide range of powebands to play with on the same chassis. Variety is almost always better than uniformity. Happy motoring, guyz0rz

 

how much does an FD weigh with an LS1?