V8 RX-7

[mustangGT85]

hey guys, i'm going to be doing a V8 RX-7 very soon, i'm buying the rx7 next saturday(4.2.04) and am going to part it out and make it lighter than it is. i'm going to start saving up for mustang parts, or a wrecked mustang 5spd and 5.0L.

Just wondering if anyone else has done this and if so, any pointers are very welcome. also what do you guys think?

its a 1984 first generation RX-7 GS weighs in about 2345LBS

~Steve

 

[T_5.0_N'works]

hey guys, i'm going to be doing a V8 RX-7 very soon, i'm buying the rx7 next saturday(4.2.04) and am going to part it out and make it lighter than it is. i'm going to start saving up for mustang parts, or a wrecked mustang 5spd and 5.0L.

Just wondering if anyone else has done this and if so, any pointers are very welcome. also what do you guys think?

its a 1984 first generation RX-7 GS weighs in about 2345LBS

~Steve

I'd imagine you are gonna need custom mounts, drive shaft, what rear end are you going to use, that 1st gen isn't going to take any kinds of torque. It's a good project but it won't weigh 2300lbs when you stuff an iron block in there.

 

[Michael Yount]

I've seen several 2nd gen 7's w/small block Ford and Chevy; never a 1st Gen though. I'm sure they're out there, I just haven't come across one. Search Google under "RX7+V8". Bunch of hits - a couple below.

http://www.rx7v8.com/
http://www.wrongmotor.com/
http://www.torquecentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=11

 

[TheGTkid]

i have no info for you but i must say that sounds like a killer project!!!

 

[xxtavixx]

I did a lot of research into this, you will need to either make or purchase a sub frame. Here's a very helpful web site

http://www.hinsonsupercars.com/

They specialize in this swap, let us know how it turns out. Most people use GM 350's to retain a 50/50 weight balance though

-Andrew

 

[90mustangGT]

I met a guy in the prossess of putting the modded LS1 out of his wrecked Fbody into his old early 80's RX7. :worship:

 

[nito88stang]

I remember there being more chebby 350 kits out there than SBF kits, so you might hafta go the chebby route for ease of installation. But who's to stop you......have at it

 

[Venom351R]

sounds like a fun/challenging project.

Better then putting a Rotory engine in a Mustang

 

[Michael Yount]

I've frankly been amazed at the conversions I've seen. Hood clearance can be tight, but there appears to be at least as much room in the compartment as there is in the Stang. Who'd've thunk? I guess if the 5.0L can go in the Miata, getting it in an RX7 is no big deal.

 

[mustangGT85]

yeah, i've noticed a lot of guy do chebby swaps into 2nd and 3rd gens, but first gens typically have the 302's, cuz the bow ties have hood clearance problems. but i'm a ford lover, and am going to go with a 302 MAF with 5spd tranny. seems the ford parts are cheaper too. http://members.tripod.com/~grannys/

good web site but i've heard problems with some stuff, like the shifter wont match up quite right, so a little modifcation is in need.

but basically, you take out the K member and reverse it. from there i need to buy two custom motor mounts and a cross member for roughly $130 and a custom drive shaft. from grannys the drive shaft is $250 for a steel one and $350 for aluminum.

like i said i'll be getting the rx-7 on saturday and i will start gutting it, i'll take pics, maybe do a write up or guide.

~Steve

 

[NKau]

Had a friend that WAS going to do a similar project, but will end up selling the car because he has no time for it. Be sure to post pics of the car and any progress you make on it. Sounds like an awesome project; light car with a healthy small block V8 backed by a 5 speed should be a hell of a lot of fun.

 

[mustangGT85]

O K. I'm back. i've started the project today. Me and my Girlfriends Dad started taking out the engine componets and the engine should be out by tomarrow. i'll be taking pictures tomarrow morning and posting them prolly tomarrow night. The car is pretty easy to work with. after we took out the fan shroud and radiator, we were left a huge space to work with. I dont know why Mazda, for lack of a better word, would want to tunnel the air half way into the engine bay before it hit the radiator.

But on a differnt note, has anyone seen the artical in the june issue of "5.0 Mustang & Super Fords" Named "Screaming Banana"? awesome car, yellow 5.0 notch back, looks almost stock, but has an 8 point rollcage and 12x18 Cobra Rims!!! 12 inches wide!!! oh man. it has a navigator 5.4 DOHC with a T-88 Greddy Turbocharger!!! And the biggest intercooler he could fit in the LX front bumper, a custom intake, eagle rods and CP forged pistons. and thats the bulk of the engine mods. he has fuel upgrades, custom headers and exhaust and a TTC- Tremec 3550 tranny with the stock shifter. so other than the rims and roll cage it looks very stock.anyway, he makes 731HP! damn

And today i was just thinking about how to make my project go more smoothly by thinking about problem areas, like the front motor mount crossmember, i have to flip it backwards in order for the 5.0 to go in, and i've heard of the bolts not lining up right. and the exhaust system is going to need to be mounted, so i need hangers (with rubber???). also i'm going to need to compensate for the heavy load on the forn springs. i'm prolly going to need to swap out the rear end with my donor mustang's rear end. I also heard that buy switching the cross member in the front, my shifter alignment is going to be off, so i need tocut some plastic. i'm also going to have to get a custom drive shaft, cuz the stock ones wont work. and when i do this i want to hide all the wiring behind the firewall and wheel wells.

well give me your replies, and i should have pics up by sunday night.

this guy had the same problem that i will, but this one is a second generation rx-7 where as mine is a first gen:

http://kvine.com/mazda/fjm57 RX7 Pics/shifter_setup/1_right.JPG
http://kvine.com/mazda/fjm57 RX7 Pics/shifter_setup/2_right.JPG
http://kvine.com/mazda/fjm57 RX7 Pics/shifter_setup/3_right.JPG
http://kvine.com/mazda/fjm57 RX7 Pics/shifter_setup/4_left.JPG
http://kvine.com/mazda/fjm57 RX7 Pics/shifter_setup/Right_new_setup.JPG

 

[NKau]

Holy *#@%, hope your shifter location isn't quite that bad in the 1st gen. Get those pics posted!

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I know a guy who has a 383 Chevy stroker in a 2nd Gen RX-7, but i dont know any details and it's been sitting in his yard for about 3 years.

 

[NeQX]

that guy from http://www.wrongmotor.com/ put LS1 in, wonder what he runs :-/

 

[RoD2120]

i know its a bump but why would you do that? The rotary makes a hell of alot more sense, its half the weight. The rotary makes the RX7 what it is.....

uh sorry, im a RX7 guru at heart and its a shame to see one wasted.

 

[xxtavixx]

more power reliably.

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Funny i just noticed this thread. I know a guy with a 383ci stroker in an '87 RX7 that runs 10s.

The coolest part is you'd never know it has a stroker in it. It's even got the stock hood. Of course, it roars like a mofo though.

 

[NKau]

i know its a bump but why would you do that? The rotary makes a hell of alot more sense, its half the weight. The rotary makes the RX7 what it is.....

uh sorry, im a RX7 guru at heart and its a shame to see one wasted.

No offense, but the cars with automatics really kind of sucked anyway. I can see your point of view, but if the rotary was already junk anyway what's really worse; dropping in a 5.0 or stripping it for parts/sending it to the crusher?

 

[Michael Yount]

RoD2120 - it's a very common swap for a number of reasons. First, there's plenty of room for the V-8 - pretty easy physical swap as swaps go. Second, when the rotaries break, they can be really expensive to repair/replace, and there aren't that many places that know what they're doing with them. Exactly the opposite of the situation that occurs having a sbf or sbc in there. Third - you'd be surprised at the weight differences. It's not as much as you might think - and the engine has good set back in the unibody, so the handling is still relatively good. I've got a buddy here with one that just nudges past 3000, and the stockers weighed 2800-2900 lbs. (gen II) It's not any different than having a passenger/not having a passenger.

As for the ethics of it - well, that's an individual call. If you like rotaries - keep 'em on the road. I'm glad you're doing it - I think it's a cool motor. And if someone else can keep an rx7 on the road by dropping in a small block, I think that's just fine too. When I show up at Volvo Club of America events, they just tolerate me - think I've destroyed a perfectly good Volvo. Most every place else I go, people just love the car. Go figure. All that really matters is that I like the car.