Next project: FC RX7

[86svo9L]

I wanted something to beat to holy hell, something that people could door ding without me giving a rats ass, something I can drive in the rain and not worry about water spots, something that handles, and something that is light. No matter what car I got it was going to be mostly gutted of everything and stripped to the bare essentials, while maintaining such things as windshield wipers, headlights, turn signals, and possibly radio.

I saw an RX7 for sale and it had most of the gutting and stuff done to it which saved me most of that work. Since it was mostly gutted that allowed me to do a nice close rust inspection and it is really clean, underside included. Best of all it was cheap.

Purchased the car and noticed on the way home it was running pig rich and was absolutely gutless(Yes I know it is a rotary). It is quite amazing how much redneck engineering can go into one little Japanese car. I started tearing things apart once it got home and found about a dozen vacuum leaks including the one for the fpr. Half the grounds were not hooked up or were to small. There was stuff zip tied everywhere when there was logical places that it could have been mounted and looked clean. Fart cannons were cut off almost right away, so anyone who wants a couple is more than welcome to shoot me an offer. I did not take any pictures yet, I will start taking some once I get the car to a point that I am not embarrassed to say it is mine.

This winter the rotary is going to be gone, and in its place will be either a LS1/T56 combo if I can find a decent donor, or a 351/T5 combo. Whichever I go with will eventually get boost after it all gets sorted.

[AutoMods]

yea i'd like to see some pics. my car was was a hack job too, damn kids and their rx7's

[85XR7Project]

Nice! An interesting choice for sure!

[Drifte]

Im excited to see the pics before you started fixing it.

Celica passed me on the way to work, and it turned and hit the gas and BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH. I thought the world was gonna end, curious what a (im assuming n/a) n/a rotary screams like with fart cans.

[86svo9L]

I can snap some pictures tonight after work. It is obnoxiously loud, louder than my vert was with SLP exhaust. My brother was following me so I would not get pulled over on the way to my house. He called me during the trip to inform me he was getting a headache from the annoying loud ass sound and smell emitting from the car, lol.

[Chase]

NA rotary sounds terrible with an exhaust. By far my least favorite sounding car.

Next to a specific 80's corolla that had straight pipes. That one was forsure worse.

[86svo9L]

Yea it is N/A. Has the Turbo 2 hood, suspension, and 5 lug as far as I can tell at this point. Have not dove to much more into it to see if anything else was swapped.

[AutoMods]

does it actually have the turbo 2 rear end or just 5 lug? i think some models had 5 lug but not the stronger tii rear. A gutted car would be so much nicer to work on.

[85XR7Project]

I still want to find an FB to play with.

[AutoMods]

I still want to find an FB to play with.

the fastest swapped rx7 is an fb with a small block ford. perfect for you

http://www.norotors.com/index.php?topic=2448.0

[snickerlicker]

the fastest swapped rx7 is an fb with a small block ford. perfect for you

http://www.norotors.com/index.php?topic=2448.0

As usual SBF power FTW.

[AutoMods]

As usual SBF power FTW.

I knew that was coming . But I report it like it is. fair and balanced like fox news.

[snickerlicker]

I knew that was coming . But I report it like it is. fair and balanced like fox news.

I couldn't resist...

[Sleeping]

I have couple items left for a fc ls1 swap if decide to do it.

[85XR7Project]

As usual SBF power FTW.

Wise words indeed. I need to get off my ass and start looking for something.

[Sunny Z]

#5 on that fast list is my friend from KC. Worlds fastest stock shortblock LSx

[86svo9L]

Nice. I really want to go LS1 if I can, but it will come down to which I find a better deal on.

[AutoMods]

#5 on that fast list is my friend from KC. Worlds fastest stock shortblock LSx


yea I see skinnies out there posting a lot on ls1tech. he is every budget man's hero .

"grr" on here knows the #8 guy too . what happened to 'grr' ?

[Phish]

How the hell are people getting into the 10s with just a nitrous shot and some bolt ons. Thats pretty crazy

[Drifte]

Wheres the pics?! Ive been patient.

[AutoMods]

How the hell are people getting into the 10s with just a nitrous shot and some bolt ons. Thats pretty crazy

with good intake and exhaust, stock cam and a good 60 foot a swapped fc rx7 can crack the 11's with an all stock NA ls1. I remember Jesse from quad cities "norotor" did that with his fc t56 stock ls1. So I can see a cam and some nitrous hitting tens. 2800 pounds can do that. Phish, you going to run your auto in the shootout? we need some more autos to enter.

[Drifte]

with good intake and exhaust, stock cam and a good 60 foot a swapped fc rx7 can crack the 11's with an all stock NA ls1. I remember Jesse from quad cities "norotor" did that with his fc t56 stock ls1. So I can see a cam and some nitrous hitting tens. 2800 pounds can do that. Phish, you going to run your auto in the shootout? we need some more autos to enter.

So, an FC with 300whp can do 11's...A sprayed FC will do 10's. Ryan, I think you've gone about this all wrong! Take that turbo off its slowing you down!

[Phish]

First time at the track witl a 1.9 60ft i ran a 8.42 at 84 mph. 8th obviously. But now getting to knwo the car i feel confident i could do a 8.2x atleast.

Now thats a FC with a 5.3 not a 5.7. but it has ls intake and exhaust manifolds, tubo 350 trans, 04z06 cam and valve train to allow thait, and some other little things. Obvioulsy i have not ran the 1.4 yet, but i dont htink i could bust into the 11s lol. I think a mid twelve woudl be asking alot.

The car put down 290 whp and 280 tq btw.

I may run the shootout, depends on cash monies. but i will most likely be in. Do we HAVE to pre register?

[Phish]

Wow, so many typos and errors in that post.

[AutoMods]

First time at the track witl a 1.9 60ft i ran a 8.42 at 84 mph. 8th obviously. But now getting to knwo the car i feel confident i could do a 8.2x atleast.

Now thats a FC with a 5.3 not a 5.7. but it has ls intake and exhaust manifolds, tubo 350 trans, 04z06 cam and valve train to allow thait, and some other little things. Obvioulsy i have not ran the 1.4 yet, but i dont htink i could bust into the 11s lol. I think a mid twelve woudl be asking alot.

The car put down 290 whp and 280 tq btw.

I may run the shootout, depends on cash monies. but i will most likely be in. Do we HAVE to pre register?

Yes, you have to preregister, its only $25. So your time is around 13.2 quarter mile, get a 1.7 60 foot and that would be high 12's . Not sure, maybe the auto (at that power level) and slightly smaller motor hurt a bit. You have an iron motor right ? so that's a bit heavier. Is it tuned? Also high 11's is the exception, not the norm. Mid to low 12's is probably the norm for a ls1 rx7 fc.

[AutoMods]

So, an FC with 300whp can do 11's...A sprayed FC will do 10's. Ryan, I think you've gone about this all wrong! Take that turbo off its slowing you down!

nitrous is a lot easier and cheaper, had it on the rx7 for a season but after a couple bottle refills I was already planning out my turbo project.

[Phish]

Yeah , i am sure i can cut a 1.7 for the 60ft. Now knowing the car a little more and actually airing down the 555r's would let me laujch off the stall. I am confident i can run a mid 12 as the ar sits. Would be more then happy with a nitrous shot getting me into the 11's. However, i hear that the 5.3l motors dont like the bottle to much. Around 100 shot is all i would put through it i believe.

[85XR7Project]

Yeah , i am sure i can cut a 1.7 for the 60ft. Now knowing the car a little more and actually airing down the 555r's would let me laujch off the stall. I am confident i can run a mid 12 as the ar sits. Would be more then happy with a nitrous shot getting me into the 11's. However, i hear that the 5.3l motors dont like the bottle to much. Around 100 shot is all i would put through it i believe.

Did you get a new RX with a V8?

[Phish]

Yeah i sold the rx8 a few months back. I ended up picking up an 86 with a 5.3l and a few other little goodies on it. Its a way fun car and is suprisingly quick. I had no idea it will run as quick as it does. Impressed so far and still have not drivin it to its potential yet.

[86svo9L]

Sorry for not pics. I have been crazy busy at work, so no progress or pictures yet. Hopefully this weekend I can get a 12 pack and some free time.

[Domestic Disturbance]

I think theres more v8 rx7s than mustangs and camaros on the website. Awesome.

[85XR7Project]

Why do they all have to be FC's? Someone get an FD and LSx that sucker!

[Sleeping]

Why do they all have to be FC's? Someone get an FD and LSx that sucker!

Already done

[85XR7Project]

Already done

On here?

[Sleeping]

Yes I have one

[85XR7Project]

Yes I have one

Well I'll be damned. Maybe we all should just go RX7. Apparently they are pretty badass!

[86svo9L]

Here are some quick pictures. My garage is a mess!

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/GEDC0192.jpg
http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/GEDC0195.jpg

Completely gutted, wiring included. Down to the bare essentials.
http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/GEDC0194.jpg
http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/GEDC0190.jpg
http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/GEDC0189.jpg
http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/GEDC0188.jpg
I spent a decent amount of time getting rid of most of the offensive items. Still have work to go obviously, to include getting this thing out of here. It runs a lot better with all the vacuum and grounding issues fixed.
http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/GEDC0186.jpg

[AutoMods]

Yes I have one

details, pics?

drew...looks pretty rust free and clean engine bay . should be a fun project

[86svo9L]

Should be getting new carpet delivered sometime next week. Tore the remaining interior out tonight to give it a good scrubbing. I also took an opportunity to fix any damaged or poorly mounted wiring, still a work in progress on that front. I am going to give it a quick prep and spray it with some off the shelf black before any reassembly.

[AutoMods]

new carpet, where from? i thought this was going to be a beater?

[86svo9L]

New to me carpet. I found a black carpet set for cheap that is suppose to be in great condition. It will be a beater, but I still want my beater to be decent.

[Phish]

Looks to be a great starting point thats for sure. Hopefully the car itself is as clean as the pictures make it look. I am interested to see this as a build thread. I was Interested to see the pic of the rear diff. I just got done re installing mine (Ford 8.8 IRS) and its beefed up to hell. I was surprised to see how its pretty brace free on a stock rear end.

[Phish]

Here is what i was comparing to:

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee44/Phish806/0826121006.jpg

[86svo9L]

Oh, wow. Probably something I should look into getting done on mine.

[Phish]

I believe people are doing ok with the stock rear. I believe ryan rand the stock rear for quite awhile without any real issues. Mine has had a ford 8.8 Swapped into it so i am sure most of this was done to get it to mount up, so while they were there they just made it a little more beefy.

[86svo9L]

Ok, I have decided on the drivetrain that is going into the car. A Lr4 will be powering this rx7, guys seem to think this is the way to go vs. a 5.3 when running boost. Supposedly it makes up for the lack in displacement with its ability to rev. One should be showing up freight with a full stand alone harness and ecm sometime in the future. Now I need to find a T56.

[86svo9L]

I have couple items left for a fc ls1 swap if decide to do it.

What all do you have?

[AutoMods]

why the 4.8 liter ? new trends seem to arise all the time on the ls motors. the l33 seemed to be a rising trend last i looked.

I did see that hotrod magazine article of a 4.8l making over 1000hp stock but the 5.3 and 6.0 might have been able to do that too if they were in the same test. i went with the 6.0 because its only a few hundred dollars more and you can always make more top end horsepower but improving low end torque is tough

got any links to the articles?

[slow ride]

Only thing holding any ls stuff from reving is the hydraulic roller valvetrain and big heavy valves. The valvetrain is basically all the same on every different type of ls engine. Size of the engine don't mean squat at this point for running high rpm. 7000 is about all you are going to get mabe 500-800 more rpm with titanium/hollow valves, Expensive valvetrain, etc, etc. Peak power will always be close to 6k with the stock type intake manifolds anyway so you would need to go single plain to move that up, but then you loose some nice bottom end also. Need to go solid roller to really spin it up.

[86svo9L]

I chose the 4.8 because I was able to get the engine, wiring, sensors, ecm and everything needed to make it run for under $500 leaving me the rest of my budget to find a trans, turbo setup and supporting mods. It was around the same cost for 5.3 stuff, but was significantly lower than any 6.0 or 5.7 stuff I could find. I did a bunch of google searches and was reading various posts by guys who race these engines and most of those who had raced both swore by the 4.8. I even saw a few guys wanting to drop the 4.8 crank into the 6.0 to make a higher revving engine, did not look to far into that though.

[86svo9L]

Nice thing about this stuff is that down the road I will be able to swap into a LS1 or 6.0 fairly easy and sell the 4.8 to recover some cost.

[slow ride]

Can always turn the 4.8 into a 6.3 or so :)

[Sleeping]

What all do you have?

Sent pm you way

[86svo9L]

Not quite Turbo, but I am about to pull the cash out for a Vortech V2sc kit. Can run something like 17lbs through it with that setup.

[snickerlicker]

Not quite Turbo, but I am about to pull the cash out for a Vortech V2sc kit. Can run something like 17lbs through it with that setup.

Smart man!

[86svo9L]

If I go that route, that will leave me with finding a transmission.

[AutoMods]

I have a turbo kit that you can copy ;) you'd need a welder though. my kit allows a big filter and no cutting of any frame pieces. no AC though

and stock gm flipped mani's ftw

[AutoMods]

here is my piping, looks simple but took a while to make it. but was my first big welding/metal fabrication project

http://importevolution.com/temp/rx7_turbo_piping_700.jpg

[86svo9L]

Looks nice!

[Phish]

Wow so simple.....

[86svo9L]

T56 is on its way.

[86svo9L]

I also started the body work.

[85XR7Project]

You doing LSx or Mod or???

[86svo9L]

LSx backed by a t56. I have a few ideas going through my head on the engine at the moment. I am thinking about making power N/A before going boost. As in better heads, cam, arp bolts on the rods and all that good stuff. Then down the road when I upgrade to boost less will be required to tear into and I will make much more power out of it.

[85XR7Project]

That right, you were talking about running a 4.8 V8 weren't you? I guess I just forgot.

[86svo9L]

It happens. Not going to be to crazy of a tire burner, but with its light weight should be a quick little car.

[AutoMods]

LSx backed by a t56. I have a few ideas going through my head on the engine at the moment. I am thinking about making power N/A before going boost. As in better heads, cam, arp bolts on the rods and all that good stuff. Then down the road when I upgrade to boost less will be required to tear into and I will make much more power out of it.

you can spend a lot of money on NA parts and the bang for the buck is not as good as boost. but it is a big step to go boost and overall more money and time. some things aren't really needed with boost. you can get away with stock heads and stock cam and still make more power than an NA setup with the best heads and cam. also with NA you'd want a bigger cam, with turbo, just a small cam would be fine and that also allows it to behave better and better mpg's.

I choose to save all the money I would spend on NA parts like heads, cam, intake and invest it to turbo
column d is not really turbo specific or required so i separated that out. some of these prices are old now. but if you do the work yourself you can get a turbo setup for pretty cheap

ihttp://importevolution.com/temp/turbo_breakdown.jpg


As for putting money into an NA setup, you might not want to hear this but the best bang for your buck would have probably been 5.3l or 6.0l . If you compare the dyno charts of a NA 4.8l with nice heads to a stock 6.0l , i'm not sure but i'd guess the dyno graph would look better on the stock 6.0l and probably cheaper than buying heads. the 6.0 is 25% larger!

[AutoMods]

one nice thing about the smaller 4.8l is your can run a smaller turbo and they don't run out of steam as quick because they don't max out the turbine side with so much exhaust flow like the bigger motors. the 6.0l might make max 750whp on a turbonetics t76 while same turbo on the 4.8l might max at 850whp or 900.

[86svo9L]

Thanks for the price writeup. I was thinking mainly about things N/A that would carry over to the next setup and be cost effective. I do plan on stepping into a 6.0 with the 4.8 as a stepping stone, I literally paid less than half I would have to get an LS1/2 engine with everything I did and down the road all I will have to do is find a shortblock to swap.

As for the N/A stuff I am looking at stuff that is not terribly expensive, LS6 cam/springs, 317 heads and ARP bolts on the connecting rods. My dad is a good TIG welder and has one so he is going to bring it over and help me with hot and cold side.

So far cost has been for the swap -

$500 for 94,000 mile 4.8 with entire harness/ecm, all accessories, all sensors, ready to run shipped to the shipping depot in CR.
$1900 for 90,000 mile T56 with the cross member, slave setup, clutch, flywheel, clutch pedal, driveshaft, trans support stuff.
$250 for engine swap stuff from Sleeping.
$100 for factory black carpet.
My budget I set for this car - $3500.
So I am running up on budgetary issues and will not go over on it for this build and still need some small things to tidy it up. Once the engine shows up I will be selling things that will not work/not necessary to recover some money to spend on the things that I will need as well. Once I get it going I will allot a new budget for the boost setup and eventually the budget for the 6.0 short block swap down the road.

[AutoMods]

I have a driveshaft i'd sell if you need one still $40-$50 i think its worth. the camaro one will be too long .

[86svo9L]

I will take you up on that. I should have set a higher budget for myself, but did not realize how much LS stuff was at the time. But I try to stick to them as much as I possibly can otherwise spending can get out of control. Hell I built the vert up for $2400: supercharger, engine, cam, rims/tires and all that good stuff by waiting on the right deals. LS stuff seems to be gold covered in comparison, but overall seems to be much better.

[86svo9L]

Went to pick the engine up today. The engine was tied down poorly and busted loose from the pallet and busted open the crate during its journey, from what I could see there were several exhaust manifold bolts sheared off in the head, wiring was all tore up and several pieces were missing. So it was recommended not to receive it until contacting seller, waiting to hear back from them to see how this should move forward.

[AutoMods]

shit . i hate broken bolts, can be very time consuming. its not uncommon to have the bolts snap during manifold removal. they could have also snapped during the crash of the salvaged vehicle meaning the heads might have gotten jolted too. make sure the heads aren't cracked

the 5.3 motor is so common there is probably 100 of them within 90 minute driving distance. why not just hit a few junkyards and hand pick one. its nice to put your eyes on one, some are rustier than others.

[86svo9L]

Yea, depending on how this plays out that is probably what I will do. The seller responded to me and I sent him the pictures of the damage. He is getting in touch with the shipping company tomorrow.

[86svo9L]

The claim on the engine damage is claimed. I have located a couple 6.0 engines that I will just drop the extra coin for depending on how the claim proceeds. T56 and all of its components showed up today. Now I need a damned engine to bolt it to.

[slow ride]

Ask Ryan, he knows where a few more are.

[AutoMods]

I emailed him about one. eddy b claimed to have one for cheap, check with him.

my goals were a bit different as i was going to tear my 6.0 down so high mileage didn't matter. if your going to leave yours together, lower mileage is obviously better. I can tell you that my 200k mile motor looked very clean inside though. pistons looked great, still had some traces of cross hatches on the cylinders. crank was reusable. it probably would've kept running for a long time. might want to replace some valvetrain parts though if you get a 200k mile motor.

[86svo9L]

I have a beeline on one that has around 100k on it. During the search I saw tons that had 250+k that supposedly still ran good but were in wrecks. Seems promising as far as reliability goes. Thanks for the email on that other engine, if I strike out on a couple that are fully dressed I will have to check further into that one.

Since I am starting from scratch I am trying to find a setup that is as complete as possible.

[86svo9L]

I now own a 6.0. Sometime in the future I will be installing the 6.0/T56 combo. I have really been thinking about a set of LS3 heads/intake for this.

[Drifte]

I read this randomly, thought of this build:

"rumor is that the rod angle in a 4.8 is a bit better and less likely to throw a rod."

[86svo9L]

Nice. I had read that guys are able to rev the hell out of those engines. One will be up for sale soon, the shipping company is only paying half the cost, but I have to pick up the engine and all that is with it. I already purchased a 6.0 so that leaves me with two engines now. So odds are that I will fix the damage and put it up for sale, it was fairly low mileage with only 90k.

[Drifte]

So if you plan to break the seal, maybe the 6.0 heads fit the 4.8 and you can boost the hell out of it? I have no idea if thats a good idea, from what little I've read it could be though.

[slow ride]

I think I said this before, but rpm limitations have nothing to do with the bottom end on either of these engines.

[86svo9L]

Been very busy at work so progress has been slow, but here are some pictures of what has been accomplished. The plan right now is going to get this engine making good power N/A and maybe a season or two down the road add boost. I am going with a tested combo, which will be LS3 heads with a Comp Cams XER273HR-14 camshaft and matching spring/lifter/pushrod package. Should put the car in the mid to high 400's at the wheels before boost.

It does not look like it right now from all the dust but I pulled every interior piece out and scrubbed them clean and have the interior mostly complete. Once the door panels are in it should be good to go aside from a good stereo. While it was all out I fixed a good deal of wiring that was cracked and dry rotted. I plan on finding a solution for the seats that are in it right now, maybe some cheap cloth knockoffs. I also gave the car a quick paint job, not to worried about appearance, just want it one color that is easily fixed in the event of damage. Its covered in a nice layer of dust from other little projects I have been doing.

If anyone needs any stock parts off this engine let me know. I will not be using to much. I have all the accessories(minus alternator bracket, the 317 heads, a spare harness, truck intake, truck injectors/fuel rail, ask and I may have it.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/rearsideshot.jpg


http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/interior-front.jpg


http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/interior-rear.jpg

Have not even opened it up.
http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/t56-packaged.jpg

I get to deal with this mess, but it is complete with everything.
http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/wiring.jpg

The engine.
http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/engine.jpg

[AutoMods]

nice work

i wouldn't mind taking some measurements from your 4.8 intake/rail/injectors and possibly your 6.0 to see what oem injector setup they have. a lot of customers have been asking me for the spacer and adapter kits to run their ls trucks with aftermarket injectors. you have an lq4 or lq9 ?

[86svo9L]

To be honest they are exactly the same, at least laid side by side, intake, rails, injectors. Not sure if there is a difference in injector sizing but from what I read they are suppose to be 24.5 lbs or something along those lines. Not sure if its an LQ4 or 9, it came from a 2005 3500. You are welcome to a rail and injector set for testing.

[slow ride]

If you really plan to boost it you might just keep the stock heads. For forced induction the biggest limit will be the thin factory deck of either head. It will hit a little harder down low with that cam on the smaller cc intake volume 317 heads, but they are very large chamber heads and will only leave you at the stock ~9.0:1 SCR. I'm not a fan of ls3 heads on a 4.00" bore as it shrouds the intake valve and negates the gains from having such a large valve. Either of those heads will be quite down on compression and if you wanted max na power from that shortblock you would really need to decrease the chamber size and/or tighten ICL on the cam to increase DCR. A used set of CNC 243's or AFR's, etc would do wonders here for midrange power.

If you are dead set on the the ls3 heads, then I would increase the exhaust lobe duration for more split, have the heads milled to something int eh 58-60cc range (I'd have to calculate it to get exact numbers). I'd say that cam would be fine on boost, except the lobes are a little on the agressive side for forced induction.

I do admire your work ethic on this stuff though. Knowing what you didn in the past you'll probably have it running next week :) If I had to guess what it would make with the exact parts you listed I'd say mid/low 400's and a little light on torque for a 6.0.

[86svo9L]

Yea I mostly chose this setup with boost in mind. I am prepared to suffer some lower numbers for now until the boost comes into play. Is there a better cam I should go with? I was doing some research and this cam came up quite a bit making good numbers.

Thanks for the compliment, would love to say this thing will be running soon but I will guess another 4-5 months before it fires off. Time constraints will dictate if it is boosted on first start up or not.

[slow ride]

Sometimes people get away with stuff that lis less than ideal. Nothing wrong with that cam as far as a mild nice na cam depending on engine size, etc. That cam has XFI intake and XE-R exhaust lobes, both of which I wouldn't use on a boosted engine. It's just way easier to run into valve float this way as boost takes away effective spring pressure on the intake with superchargers and intake/exhaust on a turbo if you remember the backpressure. If you had real ls3 heads with titanium intake valves it's a plus, but having a big stainless valve in there will make it hard to control at high rpm with reasonable hydraulic roller spring pressures. Adding boost to this will just complicate things more.

You can get a cam cut through Comp from Mike at the ws6 store (local store in Norwalk, IA) with any lobe they offer. They sell the Brian Tooley springs, pushrods, etc for great prices. I can't say what works best NA will be best for boost, but I guess you can settle for something in the middle that would be ok for either. I'd have to know if you did boost it what would you use? A turbo, supercharger, etc? Would you want it to drive nice or be agressive and deal with the driveability quirks, etc? I'd wait and get all the hard parts so you know what you have, then get the cam.

Heck if the engine is in good shape, use all the stock parts, add a cam and you might have enough money left over for a few turbo bits :) Doing something like Ryans car wouldn't be that expensive if you did the fab work yourself. Just something to think about. That way you are not buying headers, etc if you don't need them later.

Were you going to make the car a 6 speed or auto? I know Ryan might have a few turbo parts for sale in the next few months. And Just a FYI I'll be running 317's on my old NA 383 shortblock with turbos so I'm pretty confident they will perform well (I ported them though).

[86svo9L]

Yea, I should give them a call and see what is recommended before getting to far ahead of myself on this. Turbo is my preference, but would like to have a couple tunes setup for it; one for low boost with quiet exhaust, the other for high boost with a open down pipe. I have an entire T56 swap kit already. Its in the picture of the unopened pallet, should have captioned that one.

Goal is to make the car as sleeper as possible, going back to a N/A style hood, as quiet as it can get. I really want people to see it and think it is just a ragged out RX7 that has not been maintained and is not really a threat.

[slow ride]

Turbo will be the only way to make it quiet at high power levels. The custom cam is $365 shipped. I'd be the one to give him the specs to order. Don't talk to the comp tech line as they don't have a clue 99% of the time unless you get someone in engineering. From what you have had in the past, a mild cam in this 6.0, NA will feel like a rocket. You could run it with the stock manifolds NA, then flip them and build a turbo setup later. Hell even a cheepo ls1 intake will make crazy power under pressure.

I don't want to step on your toes though. It's all part of learning different platforms, etc. I just like to see what I can build for the least money shelled out :) and have built the engines and setup valvetrains for them. Just let me know if you have any questions down the road.

[86svo9L]

I agree, this car is going to be a large step from my previous cars, not only in making more power, but also being substantially lighter.

I appreciate the help, I am a newb in the LS world, and am always open to suggestions for making a setup better. In my field of work car guys are far and few between so interaction with other car guys is fairly slim. So I go off of what I can find on the internet most of the time.

$365 for a custom cam is very reasonable, really not to much over buying a shelf cam. I always assumed they would be a lot more.

Odds are my dad will end up doing a good portion of the setup for the hotside. He has access to a TIG welder and is pretty good at it and offered to help. I can run a stick, mig, torch, plasma, but have not touched a tig in my life.

[slow ride]

Heck yea, Ryan has the driveshaft, old rear (I think he still has it), turbo, downpipe, etc, etc. I'm not sure of the mileage or condition of that 6.0, but if it's good/low you wouldn't even need to pull the heads. I can't remember the year the lq9 came out, but it would have slightly higher compression due to a cross on the pistons. The big issue with truck engines are the lower compression (non flat top) stock pistons and trying to get something high compression for a NA setup. For example I ran a my 11.83:1 383 for 5 years on pump gas no problems. On the other hand on gas I'd want to be at 10.0:1 or less for boost on a stock ecu. The lower it is the easier/safer it should be.

You might just want to get it running as is, work the bugs out then step it up when you have had time to decide what you want.

[AutoMods]

save yourself some time and listen to slowride. i've done the opposite of his recommendations and its came back to haunt me on a couple occasions. that or he'll tell me something and i'll spend 10 hours reading on ls1tech to verify/research only to come to the same conclusion as what he said.

i should probably just send him my manual shootout trophy as much as he's helped me at the track and on the phone.

[AutoMods]

the lq9 was in some higher end vehicles that gm wanted to get a few extra ponies out of like in the escalade and in the vortec max trucks. lq9's usually cost a bit more. yours is probably an lq4. in 2005 and newer the lq4 got slightly beefier rods just like the ls2 and lq9. anyway find out for sure because you'll want to know if you have the higher lq9 compression or the lower lq4 compression. other than that, they are identical engines.

[86svo9L]

It is definitely a LQ4 then. It has roughly 140,000 miles on it, and came from a 2005 Chevy Express 3500 van that got a good broadsiding. I harvested the coils, and cable throttlebody from the 4.8. Not sure if the cable tbody will work on a car manifold but wanted to be safe.

[Phish]

I could use a LQ4 if you know of anyone with a spare laying around for CHEAP. Only need the bottom end

[slow ride]

Ryan might have a aluminum 5.7 for ya.

[Phish]

block... motor... or bottom end

[AutoMods]

i haven't priced it out yet. but my motor i've had for 3 years now, same one i just ran yesterday at the shootout , i am going to pull it and swap my forged motor in. i was going to run my new motor at the shootout but ran out of time.

anyway its an aluminum 5.7 liter ls1 i originally pulled from a 2002 camaro. it has 60k miles. full longblock but i could sell the shortblock. also i may just wait to pull it until march.

[Phish]

I would be intersted in a bottom end price... if it was before march

[sparkles]

Better yet, just trade him for the Ford motors he has. Then Snickerlicker will get a chubby. RX7 with a mod motor ERMERGERD!

[86svo9L]

Better yet, just trade him for the Ford motors he has. Then Snickerlicker will get a chubby. RX7 with a mod motor ERMERGERD!

I wanted to do the DOHC 4.6 swap first, but after researching it I found that the engine is entirely to wide to fit without a bunch of modification.

[sparkles]

Not to mention, gay.

[snickerlicker]

Better yet, just trade him for the Ford motors he has. Then Snickerlicker will get a chubby. RX7 with a mod motor ERMERGERD!

Not so fast...ANY V8 swapped into a RX7 is just plain stupid in my book. I'm all about the rotary power.

[slow ride]

I think the mod motor is larger the the car itself.

[86svo9L]

If only the rotaries were a better engine...

[SLVR7]

If only the rotaries were a better engine...

Nothing wrong with rotaries, just have to know what your doing.

[derek072887]

Nothing wrong with rotaries, just have to know what your doing.
90% of RX7 owners that say this don't have a running rotary power'd car

[SLVR7]

Guess I'm a 10%er then.

[sparkles]

Nothing wrong with rotaries, just have to know what your doing.
...and not expect too much.

[AutoMods]

Nothing wrong with rotaries, just have to know what your doing.

why u no enter manual shootout with rotary ? we seen a fwd honda survive 4 elimination rounds so why not a rotary.

[SLVR7]

Didn't want to
Spec stage 2 clutch would not have survived
It's a road race car, not a drag car, without changing suspension it wheel hops and breaks axles.
Next year I will probably enter.

[86svo9L]

It would be nice to see a fast rotary out and about. I have always been a fan and really wanted to keep the one in the car now. After driving the car twice with a lot of disappointment, then researching parts I decided quickly to pass. Before owning one I never realized what all went into maintaining these things.

[SLVR7]

It would be nice to see a fast rotary out and about. I have always been a fan and really wanted to keep the one in the car now. After driving the car twice with a lot of disappointment, then researching parts I decided quickly to pass. Before owning one I never realized what all went into maintaining these things.

A turbo II is disappointing, until you reach at least 400hp a rotary rx just isn't fun.

[86svo9L]

Just to buy a TII engine, rebuild it, swap it in place of the N/A engine, get the ECM, buy the stuff to make more power I will have spent far more money to make much less power with far less reliability. It was an easy decision to go with an LS.

[SLVR7]

Just to buy a TII engine, rebuild it, swap it in place of the N/A engine, get the ECM, buy the stuff to make more power I will have spent far more money to make much less power with far less reliability. It was an easy decision to go with an LS.

Absolutley an ls is a cheaper way to make power.

[sparkles]

I still say mod motor. If they can fit one in a Focus, it can be done.

[86svo9L]

I still say mod motor. If they can fit one in a Focus, it can be done.

Not by this guy, lol.

[AutoMods]

Next year I will probably enter.

i'll add you to my shootout harassment list.

2013 Shootout Harassment List
-----------------------
1. Sparkles
2. Jesse
3. Bucket
4. SLVR7

who else?

[Sunny Z]

Just jump on the LS bandwagon already... If you can catch it :biggrin:

[sparkles]

#1 Really?

[Newgen]

i'll add you to my shootout harassment list.

2013 Shootout Harassment List
-----------------------
1. Sparkles
2. Jesse
3. Bucket
4. SLVR7

who else?

You can add me to that list lol. I've been there both years no car though.

[AutoMods]

2013 Shootout Harassment List
-----------------------
1. Sparkles
2. Jesse
3. Bucket
4. SLVR7
5. Newgen

[85XR7Project]

I've never been able to go to any event and I haven't had any project in over 2 years other than the old Checker and that isn't a tire scorcher. I think I have wasted more bandwidth than anyone here and get the least bullshit, It's strange.

[86svo9L]

Had a couple hours of free time today. Fired the rotary up, got it up to temp to make sure all was good, then shut her down for the last time. Got everything ready to be pulled out.

Of course there was a bunch of redneck engineering found on the path, in a moment of weakness I almost reassembled it just to see how much better it would run with it all fixed properly. But it was better to just keep going and not give in. Literally half of each intake port was plugged with silicone. Whoever put it together last did not use gaskets and used just huge gobs of silicone to seal everything and when I say that half of each port was plugged its not a joke, half could be an understatement.

[slow ride]

Shit, knowing you I figured you had the ls running with the turbo already :) Yea, lots of hacks out there.

[86svo9L]

Ha, I wish there was time for that. Its the busy time of year at work right now so free time is negligible. Odds are I will continue to stack parts and just before spring next year I will take my 3 weeks of vacation to get it swapped and running. If any free hours come up like today the plan is to get wiring fixed, soldered and tucked.

[AutoMods]

drew, you'll find out that everything you do is custom from here on out. slow moving

derek mentioned i was taking the easy route/cheating by building a light weight rx7 with a v8. but when you don't have a camaro or mustang, about everything you do has to be custom, fabbed, or modified to go work (turbo kit, headers/downpipe/exhaust, dash gauges, rear end, intake, radiator mounts, engine mounts, roll bar, fuel brake and clutch lines, wiring etc etc)

on top of that, the pool of information out there is a lot less. with my rear end swap, i really could find only less than 10 people out there with who had done it on my car. the real numbers are probably a lot higher but a lot of people don't get online and share any info

most recently i looked into buying some 70/30 front drag shocks to try at the track. guess what.....nothing out there that is bolt on. all the aftermarket shocks for the rx7 are designed for road racing/autocross

[86svo9L]

Sounds like its time to invest in a welder. Maybe I will grab a class on tig welding if available to save a few dollars down the road.

[AutoMods]

yes a welder is really nice. taught myself. i went tig but mig would also work

[slow ride]

Mig is a way more "universal" welder, but it's just not as nice for appearance or exotic materials. If needed you can always tack weld in position and have a good welder tig the rest.

[AutoMods]

there is nothing tig can't do. you can do almost any metal ms, ss, aluminum, etc with the same welding gas . i believe with mig and aluminum you have to switch gas type. optimal control of heat and penetration, its qualified to weld any application such as chromolly cages (mig not allowed). and there are some other applications where tig is required for optimal penetration/safety.

mig is more common-mainly becuase it welds faster and easier to use for non-professionals. cheaper to buy, much faster learning curve. can weld with one hand, can weld beads a lot faster. easier in awkward locations like welding on your back under a car

[86svo9L]

Just a little update.

I ended up getting the Hinson swap mounts and crossmember.

PCM is on its way all set up for standalone operation.

Borrowing a cherry picker from a buddy to hopefully get the current drivetrain out in the next couple weeks, maybe next weekend who knows.

Still need to gather up a cam, better lifters, valve springs, ls1 oil pan, pickup and windage tray.

[SLVR7]

If it is a used crossmember, make sure to check the welds very well. A few years back Hinson had some issues with thier welds breaking.

[Sleeping]

Just a little update.

I ended up getting the Hinson swap mounts and crossmember.

PCM is on its way all set up for standalone operation.

Borrowing a cherry picker from a buddy to hopefully get the current drivetrain out in the next couple weeks, maybe next weekend who knows.

Still need to gather up a cam, better lifters, valve springs, ls1 oil pan, pickup and windage tray.

Why did you buy the Hinson mounts when I sold you the more desirable pez mounts?

[AutoMods]

If it is a used crossmember, make sure to check the welds very well. A few years back Hinson had some issues with thier welds breaking.

wow, someone has been doing some v8 swap research. that was a pretty old problem I read about before I even did my swap. probably 5-6 years ago and I think it was a pretty isolated deal kinda blow out of proportion

[86svo9L]

I cannot find a set of Corvette mounts, seems the market is mostly dry. I found some a month ago but they ended up being bid up and I lost while at work. Just not worth it to me at this point to chase them down when I have 2 weekends free coming up.

New kit, thanks for the heads up on the crossmember though.

[slow ride]

what the "sending ecu out" thing all about? You should be able to just plug in HP tuners/EFI live and start tweaking. I assume you sent the ecu out for a base tune and turning off all the little emission stuff?

Get the Brian Tooley spring kit with either tool steel or titanium retainers. The tool steel ones are about $210 for springs, seals, keepers, base and retainers. Stock lifters are fine if they are in ok shape, but if they have quite a few miles on them just replace them. Use ls7 lifters for the best value.

[86svo9L]

The PCM was part of the damaged goods with the original engine so I needed to find one. There are a few places that sell them set up by request. So I figured it would be a good start to get it running.

I will definitely look into that spring set and the LS7 lifters.

[Sleeping]

I cannot find a set of Corvette mounts, seems the market is mostly dry. I found some a month ago but they ended up being bid up and I lost while at work. Just not worth it to me at this point to chase them down when I have 2 weekends free coming up.

New kit, thanks for the heads up on the crossmember though.

These would have worked. Company that took over pez mounts. But atleast should be able to sell the mounts and get your money back.

http://www.roninspeedworks.net/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=67

[86svo9L]

Got an hour or so of work done to the car today. Had to make a few changes on how things will get mounted.

Christmas rolled around and after we all opened our presents I could not help but notice the lack of mounts for the RX7 that my wife was going to get me. Apparently she ordered them sometime in November and they just never shipped them. So after trying to get a hold of them for an additional couple weeks after Christmas we gave up and ordered the pieces needed from the link Sleeping posted up. Had the parts within the week from Ronin, seem to be good quality as well. Hinson finally contacted us yesterday so we got the order canceled and should be getting a refund, not sure what happened over there but they dropped the ball.

Anyway heres my hour of progress, fenders are coming off and the wiring will all be redone and hidden for a nice clean bay.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/20130115_201144_zpsa7c7667e.jpg
http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/20130115_201107_zpsd5e0521d.jpg
http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/20130115_201130_zps0e0ca6ef.jpg
Can't forget the Guinness.
http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/20130115_201250_zps710ac780.jpg

[RandomHero]

Thumbs up for Guinness.
By the way, your iPod is old.

[86svo9L]

Yea it is. Purchased it when the 80gb versions came out. Still works like a champ after about 6 years now.

[RandomHero]

I take it back, my iPod is just as old. Bought it when the first 80gb came out as well.

[Sleepy]

I believe I have you both beat. I have a 30 gig click that came with my most recent vehicle purchase. Its just about full with just shy of 4,000 songs. Works flawlessly.

Do you have a timeline for yourself as to when you want to have the vehicle completed?

[86svo9L]

No timeline. Hoping to have it running this year depending on free time.

[86svo9L]

Got another step closer to finishing the wire tuck.

Mazda seems to have made the job fairly easy up to this point, the harness is separate on both sides and has a nice location for running the wires. Much easier than the SVO was. Much less soldering as well, other than damaged wiring.

Really glad I only drove this car twice before tearing it apart. The front end parts seem to have been assembled with hopes and dreams. Some stuff was held on with zip ties, others with a screw or two when there should have been a dozen. This car was built by the worst sort of mechanic, one that took MANY shortcuts. Should be good and solid on everything when I am done with it.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/20130209_191626_zpsda8f0e0e.jpg

[86svo9L]

Just purchased an oil pan setup. Once that arrives I can get the 6.0 dropped in place of the rotary.

[86svo9L]

Oil Pan showed up. Now I can start mocking the engine into place to fit exhaust etc.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/20130219_131510_zps54050811.jpg

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/20130219_131525_zpsb78ae7f5.jpg

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/20130219_131552_zps2bb8a5b6.jpg

[Drifte]

Cool progress. Looks like the car is black, but the engine bay is a champagne color? Any plans for that? I assume with the wire tuck you have something in store.

[86svo9L]

The car's original color was the color of the engine bay. Car was in dark gray primer when I got it, but I did a quick crummy spray on it to get the look I want. I will be painting the engine bay to match once I get everything all ready for assembly. Hopefully I can get this POS going by spring.

[Drifte]

The car's original color was the color of the engine bay. Car was in dark gray primer when I got it, but I did a quick crummy spray on it to get the look I want. I will be painting the engine bay to match once I get everything all ready for assembly. Hopefully I can get this POS going by spring.

Cool, and by painting it to match, you just mean black. Not the crummy part right? I read a lot about paints before I did my old bay (tuck/shave etc) and a high quality paint is good so it can hold up to the heat and potential fluid drips. IDK if your a paint guy or not, but I bet some of the paint guys on here have some good advice.

[86svo9L]

Yea, it will be black. I have been debating on whether or not to take it to someone to do a quick spray on it just so it will look better. My goal with it is to look ratty and be quiet so it will catch people off guard. I also am trying to keep bodywork to a minimum so when I do autox and hit a cone I am not worried about it. With the Mustangs I was always so worried about scratches and scuffs to have any real fun.

[86svo9L]

I have the combo finished off. We will see how it works whenever I get it all put together.

-Stock 2005 LQ4 w/ Katech rod bolts. This year has the LS2 rods, floating wrist pins and coated pistons.
-Ported LS2 Intake with 60lb injectors
-LS6 Cam and Valve springs
-LS7 Lifters
-76mm Turbo
-3.5in Downpipe into cutout. Plan on quiet exhaust if its possible
-Aeromotive fuel pump

Still have to figure out a front mount intercooler solution, may run meth injection at first until I get it all sorted. Planned fuel will be 93 octane pump gas.

Question of when it will be going, answer is who knows. I really want to get it going before nice weather hits.

[AutoMods]

wow, didn't know you were going straight to turbo. what are you doing for hot piping?

[86svo9L]

Haven't selected it yet. Once I get the engine set in I will start getting the hot side laid out. It will be a front mount.

[86svo9L]

Nothing to crazy. Been bogged down cleaning parts up. Guy that sold me the oil pan kit did not mention that the engine it came off of ate a bunch of bearings. Took the baffling out and found nice piles of glittery sludge everywhere and inside the pickup.

Also have been working on the intake, so far I have just cleaned up the ports and smoothed them out. There were some decent casting ledges in it that needed worked out. Started porting the throttlebody out as well. Since I am not using IAC I filled in that area and smoothed it out, I also ground down the raised section just before the throttle blade. Still have to clean it up a little bit.

Should be getting the engine management soon. Once that arrives I get to spend a bunch of time soldering stuff up. Going to the dark side of things and purchased a Megasquirt/Microsquirt setup.

Here are some lousy pictures, have not cleaned stuff up as much as I like yet.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/roninmounts_zps5da23cd9.jpg

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/intake_zpsb69e64dc.jpg

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/tbody_zpsd6d23d41.jpg

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/intake2_zpsdaab9124.jpg

[slow ride]

Did you make an adaptor plate to use the 78mm stock tb on the 90mm snout? Keep at it should be a fun ride.

[86svo9L]

Picked up a FAST adapter for their manifolds. Was half the price of the adapters made to adapt LS2 intake to LS1 TBody and worked just fine.

Getting a bit anxious to see this thing run. Have most of the parts needed now, just have to take the time to finish porting out everything and get it how I want.

[slow ride]

If you are making the turbo kit with the stock manifolds, don't worry about cuting off the flange and welding a v band to it for extra space. Brace the turbo and use a flex in the crossover. Any idea of the turbo you plan to use?

[86svo9L]

I am starting off with a On3 76mm turbo.

I have a couple stages to go through. Since I am using Microsquirt and have no experience with it I am going to get it going initially N/A to save some headaches. Then I will start fabbing up the front mount setup. Want to ensure I can start it on MS before adding in boost. Any suggestions on where to source quality piping for the cross over?

[slow ride]

As long as the turbo is supported by something other than the piping then you can use something like 16ga stainless, etc. For my manifolds I used sch. 40 mild steel weld els, but that is due to it supporting the weight of the turbos. What you don't want is some big dog leg with a 20-30 lb turbo hanging off just pipe as the engine vibration will crack it over time. Some don't use a flex in the crossover, but it's a good idea. Ryan can get all those from treadstone and he might have a t72 turbonetics for sale off his car if you were interested in it. You don't need a massive crossover for these small builds so 2" should work fine and save some space. A good place for pipe is columbia river or check with the twins (Chris and Steve) for a good local supply.

Any reason you didn't use the stock ECU? I wasn't sure if you got it with the engine or not, but the newer microsquirt probably has more performance features and less driveability stuff. I just finished mocking up my front exhaust/wastegates this weekend and man was it some work packing everything under the car where the cats go (like a APS vette kit). I'll get some pictures of it in a few days.

[86svo9L]

Thanks for the info. Did a lot of searching but did not find everything I would have liked to build off of. The flex pipe makes sense, if I am going from scratch may as well do it right the first time instead of cracking it up down the road.

I went with the Microsquirt after doing some math on what it would cost to get it going on the factory stuff, vs just going all custom. Microsquirt was $359 with a 8ft harness to work with, tuning cable and o2 sensor stuff. It was going to be double that just to get tuning stuff for the factory ecm. Trade off is no more sequential injection, or IAC.

Also did a lot of reading on the swap and quite a few guys are having great success with this setup and boosted applications. Not to mention it is SD, so that's another cost factored out. The money I saved on engine management essentially bought my fuel rail and injectors, lol.

I also like the idea of being able to keep wiring to a minimum, should be a nice clean setup when all is installed.

[AutoMods]

FYI I can get you efilive scan and tune v1 for $500, comes with everything you need, custom operating systems for boost, speed density etc. I have a feeling you will burn up any saved money with megasquirt twice over in the form of your own time tinkering, learning and saying the lords name in vain. I'm not up to date on the latest and greatest with megasquirt ....... but I've seen it happen too many times when people jump to standalone systems like AEM, Haltech, megasquirt there is a steep learning curve. when put in the hands of a pro, they are powerful but often times the amateur hand built tunes will be worse than what the average joe could do on hptuners and efilive based off of factory maps . hpt and efilive are great dedicated ls tuning software packages that are hard to beat for ease of use and very powerful.

You also have to look at the support. maybe the local dyno tuners have dealt with megasquirt on lsx but as far as local friends I know, mostly hptuners and efilive. me and slowride could help you out on here with efilive.

the good news is once your running good, you will be an efi expert and you can apply your megasquirt knowledge for use on future projects.

[AutoMods]

yea i'll be pulling my turbonetics t72 off any day now. probably want $600 for it. maybe a bit less

[Sleepy]

Chris (bgjohnson) gave me a hand with my ms tuning. I would have been up and running last year if I would not have had wiring issues and lack of time to work on it.

You need to make sure you have tunerstudio and megalog viewer. By using autotune on tunerstudio you can get cruise tuned pretty well and by dataloging then using mlv to autotune your datalogs the car will run fantastic.

Megasquirt is leaps and bounds better than it was 4-5 years ago.

[86svo9L]

I would have loved to go with EFI Live or something of that sort. Decided right now MS is whats right for me, and a challenge is always nice. Will see how it turns out, maybe I will hate it or maybe I will love it.

[86svo9L]

Got done procrastinating and pulled the rotary out. Now I can clean up the bay, paint it and get the LS in.

[86svo9L]

And some pictures.

Goodbye Rotary

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/WP_20130323_002_zps479362b0.jpg



Here is the torque-less wonder.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/WP_20130323_006_zpseeed379a.jpg




Engine all cleaned up and painted. Maybe I will actually get it dropped in tomorrow, motivation depending.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/WP_20130323_004_zpscdae9de6.jpg



76mm Turbo

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/WP_20130323_007_zpsbf8b4093.jpg
http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/WP_20130323_008_zps2eee004b.jpg

[AutoMods]

does the MS read all the gm sensors... crank, cam, knock, air temp, map etc ? Do you have a link to a good install guide/setup process, i'd like to skim over it out of curiosity.

[86svo9L]

http://ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-hybrids/1624357-microsquirt-lsx-walkthrough.html

It does not read the cam sensor. I also am sacrificing the use of a IAC. I could retain that stuff by going with a full megasquirt setup. But I chose the Microsquirt for simplicity.

[AutoMods]

might want to take note just in case you bought injectors from on3 also

http://forums.corral.net/forums/turbochargers/1361109-on3-fuel-injectors-customer-service-quality.html (http://forums.corral.net/forums/turbochargers/1361109-on3-fuel-injectors-customer-service-quality.html)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g763A2W9yrQ&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g763A2W9yrQ&feature=youtu.be

[86svo9L]

No on3 injectors for me. I only purchased this turbo because it has been getting fantastic reviews and fit into my budget. Normally I run siemen deka injectors, but am still on the market for some 60's. I am going to step up in injector size once I get it fired up and ensure everything checks out.

[86svo9L]

A few updates. Had a small set back with getting the engine in. I thought all the metal flakes were out of the pickup but when I was getting ready to put it on I noticed a few I had missed and the magnet was not able to pull. I am getting a new one and not risking the engine over a $50 part, just have to wait for it to arrive.

On a good note a T2 rear is on its way.

[86svo9L]

Been working on the engine bay. Not perfect but much better.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/WP_20130406_0021_zps13c8e8ae.jpg

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/WP_20130406_0041_zpsa0b3ee46.jpg

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/WP_20130406_0061_zpsd6d8afb0.jpg

[86svo9L]

Got it all ready to drop into the car finally.

Next weekend this will be in the car unless something crazy happens to steal weekend hours away from me.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/WP_20130407_0021_zps11a39f91.jpg

Mock up with the intake on, just because I can, lol.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/WP_20130407_0041_zps5d5e05f6.jpg

[86svo9L]

T2 Rear found its way to me finally! Its an 88' so it has the clutch style LSD and equal length stub shafts.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/temporary_zpsc5fa9ce9.jpg

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/temporary_zpse3ed773a.jpg

[Drifte]

Nice progress, seems like Ryan probably had a t2 rear you coulda picked up too.

[86svo9L]

Thanks.

I emailed Ryan about it, it was already sold.

[AutoMods]

Nice progress, seems like Ryan probably had a t2 rear you coulda picked up too.

i had a perfect rear setup for him but he missed it by a few months

http://importevolution.com/temp/rx7/stock_rear.jpg

[86svo9L]

Yea, I definitely missed out. Procrastination is a bastard.

[86svo9L]

As promised. Had to cut out the old trans mount locations. Have to space the engine up a little bit to clear the sway bar and steering rack, the turbo drain has very little clearance as it sits now.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/temporary_zps717b9197.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/temporary_zps717b9197.jpg.html)

[Mike@Salkowski-Motorsport]

Looking good man!

[AutoMods]

nice work, where is the oil return at?

[86svo9L]

It's tapped into the front of the oil pan.

[86svo9L]

Well wish I could say this thing is running by now, lol. But we have been getting our house ready to go on the market. We are buying a bigger house with more space. So there has been no new progress and most likely any progress will be minimal for the next couple months. At least the car is able to be rolled onto a trailer with the drivetrain in it.

[AutoMods]

didn't you just buy that house?

[86svo9L]

Yea, we bought it a little over a year ago with intentions of staying in it for 5 years. But we are in a position now to buy a much larger house and keep a similar payment. So we decided with interest rates still so low its better to make the move now than to risk potentially higher rates in 4 years.

[AutoMods]

yea that makes sense, especially if your getting a bigger garage :)

[86svo9L]

Not much of an update. But I started doing wiring. I am taking my time to make sure the wiring is done as cleanly as possible.

Left side is complete, right side is in progress.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/temporary_zps03e39dd2.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/temporary_zps03e39dd2.jpg.html)

Engine bay wiring.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/temporary_zpsc32d866e.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/temporary_zpsc32d866e.jpg.html)

[Phish]

Boom... Clean and simple and well within anyones budget

http://www.jegs.com/p/MSD-Ignition/MSD-Atomic-EFI-LS-Kits/2433276/10002/-1




and by within anyones budget i mean only the deep pockets of Casey Martin can afford this.

[c_mart_28]

Lol. Dude I don't even have pockets anymore. The wife has sewn them all shut just to serve as a reminder..!

[sparkles]

Nice price or crack pipe? Yeah, Whitney done smoked that.

[86svo9L]

Looks like a sweet setup, lol. To bad it cost more than my engine and transmission combined. They must be on the crack pipe with those prices.

[Phish]

I saw that when i was/am doing my swap over to the other shell. I couldnt believe the price. I still have no clue what they are using for engine management either.

[86svo9L]

I figure with the Microsquirt that even if I mess up the ecm or give up on it I am out at most $360 and I get to keep a nice new custom harness.

[86svo9L]

Not to much progress. There is still some soldering left to do, mainly connecting up to the main harness at this point and cleaning up a few things. But the end is in sight.

Next up will be fuel lines. I plan on using a C5 Corvette fuel filter to simplify the fuel system.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/WP_20130602_0011_zpsbeaf5400.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/WP_20130602_0011_zpsbeaf5400.jpg.html)

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/WP_20130602_0031_zps56ba608b.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/WP_20130602_0031_zps56ba608b.jpg.html)

[AutoMods]

looking good.

the corvette filter with a built in regulator right? and its not vacuum referenced. the factory gm computer has a table in the pcm that dials down the injector flow rate to compensate for the increased injection that occurs from the pressure difference in the fuel rail vs manifold vacuum. that is gm's solution to avoid running a vacuum line to fpr at the rear.

not sure if microsquirt has that kind of table or if there is other good ways around it. here is a picture of my table. all my cells have the same value because i'm running an aftermarket vacuum referenced fpr

[86svo9L]

Good point. I did not really take that into consideration and assumed it could be tuned to compensate. I may just have to go with an Aeromotive FPR or similar. If I add the costs of a couple Corvette fuel filters it already passes the Aeromotive price, so it would be a better option in the long run.

I should load up my base tune here soon and see what all I can work with.

[86svo9L]

Still need a few minor things such as clips to hold the wiring where I want, but otherwise wiring is complete. One day this thing will run!

Next up is the fuel system, and cooling.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/enginewiringcomplete_zps6886aab8.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/enginewiringcomplete_zps6886aab8.jpg.html)

[86svo9L]

Doesn't look like much, but I can hook up a battery and spin it over now. Once I get fuel and coolant to it I can fire it off.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/WP_20130803_0011_zps482a7854.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/WP_20130803_0011_zps482a7854.jpg.html)

[86svo9L]

Spun it over today and primed the oiling system. All seems to be good at this point.

[86svo9L]

Still plugging away on this. Not a whole lot of time to get anything done with it, but slow and sure.


Got the Microsquirt firmware upgraded to the newest version and uploaded the LS tune.

Dropped the tank, removed all the old fuel line crap and got the fuel system completed, pressure checked and no leaks.

Tested the sensors through the Microsquirt to verify they are working properly.

Picked up a new Wilwood 7/8 master cylinder modified for RX7 use, Hinson firewall adapter, banjo fitting and hydraulic line. Can actually use the clutch now.

Groomed out a lot of the unnecessary wiring.


Getting closer, just need to get a cooling system into it and I can test fire it.

[AutoMods]

good deal, keep it up

[86svo9L]

Almost ready for the road. Just need to button a few things up. Alternator and Radiator are on the way. Should show up sometime next week. I ended up bitching out on the Microsquirt and have a standalone LS1 setup installed. Hopefully take a test drive in two weeks! http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/rx7engine_zpscccefd9f.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/rx7engine_zpscccefd9f.jpg.html)

[derek072887]

I ended up bitching out on the Microsquirt and have a standalone LS1 setup installed. Hopefully take a test drive in two weeks!

by standalone setup do you mean something like a holly efi system or a stock LS style computer?

[86svo9L]

Its a stock LS1 harness converted for swap/standalone operation. The ECM has been modified to remove VATS, emissions, AC and rear O2 sensors. Its probably close to what Ryan has except I am not running any tuner at this point in time.

[AutoMods]

that big battery has to go to the back at some point! are you going to do power steering?

[86svo9L]

No power steering, I may change my opinion on that after driving it a bit. The battery is a temp solution to fire it off and drive it if necessary. The wife has me on a timer to get this thing driveable, she refuses to let me tow it to our new house, lol. Once I get some more bandwidth to work on it the battery will be put in the cubby behind the passenger seat. I may even do that this weekend depending on how much free time I have.

[AutoMods]

the bin is a nice clean area. although not nhra legal unless you cram a battery box inside the bin. but the track may not be that picky

[86svo9L]

Hmm, I wanted to keep the back hatch area clean but maybe have to rethink that then. I was thinking it was possible with a dry cell battery? Hate to run into snags over something stupid.

[sLoWnStEaDy]

Space isn't too bad back there really. I had my battery on the drivers side and a 10lb nitrous bottler on the passenger side. Nitrous bottle was a bit of a pain to get mounted due to the angle but the battery tray/battery slapped right in there with ease.

[86svo9L]

The radiator came in. I made my own brackets to mount it. Not the best pictures in the world, but you guys get the idea. I will be running a Taurus fan.

Its just mocked up below. Still got some cleanup to do.


http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/temporary_zpsc7bca060.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/temporary_zpsc7bca060.jpg.html)

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/temporary_zpsb5c3b4fd.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/temporary_zpsb5c3b4fd.jpg.html)

[Phish]

Here is a pic of my battery box. I ended up makign my own box to tightly fit an optima that i was running. Then i spaced up the bottom of the compartment (under the carpet so not to be seen) so the box sits level. You cant se it here but the tiedown goes across the top of the battery and out the sides of the box. That way i can still remove the top if/when need be without undoing the tie down. It turned out to be a pretty clean install. Cant say that i would change it up at this point.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee44/Phish806/0618132101_zpsa3171114.jpg (http://s232.photobucket.com/user/Phish806/media/0618132101_zpsa3171114.jpg.html)

[Drifte]

Does look good, should get some lights and take a few more pictures of that.

[Phish]

I can make that happen. It was what was on my phone since i am at work. I can post a couple more pics when i get home tongiht. Pretty simple setup but works well.

[86svo9L]

That does look good and looks to fit very nicely. Nice thing about that location is that your able to hide all the wiring and have a nice clean setup.

[Phish]

I coundt find a battery box that you coudl orde rto fit in the box. They were all so tall and or wide that it woudl stick up out of the top of the compartment or not sit down in far enough (since the bottom is angled). thats why i made my own box. All the wiring runs down under the carpet and throught he floor under the car to the back at the kill switch. The only thing i have in the back of the car now is the nitrous/nano bottles. I think it woudl look way to cluttered and less clean if i had the battery box back there as well.

[AutoMods]

You cant se it here but the tiedown goes across the top of the battery and out the sides of the box. That way i can still remove the top if/when need be without undoing the tie down. It turned out to be a pretty clean install. Cant say that i would change it up at this point.


the nhra rules say the box itself can't hold the battery down so you did it right by having a tie down inside. also i used plasti-dip on my hold down bar as it doesn't conduct electricity that way if anything gets loose and moves the battery can't short out.

mine is in the bin too. but with the need to always have more weight in the rear. I've thought of using the spare tire well at the very back of the car with 2 of these narrow batteries wired together. the spare tire well is also low so good for cg too. not sure about the safety aspect if the car gets hit in the rear the battery might split

http://www.aj-racing.com/shop/image.php?type=D&id=970

[Phish]

That sounds like a good ieda, however that would definately require a custom made box to fit both of those in and fit inside the well. I woudl also need to move my blowdown tube since it goes out the bottom of that spare tire wheel well. Thats no big deal though. I coudl see diong that location if you were donig the move for the first time in the build.

[Phish]

Here are a couple more pics of my battery box install as requested:

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee44/Phish806/1009131727_zps5611e510.jpg (http://s232.photobucket.com/user/Phish806/media/1009131727_zps5611e510.jpg.html)

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee44/Phish806/1009131726a_zpsf4c9b2a0.jpg (http://s232.photobucket.com/user/Phish806/media/1009131726a_zpsf4c9b2a0.jpg.html)

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee44/Phish806/1009131726_zps117a845b.jpg (http://s232.photobucket.com/user/Phish806/media/1009131726_zps117a845b.jpg.html)

[86svo9L]

Looks good man. Thanks for the pictures. Hopefully my homemade concoction looks half as nice, lol.

[86svo9L]

It lives! Still need to button up a few things to drive it. No weird noises and it popped right off first try.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/th_LSRX7_zpsad54dbe8.jpg (http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/LSRX7_zpsad54dbe8.mp4)

[AutoMods]

congrats

[86svo9L]

Still cranking away and cleaning things up. Really surprised how much space there is between the fan and the front of the engine. Still need to wire up a couple relays to control the low and high speeds on the fan. Engine holds a solid 40psi of oil pressure at idle, which is always nice. Never know what to expect from a junkyard engine, even if it was from a wrecked vehicle...


http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/temporary_zpsda70153f.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/temporary_zpsda70153f.jpg.html)

[86svo9L]

Integra speedo mod. Once I verify it works I will transfer the face over so it looks stock.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/temporary_zpsb143bede.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/temporary_zpsb143bede.jpg.html)

[Phish]

Can u elaborate on this integra speedo mod?

[86svo9L]

94-? Integras have electronic speedometers that are very close in size to the RX7 speedo. With some trimming you can make them fit and have an operational speedo. There will need to be a bit of tuning in the ECM for the RX7 gears and tire sizes so it reads accurately. I had mine re-calibrated for the gears and tire size when I had the ecm tuned.

Here is the write up I followed.

http://www.norotors.com/index.php?topic=199.0

[AutoMods]

i've seen that before, its pretty neat. let us know if it works

[86svo9L]

Will do. Hopefully it works as well as I hope. Almost seemed too easy, there has to be a catch!

[86svo9L]

Well holy crap it almost looks like a complete engine!

Have to thank Ryan for hooking me up with the intake elbow and piping. Great quality, I highly recommend his stuff and it is reasonably priced.


http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/temporary_zps960d2698.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/temporary_zps960d2698.jpg.html)

[86svo9L]

Took it for a quick spin today! Have an appointment to get exhaust started on Friday.

After exhaust it is going into storage for the rest of winter, so no new updates for quite a while. Purchased a new house and have plenty to do that does not involve the RX7. On a plus note it will be ready for Spring fun!

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/rear_zpsc98921d4.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/rear_zpsc98921d4.jpg.html)

[AutoMods]

nice job!

[JacobS]

congrats! the first drive is always nerve racking

[86svo9L]

Thanks guys. It felt good to have it move under its own power for once.

[86svo9L]

Exhaust finally!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152500307043438&l=6877735245113056582


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152500307043438&l=687773524511305658 2

[86svo9L]

Well car is in storage.

Did a speedo check on the way out and it was within 2 mph. Cheapo Integra speedometer for the win!

[AutoMods]

Well car is in storage.

Did a speedo check on the way out and it was within 2 mph. Cheapo Integra speedometer for the win!
Can I just pay you to make one for me

[86svo9L]

Pick up a 94 integra speedo and I can help you out with it. It takes about an hour to do.

[JacobS]

anymore updates? or is it pretty much done?

[86svo9L]

anymore updates? or is it pretty much done?

No updates unfortunately. Since we were in the process of purchasing another house I figured it would be best to put it into storage for the winter. So I have not even seen it since two days before snow flew. Kind of killed any winter plans I had for it.

Once the snow is gone the plan is to put miles on it. A co-worker of mine is in the Corvette club and has invited me to some track events. So it will be a fun weekend and track day whore for a while.

Next winter I am going to do the turbo build, or maybe the winter after. Depending on how much fun it is to toss around the track.

[86svo9L]

Well this is coming out of storage either this weekend or next. Updates should start to come in once again.

Main plans are to catch up with safety items so it can pass tech inspections. Really want to get out and hit up some auto-x.
.

[86svo9L]

Well it is out of storage and safely at home. So hopefully I will have some fresh updates soon.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/rx7freshfromstorage_zps95a155ac.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/rx7freshfromstorage_zps95a155ac.jpg.html)

[86svo9L]

Well no new pictures right now. Progress has been pretty good though. Been finalizing wiring inside the car. Made a bit more work for myself by mounting the ECM inside the car, but now that it is done I wouldn't have it any other way. Figured out all the little annoyances, squeaks and rattles and have the interior sound bearable while driving. Also got the power windows going again. Car is running good for what it is.

Things left to do:

-Adapters to make stock oil pressure and temp gauge work. Goal is no aftermarket gauges.
-Install the 17 inch Mustang tribar rims on it.
-New windshield.
-Covering for shifter hole.
-Find front turn signal lenses.
-Fix roof.
-Radio!
-Probably a bunch of other BS I am forgetting.

[86svo9L]

Slowly getting this thing to actually look like a car. Need to find a couple more things and wash it. But it should be at least presentable sometime in the near future. :bigeyes:

Snapped a couple pictures today.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/temporary_zps0be21b3c.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/temporary_zps0be21b3c.jpg.html)

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/temporary_zps5eef6b33.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/temporary_zps5eef6b33.jpg.html)

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/temporary_zps8c23b810.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/temporary_zps8c23b810.jpg.html)

[86svo9L]

Got the tribars on finally.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/RX7/temporary_zpscdd9cc9a.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/RX7/temporary_zpscdd9cc9a.jpg.html)

[Drifte]

Sweet

[86svo9L]

New windshield finally! Now to fix the roof.

Anyone know where I can get the clips for trim pieces? I have all the trim, but the body is missing the inserts in some spots.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/86svo9l/temporary_zps916cabd5.jpg (http://s741.photobucket.com/user/86svo9l/media/temporary_zps916cabd5.jpg.html)

[86svo9L]

Probably going to be taking this up to midnight mania tonight also. So long as it does not break on the way up.