The New Garage Queen

[High-Test]

as much as I love the M104, theres no reason to have an engine that will outlast the rest of the car

Yes there is!

When the car dies, don't you want to take the engine with you? The M104 deserves a variety of carrying cases, doesn't it?

 

[Troux]

I'd prefer to upgrade my power, thanks.

 

[GTrackd02]

Nice car! good luck with the swap... I love the lines of the Rx-7
there's a 240sx around here with a built ls-1 in it that suprises a few people...
I am thinkin I might stuff an ls-7 into my Mustang
Wait, maybe I could buy the rotory off of you and toss that in there???
That would be fun to drive huh?

And sorry but i say ditch the spoiler! I did

 

[JCE]

Mustang GT's look naked without a spoiler in my opinion.

 

[GTrackd02]

Mustang GT's look naked without a spoiler in my opinion.

Yeah, and also no at the same time.... I like it without the wing only because it was a bit different but now everyones doin it..lol
im lookin at getting somthing back there... just dunno what yet

* thread hi-jack off*

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Mustang GT's look naked without a spoiler in my opinion.

I think the RX-7 does too, but not as much, because it sort of has a lip spoiler thing going.

 

[JCE]

I think the RX-7 does too, but not as much, because it sort of has a lip spoiler thing going.

I agree, as does the Supra.

 

[Troux]

Yeah, the lip and spoiler require a bit of a balance. My friend's looks a little akward to me, with the larger '99 spec front spoiler, and no rear spoiler:

I prefer spoilers on most cars, ESPECIALLY the Supra.

 

[Troux]

Wow, it's been a busy week! Sunday I helped my friend pick up an LS1/T56 combo (he got it for a STEAL) and we pulled his motor the same day:

Then coincidentally I found a buyer for my car the same week, so I pulled my motor on Wednesday:
(sorry for camera phone, it's all I got, really)

Then last night I pulled the motor for the guy that's buying mine. 3 rotary puls in a week. Not bad! From reading on the forums, average is 6 hours for 2 people who know what they're doing. Last night was me and one other guy who hadn't done one before, and we knocked it out in 4 hours!

Updates to come very slowly. I'm going to be very thorough with this buildup, especially after all the people I see on the v8rx7.com forums having a lot of regrets about things they wish they had taken the time to do when they were swapping. That being said, can anyone guess why I got.....

VIPER FENDERS?!?!?

 

[mertz]

ok i kinda understand the ls1 swap but why????

why buy an immaculate 7 and then wreck it with a v8 when the engine in it was in good condition.

plus this adds weight in the front and has way too much torque (not necessarily a bad thing)

just spending money on the stock engine would be well worth it and keep the handling more stable

 

[ferrari_chris]

Good stuff! I look forward to the updates, and good luck with the build.

Also, if you pulled the motor so quick, I hope it goes into the destination vehicle smoothly...

 

[Perfect Balance]

You have Viper fenders because in the other pics I can see you unscrewed the fender and moved it out.

 

[Flerbizky]

ok i kinda understand the ls1 swap but why????

why buy an immaculate 7 and then wreck it with a v8 when the engine in it was in good condition.

plus this adds weight in the front and has way too much torque (not necessarily a bad thing)

just spending money on the stock engine would be well worth it and keep the handling more stable

You really should read the whole thread -Troux has gotten all the above covered !...

 

[Bram Turismo]

Didn't see this thread before, better late then never, congrats on the purchase


I'd never buy an RX7 over a Supra, but that's just my Supra-fanboism playing up + it's easy to understand you want something different after driving a Supra that long.


Anyways, hope the build goes well 👍 If it was mine, I wouldn't do anything more rather then getting it some sweeter rims and a nice exhaust for some sound RX7's look best in their stock form, but that's only my opinion of course

 

[ND4SPD]

ok i kinda understand the ls1 swap but why????

why buy an immaculate 7 and then wreck it with a v8 when the engine in it was in good condition.

plus this adds weight in the front and has way too much torque (not necessarily a bad thing)

just spending money on the stock engine would be well worth it and keep the handling more stable

As much as I love rotaries and plan to keep my RX-7 a rotary, you should research about an LS1 swap into an FD RX-7 before asking questions like these. You do know that an LS1 swap to an FD basically retains it's 50:50 weight distribution?

 

[Troux]

Bram, trust me, I'm a die-hard Supra fan, but the FD is a lighter car, and just a better driver's car. One thing that really attracted me to the FD was the vast aftermarket in chassis/handling mods, whereas with the Supra, it's hard to find parts that don't say "boost" or "hp" in the product description.

Good stuff! I look forward to the updates, and good luck with the build.

Also, if you pulled the motor so quick, I hope it goes into the destination vehicle smoothly...

The quick pull was getting the motor out of the guy's car that was buying my motor. Since I was leading the pull, I got to make sure we all retained and left behind the exact same things when we replaced his motor with mine.

You have Viper fenders because in the other pics I can see you unscrewed the fender and moved it out.

Heheh, yep. The point I was getting at is that I'm gonna try my hand at some wire tucking. I'm aiming for as clean of an install as possible. Something along these lines....

It's amazing how cheap parts for this swap are getting. Day by day LS1/2 pullouts are getting cheaper, and the swap kit manufacturers are in a price war right now. Hinson's mounting kit (everything you need to attach the drivetrain) is now $365 cheaper than it was when V8 7s were just getting popular, and now it's much ebtter quality, too. Not to mention all the ways these custom garage mechanics are finding to save money. Right now the most popular cooling system is a junkyard 1st gen Ford Taurus fan mounted to a $150 stock C4 Corvette radiator. Then of course there's the most cost-effective fuel pump, the Supra TT unit that is a direct drop in. Talk about a bastard of a car.

 

[Troux]

Still tearing **** apart... About time to get a new motor.

 

[Troux]

Someone was asking about my swap, so I figured I'd posted updates, despite interest seeming to diminish. The main things holding me back at this point are my mounting kit still being in development and school taking up my free time/energy. Summer will be my first semester I'm taking off since I started college, and an oppurtunity to finally finish my car.

Fully manual steering rack:

Harness bar/rear strut tower bar:

Ridiculously stiff sway bars, front and rear:

Tuned PCM (although I'll have to retune it to welcome a couple more mods I added to the list):

Oil cooler:

LS2/T56:

GTO body wiring harness. Let me tell you, I've spent a ton of time tearing apart these wiring harnesses (this is what my engine looks like now, too), and I'm having more fun than it looks like, tering through circuits, minimizing wires, and finally reorganizing and retaping and concealing the wires.:

True equal-length headers. These were a one-off piece that I just purchased today. Can't wait to wrap these up and strap them in.

That's all for now. I just haven't been taking many pictures when I'm out in the garage. I hope to have it running within 2 months and show-ready (suspension, wheels, underhood bling come next) within 3.

Also, I know I'm gonna end up dropping about 4K on GT5 prologue (game, PS3, TV, steering wheel) when it comes out. Hopefully that doesn't cut into my time/money for this swap too much. I'm pumped!

 

[ND4SPD]

👍 Nice little update. You still browse the rx7club.com or no? I just haven't seen you there lately.

 

[Troux]

Very little. Mostly just to buy/sell stuff, but I don't much like it there.

 

[xXSilencerXx]

Looks good dude. Keep up the good work.

 

[ferrari_chris]

Good progress dude! 👍

What's the diameter of the sway bars, and when you say 'fully manual rack' do you mean the ratio is set up to run without power steering?

 

[Perfect Balance]

Good progress dude! 👍

What's the diameter of the sway bars, and when you say 'fully manual rack' do you mean the ratio is set up to run without power steering?

What do you mean by "the ratio"?

I'm guessing it's just a regular manual steering rack, or a powersteering rack with the guts taken out.


Nice progress though, those headers are awesome.

 

[ferrari_chris]

What do you mean by "the ratio"?

I'm guessing it's just a regular manual steering rack, or a powersteering rack with the guts taken out.


Nice progress though, those headers are awesome.

As far as I'm aware, power steering racks generally have a lower ratio (or higher?) than non-power ones, so they're harder to steer when the power steering goes out. Because they're power assisted, the manufacturers can afford to make them heavier to steer for the gain of more direct steering.

 

[Troux]

1.25" diameter up front, .75" diameter in the rear, solid (not tubular) steel.

The ratio is maintained, but the unit has all of the hydraulics removed and the unit machined to eliminate the passages, then it's powder coated and new boots are added. Fantastic finish. The RX7 steering was designed with a higher ratio than normal PS setups, and the PS line pressure is kept very low to minimize the "PS effect" on the car, giving a greater steering feel than almost any car out there (comparable to a base model '05 Elise I test drove).

There isn't a whole lot to be gained in going to a fully custom unit with a revised ratio (I looked into Wilwood for this), compared to simply converting the factory rack.

Thanks for the compliments, guys. By the end of spring break I'm planning on finishing up the fuel system, changing the oil pan, and finishing up the planning for the wiring. I pretty much have things already sorted for the wiring, just minimizing the clutter and circuits now. I did get a few interior parts in the mail today (nothing exciting), including a couple panels to replace where the last owner had made holes for tuning crap and gauges, and an OEM duct that goes in place of the evaporator, since I'm doing a full AC delete.

Within the next couple weeks I am expecting a couple small parts, such as adapters (to fit gauge sending units, the GTO pedal/shifter, larger clutch master, etc.), an upgraded shifter, upgraded clutch master, whatever clean-looking solution I decide on for mounting relays and fuses, and some new headlights. This weekend or next, I'll be helping my friend drop his LS1 into his FD. He's doing a very run-of-the-mill install, and his is going to end up costing under $5k for the swap, even after he's got A/C and PS installed. His should be running within about a month. Exciting stuff!

 

[Perfect Balance]

As far as I'm aware, power steering racks generally have a lower ratio (or higher?) than non-power ones, so they're harder to steer when the power steering goes out. Because they're power assisted, the manufacturers can afford to make them heavier to steer for the gain of more direct steering.

The only reason they are harder to steer when the power steering goes out is because you then have to not only turn the wheels, but push around all the fluid still in the rack. It has little to do with why they make the ratios certain ways.

 

[RedTransAm]

Sorry if you've stated this earlier in the thread and I missed it, but what heads do you have on there? They look too clean to be the originals. And just curious, How much did those headers run you? LSX swap headers for my car go for about $1000. Are you going to do any other mods to the engine before you drop it in?

I'd love to do an LSX/T56 swap into my car. Good luck with yours, it's looking good so far.

 

[ferrari_chris]

The only reason they are harder to steer when the power steering goes out is because you then have to not only turn the wheels, but push around all the fluid still in the rack. It has little to do with why they make the ratios certain ways.

Wrong.

 

[Troux]

I think you might be looking at the wrong picture. The engine with the headers mounted is an LS1. That's not my engine, just the display engine for showing off the headers, basically. Mine are the stock heads, 243 casting, same as the ones used on the LS6 (C5 Z06 for those who aren't familiar with Chevy engines). The engine has about 21K miles on it, and the heads are certainly a little dirty, but I plan to do at least a little cleaning before installing it.

Normally, headers for LSx FD swaps run between $700 and $925, depending on primary runner size and optional coating. These headers cost $1500 to cutom make, and were jet hot coated. They are two piece headers, since the only way to get equal length long tubes is to have them wrap around the K-member.

As far as mods go A/C, PS, the EVAp system, and secondary O2 sensors are getting deleted, then the headers, custom intake, 160 degree thermostat, and probably a couple bling mods. I plan on going with a bigger motor down the road, so I am trying to convince myself not to spend too much on the LS2, as I can expect 410 to the wheels after tuning, which is plenty to play with.

I found a local GTO with pretty much the same package I would do (if I were to do a heads/cam to the LS2), and he made 513 at the wheels for about $5000. Hard to resist, but I'm currently trying to focus on cleaning up the car, removing crap I won't need and lightening along the way.

I'm aiming for a 1/2 tank, no driver weight of 2800 lbs. I've done a decent amount of lightening and will probably add most of it back once I put wheels/tires on, but if I can manage that, I should have a power:weight ratio that bests a Z06, Gallardo, or F430. Unfortunately, I live very local to one of the fastest street LS1-FD cars, so the competition is already on, especially if my friend (also in-progress) decides to do a H/C package to his LS1 FD.

Edit: Perfect Balance, Chris is right. Some people have tried to do a manual conversion without knowing what they're doing, and just unhook the PS assist, which ends up in them needing a 20-inch steering wheel to turn, as THIS is what makes for obscene pressures, but manual racks pretty much always have comparitively lower gearing, to make turning easier. For the same reason the FD has a 4.10 rear end stock, it needs the gearing to multiply torque since rotaries can't make any.

 

[ferrari_chris]

Are you going to keep the exhausts like that (coming straight off the headers) so they dump under the car? 👍