marcus' v8 rx7 build thread

[marcus.raw]

so i finally sold the sti a few weeks ago, after 10 years of longing for an FD i finaly got one!

this is how it looked when it started




this is it now



after getting rid of the rotary, final cost of getting it to the above state is $2000. not too bad since these cars are hell to find locally, and average tripple the cost.

im really happy that the frame is straight as i took it to a laser frame scale. its 3mm within factory spec, most 15+ year old drift machines are worse than that by now. luckily the damage was mostly cosmetic and the owner didnt think it was worth keeping around!

going to remove the front panels and prep and paint the engine bay. its going to get a chevy v8 of some sort when taxes come, untill then its a restore project, picking up suspension, jdm body parts, wheels tires, conversion parts, roll bars etc. this thread will monitor the progress.

the enkei wheels on it were loner wheels to get the car to the house, but i will purchase them in a wider, black finish.

heres one of liz helping me gut the engine bay. she got 2 bolts out and thats it =)

[Drew84]

LS swap ?

[marcus.raw]

LS swap ?

yea, gunning for an ls2, but i dont mind an ls1/ls6 either, depends on the price i find it at when i have the money. what ever i get is getting long tube headers, afr heads with a mild cam. that should be more than pleanty power

[thechickencow]

That will be sweet.

Is teh swap an easy kit, or is there a lot of fabrication involved?

[danm]

LS swap ?

looks more like a LIZ swap

this new motor is looking good

[marcus.raw]

That will be sweet.

Is teh swap an easy kit, or is there a lot of fabrication involved?

for the most part its a bolt on type thing. the only hardpart is wiring. take the ls engine harness cut 2 GM clips off and splice in the rx7 one and then its plug and play. swap the rotary subframe and use the existing holes for a shelf frame and its good to go.

im pretty good with the wiring as its well documented so my honest hurtles are wheel choices/colors and colors of the car and what aftermarket cosmetic parts to get haha

looks more like a LIZ swap

this new motor is looking good

lol thanks =)

[marcus.raw]

freed all the wires, abs, etc from the engine bay, sanded, paint thinner bath, sanded, simple greened, dish soaped, pressure washed, and 6 hours later! its now squeaky clean and prepped for prime and paint, ill work on that sunday or monday since im off, im enjoying this weekend lol.

[Dave6265]

I heart LS1 RX7 builds.

[Lucky Loser]

That's going to be a badass ride when you finish it.

[Tylersladen]

I heart LS1 RX7 builds.

+1

[marcus.raw]

thanks i cant wait, i hope to have it drivable by spring =)

[Tylersladen]

but, when will it be driftable

[freq]

looking forward to updates in this thread. how's the weight balance with the LS motors in these cars?

[marcus.raw]

but, when will it be driftable

itll be driftable once the motor is in and i get tires. im planning on getting 17x9 255/40 17 front and 17x10 275/40 17 rear, and coil overs before i get the motor.

looking forward to updates in this thread. how's the weight balance with the LS motors in these cars?

glad you asked, surprisingly the ls setup is only 60 lbs heavier than a complete rotary setup (2turbos 2intakes downpipe, fmic)

the ls1 route has no more room for the battery so you relocate that to the rear of the car, that removes 40 lbs. because the rotary had the battery and fmic past the front axle and that is no longer there, and because the ls1 only 1/16th over the front axle, the complete swap gains 40lbs but weight ratio maintains 50/50. the handling is maintained as well as geometry. everyones still weighing in at 2680-2700 with a half of tank of gas after the swap

if i were to go lt1 its 52/48, if i went a ford block and solid rear end its still 50/50 but you gain close to 100-120lbs

[marcus.raw]

went shopping today. so im finding with the fact that the rx7 is rare, so are the interior bits, and they are quite costly. from 100-250 a peice, needing full interior can get quite pricey. theres a professional race car driver in long beach who races for d1, and formula d, kyle mohan who was selling everything i needed for about 100 bucks. i needed everything behind the seats, 2 speaker panels, rear bins, rear quarter panels, rear hatch cover, and rear center piece. thats a ton of savings, practically a steal! he even threw in rear oem strut bar and an R1 wing =) and as an added added bonus i got the rear bose acoustic amp/subwoofer

heres all the pieces thrown in the back of the 7 including the acoustic system, its hard to make it all out



heres the wing and rear bins, the bin is cracked but its a solid piece, im going to epoxy/sand and paint the tan interior with krylon plastic paint



also what came in the mail today are some efini front and rear jdm badges, better than the old toilet seat mazda used as an emblem in the 90s, i like how the emblem will throw people off who have no idea what the FD is, its bad enough that its going to sound like a v8 monster in a little car. i just love messing with peoples heads

[marcus.raw]

rolled out the chassi to rinse out the engine bay of all the sanding and chemicals i used to clean it, i get home late at night on weekdays so ill have to wait till the weekend to finish cutting the frame rail brackets, ive already cut the lip on the firewall

i finally cleaned up the black interior pieces since that doesnt make any late night noise. they cleaned up well so i decided to throw them in




i have the rear strut bar and strut covers but i didnt wanna put the strut bar in yet since i still want to get suspension, either coilovers or a lowered strut/spring combo.
i also have the middle section bins and speaker panels but ill have to repair and paint those. man the feeling of the rear end finished off this little makes me feel really good about the car because it looks like a car again, my family and my girlfriend think im a little strange cause theres no motor in it yet haha. to them its just a pile of metal at the moment.
im missing a handful of interior trim peices but ive got a WTB ad going on and ive got offers for some key items. hopefully ill have a deal by the end of the day

[Tylersladen]

still confused on why you didn't keep the rotary engine or was it not functioning

[Zillon]

still confused on why you didn't keep the rotary engine or was it not functioning

Just throwing this one out there, but I'd guess for the reliability factor.

Looks like you've made some solid progress so far, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this thread.

[marcus.raw]

still confused on why you didn't keep the rotary engine or was it not functioning

the 13b rew is an awesome output motor, but its got a list of serious headache. there are no certified mazda techs that can help you when theres a problem, and the main apex seal breaks every 10,000-30,000 miles, there are stories of it going before the next oil change.

to do it yourself is a headache, to have a shop do it is 2,600. so you gotta keep some coin in your bank account ready for a guaranteed problem and you have to keep in mind that the motor will blow when your driving it. most likely you will be stranded when you least expect it, in the middle of the night, with no cell phone reception. and when the engine doesnt blow the mpg does, its 13mpg stock, 9 with a street port.

the lsx motor puts 100hp to the wheels over a stock rotary, its reliable, and even cammed its street legal. it gets 28mpg(you gain 2mpg putting it in a light weight rx7) parts and service galore as the motor has been around for ever. weight gain is only 50lbs or so, weight ratio and handling are still intact, for me ditching the rotary was a no brainer. but you will get some die hard rotary heads that will want to hang me for "ripping the soul out of the car." so my car is possessed with a "redneck" motor, theres nothing else the rotary has in defense.

[marcus.raw]

ok so i finally found a spot weld remover, it makes life easier, grinded down the left over, its now ready for some paint





my friend tim came down to lend a hand with the paint, he also installed a 24 pack into the fridge as we picked off that
here he is wondering where the rotary is at?

[s7khan]

I'm just trying to figure out what the hell is a rotary


<---Knows nothing about cars

[marcus.raw]

i almost missplaced the 7 for a minute there....too many turbos for one garage
its all ready ready for paint so heres some 1200 degree flame proof vht primer, 2 coats

1200 dgree flame proof vht base, 2 coats

and 1200 degree flame proof vht semi gloss, 2 coats

im going to let it sit for 7 days before i install the wires in, the can says it needs a week for time to cure, i dont know if rattle can cures or not but im in no hurry. while that does its thing ive got interior bits to work on so thats next

[marcus.raw]

I'm just trying to figure out what the hell is a rotary


<---Knows nothing about cars

theres a triangle "rotor" that rotates in a circle (oval actually) to get intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust



every other motor that uses pistons has a piston that moves up and down

down for intake, up for compression, down during combustion, and up for exhaust



im moving from a 250hp twin rotory motor to a 400hp v8 lol

[distorto]

every other motor that uses pistons has a piston that moves up and down

ahem...except boxer engines...

[marcus.raw]

ahem...except boxer engines...

good call =)

[jciotti]

Who owns the supra?

[marcus.raw]

My buddy tim, it's 450hp@3400lbs, it's going to be the 1st car I the rx7 will go against. Ls2 is 400hp and I should be @2700lbs, it'll be interesting.

[marcus.raw]

heres one of our

[Tito]

Looking good Marcus.

[s7khan]

theres a triangle "rotor" that rotates in a circle (oval actually) to get intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust



every other motor that uses pistons has a piston that moves up and down

down for intake, up for compression, down during combustion, and up for exhaust



im moving from a 250hp twin rotory motor to a 400hp v8 lol

Thanks! I think I'll use this thread to learn a bit about cars

[jciotti]

You'll cream the Supra bad.

[1055]

You'll cream the Supra bad.

if he has traction

definetly looking forward to updates.

you thinking of leaving the ls1 na?

[marcus.raw]

You'll cream the Supra bad.

yea i dont doubt it honestly, ive test driven it and its a porker, but i dont wanna say anything untill i see how the 7 does in person

if he has traction

definetly looking forward to updates.

you thinking of leaving the ls1 na?

i think so, if i do mild cams, intake(manifold?) heads and headers, ill need a roll bar to assist with traction. turbo or supercharger will be pure custom work but it will be cheaper to run nitrous. i hate nitrous so i guess my only options are bolt ons. the bolt ons will bring me over 500+hp, thats pretty freakish considering the weight

[cdvma]

You'll cream the Supra bad.

What do a 500, 700 and 900 HP Supra all have in common? 12 second time slips

[Tylersladen]

What do a 500, 700 and 900 HP Supra all have in common? 12 second time slips

=[[[[[

I still love supras

[marcus.raw]

What do a 500, 700 and 900 HP Supra all have in common? 12 second time slips

thats soo funny! we just came from a huntington beach supra meet. one guy was like i just got 12.3 in the 1/4!!!

another guy was like i just got 12.5!! so i asked how much hp each had, the 12.3 had 490, the 12.5 had 833!! both running 285 proxies, i was just like, wow

[jciotti]

That is pretty funny. I used to bag guys in Supras with low 11 second passes all day long when I only had 500+ with my Evo.

[marcus.raw]

That is pretty funny. I used to bag guys in Supras with low 11 second passes all day long when I only had 500+ with my Evo.

my girl has an evo 9, im still learning the platform thats going to be our summer project for 2010

[marcus.raw]

so while i wait for the engine bay to cure i went back to the interior making sure everything gets installed. the car didnt come with any interior behind the seats, the trim pieces are usually expensive but i found some for dirt cheap.

this was the 1st piece i wanted to work on as its 1 of 3 pieces i need to paint. this ones broken though and was free. for 2 tubes of epoxy, 2 cans of krylon fusion paint, and some left over mighty putty i went from this



to this



1st it started with cleaning it off really good, giving it a complete alcohol bath and pressure wash, and then epoxying the crap out of it




i started with epoxying the cracks that were in it, then i started to place the completly broken pieces into it



once it was all once piece, i took an electric sander and smoothed the surface. i didnt sand the inside or underneath because i wanted it to be strong. i also didnt sand inside or underneath because it was hard to get to and i was lazy



i then chizzled out around where the lid closes, that way it will close flush, the last thing i want is the lid to rattle when im drifing in the canyons lol




epoxy is pretty glossy, but i will have the passanger seat against this section which is the most visible signs of damage. itll also be inside the car and the car will be tinted, it wont reflect nearly as much as it is now in the bright sun



from the top you dont see any damage, i went ahead and sprayed inside the bin to finish it off



the section where the lock is was a completey broken piece, i was able to get that in also, the lid closes fine and the lock works, the epoxy is really sturdy, i accidentally dropped the entire bin off my work bench and inspected all the joints. it took it extremely well. ill let this cure for a few days before installing it

[freq]

http://www.v8rx7forum.com/hall-fame/...it-56k-no.html

this thread. full custom LS-1 FD project. took me many hours to get through the whole thing, and the guy has it for sale for 35k last month. the wiring was the scariest part.

edit: oh, also the cobra indepenent rear suspension he integrated into it... holy fab skills batman.

[marcus.raw]

yeah im on that forum too, the wiring will be easy for me the hard parts will be choosing wheel sizes and body color lol

[1055]

Ive been searching for a project car as of late.. im trying to find a late 70's datsun wagon.

all you want, but 2400lb RWD platform with direct bolt in's for an SR20/26.. or the obvious ls1 swap.

[marcus.raw]

Ive been searching for a project car as of late.. im trying to find a late 70's datsun wagon.

all you want, but 2400lb RWD platform with direct bolt in's for an SR20/26.. or the obvious ls1 swap.

oh im not laughing one bit! i considered that one too, there were many projects i wanted to build i was done modding brand new cars and having payments. the swap you mentioned was heavily considered i mean it was my main car in forza 2 with the sr20 swap project cars are the way to go =)

[marcus.raw]

http://www.v8rx7forum.com/hall-fame/...it-56k-no.html

this thread. full custom LS-1 FD project. took me many hours to get through the whole thing, and the guy has it for sale for 35k last month. the wiring was the scariest part.

edit: oh, also the cobra indepenent rear suspension he integrated into it... holy fab skills batman.

man that guy is crazy with that build

[1055]

oh im not laughing one bit! i considered that one too, there were many projects i wanted to build i was done modding brand new cars and having payments. the swap you mentioned was heavily considered i mean it was my main car in forza 2 with the sr20 swap project cars are the way to go =)

hahaha man i still havent 100% that godamn game yet. forza 3 will be out before i do.

I know how you feel, theres so many projects i want to build, but a sleeper wagon is definetly on the top of my list.. especially since im getting toward the end of modding my DD.

[marcus.raw]

hahaha man i still havent 100% that godamn game yet. forza 3 will be out before i do.

I know how you feel, theres so many projects i want to build, but a sleeper wagon is definetly on the top of my list.. especially since im getting toward the end of modding my DD.

cant get the game, must build my 7 fund

cod4 partII is another story, i have the nvg pack on pre order >=)

[Omega47]

That is pretty funny. I used to bag guys in Supras with low 11 second passes all day long when I only had 500+ with my Evo.

We should cruise the Cobra and Canons down to their hood,lol.

[jciotti]

Yes, we should take the Cobra down that way and let the Supra guys FAP to it in all its glory..

[1055]

cant get the game, must build my 7 fund

cod4 partII is another story, i have the nvg pack on pre order >=)

lol i didnt go that all out with it, i preordered the basic version of it hahah

i know how you feel with saving money, today im actually going to go set up another savings account and stat dropping half my paychecks in there every week

[Alchemy-Z]

Sweet I love build threads