LS1 FD swap?

[Lenny]

Brent, you're not even finished your car and you want to sell it?

[Mindcore]

Don't do it...you'll regret it!!!

[brent_strong]

Originally Posted by Lenny

Brent, you're not even finished your car and you want to sell it?

I don't necessarily want to, but it's inevitable. I go through cars relatively quickly, and normally don't lose out too bad monetarily. That means I get to try a lot of different cars for pretty cheap.

For example, my S2000 cost me 18.5k and I sold it for 17.6k after nearly a year and about 6k miles. It cost me more in taxes and registration than it did to buy and sell the car...and I DEFINITELY got $900 worth of fun out of it! I went through 3 sets of (used) rear tires in that time!

I'm hoping that within 12-24 months, I'll sell the FD, bank the money for a house downpayment and either buy out a friend's leased STi for cheap or buy another S2000 for a year-round daily. Or, if it seems to make more sense, I could just pay off any and all debt I have (will have a few student loans, but not many...other than that I'm debt-free).

I also may or may not mess around with turboing my crappy daily driver, just as a project for when I get time. Since I'm not going to have many crazy partying/puking stories when I get old, I want to have some pretty sweet stories to tell about the cars I built!

A friend and I also want to do another Dodge Neon project. We built up his '95 to just under 400whp and I know that if we did it again, we'd easily build a 10-second Neon...probably for ~5k.

So, yeah, too many ideas and plans to keep just one car for so long! Plus, after a while I have a hard time justifying to myself the fact that I make very little comparatively but have a $20k car (when I had the S2000) or a $25k+ car (when the FD is done). I can put that money to MUCH better use. I just want to have my fun first.

[KevinRX7]

Gorgeous cars guys.

Love that FC as well. Once in a while I think about doing this, but I haven't had any troubles with my rotary, so it feels like changing it for the sake of changing it.

I haven't done much to it though, so the engine is basically stock. I just keep up with the maintance. Ya, it would be nice if it was faster, but it's fast enough to put a smile on my face every day as it is.

Gotta give props for taking on the challange though. Who knows, maybe one day if my engine ever lets go, I'll be asking lots more questions

[SteveO]

Good way of thinking man, you have your fun, you're obviously good at it, enjoy the car for a while, then move on to something else.

[awdterror]

ahhhh i cant believe the blasfamy im reading!!!!!!!!! god an LS1 in an rx7.. jesus christ.. the RX stands for Rotary Experiment! technically not an rx7 anymore.. i live in NC now originally from jersey.. where im at now these people would rather put an ls1 and i dont see why.. for almost the same amount of money u can get a 20B motor and have as much or even more power than the LS1... god forbid you P-Port the motor or even bridgeport it.. but to each his own.. maybe u should get an emblem that says LS-7..

[brent_strong]

I looked into the 20b option. It's neither cheap nor easy and would need significant upgrades from stock to produce the power I'm looking for. It is also heavier than the LS1, especially if you keep it turbo.

It's at least $4k to get the 20b from what I can tell, plus it'd be a very good idea to budget for a rebuild since these JDM engines are in totally unknown condition.

Then even more if you want to do a performance rebuild/port it/single turbo/whatever. I don't see a 20b conversion coming in under $10k and still being worthwhile.

Oh yeah, and the stock twins don't exactly fit, so you get to buy a new turbo and manifold...and need new engine controls to keep the stock ECU from freaking out when it doesn't see an auto trans controller.

And you still need a custom mounting setup and/or subframe for it...and would need to do most or all of the fuel upgrades I've done. I just don't see the value there, unless it comes in loyalty to the rotary engine, which I have none - not to say I dislike them, but I will go for the best performance value 10 times out of 10.

[awdterror]

see my friend in jersey does swaps... charge me 6K with all needed hardware and motor n trans to get it working properly with 450hp to the wheels... if i want it bridge or p-ported 8K and thas new seals and all... u want cost effective u dont juss go to the first possible option... or u could call racing beat and get the templets themselves for porting... not hard at all... people make it seem harder than it really easy... and me yes.. LOYAL to the Rotary all day.. which is why im doing a 20B conversion to my toyota corrola..

[brent_strong]

Fair enough. Should be a cool Corolla. I have no friends in Jersey that could do the swap for cheap for me. The costs I outlined are what I'd have to spend to get it done.

So, for me, $12-15k will get me an FD, LS1 and everything needed to do the swap and make ~350whp as it is or 400whp if I moved to the top end of the money spectrum.

Or

$10-12k will get me JUST a 20b swap making similar power and no car...

That's just how I see things. I have friends who have done the 20b swap and would have helped me out if I went with a 20b, but we've all agreed that for me it doesn't make sense.

[Lewis]

Sometimes you have to go where the money takes you. Or sit at home and wonder why your money hasn't come to get you yet

[FCROTARY]

Geebus! Awesome cars guys!

[awdterror]

hey man i respect what you are doing to your car tho.. because its YOUR car not mine.. good luck on that project.. ive also seen an ls6 go into an rx7... fast times.. expensive as hell tho

[brent_strong]

And as a quick update, here is a photo of the mounting bushings I made for the radiator.



...and my SWEET new sticker (only keeping it until I get sick of it)

[Mindcore]

Ya, ok, even I have to draw the line on that sticker.. you're going to get a beating if you don't keep your eyes open!

[rick2]

Originally Posted by Mindcore

Ya, ok, even I have to draw the line on that sticker.. you're going to get a beating if you don't keep your eyes open!

agreed... I just threw up in my mouth a little. Here I was thinking you put pistons in a 7 because you picked up a car with a blown motor, and believed the lies that rotaries are hard to work on... but the sticker just proves you hate the car

(I'm joking... well... mostly... )

awd:

putting a 20b in a toyota?!?!?

the baby jesus has officially run out of tears! but, at least the ae86 is RWD... tho when I think corolla, i keep thinking of my grandmother's car... and I really think a 20b would be a lot more happy in another mazda... like my MX-5 perhaps someday

[brent_strong]

You don't like my sticker?


I saw it at Autozone...I HAD to do it!

[awdterror]

watch that video and tell the baby to grab a bottle n shuddup!

[awdterror]

that lil hatchi-roku took FLIGHT!

[Lennox]

a 20b in a miata would be a riot!

I like what we got going on here, one guy putting pistion engines into rotary cars, another guy putting rotarty engines in pistion cars.

...and I get to watch and laugh reading about it