LS1 FD swap?

brent_strong · 06-09-2007, 12:26 AM

So, what do you guys think about these swaps?

I'm nearly finished with one and just drove it for the first time today. Seems like it's going to be a blast.

RageRX7 · 06-09-2007, 11:54 AM

I'm of two minds about it.. I love rotary engines, but I'm well aware of their downsides. I kinda hate to say it but I think the swaps make the car a better vehicle over all. Easier to maintin, more relaiable, similar weight distribution, and similar power..

If I blew my engine, I'd think about it.

Tell us more about your impressions of it.. how differant a feel is from the rotary?

HotCarl · 06-09-2007, 12:16 PM

I think it's cool, some say the rotary is the soul of the car, I think what ever works best.. it's a car after all..

So how does it drive? and how hard was it to do the swap?

Did you take any pics of while you were working on it? I've love to see em!

Jimbo · 06-09-2007, 01:01 PM

Post some pics man!!

Don't leave us hangin! I love the engine swaps. I'd love to do one myself

DaBomb · 06-09-2007, 01:22 PM

Where did you get the engine from?

SteveO · 06-09-2007, 07:03 PM

Sweet dude, I love the swaps. You do the work yourself, of have a shop do it?

brent_strong · 06-09-2007, 10:52 PM

Well, I've only driven it across town as of now. It's just being completed...

Swap hasn't been terrible, but wasn't easy. I bought a partially complete project, so that added some difficulty.

I have tons of pictures on my gallery.

http://www.brentstrong.com/gallery/v/LS1FD/

The engine came with the car, it's from a '99 Camaro.

I've done all the work myself with help from friends.

Here are a few photos.

The only rotor this engine bay will ever see now...

...and the license plate that is on order.

Here are a couple shitty videos.

First time we attempted to start the car.
http://www.brentstrong.com/startup.avi

First drive.
http://www.brentstrong.com/sideways.avi

(Right click-save as - streaming doesn't work well)

Ryann · 06-09-2007, 11:03 PM

Wow !

Lennox · 06-09-2007, 11:37 PM

Holy! that's nuts man.. how many days you got into that? and did you wind up with any "extra" parts

Amazing job.

brent_strong · 06-10-2007, 12:12 AM

Do I have to measure it in days? How 'bout we try months...

So, you're in Erie, Lennox? I'm from Jamestown area...but am in Rochester for school.

Mindcore · 06-10-2007, 08:11 AM

Thanks for sharing Brent, that is awesome! I bet you had months into it.. that swap is no joke!

Must be nice to have back in one peice again

Have you dyno'd it yet?

blahblah · 06-10-2007, 09:30 AM

Holy Crap.. that is soooo awesome man..

I can only imagine how much work went into that. just wicked!!

Lennox · 06-10-2007, 09:53 AM

Yep, stuck in Erie, Jamestown is nice, I have a buddy there, I wouldn't mind moving out that way soon.

Sorry to hear about Rochester

brent_strong · 06-10-2007, 10:42 AM

It's very very nice to see it going back together. You can't even begin to understand how many parts and how much space all of this stuff took up...

So, yeah, getting most of the stuff back into the car is great. I can't wait to get it running and reliable so I can sell off all of the extra stuff that I'm keeping around "just in case" I need it.

A dyno will come soon. Right now I'm fighting with the cooling system, since it doesn't have a well-designed way to bleed it. I'm mostly just letting it gravity bleed.

I expect the car to make 330-350whp with what's done, after a quick retune to clean up the fuel trim. In all honesty, it should be much closer to the 350 mark, but I don't want to overstate and underdeliver on power numbers

.
As long as nothing goes wrong with the car or engine, a cam is coming soon. That should take it right to the 400whp threshold. If I get bored with that...heads should get me to ~450 and I can always spray 100-150hp safely. I can't imagine 500+whp in the car though, just rolling into the throttle a bit during that video was enough to get the adrenaline going!

As for Rochester, I've really enjoyed it out here so far. I like it way more than Jamestown, but that may just be because of college vs high school. I should be out that way within the next month or two, maybe we could meet up.

Jimbo · 06-10-2007, 10:48 AM

Just sick man!

Seeing those pics makes me wonder if I want to do that.. I'm thinking no

but anywhere in the 4-500 hp range, relaiable, and parts a plenty can't be bad.

hehe I can't stop staring at it

brent_strong · 06-10-2007, 10:51 AM

I'd be glad to share tidbits of wisdom if you do! Toronto isn't too far either, if you need a hand with it. I think if I had bought all of the parts myself, this would have gone MUCH smoother. But, it would have nearly doubled the cost.

KevinRX7 · 06-10-2007, 12:10 PM

Geezus! damn that is sweet. I've heard of a few people that have done this, but never seen anyone do it themselves

Is there a lot of modification involved in fitting the new engine in, or is it just a matter of making the connections?

What about the tranny?

That is seriously hot though man, congrats!!

brent_strong · 06-10-2007, 01:41 PM

Mods are pretty minor to get the engine in. Using the kit I did, I had to hammer the firewall a bit for clearance (can't be seen now) and cut the shifter opening to be longer.

The rest just mostly bolts together. You'll run into a million minor things, but it's not like you're irreversibly modifying the car every step of the way. If you wanted to, you could easily leave the car in a state to accept another 13b-REW in the future. Mine would convert back relatively easily. The wiring is the biggest modification to reverse.

Joopy · 06-10-2007, 03:09 PM

Insane! great job man

Jimbo · 06-10-2007, 03:44 PM

Thanks Brent...if I get the guts I might take you up on that!

06-09-2007, 12:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
brent_strong Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 157	LS1 FD swap? So, what do you guys think about these swaps? I'm nearly finished with one and just drove it for the first time today. Seems like it's going to be a blast.

06-09-2007, 07:03 PM	#6 (permalink)
SteveO Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 92	Sweet dude, I love the swaps. You do the work yourself, of have a shop do it? __________________ 94 RX7..no seats

06-10-2007, 08:11 AM	#11 (permalink)
Mindcore Administrator Join Date: May 2007 Location: Look Out!!! Posts: 1,299	Thanks for sharing Brent, that is awesome! I bet you had months into it.. that swap is no joke! Must be nice to have back in one peice again Have you dyno'd it yet? __________________ core Mazda Forums .

06-10-2007, 09:30 AM	#12 (permalink)
blahblah Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Toronto, On. Posts: 144	Holy Crap.. that is soooo awesome man.. I can only imagine how much work went into that. just wicked!! __________________ Liquid Platinum MazdaSpeed 6 baby!

06-09-2007, 11:54 AM	#2 (permalink)
RageRX7 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 164	I'm of two minds about it.. I love rotary engines, but I'm well aware of their downsides. I kinda hate to say it but I think the swaps make the car a better vehicle over all. Easier to maintin, more relaiable, similar weight distribution, and similar power.. If I blew my engine, I'd think about it. Tell us more about your impressions of it.. how differant a feel is from the rotary?

06-09-2007, 12:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
HotCarl Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 195	I think it's cool, some say the rotary is the soul of the car, I think what ever works best.. it's a car after all.. So how does it drive? and how hard was it to do the swap? Did you take any pics of while you were working on it? I've love to see em!

06-09-2007, 01:01 PM	#4 (permalink)
Jimbo Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 161	Post some pics man!! Don't leave us hangin! I love the engine swaps. I'd love to do one myself

06-09-2007, 01:22 PM	#5 (permalink)
DaBomb Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 88	Where did you get the engine from?

06-09-2007, 10:52 PM	#7 (permalink)
brent_strong Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 157	Well, I've only driven it across town as of now. It's just being completed... Swap hasn't been terrible, but wasn't easy. I bought a partially complete project, so that added some difficulty. I have tons of pictures on my gallery. http://www.brentstrong.com/gallery/v/LS1FD/ The engine came with the car, it's from a '99 Camaro. I've done all the work myself with help from friends. Here are a few photos. The only rotor this engine bay will ever see now... ...and the license plate that is on order. Here are a couple shitty videos. First time we attempted to start the car. http://www.brentstrong.com/startup.avi First drive. http://www.brentstrong.com/sideways.avi (Right click-save as - streaming doesn't work well)

06-09-2007, 11:03 PM	#8 (permalink)
Ryann Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Detroit Rock City Posts: 23	Wow !

06-09-2007, 11:37 PM	#9 (permalink)
Lennox Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Erie, PA Posts: 41	Holy! that's nuts man.. how many days you got into that? and did you wind up with any "extra" parts Amazing job.

06-10-2007, 12:12 AM	#10 (permalink)
brent_strong Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 157	Do I have to measure it in days? How 'bout we try months... So, you're in Erie, Lennox? I'm from Jamestown area...but am in Rochester for school.

06-10-2007, 09:53 AM	#13 (permalink)
Lennox Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Erie, PA Posts: 41	Yep, stuck in Erie, Jamestown is nice, I have a buddy there, I wouldn't mind moving out that way soon. Sorry to hear about Rochester

06-10-2007, 10:42 AM	#14 (permalink)
brent_strong Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 157	It's very very nice to see it going back together. You can't even begin to understand how many parts and how much space all of this stuff took up... So, yeah, getting most of the stuff back into the car is great. I can't wait to get it running and reliable so I can sell off all of the extra stuff that I'm keeping around "just in case" I need it. A dyno will come soon. Right now I'm fighting with the cooling system, since it doesn't have a well-designed way to bleed it. I'm mostly just letting it gravity bleed. I expect the car to make 330-350whp with what's done, after a quick retune to clean up the fuel trim. In all honesty, it should be much closer to the 350 mark, but I don't want to overstate and underdeliver on power numbers . As long as nothing goes wrong with the car or engine, a cam is coming soon. That should take it right to the 400whp threshold. If I get bored with that...heads should get me to ~450 and I can always spray 100-150hp safely. I can't imagine 500+whp in the car though, just rolling into the throttle a bit during that video was enough to get the adrenaline going! As for Rochester, I've really enjoyed it out here so far. I like it way more than Jamestown, but that may just be because of college vs high school. I should be out that way within the next month or two, maybe we could meet up.

06-10-2007, 10:48 AM	#15 (permalink)
Jimbo Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 161	Just sick man! Seeing those pics makes me wonder if I want to do that.. I'm thinking no but anywhere in the 4-500 hp range, relaiable, and parts a plenty can't be bad. hehe I can't stop staring at it

06-10-2007, 10:51 AM	#16 (permalink)
brent_strong Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 157	I'd be glad to share tidbits of wisdom if you do! Toronto isn't too far either, if you need a hand with it. I think if I had bought all of the parts myself, this would have gone MUCH smoother. But, it would have nearly doubled the cost.

06-10-2007, 12:10 PM	#17 (permalink)
KevinRX7 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bay Area Posts: 132	Geezus! damn that is sweet. I've heard of a few people that have done this, but never seen anyone do it themselves Is there a lot of modification involved in fitting the new engine in, or is it just a matter of making the connections? What about the tranny? That is seriously hot though man, congrats!!

06-10-2007, 01:41 PM	#18 (permalink)
brent_strong Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 157	Mods are pretty minor to get the engine in. Using the kit I did, I had to hammer the firewall a bit for clearance (can't be seen now) and cut the shifter opening to be longer. The rest just mostly bolts together. You'll run into a million minor things, but it's not like you're irreversibly modifying the car every step of the way. If you wanted to, you could easily leave the car in a state to accept another 13b-REW in the future. Mine would convert back relatively easily. The wiring is the biggest modification to reverse.

06-10-2007, 03:09 PM	#19 (permalink)
Joopy Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 39	Insane! great job man

06-10-2007, 03:44 PM	#20 (permalink)
Jimbo Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 161	Thanks Brent...if I get the guts I might take you up on that!