budget ls1 into rx7 ( fc )?

ok so , I enjoy the 98 camaro z28 I just got.... but... can you guide me towards maybe possible heliping me make my mind up on doing a transplant into an rx7? on a budget if possible, pros & cons , granny's speed shop vs hinson supercar kits... etc?

Watching this thread with interest just in case my boosted rotary ever goes south. Not sure the LSx is good enough to take the place of the Wankel, but I'd consider it based on cost.

I have done a V8 RX using parts from Granny's. Mine is a Carbed 350, that you can see in reader's rides.

Assuming that you have the engine, trans and wiring harness from your Z 28 and plug in the cost of what ever RX7 you can find that suits you, your conversion costs begin. From that point my costs were:

$600 for engine cradle, power steering bracket, alternator bracket, Transmission brace and drive shaft.

$200 for exhaust work add about $200 more if you cant use stock exhaust manifolds.

$75 for generic aluminum Chevy radiator from Summit clearance

$80 for electric fan.

Add$100 -200 to reprogram computer to eliminate VATS etc. (I have heard that the98 computer poses some problems, but I have no experience with that,)

Figure at least another $100 for hoses and misc. fittings and plumbing bits.

My costs aren't current but should be close, and can be reduced by additional fabrication or better shopping, but that should get you started.

yeah, i have longtubes, which i can't use (I assume), but can sell , as well as full 3'' exhaust ...and the 1Le camaro shell....

do i really need a new rad? i've seen the conversion hoses for under $100...

You might not need a radiator with the LS1. The aluminum block supposedly runs pretty cool. I ran the stock radiator through the Challenge and on the street for over a year. It was fine in everything but the hottest weather.
Your needs are sure to vary. If you have the skills, you could do the swap for $50.

Make your own mounts < $10

Customize your existing headers and exhaust. The cost of the welding wire.

Fabricate a drive shaft. Chevy front half welded to Mazda rear half. Again welding supplies.

Cherry pick the difference between the two extremes and you have your answer!

I met a guy at a cars and coffee meet that bought an LS/t56 powered FC for $8k. Check LS1tech.com, I'm sure there are a few on that site.

I am at the start of doing a LS1/T56 Swap into a 1st Gen RX-7. First of check out www.norotors.com for the answer to most of your questions.

I bought a 99 Camaro from the JY for $2500. They let me have the car for a month but first pulled the wheels, body panels etc. I took out the motor, trans wiring etc. myself. I also pulled the interior to re-sell since they were scrapping the car when I brought it back. I have sold about $300 of parts back off it and should be able to clear another $200 or so pretty easily.

There is no kit for the first gen so I am looking at doing a 2nd gen subframe then figure the engine mounting. Fabricate or modify second gen mounting stuff, make a trans brace and have a driveshaft done. You can send your wiring harness out for modficiation. It will cost about $250-$500 depending on options and will net you either half a dozen wires to hook up or a plug and play system. It appears to be money well spent.

There are exhaust options or you can run stock manifolds. Some people have been making "poor boy" long tubes by taking 5.0 mustang long tubes, cutting and putting on LS1 flanges.

I am plannning on running an Z06/LS6 cam, heads, intake and tune to net me around 375 rwhp (up from about 300rwhp) and will ad roughly $1000 to the cost and raise my redline to 7k all while keeping "stock" reliability.

The stock camaro radiator does not appear that it will work in the nose of the first gen. My car was going to need a radiator soon (leaking around the top) anyhow so I wasn't going to run it either way.

I sold off my streetported 13B and with the sale of the stuff I pulled from the camaro I will be even on the cost of the motor. I expect to be another $2000 into it when all is said and done. I do have some RX-7 stuff I have gathered that I wont be using anymore to help offset the cost.

Good luck! The second gen is a much better documented swap than the first gen.

It's too bad nobody has longitudinally mounted a Mazdaspeed 3 motor...

ahutson03 wrote: It's too bad nobody has longitudinally mounted a Mazdaspeed 3 motor...

They have. Just not in RX7s.

Huh sounds like a perfect formula to me

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:

ahutson03 wrote: It's too bad nobody has longitudinally mounted a Mazdaspeed 3 motor...

They have. Just not in RX7s.

I imagine it is far too tall.

Do your self a big favor and search for a Rx7 roller.

A local guy was selling a LS1 ready FC with mounts and drive shaft modded etc everything you need but the motor and tranny for 2,000 by me.

I have both a Mazdaspeed3 and two FCs. The Mk1. eyeball says the 2.3T DISI is rather tall and might not fit under the FC's stock hood unless you modify the subframe to mount it way low down in the engine bay. I don't know if fuel delivery will be a problem since the 13B is port FI and the 2.3T is GDI with a camshaft-driven fuel pump. I think you need to swap the MS3 gauge cluster as well. I can try to get approximate measurements if anyone is really serious about that swap.

OP, make sure you fit in an FC first, they are cramped inside, esp. sunroof equipped models. I am 5'8" and in my sunroof-equipped FC, I need to pop the sunroof open in order to fit with a helmet. I fit fine without the helmet.

The Turbo II rear end has a clutch-type LSD and can take up to about 450hp. If you start with a Turbo II or Turbo-swapped FC you don't have to swap the axle unless you are planning to make big power. If you start with a N/A model, then just go with whichever is cheaper, the Ford 8.8 or The Turbo II. Granny's makes an axle mounting/locating kit for the 8.8.

The lightest FC to start with would be a 86-88 base model, 86-87 Sport, or 88 GTU, all of which are about 2620lb. They were all hardtop, stripped out models with manual steering, no A/C, crank windows, etc. The Sport and GTU will net you the 5-lug hubs and bigger 4-pot front brakes and vented rears. You'll have to swap the hubs, master cylinder, and brakes into a base model, which came with 4-lug hubs and smaller brakes. The 89-91 (series 5) are sexier-looking but gained 200lbs over the 86-88 (series 4) models. S5 bumpers, taillights, and side moldings swap onto an S4 chassis easily.

The 86-87 sports also came with an aero kit that was functional.

Working on putting the parts together for a SBC-FC swap and hope to actually put it together one day. If you're really scraping the budget, look at the truck motors. They come in iron and aluminum and range between 4.8L-6.0L and will make every bit as much power but without the "LS" pricetag. Pick up a used LS1 or LS6 manifold for cheap and you're good to go as the truck manifolds are really tall. The FC is in my garage, but not much to it at this point.

Your going to want a 5lug car so you can run cheap mustang rims with 315 tires in the back

Iron motor really are not heavy at all!

They still have alum heads that cut the weight

5.3 motors will still make 300whp+ with boltons and make slightly less power than a 5.7. A 5.3 will also make around the 400whp mark with a cam also.

You can also over bore a 5.3 to be a 5.7 etc

Buy a truck 6.0 and set your self up to make more power. Swap the cam and intake out and you have a fire breather for less than a 5.7.

When I researched it I found it to be about the same cost starting with a truck motor or real LS1. As posted earlier I got a complete LS1/T56 with wiring, accessories, drive shaft pretty much everything electrical for $2500.

Truck motors go for anywhere from $250 - $1500. I was looking more at the Aluminum 5.3's which I could find around $800. LS1's run higher around $1000 - $2000. One thing to consider when starting with a truck motor is that you are going to need an LS1 intake, fuel rails etc. to make it fit under most hoods. For FC's and most cars you also need the accessories off an FBody since they are closer to the motor as well as the oil pan which does not hang as low. I was looking at spending another $500 + on all this stuff plus the need to still get a T56 which runs $1000-$1500.

A complete package makes it easier and in the long run shouldnt be much more expensive after getting nickle and dime'd plus the possibility of parts not matching up. Depends on your goals, timeline, patience and skill level. I think a donor car is probably the best option if you can part it out. A running driving LS1/Auto with a ugly quarter panel just sold local to me for $2500.

yeah the swap itself i already have since i dd a 98 camaro z28 ls1/t56 .... it makes 367whp already . mostly i'm looking to see if selling the shell+ wheels on it will net me almost enopugh to do the whole swap , at this point it's looking very positive.keep the input coming guys.

I would poke around www.norotors.com.

www.roninspeedworks.com has positive feed back in the community doing the the wiring mods ($250) and is now doing a full mounting kit. Apparently you can run a C4 Vette Driveshaft using this kit.

$399 Engine and Trans mount combo (w/ hardware but means sourcing your own rubber/poly parts and standoffs) $549 Full kit (all 5 line items below)

If ordering piece parts: $215 Ronin trans mount (w/ hardware) $215 Ronin/Pez engine mounts (pair w/ hardware) $125 c5 vette stand offs (Ronin's replica w/ hardware) $35 Biscuit mounts $40 Polyurethane trans mount

$20 flat rate shipping and handling

With all that you are looking at about $1000 for everything aside from a radiator setup and a shell. You should be able to get a 5 lug FC shell for under $1000 pretty easy. I would pay for a nice one rather than a worn out shell. Last one I bought was decent but only cost $300.

In reply to Sofa King:

can you contact me i work at a metal fab shop i need to know how to get the ls1 conversion dimensions if u know them because u mentioned making the conversion for the rx7 for around 50 and like i said i work at a fab shop and i am on a really tight budget fisher1013@yahoo.com need help

The thread is 2 years old man, you'd be better off sending him a msg.