im looking into buying a 1982 body and swap in parts from my 1985 GSLSE. Im just curious if theres a chance i'll run into problems. what exactly will will not fit and what should i keep from the 1982 and what should i put on from the GSLSE?

 

i just did the swap. see my threads for reference: https://www.rx7club.com/build-threads-293/85-l6-gs-se-project-restoration-822222/

 

What's wrong with the SE? I would swap the entire drivetrain, radiator, FMOC and suspension/brakes, maybe some interior parts if the colors match and the SE interior is better. If you swap the engine and keep it FI, you'll need to swap all the fuel lines, pump and tank. I'm not sure if the S3 tank is a direct bolt in to the S2 chassis. If the tanks aren't a direct swap, that may present a problem since the SE tank has a sump cup for the FI.

In a pinch you might be able to swap the sump cup, but only if the S2 tank has a removeable fuel pickup/return unit. Search the archives for threads started under my name. There are pics in there that show the difference between the S3 FI and NA tanks. Those pics will show what I'm refering to. If the tanks aren't interchangeable, it's due to the change over form a full size to a space saver spare. Chances are rear floor pans are same, only the spare tire wells are different. If that's the case, you can probably swap the spare tire wells. You will need a spotweld drillbit, welder and and seam sealer for the swap.

Post more details, pics, on both cars. that should get you more replys/advice.

 

so far thats basically been the plan. get the body, mines completely trashed, same with the interior, its been broken into so its done, seats are trashed, but the 82 body i saw is basically perfect, so i wanted to completely swap the entire drivetrain and maybe some little outer parts onto the 82 body. and maybe things like suspention and power windows. my cousin brought up the computer problem, im almost possitive i'll need that too

 

i might have to swap the brakes out too, and im yet to still buy the other car, im kind of hesitant because the engine doesnt run on the 82 and i dont want to get stuck with a non running body i cant use

 

I was initially going to do a similar swap, putting all my SE parts from my 85 GSL-SE into a 1984 GSL. The main problems you'll run into are mostly related to the wiring harness and such (emissions control, sensors, etc). By the time I was about to start doing the swap, we (SlammedGSL and I), decided it would be much easier just to find a GSL-SE donor shell and do the swap that way.

I found a running 84 GSL-SE that had had a bunch of crap done to it (heater, fan and interior cut up and not really working, a 12a tranny used on the 13b and the corrosponding holes cut into the chassis to make it work, and I still don't know what the previous owner did to screw up the suspension and rear end so bad).
But after spending a day or so gutting the two cars, we spend a few days working on it and got it running by the end of the week.

One issue I think you'll run into is putting the 13B+transmission into the 12a body since I know the engines and transmissions don't line up the same (the guy cut a 6"x8" hole in the middle of the chassis since the 12a tranny sat farther forward.) I really don't know if this is a problem that is corrected by simply having the right engine mounts, engine, and transmission, but it was a serious PITA.

I say, if you haven't bought the donor body yet, and you're not in a rush, wait for another SE shell to pop up somewhere. That way you also end up with extra pieces in case anything happens.

 

Don't need to cut up the body for the engine swap. Swap the engine mount and subframe/cradle along with the engine.

 

scrap the 24 year old electronics (who know what wires will get damaged in the swap) and use a side draft or holley and 12a ignition.

 

Oic, I guess it was just the idiot that had the bright idea to mate a 12a tranny to the 13b engine... kids, don't do that.

 

The 13B transmission in 1984, was idential to the 12A trans except for having a vented bellhousing. the 12A transmission had a 5th gear ratio of 0.807 whereas the SE's 5th gear is 0.758. the final drive for the 12A cars was 3.909 vs. 4.076 for the SE. in 1985, the SE's 5th gear ratio changed from 0.758 to 0.711, the 12A trans stayed the same. the final drive for the 12A cars was changed in 85 as well. it changed to 3.933. the SE's final drive remained the same at 4.076.

with that being said, its ok to use a 12A trans with the SE's engine.

 

So i went to look at the car today and the dude was a total *******. The body was no better than mine other than the headlights sitting straight, the interior was worse than mine. i believe it was a GS(no sunroof). He said it had a $300 stereo and it was some pos old kenwood. I called im and said id be there in an hour, when i get there the ****** is stripping the car cuz he said he was tired of the craigslist bs and people trying to lowball him(from the look of the car they were highballing) and he said he forgot i was on the way and began to strip it. and then he refused to go lower on the price for it being stripped. idk about any of you but that sounds like a dick to me. the advice to wair for an SE to pop sounds really good so im gonna keep the money and wait.

 

oh yeah, no, the transmission totally worked, it's just because of the design of the 12a transmission and where the hole for the shifter is located that the guy needed to cut a hole in my chassis... If you look at a 12a and 13b transmission side by side, the 13B transmission's shifter is set kind of off the back of the whole housing, whereas the 12a one is right on the end. I don't know if this is true for ALL 12a transmissions, but the last 3 12a's i've pulled have all been that way...

Hey Anton, out of curiosity, how much was the guy asking?

 

he wanted $500 first but after 3 days dropped to $400, and it didnt run, the offers people were giving were 100 - 200 on it