so i just got my first RX7, its an 1987 with 226K Kms
alot of work has been done to it and it drives great.
no MAJOR issues. Im very pleased with my buy.

Anyways ive been searching around the site for ideas.
my engine does have very high kms so im thinking of putting in a new one.
i need to do the clutch springs anyways.

so my question is should i pick up the TurboII engine and tranny and drop it in?
OR get the same stock engine i have now and build it up? port, polish, bridge...etc?
Maybe tubo that later on? lol

it is my daily for now, and it will see alot of driving.

please, i need your opinions.
Thanks

 

It's quite possible for that engine to give you many more miles (km in your case) of faithful service. These engines tend to need rebuilt anywhere from 120k to 200k miles. My first engine lasted 160k before the coolant seals went out.

In terms of swapping, it's all about how much power and reliability you want. You can achieve decent HP by porting, but streetability and MPG tends to suffer to some degree. But you also get that much desired "brap brap brap" exhaust sound. A turbo swap is the most simplistic form of adding power, with much room to expand.

In the end it's really a personal choice which path you want to follow. Research your options. Turbo swapping will probably be the easiest and cheapest way to go, requiring you only to source the parts and install. Porting will be a little more expensive, requiring machine work and outsourcing much of the work. Just search topics on the board and make a decision that way. There really is no better way to go than the way you want to go, so don't let anyone tell you one is better than the other.

 

awesome thanks for that.
yeah my buddy had his N/A and it sounded amazing went like a rocket too.

if it was to go turbo, would you recommend those imported turboII engines? or slapping a turbo kit on the stock?

 

Thats just going to lead to a boom.

 

I don't hear good things about any JDM importer. Not to say there aren't any reputable ones, just that what I've heard is never good. I'd say look in the classifieds section of the board for the engine and parts you need.

You can turbo a n/a, but it requires a pretty decent amount of custom work, and a healthy engine to start with. Aaroncake has a great writeup, located HERE. It's the way I wanted to go but decided against it. Most likely because I'm a broke sonofabitch.

 

Im currently rebuilding my 91, I doing everything myself. I have heard about the JDM imports, they sit on a shelf for a few years and they charge top dollar. I would just rebuild, but that is my opinion.

It will be hard later on to just slap a turbo on the car, if you have an N/a engine, the compression ratios to high to add forced induction. If anything, start with the ported turbo (stock) and build as you want more power. Start with a good foundation and work to get what you want.
.

 

hmm good info. i think i want to build up a mean N/A.
what are some good places for parts, info, DIY;s....?
im located in Ontario, near Toronto. and local shops?

 

well your looking at the best place for parts, info and DIY's. look into the regional subforums for parts and shops near you and check the parts forum on the main page. and also get really used to this part of the forum <a href="https://www.rx7club.com/search.php">here</a>

 

Ultimately it's your decision and your car. You will be putting your own blood, sweat, tears, opinion, and money into it. If it runs good with that many miles you could drive it until it pops or tear it down to rebuild it before a seal gives out, and have a reliable daily driver.

I would recommend doing the turbo swap for more power. It is fairly easy, and only takes about 40 hrs. of work with 1 unexperienced person.

I got my engine swap (s5 J-Spec TII) from Jhot Imports in TX. I installed it and it's got compression on 110psi on all 6 faces. It came with a bunch of extra goodies that I didn't expect.

Here is a link to them if you want to check them out.

http://www.jhotimports.com/

 

look at www.rotarydynamics.ca they are in the Miss/Brampton area.
another Great builder is a Guy by the name of Brent Clement in Innisfil,Ontario
Look at the Top of the CDN section.,there is a list of shops.
..oh,and IF you Perhaps.uh ..wanna car?..cough...https://www.rx7club.com/canadian-sale-wanted-classifieds-120/regrettably-1986-swap-project-tii-910674/.
But to answer your question,I would honestly Drive the living daylights out of the car that you have,while Putting aside a bit Of granola away for Future Mods..
Try not to Jump the gun and go Hog Wild on doing up the car to the max,as you will soon find out that you are not gonna have a car that is running and Daily driver is what you are Going to NEED in order to make a Parts Run,for THIS car.
Trust me.a simple "quest for more power" on This end,turned into a Full summer of layin on my back in the damn Garage while my Buddies were out Tracking and swimming in the Lake..
anyways ,the pics are what I ended up with..,So FAR!..(and the wallet gets thinner..and Thinner!).Good luck to ya.STYX.

 

great info again.
and yeah, its my car my decision.
ive been playing around with Honda's for a a while. decided to get a real car and ended up with a E30 BMW. Now i have the RX7 and its different, but in a good way.

ill give the local shop a go. maybe pick up an engine from an import store or on the forum.
build up the engine while driving it daily and when its all done drop it in.

sounds simple...lol
hope to learn alot here. I should get a build thread going. alot of work ahead of me.

 

oh god, every one of those, and MUCH MUCH MUCH of each

 

Yeah, a "mean" N/A will take a lot of effort. If you really want to do it, then by all means, I fully support you and it would be sweet to see. But if you are going to half *** it and not follow through then you will regret it. The reason a T2 swap is so common is because of how much easier it can be completed than building an N/A of equal power and also because of how much room there is to expand as mentioned before.

All I'm saying is make sure you commit to it if you plan to do it.

 

so the T2 engines will b easier to expand on?
will i still be able to do everything i would do in the N/A? port polish...etc?

 

Of course.

 

right on. time to start looking.