Ok, I am at a bit of a cross-roads with my car now. I have got it running perfect and virtually all the little bugs worked out. The car is about as done as it will ever be, I am VERY happy with the results.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
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BUT I frankly need more power, I have fallen in love with the rotary and with the body style. So my options for this car is to now that it is finally perfect, to rip it apart and drop in an turbo II engine or even a V8. But that just doesn’t seem right to mess up a perfectly good car.<o:p></o:p>
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So the obvious thing to do is to sell this and buy a TII right? Well yes and no. One thing I really like about this car is that it is complete and bone stock. All the little plastic pieces are there, no rattles, basically it is like new. I just don’t know that I would ever find another RX7 in this good of shape later when I do drop a V8/Turbo into an RX7.<o:p></o:p>
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My end plan is to have a 2<SUP>nd</SUP> gen RX7 with an LS1 and then a 3<SUP>rd</SUP> Gen with a 13b-rew. This way I get the best of both worlds.<o:p></o:p>
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But I have put soooooo much time and effort and $$$ into this car I just can’t bring myself to sell it without a good reason.<o:p></o:p>
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So my question to ya’ll is this, my car is in great condition, interior is like new, engine is freshly rebuilt about 10k miles ago, and I have spent at least $2000 on it this year getting it to this condition. Outside the car is also in great condition with only one minor dent that would be an easy fix then the normal little dings and scratches from a 22 year old car. Basically a coat of paint and the car would be as good as new, literally.<o:p></o:p>
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Pictures for those that don’t know:<o:p></o:p>
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Should I sell it as is, for a fairly high price (if I can’t get $3000 I highly doubt I will sell it. I really don’t want to anyways). I could use the $$$ to help me rebuild my MR2 engine and get it running. And if I could get $3500 for the car then I would pretty much be set for the MR2 engine (I have seen 3 RX7’s sell for around $3500 in the last few months around me).<o:p></o:p>
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Or should I drive the car as is for a little while then turbo the NA engine/Swap in a TII/V8? Knowing that the body and frame and all the little things that these cars need are done for a long time to come, save for tires.<o:p></o:p>
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I really don’t want to sell this but deep down I think it is the best thing to do, I just want to see what ya’ll think.<o:p></o:p>

 

get it painted and put exhaust on it

 

just a thought MR2s are fun little go-karts is about all IMO. I would keep it and wait til the engine went then turbo swap it. In the mean time buy parts you will be able to use on the turbo. This is my plan for my vert although im buying a header because i can get it cheap and can sell it later. I also have similar plans as far as keeping a 2nd Gen and having it turbo and an FD. The FD is coming before the Turbo swap though. Possibly as soon as this summer.


BTW where did you get all the blue vaccum lines and do they have them in red?

 

you can have a lot of fun with an na fc in auto x and track days. plus its less troublesome than a pesky turbo rotary. i can see a lot of things that you can still improve on this car. you can find the s5 rear cargo cover that goes with those s5 speaker grilles, you can put a stereo in that hole in the dash and get an idiot cluster surround. you can clean up the engine bay and do the body work. also needs an exhaust as previously mentioned.

again it is a nice car and better than most fcs on this board but i wouldnt call it a complete project just yet.

just my .02

 

ahhh mr2s are sexy, low budget exotics in my opinion..

I see your situation, even if you build this car, you will always have that doubt in your head "what if i had gotten the mr2 in the first place....".

MR2s are gorgeous cars, but the parts, esp when it comes to turbo motors in those, are expensive as ****.. typically over $3g for a jdm turbo motor clip.

My friend has a SW20 mr2 *2nd gen*, and has a 3rd gen turbo motor *3rd generation motor withen the 2nd gen mr2 in japan *confusing huh?*. Upgraded intercoolers, and that thing kills my tII swapped fc on the highway lol.. Well i think with that combo he has , its anywhere from 260-280hp i would guess, and last i heard he was purchasing a upgraded turbo for it.

 

As far as the MR2 goes it is a car that i know from the start will be just for the fun of it. I will build it, then play with it then sell it for a nice profit later.

As waiting till this engine goes, that is the problem, i doubt this engine will go for quite some time. It is a fresh rebuild and was done right. plus i take VERY good care of my cars. So it could easily be 100k miles before this engine goes. Thus it will be 50 years old be then.

Complete project? Ok, yes it has a few things left to do. But the things that are left i either will not do for some time

paint, it looks pretty nice really and i don't care about the paint job as long as it looks ok. Body work would be done at the same time as painting so ditto the painting.

or will not do becuase i don't see a reason to spend the $$

exahust, i spend $1000 for maybe 20hp? the exahust note right now is already quite nice.

About the only thing that i want to do in the short term is that idiot cluster surround. That does bug me but i have had no luck finding a replacement for a desent price.

For me this car is about as good as it will get without substantualy more cash ebing put into it (paint and exahust alone would run $2500). At this point i can just break even by selling the car, if i spend that kind of $$$$ i will lose money selling ther car later and for no real gain other then looks, which i am not real big on. I am a huge fan of sleeper cars.

As for an NA being fun at Auto-x and track days, i can see that but it also is not exactly "fast" compared to a lot of cars out there. i know just driving it around it is a fun car to drive but it is not anything close to fast, heck my truck makes it look slow (course my truck is anything but stock). If i was going to have an NA Rx7 i would much rather have an NA LS1. lol

See my delima?

 

Yeah, i love my RX7 but really compared to the MR2 i think that a V8 would be much more at home in the FC then a rotary (yes i know, blasphemy!). Now a 3rd gen was made for a rotary.

The MR2 looks more exotic, then an RX7, no one can say that ain't so. Plus how cool is it to pop the hood and show peopel a spare tire!?! then show them the engine behind the driver?

The MR2 is mainly for a toy, I would drive it for awile, learn and have fun then sell it down the road for a nice profit if i can stick to the budget (plan is to spend a total of under $5000 for the car and rebuld/build, then i can sell it for $8000 - $10,000).

Plus i need to get the MR2 running one way or the other, it's inspection runsout in a few months and i will then have the same problem with it as i have with my other RX7 right now.

 

Oh, and just so ya'll know this is NOT a desision between the MR2 and RX7.

I WILL have another RX7 in the semi near future, most likely an FC shell that i drop an LS1 into.

This is simple a choice of keeping my nice body and frame to use for said swap and pulling a perfectly good motor to do said swap. or buying another shell later and hoping that i can find one in as good of condition.

 

truth. put a set of racing beat (not the true dual setup) and call it a day.

Buy another car that is already t2 and build that up. I hate when people take a nice NA and hack it up in the quest for more power. Not to say you would do that but the overwhelming majority of NA to Turbo swaps don't end well.

 

find some nice already modded ones on craigslists, seem like good starts if you are into the looks
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/972541908.html

 

Exatly my problem. I know for a fact i will not be happy with an NA rotory for too long. And that i will want more power. The problem is why get rid of a perfectly working NA? so then i would try to turbo that, and like you say hack the car up while doing it.

Most likely blow the engine then start with either a proper TII swap or a V8 swap. Either way i end up wasting a perfectly good RX7. And i just can't bring myself to hack up this car and while doing that take away a lot of it's value and spend more $$$ on it.

 

Well for one thing, whats the point of buying a pre-modded car? Half the fun is doing the modding!

Second thing, that car and all the ones like it are out there near you on the coast. Here in Texas that car would sell for $10k.

Plus i already have the MR2, it is sitting in front of my house (you can see it in the background of the pictures above). Paid $1600 for it and it is a 93 to boot. I could rebuild the engine for $2000 and get it running but why do that when i can spend a little more and have the option of geting 300 - 400hp later?

But the biggest thing about this car is that i can make a nice profit from fixing it then selling it and i get to have fun in between!

I go through cars like some people go through underware. Except that i have really fallen in love with the RX7.

 

You will only get $3000 for a n/a if you find to the right buyer.

 

haha u and my friend think alike.

i used to love the trd widebody back in the late 90s
http://www.trdparts.jp/english/parts_aero-mr2.html



but everyone that does em makes the car look like crap with horrible wheels that are not wide and mold the kits in

 

do whatever you are feelin man, if you enjoy driving the NA and it's a reliable car then keep it and keep driving it, But if like you said you want more power then I would advise selling it, it is in a good state to sell and looks solid. It will sell and probably for the price you are asking. Then get your mr2 running and begin the search for a clean turbo.

Whatever the decision hope it works out and you can stay with some kind of rotary vehicle.

 

Yeah, i know that may be what i have to take, but as i said, i have seen a few RX7's in simular condition to mine sell for $3500 in my area in the last few months. Most of the RX7's around here (the very few there are) are junkers. The amont of good clean, stock relible RX7's is very few. So prices for cars like mine are higher then most places.

But yes, i am aware that i might have to accept $3000 but i will not go lower then that, i just could not live with myself if i took lower! lol

I like those TRD widebody kits, about the only widebody kit i would consider actualy getting.

And don't worry, the only reason i would get it is to run wider tires, i have this thing about cramming the widest tires possible in all my cars.

I enjoy the NA a lot but i am also a guy that just can't leave well enough alone and know that come summer and some extra $$ i will start trying to get more power out of it one way or another. and i just don't think it is right to hack up this car.

Don't worry i will have a rotary car in the future, i hopy it is a 3rd gen but if i find a nice clean Turbo II i could do that just as easy.

 

10k on a rebuild and you want to swap the engine!? Read up on turbos, put a decent sized T4 on it or even a hybrid. Don't worry about the trans unless you want to drag race it (hard launches), make sure you have a nice set of tires and avoid wheelhop. Then get wheels, cheap maaco paint (-$1k) and suspension. I think it'd be more rewarding to finish it off than than quitting and getting another car.

There are way too many different variables for someone else to give you useful advice in my opinion. As far as I know Texas is pretty flat, you will really want a big turbo. You can order a TII engine and then do almost the SAME amount of work you'd do to boost the stock NA when you do a full turbo upgrade.

Cliff notes: BOOST IT.

 

still wondering about the vaccum lines lol. Do you happen to know where you got them? or even just the size of the ones you got? or was it a kit? I wanna get red ones for mine being that my color scheme is black and red

 

Yeah, that is what i was thinking as well. The only reason i have not done that is because of all the horor stories i have heard about turboing an NA.

I would not really be quiting on this car either, i would just be moving on to the next thing. I would really rather start with a TII and then mod it vs turboing an NA.

This is an option i have considered. The real problem is that i don't have any $$$ right now and sure not enough for the MR2 rebuild. this is about the only way i could afford that rebuild before the inspection on it expires (and my neighbor starts erporting it daily).

If i was to go turbo, it would be turboing the NA though, if i blow it then i will just drop a V8 in there. Why spend the same amount of $$$$ putting a turbo rotary in there when you can get twice the power and a lot better relibilty?

LOL, sorry totally lost your last post.

I got these as a kit from Pepboys and ebay (i have purchased a total of 3 kits for all my cars over the last few years). Pepboys might have had red but i don't rememebr.

These lines are great since they are universal and really stand up over time. No cracking with these. Plus they look good.

 

I will probably grab some off ebay i like them for the dress up and mine could use replacing. Plus they are silicone like fake t*ts so you know they have to stand up to lots of stuff. lol

 

OMG the horror stories! Once again, starting with a stock turbo TII and changing the turbo/manifold/exhaust/intercooler/EMS/fuel system/radiator is the almost the same work as doing all that to the NA, besides the intake manifolds and oil/coolant lines. You can start collecting parts and searching for deals if you don't have the money now.

You must not trust your ability to read and do research if you think you'll blow your engine. There are people running T70s with 18psi+ putting down 400+ with 9.7:1 rotors. If you don't want to educate yourself on turbos, EMS, AI, E85, tuning, etc. then by all means buy a V8 and just drop it in and take the easy way out. The reliability is 90% up to the builder (you) and you will NOT get twice the power with an LS1.

There are definitely good and bad sides to joining a forum You sound like someone that prefers more wrenching than reading. The V8 swap might just be the best route for you. FYI I have a 6PT car and I've built a 420whp small block Chevy 350 on nitrous at my school. A big turbo rotary car will teach you FAR more and be much more rewarding than just dropping in a stupid LS1 but do as you wish.

 

Pleeeeeeeeeease no v8!!! I voted drop a t2 motor in, or sell and get a clean t2.

 

do you like FC verts? if you could get 3k for your car, and pick up a vert for like $1k * for some reason you can find em that cheap* even if the motor is blown, then you would have some cash for engine etc.. Even a TII swapped vert is sexy

 

LOL, they do look good and get the job done, plus the kit comes with a nice amount of a few differnt sizes so you have pretty much any hose you should need for whatever you need.

Well you do have one part right, i do like to wrench but i also do a lot of reading.

I have read about a lot of NA to Turbo conversions that have gone right and a lot that have gone wrong. I have also watched virtually every new guy that asks about this swap get chewed out for even thinking about it.

I love the Rotary, i think it has a lot to offer but i am a guy that is a FIRM beliver in; If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right.

So although i want a rotary i really want to get a 3rd gen and build the 13b-rew.

The FC is a great car but looking at mine over the last 6 months it is just begging for a V8. Not sure why but even before i knew how easy the swap was i always thought that a V8 is just the right engine for the FC.

Really this all comes down to $$$. Basically if i keep the car i will be stuck with it as is for a long time. All my $$$$ will be going to the MR2 until it is running (which will i will be lucky if that is a year from now if i don't sell this). So i won't be able to turbo the RX7 until after that.

Part of the reason i have suddenly decided i need more power is that i just finished supercharging my 4runner. It now makes my RX7 look slow.

I see no reason to drive the RX7 now when my truck is faster, more comfertable, more pratical and even gets better MPG.

If i am going to drive a sports car it should at least be faster them my truck i figure or why drive it?

Now the RX7 does take turns that would make my truck wet it's self but that is soemthing to be discussed later.

LOL, i doubt i could make myself pull this engien to put a V8 in it.

But i am an American Muscle kind of guy, the thought of a V8 in an RX7 body is just too sweet to say i will never do it, in fact i plan on doing it at some point. But i plan to always have a rotary in the family as well.

 

Yeah they are cheap, i awas actually looking at a local one today that has a blown engine but he only wants $750 for it.

But i have this thing about verts of any kind, i just think they are geeky. though this one was black and looked REAL nice and almost changed my mind.

Almost but not quite.