eViLRotor

iTrader: (2)

The V8 FD is the best of both worlds: FD sexiness with LSx reliability.

The V8 guys can lap Mosport all day long at 400hp without breaking a sweat.. The single turbo rotax cars, not so much. Even with a boatload of cash put into oil/water/inter cooling.

Now does that mean I'm going ditch my engine and twins...heck no!

89fc3sgtu

iTrader: (3)

eople just need to build ther car the way they want and if you dont like it who give a **** its their car and their money

2Fierce

iTrader: (7)

I saw this coming. UGH!

Trots, quit trolling. lsx swaps are awesome, paul you're an awesome guy to deal with and your car is an animal.

FYI: ls vettes overheat at the track too, quite frequently. These engines aren't bulletproof, get over it. BUT, they don't mess up the balance. Trust me, all that turbo stuff weighs more than you think. The ls keeps the balance nicely.

Observation: a lot of ls swap owners sell their cars, why is that? Because the car doesn't feel right. Unless you have a cobra rear end, and at least a half cage, the chassis just isn't designed for all that low end torque. Hate to say it guys, but fd's aren't the be all/end all of sports ca and most people who swap in lsx's realise there is more work to be done than just putting a motor in. Brakes, coilovers, rigidity, rear end, etcetera. By the time it's all said and done, yah you could've bought a c5 z06 for the same price OR less depending on if you paid for labour.

ps: there are days when I wish I would've gone lsx...but nothing sounds/revs/feels like a rotary.

Mazda RX-7 EFINI TYPE

I don't really think it's the weight that messes up the "balance", just that the revving properties of the rotary make it more ideal for tracking. But like everyone else has said...to each his own...

2Fierce

iTrader: (7)

What are you taking about, revving properties.

A stock 13bt hits full boost at 3, and boost falls off at about 7, thats 4000rpm revrange.
A ported 13bt with a t4 turbo hits full boost at 4, and will fall off at 8, again, 4000rpm.
An ls1 makes all its torque under 2000rpm, and revs to 6000rpm, again, 4000rpm.

I have no idea what you are talking about in how the rotary is superior, ls engines have many wins in GT racing. People wouldn't use them if they didn't work.

Mazda RX-7 EFINI TYPE

The rotary has very little vibration & power is more linear...and has won many races, and been banned from many races...there's a reason it was banned from le mans. I didn't say ls swaps didn't work, but I'm pretty sure the rotary makes the better track motor.

#3sides

ic ant believe this thread has so many posts...all i wanted was someone to give me a rough quote on how much a swapped out fd would cost lol

#3sides

if you ahve the money to keep it going .... a pro race team can blow an engine and have a enw one the next day.. average joes can not

Sizzlenut

Excuse me? You obviously don't know what you're talking about.

Sizzlenut

I'm never selling my car and let me tell you, it feels right and I don't have half a cage or a cobra rear end and I do have stock brakes and stock rear end. How many V8RX7s have you driven that don't 'feel right'.

Most people? How many people have you met with a V8 RX7? I swapped mine in a shipping container in the dead of winter with no heat. It was my first swap and it wasn't that difficult to be quite honest with you. Had I not spent $ for a 12k mile pullout, I could have had it on the road for well under $10k. I wish I could have contacted you 4 years ago so you could find me a $10,000 ZO6- I would have bought three for sure. I realize you are talking about an FD chassis so add the $7k difference and you're still WELL below what a ZO6 goes for.

The reason why V8 RX7 owners sell their cars is because we all have a touch of ADHD. You'll also find a lot of V8 RX7 owners sell their cars and build another or buy their car back years later because they realize they never should have sold it.

Please stop talking on behalf of other people. Thanks.

2Fierce

iTrader: (7)

Look up how much a c5 z06 costs in the US. They're cheap.

FYI, most people don't swap in z06 motors, they usually get the lower model ls's.

I'm glad your car worked out for you, again, it's an fc. OP is talking about a FD, don't get your panties in a bunch, I never even said anything was wrong with a v8 swap, I simply stated it comes down to more then just a motor swap.

Sizzlenut

Yes, my panties do tend to bunch up when I hear someone stating their opinion as fact.

To answer the OP, off the first page of a search here's two:
$13,000 http://forums.nicoclub.com/fs-ls1-sw...k-t354815.html

$32,000 http://forums.corvetteforum.com/othe...3-ls1-rx7.html

Nismo Convert86

iTrader: (7)

Honestly who cares what's rockin out under the hood, sure the rotary is sweet, but we can all admit it, in N/A form it's lethargic on the best of days, and turbo'd rotaries aren't known to turn out 300k Km's like a 350, not saying the high strung 350 would make it that long, and I'm not saying a 400hp Turbo rotary won't last even 100k, but it really is a crapshoot.

And the torque of a V8 is addictive, when you can't move your back off the seat you know something is oh so right .

I am a Rotary guy, and I love pounding on the V8's, but V8's have proven themselves, the Rotary has in race cars, but people are understandably gun shy, and totally misinformed, with reliability.

The argument is like pissing in wind, you have to do it, it feels good, but you still get wet pants every time you see a RX-7.

2Fierce

iTrader: (7)

That First FD you posted for 13000$ proves my point: it has a t2 rear end!! ALso, it's a salvage title.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

$12000, not a z06 though.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

$18,500 for a z06

I don't know why you took my post personally, I'm simply presenting what I have observed. Also, FYI, I told OP my friend is selling his and my friend doesn't use the boards, I offered for him to PM me if he was serious and even gave him a price point of $20,000. No pm's in my inbox.

CompuBob

I'm in the middle of installing a LS1 in my 89FC
engine from a 99 Camaro, stock bottom end but what I have done is headwork, cam, headers, Megasquirt computer, T56 Transmission.
it's not done yet but I think I have just under $3000 in the engine and transmission alone.. so it's not that much to do it.. I have probably 1k left in random parts I need to buy.

bovi

I have one, RHD, red with nice bodykits not too much, ls6 w/ T56 gto low miles, MB battles wheels, coilovers. Asking 18500, its in QC

2Fierce

iTrader: (7)

bovi, why are you selling it??

bovi

I'm studying right now and it cost me lot. I'm not in a hurry but if i wanna be safe i have to sell it.

sctRota

iTrader: (2)

I know lol, but its really intense

bovi

I guess so!!!! its the same on every single forum.

eViLRotor

iTrader: (2)

In NA form, I'd say the rotary is a great race engine.
But, it also depends on the class you want to compete in.

We decided to stay the turbo route, and our race FD has seen 6 years of development and $100k to get the car very reliable. I'd say that had we gone V8, we'd be better off, and almost surely more reliable. We did just finish our first 1hr Endurance race in the GT Challenge, with only minor issues, so things are looking up.

The Mazdees 2-rotor PP and the Cansaf 3-rotor PP where very fast cars in the CCTCC and GT Sprints. They are all gone now.
Right now, we're the only rotary out there for every race.

85RotaryRocket

iTrader: (1)

If i were to swap out the rotary and replace it with a piston engine, it would be – Import(stubborn till death ), and it would be a 2jz. Why? Because they`re tried and true, cheaper than an ls, and you get 420 To the wheels on stock twins with a boost controller, and you can have 600+ all day every day on a nice tune on stock internals. But, a nice v8 sound with headers TB , intake an dall that good stuff is irreplaceable, and if it has to be done, FD's are the choice to go with IMO.