Wtf?

 

We 1st gen owners already know that the 12A-powered FB was the finest car ever designed and produced so it always hurts a little to see one mutated.

But at least you started with a sad example and the work you're doing is pretty radical.

In fact I was a little rebellious at your age too, this looks a lot like my folks at the time:



What's under that car cover on the left? I don't suppose they might let that one go?

 

Haha the best car ever designed and produced...

1994 ZR1 with an original 36k miles in dark green on a black interior is under that cover, my dad would actually be quite down to sell it for the right price. Has the original tires on it, window sticker, and all that good stuff.

I'm not rebelling, I'm just doing my own thing.

 

FB's are meant for driving. You will understand some day. Garage Queens are for other cars, and cheap when you go to buy one.

Doing your own thing is rebelling, believe me.

What's a ZR1?

 

Cool build. What happened to the paint on the car, I've never seen paint look like that?

Corvette
http://www.zr1netregistry.com/index.htm

 

ALL cars are meant for driving (and preferable driving the wheels off of) imo.
What do you mean by I will understand someday? Driving is my only real passion to speak of.

The ZR-1 was the fastest car in the world (for a short bit) 405 horsepower DOHC C4 vette with 315 rear tires and driver controlled suspension. I drove it with my dad down from Oakland, it's quite a mover, and it handles decently too. Revs to 7500, not bad for a small block chevy from the 90s...

I'm of the belief that one side of the car was covered and protected decently and that the other side was out in the sun or against some brush or something, because the whole car shares a theme of being much nicer on the right side than on the left. Front wheel bearing was better, caliper retracted nicer (i suspect the left one will stick) and the paint is obviously better, and the interior was slightly nicer on that side of the car. The facts are not known to me though, the whole car is a mystery that I'm slowly unraveling, and the more i unravel the more i like, as i cannot find any evidence of hard driving, collision damage, or fatigue.

 

Crap. LT5 then? That thing is worth some major bucks. And did you love driving it or what?? OHC V8's are amazing. Especially the DOHC derivatives.

I love rotary's as much as the law will allow, but I have a passion for all cars, the FB just being one I grew up with.

What you do with your car is your business, man!

It wont be the happy and spirited 12A powered wonder, but it will be more your creation when your finished. A personal spin on a truly amazing car. The way I see it, your breathing life back into a car that was sure to rot into the earth or be recycled into a prius or something.

Ill keep up with your build, man. Hopefully the mods dont remove your thread before you finish.

 

I'll bet that LA sun has something to do with your paint job, as well as the gutted interior, which either was eaten by the sun itself or cannibalized to replace faded and worn interior parts in another southern California FB.

By driving I mean really driving, daily driving, lots of miles, not a toy or a hobby or a museum piece. A well maintained stock GSL is simply the most road worthy, reliable and fun car on the road, even today, 25 years after they were produced.

My 85 GSL, the Silver One, takes me to work every day, 110 mile round trip, 20,000+ miles every year, in heavy Atlanta traffic. Maintenance is pretty much like what you have with a new car, oil changes and a few other things every once in awhile. Gas mileage, at 22-23 mpg, is comparable with what you get with modern "fuel efficient" cars. Insurance is minimal and since I do all my own repairs there are no time-wasting visits to the shop and expensive garage fees.

Simply put, a pleasure to own and drive for many different reasons (did I mention the rotary community?). I don't think you can get comparable performance from any V8 powered monster, not your dad's ZR1 nor your project, as pretty as it might when it's done.

And of course you can't get that distinct rotary sensation with any piston powered car. You should give it a try, it grows on you to the point of becoming addictive - that's what I mean by "someday".

But I don't think these are your objectives right now, so on with the build!

 

Very true. My rotary just brought me genuine joy when it pulled through the gears, or when it soldiered on and took me anywhere I pointed the nose of the FB.

In a way, the rotary is like your dads LT5.... A good idea, engineered to work differently than the common pushrod engine, make good power, and be more efficient. They had many smart people and gifted engineers put it together, called it "the wave of the future"
and sold it in special vehicles (errm, vehicle). It was shunned for its cost and complexity, but more than anything else because it was just different.

The key difference is that mazda just hasnt given up on the rotary yet, or nasa for that matter (freedom engine).

 

Not to bust your ***** further,but here you go

 

from the amount of thought put into his i'm pretty sure he isn't going for a ***** enhancing highway roll racer.

i'm going to be glad to see a decent write up on the t5 installation, as of now my clutch pedal is just hanging out near the floor, but some day...

 

I agree. Not everyone who builds these cars are aiming to race them. I won't be racing mine either. It is more of; "Hey I did it." thing

 

If I ever did a v8 rex i would use it as a dd. Mine would have to have the R&P, Good suspension and touring tires.

Anyone else wonder what swapped v8 would give us the maximum fuel mileage?

Im wondering about a turbo 262 sbc. Awesom fuel economy off boost in overdrive, and the typical ridiculous power a turbo V8 delivers.

 

one more time..

 

It's a pretty cool car to drive, no steering feel really and it's a bit creaky, but makes a great noise and you sit what feels like 4 inches off the ground, fun stuff.

Thank you for supporting car passion and not just bashing what you don't agree with I do like to think I'm saving a chassis for further use that would have been ground up like you said. They're probably going to take me down if this madness continues...

I have tried it, my first car was an FD and I had an RX8 for a while, and I know what you mean about the rotary feel, it's a very unique sort of power. I'm not sure what performance you mean, but I have my reasons for wanting to use this engine.

Just as a technicality, it was the Fresno sun XD

This video is so irrelevant it hurts. Just as a though, what do you think each of those engines costs to maintain and to build? I would feel like a broken record going over this again, absolute pointlessness.

This is why we can't have nice things. Calm down people, I'm trying to make a thread about building a car not an automotive conjecture build. This is real, and it's going to be fast. Talk is cheap, car parts are not

That said it's been fairly civil, I thank those who come to comment with an open mind, it's why I put this up in the first place

 

In no way am I compensating with my big engine

It'll be your your lucky day with the install, once finals are over the build can resume...

 

The scope and ambition of your project outweighs the V8. On with the project, more pics and vids!

You are going to paint it the original Tornado Gray color, right?

 

Thanks, I just made 4 videos comprehensively updating the entire thread, so it's post time.

I don't think I will paint it K8 Tornado Gray though... I might not paint at all...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB14Asa0C_8

 

****! it is a ZR1!!, you could have just looked at the active hydraulic rear suspension that was lifted directly from GTP corvette racers.....

Cool... You should turbo the 5.0 and add an E303 cam..... It would be a lil lumpy, and be a screamer up top.

Have you decided on an exhaust yet?? I was looking at SW's stuff last night, and it looks like you should be able to make that thing reasonably quiet for normal driving. Plus, your abundance of power means it wont matter if you lose a good bit quieting it down.

Do paint it though... I like Sparkling Black Mica (orig. FB color)

You should also try and find a tubular gt-40 intake for that sucker, its my favorite SBF intake ever, especially polished. Theres a "steeda" one on ebay right now for 255 bucks.

A bargain compared to the stinking "cobra" intake thats 430 bucks new...

 

Hope this does not happen to you and wish you all the success,but those v8-7 kind projects are for sale frequently on craigslist. you could have bought one and sold your shell to some one else. Just saying

But anyways have you checked http://www.grannysspeedshop.com/ for what your doing.

FYI RX-7 in video has stock block 13b running E-85 not that "expensive",check it out.

 

I wonder what kind of mileage hes getting with e the E-85... My 4.6 in my old merc got about 21 MPG with it (only an average 3 mpg drop)

 

I don't know what mileage he has now,but for him having 600hp on e-85 on a stock 13b i seriously doubt mpg's are his concern.

 

Oh I know, but the idea of running clean E85 in a rotary is cool. Too bad there are no pumps near me lol.

 

rotary god will punish you for going to the darkside. you will have bad luck for the next 10 years so I suggest to switch back to a rotary engine before it is too late.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxMfupcjeGk

Too late. Haterz gonna hate.