Papercup's V8 RX7
Discussion
pugwash4x4 said:
papercup said:
Motor shipped yesterday, or perhaps today. Its crated and ready for pickup by UPS. Last one took three days (!) to arrive from the breakers in Pennsylvania, F Parts. Their excellent eBay shop, which has easy sections including one just for LS engines, is here.
The LS2 engine, T56 gearbox and all incidentals (ECU, power steering pump, AC pump, pedals, etc etc) was $6250. Shipping was $1150 meaning complete drivetrain to my door was $7400.
Could i add that Cleveland Pick-a-part is also reliable and good value. have used both cleveland and fparts for engines with no problems- the crate that cleveland made for me was a bit of a beast.The LS2 engine, T56 gearbox and all incidentals (ECU, power steering pump, AC pump, pedals, etc etc) was $6250. Shipping was $1150 meaning complete drivetrain to my door was $7400.
Edited by papercup on Wednesday 31st March 18:19
Edited by papercup on Saturday 3rd April 19:24
Got the credit card bill today, so I know that the sump kit cost me £325 and the cam, pushrods and valve springs cost me £545. Another £40 on each of those in import duties and such.
Paid the duty, VAT and shipping extras on the engine the day before it was delivered; that was £750-odd.
Costs so far, including delivery and duty and such:
engine and box etc - £5700
sump kit - £365
cam kit - £585
= £6650
Oh, and the clutch and ECU sold from the Mazda, which means I've had £3300 back from that so far, with more to come.
Money spent so far: £3350.
Paid the duty, VAT and shipping extras on the engine the day before it was delivered; that was £750-odd.
Costs so far, including delivery and duty and such:
engine and box etc - £5700
sump kit - £365
cam kit - £585
= £6650
Oh, and the clutch and ECU sold from the Mazda, which means I've had £3300 back from that so far, with more to come.
Money spent so far: £3350.
Idiot Gimp Boy said:
I've long considered an LS2 RX-7 my ideal sports car.
Kudos to you for making it a reality. Very interested in this build process. Any chance of it making the Destination Nurburgring track day on 23rd August? Would be good to see it running.
I'd like to.....want to get there with it for sure. Kudos to you for making it a reality. Very interested in this build process. Any chance of it making the Destination Nurburgring track day on 23rd August? Would be good to see it running.
Flying Toilet said:
Wow. Very cool.
On a side note, Craig (guy that will be fitting this motor) is in the process of bolting two GT35s to the front of his LS.....
On the 22nd of May the Rex will be delivered to Dyno Torque to start having the work done. Nice to finally have a date to start. Craig has finished the Rex before mine, and has started the Supra that was next in line. In the meantime I am getting a few bits and bobs done to the rolling chassis, and mostly just getting bored and spending money!
I have decided to leave the engine stock apart from the cam kit. I was looking at 4" stroker kits, and heads, and intakes......but I haven't even driven the thing yet. So we'll see how it is this year and next year in February we make may the next step of forged bottom end and the jump to 6.9 litres. Do that all properly with hi-flowing heads and intakes and who knows, the year after one of those pro-chargers may turn up.
I've had it four years already and still no plans to sell, so I'll take my time. No point going mad now, as I won't be able to say 'its this much better' as i won't have had a starting point to contrast it with.
Also, with 255 rear tyres and no plans to mod the arches I am sure there is a point when it will become undriveable, and track times would start getting worse. Finding that point will be a giggle though eh?
I have decided to leave the engine stock apart from the cam kit. I was looking at 4" stroker kits, and heads, and intakes......but I haven't even driven the thing yet. So we'll see how it is this year and next year in February we make may the next step of forged bottom end and the jump to 6.9 litres. Do that all properly with hi-flowing heads and intakes and who knows, the year after one of those pro-chargers may turn up.
I've had it four years already and still no plans to sell, so I'll take my time. No point going mad now, as I won't be able to say 'its this much better' as i won't have had a starting point to contrast it with.
Also, with 255 rear tyres and no plans to mod the arches I am sure there is a point when it will become undriveable, and track times would start getting worse. Finding that point will be a giggle though eh?
Edited by papercup on Friday 7th May 17:45
slickchange said:
That is going to be an awesome car. Great job. About 400bhp/ton will be like the hyperdrive in the Millenium Falcon , everything will just turn into a blur!
Apparently the Supra is pretty much done and mine goes on the ramps tomorrow.
I've also sent Craig some bits and bobs so he can convert the car from 4-point harness to 6-point, which is one of the things I need to do to continue sprinting, as the car now moves from Modified Production to Sports Libre. I already have the upgraded licence, fortunately (needs to be a National A Open).
ManOpener said:
Flying Toilet said:
300bhp/ton said:
Nitrous is cheaper and easier to fit in a vehicle though. Only reason why I said about it.
D1 is a good blower, but you'll want an intercooler on it or else boost will be very limited that the £4k it costs for the kit would not be worth it IMO.
This is true but I don't think Papercup is looking for cheap fixes by the looks of things.D1 is a good blower, but you'll want an intercooler on it or else boost will be very limited that the £4k it costs for the kit would not be worth it IMO.
Blower all day long for me, some run them without intercooler with success. If you really want to do it properly pop an ice tank in the boot...
Anyway, forced induction is way off in the mists of time, I have plans to run it 'as is' until at least the end of the year, then I'll go CNC heads, custom intake and 4" stroker kit before i go FI. I've done 'big turbo' but I've never done 'big cubes'.
Its amusing that I now think of my daily driver 4.4 BMW as a 'little' V8
I've had an email from a guy interested in doing the same conversion with lots of questions. The only simple one is letting the DVLS know about changes; just fill in new cubic capacity and engine number on your V5 and send it off. All the other questions could be answered by Craig @ Dyno Torque so Rick; give him a call.
I'm not doing the conversion myself, I am paying Craig to do it, so its him you need to talk to really.
I'm not doing the conversion myself, I am paying Craig to do it, so its him you need to talk to really.
crisisjez said:
Nice one
Good choice of car and mod, even better choice of modder.
Craig made some headers for my project (TT427 Monaro) and did an amazing job.
One day I'll get me an RXls7
I was there today, looking over the array of LSx stuff he seems to have visiting on a daily basis. Today there was:Good choice of car and mod, even better choice of modder.
Craig made some headers for my project (TT427 Monaro) and did an amazing job.
One day I'll get me an RXls7
Z3
Z3MC
Cerbera
Maloo
Supra
all with that venerable ally V8 in.
Oh, and three RX-7s waiting for one!
I may also have left with a certain two-wheeled toy...
zorg said:
Papercup great read and project so far, is your mechanic using a conversion kit such as the Hinson one or making the bits themselves. Also where did you source your LS2 and box from. S6 RX7's are still not cheap here approx $20K AUD for an average 94 one.
Craig does all the work himself and doesn't use a kit. The kits bolt the V8 to the subframe whereas Craig mounts them to the main chassis rails. Edited by zorg on Thursday 10th June 07:35
LS2 sourced from breakers in the US, all covered in this thread.
zorg said:
Thks for the quick reply papercup. I had missed that bit re the wrecker in the States and the link. We can get the LS2 engine at similiar prices here for a crate one, then need to add cost of box. I'm hoping to find a Holden / HSV dealer with one sitting in spare parts given teh LS2 / LS3 engine is very common down under, or a wrecked vehicle to use all the bits from including aircon etc. Good point re Hinson as well. I've changed my mind slightly and tempted to go with an RX8 - they are almost as cheap as a series 6 RX7 here and would be something different. Will follow this thread with interest and can't wait to see the results.
I have asked Re:Worx (rotary specialist, 7s and 8s) and Craig about an RX8. No-one seems to have done one. Re:Worx seemed to think it would be very hard, much harder than the 7. The engine is further back and the steering column is much different and would be right in the way.I had some idyllic thought about the level of equipment in the 8, the inside of which is a great place to be. 4 seats. More modern everything. But with the added complication and time it would take i have stuck with the 7. Its a prettier car. Craig said he'd try an 8, but didn't give me a time frame! The ECU interface with the car was something Craig mentioned as being a problem; much newer stuff in the 8.
I'd love to see an 8 though, and am not sure why no-one has done it.
Work truly started in earnest this week on my car. I had two phone calls from Craig yesterday, asking a few questions and giving a few choices. The sump kit was fitted to the motor, as was the hot cam, uprated pushrods and bad-boy valve springs. The clutch slave cylinder was rebuilt and cleaned up (bear in mind we are using the standard GM clutch, which should be fine until the engine gets tweaked further at a later date). Braided lines were ordered for the clutch
Ordered some more bits today. Unlike most of the Rex V8s Craig does, where he removes the oil coolers (the RX-7 has two, at least the Type R version does), we have decided to leave one on. I intend to use the car on track, and was always able to stay out on track for as long as i wanted when it was a rotary. The front of the Rex has acres of space; the big hole in the middle will be the radiator and the side pods had one oil cooler in each. With the air filter in one of them, it leaves the other empty....makes sense to leave an oil cooler on. With a thermostat on, its a no-brainer.
Only problem is that you then need a sandwich plate with the take-off for the oil cooler pipes, and due to the oil filter location (bottom of the engine, facing down) the sandwich plate will drop the oil filter down so it is the lowest point. Bad idea; one speed bump mishap and its bye-bye motor.
So we have this (from here) on the way:
Which should sort things out nicely. It was about £80 delivered.
Also, the standard RX-7 gauges for oil pressure and water temp are woeful, usually flagging up that you have a problem after the damage has occurred. So I've ordered these from Demon Tweeks:
Craig is going to fit those into the dashboard in place of the originals, so they should look great. I was initially tempted to go all the way and replace every gauge with a fancy modern Stack one....until i saw the price....jesus! Nice kit, but pricey! £230 delivered, for those two.
Also had contact from the auto electrician, saying he was just doing the wiring, and that mine was the straightest Rex he'd worked on. Which, as this is the 14th thats been done, was nice to hear
Only problem is that you then need a sandwich plate with the take-off for the oil cooler pipes, and due to the oil filter location (bottom of the engine, facing down) the sandwich plate will drop the oil filter down so it is the lowest point. Bad idea; one speed bump mishap and its bye-bye motor.
So we have this (from here) on the way:
Which should sort things out nicely. It was about £80 delivered.
Also, the standard RX-7 gauges for oil pressure and water temp are woeful, usually flagging up that you have a problem after the damage has occurred. So I've ordered these from Demon Tweeks:
Craig is going to fit those into the dashboard in place of the originals, so they should look great. I was initially tempted to go all the way and replace every gauge with a fancy modern Stack one....until i saw the price....jesus! Nice kit, but pricey! £230 delivered, for those two.
Also had contact from the auto electrician, saying he was just doing the wiring, and that mine was the straightest Rex he'd worked on. Which, as this is the 14th thats been done, was nice to hear
Edited by papercup on Tuesday 15th June 16:27
OK, 21st of June. When initially seeing my car, Craig was dismayed by the complete lack of a front panel. There is literally nothing across the front at all apart from the piddling little metal strip that holds the bonnet clip and one of the fuseboxes.
When i got my car (see other thread, linked off the first post of this thread, about my 4-years-with-a-rotary ownership) the car had a vertically-mounted intercooler, out in front of the front panel. In fact, it was instead of the front panel! Then i went V-Mount and that left almost nothing there at all. With the V8 being mounted off the chassis rails, something more substantial is needed. So Craig has been planning and now we have this, made from diamond-cut ally.
I've asked for this to be colour-matched to the rest of the surrounding stuff......BLACK!
When i got my car (see other thread, linked off the first post of this thread, about my 4-years-with-a-rotary ownership) the car had a vertically-mounted intercooler, out in front of the front panel. In fact, it was instead of the front panel! Then i went V-Mount and that left almost nothing there at all. With the V8 being mounted off the chassis rails, something more substantial is needed. So Craig has been planning and now we have this, made from diamond-cut ally.
I've asked for this to be colour-matched to the rest of the surrounding stuff......BLACK!
Edited by papercup on Thursday 8th July 12:30
Edited by papercup on Thursday 8th July 12:34
25th of June. Rear subframe is chopped up, put back together, and off for powder-coating.
I've asked Craig to basically remove anything else he can and poweder-coat it while he is under there, for that underbody new-car shine
The auto-diff i sourced from another Rex forum member (higher top speed, spaces the gears out a bit, V8s luv 'em
) is fitted.
Chassis mounts are done; welded to chassis legs and all painted up.
Front subframe is next!
I've asked Craig to basically remove anything else he can and poweder-coat it while he is under there, for that underbody new-car shine
The auto-diff i sourced from another Rex forum member (higher top speed, spaces the gears out a bit, V8s luv 'em
) is fitted. Chassis mounts are done; welded to chassis legs and all painted up.
Front subframe is next!
This week (now!) - engine and box are fitted. No pictures yet. I may go visit it this weekend just to get some. Getting excited now!
Craig is waiting to get the propshaft back (we use the Rex one, but married up to the gearbox-end from the Chevy, and then balanced) then the exhaust is next. Exhaust uses middle and rear box from Rex, but the joins are moved about to miss the new rear subframes, married to Craig's own manifolds. I want it 'quiet-but-fruity'; i want to go to the race tracks i couldn't when it was a rotary. Its got what i think is the biggest aftermarket mid-box available (FEED, foot-and-a-half-long) and a nice subtel twin-exit Racing Beat rear box. I am hoping that it will be fine with those two.
Sorry about updates all coming in a rush. While I've been getting the text updates on my phone, all of the pictures above came in a big job-lot last week. So i wanted to wait for those really, as they tell a better story.
Craig is waiting to get the propshaft back (we use the Rex one, but married up to the gearbox-end from the Chevy, and then balanced) then the exhaust is next. Exhaust uses middle and rear box from Rex, but the joins are moved about to miss the new rear subframes, married to Craig's own manifolds. I want it 'quiet-but-fruity'; i want to go to the race tracks i couldn't when it was a rotary. Its got what i think is the biggest aftermarket mid-box available (FEED, foot-and-a-half-long) and a nice subtel twin-exit Racing Beat rear box. I am hoping that it will be fine with those two.
Sorry about updates all coming in a rush. While I've been getting the text updates on my phone, all of the pictures above came in a big job-lot last week. So i wanted to wait for those really, as they tell a better story.
Edited by papercup on Thursday 8th July 13:37
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