1JZ Twin Turbo - RX-7 swap.

[Township Rebellion]

Hurray for terrible forum names! Aright, as a car nut I'm literally bursting! After spending the day shining up the van real pretty-like, my buddy came down to tow his car out of the carport and up the road 100m or so to his garage at his folks' place. I don't know if I've mentioned this thing before. He's got a black 88' convertable Mazda RX-7. He put a crazy windowless black leather electric folding top for it, then he originally dropped in a turbo rotary out of a coupe model into it. He did this all in the carport at my aunts house where I'm staying now. That was last summer when I was there workin before going on my trip.

So I come back to find it in the carport again a couple weeks ago. Engine out of it. He and his greasemonkey buddy had just finished rebuilding it, complete with +++ horsepower, when he turned around and sold the engine, because instead he wanted to put something else into it. A Twin-Turbo 1JZ something-or-other Straight-6 out of a Toyota Supra. Fully resplendent with new GO bits on it.

So he got the motor earlier this week, and now he's got the car up there beginning heart surgery.

I'll post pics if I can.

I'm going to enjoy myself here.

[Kwinnie Bogan]

Sounds good man. Enjoy your stay.

[slm33d]

For some reason I hate this car already and the person responsible for ditching the rotary

[smitty]

1jz's can make big power, i would reserve any opinion until tonwships posts up the finished product

[slm33d]

Im not stupid dude but a 1jz just ruins it. im sorry but any car that was built with a rotary( not the mazda/hq "roadrunner") should stay a rotor.

[cronic5]

Originally Posted by slm33d

Im not stupid dude but a 1jz just ruins it. im sorry but any car that was built with a rotary( not the mazda/hq "roadrunner") should stay a rotor.

RX-7's demand an LS1.

[blerrh]

Originally Posted by cronic5

RX-7's demand a 13b

Fixed. Or a R26B.

While I love supra engines I don't think I would put one in an RX-7. Props for doing something different though I suppose, looking forward to the pics.

[slm33d]

Ls1 or ls2 BUT must be twin turbo. Like as in the vl ls2 twin turbo in street machine commodores.

[Kwinnie Bogan]

The iron block Ls2 with APS twin turbo setup = mayhem on an awesome scale.

[Township Rebellion]

I think a straight 6 is a better option than a V8. They're ditching the twin-turbos for one big turbo.

I still don't have any photos. I went up with my camera in hand but they have a Volcano and it's 4/20 today... I got high instead.

I'll get some fotos together. Oddly enough, I did get a couple shots of the bag we filled via said Volcano..

Hmm. You know, I did agree with the idea of keeping a rotary-powered car rotary, but I dunno, I like straight 6s. It'll be much more powerful, without being another boring V8 that everyone else has.

[CitizenUzi]

Have to side with rotary on this one. Get something else for swaps. The RX is called the rotary experiment for a reason dammit!! Granted, I'd drive a jz or LS1 equipped RX any day. I dream of getting a 20B (God forbid the 26B) swap for the 88' RX out of a japanese cosmo.... look it up... sexy engine!

[Township Rebellion]

Hey, it's not my car! Personally I would keep the rotary. Well, he's got alot of RX driving friends, buddy who's helping him put this together is rebuilding his lovely white 1st gen RX-7, complete with stock rotary. This guy's daily driver is a black, old school Mercedes-Benz 240D. With HiDs.

It's so much fun living somewhere surrounded by car nuts and greasemonkeys. What inspiration! In the meantime, I got the call today. Probably start working this week. Huzzah.

[Township Rebellion]

Got some fotos.





Good grief I feel like a nerd. I spent most of the time either standing around quietly or asking a bunch of foolish questions - and got a whole bunch of wise answers. lol nawlij!

[blankooie]

Originally Posted by cronic5

RX-7's demand an LS1.

agreed.

[Kwinnie Bogan]

Originally Posted by Township Rebellion

I think a straight 6 is a better option than a V8. They're ditching the twin-turbos for one big turbo.

I still don't have any photos. I went up with my camera in hand but they have a Volcano and it's 4/20 today... I got high instead.

I'll get some fotos together. Oddly enough, I did get a couple shots of the bag we filled via said Volcano..

Hmm. You know, I did agree with the idea of keeping a rotary-powered car rotary, but I dunno, I like straight 6s. It'll be much more powerful, without being another boring V8 that everyone else has.

I'm a straight six (But I also loooooove V8s) man myself, but the problem here is that it's damn hard to put a straight six in where a Wankel came out.

[Township Rebellion]

Originally Posted by KwinnieBogan

I'm a straight six (But I also loooooove V8s) man myself, but the problem here is that it's damn hard to put a straight six in where a Wankel came out.

Not really. There's plenty of space; all they had to do is cut the mounting brackets for the radiator, because it's mounted it a forward leaning angle, jutting into the engine bay, then re-welded in an upright position, further forward. It's already been cut and probably re-welded by now, buds was just starting when I took those pics. You'll notice the rad standing upright - that's the beginning of that job.

The only problem is possibly the hood, which may have some of it's inner skin cut out to make room. Or, they may need a new hood, I dunno. But this has been done before, at least in 2nd gen coupes.

All I know is A) this makes me feel like a total nerd because B) I want a little rocket of my own that I retooled with my own hands and my almost complete lack of practical experience with such work in conjunction with the fact that's it's a couple guys in a garage doing this leads me back to the feeling described by 'A'. Replacing necessary parts on an old Volkswagen that can be removed by little more than a flathead screwdriver and some wrenches isn't the same as tearing apart a motor with confidence, something I would only do if I had the money, the tools, the space, and other various factors that kept me from doing these things in the past.

Yet, now all this shit I've wanted to do is actually, physically possible, in my grasp. I could live the dream. And I just started working today, so sometime in the near future I'll have some money. And there's both a small garage and a large carport with lots of tools right here, along with knowledgable guys around to laugh at me when I do something wrong.

[Kwinnie Bogan]

I've got nothing againt moving firewalls further back and tucking the engine deepr into the middle of the vehicle, it's just a hell of a lot of fucken around.

[Township Rebellion]

Originally Posted by KwinnieBogan

I've got nothing againt moving firewalls further back and tucking the engine deepr into the middle of the vehicle, it's just a hell of a lot of fucken around.

Yes, but again, there'll be none of that in this case. All they have to do is change the radiator position. I'm telling you, there's lots of space in the RX-7 engine bay for the 1JZ. Buddy told me they've procured an engine hoist today so they'll do some measurements and checking, but just from eyeballing the engine and the car you can see that the lot will fit without any major chassis modification.

[slm33d]

oh god and its the 2nd best looking 7 series. WHY GOD WHY. sorry for being a douche but i think although its gunna be fast i still find the supra engine stupid.

[slm33d]

im a post some good rotor vids cause we all love rotors


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au7F2ttEXWU
THE ULTIMATE ROTARY YOU MUST SEE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHQtXS_4jFg -30 seconds in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9675TKafw3g -the best by far

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKqzSLww0SA

ill add more . actually can we have a car video sticky?.

[sexualjesus]

Originally Posted by cronic5

RX-7's demand an LS1.

when you say LS1, you mean the GM LS engines dont you, the same engines that are used in holden commodores? (i had no idea americans used it to untill i googled it)

ive never seen one of these factory turbo'd on any car, install a new Barra engine from a ford with an aftermarket turbo and youll win, although i would have stuck with the rotary

[slm33d]

Originally Posted by sexualjesus

when you say LS1, you mean the GM LS engines dont you, the same engines that are used in holden commodores? (i had no idea americans used it to untill i googled it)

ive never seen one of these factory turbo'd on any car, install a new Barra engine from a ford with an aftermarket turbo and youll win, although i would have stuck with the rotary

yes they are a gm made engine.

[sexualjesus]

Originally Posted by CitizenUzi

Have to side with rotary on this one. Get something else for swaps. The RX is called the rotary experiment for a reason dammit!! Granted, I'd drive a jz or LS1 equipped RX any day. I dream of getting a 20B (God forbid the 26B) swap for the 88' RX out of a japanese cosmo.... look it up... sexy engine!

those 26b's are like over 700hp, and apperently imposible to source, id drive any car if it had that engine in it (imagine an old VW combi driving with 700 hp under the hood)

[slm33d]

Look in the car video thread in the last page i posted a plumbers work van with 800hp

[CitizenUzi]

*Imagines 26b in 88' rx-7 (Or any car)* **Head explodes!**


The 20b is sick enough, 300/300 in stock trim turbo'd.

[kozzington]

Question: Why the hell would you do that??

The 1JZ weighs twice as much as 13b, actually nearly three times more!
How would it handle? Makes me sick to ruin such a nice car in this way... Hell most modern V8s would weigh alot less than a 1JZ... Hell the 1UZ (+getrag) would be 200lbs lighter than the 1JZ (+R154).

Why? God why!!

PS: Which transmission are you planning on using?

[slm33d]

Originally Posted by kozzington

Question: Why the hell would you do that??

The 1JZ weighs twice as much as 13b, actually nearly three times more!
How would it handle? Makes me sick to ruin such a nice car in this way... Hell most modern V8s would weigh alot less than a 1JZ... Hell the 1UZ (+getrag) would be 200lbs lighter than the 1JZ (+R154).

Why? God why!!

PS: Which transmission are you planning on using?

Like a bag of shit. It would understeer like shit. Fuck the 6's in it the wankel wasnt put there for fun.

[blerrh]

Originally Posted by kozzington

Question: Why the hell would you do that??

The 1JZ weighs twice as much as 13b, actually nearly three times more!
How would it handle? Makes me sick to ruin such a nice car in this way... Hell most modern V8s would weigh alot less than a 1JZ... Hell the 1UZ (+getrag) would be 200lbs lighter than the 1JZ (+R154).

Why? God why!!

PS: Which transmission are you planning on using?

Twin turbo 1UZ + Supra = win. None of this mazda body

[Township Rebellion]

Originally Posted by kozzington

Question: Why the hell would you do that??

The 1JZ weighs twice as much as 13b, actually nearly three times more!
How would it handle? Makes me sick to ruin such a nice car in this way... Hell most modern V8s would weigh alot less than a 1JZ... Hell the 1UZ (+getrag) would be 200lbs lighter than the 1JZ (+R154).

Why? God why!!

PS: Which transmission are you planning on using?

I'm planning on sitting back and watching. It's not my car and not my project. I simply find it interesting. It's a friends car, he's putting it together up the road.

I do believe they're using the same 5-speed that came with the car the engine came out of.

I think the point is this is a convertable with a heavy, trick new top. This car is going to be more of a daily driver, and I guess buds simply wants moar power. He's dreaming large, figuring on one day installing a 2JZ and making anywhere between 5-800 HP. Personally I reckon he'll get it to that stage and find it's not a great DD..

Personally, I wouldn't want a 2nd gen either. They're cool and they've grown on me, but the 1st gen is much smaller and nimbler, whilst a stock 3rd gen is sexy-as, and quite fast in its own right.

In a real-world sense outside of my Urquattro fantasies, I'd rather do up an old german car, like an air-cooled bug or an old Audi with a turbo 5-cylinder, or a VW Scirocco/Corrado/GTI. In the meantime, I have my van to look forward to taking apart.

[kozzington]

Your friend is in for a sad surprise.

The mark3 weighs about a thousand lbs more than the FC, the handling dynamics would be totally off. Considering it's a convertable it'll be even worse. Far from an agline RX7 it'll drive more like some mismatched truck.

I'd have easily taken the 1uz, if I was doing this. But ah well.

I was planning on dropping a 2jz (+ V161) in my IS200, but then i drove one with it (2jz + R154), it was great in a straight line, but it is not suited to anything other than that. It was just terrible, too unbalanced.

So I'm still looking for something on that front. 1UZ maybe, but maybe even that's too heavy. Ah well. See how it does. :S