Rexpelagi Posted November 18, 2009 Posted November 18, 2009 (edited) Attention (April 25, 2010): The car is now being parted out due to a spun rod bearing. The chassis will be sold with the suspension, rear end, and the swap hardware. I will start with the basics about the car. Any parts that were put on with the swap (basically everything except the car, engine, and transmission, and TII rear end) were purchased new and have ~2000 miles on them or less. Below I have a list of everything that went into the car. I feel it represents what went into the car better than pictures alone. These are all parts I added with the swap or after it. Car ($800): -1989 Mazda RX-7 GXL, 133,xxx miles on the car. Engine/Transmission ($1900) -1993 LT1, removed from a Trans Am with 120,xxx on the clock (speed density motor) *Of note, the heads are iron. Someone must have done a head swap or a motor swap at some point into the donor Trans Am. I have ported aluminum heads available (see below). -T-56, removed from the same Trans Am Swap Kit (~$500): -Grannys SBC engine cradle and transmission cross-member (w/o PS) -Grannys rubber engine mounts -Grannys steel driveshaft http://www.grannysspeedshop.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Engine Parts (~$1270 total): -PCMforless Tune (removed VATS and also tuned the car for added performance on 93 octane) -CSR Electric Waterpump -Summit Aluminum Radiator 25.7x19x2.25 -Derale 16in Electric Fan -SLP 160 Degree Thermostat -Spectre Stainless Steel Radiator Hoses -Cyberdyne Digital Speedo/Tachometer Combo Gauge (tachometer feature stopped working and is not being used, I have the factory tach wired and calibrated so that redline on the tach is redline on the engine, as in 5800 rpm on the LT1 will read as 8000 rpm on the tach) -Painless Wiring Hotshot Relay Kit (solved an issue where the starter relay would just click, never had the problem after this was installed) -Trick Flow Inlet Elbow -Summit Optispark Drivetrain Parts ($1100 total): -OEM Pressure Plate (new with swap) -OEM Clutch (new with swap) -RAM Aluminum Flywheel (new with swap) -OEM Slave Cylinder (new with swap) -Wilwood 7/8 Master Cylinder -Custom Clutch Line -WS6 Store 6in Shift Stick -SLP Leather Shift Knob -Poly Transmission Mount Exhaust Parts ($640 total): -Hedman Street Headers -Dynomax Thrush Glasspacks x2 -Dynomax Ultra-flo Mufflers x2 -Custom Exhaust Piping, (dual 2.5in with no crossover from a local shop Thrifty Muffler, the 2nd set of mufflers is removable now so it can be run (and currently is running) with just resonators). Other ($900 total) -~1999 Mustang GT/Cobra wheels, 17x8 -Kumho MX tires, 225/45/17 front, 255/40/17 rear -Power Bastards 200 Amp Alternator -New Duralast Gold Battery Parts added recently ($2400) -Ground Control Coilover Kit w/Eibach Linear Springs (525 lb/in front, 375 lb/in rear) -Koni Yellow Sport Shocks -Cross-drilled, slotted, and vented rotors, front and rear -Stainless Steel Brakelines, front and rear (Corksport) -Rebuilt front brake calipers, both sides -Hawk HP+ brake pads, front and rear -Turbo II rear end and halfshafts, (pinion snub mount added with swap) -MMR Delrin bushings, full kit front and rear (DTSS eliminator bushings are not installed but I have them) The grand total for parts and the car itself comes to over $9500. This of course does not include the countless hours spent performing the swap, nor does it include the countless trips to Autozone for miscellaneous wires, fluids, switches, etc. Main negatives about the car: -The drivers side exterior door handle and the lock both do not work from the outside. I took a look and the part on the handle that actuates the mechanism broke off from the handle I believe. I'm not sure on the lock, that is a separate issue. -The automatic seatbelt thing on the driver’s side does not work (apparently this is fairly common, a few threads over on rx7club said there was a lifetime recall on this) -One of the bolt hole areas on the bellhousing has broken off. I would have replaced it but I can't locate a new housing around here. It has never been an issue and I've driven with that ever since the swap. -The exterior is not in the greatest shape, although it is better than a lot of the other RX-7s I’ve seen. There are a few small spots that are starting to bubble, and one large dent on the passenger side. There are also misc. paint chips and small dings, which naturally come with a 20 year old car. I’d give the exterior 6/10, and the interior maybe 7.5-8/10. -The sun roof does work, it just needs a tap to help it up initially. -The wipers only work on the constant speed. This is another common RX-7 issue, there's a simple fix to repair/replace the relay. The good is that the car comes with a completed running basic V8 swap. The car is also rust free on the frame and under the car thanks to it being a KY car and because it was rust coated. There are some minor surface bubbles in a few areas on the body as mentioned above but nothing major. In summary, this car is mechanically sound and would make for a great street/track car. I don't see this being turned into a show car but I'm sure it could be done. Now for the price. Considering how much time and effort I put into this car, as well as how much money I have put in, I am not in a desperate mood to sell the car. However, if someone wants an RX-7 that is in running condition with a V8 swap completed, this could be just the thing. Also, if you are interested I have a set of ported LT1 heads and an intake that is ported to match. Additionally, I also have a basic used NX wet nitrous kit with the lines, full bottle, and solenoids (probably not of interest to the AutoX/Road Race crowd, which is the same reason why I haven't installed it). These parts have never been installed on the RX-7 but they could be worked into the deal. I will say that my asking price would be $3500, without the uninstalled parts mentioned above. I would like to accurately portray the car so I would prefer a local pickup. I am located in Canton, Ohio (zip code: 44708), which is about 1 hour south of Cleveland. If you are interested contact me on here via pm and we can discuss the car in more detail. Pictures will follow in the next post. Edit: A few items of note, there is no radio and the rear speakers have been removed (I have both although the radio and speakers didn't work well). A/C, P/S, and the heater core lines were removed, and some of the interior pieces and carpet are currently removed as well. However, the interior pieces and carpet will go with the car. Trade Info: One of the reasons I'm considering selling this car is that I don't currently have the money available to make it into a competitive car (the car can class in either XP or EM depending on weight for autocross). I would consider something smaller and lighter, preferably maybe something in one of the ST classes, as R-Comps aren't cheap. The car is a blast to drive and it gets some interesting questions/looks, but I've had it for awhile and I'm not considering something different. However, if it doesn't sell I won't mind keeping it. Edited June 23, 2010 by Guest Quote
Rexpelagi Posted November 18, 2009 Author Posted November 18, 2009 Here's the video: 1989 Mazda RX-7 LT1 V8 Swap - Car Videos on StreetFire Here are some pictures (some of these are already in the video): In the video you can see the engine bay is a bit of a mess with wires everywhere. I've cleaned that up a bit since then, and it's actually a slight bit cleaner than even these shots (wires are tucked in the back with wire loom). Dash/Switch Panel (Left controls the ignition systems and the water pump, starter button does nothing, the next one controls the electric fan, the rest do nothing) These are dark, the car is not actually orange. 12.9 @ 109, with a 1.89 60'... I broke the stock open-diff rear later that night. I've never drag raced it on the new setup. And a few autocross shots... You can clearly see "The Dent" in these. If you want anything specific I can probably grab a shot of it. Quote
Rexpelagi Posted January 21, 2010 Author Posted January 21, 2010 Bump for $5500, currently the carpet, glove box, heater core, and the blower motor are removed. However, all of it will go with the car. I still need to check out the alternator signal wire. Quote
Rexpelagi Posted April 25, 2010 Author Posted April 25, 2010 The car is now being parted out. I will sell the RX-7 as a rolling chassis. Quote
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