No Offense

[GlassPack]

Hey
First off i would like to say no offence to all the big rotary fans out there.
I have used a rotary engine for many years and for some odd reason they went out of style where i am located. Nobody where i live can do much work on them other than maybe change the oil (which I can do myself). Nobody seems to no anything about them anymore. What I have decided to do is go from rotary to piston in my RX-7 and I am looking for some honesty on an engine that would fit in the engine bay of an RX-7 with more or the same amount of power the rotary engine would put out. I have been told a Supra engine but what would be the best piston engine to fit an RX-7 with.

Thanks

P.S. I love rotarys, but it is getting to cost to much to have to drive 8 hours to get a head gasket or seal replaced.

[GundamExpo]

First off, I think its going to be really hard to get near the power to displacement ratio that the rotary engine has. I dont know too much about motors, so it would be great if an expert could tell me if im on track or not. Anyway, what about an S2000 motor?

[Barwick]

Originally Posted by GlassPack

Hey
First off i would like to say no offence to all the big rotary fans out there.
I have used a rotary engine for many years and for some odd reason they went out of style where i am located. Nobody where i live can do much work on them other than maybe change the oil (which I can do myself). Nobody seems to no anything about them anymore. What I have decided to do is go from rotary to piston in my RX-7 and I am looking for some honesty on an engine that would fit in the engine bay of an RX-7 with more or the same amount of power the rotary engine would put out. I have been told a Supra engine but what would be the best piston engine to fit an RX-7 with.

Thanks

P.S. I love rotarys, but it is getting to cost to much to have to drive 8 hours to get a head gasket or seal replaced.

Why do you need someone to do work on the "rotary"? The only time someone touches the inside of the engine is when it gets rebuilt. Every single other thing is the exact same as a piston engine.

[GundamExpo]

Just a guess...
Perhaps hes worried about the engine requiring a rebuild when nobody in his area is capable of performing the task.

[banditkiller]

he might have been thinking that.....either way ....if you are going to go with a piston engine.....best bet to do what everyone else does...unless you like being a little different....then go with the supra engine.....it wil be harder ...but with money anything can be accomplished.....ford 302 v-8's drop in with an engine cradle made by grannys...they do alot of v6 and v-8 swaps for rx-7's....if i can find the link i will post it...best bet is to search through some older threads till you find the one about swapping in the v-8...now keep in mind you will also want a new rear....if at least new axles...302's are pretty cheap.....and can make good power....look at getting an aod...or a 5spd..but your trans wont mount to the v-8 if you so chose to do so....and even if it did....it would be toast within a few days......but either way i hope this helped a little bit....also chevy motors have a tendency of being dropped into rx-7's ...grannys also makes kits for lt-1's ls-1's and so fourth...the best of luck to you

[banditkiller]

http://members.tripod.com/~grannys/ and there is that link...doubnt it will work....it was a lazy cut and paste....

[dayna240sx]

Rebuilding a rotary engine is not that difficult. If a 20 year old female can do it, I think you should be able to give it a shot.

[rotary911porsche]

Torque Central
http://www.torquecentral.com
has every answer you are looking for. Please use the search button before posting a question. They have two forums devoted to putting piston engines in any generation RX7. Any small block Ford or Chevy will fit. I believe a small block Mopar will also fit. Turbo buick V6s are another popular choice.
You definetely need an over drive tranny. 4.10 gears are hard on a V8 without over drive.
It is a very simple swap.

[MDiGiamm]

Wouldn't almost any piston engine (especially a 5 liter V-8) throw the weight distribution off horribly???

[rotary911porsche]

No. It does not "throw the weight distribution off horribly".

[banditkiller]

with aluminum heads, relocation of the batter...and a few other things it is easy to keep the perfect 50/50 weight distribution.....

[GlassPack]

Hey would a turbocharged supra engine be any good. and would stuff like axles transmission, driveshaft etc have to changed according to the engine dropped in. Also am i just plain stupid to be looking at a Supra engine. What would be the best engine to drop in I woulud like to have it turbocharged. also what would a person have to relocate to get your 50/50 weight distrubition back
Thanks

[Entreri33]

Why go to the expense and trouble of a supra engine???

Get a 3.8 series I out of a grand national or GNX you can make all the power of the supra and have the lower cost of an domestic engine.

There was that one supra7 in a magazine and they said it was a very hard install.

There are also kits to drop GM V8's into the car and the LS1 wieghs less than a straight 6 so the balance change would actually be less than the supra engine when finished.

But I doubt that the mazda rear end could handle the torque of any of those swaps so you would need to upgrade to a Vette or Supra unit and axles. Not to mention the Mazda tranny would have to go as well in favor of a LE60 auto or a T56 manual.

[GlassPack]

Ok
Everything sounds good that everybody has said about an engine swap.
But can anybody tell me the Best engine there would be to drop in to a RX-7 that would fit into the bay, and what transmission would go with the engine as well as fit into the body of the RX-7, and what would i have to install as far as axles, driveshafts, etc. what kind of axle and driveshaft would i have to install ( i mean a specific kind)

thanks

[Entreri33]

if you've got a FD then just do the 20b swap