Page 1. Introduction
Page 2. Engine Removal
Page 3. The Swap kit
Page 4. Engine/Tranny Purchase
Page 5. Engine Install
Page 6. The Paintjob
Page 7. Cooling & Exhaust
Page 8. Wiring, Clutch Hydraulics, Misc.
Page 9. Start-up, first drive
Page 10. Photoshoot
Page 11. Performance Results & Videos
Page 12. Conclusion
I was actually able to get the engine to start before I pulled it out, the engine that wouldn't start for the previous owner turned out to be a bad case of switched fuel lines! The funny part was that this was my second RX7 which I was able to get running by just swapping the fuel lines. With a good running motor, I was able to do a compression test to help sell it further down the line. After that, I wasted no time removing the stock 1.3L Twin Turbo motor... Isn't that what normal people do the second weekend owning a vehicle?
My parents own a place about 20 miles north of my place in Bellingham with a 3 stall garage in the back. More than enough room to conduct the transformation... more than enough room to loose about four 10mm sockets as well! The cherry picker was borrowed from a co-worker, and the $40 investment for the load leveler was some seriously well-spent money.
I was able to sell the good rotary and transmission from the vehicle for $1600 this helped offset the cost of the project very nicely. I was also able to sell the extra blown engine, extra transmission, dual oil coolers, and miscellaneous parts not needed when V8 powered for about $1400; combined, this totalled almost half the cost of the chassis!
One of the most important parts of a car for me is the engine bay... it's where people look first when they stop by to see the car. It absolutely must match the exterior paint of a car and should be as clean as humanly possible. This is why I began completely stripping down the engine bay, which was still the original black. When paint time comes along, I can be assured every corner of the bay will be painted to match the body :).
One of two required cuts for this ENTIRE swap... just removed an extra bracket from each framerail. Pretty impressive considering I'm going from 1.3L to 5.7L
Next Page: The Swap Kit
