Rob x-7

you can buy a dyno run 355hp and 405ft lbs of torque engine right from Gm for about $3800. No need for a LS1 unless its the weight advantage



thats without building and tunning a thing

you cannot build a 355hp rotary for $4000 unless you got the engine itself for free.

venomrx7

no. you don't understand what i am saying.



It is not cheap to get a v8 to beat ferrari's and lambos. that is expensive, no way around that.



I'm saying that if you start with a Rx7 with no engine at all and you want a RELIABLE 350hp, a v8 is the way to go. no turbo system to worry about and no computer.



and go reread my post. i said nothing about rebuilding a 350. I said put new rings in it. that is by no means a rebuild. and rings are not very expensive.



if you get a decent 350 from about 1970-78 and find one of the higher compression ones, put new rings in it, put some decent heads on it, headers, intake manifold, carb, headers, and decent exaust, you will be in the 300hp range. and it will be reliable.



To build a 300hp rotary for nothing, you need a good turbo II engine, you need a turbo, turbo manifold, injectors, rebuild kit, computer, exaust, intercooler, and some more, get that together and you have by far surpassed how much you would have spent on the v8 to get the same power.



BUT, to do a v8 swap that handles, you will have to spend a lot more money. most in the purchase of a good ls1, unless you get lucky. I had the oppertunity to buy a whole wrecked camaro with a ls1 and a 6 speed with only 40k for 4500 bucks....

venomrx7

at least someone understands what i'm saying...

mazdadrifter

i got a cosmo motor for 985 dollars. figure about 2 g's for a proper turbo setup 800 dollars for fuel improvements. and im gonna beeaat ya!

Dramon_Killer

ya right, keep tellin yourself that.

Jims5543

You still have to make it fit an FC and then you need an ECU of some sort unless of course your going high tech with a carburator.



SO 3800 for a Factory 355 FLYWHEEL hp GM engine then what do you need to make it go fast??



I am missing something here.



Give me $5000 and an FC without an engine and I'll build a sweet *** car with 350 TO THE WHEELS and that would be without trying.



****! Look at Mazdadrifter he IS DOING IT!! He will have a nice 400RWHP+ FC for less than 5 Grand.



All of the sudden engine weight doesnt matter? If your dropping a cast iron V-8 into your car you better plan on suspension upgrades to the front end too. Because you just added a ton of weight to it.



Lets forget the GM crate engine for a moment. You think a set of rings are all you're gonna need to "freshen" up a old 70's 350?? (if its from the 70's you can drop the horsepower down into the 200's now too)



The heads will probably be shot and need a rebuild at the least. The cam and crank gears and timing chain are done. Replace those. Water pump oil pump rocker arms vlave springs cam shaft gasket sets clutch tranny............the list goes on and on. I have suped up my share of pushrod V-8's to know they are a heartbreak. Start with a crate engine and give it the beating I give my rotary every time I drive it and you might get a year out of it before a bearing spins or it sucks in a valve.



Go to a race track and go ask the rotary guys why?? Why they chose a rotary car. The answer will amaze you. Its the opposite of what people force feed you off the track. Because they are DEPENDABLE, they get 2 or 3 full seasons out of a single engine whereas their competitors with their piston engines can only get one season if they are lucky. Most of the time the piston engine is getting torn down mid season due to a missed shift or some other finicky problem.





Sorry guys I am just not buying it. Its a waste to me and definatly not an advantage.

Rob x-7

easy Jim, I was responding to you saying its hard to make a old small block make 350hp

Dramon_Killer

I don't care what you guys say about FC's theyre still gonna be a 15 year old car. The 350z is brand new and is going to have much less problems and be a lot faster.



No offense, but i'd take the 350z.

mazdadrifter

you must have confused this with the other popular argument thread. You might want to cut and paste it there.

venomrx7

ummmmm.... wrong thread





Last time I checked into building a 400hp rotary, it was going to take more than 5k bucks. to go from empty engine bay, to running 400hp rotary isn't cheap without a TON of luck finding parts.



The only point that i'm trying to get across in here is that the v8 swap isn't all that bad. In the least, it keeps a fc on the road in some way shape or form. I have only driven one v8 swap fc, and I was very impressed. and no, it didn't handle like a stock fc, but it was a old school iron block 350. The car runs in the low 11's on the track, and is street legal, and daily driven.