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Documenting my build thread here. Hopefully I can provide some useful insight and information for the non rotary camp and issues that swapping these cars creates.
As you can see it's stock twins which I would tell anyone is a complete waste of time. They fit with minimal modifications but clutter the bay drastically. The main issue is the heat they hold. I don't have any issues with overheating or anything but under hood temps arnt the best. I've since revamped all my cooling situation to regain AC because I live in texas... I'll post how I did/doing that in a few First time out the driveway under its own power back in 21 Engine, trans and diff carrier mounts are one off. I'll take better pictures so you can get a better understanding. The transmission mount sits on a chassis brace we made utilizing the factory brace bolt holes
The turbo xs has these kinda ricey burned blue tips but I kinda dig them even tho I'm actually not a fan of blue Had to add a section of 3" oval tubing from downpipe to the catback in order to clear the floor/trans/x brace Here you can sorta see the hoop that bolts to the subframe to support the diff. I have a spare subframe and an 8.8 I plan to swap with the Keisler setup unless someone out there has a 3.9 FD ring gear they want to sell me Because of the s2 rear bumper hanging lower on the exhaust shrouds you have to run drop hangers to avoid the bumper touching the exhaust tips. I really think they could have designed this much better because there's a massive gap above the mufflers and the trunk floor. Also ground clearance isn't great
My favorite mod has been these taillights by Valenti in Japan. They aren't cheap but if you've owned an s2 you know the OEM tails get water in them and fry. Replacement cost are basically the same as these. Also they designed them to fit either generation which was brilliant Up close. Running lights Brake lights. Turn signals are orange and sequential.
freaking beautiful bro I got a 2J block sitting on my rack right now waiting for the day to be built just waiting for the right time when the kids grow up and then my R3 may get the same treatment. I love the Rotary hell I even had another Rx8 Sport for the Swap, but this here showed me I really need to do the swap for sure! I see you in the Lone Star. If you close to FW I would love to see this.
freaking beautiful bro I got a 2J block sitting on my rack right now waiting for the day to be built just waiting for the right time when the kids grow up and then my R3 may get the same treatment. I love the Rotary hell I even had another Rx8 Sport for the Swap, but this here showed me I really need to do the swap for sure! I see you in the Lone Star. If you close to FW I would love to see this.
I've got nothing whatsoever against rotary motors and actually have an fc vert I'm restoring. My jz setup sat on a pallet in my garage since 2011. Life got in the way so trust me bro I feel you putting life before hobbies. Whenever you get things lined out and underway hit me up man I'll share what I can to get you on the road
Was gonna wait for the weekend to post this stuff all at once but here's my ac update this far
In order get more flexibility on fitment I opted use these LS adapter fittings for my compressor. LS/GM uses denso compressors so these fittings work and can be had off Amazon for like 20 bux. Got these fittings from coldhose.com. The fittings on the right are compression fittings to adapt to the Mazda lines. I could have ran them in both ends and reused the Toyota compressor fittings but they where too bulky for my liking. First issue is the stud is too close so I can put a nut on it. Gonna remove the stud and just run a regular bolt Fittings mounted uncrimped. Everything fits well.
Originally I was running an 240sx radiator setup which worked but I never really liked. The rx8 engine bay was designed for a low and angled radiator. So I decided to convert back that setup with a new 48mm Koyo which is actually thinner than the 240sx unit but whatever. Old s13 setup with a single SPAL fan. Did the job Due to the higher water necks the usual swirl pot mod was needed. I'm no serious welder but it does the job and doesn't leak Have to fab new mounts for everything since the Kotor moves everything several inches forward Fresh FAL 420's. It's a tight fit between the frame rails but managable
Glad someone does lol. I've been through hell trying get this thing together. I removed and reinstalled the front everything countless times. Remade brackets, made more brackets, clearanced this and moved that but everything fits finally. Now to button everything up and make it presentable and finish the wiring. It's definitely 20lbs of **** in a 5lb bag
Knocked some dust off this thing. Still haven't decided what where going to do with it just yet. Had hell figuring out a way to clear the ac line and bumper. Current state of emergency
How things ended up. Not much in ground clearance lol. I'd like to run an LRB under tray but I think I'd have to swiss cheese it up because of my steering rack
Redoing all the wiring. My first go at it was a lot of adding things as they became necessary. No real plan of execution which is biting me in the rear now.
Not a clue and it doesn't really matter to me. I see this brought up all the time about swapping these cars by people who've never tracked anything in their life. It's a street daily driven car that's just fun. I offset the front weight with stiffer front spring rates and honestly I can't feel any weight related understeer or anything crazy like that.
Thankfully Mazda made the rx8 a front steer subframe so that helps a lot since 95% of the motor is being the rack/pivot point for turning etc. I can tell a difference vs a 240 where the engine is about halfway over the rack and closer to being rear steer. If i can find somewhere to weight it I'll definitely post it but I expect it to be heavily front biased.
I think it also helps that Mazda engineered the rx8 to sit the 13b lower and further back than previous chassis which lowered it's center of gravity a decent but which is what helps fit the jz so much easier than day an FC or FD where you have to run a massive spacer for the subframe to clear the hood
And just to be clear this wasn't a shot at you whatsoever just me ranting about a topic I think is extremely blown out of proportion and has zero real world tangibility. Also for anyone reading this wondering about the same issue. There's untold number of track monsters out there that have **** weight balance. Look at anything fwd lol. Spring rates, sway bars and down force can correct 90% of weight issues.
The RX-8 seems to be more of a cult car and so you get very cult-line responses - like you said I've seen tons of people screaming about how the weight balance or center of gravity is destroyed, ignoring that the car is now faster on track, faster on the street, more reliable, and more fuel efficient. I get it to a lesser extent with my V8-swapped E36 M3. I took out an iron-block I6 and put in a really small V8 that sits lower and further back - "the handling must be horrible with that huge V8 up front!" Nope, it's just fine.
The RX-8 seems to be more of a cult car and so you get very cult-line responses - like you said I've seen tons of people screaming about how the weight balance or center of gravity is destroyed, ignoring that the car is now faster on track, faster on the street, more reliable, and more fuel efficient. I get it to a lesser extent with my V8-swapped E36 M3. I took out an iron-block I6 and put in a really small V8 that sits lower and further back - "the handling must be horrible with that huge V8 up front!" Nope, it's just fine.
I was actually waiting for you to chime in as I was just looking at your old build thread and track videos. I dig both builds and honestly would have thought the v8 would have improved on the e36 or could you not notice a huge difference? Having owned an e36 as my first car I'm very familiar with the boat anchor of those engines as well as doing a 5.7 LS swapped s14. Bmw and JZ blocks are the only engines that scare me on an engine stand lol.
Mounted the eps brain to the bumper support. My original plan was to extend everything I side the cabin but there's zero reason. It's a well enough sealed unit, although I have had one go bad. Thankfully they're plentiful in junkyards so whatever Grabbed this off Amazon. Not a perfect fit but I'll try and make due. For 30 bux it's worth experimenting. Originally my radio area held a plate with some gauges but I need a radio so they have to go somewhere lol
Got this from Russia to make my instrument cluster work and eliminate the Mazda ECU entirely. I know the stock temp gauge is a joke but I still want everything to look factory and not have a Christmas tree worth of idiot lights on. The main thing is being able to get rid of the silly crank trigger wheel needed for tach signal Mounted the eps brain to the bumper support Got this off Amazon for 30 bux. I'm not using the bose sound system anymore nor the center speaker so I'll try and make this work. Fitment isn't perfect since it's universal but I'll figure something out.
My curiosity comes from wanting to do an LFX build through Keisler. Although a lighter engine compared to the 2jz, it is known you lose the sharpness of turn in by going to an LFX, and was curious about taking it even further with the 2JZ which appears heavier and more forward mounted.
01-31-2023, 09:07 PM
