Fiftyfifty

Buying an 04 6spd for $1500 with a blown engine. Body in decent condition. But all shops are turning me away for a swap. I'm in NY. Not getting much replies in the regional section. Did some searching and found IR performance. Highly recommended but they are not picking up. Have a friends shop in CT, but he is not a specialist in these cars. Do you need a specialist just to put a new engine in on these cars, or any shop should be able to do it as long as they are willing to? Want it done right the first time. I will be using a recommended engine by rx8club of course. I have links. I just need to have a shop to send it too. Thanks.

Joeyjoiner

Only use a specialist.

Fiftyfifty

IR performance recommended I go for one of their engines over a new Mazda. I did some searching and on rx7 club people are happy with them. What do you guys think?

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Idk if you saw the Rebuilders thread here.
There's some useful info in it.

Fwiw, I'm considering a new Mazda engine from Pineapple, but it's likely the most expensive option.
(Why I don't have it yet )

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tec...ilders-265177/

Fiftyfifty

Yeah I checked it out. Ir performance is on there. How much does pineapple charge? The stage 1 port I'm getting from irp is about 7k give or take.

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

That's with labor, correct?
Pineapple charges +$6100 for a new engine with a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty.

https://www.pineappleracing.com/bran...transonly.aspx

Fiftyfifty

Just for the engine. To install into the car and new hoses, ignition, etc. about 10k.. crap, I kind of wished that I searched around a bit more. I didn't know pineapple had this so easily available. But Paul at irp assured me that there is no such thing as new for rx8s. False advertising. It's a mazda reman. But this clearly says brand new. Now I don't know what to believe.

Edit: and that warranty is awesome. 3 years/36k miles wow. I'm only getting 12k/12 months 😔

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

One of the reasons I started the Rebuilders thread was to try and gather as much info as I could in one place and get information from other members to make these decisions maybe a bit easier.

One of the links specifically went into some detail about Pineapple's process.

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discuss...0/#post4921922

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Here is 9k's old Pineapple thread.
I'm glad we talked about this, I should link this to the thread to breathe some life into it.

https://www.rx8club.com/good-guy-bad...golden-226088/

Fiftyfifty

So are they infact brand new or mazda remans? Can anymore confirm? I emailed them. Hope they reply.

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

It's right there in the description.

Fiftyfifty

Yes I know but I was told by a reputable rebuilder that is recommended here that that is false advertising. They are mazda remans. So they lied to get me to get their rebuild you're saying?

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

I'm not sure what you mean.
What reputable builder is accusing who of false advertising?

I can't speak for who's "recommended" other than by anecdotal evidence.
I haven't had any experience with any of them so I'm not recommending anyone, just offering information.

The Rebuilders thread is for informational purposes.
I leave it to others to offer their experiences and recommendations.
Some people recommended builders that orher people have said are not very good.

Did you read the thread I linked by Petscar?
According to the info he said he was given by Rob, they offer Remans AND new engines.
I'm under the impression they are truly NEW engines.

If anyone can prove otherwise then I will make note of it, and I definitely WON'T be paying $6100 for an alleged reman when the same company offers remans for $4k.

If they are new engines and some other builder is accusing them of fraud, that's a pretty serious charge given that eventually almost all RX8 owners will need an engine replacement.

They should be called out if they're saying that just to discourage others from using Pineapple.

Given Rob's reputation over the years, I would be very shocked and upset if he's ripping people off.

suzukisteve

If you have a friend who has a shop that is willing to swap in an engine, then you have won half the battle. Take it to your friend, the two of you pull the engine. Strip it down to the short block, and then send it off to a builder to have it rebuilt. I would recommend sending it to Kevin Landers of Rotary Resurrection or Banzai Racing. Everyone speaks highly of IRP, their prices just may be a little bit higher, but you could save by avoiding shipping.

I did the this in my garage with my FD Rx-7. Pulled the engine, stripped it down, brought it to my friend who rebuilds engines. Two weeks later got it back and put everything back together. It was a lot of work, but not very difficult. To compare I did a camshaft swap on a Dodge Hemi truck and I thought that was way harder.

When people say take it to a specialist, IMO this only applies to rebuilding the actual engine. As far as pulling the engine and putting it back in, I think the problem most people running into taking, it to a non-rotary shop, is that the mechanic is just unfamiliar with the car itself or Mazdas in general. He may not be operating with a proper Rx-8 service manual or may be unfamiliar with the wiring harness and electrical components. With a proper service manual and wiring harness schematic you or any competent mechanic should be able to knock this project out pretty easily.... Just my $0.02. I never had to go through a rebuild when I had my Rx-8.

Fiftyfifty

I emailed Rob last night and got a reply. He says they are 100% brand new. He said the IRP guys might not be aware pineapple has them. From your experience, will a new one be more reliable than a rebuilt done by a good pro, or should I tell them I want pineapple to ship over the new engine? Thanks

Fiftyfifty

Good to know, thanks. I would totally do the swap myself if I had a garage. Maybe in the future for the next rebuild 😆.. you're pretty lucky not to have to go for a rebuild with your rx8.

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

I can only speak from what I've read.
My opinion is new for myself but you should read up and make your own value judgement.