New FB owner, project, teardown, and questions. Pictures too. - Page 3

GySgtFrank · 01-21-2013, 01:46 PM

My experience is from putting in a NA 87 13B and transmission.

The 13B will sit a little farther forward than the 12A (13B is longer) if you use the stock transmission mount location. Which means either modifying your existing mount or buying a mount from Racing Beat.

The FB drivehaft should work with the FC trans in the stock location (mine did), FC won't as it's too short. I'm unsure why your driveshaft does not bolt up to the diff flange. I thought the bolt pattern was the same on the FBs, but evidently not. I'll have to go check my swap diff now.

You'll want to use the GSL-SE 13B oil pan and pickup so it will clear the steering arms. The stock trans mount will push the FC trans quite high in the tunnel so check your driveline angles. I had to do a lot of trimming and modifying to get the trans to sit where I wanted.

Unless you plan to have the car down for a LOONG time the independent rear swap is not worth it. The GSL-SE diff is supposed to be good to around 350-400 hp. The early (79-83) open diffs are a lot weaker though and as mentioned above the 84-85 axles have the better large bearings. You can get the 5 lug conversion axles through Moser for the big bearing rears.

The FC front subframe can be adapted to the FB with some work, others have done this quite a few times. Not legal for racing classes though. If you go that route the FC mounts, oil pan, and front cover should work, the trans mount location may work, depending on where you place the front subframe. If you change the trans mount location you will need to use a custom length driveshaft.

Using the FC radiator will also take a little work to get it to fit right. I do not know if the 12A radiator will be sufficient. I didn't want to chance it, so swapped everything over. Perhaps someone else has had experience with this.

Just sharing my experience with this swap.

diabolical1 · 01-31-2013, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GySgtFrank

I do not know if the 12A radiator will be sufficient.

it will. i ran both style 12A radiators with my 13Bs with no issues cooling issue due to the radiator itself.

as far as using the Gen II radiator, it can be done fairly easily. that's the route my brother took on his '83.

GySgtFrank · 01-31-2013, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diabolical1

it will. i ran both style 12A radiators with my 13Bs with no issues cooling issue due to the radiator itself.

as far as using the Gen II radiator, it can be done fairly easily. that's the route my brother took on his '83.

Unless you're an OCD douchebag like me.

Good to know about the flange patterns, thanks.

N.RotaryTech · 01-21-2013, 09:09 PM

Thanks for the info.

I think where ill start is the diff, then go forward through the power-train.
Ill try an use the diff I have. Try and figure out why an fb drive-shaft wont bolt up. Maybe just drill new holes.

diabolical1 · 01-31-2013, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by N.RotaryTech

Try and figure out why an fb drive-shaft wont bolt up. Maybe just drill new holes.

the likely reason is that there were two bolt patterns on the Gen I cars. if i recall (it's been a while) it's S1/S2 vs. S3. however, it could have been '79-'82 vs. '83-'85. either way, there were two and they will NOT bolt up. i won't comment on drilling as an option because i always tried to keep one of each in my cache of parts. also, because reliability issues may creep on the scene.

scarsofcarma · 08-03-2013, 01:17 AM

Anymore updates on this build? Once I saw the V8 and all the low-buck fabrication I started to cringe... cause I know how hard it can be to re-engineer a car that wasn't properly modified to start with.

My 77 RX3-SP SCCA Pro Rally car had this problem... cause it was converted to a Ford 9" rear end and lifted quite a bit. Trying to make it go low again to be a proper pavement car wasn't easy... and ultimately didn't work out well at all.

Good luck!

01-21-2013, 01:46 PM	#1
GySgtFrank Professional Stick Poker Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Stafford, Ks. Posts: 1,012 Rep Power: 16	My experience is from putting in a NA 87 13B and transmission. The 13B will sit a little farther forward than the 12A (13B is longer) if you use the stock transmission mount location. Which means either modifying your existing mount or buying a mount from Racing Beat. The FB drivehaft should work with the FC trans in the stock location (mine did), FC won't as it's too short. I'm unsure why your driveshaft does not bolt up to the diff flange. I thought the bolt pattern was the same on the FBs, but evidently not. I'll have to go check my swap diff now. You'll want to use the GSL-SE 13B oil pan and pickup so it will clear the steering arms. The stock trans mount will push the FC trans quite high in the tunnel so check your driveline angles. I had to do a lot of trimming and modifying to get the trans to sit where I wanted. Unless you plan to have the car down for a LOONG time the independent rear swap is not worth it. The GSL-SE diff is supposed to be good to around 350-400 hp. The early (79-83) open diffs are a lot weaker though and as mentioned above the 84-85 axles have the better large bearings. You can get the 5 lug conversion axles through Moser for the big bearing rears. The FC front subframe can be adapted to the FB with some work, others have done this quite a few times. Not legal for racing classes though. If you go that route the FC mounts, oil pan, and front cover should work, the trans mount location may work, depending on where you place the front subframe. If you change the trans mount location you will need to use a custom length driveshaft. Using the FC radiator will also take a little work to get it to fit right. I do not know if the 12A radiator will be sufficient. I didn't want to chance it, so swapped everything over. Perhaps someone else has had experience with this. Just sharing my experience with this swap. __________________ 1988 N/A SE 2+2, dead stock and staying that way. 1979 SA22C stock? Not so much. http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_foru...ad.php?t=15585

01-21-2013, 09:09 PM	#4
N.RotaryTech Home-brew Rotary Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: GooseCreek SC Posts: 552 Rep Power: 18	Thanks for the info. I think where ill start is the diff, then go forward through the power-train. Ill try an use the diff I have. Try and figure out why an fb drive-shaft wont bolt up. Maybe just drill new holes.

08-03-2013, 01:17 AM	#6
scarsofcarma Rotary Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Antioch, Ca Posts: 101 Rep Power: 12	Anymore updates on this build? Once I saw the V8 and all the low-buck fabrication I started to cringe... cause I know how hard it can be to re-engineer a car that wasn't properly modified to start with. My 77 RX3-SP SCCA Pro Rally car had this problem... cause it was converted to a Ford 9" rear end and lifted quite a bit. Trying to make it go low again to be a proper pavement car wasn't easy... and ultimately didn't work out well at all. Good luck!