Building up an FD

[Rx7>Rx8]

I'm about to take the plunge into making a 93 Rx7 a 375HP to 450HP car. I have about 12 grand saved up but since i have never built on a rotary before, I have some questions.
1: What can new iron seals handle?
2: Are Ceramics worth the extra money?
3: Any tips for tuning the engine.
4: BNR stage 3's vs. single turbo upgrade.
5: any other possible tips to keep me from blowing up the engine .

Thanks for all the help and the people on this forum are a lot more forgiving than others. Thanks.

[Herblenny]

Originally Posted by Rx7>Rx8

I'm about to take the plunge into making a 93 Rx7 a 375HP to 450HP car. I have about 12 grand saved up but since i have never built on a rotary before, I have some questions.
1: What can new iron seals handle?

Are you talking about OEM seals? If so, Yes, There are people made over 500 with OEM seals.

Originally Posted by Rx7>Rx8

2: Are Ceramics worth the extra money?

I guess who you talk to.. But if you are building a street 450RWHP, I say save your money.

Originally Posted by Rx7>Rx8

3: Any tips for tuning the engine.

Well, if you are using PFC get Westbrook's tuning notes.. But if you never done it and could put aside $1000, I would just get one of the top tuner to do so.. But I wouldn't get BDC (Brian Cain) to build nor tune

Originally Posted by Rx7>Rx8

4: BNR stage 3's vs. single turbo upgrade.

I'm a fan of twins. I actually just purchased a BNR's New Stage 3. Also, this will give you a good response for your car and will make the power you are looking for. I would highly recommend running them in sequential as that's what these are truly made for.

Originally Posted by Rx7>Rx8

5: any other possible tips to keep me from blowing up the engine .

-Dual Oil coolers are a must on turbo rotaries. Either get the R1 coolers or get other aftermarket set up.

-Good IC and radiator... Stocks are ok as long as its not too old and brittle.

-general maintenance... what i mean by this is you need to change your plugs and oil regularily.

Good luck on your BUILD!!!

Thanks for all the help and the people on this forum are a lot more forgiving than others. Thanks.[/QUOTE]

[Rx7>Rx8]

Thank you sir. I plan on using the pineapple racing porting templates too.

[Brent]

What are your goals with the car? Is this going to be a street car/something else(ie street car/drag car or street car/track car, etc.). Just a street car? $12,000 is alot of money to build your FD.
1. Any engine can handle 450hp, unless there are other issues. What seals are you refering to when you say iron seals?
2. I have some components in my engine bay ceramic coated. It def. helps, but heat shielding and other measures also help.
3. All depends on what ECU your tuner is most comfortable with. The most user friendly ECU and most widely used in my opinion is the Apexi Power FC. You can also buy a datalogit for it and log basically everything.
4. Depends on your goals. If it's going to be a street car, I'd get the BNR Stage 3's and leave them sequential. If you are wanting a drag car, a stupid big turbo is prob. the choice for you. A track car I'd recommend a single as well because it doesn't produce as much heat as the twins do.
5. Never run it lean, never overheat it, and never starve the inside of oil... sounds simple enough, right?

[Rx7>Rx8]

I was basically going to go with the RX7store.net stage 3 upgrade and then yknow stainless lines new clutch new brakes. ya street basically.

[David Jerome]

I have customers who daily drive there 425+rwhp fds. $12k used to not be much but with the current car market you can find some decent cars.

Get the ALS seals, RA superseals or something forgiving like those seals.

BNRs sequential are a lot of fun but I dont see you getting more than 400rwhp. A small single like a 35r or any 67mm turbo with a small exhaust housing will accomplish what you want.

Check out my other site if you need a quality engine built, www.rotaryrebuildstore.com. I think you will find it hard to beat my prices especially with the quality of work I provide. Good luck either way and let me know if I can help you with purchasing parts also.

David

[dudemaaan]

I agree i don't see more then 400 with the twins. Especially on stock ports. They will also retain more heat and take up more space. On stock ports you will need quite a bit of boost to reach 450 with a medium sized turbo like a gt35r. Probably around 20 psi or so. It will also be maxed out around that level. I recommend you get a water injection kit to keep it alive at the high boost level. A street port is also recommended but that will require pulling the motor and disassembly, but will give you another 15 - 20 percent more power.

[Rx7>Rx8]

I was leaning towards the pineapple racing templates... got a good friend who runs a machine shop so that'll help. also could i reach these power goals with the T04R turbo? the one included in rx7store.net's stage 3 upgrade. I plan on purchasing a rolling shell first since everything's going to be replaced with performance parts anyway.

[dudemaaan]

Yeah to4r will get you there

[albertomg]

I'd recommend the A-Spec kit since they use a better manifold vs. the crap ebay manifold that RX7store resells. The 35 turbo that dudeman suggested is awesome. It will be more difficult to make that much power out of BNRs compared to a single.

Also look at rx7.com for great parts and excellent service. Their fuel system is excellent.

OEM dual oil coolers are great for street use. Get yourself an oil temp gauge to judge effectiveness before spending the cash on an aftermarket kit.

keep some money on the side for emergencies, mistakes or unexpected expenses.

[Rx7>Rx8]

Alright I think I will spring for the gt35r. were you saying the manifold they include in the kit is garbage? If so i think ill go for the T4 HKS manifold. I would definitely go all rx7.com but they are a tad pricier than rx7store.net. Especially on things like the intake, exhaust and Power FC. But i think ill go Rx7.com for most of the other parts.

[Brent]

If you go single, you can't use the intakes they are selling so that'll save you a couple hundred bucks . Buy an exhaust and Power FC used for the best price. The rx7store and rx7.com are great. However, I personally would buy it from rx7.com. I've spent q good chunk of money with both vendors over the years. Rx7store often takes a while to ship things(not necessarily an issue if you know up front). Jason at the RX7store does a really good job, but I like Ari at rx7.com more. He is absolutely great when it comes to tech support.

[bop_rocco]

Just research on about every part you are getting and buy the manifold and a lot of the parts used that you can find a good deal on. Stick with good brands. As far as the turbo you prob want the to4r and you can order it ball bearing for a few bucks more and is about the same as a hks TO4z. I have been deciding on this and seems to be the one of the best all around tubos.

[Rotary Inspired]

herblenny

Why not recommend BDC? I am just wondering. I dont have a lot of personal experience with him but just wondering why? I always like to hear the reasons to stay away. Thanks in advance.

[Rx7>Rx8]

Hey David, I looked up that site, speedforsale.com, and i was wondering, could you tune my car, which will start as roller, when i am completely finished with modifying everything or should i bring it to you with the stock twins, aftermarket exhaust, intake, radiator, and intercooler.