I am looking to get my first car for autocross, HPDE and hopefully some track days. I found an 04 RX-8 that needs an engine. What would I expect to pay for a rebuilt and installed engine and any recommendations for a place in Atlanta? I have basic skills but not enough to tackle an entire engine swap. Thanks
I think you could do it. There is a thread on here of somebody doing exactly this.
Rob R.
First, did you actually confirm the engine is bad by means of a compression test?
There are two options of getting a replacement dorito spinner, either you get a reman core from Mazda or you pull the engine and send it to one of the specialist rebuilders. Depending on what's broken the latter might work out cheaper (or more expensive).
Given the values of broken vs running RX8s I'm not sure it's worth buying one with a broken engine if you have to pay someone to swap it out. DIY is the way forward.
I am not able to test it myself. The owner says his mechanic told him it was not even rebuildable and needed a new engine. I am looking into the costs of getting it replaced to see my total cost. It would not have to be a rotary engine ....
I'd be careful relying on the mechanic's comments unless he is really familiar with rotaries. Most aren't and gave no clue about how to rebuild them.
For a budget rebuild, try Rotary Resurrection - budget rotary rebuilds
For an OEM reman w/ warranty, use Ray Crowe at Malloy Mazda for reman and discounted Mazda parts Ray knows these cars inside and out and is the highest volume Mazda dealer for rotary vehicle parts. He gives us all deep discounts too. You can probably get a reman motor for somewhere between $2-3k iirc...
Don't know any shops to install in GA, but try asking here:
http://www.rx7club.com/se-rx-7-forum-35/georgia-rx-owners-where-you-1048618/
There are plenty in Florida though:
http://www.rx7club.com/se-rx-7-forum-35/official-shop-list-florida-389268/page9/
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