Learn me FB RX7

Well, the franken car and seeing the 5L swapped one have influenced me. I will be shell shopping here before long and would like to know what to look out for. I pretty much only need a rolling shell, but I might as well find out where rust is unacceptable, since I fear I won't be able to find rust free.....

FWIW, this will be an attempt at a challenge build eventually and F2T powered(Ben is corrupting my thought process)

Also, any leads on a very cheap shell would be appriciated.....most I've found today are running/driving cars for 2k+. I also have a friend who has a knack for finding cheap FD shells looking for me.

FC front suspension is far superior and front subframe bolts in (for the most part). allowing rack an pinion upgrade instead of box.

Rust around rear wheel wells is common.

"bad" motors usually go up cheap for the whole vehicle, so you can play that toward your advantage, when reality the vehicle may need some fluids and new plugs and fire right up.

Under the storage bins/inside the wheel wells is the most common major rust problem.

Rear wheel arches can be an issue as well as they are double skinned

So aside from those two spots, its not going to hide rust from me?

Those are the worst spots, but depends if it sat in grass or was a northern car elsewhere

Oddly enough I've seen rust free ones in Mi and Chicago for sale.....wtf?

Be very careful of the area inside the bins, clean cars have bad issues here. The problem is the upper control arm mounting point so it becomes major quickly.

Unless you build your own equal length upper control arms and panhard bar like yours truly did

yamaha wrote: So aside from those two spots, its not going to hide rust from me?

The upper rear suspension link mounts break off, the floor where the lower suspension links mount will also rust to the point that the mounts break off. The wheelwells rust out (the infamous "bin rust", so named because it's behind the storage bins behind the seats). The floors under the driver's footwell tend to get holey but never as severe as, say, a 240Z. The rest of the car tends to stay fairly clean, oddly enough.

The FC front suspension is surprisingly easy to adapt but to do it in a manner that gets you good geometry requires some sectioning of the body rail.

I bought this for fifty dollars a few years back. No drive-train or door panels, and the picture is after I cleaned it up a little bit.

Bastage! I'd pay probably 20x that, right now, for a shell that apparently clean.

Of course, I'd molest it almost before it came off the trailer...

I think I remember offering it to you when I had it. You directed me to the guy who ultimately bought it...

Maybe he still has it...It was a rally-X friend of yours, I believe.

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I thought that car looked familiar.

IIRC he still has it, but there's some issue with not having a title for it, else I'd be in Kentucky yesterday to grab it.

Oddly enough, I found one in Ohio with a horrible hood already with a v8 in it and prepped for drag.......isnt the fc cross member how they were fitting the v8?

Ben will probably correct me, but if its set up for the v8, does that mean half the battle for the f2t is already taken care of?

Stock, the oil pan sits between the crossmember and the center link.

Remove the crossmember and put it in backwards, all of the hardpoints still line up, only now a Fox-body V8 oil pan sits right over both of them.

In reply to Knurled:

I'll have to ask Ben again if the f2 is a front or rear sump.....thanks for the info

B2200 f2 oil pan would work for you.

Front sump, though I'm pretty sure I can change that with some off the shelf parts.

Catatafish nailed it. Still have to relocate the pickup but nbd.

Why does this sound easier than your NA miata idea?

Nothing good to add but I'm definitely interested as I want to build a 302 rx7 as the next toy.

In reply to bmw88rider:

For that one, I'd be surprised if there isn't a complete swap kit and checklist.....

yamaha wrote: Why does this sound easier than your NA miata idea?

Mounting the motor itself is probably easier... I don't know that the transmission or rear end stuff will be easier.

But then again, i don't really know FBs, and i'm allergic to fab work.

Will a big Mazda "R" box "fit" in an FB easily? Are there rear ends available that bolt into an FB complete with axles that will handle 600+hp?

A T2 trans fits with no issues.

Granny's offers a bolt in 8.8 solution for the rear.

You can get Moser axles for the stock rear however you are probably going to run into issues with the ring and pinion before then.

Been there with the FB so...........FB has a rear suspension that binds up, a front suspension that lacks akerman, a hideous steering box/linkage, 90% of them are equipped for carbs not FI, and stupid 4x110 wheels which limit your rim choices. All of that can be fixed but why bother when the FC can be found for similar cost and they are a much much better car. From someone who will never go back to an FB