I have a 1988 Mazda RX7 and I bought a 2JZGE Engine and 5 speed transmission, a motor fan since the one on the engine broke upon delivery, motor mounts, and bolts. I’m about to go to school soon so I know that’s not everything I need. But in regards to putting the engine and transmission in the car, is that all? Now when I come back I know I’ll need a driveshaft but what else would I need to complete the build?
KyahB625
Trans mount. Nothing else to physically mount it. Of course fitting it may involve good deal of cursing with a metal hammer.
First step is making sure you have the right oil pan and sump configuration for your swap kit. The CX racing kit depends on a rear sump oil pan setup which is usually more expensive and less common on most cheap 2JZ-GE's out there.
I love 2JZ swaps but the FC in particular is just not a great chassis for it. The 2JZ is just too long, too heavy, and too physically big to fit well. So big that you have to screw up the front suspension to make room for it. Then the lovely weight balance and distro of the FC is lost anyway.
The CX Racing kit, like most kits for the FC, depends on a front subframe spacer set to get the engine physically under the hood. The clearances there were done for the 2JZ-GTE, which has a shorter total height than the 2JZ-GE's over-the-top intake manifold, so there's no prayer of your GE fitting under the hood unless you go to a front-face intake manifold or similar. The CX Racing transmission mount is for an R154 5-spd, so if you got a 2JZ-GE with a 5-spd manual attached, good news is it's probably a rear sump setup from a Supra, bad news is it's probably a W58 5-spd not an R154.
The subframe spacers have the secondary effect of significantly screwing up the FC's suspension geometry, effectively making the suspension at stock height behave as if it were lowered 2+ inches.
So if you lower the suspension from stock height, the front camber curve and other alignment settings get just that much worse. This can be mitigated with a lot of custom work to the front knuckles themselves, or aftermarket knuckles that serve to realign the lower control arm to preserve stock-ish geometry with substantial lowering.
There's a reason LS swaps are so popular in those cars. An aluminum block LS V8 like a 5.3L L33 with Corvette accessories actually fits, and much better preserves the weight balance and distro of the chassis itself. Plus it makes a lot more power NA and the wiring is a lot simpler. Only catch is the expense of a manual trans setup for one.
The 1JZ-GTE has a shorter deck height, and can be made to fit under the hood without subframe spacers. Thereby preserving the better suspension geometry. It also weighs a little less than a 2JZ. Combined with the high-revving nature of the 1JZ it's a better match for an FC overall, IMHO.
But the best piston powered swap, IMHO, would be a Honda K-motor and a CD009 6-spd from a 350Z. I love JZ's but it's not light or physically compact, which are attributes an engine for an RX7 swap really should have.
As far as what all else you'll need to complete your build - that depends entirely on what you're doing and trying to include. Bare minimum will include:
-Electric radiator fans and a suitable larger radiator. The stock 2JZ mechanical fan does not fit in the FC's engine bay, don't even try.
-Exhaust piping/connections/etc
-Fuel lines etc (likely need a larger fuel pump to support a 2JZ)
-Wiring, lots of wiring changes to integrate the 2JZ-GE into the FC chassis electrics and gauge cluster. If you're starting with a LHD 2JZ-GE engine harness and stock ECU you've probably got a chance, but it is going to take a LONG time with both the Toyota and Mazda wiring diagrams to get it sorted out. It's basically impossible for a novice unless you're highly motivated and have great attention to detail. You'll teach yourself a lot because you'll screw it up a lot before it's finally sorted out and correct. Spending a couple grand on a custom wiring harness and a standalone ECU to match will pay huge dividends here especially if you're eventually wanting to turbocharge it.
For gauge sending units I'd recommend keeping the Mazda stuff and just connect the 13B sensors to appropriate locations to get coolant temp, oil pressure, etc. Tachometer will be a huge pain because of the differences in ignition systems and firing orders, easy button is an aftermarket tach. Speedo will be a pain because you'll need a custom mechanical speedo cable to go from the Toyota trans into the Mazda gauge cluster, and then it'll need an old school speedometer 'bug' to get the gearing corrected to be accurate.
-Power steering; custom high pressure line to go from 2JZ PS pump to FC rack, custom return line (and PS cooler in the return line recommended)
-A/C, well, that'll be a giant pain in the ass with the FC's space. Hypothetically possible but I've not seen it successfully performed in an FC.
If you just want to drive the car, I'd strongly consider just sourcing a decent 6-port 13B and matching 5-spd, and getting a near-stock setup put back together. That will be a lot less work and trouble. If you want it to be fast, go 6-port turbo with a standalone ECU and playing all the Rotary games required. The FC community are a bunch of cheapskate dickheads that make MK3 Supra guys look like big spenders, but there is a core of serious passion for the Rotary engine and if you're going rotary to get the car running they will definitely help you out. Otherwise consider poking around on norotors.com for RX7 swap specific advice and resources.
Best of luck to you, whatever you end up doing.
I love 2JZ swaps but the FC in particular is just not a great chassis for it. The 2JZ is just too long, too heavy, and too physically big to fit well. So big that you have to screw up the front suspension to make room for it. Then the lovely weight balance and distro of the FC is lost anyway.
The CX Racing kit, like most kits for the FC, depends on a front subframe spacer set to get the engine physically under the hood. The clearances there were done for the 2JZ-GTE, which has a shorter total height than the 2JZ-GE's over-the-top intake manifold, so there's no prayer of your GE fitting under the hood unless you go to a front-face intake manifold or similar. The CX Racing transmission mount is for an R154 5-spd, so if you got a 2JZ-GE with a 5-spd manual attached, good news is it's probably a rear sump setup from a Supra, bad news is it's probably a W58 5-spd not an R154.
The subframe spacers have the secondary effect of significantly screwing up the FC's suspension geometry, effectively making the suspension at stock height behave as if it were lowered 2+ inches.
So if you lower the suspension from stock height, the front camber curve and other alignment settings get just that much worse. This can be mitigated with a lot of custom work to the front knuckles themselves, or aftermarket knuckles that serve to realign the lower control arm to preserve stock-ish geometry with substantial lowering.
There's a reason LS swaps are so popular in those cars. An aluminum block LS V8 like a 5.3L L33 with Corvette accessories actually fits, and much better preserves the weight balance and distro of the chassis itself. Plus it makes a lot more power NA and the wiring is a lot simpler. Only catch is the expense of a manual trans setup for one.
The 1JZ-GTE has a shorter deck height, and can be made to fit under the hood without subframe spacers. Thereby preserving the better suspension geometry. It also weighs a little less than a 2JZ. Combined with the high-revving nature of the 1JZ it's a better match for an FC overall, IMHO.
But the best piston powered swap, IMHO, would be a Honda K-motor and a CD009 6-spd from a 350Z. I love JZ's but it's not light or physically compact, which are attributes an engine for an RX7 swap really should have.
As far as what all else you'll need to complete your build - that depends entirely on what you're doing and trying to include. Bare minimum will include:
-Electric radiator fans and a suitable larger radiator. The stock 2JZ mechanical fan does not fit in the FC's engine bay, don't even try.
-Exhaust piping/connections/etc
-Fuel lines etc (likely need a larger fuel pump to support a 2JZ)
-Wiring, lots of wiring changes to integrate the 2JZ-GE into the FC chassis electrics and gauge cluster. If you're starting with a LHD 2JZ-GE engine harness and stock ECU you've probably got a chance, but it is going to take a LONG time with both the Toyota and Mazda wiring diagrams to get it sorted out. It's basically impossible for a novice unless you're highly motivated and have great attention to detail. You'll teach yourself a lot because you'll screw it up a lot before it's finally sorted out and correct. Spending a couple grand on a custom wiring harness and a standalone ECU to match will pay huge dividends here especially if you're eventually wanting to turbocharge it.
For gauge sending units I'd recommend keeping the Mazda stuff and just connect the 13B sensors to appropriate locations to get coolant temp, oil pressure, etc. Tachometer will be a huge pain because of the differences in ignition systems and firing orders, easy button is an aftermarket tach. Speedo will be a pain because you'll need a custom mechanical speedo cable to go from the Toyota trans into the Mazda gauge cluster, and then it'll need an old school speedometer 'bug' to get the gearing corrected to be accurate.
-Power steering; custom high pressure line to go from 2JZ PS pump to FC rack, custom return line (and PS cooler in the return line recommended)
-A/C, well, that'll be a giant pain in the ass with the FC's space. Hypothetically possible but I've not seen it successfully performed in an FC.
If you just want to drive the car, I'd strongly consider just sourcing a decent 6-port 13B and matching 5-spd, and getting a near-stock setup put back together. That will be a lot less work and trouble. If you want it to be fast, go 6-port turbo with a standalone ECU and playing all the Rotary games required. The FC community are a bunch of cheapskate dickheads that make MK3 Supra guys look like big spenders, but there is a core of serious passion for the Rotary engine and if you're going rotary to get the car running they will definitely help you out. Otherwise consider poking around on norotors.com for RX7 swap specific advice and resources.
Best of luck to you, whatever you end up doing.
I would put an sr20det into that
Too bad they don't make anymore
2JZ is a bit heavier. Doesn't toyota make something lighter and smaller? 3sgte or something more... less
Too bad they don't make anymore
2JZ is a bit heavier. Doesn't toyota make something lighter and smaller? 3sgte or something more... less
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