LS1 V8 fd conversion progress thread

[Spartacus]

Well here is the introduction to my LS1 5.7L V8 into my FD progress thread. Taaadaaaa!

I’ll start by first explaining that I will not be discussing the whys and wherefores of why I’m doing this conversion other than it’s my car and I want to:rolleyes: , anyhow I’m sure you can find that sort of information else where if you have a mind to. Also I would appreciate it if anyone posting on this thread could resist discussing their beliefs with regards the rights and wrongs of the conversion.
Now that’s out of the way I’ll confide in you that I’m not an engineer or fabricator by any stretch of the imagination (so it could all end in tears ) but I have built (assembled) the odd kit car, although many years ago, and I know one end of a torque wrench from the other.
The reason I’m doing this thread is two fold, one as it may be of interest to others and two I’m sure I’m going to need some advice/questions answered along the way, and who better to answer them than you guys?:Thumbsup!

As I’ve already mentioned, as I’m not and engineer or fabricator I’ve decided to go the general route that most do in the US and buy in most of the required parts for me to assemble. Going this route should make the conversion easier, as I’m not reinventing the wheel and there will be support should I run into problems as there are a couple of dedicated forums with friendly guys who have been there done that in the US. Although it has been suggested by them that my steering wheel is on the wrong side! :2Confused

Following some research on these forums and reading previous swap threads it seemed the ideal FD to start with was an auto. This is because they tend to be cheaper to start with, generally not had such a hard life, and they have the more suitable rear axel ratio of 3.9:1

Following many months of searching I finally came across the ideal base car, a 1994 type x auto with a suspected blown engine.

Now that I had the car I had some choices to make i.e. which of the 2 or 3 main suppliers of kit would I go with. I must admit each of them seem to have had bad press at some stage or another, but following some research I’ve opted for Hinson super cars as they were arguably the pioneers of the conversion and have the most complete kit for the swap. Although saying this, if you shop around costs can be significantly saved by obtaining some of the other needed parts else where, i.e. cooling, fuel system etc. In the following posts I will describe all the parts that are needed and where I have opted to get them from, either as they arrive or are fitted.

So stay tuned for the next thrilling episode of FD meets the LS1 monster:driving .

[Bulla]

Look forward to reading about your progress :Thumbs-up

[Rotary_Menace]

I ve been dieing waiting for a complete documented project in the UK. Good luck.

Neil

[Spartacus]

Unfortunately there hasn’t been much progress since my last post as I’m waiting for parts to turn up:Snoring . I have a modded rear subframe already here from Canada (more about that latter), my engine/box is on a boat somewhere between the US and here:2Confused , the parts I ordered from Hinson’s were shipped in 3 packages, 1 has arrived which is the front subframe, and the other 2 are at the moment lost in Memphis:Hammer . Also, even when I do receive all these I’m waiting for a complete set of poly suspension bushes which I thought I might as well change as all the suspension will be coming off.

The rotary engine is out along with it’s ecu and engine harness I wont go into the how to of that as It’s been covered many times before.
So I’ll give you a quick rundown of what is needed parts wise to complete the conversion (or at least the most common parts options) and then the options I will be using.

1)   A LS1/LS2 V8 engine and T56 6 speed gearbox
2)   A mounting kit which gives you a modded front subframe, torque arm (replaces the Mazda ppf) and a gearbox mount.
3)   New track rod ends (to restore bump-steer geometry as the steering rack is moved)
4)   A modified prop-shaft


Along with these basic parts, to actually get the car up and running you will also need a solution for the following.
5)   Air intake
6)   Fuelling
7)   Cooling
   Engine management
9)   Exhaust
10)   Power steering
11)   Air-conditioning
12)   Battery relocation from the engine compartment
13)   Alternative clutch master cylinder.

The options I decided to go for are.
1)   A 5.7 litre LS1 pullout from a 2004 Pontiac GTO (approx 350bhp and 350 lb-ft torque) This has been bought from Cleveland–Pic-A-Part who is one of the biggest and most respected suppliers of used LS1’s in the US. As it was from a GTO I needed a different sump with the deepest part at the back (found on “F” body V8’s IE Camaro/Firebird) rather than the GTO’s being at the front. This is to ensure that it clears the new front subframe. Cleveland kindly made the sump swap on my behalf before shipping the engine. Just to give you a quick description of a “pullout” for those that don’t already know, It’s the term used in the US for a complete engine/gearbox package and all of its associated accessories and sensors to enable it to be just slotted in another car and turn the key.

2)   The mounting kit I have gone for is mostly from one supplier which as mentioned already is Hinson Super Cars. The only difference being is that I have decided not to go for his torque arm solution for supporting the nose of the differential but go for a modded rear subframe arrangement. There have been various solutions from different people on how to achieve the best method of supporting the diff and from my research each of them have had its supporters and critics. It seems a lot depends on the use of the car following conversion and the amount of torque that the diff is subjected to as to the success of each method. I would say that the torque arm arrangement is the most widely used and probably the cheapest/easiest to employ but I like to be different;) .

3)   Bump-steer correction kit supplied by Hinson’s
4)   Steel Prop-shaft supplied by Hinson’s (aluminium and carbon options)
5)   Air intake as yet undecided, but how hard can it be?
6)   Fuelling will be by an up rated in tank fuel pump fed direct from the battery via a new relay
7)   Cooling will be via a Corvette radiator and a Volvo fan
   I’m going to use the original GTO ECU which has already been sent for a basic custom tune flashed into it to remove various alarms/security features and give a basic/safe tune for my engine install.

[gsb876]

Sounds very interesting mate,

Saw a GTO on the show Overhaulin the other day, that engine will sound sweet

[MikeLMR]

had you planned to fully weld some of the Hinson parts ? I\'d seen a number of tales of them failing and it\'s better to be safe than sorry?

[shaunwil]

Looking like a very interesting thread. Just out of interest what happened to the FD engine ??

Shaun

[Spartacus]

Sounds very interesting mate,

Saw a GTO on the show Overhaulin the other day, that engine will sound sweet

Some seem to have a nice rich burble while others are pure NASCAR, a lot depends on the exhaust so I’ll just have to wait and see

[Spartacus]

had you planned to fully weld some of the Hinson parts ? I\'d seen a number of tales of them failing and it\'s better to be safe than sorry?

I’ve had a good look over all the welds and they look very good but unfortunately that won’t let me know if they are or not. According to Mr Hinson the problem was with a new supplier and there should be no further issues. RE fully welding the parts, they are already fully welded. I can’t go over what’s already done as the ones I do could be worse and some are on the inside of boxed sections. I will be keeping an eye on everything once it’s completed just to be on the safe side, as I’m sure anyone would do following any sort of modification that increases the engine power and torque to this degree. As I’m sure you are aware once you step away from a standard spec there is no certain method of making sure everything will hold up otherwise there would be no ppf failures/diff breakages or transmission tunnel brace mount failures on high power rotary fd’s :o

[Spartacus]

Looking like a very interesting thread. Just out of interest what happened to the FD engine ??

Shaun

I sold the engine quite a few weeks ago to get another fd on the road.

[shaunwil]

ah well ! looking for a 13b for the 1st gen !

Did you look at granny speed as well for the parts or is hinson cheaper ??

Love the rear axle assembly, would be fab on any high powered FD

Shaun

[Spartacus]

Did you look at granny speed as well for the parts or is hinson cheaper ??

Love the rear axle assembly, would be fab on any high powered FD

Shaun

I did look at all 3 places to get the parts, Hinson\'s, Granny\'s and Dynotested but Hinsons had the most complete set of parts and he has completed a RHD turn key customer car so I went with the option that I thought would give me the easiest build. This is his first RHD with a LS2,

[Spartacus]

Couple more details to finish off my options are,
9)   The exhaust is going to be supplied by Hinson’s and consists of stainless steel 3 inch tubular manifolds to a Y pipe exiting at 3.5 inch to a rear box (no cats).
10)   Power steering will be retained using the Mazda rack but using the LS1 pump with a modification to the relief spring to give the desired pressure and a couple of new hoses made up.  
11)    Air con will be retained mainly with the use of the original Mazda components but with the LS1 pump.
12)   Battery will be relocated to one of the rear bins.
13)   A new Clutch master cylinder is coming from Hinson’s along with the necessary fittings etc.      


With any luck more to come soon. Oh any questions you might have I’ll be happy to have a go at answering them here.

[D3xt3r]

Good luck to you I will be doing the same as soo as I find a good RX-7 as a shell. I will be using an LS2 out of a 06 GTO and thanks for reminding me on the sump. Would have totally forgot sourcing that one and then standing there dumb like nothing when it doesnt fit.

[banned advertiser]

Sorry for hijack
got a shell here
http://www.rotaryart.uk.com/acatalog/Black_RX7_shell.html
Interesting thread