Throughout the later part of the 20th century, Mazda
automobiles were the resource-rich native land colonized by a powerful
American company, namely Ford. One of few models exempt from the foreign
governance was the RX-7, which ironically receives the most American
powerplant swaps today. Find this LS1-swapped 1987 Mazda RX-7 for $9,500 in Mary Esther, FL via Autotrader. Words and tip from DT commenter slowcarSLOW-MPGlol.
The second-generation RX-7, like the one for sale here, got
rack and pinion steering, independent rear suspension, and the
ever-popular pop-up headlights. It also brought in the 13B Wankel
engine, which is irrelevant for our intents and purposes. The seller gives a few details on the engine swap to indicate that it is an LS1 from a 98 Camaro that would have originally put out 305 horsepower when new, perhaps a few more given the sellers additional parts.
This American-blooded import shows its national pride with a
Star Spangled Banner backdrop. A modest drop, factory wheels, and clean
bodywork lend a welcomed subtlety to this monster build. This post
has brand-name parts, service records, and even average fuel economy
numbers, which adds validity to any listing. Plus, "willing to negotiate
on the price" promises wiggle room for the shrewd mercantile settler who is willing to overlook the absence of underhood shots during his exploitation of indigenous population.
The seller mentions a video on youtube that was posted 10 months ago and says it is the same car, but portrait mode filming and zero burnouts/drifts/stuntz make for a lame video.
See a better assimilated import? Email us at dailyturismo.com
Big thanks to slowcarSLOW-MPGlol to sending in this tip complete with a functioning story to surround the images!
I love it and it looks like fun but 9.5 kilobucks seems steep for someone else's project. For that price I'd probably just find a minty LS1 Camaro or Firebird... well, ok, maybe the price premium is so that I don't have to me seen driving a Camaro or Firebird.... this is more of a dilemma than I thought...
ReplyDeleteAl,
DeleteI had the same thoughts about the price, but once I added everything up I came to the conclusion (at least in my own head) that this wasn't a bad way to go. $5k car, and at least $5k in donor parts + swap parts and you get free labor. Sure, you could do it cheaper, but buying someone elses swapped car is almost always cheaper than doing it yourself. The hardest part is getting one that has been done correctly and doesn't need to be completely reworked.
Vince
And, lest we forget, our adage here at DT is... the best money one can spend on a car is... the previous owner's!! Any solid build of a V8 transplant which results in a turn-key for the new owner is a score almost regardless of the donor genetics. Nice Job slowcarSLOW-MPGlol, thanks for giving the E-i-C the day off!!
DeleteFor $44 you can apparently make this *into* a Trans Am, complicating things much, much further.
ReplyDeletehttp://jalopnik.com/5419785/screaming-chicken+ize-your-ride-for-cheap
Oooooh this is nice and clean, very rare to see a swap done like this without going overboard on some other items like wheels, bodywork or interior stuff. At that price it better be super amazing all around but it still seems a few grand too high to me. Would love to grab it myself and tweak a few things here and there, but my heart craves (again) a lighter weight Sport model without a sunroof. Great to see one of these on here though, they truly are amazing performers with some great OEM parts from Mazda and also GM in this setup.
ReplyDelete~ good find, well written article, slowcarSLOW-MPGlol.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, I didn't watch the video until viewing it on-site here. Quite snooze-worthy (despite the great exhaust sounds).
ReplyDeleteThanks, all, for the positive feedback!
Yeah, the neighbor's Harley plays almost as prominent a role in the video as the car...
DeleteI'm surprised to see my old car posted on a website I never posted to. Anyway, people didn't understand the price I see. Well I guess you have to just do a swap then and see what your bill ends up being. lol At the time of sale I had over 20,000.00 into the car including the original purchase price of 5,500.00 . New, "used" engine, transmission, getting the transmission rebuilt, and a custom ford 8.8 differential with a torque nose suspension.. well that gets you closer to my total cost invested. Also the interior was one of the best you'd find on a second gen. considering those second gen interiors were mostly plastic.. look for weathered and brittle examples of most second gens. I ended up selling it for around 8,900.00 So I still lost my AS* on it. Hopefully my post here helps other realize that swapping a car take a little more cash then you think, and once that swap is done.. blue book value kinda goes out the window.. Google swapped 3rd gen Rx7's for examples.. I think the most expensive 3rd gen I've seen that was swapped was $60,000.00 and you could eat off of every surface of the car. Good day all, and good luck finding your next project. P.S. I think my old videos are still on You Tube of me flying down some back roads. See those for how the car preformed swapped. I only shared those with potential buyers.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteGold. Great follow-up. I hope you'll stick around and become part of the DT ... um ... salad?
Delete(I am having all kinds of hoo-ha with Apple autocorrect today. It's not "learning" :(