Hi,

just like to say that i am new to the board. anyhow, i have a problem that i know some of you buffs out there can help me with. i have an 87 mazda rx7(i know its not a camaro) that i am in the middle of swapping a 350TPI and a t-5. here is the messy part, i am using a 76 350 4 bolt and need a different flywheel than what i got with the t-5(was out of an 87 GTA) and at the same time i need a new bellhousing that is 'straight up' instead of the 17 degree offset so that the shifter will be in the right place for the car. will any ordinary housing fit the two together happily? what flywheel can i use? i have heard that i can use a 11" with an offset starter or a 10.5" and slip the starter right in. please help me!! i am so confused!! thanks in advance

P.S. please don't flame me, i used to have an 85 IROC

You're putting a 350 Chevy SB into a Mazda RX7!!!!!??????? That is totally not right! Get a rice burner engine. A muscle car's engine doesnt belong in a Jap car! And plus you will kill yourself. How much does that RX7 weigh??? Dude, if you put a 350 in it it would be like a 400 Hp engine! I dont know what other guys here will tell you but I think you are looking in the wrong place for help. Oh and glad to hear ya owned an IROC to bad ya let a great car like that go!

Aw, don't listen to monkie.. I had an 88 rx7 before my current car.. The apex seal on the rear rotor got messed up, and I just got rid of the car... If I had it to do over, however, I would have done EXACTLY what you're doing.. 350 in a 2700 lb car. Be faster than my current setup, and handle better. Prolly cost less, too!

The 2nd gen rx7 is a damn fine car.. It has EXCELLENT handling, 51/49% F/R weight distro (well....not after you put a 350 in! tho i read that it will weigh only ~100-125 lbs more with that), and is IMO one of the best looking cars out there..

Sorry, but i have no idea at all about your question... Just giving words of encouragement.. But I have seen many sites out there about ppl doing 350 swaps, and a few places that sell the engine mounting kit.. You sound like you're further along than needing the kit, but perhaps the companies that sell it would know what you're talking about.. I'll look around and try to find them/post them later today.

Good luck,
-Tesla

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91 T/A 305 tpi SD
STB, Airfoil, Hooker cat-back, pseudo-cold air to K&N, Accel coil, !cat, !smog pump.
The Wankel Rotary Engine - The replacement for displacement.

Atleast an RX-7 is half respectable, better than the 502 chevettes .

Anyway, the answer to your question about the flywheel. I just posted in another post about the differences if you want to search you can. You'll need a 3.58" crankshaft, 12 3/4", neutral balance flywheel. Have fun getting one unless you're looking to spend over $200. Nodular Iron ones are on backorder most places and dealerships can only get ahold of truck flywheels at $200+ (can you tell someone has been flywheel shopping?).


As for the bellhousing. That is a good one. The best thing I can think of is to find a kit, if there is no kit them you may try to give lakewood bellhousings a call and see what they can do for you.

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1984 WS6 Trans Am Hartop
Former L69 Car under restoration
1984 WS6 Trans Am T-top car
4-bolt main 350, headers, Holley 650, T-5 and 3.23's.
Daily driver and restoration

Dude, if I put you down I didnt mean to in a bad way. I just dont see a RX7 and a SB 350 crossing lines! Why dont you turbocharge it? Thats what all the ***** boys do. Sorry again for sounding harsh!
Later, Monkie

I know that monkie was just messin with me, no put down taken, you guys are a LOT cooler than the guys on the mazda webpage. i actually had people send me mail directly bashing my plans! that sure makes a guy feel good. all that i know is that i miss the sound and the torque of my old IROC, the mazda that i had was already turbocharged, after rebuilding the engine i sold the engine and all the supporting electronics. I have beaten many a car with it but i need something that i can work on without throwing wrenched across the shop! you guys might want to check out www.grannysspeedshop.com just for the hell of it, that is where i got the engine cradle, be sure and check out the 350 rx7 that ran a 10.2!

I dont have an answer for your question (SORRY) but wanted to say that it sounds like a cool project. In the early eighties there was a Datsun 240Z with a 427 running around...it was cool. I also saw a mercedes 2 seat convertible that was a "427 SL"....very unique. I am sure the mercedes boys (if they exist) didnt approve of that one either...

Yeah.. It's quite a phase shift going from a 13B to a 350... Complete opposite ends of the spectrum.

I was like them once, when I had my 13B.. "1.3L, yo, at 146hp! That's 112.3hp/L! Yo yo yo!" Yay.. Good for me.. Too bad HP/L doesn't win the race. Now I've got like 45 HP/L (on a good day), but it's definitely faster..<G>

It's a difficult switch for many ppl, going from the "efficient" engines to the "old tech" engines.... Both have their pros/cons.. I miss revving to 7k, but you don't see any rotaries making 300+ lb*ft!

Hmm... Or, you could always get a Renesis rotary engine! 1.3L, 276HP, N/A!

Good luck with your swap,
-Tesla

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91 T/A 305 tpi SD
STB, Airfoil, Hooker cat-back, pseudo-cold air to K&N, Accel coil, !cat, !smog pump.
The Wankel Rotary Engine - The replacement for displacement.

Get the flywheel for something like a 83or 84 305 T-5. That will have the right bolt pattern for your early crank; fit in your bell housing; work with your 10.4" clutch; and fit your existing starter.

There's no way to change the bell housing to a "straight up" one, and still use that trans. If the trans itself was rotated back straight, the trans mount pad would be tilted, and the shifter would have to stick through the right side of the tunnel since its pad would also be rotated. You should be able to just stick the whole thing in there without any problems, since the entire assembly will have a horizontal trans mount pad and a horizontal, centered shifter pad.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."

That granny's speed shop says to get an early style bellhousing. The turn has nothing to do with the transmission its self. You can buy lakewood bellhousings new from Summit and Jegs if you want to spend the money. I have the aftermarket t-56 and it needs a special adapter plate to make it work right in the 3rd gen fbody. Otherwise the clutch fork would hit the trans tunnel.

James

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If the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy