carmudgeons.com - View Single Post - What the Mazda RX-8 should have been (new autocross car build)

John V · 03-09-2022, 12:03 PM

As a reminder of what the RX-8 should NOT have been... I bought a $900 non-running automatic RX-8 more than a month ago. It's just been sitting on my trailer since then. Marisa is out of town so I spent an hour fiddling with it. I think this might turn into a daily driver for me once I swap the drivetrain, or I might sell it to a friend to build into an endurance race car, who knows. Either way I wanted to get it running so I could drive it up to the shop vs. backing the trailer up there. The previous owner sold it because it wouldn't start and a mechanic said it needed an engine. I probably overpaid by a couple hundred, but it was clear the guy I bought it from needed that couple hundred more than I did so I bought it. It's actually in really nice shape, no rust, etc.

It was super-duper flooded and had two spark plugs that were broken (!). After replacing the plugs and de-flooding it, it fired up and actually runs okay.

It's a bit of a rare bird, it has a 6-port engine and an automatic. Most of the autos were the early cars with the shit 4-port engine. Being a 6-port means I can actually sell this engine for parts. The engine and catalytic converter alone are worth about $3k.

So... what to do? I have a 2.5L to swap in, and I now have "off-the-shelf" engine mounts of my own design so I could swap this in a weekend... though I don't have a gearbox that will work with the 2.5 at the moment. I think a high-revving 2.5L with a BMW E46 6-speed would make a nice daily driver. Maybe eventually turbocharge it? What say ye?

03-09-2022, 12:03 PM	#416
John V No more BMWs Join Date: Apr 2005 Carmudgeonly Ride: Ram, MS3, CX-5, RX-8 Location: Glenwood, MD Posts: 14,753	As a reminder of what the RX-8 should NOT have been... I bought a $900 non-running automatic RX-8 more than a month ago. It's just been sitting on my trailer since then. Marisa is out of town so I spent an hour fiddling with it. I think this might turn into a daily driver for me once I swap the drivetrain, or I might sell it to a friend to build into an endurance race car, who knows. Either way I wanted to get it running so I could drive it up to the shop vs. backing the trailer up there. The previous owner sold it because it wouldn't start and a mechanic said it needed an engine. I probably overpaid by a couple hundred, but it was clear the guy I bought it from needed that couple hundred more than I did so I bought it. It's actually in really nice shape, no rust, etc. It was super-duper flooded and had two spark plugs that were broken (!). After replacing the plugs and de-flooding it, it fired up and actually runs okay. It's a bit of a rare bird, it has a 6-port engine and an automatic. Most of the autos were the early cars with the shit 4-port engine. Being a 6-port means I can actually sell this engine for parts. The engine and catalytic converter alone are worth about $3k. So... what to do? I have a 2.5L to swap in, and I now have "off-the-shelf" engine mounts of my own design so I could swap this in a weekend... though I don't have a gearbox that will work with the 2.5 at the moment. I think a high-revving 2.5L with a BMW E46 6-speed would make a nice daily driver. Maybe eventually turbocharge it? What say ye?