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Had more time yesterday then I initially thought, so I got some work done on my clutch pedal setup. I decided just to modify and reuse the RX8 clutch pedal assembly. Here is a few shots of the rx8 clutch...
Its a decent assembly, however rx8s in general have a known issue with the clutch pedal being a weak point. The bracket that bolts the pedal to the firewall is spot welded...literally in on 2 spots, and is very flimsy.
Due to this I went ahead and welded a seem all the way around the bracket to "beef" it up. This was on top of the reinforcement bracket I installed. Since this is a known issue the aftermarket seen for the rx8 clutch pedals has plenty of solutions. Here is a shot of the bracket...its the piece with the 3 holes in it...
Once I got the pedal all beefed up I test fitted it in the car a few times, and noticed I needed to cut the master cylinder push rod a little bit to make everything fit correctly.
I tried to cut it following the thread so it would still screw on without issue...I used a fine blade on a dremel, and it worked out pretty nice, and threads on the pedal without issue. Here is a shot of it all installed minus the pin and c clamp on the pedal.
Now its back to waiting for the parts to come to finish up the fuel system...in the meantime though maybe ill get going on the gas pedal so I can knock the pedal assembly.
The fedex/ups man came a few days ago and delivered some of the fuel system fittings and parts I ordered. I mocked up the return line fitting, and the feed line fitting to make sure what I though would work in my head works in real life .
Here was the situation before...which is why I ordered up some 90 degree AN 6 fittings.
And here is the after with the 90 degree fittings....much better!
Also here is a shot of the corvette fuel filter/regulator with all the fittings on it.
I decided not to continue with the fuel system setup after this due to the fact Im still waiting on the sending unit I ordered to get here from California. Id rather wait, and not open the gas tank up more then I need to. On that note I moved onto installing the trigger wheel onto the LS1 so the electric power steering on the rx8 will function.
Here are a few shots of it mounted...
This one you can kind of see the bracket for the rx8 e-shaft sensor mounted as well.
I went ahead and followed the LS1 torque specs for the harmonic balancer bolt...but after I torqued it to 37 ft-lbs...I was not able to get another 140 degrees. I tightened the crap out of it with a big breaker bar, but didnt want something catastrophic to happen so I stopped when it felt like I should lol. I used red loctite which helps give me a little peace of mind about not getting the additional 140 degrees. However, the 140 degrees on-top of the 37 ft-lbs is based on installing a normal harmonic balancer, and bolt. The fact that I have a huge chunk of aluminum machined to mount the rx8 trigger wheel; and a longer one off bolt on top of that I figure it makes sense to not be able to get an additional 140 degrees. Next update will come as soon as I get the rest of the parts I ordered for the fuel system.
I have had a few days to think about a few things, first being the crank/balancer bolt. I think it is fine, but with how much of a pain in the *** it will be to get to once the motor is in the car I've decided to just go ahead and order the ARP crank bolt. I'm a little nervous to take the bolt in there now out since I used red loctite on it, but hopefully everything goes well. I'm still waiting for my original orders to arrive...so in the mean time I got to working on my gas pedal situation!
This is what the inside of the DBW gas pedal looks like (I got this pic from another thread, because I lost or accidentally deleted my own)
Since I will be using the DBC I followed what I saw from another build on here, because it was done so well. (It was the IS 250 LSX build I have linked a few pages back)
I started out with a rough template...
Here is the gas pedal all apart...
After some cutting, here is the lever arm mocked up with the pedal...
And here is the whole assembly mocked up...had to make sure the cuts I made on the pedal cover had the right clearance....everything looks pretty good!!
Thats all I got for now! I plan to re-cut a new lever arm at the machine shop at work so its nice a pretty, but glad to know the idea is going to work for my application.
I just started my swap. I see yours has been going on for a while. I am starting with the wiring as I see it as the hardest part. I am using Hinson parts for the swap check out my Thread Rx8 v8 I have a pin out started and have a PDF file posted. I will update the wiring issues as I solve them.
Very nice! Ya this has been going on for a LONG time. Not that it matters, but it started in college when I was broke as a joke, then after college I got married, and purchased a home lol. So until now I havent been able to fund the build since the money I would have used the last 3-4 years went to those items.
As far as the wiring goes...that is the part I am most concerned with, but hopefully it will all come together, and work out. I defenitly will be checking out the pinouts you have on your thread...that alone will help a ton im sure!
Not much of an update, but I did at least get the gas pedal complete. So now my pedal assembly is all buttoned up. Once the engine bay is all painted ill get the gas and clutch pedal installed into the vehicle for good.
Here is a few shots of it complete.
Also I got the RX8 Coolant temp sensor, and the RX8 e-shaft sensor installed on the motor finally. The RX8 oil pressure sensor should be here any day, so I can get that put on as well.
Finally had some spare time today to install the fuel gauge sending unit that I ordered a while back.
The reason I ordered it was because I noticed when I was replacing the fuel pump assembly, that the wires were frayed...
Obviously I wasn't comfortable having an open current in the closed gas tank..so instead of repairing it with fuel resistant heat shrink I just straight replaced the whole unit. Also I swapped out the return line fittings with one that I think will work better.
Also finally I got the return and feed line fully installed and not just mocked up...I think it came out really nice. Now I just need to finalize where I want the fuel pressure regulator/filter, and rip all the old lines out.
The list of "to-do" is slowly getting shorter, which is nice to see after all this time!
-Remove the old fuel lines, and old rear brake lines
-Drop the motor/trans back in so I can install the line clamps for the new brake/fuel lines, and throttle cable (make sure the lines are not routed somewhere they shouldn't be)
-Pull the motor back out, and paint the engine bay
-Install (hopefully for the last time) all the brake and fuel lines, and the clutch pedal and gas pedal
Hey man, awesome build. I had a RX-8 before I got my GTO. Loved that car.
Heads up on the shifter, they are known to break. Had one for a couple years in my GTO and then one day the shaft snapped. But other than that great build, keep up the progress.
Havent read every page of this thread, but I have been considering doing one of these next....
what did you do for the rear end? I have not found anything short of a custom 1 off fab job or the expensive quick change differential rear subframe setup
The FD rear end fits without modification so the diff will fit without modification. There are many different options for the FD so getting something that will handle the power and more importantly the torque of the V8 in the FE will not be too difficult. I am doing my swap now, check out my thread. I started with the wiring and have the pin out mostly done. I have it posted on my thread.
Hey man, awesome build. I had a RX-8 before I got my GTO. Loved that car.
Heads up on the shifter, they are known to break. Had one for a couple years in my GTO and then one day the shaft snapped. But other than that great build, keep up the progress.
Hmm interesting...good to know, ill be sure to watch out for that. Thanks for the info!
Originally Posted by roastin240
Havent read every page of this thread, but I have been considering doing one of these next....
what did you do for the rear end? I have not found anything short of a custom 1 off fab job or the expensive quick change differential rear subframe setup
Not that you are asking for advice, but if you ever get a chance to look back at my thread you will see it has been going for awhile haha. I started it in college when I had no money. Looking back probably wasn't the smartest decision I ever made. Be sure to start your project once you know you will have the funds (aka dont be in college, or saving for a home, or a wedding lol) it will make it feel like it drags on.
As far as a rear end ill be using the stock rear end for now, but my plan will be to swap in a FD rear (like frankenstein said) or possibly even an 8.8.
Originally Posted by frankenstein motors
The FD rear end fits without modification so the diff will fit without modification. There are many different options for the FD so getting something that will handle the power and more importantly the torque of the V8 in the FE will not be too difficult. I am doing my swap now, check out my thread. I started with the wiring and have the pin out mostly done. I have it posted on my thread.
Ya there are a few guys that have swapped FD rear ends in without much issue. And keep it up!! I have been religiously checking your build thread to try and get as much wiring help as possible haha.
I was able to get a few more things knocked out this weekend...mainly getting the old fuel and brake lines out.
And the new ones mocked up and roughly ran...
Once I get the motor back in, then ill finalize the routing of the lines, find a place to install the corvette fuel filter/regulator, run the fuel line up to the fuel rail, and run the throttle cable as well.
I am fully aware of what it takes to do an LS swap. I am about to finish my 3rd one now This one I built a forged 5.3 and a 1-off hand built turbo kit into a 300zx. But keep up your progress, you will be done one of these days! Persistence is key.
Howdy all, I am doing a swap and have a thread also (Rx8 V8) I had ordered parts from Hinson and received the hydraulics after a month but the rest of my order has been delayed and my repeated attempts to get agreed upon help with wiring never happened. I called Brian Hinson today and asked for the status of my order, he put me on hold and called Lane Culvert (not sure I spelt that correctly) who used to work for Brian and still does his fab work. After a brief hold he came back on the line to tell me the ABS bracket was not made yet and would have to get back to me. He then said it would be after Monday before the rest of my order was shipped. I finally told him to just refund my money and be done with it. I am now looking into other alternatives for mounting cooling and exhaust. The V8 Roadster mounting kit looks nice but you can not run long tube headers. They also do not have anything to replace the rear axel support. I will keep looking and see what I can find. It is a shame that Hinson could not deliver as promised.
Howdy all, I am doing a swap and have a thread also (Rx8 V8) I had ordered parts from Hinson and received the hydraulics after a month but the rest of my order has been delayed and my repeated attempts to get agreed upon help with wiring never happened. I called Brian Hinson today and asked for the status of my order, he put me on hold and called Lane Culvert (not sure I spelt that correctly) who used to work for Brian and still does his fab work. After a brief hold he came back on the line to tell me the ABS bracket was not made yet and would have to get back to me. He then said it would be after Monday before the rest of my order was shipped. I finally told him to just refund my money and be done with it. I am now looking into other alternatives for mounting cooling and exhaust. The V8 Roadster mounting kit looks nice but you can not run long tube headers. They also do not have anything to replace the rear axel support. I will keep looking and see what I can find. It is a shame that Hinson could not deliver as promised.
***Full disclaimer*** I have never used any of there products, just because I already had collected everything I needed, but have you checked out CXracing? They have a whole line of LS1 RX8 swap kits/products. Maybe you can find what you need there if Hinson is no longer an option for you.
I spoke to a rep at V8 Roadsters and they are very helpful and free with information. I ordered the fuel system from them today as I looked up the parts and could not build it myself for what they are charging. The current price is 445. if you factor in the time to make the lines with fittings and such you would be hard pressed to beat that price. I will take pictures and post them on my thread. After speaking to them I can also use their K Member and still support the factory rear end with a simple bracket. I still may go with the 8.8 ford but I want to button up the engine bay and wiring before I make that decision. Overall my build is going well.
On another note. I am getting ready to move my ABS pump and I found out that if you have the Non DSC pump you can remove all the wiring from it. I will confirm that before I go cutting wires but that will simplify things dramatically if that is in fact true.
Had some time this weekend to get a bit done on the car! First up was to get everything on the motor that was needed before it was in the car and hand room was an issue. I already had the rx8 coolant temp sensor, and eshaft sensor done. However, I still needed to drill and tap the oil pressure sending unit in. Was able to knock that out fairly quick.
Once that was done I was able to get the motor back in the car! So I could verify the way I was routing my new brake lines was not interfering with anything.
And of course I made a point to snap a few picks with the fuel rail covers on...motivation to finish the project quicker to say the least!
Good news is the ABS unit now is completely out of the way, and has plenty of room..also for the most part the brake lines I ran seemed to be good where they were at.
Also I got the clutch mounted in the car for good, along with the master cylinder.
One thing that was bothering me though is the more I look at the motor in there the more I wish it was a little lower in the bay. I just feel like the stock mounts I am using are too damn tall. I'm looking into getting some different ones if I can find some for a reasonable price that work with my setup. Anyway, back on topic...after I got the clutch pedal taken care of I went ahead and started on the throttle pedal.
I got the line mounted through the firewall, however I still need to mount the pedal in the car with the lever arm I made, and mark a hole to get everything setup.
I just updated my thread with a new pinout PDF. The wiring is coming along nicely, check it out RX8 V8 is the thread. (for those who don't know already)
Some more progress on the ride! Finally got around to pulling the rx8 wiring harness along with the rx8 instrument cluster and sent it out to get reworked. Also I ordered some more parts that I have been putting off for a bit. Ill most likely get a full update together this weekend, when I get some more time to take some pics!
12-31-2016, 11:57 AM
Clutch mock-up/install... 
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