Rx8 v8
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Teching In
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Rx8 v8 Howdy all, I just bought a 2006 RX8 and am tackling the daunting tack of the V8 swap. I am starting where most give up, the wiring. I choose to start here because you can get started on the swap cheap this way. I downloaded the wiring schematics and I am going with a stand alone harness from Hinson as I am going to go with their entire kit. There is not much in they way of detail on the wiring for these cars, at least not that I have found yet so I am going to document mine for all those that are interested.
A little history first, I used to own Valhalla Racing in Pensacola Florida now I own Frankenstein Motorsports also in Pensacola FL. (www.frankensteinmotorsports.com) I have done a lot of swaps and the kitted FD was mine the other cars on the site are customer cars.
I have some pictures to upload but wanted to just get started. I will appreciate any help from those that have done this already.
Thanks
A little history first, I used to own Valhalla Racing in Pensacola Florida now I own Frankenstein Motorsports also in Pensacola FL. (www.frankensteinmotorsports.com) I have done a lot of swaps and the kitted FD was mine the other cars on the site are customer cars.
I have some pictures to upload but wanted to just get started. I will appreciate any help from those that have done this already.
Thanks
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Update Well here are some picts when I picked up the little beastie. I paid 750. for the car the interior needed a little TLC but it is straight. I did all the interior work already and it is a 10 of 10 now.
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Here are some simple shots of the wiring so far. The plugs that go into the PCM have a clip on one side, if you get a small jewelers screwdriver you can open the clip and pull out any of the terminals. It does take a bit of force but they come out before breaking. I have removed the coil wires, fuel injectors, fan wiring to include the relays, separated the electric power steering and removed all the other rotary associated wiring. it should be a clean install. I am going to put the GM PCM in the dash where the nav system would be if this was a nav car. the Mazda PCM and steering controller will go behind the crash beam in a custom box.
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PLugs 1 and 2 finished OK here are some shots of connectors 1 and 2 on the Mazda PCM Basically I stripped all but the oil pressure, water temperature, Crank/Eccentric shaft position sensor and neutral safety switch from them. Also F2 connector strips down to just the 2 transmission feeds but I am not sure at this point if I need them. If anyone has input I would greatly appreciate it.
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Have you decided what to do about the rack and pinion? I plan to do this same swap eventually. The swap kits are insanely overpriced. Another member here used a Miata rack and it saved him a ton of hassle, but I can't find anything on it now.
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The kit to lower the rack is not to expensive and I am sure if you really wanted you could fab the mounts yourself but you will still have to buy the bump steer correction pieces. I am using the EPS system as it is easy and it gives some extra power not having the power steering pump driven by the motor.
As for kits overpriced when guys come into my shop basically a V8 swap in most cars cost in the 16 - 20K range for a turn key car. DIY should look at 10-15k if you figure 5k for the pullout. In todays market a good LS1/T56 will run 4500 - 6500 (if you can get me one cheaper I will buy it) If you check out my web site the Kitted RX7 is mine. I have a spare rear end and some other parts from that car that will go on the RX8. The RX7 is a great chassis the RX8 is also a good chassis, nimble, comfortable and nice lines. I am looking forward to the build. Hinson's kit should cost about 8000 for everything less the motor. When you consider the development of such kits and the time it saves the cost is not much. The RX7 FD rack will fit and so will the Miata rack with minimal fab work.
As for kits overpriced when guys come into my shop basically a V8 swap in most cars cost in the 16 - 20K range for a turn key car. DIY should look at 10-15k if you figure 5k for the pullout. In todays market a good LS1/T56 will run 4500 - 6500 (if you can get me one cheaper I will buy it) If you check out my web site the Kitted RX7 is mine. I have a spare rear end and some other parts from that car that will go on the RX8. The RX7 is a great chassis the RX8 is also a good chassis, nimble, comfortable and nice lines. I am looking forward to the build. Hinson's kit should cost about 8000 for everything less the motor. When you consider the development of such kits and the time it saves the cost is not much. The RX7 FD rack will fit and so will the Miata rack with minimal fab work.
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Pin out OK all, here is an excel spreadsheet I made for the pinout. Please provide input as the better this file the easier it will be for all those that come after to tackle the wiring issue. Remember, Knowledge is power, how we get the power from our knowledge is sharing it with others. I am an Aeronautical Engineer and believe I can make this a lot easier on the masses but I can only do it with the help of those that have done it before me.
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Wiring moving right along I managed to get some more wiring done. I also had to repair the passenger side air bag dash cover. Basically I layered one sheet fiberglass mat over the entire cover then sanding it smooth and filled the pin holes with spot glaze. It came out great. One thing to note I am not sure how that would be in a accident so I would not do it and retain the airbag. You can jump the connector to avoid the airbag light.
Anyway on to the wiring. Basically I eliminated connector 3 on the PCM, I also unpinned all the mass air flow wires along with the air pump. If you look at the attached PDF green is kept, red is deleted, white is unknown at this time. I may have to ground some of the pins to avoid it tripping the MIL like the coolant level sensor but I may take the MIL and wire it to the LS1 PCM and bypass the RX8 PCM for that function. any help here would be great. The traction control light is another issue I have not tackled yet but I may just de-solder it from the cluster as I am not going to have traction control. I am waiting on Hinson to send the hydraulics, fuel, ABS reposition and battery relocation. After those items are in I will order the LS1 wiring and mounting kit. Then onto the cooling, exhaust and sundry items to finish it out. Please refer to this PDF as it is updated.
Anyway on to the wiring. Basically I eliminated connector 3 on the PCM, I also unpinned all the mass air flow wires along with the air pump. If you look at the attached PDF green is kept, red is deleted, white is unknown at this time. I may have to ground some of the pins to avoid it tripping the MIL like the coolant level sensor but I may take the MIL and wire it to the LS1 PCM and bypass the RX8 PCM for that function. any help here would be great. The traction control light is another issue I have not tackled yet but I may just de-solder it from the cluster as I am not going to have traction control. I am waiting on Hinson to send the hydraulics, fuel, ABS reposition and battery relocation. After those items are in I will order the LS1 wiring and mounting kit. Then onto the cooling, exhaust and sundry items to finish it out. Please refer to this PDF as it is updated.
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Still going over the electrical, not much new in the way of pictures. I am looking into the fuel system and what is required from the existing Mazda system. Near as I can tell all I need is the transfer pump and gauge wiring. so I should be able to remove the relays, condenser and resistor along with associated wiring. I will keep you posted
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Clutch Master I just got the first shipment from Hinson last night. It is the modified clutch master cylinder kit. Basically from what I can tell the modified piece is in the form of a stud welded to the shaft. It is a 15.00 add for it and looks to be a quality weld and should work out nicely. I would have liked it if they included the fitting to the clutch pedal or the reinforcement parts for the pedal assembly. I will install them this weekend and take pictures.
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Pedals I worked on the pedal assembly yesterday. With the information I gleaned from this forum it worked out pretty good. The known clutch pedal issues with the RX8 are easy to remedy, and someone before me on this car already addressed it. The Hinson Hydraulic kit is pretty much a plug and play affair. I will upload the pictures of the completed work later on this evening.
I am still waiting on the fuel system, battery relocation kit and ABS bracket although I may not use the ABS bracket as I have seen some better alternatives. I will see once the bracket comes in.
I am still waiting on the fuel system, battery relocation kit and ABS bracket although I may not use the ABS bracket as I have seen some better alternatives. I will see once the bracket comes in.
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This is the detail for the part you have to make if you want to use the factory pedal. The only change I made after I started to fab the piece was to make one side flat and angle the other so it would ride flat on the pedal brace.
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More Pedal info 
The raw metal
Modified bolt head to fit flush
Arm bolted in
another shot of the arm bolted in
one side of the finished pedal
the other side of the finished pedal
Drilled out side for bolt clearance
Ok so here are so more pictures of the gas pedal
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Let down Howdy all, OK so I ordered a fuel system, ABS relocation bracket, battery relocation kit and the hydraulics from Hinson. I received the Hydraulics in just over a month and still had not received the rest of my order. I called Hinson this afternoon and asked if they had any update on my order. Brian Hinson called Lane Culvert (not sure I spelled that correct.) as he is the guy who is responsible for a lot of the design behind their stuff he then came back on the line and told me the ABS mount was not going to be ready until Monday I told him to forget it and refund my money, which he did without hesitation. I am now going to research the mounting and other items and source them directly from the producer of the item.
