How an Ohio Engineer Turned a $150 Mazda RX-7 into the Ultimate Frankenstein Using Parts From Saab, Pontiac, Chevy, Polaris, and Even La-Z-Boy

“Oh, that’s a great idea,” was what I thought when this out-of-the-box expert found my desk: Reader Alec Bagley installed a GM Ecotec engine in an FC RX-7, and assembled another using parts. from all over, resulting in a one-of-a-kind racing car. This is what he did.

I’ve seen many exchanges over the years, but this one stuck out. Everyone and their mother can’t get enough of the GM LS V8—changing everything under the sun, from Porsches to Mazda RX-8s, but the Ecotec is a great engine in its own right. (Note: Avoid pre-2005 2.2s due to timing chain issues. Ditto for many 2.4s in later cars, which struggled with fuel consumption. -DT), and can be very powerful for track service. Think of it as the American Honda K-motor in terms of parts availability.

Anyway, let’s take a look at exactly what this northeast Ohio mechanical engineer put together, because it’s amazing.

Alec Bagley

Goodbye, Bee

As much as many people love the beehive-sounding, budget-friendly, rotary engine of the FC generation—that’s the second generation—the original 13B engine may not be the best. Parts can be hard to come by, the dollar-per-horsepower situation isn’t great, and some people may not be ready to live without pistons when it comes to engine maintenance and rebuilding.

For Bagley, he didn’t have to make any tough decisions. “I packed this RX-7 as a pod while browsing Facebook Market during a lecture at school,” he said. The Autopian Athlete via email. A friend of his had started running a ’98 Mustang Cobra in the SCCA Time Trials, and he thought it would be fun to find something cheap to join. For just $150, it was a trailer and in its place; now was the time to build it.

“I searched junkyards, eBay, and FBM to build this car, and probably 75% were used parts and bad scams.” When you have a blank canvas with little money, why not go with it and find a powerful/cheap piston engine alternative?

He says the Ecotec LK9 engine (2.0 liter turbo) made sense because it is a universally designed engine and is part of a family of motors that have been installed in many vehicles for a long time. Not only that, but it’s popular in dirt and circuit racing, GM published materials on how to build it for high-horsepower racing, and it’s even been outfitted with Miatas’ engine bays.

As for getting parts, it will take a long time before it becomes an issue. Sure, most are blown up, but he notes that they’re more common than Honda’s K Series, and those are, apparently, available for a long time from junkyards, wreckers, and the like. The same cannot be said for the 13B circuit.

Building

Beneath this RX-7’s sleek metal body, there’s a lot going on. The engine came from a 2008 Saab 9-3, but was rebuilt with new rings and bearings from eBay—it’s the same unit found in the Chevy Cobalt SS. Stiffened to the curb is the 2006 Pontiac Solstice’s transmission, and it all sits in the Solstice’s depths with a hockey puck mixed in. Electric fan is from Hyundai, radiator from Silverado, Cobalt SS provided sensor support and water. -to-air intercooler coolant pump, shifter assembly is from a Toyota Chaser, and there are some parts from Polaris and Ski-Doo. There is a lot going on.

The design even sports some of the DNA of the LA-Z-Boy recliner, with metal pieces removed from the sofa to create several joints.

Bagley’s explained most of the design in the photo Facebook, and it is very interesting to go through. So far, it looks service at the SCCA Time Trials in Northeast Ohio, and it’s low to high—in a very good way, he’s invested a lot of time and effort into it.

“It’s a blast to drive, I’m still learning the limits of the car and myself. With the wide body I can stick the big tires on the ground… It handles very well, but I have suspension adjustments to make, and it actually weighs less than the factory powered RX7, coming in at less than 2,600 pounds in race trim.”

(Editor’s note: I would like to mention some photos from Bagley’s Facebook album, because they show the resolution of serious problems. As you can see above, Bagley and his friends tore a large hole in the cage to accommodate those inside the fourth line. Here you can see the cut in progress:

I also want to mention what a nightmare it was for Bagley to install that turbo right next to the water pump. Notice how he had to bend the water pump pipe straight down (the chrome tube, which usually goes back):

This gave enough room for the turbo:

As you can see, the area is a packing disaster – “five pounds of shit in a 10-pound bag,” as Chrysler engineers would put it at my old workplace. The turbocharger’s exhaust (i.e. the exhaust) is very close to the cage, and that required a special downpipe:

Honestly, I’m impressed:

I have pasted more pictures of the design at the end of the article. -DT)

In terms of how Frankenstein FC’s fared, it had a successful inaugural season last year. “I worked on a few engines earlier, the vacuum line melted, and I added more. Fortunately, the charge pipe went off before I could damage anything. At the same time I discovered that the turbo had vibrated itself from multiple channels. Then, on the next occasion, the turbo vibrated on its own. , and the turbine shaft was the only thing holding it together.

Bagley is also proud of the fact that his car did not burn to the ground. We’re glad it didn’t.

Bagley Is The Offensive King

Bagley has been spinning since he was a teenager, and he told us via email how he got into it all, writing:

I started struggling in high school when I was looking for a car to drive. My dad had a 1985 Power Ram 50 and we agreed that I could make it run again, I could drive it. That was the first car that I did a lot of work on myself, I rebuilt the intake and installed a new carburetor. I drove it every day for about 6 months before it ate an exhaust valve on my way to my summer job, so I pulled the engine out and rebuilt it with Cloyes and Dr.’s guidance. Google.

While in engineering school, I participated in the Society of Automotive Engineers college design series, where we made a single seat out of a sad 10hp Briggs powered street car. I had to travel around the country and compete with other schools. About halfway through my college career one of my friends signed up for Hawk Brake and talked about racing with me and another friend. Another friend of mine brought a 1998 cobra and started road racing and I bought an RX7 for $150 as a project (there’s another story in itself how I got the car so cheap). It was around this time that I found /Drive’s video on Corban Goodwin’s ‘Zero Fucks Given RX7’, which served as the inspiration for my car. This was the fall of 2019, and I had planned to keep my car for the 2020 season, and we all know how that ended. Work finally began on the car in the fall of 2020, with the car running for the first time under its capacity in the summer of 2022, and it’s first race on May 1, 2023, in the middle of the Ohio road in the snow.

While I was building the car I went and served at a friend’s race, as he was converting from his 1998 Cobra to a retired American Iron Extreme chassis (if you want to talk to him, he has a great story. He holds several regional records. and is generally very nice in showing corvettes in solid axle mustang). While on the crew I met a lot of great people who encouraged the build and helped motivate me to finish my car.

By the way, here’s Zero F*cks Give RX7: