I've been a rotary kind of guy since I was 17 and I drove my first RX-7. That high winding scream still sends chills up my spine. 7000+ rpms of wonder. Love them.
Then I bought this:
It's a 1989 Thunderbird Super Coupe.
It's got one of these:
3.8 liters of supercharged goodness backed up by a 5 speed. 12 PSI of boost available immediately. What is lag, cause this ain't got none.
berkeley a rotary.
The SC has got the the one thing the rotary never had. 310 foot pounds of torque at 2000rpm. I don't even care that it only turns 5 grand. That it's an antique design dating back to the 50s. Or even that it's almost guaranteed to blow a head gasket at some time. I don't even care that it's bolted in a 3600 pound car.
At 60 my RX-7 was turning 4000 rpms, getting 20mpg and if you wanted to pass someone you better catch a lower gear. The SC at 60 is turning 1700 rpms and getting 26-27mpg. Want to pass someone, just mash the gas. You only need to down shift if you want to blow their doors off. I paid less for the entire car than it would cost to rebuild a rotary.
I came down an on ramp to the interstate yesterday. Not pushing it hard, just getting on it. Shifting 1st through 4th at 4000 rpms. A glance at the speedo showed 110mph. 
Not what I'm used to, that's for sure. I'm gonna have to control the thunder switch on this one. Love it.
berkeley a rotary.
Anyone have a Super Coupe drivetrain I can stick in my RX-7? 
that's not torque...
this is torque:
Not the truck I used to drive.. but similar
Seriously though, nice looking SC. Always liked the looks of those T-Birds
Will
Dork
7/22/12 7:48 p.m.
Glad you're having fun with it. You should join us at the SC Shootout in Clay City, KY this year.
SC Shootout
they came with a manual gear box option?... always liked the idea of one...
Will wrote:
Glad you're having fun with it. You should join us at the SC Shootout in Clay City, KY this year.
SC Shootout
Hmm, that's tempting, but I'm not sure the car will be ready for that long a haul. Close to 600 miles for me. I've still got to do the clutch and brakes. I also need to do the coupler in the supercharger to get rid of the rattle. I've also got a Lemons race the weekend before.
And yes, torque is addictive.
Toyman01 wrote:
Is a radiator cap on your checklist?
And torque is King. 
I can admit i miss torque yes but you can always add a SC to anything lol
Very nice, more plans for the future?
Hopefully tomorrow, I will have all 525 ft/lbs @ 1800 rpm of torque available for altering the earth's rotation. 
In reply to Donebrokeit:
7.3 PowerStroke. It's still "stock" until today. 
In reply to JtspellS:
Right now I'm taking care of deferred maintenance. The brakes are pretty much trashed from rotor rust. Parts are on the way for that. Front calipers, rebuild kits for the rear, new rotors on all four corners, EBC yellow pads. I was hoping to get that done this weekend.
The fuel tank needs to be dropped. Something is leaking when the tank is full.
While it's out, I'm going to do the clutch. It's got a fairly high pedal and isn't going to be long for this world and the tank has to come out to do it.
That will do for starts. I'm probably going to keep this on civilized for now. I've still got this for my ragged edge, beat you to death while roasting you legs and making your ears bleed rotary fix.
Wonder how long a 12A would last with a supercharger.
In reply to Toyman01:
Fuel filler neck grommet is torn causing the leak when full. Someone probably did a FP at one time and hamfisted the neck back in.
Ranger50 wrote:
In reply to Toyman01:
Fuel filler neck grommet is torn causing the leak when full. Someone probably did a FP at one time and hamfisted the neck back in.
That's what I thought, but I can reach that and it appears dry. The first and only fill up had fuel seeping down the side of the tank on the passenger side. It looks like the fill tube would leak down the back of the tank. I'm leaning toward either the gasket on the fuel pump access or there is apparently some kind of vent on the top of the tank. Hell, for all I know the tank might have the only rust on the entire car. Unfortunately I won't know for sure until I get the tank on the ground. 
I'm probably going to do the fuel pump while I'm at it.
damn you for making me want one of those creatures. didn't know they came with a man trans...
berkeley a rotary. that made me LOL.
you think that's a lot of torque in a car?
a sheltered life, you live..
Agreed.
500+ is flat out awesome.
If you've never driven a Cadillac powered by a 472 or 500 (the pre-smog ones) or a pre-smog Lincoln with a 460, you really need to.
There's something incredible about the feel of a car that heavy getting underway that quickly.
70's vette with a blown 454 and a 4sp, scared the crap out of me. Wasn't much for top end with 4:11 rear, but holy crap could it get there in a hurry. Glad it wasn't mine. 
Trans_Maro wrote:
Agreed.
500+ is flat out awesome.
If you've never driven a Cadillac powered by a 472 or 500 (the pre-smog ones) or a pre-smog Lincoln with a 460, you really need to.
There's something incredible about the feel of a car that heavy getting underway that quickly.
Agreed. My Dad's old Chrysler Imperial 3 speed and a well worked 440 with a cam that didn't wake up until about 4k. That's an interesting feeling. It really makes you question the safety of lap belts.
I had a '71 Roadrunner clone with a 440 in it. I didn't have much history in the car, but I'm guessing it had an aftermarket cam/intake/carb. It was pretty amazing how the speedometer and fuel gauge were inversely proportionate when you layed into it.
Toyman01 wrote:
berkeley a rotary.
berkeley a rotary.
I'm pretty sure that NWA has a song called "Berkeley A Rotary!"
My first car was a pre-smog Cadillac with a 500. I miss that car.
