Hello. I'm building a car using a 2005 RX8 automatic as the donor and I had a few questions about the electronics that someone here may be able to answer. First a few pictures though to kind of set the stage for the scale of the lobotomy that I plan on giving to the engine.

The donor.


And the engine sitting in the new frame.



Ok, now the questions about the electronics and the ECU.

1. Will the ECU mind if I remove a lot of the systems that it may be expecting, like the ABS and wheel speed sensors, all the air bag velocity sensors and airbags, power steering, cruise control, the entire AC system, and the security system.

2. Some people say that I will be able to "disable" these systems in the ECU and some say that I will not be able to with this car. Does anyone know if that is going to be possible or not?

3. As I have the feeling it will not like me removing these systems and I may not be able to reprogram it enough ignore these systems missing. Is there any aftermarket ECU that would allow me to get the engine to just run?

4. How reliant on the ECU is the auto transmission?

5. I heard that the keys can be an issue with these engines. I have neither of the original keys. Is it possible to replace the entire keying system with a more traditional "turn the key and complete the circuit" setup and disable the ignition security?

6. And lastly, does anyone have any advice for me or can they think of any issues that I have not thought of yet, related to the electronics or otherwise?

Thanks

 

No clue, I would recommend you contact the guys at Pettit Racing. IIRC they had a hand in building or R&D on the Diasio Race cars, which seems to be somewhat similar to what you are doing.
http://pettitracing.com/rx8/index_engines.htm

Just click contacts and email them your questions. Good Luck.