I was having electrical troubles awhile ago and I posted that one of the people who posted here, eastbay851, helped me out. It was the first time I met him but in between working on my car and my kids tackling him on the back lawn, he asked me if I wanted to drive his car while he was away. Turns out he travels half the time. I didn't think anything of it but he left a duplicate key in my mail box last Wednesday with a note, "Give it a shot. See what you think." I don't know if you guys are familiar with his car but he did a rotary conversion. Well, I gotta say, WOW. Unbelievable performance compared to my 2.0. Why don't more people do this when they blow up their original engines. I have to give this some serious consideration if (when) I will need expensive work done to the engine. 96k... could go anytime really. Unknown previous owner treatment etc.

It's been done. In fact, no other then Dr. Wankel himself converted a 914/6 in 1970 using one of his rotary motors!

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=19558

I happen to really like the rotary conversion.

-Robert

The rotary conversion does sound like a good idea!

You would have a hard price argument against the smallblock chevy guys though.

Where did he mount the radiator?

When I can find a conversion that doesn't require cutting any sheet metal, I am probably jumping ship.

I like the aircooled motor, but getting good parts is getting hard.

I'm doing a Turbo Rotary now. Check out my link below.

Most people are a little scared of the Rotary engine. No valves, no heads, no cam, no push rods, no pistons, no rods... It is a little strange. Since it is not like a piston engine people shy away. They also run a little hotter, slightly. But when they do overheat, it is usually rebuild time. They have a reputation of failure but do not fail any more than a piston engine. Once you have a bad rep, it's hard to get rid of it...

They do make mucho horse power from only 1.3 liters. Mine will be 300-350hp. You can get over 700hp from a turbo version set up for racing, but it will not last very long with normal driving. My goal is a daily driver. I removed a V8 from my car. The V8 is 400 pounds heavier than the rotary too. It should go like a raped ape!

The rotary fires twice per revolution. Mazda is the only one (besides you) that claims it's 1.3L.
The rest of the world calls it 2.6L, but it goes thru gas like it's 3.9L. That said, it is a remarkably simple piece of kit.

It's main feature, to me, is it's low CG. It's torque is not that good, but I'd do one before a V8.

Not to get into a pissing match The static displacement is 1.3L You are correct however.

The torque on mine in stock form is 265ft lbs @ 4500 rpm. Way more than a 2.0 T4 engine. So I don't buy the argument on low torque. Based on the displacement the torque is incredible. Even the 1.2L carb motor puts out 150 ft lbs. I had a 1.2L in my 63 VW Bus. It was way faster than my pro built 1776cc dual carb motor. The 914 is sooooo light that it don't take much torque to get er moving. The V8 guys (myself included) will tell you about how hard it is to prevent wheel spin. The rotary is a perfect engine for the 914. The balance of weight to HP to torque is like heaven. You just have to over engineer the cooling system. The Apex seals are semi fragile when overheated.

Any tips for a cooling system? Can you do it without cutting?

No. The best way to cool it is in the front trunk through the bumper. Most guys vent out through the fender wells into the brakes. On my last V8 I used a custom flat radiator and vented through the trunk floor. That worked great too. I even had a little front trunk space left over on top of the shroud. The trunk floor is a structural member of the suspension. Large holes should be avoided. The factory did vent the oil cooler and A/C condenser there though.

Now there have been guys mounting radiators in the engine bay. While they have been creative and did work somewhat, when you have high HP or an engine designed to run hot it's not a good idea. There is very tubulant air flow into the engine bay.

The best rule of thumb is to have the air outlet twice the size of the inlet. This creates a low pressure area and pulls air into the radiator.

If you don't want to cut your 914, buy a second one...

I'm thinking that's the way

"The V8 is 400 pounds heavier than the rotary too."
...really?

914 with a hemi?

This one just popped up for sale a few miles from here. I've GOT to go look at it this weekend:



http://web-temple-hosting.com/cl/914.html

...I'm sorry, but I can't swallow a rotary in a 914. The 914 either produces the sound of a horizontal 4 cycle 4 or 6 cylinder.
As for the V8 guys, I excuse them because I have rode in a DeTomaso with a Clevland screaming just behind my head,
and that too, is the only proper sound for that car.

Yes, I have seen Sunbeam Tigers running a rotary as well as other cars.

Hey how about a rotary 1956 Buick Roadmaster, or a rotary 1964 Riviera,
or can you image an XK120 with a rotary, or even a DB5 !
Sadly, they would all be as stupid as '60's karate movies.

I don't care how much horsepower it would have.
If I wanted to go just for straight line speed, or an all out maniac car, then I would consider:
1964 Pontiac GTO;
Falcon Sprint, (289, 4 speed);
Chevy II, (SS 396);
Cheetah; (the ultimate snake killer)
Lister;
XJ12J; (mid-ship twelve)
Alfa Romeo T33/2P...(sexiest car on the planet)....

can you imagine a rotary in any one of those listed...
I cannot, and do not want to imagine it...

...having a rotary in any one of those would be like finally getting intimate with your hottest chick on the planet and
when you pull her panties down to do the deed, you find round-steak and potatoes instead of taco delight...

...that's just me...I'm done bitchin'......
Don't pay any attention to me.
You can do anything you want to your car. Have fun with it.

Ouch! I can feel the derision and loathing on the left coast!
I happen to like the sound of the never ending wail a rotary makes as it revs out,, especially with IDAs.
It's mighty nice of you to "excuse" the V-8 guys,, perhaps you can cut the rotor-heads some slack too? I don't criticise the music you prefer,, to each his own.
I guess rotaries do sound obnoxious when you are behind them and can't seem to pass though.

-Robert

I have the radiator up front with an oil cooler just below and to the right. As for things that "should" or should or should not be in any car. Once again I apologize for the old, inflexible guys who are so caught up in tradition they would rather have leache precribed to them instead of penicillen. Sad really. If all we did was listen to these ignorant fools we d all still be living in caves. Damn I wish I could be as dumb as these guys. Not thinking is sooooo easy. Have 2 drinks and watch martin sheen every night and refuse to change out the period upholstery on the barca lounger. Uhhhh, you go genius. The flat four was an obsolete, under-powered piece of crap its entire life. Built for the "peoplescar" in the 40s it was meant to last not perform. ! Hope you don t get pneumonia. Actually I hope you do.

geeeze.... What did i start. One other thing, the cameras below the targa and the monitor in lieu of the ashtray are way cool. You're gonna have to do a filter on those cameras though. The glare at night from headlights is killer. How is San Diego treating you?