My brother purchased another 914 project. It currently has a mazda non turbo rotary conversion. It is currently not running, but apparently it ran in SCCA. It also has a radiator kit plumbed to the front. I have been reviewing his options:

Option 1: Spend money on the rotary to determine the health of the engine. Decide the cost to repair the rotary and figure out the wiring.

Option 2 :He still has a type iv 71mmx 101mm long block. Determine cost of repair or rebuild, figure out what's missing, and get it back on the street.

Option 3: convert to 4 cylinder Subaru wrx engine. determine the cost

Option 4: convert to 6 cylinder Subaru ez30d engine. determine the cost.

Looking for input from forum members who have any one of these options 1-4, with pros' and con's.

Also for option 3-4 what real world cost are? what should be considered? Ball park on how many hours these conversions typically take?

If you already have the front radiator, the most bang for your buck would be either a Subaru 4 cylinder (turbocharged?) or LS Chevy conversion.

The Renegade Hybrids folks should be able to give you a pretty good idea of costs and time involved.

was this the black one that was for sale in orange county??? I emailed that guy a bunch and never got a response.

You won't get a whole lot of support for the rotary. I like it, but I had several. There is a guy on Craig's List in Napa that will rebuild for $800. He post on CL all the time.

Seems like most people are scared of a rotary engine...

yes it was the one from orange county. With that my brother sold me his 72 1914.

how much did he pick it up for? I really wanted it when it was for sale for 2 grand, but then he never responded and raised the price to 2500 I lost interest.

I'm chiming in about option #1,, A used Japanese engine can be had for under $1000 for 1988~1992 turbo engine. Everything else should bolt up. Engine rebuilds for rotaries can get expensive (if done correctly) but then you practically have a new engine when you're done. Rotaries die a few ways,, excessive oil consumption, low compression, or someone cooked it by overheating. Check your compression by removing the spark plugs, squirt oil in plug holes,, and crank the engine with the coils disconnected. Then hook up a compression guage with the check valve removed, and install the trailing spark plug, and hook the gauge up to the leading spark plug. Watch the guage needle jump and you should see 3 even compression pulses. Now repeat the process for the other rotor.(rotaries usually only have 2 rotors) If this is confusing,, PM me

Rotary 914s are very unique rides.
Now if you don't want to hassle with learning about rotaries,,,, I'd go Subie

-Robert

Mike from your experience was there any major gotcha's that could have been avoided? I read your thread very impressive. What kinda hp does a rotary 13b produce non turbo?

Is there a Subaru checklist prior to conversion?

for instance:
1. you need a cradle
2. you need to decide on aftermarket ecm or stock
3. wiring loom conversion
4. clutch & flywheel
5. radiator placement
6. water pump placement
7. 901 tranny adapter
8. jdm engine or rebuilt


I saw the thread mentioning all the Subaru vendors that support the conversion. It would be nice to know a ballpark figure of what one would expect prior to diving in.

With a set of headers and no smog, you should have around 165hp from a 13B.

Make sure it doesn't overheat. Too mush heat will expand the sandwich engine and cause major oil leaks. This equals rebuild.

Make sure the oil injection is working. The rotary injects oil to keep the apex seals lubricated. This seals the combustion just like a set of piston rings.

Don't ever let it detonate (ping). This will destroy the apex seal and require a rebuild to fix.

Most auto parts stores do not carry any rotary parts. Many cannot order them either. You will be able to find spark plugs and oil. That's about it. You will need to get parts from places like Atkins Rotary. They sell on their website and have good customer service.

I am the brother potterporsche is talking about , at this time i think my best move is to step away from the 13b n/a motor ,they just seem to tempermental .and i have a tendency to push a car to its limits . So i am narrowing down to the big bore type IV ,a n/a subaru 6 ( ez30) , or the wrx turbo 4 cyl, i would love to hear pros and cons and build cost ,thanks in advance for the help

true..My shop is in the same location of a very good rotary tuner place the guys do great work.lucky7

1= $650. <$200 if you build your own
2= $2000 + tune for aftermarket
3= $175 if you do it yourself and already have an OEM harness to strip. Appx 40 hr's to convert.
4= $200 w/o flywheel which should come from donor car.
5= <$150 for new radiator and twin fan set up.
6= OEM engine mounted water pump
7= Why? Use the Suby Trans. $250-$999 for a 5 speed. Another $150 to lock out rear drive function. Parts not used from Suby trans will sell for $250-$350.
9= Neither. Buy a donor car. You'll save $2000 on just on the ECU. Many parts from air bags, radiator, tires, automatic trans, etc. that you can sell. Buy a running donor so you know the engine runs.