E21 Rotary Swap??
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You are currently reading a thread in /o/ - Auto
You are currently reading a thread in /o/ - Auto
greetings /o/. I have a 1978 BMW 320i and I'm looking to buy this FB rx7 that has an extra engine, transmission, and goodies.
>http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/5300126296.html
The 12a is a tiny little thing and I imagine it would easily fit in the 3's engine bay. My friend has a TIG welder and experience with it (but not with engine swaps.) Would it be at all feasibe to swap that glorious spinning triangle in?
Thanks in advance for any and all advice.
>>13828741
yerp
>>13828746
go on...
Are motor/trans mounts and driveshafts super hard to do? I'd really like to do this if it's not TOO difficult
>>13828766
Regardless of how easy it'd be, its still gonna be a lot of hours, especially for first-timing it. So if you're really dedicated to spending a buttfuck worth of hours to put a dorito engine that will fall apart into a BMW frame that will fall apart, go for it.
>>13828741
>rotary BMW
Do it and enjoy the rage tears of all you come across.
>>13828931
>12A
>unreliable
this is how you can tell he has no clue what he's talking about
>>13828931
>>13828946
I'm fine with wasting a ton of time as long as it runs in the end/makes people butt hurt. I might even take the time to attach the emissions BS I need to make it street legal (CA) if all goes well.
I did my reading; I might opt to buy a custom length driveshaft to be sure it's balanced, etc.
That leaves motor mounts and electrical bullshit. Since the 12a is carbed and my M10 has fuel injection it should be even simpler.. right?
btw feel free to dump E21 porn, most underrated bmw desu senpai
>>13828954
You're right, I only ever really hear the horror stories of the people who do nothing at all to dorito engines, and the fucking everything goes wrong.
>>13828965
You should totally do it, make a thing of it with progress and such. Would be glorious.
Friend of a friend has a 13bt e30 show car
Dude has Like 100k into it
Chrome everything, snake skin interior, very very shiny purple paint. Is a bad ass car in a tacky 90s way
>>13829063
If the guy with the rx7 takes my offer (inb4 no lowballers I know what I've got) then I think I'm gonna give it a try.
If I go through with it I'll trip up and keep you guys posted as often as possible.
Any further suggestions and help gladly accepted.
bump, I'd really love to see this happen OP
Wankel engine primer:
>unreliable rotaries
13B-REW
early production Renesis
>reliable rotaries
everything else
>>13829370
Dis nigga don't know shit
>>13829370
>unreliable rotaries
everything
>reliable rotaries
KEK
>>13829377
Actually dis nigga don't know shit
>>13829376
>>13829377
>n-no guys, rotaries are complete shit. the internet t-told me so
Nothing wrong with rotaries. Keep up with maintainence and make sure you drive it properly and they are golden.
>>13829095
Spend another grand or two and just get a decent FB. Less work more sports car, also don't forget if you want to drive it on the street (you're in California right) you need ALL emissions equipment original to the engine for the swap, doubt Mr. Racecar kept it, in fact I know he didn't there's zero vacuum lines off the front of that thing, you'll spend hundreds if not thousands if you want to get it registered.
>>13829473
The FB would be just for the track so I'd like to take the emissions equipment from it and retrofit it into the bmw to pass smog inspection and then take it off until I need to get smogged again ;).
>>13828741
Use the 12a engine and 7 trans together. You should just have to make a couple simple motor mounts, set up a throttle cable, and get the BMW driveshaft bolted up to the 7 trans which if you're lucky is a simple half hour project making an aluminum adapter on the lathe/mill. EZ PZ
>>13829507
>fucking around with two shitboxes instead of one shitbox that can do the job of both better than either
My cousin does what you're planning on, he's always scrambling to finish shit last minute. Do you have a tow vehicle and trailer for the track car?
>>13829370
The fact you say the 13b-rew is unreliable while ignoring the 13b-re and 20b-rew proves you're a retarded sack of shit who doesn't even know what rotaries exist
btw early renesis can go over 150k miles with standard maintenance so like whatever
>>13829507
>I'd like to take the emissions equipment
Also the point of my post is that the picture does not show the emissions equipment you require.
http://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/rat-nest-what-does-do-12a-13b-954544/
>>13829521
>>13829537
Will borrow a trailer and truck from brother in law.
Good point on the rat's nest. I'll call and see if he still has any /all of it.
>>13828741
Do it.
Rotary all the things.
>>13828931
12A are reliable engines. It is what made Mazda begin to be well known for its reliability at Le Mans, and is reliable for a street car with hundreds of thousands of miles as well.
>>13828741
How are you going to make sure that "extra engine and transmission" is actually working? Did you look inside it?
Usually they have an extra engine and transmission because they were busted and swapped out.
>>13829535
>13b-re and 20b-rew
like 20 cars left the factory with those engines (and none came to North America), so I didn't fucking bother mentioning them
direct your anger somewhere else, kiddo.
>>13828741
if it's the same colour as your pic that would be the coolest BMW i would have ever seen
>>13828741
would it sound better than this?
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqywlL4ZnmM
>>13829535
>early renesis can go over 150k miles with standard maintenance
that's a very big can. at least times more likely to shit itself before then
>>13830348
>mfw I've heard lawnmowers with a throatier exhaust
why does no one ever bother to tune their cars idle correctly?
>>13829535
>>13829370
13b-re would last quite a bit longer than the 13b-rew given the same treatment and no reliability mods done.
The 20b-rew was also pretty much about as unreliable as the 13b-rew, yes, but just like a 13b-rew it is plenty reliable with maintenance and some minor reliability mods you double the average lifetime.
Generally:
13b-rew & 20b-rew = 60k-100k miles between rebuilds, 120k-150k+ with reliability mods and good maintenance.
13b-rew = 100-150k miles between rebuilds, 120k-150k+ with good maintenance and better cooling as well.
12a & 13b NA = good for 150-250k+ miles between rebuilds.
150-250k+ miles is well within the realm of what tons of other engines are, even if it's not "bulletproof reliability". Well worth the minor cost of rebuilds, too. Comes out to pennies per mile.
There's a lot of bias with turbo rotary engines blowing up because of people running 15+ psi of boost and shit gas, which aren't good examples to go by.
They're so easy and cheap to tune for tons of power, but lots of people do shit tunes and that's why they blow up.
>>13830348
>>13830358
It has a lot of overlap. There's not much you can do about that when you port so large except make it idle at 2000+ RPM.
I'm not aware if anything beyond a mild/street port can idle smooth, but maybe someone can prove me wrong, there. My street port idles nice and smooth but all the bridge ports I've heard brumble and brap.
Bigger question is why that car appears to have such low power when it's a 4 rotor with so much overlap.
IMO you're better tuning off to run E85 on saner ports and getting more power that way.
Going to have the same shitty fuel economy you get with such large ports, but can still get 500-700 NA horsepower, while still idling smooth.
