new to porting, rebuilding. some questions
 

Im new to this forum and fairly new to rotaries and working on cars in general, I'm using this post to introduce myself and my car as well as ask a few questions... when i was younger my parents owned an FB rx7 and now I'm a proud owner of my first N/A convertible s4 rx7. Im fairly new to working on cars in general but after my first 13b blew i got another motor, replaced nearly everything possible and swapped it in myself successfully only to find out that the engine that i found that tested so good out of the car revealed a blown water seal under high heat cycle probably from the engine sitting. oh well the 13b was free lol and learned a ton in the process of putting it in.

ANYWAYS I'm going to take the engine back out and have it rebuilt by a local guy in portland,OR thats been rebuilding rotaries since 1980 seems very knowledgeable and experienced. the engine still runs well so I'm hoping that the only thing damaged is an o ring and my rotor housings are still useable. Of course im getting a complete rebuild kit (atkins) but I would like to save some money by reusing the rotor housings if they are still good if not he has about 100 used ones in stock. I plan on having him do a tearport as well before he puts it back together that he said should get me up to about 220 hp.

my first question is, is it a good idea to rebuild the engine with used rotor housings?, how long can i expect them to last if they are in good condition now? vs Brand new housings? is it worth it to buy brand new ones? i know they are super spendy and is not really an option financially. is something else that i missed causing the water seal to pop?

also, if I am porting the engine (tearport like he said which i know very little about other than pictures) what kind of drivability changes can i expect? this car needs to be daily driven i want more hp because of the heavy convertible but not at the expense of drivability unless it's reasonable.
what effect will porting the engine this way have on engine life? used rotor housing life?

i would love to learn how to rebuild and port it myself but do not have the time for trial and error i need my car back, like i said Im fairly new to working on cars but am learning quickly Don't really have much experience with a piston engine and don't really care to:smokin:

I already have a few good upgrades on the car
Aftermarket downpipe
removed a cat and EGR
hi performance air filter
hi performance aluminum radiator
slotted rotors
new sound system with two tens in the already tiny trunk lol
NRG racing wheel and nardi personal shift knob
New convertible top

Re: new to porting, rebuilding. some questions
 

First of all, if it's an NA, then you would have a header, not a downpipe... one good practice is to know what are the specific parts on your car, so it's easier for us to help you. :)

In terms of porting, read here: Porting
I'm not sure what a teardrop porting is... have not heard of that term before, but to get a NA to 220HP, we are looking at either the more aggressive street port or bridgeport. Now, both will compromise on the engine life, but by how much would depend on your usage. For daily driving, personally I'd not suggest bridgeport due to noise and the harshness of drivability (this depends on each individual, I've heard different says about this).

As for rotor housing life, it's better to just use a new rotor housing; considering the extra stress the engine will be dealing with, it's better to have the peace of mind when you know the housings would not fail on you half way down the freeway. Also, if anything were to happen with the engine when it's put together with new parts, you have a more legitimate reason to bring it back to the shop and have them look after it.

Used housing are usable, but it's hard to determine how much life it will have until it is actually driven. Surely, with a lower mileage rotor housing we would naturally think it will last longer than higher mileage ones, but what was the housing used for we don't know - regular setup, race setup? There are many factors to consider to really know what the housing is able to handle afterwards. So this is more so your decision and consulting with your mechanic.

Epic service cheap won't be fast, and fast service cheap won't be epic. You do want an epic car right? So don't go the cheap route.

There are many things you can do to make the car lighter, you don't really need more horsepower to have a faster car, overall balance is more important. However, if you're really concerned about weight, here are some stuff you can do to reduce weight:
- Carbon fiber hood
- FRP front fenders
- Lightened Steel or Aluminum flywheel
- Lightened Steel or Aluminum driveshaft
- Aftermarket rims
- Aftermarket seats
- Smaller battery and/or battery relocation
- Fixed headlight conversion
- Performance brake kit (AWR Racing has a lighter and stronger version)

These are the easier doable stuff that can be done when you have the budget, but in the end you want to think about what you want the car for. Like I mentioned, overall balance is more important.

Hopefully these information helps you to decide on what you will be doing with the car and the engine.

Re: new to porting, rebuilding. some questions
 

i am a complete newb with cars in general, but i can learn things, just stripped the entire engine down and am ready to take the keg out all last night in 4 hours pretty proud of myself have never done anything like this in my life i watched my friend do the last one and i helped a bit but being on my own was different, but I've found this rotary engine stuff to be fairly easy because of how small it is and simple. didnt use the book not that its any help really. found quite a few vac lines that need to be replaced still from the last swap. i guess it would have to be turbo to be a downpipe idk like i said i am fairly newb status my friend is making me a custom exhaust straight piping with two cats it sounds EPIC. i guess what i would be doing port wise is a small to medium street port, this car is very fast for me already dont really need much over 185hp if at all just looking to beef it up slightly since im taking the engine out anyway and since its the heaviest model the convertible, he has several used rotor housings and im fairly sure mine are good (find out tomorrow) cant really afford to go with new housings right now. i literally like just started working on this car and its pretty much my first foray into mechanics ever lol so i think things are going pretty well considering. i guess my questions have been pretty much answered, too many factors to really tell exactly how much life is left in what but cant afford to go with new housings so i guess my mind is made up. as far as the internals will i need a full kit or can i just replace what needs to be replaced? or is that a bad idea? i want this car to last, but now that i can swap it myself wouldnt be horrible to replace the engine again down the line. debating on the port smmaller port or medium. this car is a daily driver i dont wanna do anything too crazy

Re: new to porting, rebuilding. some questions
 

found new rotor housings on mazdatrix for 600 is that the cheapest they run?

Re: new to porting, rebuilding. some questions
 

i would love to rebuild this engine myself, if i got the atkins dvd how likely is it that i could do this right the first time what type of things can u screw up as a rookie or is the dvd really good, as far as i can see rebuilding a rotary seems like something i can do not too complex and no special tools needed reallly. if i could save money on the rebuild labor i can put it into other upgrades for the car like suspension

Re: new to porting, rebuilding. some questions
 

I believe it's cheaper if you get everything as a package kit... regardless of the price, it's always nice to just get everything, in case you actually need the parts you originally thought you didn't.

If you can do it, have the facility and tools to do so, and don't mind learning along the way, then it's best to do it yourself. Nothing is more fun than driving a car that you have worked hard putting it together. And yes, the amount of money you saved can go somewhere else.

However, with porting, it's best to have an experienced mechanic who have done it to do the grinding for you. The rotor housing cannot be used if you screw up. Also, make sure the rotors get balanced to ensure longer life-span.

Re: new to porting, rebuilding. some questions
 

thanks for the info, appreciate it. My friend and I are both going to try to rebuild our 13bs for the first time, mine going back in the rx7 his going in a nissan s12. Going to buy the rebuild dvd from Mazdatrix and get the pieces i need from pineapple racing. Im going to get it streetported by the rotary guy i talked to about rebuilding, then put it together myself. although he offered me templates and i happen to have two chattered up rotor housings to practice on and at worst if i screw up on the real deal can buy good conditioned used ones from this guy. maybe I'll learn the whole shhbang might as well, you are right I love the idea of building and installing an engine all myself and knowing that if anything is screwed up it's my own doing. Learning this stuff out of necessity right now but i have always been interested in rotaries and how to put them together and their modular nature ever since i first saaw the design. I'm a sucker for unique intelligent inventions that don't get enough credit. haven't searched the forums yet but does anyone know of a site that gives some guidance on porting?

Re: new to porting, rebuilding. some questions
 

this site is a good one for porting info. lynn hanover is the fella with experience and keen to share hunt him down and email him, he should put some videos on youtube :)

Re: new to porting, rebuilding. some questions
 

well i decided to pay this guy to do the rebuild hes got a lot of great used performance parts hes selling to me. sort of a dilemma because i have no experience and i want learn it all myself but i also dont want to screw up another keg, so we are going to do it all together hes going to hand me the rotors and i put them in kinda thing, hes totally transparent hell show you anything you want to know, im almost more excited just learning how to do it all then i am about how good the car is going to run. the rotors have been assembled and cleaned, we start putting the rest together tomorrow. pay him once its a lot sure, but really its mostly the cost of the parts his labor charge is minimal and ill be able to do it all myself the next time and have a little more assurance that its right this time. So i feel good about my decision and my vision for this car I dont have a ton of money right now but i made a list of planned modifications for my car, Im going to just sort of slowly check off the list as i have the finances, some of the things i have decided on a certain brand or manufacturer others im leaving to flexibility.

everything in black i need to get or have done, everything in red or blue i already have, or is already installed, or done.

Im not completely new but basically as you computer forum people say a newb....
opinions, thoughts? on parts? other ideas, priorities? my friend is going to do a custom header and cat back for me once the engine is in, my vision for this car is just a decently fast n/a around 210 hp with really solid suspension and lots of comfort as its still a convertible and ill wanna keep cruise control and ac for my long ass drives and i like comfy and i like girls and girls like comfy... u get the idea...

Re: new to porting, rebuilding. some questions
 

btw here is the CXracing radiator i ordered originally, here is the fitment or LACK THERE OF showing the lower hose, I was told it would be DIRECT FIT BOLT ON.

i talked to them for two emails he said he doesnt get what the problem is, i show him the fitment in this picture and he hasnt responded since. i want silicon hoses and would prefer not searching through hundreds of hoses at carquest for the right shape ever again.