rotarydanny

hi, im new, sorry if this is stupid but im kinda just finding stuff out. Would it be possible to put a rotary in an mr2? not the current body shape but the one just before it? can a rotary go into a MR car? also, would the rotary be lighter than the MR2's original engine? also, would it be more powerful?

rotarydanny

someone has to know something and be able to help me. i had the idea of puting an rx7's motor in an mr2, with the understanding the rotary would be lighter than the standard engine and give it more power. thus better power to wieght etc etc, i just want to know if this can be done given the mr2's a MR layout and the rx7's arent. my knowledge on anything mechanical is none other than what i pick up myself and thats still questionable. any info u can give me would be much appreciated. or any corrections u can make for me in what my understanding of the situation is at the moment,

gracious.

inanimate_object

The big problem is the gearbox, you're going to have to mate it to a transverse box. It's not an impossible task but it means you need to fabricate a plate between the box and engine to take the different pattern bolts, and also a new flywheel to mate to the new clutch assy. If you're comfortable to tackle that, other issues like cooling and fab work will be well within your grasp, my advice is just go for it.

shahee1

Closest thing I have seen to this swap would be a beetle or a porsce transmission ... both cars have kits to mount a rotary transverse and adapter plate for their transmission. Itsan old kit so you should be able to find it through google.

Rotary911Porsche

Anything can be done. All it takes is money and time. I don't know enough about the engine/tranny layout in the MR2 to know how difficult the swap would be. I assume the engine rotates the correct direction (I believe some Honda engines rotate "backwards").

The adapter plate will probably need to be custom made. Kennedy Engineered Products makes adapter for almost any engine to a Porsche ot VW transaxle. I doubt they make a Mazda 13 B to Toyota but it would be worth a phone call.

Wiring is not a hard as you might think. The Mazda engine and harness are fairly self contained. A few wires and you are running. A stand alone ECU such as a Haltech makes things much easier and simplifies power upgrades.

If you are anywhere near West Texas you can come by and see my TII in a Porsche 911. Seeing it may help you decide if you want to go forward with the swap.

inanimate_object

Yep! The only thing I'd say is you won't fit a transaxle setup in an mr2. There was a webpage floating around with a rotary civic which used a corona gearbox (or something similar sounding ), really the only thing you need to be sure of is that the new box's input shaft is longer than the rx7 one, because the adaptor plate you'd need to make will push the box further away from the engine ...if you get me.

rotarydanny

i kinda get what you all mean, but like i said, my knowledge is very limited. but what u are telling me is that it can be done, which is great. and from what i understand it would make a very fun and "nimble" car to drive. i have many other ideas to take to the mr2 that i beleive would make it a great little track car, but any info u have that can guide me in the right direction, even burst my bubble, id love to hear more.

thanx.

inanimate_object

I reckon a good starting point is a mk2 turbo box, as far as I know it's easy enough to match up halfshafts etc, iirc there's a website with a camry engined mk1 which will explain a lot of things you're asking.



Found it: http://www.mr2mk1club.com/V6MR2.html Great site, he makes it look easy though.

rotarydanny

i went to another board at automotiveforums.com and a bloke there reckons it is a huge headache and very expensive. he says that it would be easier putting a v8 into it than putting a rotary into it. wich sucks. and to get the rotary in the whole back end would basically have to be changed. shitloads of fabricating and whatnot. im now starting to think this is to much of a project for me. dang.

anywho, cheers for the info, if u have anymore or some more sites that would be awesome.

im not giving up just yet.

inanimate_object

Well a v8 has been done http://www.v8mr2.com/ but I don't know if I'd call it easier. One way or the other you're going to have a lot of fabricating to do, whether it's gearbox adaptors or cut and shut half shafts that's still only a fraction of what you're going to have to do. That bloke (you from the uk?) is right, it will be a headache - but if you see it through it'll be one of the most satisfying headaches you can imagine. And it doesn't have to be expensive, but it will be unless you're prepared to spend a lot of time researching - that's the route I took with my car and it's going to cost well under 10k on the road. Take it in small chunks, find yourself a cheap engine and mr2 gearbox and see exactly what is involved to get them running together and try and just take it by the horns.