Converting a bug to Mazda Rotary power:
There are a few basic things you need to consider when doing this conversion. Installing th motor, installing the radiator, and installing the radiator lines to connect everything together.
As you can see from the photos, the engine bolts right up to a VW tranny (with the Kennedy adapter) The kit containes a stock Volkswagen flywheel that is machined to the Mazda crankshaft pattern. This allows the use of all Volkswagen clutch, pressure plate, starter, and related components. Everything is easy and cheap to find. Getting the engine into the car is the easy part of this whole process. No cutting or trimming of the engine bay is required! To get the engine in without cutting anything, you are going to have to remove the starter stud. Get everything lined up, install the starter stud and bolt the engine to the tranny. Simple as that. I eventually trimmed the rear apron to allow the motor to come back a little further so I didn't have to deal with the starter stud thing. The best way to go would be to make your apron removable. Then you don't even have to jack your car up to remove/install the engine.
After that, go to the front of your car and cut the hell out of the spare tire well, this is where you are going to put your radiator. I used an 81/82 Mazda rx-7 radiator, so I know that the radiator is large enough to cool the motor. I have seen lots of other conversions done with the radiator basically every place you could put it, but they all overheated. I drive 120 miles a day, even in 100 degree weather, and my engine has never overheated. So if you are thinking about this style of conversion make sure that you get the biggest radiator that you can fit into the FRONT of your car.
Exhaust system Information
Engine Wiring Information
Additional Cooling Information (Update 3/2005). |
