I was able to pick up a Rotary Engineering engine from a friend who is doing a (yuch) V8 conversion. The "turbo alternative" NA motor has 700 - 800mi and is rated at 225+hp.
I thought I could swap the oil pan and pick up the center mounts but looks like the castings are different. Has anyone, I have searched, put a first gen (GSL-SE) motor with the front cover mounts into the FC? Any pictures / dimensions of a modified front mount to the FC center system? It seems as if I could fabricate a bracket to attach to the front cover and wrap around the sides and use the standard location of the FC mounts. Correct me if I am wrong. Can the FC oil pan be modified for the extra oil capacity? Thanks for any experience or advise you can give.
Al

 

No, no and no.

replace the center plate and front covers with a FC ones.

And pineapple makes a extra sized oil pan for a FC and the FD... nothing for the pre-86 models that I am aware of.

 

What do you mean the center plate? The front cover is no problem , but I didn't want to get into a rebuild for the center housing. This may be uncoventional but shurely someone has done this before.

 

the FC mounts the engine in the middle. Not the front.

One of the mounts even goes through the oil pan to the center plate.

So to put a motor with the wrong mounting points into a car, you either need to put the correct mounting points onto the motor, or build new motor mounts on the car, or build some sort of adapter.

 

cmsprofessor. I have an S4 TII center iron and Im local in PGH. PM me if your interested in picking it up for your swap. It should work as the 6 ports are in the front and rear side irons.

 

Exactly - that's why I was asking if anyone had used an adatped bracket to mate the two. I don't want to tear down a perfectly good race engine nor do I really want to alter the crossmember. I tried several sites like Mariah and no one so far sells this kind of bracket. I may have to reinvent the wheel and buid it.

 

I find it highly unlikely you will find anyone that has made that kind of adapter plate. For one thing it is probably pretty complicated, plus it just isn't something very many people will even want. In fact, I think this is the first time I've seen anyone wanting to do this.

 

Oh well, it won't be the first time to do something a little off track. From what I hear the engine is worth the effort so I will do what it takes. I'll let you know how it comes out in the end. Thanks for as much help as you could provide.

 

Good luck with the project. I would assume by your name here that your affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University? Smart bunch over there Im sure you could come up with something.

 

Yeah, it sounds like its a good engine, so I say go for it if you have the know-how.

 

rotary engineering engines are awesome. my friend has one in his cosmo doing about 250hp NA on a 4 port.

 

cmsprofessor-

You won't be the first one putting an old school engine in an FC. Hell, I saw a 12A engine in an FC a couple of years ago here in my area.
Botl your engine to your tranny. Start lining up the angle where more or less you want it. Weld some brackets into your FC in the frame rails and then build you front engine mount. A lot of guys build a sort of boomerang front engine mount and then bolt it to the custom engine mount welded to the frame rail I spoke earlier.