silver93

yeah, compression test yielded high, low, low (60,28,28 on a cold engine).

i'm going to do the rebuild myself. I'm going to get the atkins rebuild video, and i've already got the shop manual, which i understand is a very good guide in itself.

what about the engine mounting bracket to hold the engine to a regular engine stand? do i need one? where can i find one? can i just rebuild it on the floor without it?

any other words of wisdom from those who have been there and done that?

damn, i hate having to make this post.

RonKMiller

Bummer, but look at it as a great way to learn more about the rotary than you ever wanted to know!

You'll definitely need an engine stand and specialized head, and if you can weld you can make a head for a few bucks or buy one from www.Mazdatrix.com.

Cheapest rebuild kits I've seen (you'll need 3 that they supply) is from www.rotaryaviation.com, (link does not work for some reason) and they supply Teflon encapsulated water jacket O rings with their kits so you won't have to do this again in 50,000 miles.

If you have rebuilt a boinger you'll be OK doing a rotary, just make sure you set the end play correctly and clean everything immaculately. You'll spend more time cleaning than on actual assembly.

If you've never rebuilt any engine before you are better off financially and outcome wise having KD Rotary do it for you, I think they are in your neck of the woods.
They have an excellent reputation and it seems like they have really fair prices.

If you decide to DIY and need some expert technical help on some points (and you will) contact Bruce Turrentine, he is in Raleigh at Bruce1071@aol.com. He is he author of the videos (2) you are about to buy from Atkins, except he will sell them to you for about 1/2 the price that Atkins does. I know for a fact that he will charge you a consulting fee for any questions, or be happy to rebuild your engine for you, and he is worth every nickle. He is an absolute expert on the 13B. If I had my choice of any engine re-builder in the country (besides myself, natch, but I am not a pro on rotaries) it would be him. He does 20B's and aircraft rotary engines.

I really think the best route overall is to buy a Mazda reman from Malloy Mazda if you want to stay stock and just plug it in, or pull it apart (for the parts) and rebuild it again with porting, etc.

Good luck! You are lucky having so many resources close by.

rxrotary2_7

i am going to have to disagree with NEEDING a stand. a milk crate has been pretty good to me so far. although it may be easier w/ one.

one thing you should invest in is a flywheel tool. make life easy and is not very expensive. otherwise you are going to be trying to figure a way to hold it still, and crack it at the same time. it is not imposible to make, but why waste the time? its not like you will *never* use it again, or will not be a help to others near you by having one.
i agree with Ron if you are not planning on going crazy, just pick up a re-man.

tnt

yah put an SR20 in it!!! J/K good luck and i hope your rebuild goes well and doesn't break your budget...

Shaun

silver93

thanks for the info guys. i'll definately get the video, and hope to take lots of pics for reference for those who might want to do it in the future-

turborotarypower

well i personally like to use a bucket since it will catch any fluids remaining in the engine.

silver93

so i can get by with building it up on the floor , or a crate? i am on a budget!

rxrotary2_7

yeh, mel's idea is good. an empty 5 gal bucket works good too.

RonKMiller

OMG, I never thought it could happen:

I've been "outghettoed"!

rxrotary2_7

ron, i dont anounce it like you ....but i am WAY ghetto sometimes.
ever put a 1st gen radiator and a 2nd gen oil cooler in an rx2 usign ONLY zip-ties? i have tons of examples like this....

allrotor93

iTrader: (126)

i can get you a built motor if you need one. one of the best engine builders in the country lives in Raleigh. he mainly does airplane motors now(3 rotor and 2 rotor). his motors come with a 12 month unlimited mileage warranty. i am putting one in my car now and they are gorgeous. if you use 2mm seals turn-around time is 2 days, if you use 3mm seals turn-around time is approx. 1 week. they are $2000 for the 2mm seals and like $2500 for 3mm and a streetport. just a suggestion.

RonKMiller

Ummm. yeah, we would be talking about the same guy I mentioned above in my post......Bruce Turrentine.

silver93

allrotor93 -
thanks, that sounds like a good deal. i'm definately thinking about it now! i guess i just need to do is pull mine and drive it to him?

RonKMiller

Well....... no!, not yet......

But I DO have an assortment of about 200 different sized zip ties in my shop. They of course (ahem,sniff) are mil spec. (really) Beside radiator and oil cooler mounts they also make great handcuffs for small children.

I do have my eye on a red 72 RX2 with a n/a 13B in it that has 300 horsepower. It has, shall we say, a rather "lumpy" idle. It runs in a straight line like a raped ape. If I just put on some sleeper 14" racing wheels, mount a set of sticky Michelins, and do a little suspension work I just might have a 3rd gen killer on hand.....I would not dream of repainting it.

It's for sale for about $3,500.

It's "special". , and could probably win "Best of Ghetto" at next year's Seven Stock. Hmmmm, maybe a little friendly competition?

rxrotary2_7

gotcha.

i am curently selling my RX2 after it gets stripped of its goodies(including zip-ties), and replacing it with my R100 for my i like the r100 better, and being fit with a TII motor and ford rear....it should be a raped ape itself.
handcufs...LMAO!! havent tried that one yet....yet being the key word in that sentance.