I spent all summer first modifying my FD and then trying to work out the problems. Good news, it is running. Bad news, I think the engine is shot. I will refrain from gory details.

I have searched throughout the forum looking for recommendations for getting another engine. For the most part, 4 places keep coming up, Atkins, Pineapple Racing, Gotham Racing, and Rotary Reliability & Racing. There are people who are sternly for and against each one of them.

Here is my situation. As far as I know, there is no shop around here that has experience swapping out a Wankel. By the same token, there is no one around with much experience tuning one. So, it looks like I will be doing the swap myself. Fortunately, I have a couple friends who had done swaps on FCs, but never on an FD, that have volunteered to help, and I have about any documentation, including the video from Atkins on doing the swap coming.

This is where I need your help. Considering that I really don’t want to get into having to diagnose problems from receiving an engine that was put together by some trainee, or better yet, have to pull it back out and swap again, and considering that once it is running I am going to have little or no help in tuning, so it is most likely going to be a very slow process, who do you recommend I go with and exactly what options should I go with? I have just updated my sig, so I hope it now has all pertinent mods that have been made.

Any constructive advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Please also consider that I do not have unlimited funds.

Thanks…

 

Call Garfinkle at 615-893-4469. Apparently, he's the man in TN.

 

all in all, I think pineapple is going to be the best bet. You can search the forums for engine swaps and I believe there are some pretty good writeups. As far as tuning, sounds like you are going to be on your own. I too don't have a clue on how to tune, but you are going to need a lot of extra parts such as a air fuel meter. Good luck

 

The closest reliable shop to you would probably be Pettit Racing, otherwise Mazdatrix, Gotham or Pineapple would also work well. You need to figure out your budget and stick to it. There are racing options that you won't need for street use. You could even send it to Racing Beat if you have too much cash. Both Racing Beat and Mazdatrix can offer the optional water jacket mod done by John. Most of the cooling is done by "water".

I've pulled mine with a couple friends but i've yet to crack it open as the excentric shaft bolt is glued with loctite.

During the rebuild: silicone rats nest, replace water hoses and switch to evens coolant.

Since no one has used "all" of the shops mentioned, you won't get the answer you are looking for but you should be able to make an educated guess on others past experiences.

 

I would personally get the following:

http://66.216.67.51/product.asp?0=368&1=369&3=747

 

For the motor Pineapple Racing. Bring the car to columbus and we will do the work for you

Jason

 

Until my last search through the forum, I was fairly certain that I would go with a Pineapple engine. But I came across a few postings that talked about having trouble getting a good engine from them, both in delays and in the quality of work going downhill. Does anyone know if this has changed?

Jason, the possibility of bringing it to you to do the swap crossed my mind, but it is a 475.88 mi. one way trip. If I were to bring it to you, how much time would you need and how much would it cost me?

Thanks…

 

You MUST call Garfinkle now. Quite ******* around and call the MAN! Just kidding.

From what I've read David Garfinkle is a very knowledgable mechanic and tuner in Tennesee. Do a search on Garfinkle and you'll see what I mean. I'd get the motor custom built to my specs by a local reliable tuner. He doesn't post himself but duboir (spelling?) posts often on his behalf.

 

Do you need a vacation?

Try Maztech in Tampa, FL 813-874-0937

He just put a ReMan from Mazda in for me. I have been using him for 7 years. He is the Man in Tampa Bay!

 

I bought a rebuilt engine from Bruce Turentine in Raleigh, NC (919-212-0671). He even checked and installed my engine parts on his rebuild for a modest fee including gaskets, etc. The engine R&R was not difficult if you are patient and listen to Bruce's suggestions. He does rotary rebuilds for experimental aircraft too and is a professional in this business. He sells an interesting video on rebuilding a Rotary engine for a modest amount. Give him a call. Even if you don't use him, he will give you confidence on what you are about to do.

Steve

 

I am fairly certain I want to do the swap myself. I will definitely take it to someone to do the tuning, but I need to hold down the cost as much as I can. My car is in desperate need of a paint job, so whatever I can save now will make that happen that much sooner.

Even though there are a few people who have had problems dealing with Pineapple, they still seem to be the best bet at getting a quality engine. Since my initial post, I have done more research on the matter and they still look best. My only concern is that I have emailed them twice over the last 2 weeks, with no reply. Then, I tried going back out to their web site tonight and I got “Account for domain pineappleracing.com has been suspended”. Does anyone know what is going on?

Also, if and when I place an order with them, what options should I go with, in terms or porting, oil mods etc.? Also, I did not see anywhere on their site that talks about seal size. I assume that they use 2mm seals. Is this correct?

Thanks for the input.

David

 

“Account for domain pineappleracing.com has been suspended”.

Hmmm, I think that means they have not paid the bill - not a good sign...even though they have a good overall reputation.

What's wrong with a reman from Malloy? For a little over 2K you can't go wrong just to get the new parts. If you want extra mods then have them send it to Bruce Turrentine. He knows more about rotaries than ANYONE in the United States. Period.

 

David,
Give me a call at work. I can get you the pineapple motor at a good price.

Jason

 

I just put a Malloy Reman in my car. Didn't go with a Pineapple due to the hassle of shipping and I'm not doing anything crazy with boost or power. Cost was a consideration $2000 for Malloy vs. $3000 for the Pineapple. Difference in cost went into replacing:

Pulsation damper
lightweight flywheel
clutch
oil cooler hoses
PS hoses
AC hoses
Steering rack
Jim Lab bushings
Wiring harness (a must have)

To pull the motor, you need at minimum an engine hoist and a load leveler. Pull with the tranny and install with tranny. Much much easier than trying to eyeball the pilot shaft with the engine under the car.

Total cost of my "tune up" about $5000.00 doing the work myself and with a helper during removal and install. You will need plenty of time to transfer parts. It took me 40 hours over three months and I still haven't started it yet.

 

Forgot to explain that the $5000 includes 99 RS/RZ front brake calipers and rotors.