Rebuild video review
 

So I finally got the Rebuild Video from Rotary Aviation. Actually I got both the rebuild video and the 3rd gen engine removal video, the latter of which was unnecessary.

The Rebuild Video (13B Overhaul)
All I can say is wow, what and excellent video. Im no movie critic but I give it four thumbs up. Bruce, the guy who made the movie, is a great teacher. He goes step by step covering everything from top to bottom. He covers all the oil mods, all the tools you need, and pretty much everything else anyone would need to know to rebuild one of these. If anyone is considering rebuilding their motor I would defiantly recommend them getting this video. Anyone with enough wrench skill to get the motor out should have no problem doing everything them self.

He has alot of great tricks too that I had never herd of before. He waits to put the apex spring in until the rotors are in the housings. Puts the rotors in complete but missing the springs, then pulls the corner seal out with a magnet, slides the springs in, and replaces the corner seal. Genius..

I don't want to give to much away as he deservers every bit of the 25 Bucks the video cost.

3rd Gen engine removal video
If you have never pulled an engine I guess this would be helpful. Its a good video, but pulling and engine is pulling and engine, even on this beast. Just a shitload more vacuum hoses. One completely unrelated thing I though was neat was the date the video was filmed, sept. 11. You can hear the emergency broadcast over the radio in the background right as he is pulling the motor.

Overall, great videos, highly recommended even if you don't want to rebuild your own motor.

Bruce is even better in person. :)

If you want a "perfect" engine and money is no object, he is your man, since he primarily builds engines for airplanes, which HAVE to be reliable.

Regards,
--Ashraf

okay, i think you should build a motor and then watch the video

first of all, most would disagree with disabling the eccentric shaft jets, that's bad practice for a street car

second, that is how the mazda manual tells you to install the apex seals...nothing out of ordinary there, if anything, a tip or trick would be installing the apex seals backwards, like you have to do on a bridge port ;-)

it impressed me at first, but after doing a motor and watching again, there's a lot of issues left open

i used the vid.. was a great help whenever i needed to go back and make sure.

If I remember correctly, before showing the oil jet mod, he rides in an airplane and says (regarding the oil jet mod) "For applications where the majority of engine life will be spent in high rpm conditions, such as aircraft..." or something along the lines.

I wasn't aware of this, as I've never built a BP engine. Do tell.

which video is this and is the 3rd gen pull included in the video? where didyou get hte video?

The Rebuild video and the Third Gen Engine Removal video are two seperate videos. I got both of them from www.RotaryAviation.com for about 25 a-piece. Good deal if you ask me.

93BlackFD,
He does say the e-shaft oil jet mod is only necessairy for high rpm motors such as in aircraft. Im not sure what he left out but im sure I will find out when I do the build. I have a manual and will be following its instructions along with Bruce's during the whole process. If anything, the video gave me alot of confidence in doing this job. Reading about it makes it sound alot worse than the video shows. After watching the movie I have no fear about tearing in to the motor.

I do have one question for you though, how much were the oil lines for the oil injectors, im pretty sure they are not included in the rebuild kit. Also, did you polish the UIM yourself, was it really as bad as everyone says?

do you have any real background in cars, like went to school for being a mechanic or anything like that. just wondering if by reading up and doing research and watching the video if it would be possible to do an ok rebuild on your own, with no real experience.
thx

As much as I like the guys with Rotary Aviation, you could have saved another few bucks by ordering it directly from the man:

Paypal: Bruce1071@aol.com $19.85 (shipping included)
for R&R for the 3rd gen video.

or: East Coast Rotary
5337 Trestlewood Lane
Raleigh, NC 27610

He is THE authority in the US on rotaries.;)

This message is brought to you by THE cheapest guy on the forum - even cheaper than AdamC, that cheap bastard!:D

well if you have experience with cars and are good with your hands, how would the motors turn up? is there something that people in general would do wrong if they build it? also, how long will it last if you do everything right?????

i would say roger mandeville or rick engman would be THE authority on rotaries in the US

I agree that he did mention the oil mods, but you have to understand that to some people "track only" or "race only" sounds coool and neet...(and HP means honda power)....so i think he should have left that out altogether

on a half bridge, you have to install the cornerpieces of the apex seal so that it faces the primary runners, this is hard to do :) it requires superglue or your own technique

i think the endplay and bearing inspection/reinstallation is what is going to catch most people off guard...if you look past that, your motor will not last

feeler guages will be your freakin best friend...

Doing a rebuild yourself means having to buy/rent/borrow all the correct tools for measuring tolerances, distances, and such.

I rebuilt my previous FD.. it wasn't that difficult. Slapping the engine together once you have everything ready to go took about 45 min.

Ron based on your info, is that price only for the R&R video? What about the overhaul video?

Nobody mentioned the best part about Bruce's video: at the begining he plays the music from Sanford and Son!!

lol.. ya, gotta love the music in the video.

I may be cocky, but I feel I can build this motor as good if not better than 90% of the builders out there. Not because I know more, but because its my car. I agree the endplay measurement is a critical piece, its the only thing im sweating over. With the video and the manual im sure it will come out fine though. We'll see though, im going to start the rebuild nextweek sometime.

Barton..
No I have no "real" background in cars. I have pulled many a piston engine but never a rotary. The only way to answer your question as to wether or not you could do it yourself would be to tell you to get the video. I dont know how good you are with a wrench but I would say that if you can change a clutch then you could rebuild your engine. Get the video, that will tell you if you can do it yourself.

IMO, some may disagree (not sure why), but rebuilding a piston engine is far more difficult, you can do a rotary with very few tools. No honing, boaring, or machining. If the housings arent spec. than you replace them. Simple as that.

bee, thanks for the review, I'm ordering it.
Not being picky, but I think you meant "sad" and not "neat". On the date the video was shot (Sept 11), there was nothing neat about it. I knew someone that died and I almost lost my sister on that date.:sad:

I've been meaning to pick up the rebuild video for a long time. This thread inspired me to finally go through with it.
Thank's bee. :beerchug:

I apologize, I didnt mean that I though the attack was neat. I believe its something that should never be forgotten, I ment that it was neat to have the original live broadcast on tape to show my children someday. That way they dont forget about it either.

Is there a site where you can purchase both of these videos?

Wow something must be screwed up with the boards it logged me in as ingraham. Well is there a site where I can get those videos?

Pretty sure its either one - but you could always E-mail him to find out for sure.

Does anyone know if there is a DVD version?

I am about to tear down the 12A in my newly aquired 1st gen. I'm wondering what big differences there are between the 13B and 12A when it comes to rebuilding.
Guess I'll find out...

^ No they don't offer it on CD nor DVD. They quality isn't that great and unless they remake it, it won't make any difference other then maybe convienience. I can't tell you the engine differences but they use a 2nd gen in the videos and the short blocks look exactly the same. Is the 1st gen a 12A?

rip and torrent it!

ummmm... NO!