I will start by saying I am Porsche 914 fan. I own 5 & love them. I just came across a 74 that had a rotary conversion. The motor had overheated so it doesn't run. Motor was built by Red Beat in Anaheim CA back in 98-98? Not totally sure on timing. The conversion looks to have been done very well. I am not familiar with Rotary motors at all. Other than coming from Rx7's anyway.

Originally I had planned to do a suby conversion with the car. The more I look at it & the more some of my 914 friends that have rotaries encourage me. The more I want to rebuild this motor & stick with the setup as it is. I was told it was pushing 220hp & got a whopping 5mpg. He said he had some minor work done & the thermostat was replaced with the wrong one. The motor overheated the next time he drove it. I do not know the extent of the overheating. Motor will turn over but doesn't start he said. I haven't even tried to start it yet. I just got it home monday night & have had no time to do anything to it. Just hoping to get some direction on it. I am no mechanical genious but I do like tinkering on my weekends. Any input or anyone close to Corvallis that wants to take a look. Please fire away with advice. Thanks -Jamie

 

nice rotary conversion...

 

Never seen a 13B conversion...love the subie swapped ones though.

 

Do a compression test using a piston engine tester. When you do, take a look at the plugs and see if they have any coolant on them.

If your compression is ok and there isn't coolant on the plugs; turn it over with the plugs out to blow out any excess fuel, then start off with a clean or new set of plugs and see if it runs. Regardless of overheating, you should be able to run the car if it has decent compression... unless there is a ton of coolant entering the combustion chamber and fouling it out.

good luck.

 

Welcome - Looks like a fun project. Keep us posted on your progress.

 

cool!

 

Interesting car mate, hope you get it sorted soon

 

Thanks guys. I will be pulling the motor soon. Then we will see how much damage was done in the overheat. With the porting & machine work done the last time. Hopefully things are still in spec. I do have a little more info. This is a 4port 13b out of an early Mazda truck I think. I made a mistake & bought a running motor out of an 88 thinking I could just put it in & swap a few pieces. No such luck. So a full rebuild is in store for my 4port

 

nice find. the early 13b's that i'm aware of has a larger "MAZDA" script inside a frame. could be from a gsl-se. but if it is a 4 port, could have se housings and 12a irons. gl with the build. i would have tried to see if it would still run before pulling it apart.

 

Likewise, the overheat didn't necessarily wreck the engine. Get it running and go from there.

If i could get a 13b dumping gobs of coolant in the front rotor to run, you can get that thing to fire up. Just keep an eye on the temp this time!

 

I bought it this way so I did not do the overheating. I plan to redo the whole radiator setup. 914's being a mid-engine air cooled car are a little trickier setting up. Going from 3ft of radiator hose to close 20 is quite a difference. I have a v8 914 conversion & similar issues when I bought it. I am sure I can have the cooling system on that end of things working right. I did try to start it & it will turn over. I did not get so much as a cough out of it. The starter also wouldn't turn it each time. I have a feeling the flywheel is missing some teeth.

I am going to pull it & rebuild it. I know it has issues period & while I might get it running. I would rather pull it apart & make sure it is done right. I also will feel better once I've pulled it apart & learn how the rotary works. It being winter time I won't be driving it much now anyway. So it is the perfect time for me to rebuild

 

Wow I've never seen anything like this before, this is really cool idea. What do those 914s cost to get a hold of?

 

I am considering just selling this car. I am sure the apex seals are toast. I really should concentrate on my v8 914. I'd let it go for $3000 I think. While the Rotary motor in general has been impressive to learn about. I just don't think it is for me. Talk me out of it?

 

curious, how much did you pick it up for? And really interesting combination of the make and the maker, keep us posted

 

Sadness, To bad you've giving up on the Rotary. There a fun motor, As much fun as a V8 914 sounds, you could get quite a bit of power out of a T2 13b motor that weighs quite a bit less and have a completely different beast.

 

I totally dig the 914 too and a Rotary one is super cool.

I would probably make an offer if it wasn't on the other side of the world.

 

Cool car looking forward to seeing some progress

 

Nice combo!

 

If I came accross a deal on a 4port 13b motor I could just swap with mine I would do it. If I don't sell it odds are I am going to pull the setup to go with a newer suby motor. Really considering the SVX 3.3 six. No turbo & puts out 230 stock. Anything over 200hp in a 914 just kicks. They only weigh 2200lbs & being a mid engine car they handle incredibly. My other 914 has a buick 215 v8 (all aluminum motor from the 60's). IT has a mild build & pushes only 220-230. Car is more than fast enough but mpg isn't great. I like it weight wise but if I sell the rotary car I will put the suby motor in it instead. Better mpg with more usable hp & fuel injected still.

Anyway if anyone knows of a running early 13b 4 port motor? If I could get it at a decent price. I would gladly keep the configuration. Thanks for all the help - Jamie

 

I placed an add in the classifieds or thought I did. It's not there & when I went to post just now in the WTB classifieds. I got a note saying I need at least 10 posts. No problem there it makes sense.

Really want to get this car running.

 

Nice car! I love the 914's too. I have a REPU motor (early 13B truck motor) with a Delortto 48mm carb and Racing Beat header that I was thinking about dumping into a 914. Let me know if you decide to sell the car, or if you are interested in buying a complete running 4 port 13B motor.

 

Also, do you ever track the 914's?

 

wow such a sweet car, now with a 13B it's even better!

 

how's that workin out for ya? little lighter than the second gen 7. Does it help that rotary pull?

 

I can't answer how it pulls. I have never driven a Rotary before. I have driven plenty of 914's though. I have 4 of them at the moment. Although only one runs at the moment. I tend to have more projects than drivers.

Hyme I replied to your email. I look forward to hearing from you -Jamie