Hello,


I have a 1994 Suzuki Cappuccino, a very small 660cc RWD FR kei car (think miata but smaller). 75hp. Thinking of swapping it, main issue is tiny engine bay. Weighing in at 1600lbs, im looking for ~200-250hp on a swap. With room to build it one day, hopefully around 375-450 ish rwhp to make 10s.


4cyl motorcycle engines are the main idea, saw a sr20ve swap that looked **EXTREMELY** tight, and my best friend with an RX8 is K swapping, who is nudging me to go rotary.


an SR20det with tranny is like 5k USD, which is a tad rich for my blood, And an absolute nightmare to fit. And NA motorcycle engines don't appeal to me really.


so that brings me here, I have some minimal rotary knowledge, still looking at swap options, but want to know what the best rotary for my $s is. 450whp alone will likely be unstable af. I like the idea of the single turbo... RESI engines? I assumed that would make the build path cheaper but don't see any builds for them... what should i be looking for?

 

 

I’d look for an S4(86-88) turbo 13B.


Very cool idea for a project. Good luck. 👍

 

An S4 or S5 13B would be plenty of power to move a small car like that. The Renesis 13B is an amazing engine but the lifespan isn't as good as an a 12A or early 13B. That's something to consider as well.

 

I think I would stick with Suzuki power. How about Hayabusa power?

 

I’d love to see this with a rotary engine. Even N/A would be wicked.

 

If you really want to go turbo, a s4 or s5 engine would suffice. Rebuild the block, port the exhaust and do a streetport intake. Medium sized turbo.

 

Not a bad idea to rotary swap. If you're aiming to go turbo, you'll likely need a custom exhaust manifold to clear the "frame rails" in the engine bay of the cappa. Other than that, the only other issue I see is being able to plumb a large core intercooler. That will take some measurement.

You could go Renesis from the Rx8 and have ~180WHP NA, which in that car would be a riot. Especially, if you're able to utilize the rx8 6 speed. However, if you want to make more power down the road, you will need to go turbo or peripheral port (for an NA 13B). While my NA peripheral port puts down nearly 300whp, they are not cheap engines to build and a turbo 13b would be more cost efficient.

 

With how tightly packaged everything appears to be in stock form, packing a S4/S5 13B Turbo in might be quite challenging. Depending on space, and with the right procedures, you MIGHT be able to stuff FD twins in there which would be an absolute riot in such a lightweight car.

On the plus side, it's completely new territory. How were you planning on handling wiring? Just add the FC/FD fuse boxes into the car next to the stock Cappuccino ones? Or combine the two together in a new box like I did with Project OldTree? I think the second approach would be better, but might be challenging to package to your needs. On Project Oldtree, I was using one from a 2000 Durango, then made a custom one by modifying the box from a 2000 Ford Ranger. Ford likes to have their boxes be modular, so reconfiguring to a different model (think: Ranger to Explorer) is easily done.

According to the pictures here (https://autoparts.beforward.jp/detai...es/PA33237246/), there are 4 Fusible Links (FC/FD style) and up to 8 FC style relays. Can you get some measurements from it and the area around it? I didn't see any identifying marks, but it's likely made by Yazaki. 90s-2000s Chrysler vehicles use Yazaki boxes too. I have a Sebring fuse box in my Expedition as a self-contained accessory fuse/relay box.


Something along those lines might do the job quite nicely.

 

I think the rx8 rennesis is much more affordable. There was a running 6 speed manual, with hail and significant body damage, selling for $3000CAD not long ago. Mind you electronics and reliability are worse.

i don't know much about the generations (i assume s4/s5 are the 2 engine gens the turbo fc got?) but all the cheap fc cars are NA, and the turbo engines look MUCH more expensive. Like $7000 ish. Is there any possibility of scooping up rusty shells cheap? I see way more empty shells than rusty doner cars for sale in canada.

250hp would be around lotus elise 250 territory. 4.0 0-60, 12.5 1/4. I already have a car getting to low 11s high 10s so Im not for nuts fast/expensive.

 

I'm pretty familiar with the Capa and I have no clue how you'd fit a turbo rotary in that bay, or why you'd want to. That car weighs next to nothing, and with a turbo it would be a death trap. Find you a good S4 N/A motor (skip the Renesis...for wiring purposes) and you'd be more than doubling the horsepower...which would be hilarious because they're already pretty quick. Get you a nice street port with some ITB's and that lil cup of coffee will be a SCREAMER!!

 

The Renesis 13B is an amazing engine but the lifespan isn't as good as an a 12A or early 13B. That's something to consider as well.
Speed Test

 

I also would not go turbo. Naturally Aspirated with a big port job and ITBs would be amazing, reliable, and save space.

Would be awesome to see this swap happen, would love to see it on the build threads.

 

This is one of my dreams to build a rotary swap cappuccino looking at buying one within the next year. Good luck with your project hope all goes well.

 

I have a 96 cappuccino I was contemplating doing a rotary swap with a spare rebuild 76 4 port 13 B engine I have. I think that's enough power for that car plus I'm not used to driving fast RHD cars either.