Rotary Beetle Update
 

Halo Everyone

So here is an update on the Rotary Beetle.

On Sat I finally got the hubs for the front Discs. Yippee!
I finally got hold of some multi reflector headlights that fit the beetle. Need to be able to see when driving it at night. Looking forward to proper light, with the Nice Mitsubishi Alternator instead of some old 30A Generator

Some shots of the Cross Drilled disc, hubs and hardware. Have to be able to stop as well, cant just go like hell all the time, haha.

A Nice pic of the mounting plate for the Caliper. Will get the Calipers this week if all goes well. I decided on a plain gear knob. It must have a nice feel when shifting, not to worried about what it looks like.

On the other hand I have been building the exhaust , and sanding the intake manifold.(Boy, what a shit job!)The exhaust has see 23 hours of man power so far, and it is very far from complete. Havent been counting the hours on the manifold sanding, annoys me enough not knowing!

Put the badge on the engine lid as well.It is obvious to us Rotary guys,but the rest of the public wont see the difference.

Hope you like the progress :)

Karis

Ps:Cant get the photos to upload now,will try in a few min

First batch of pics

Last pics

Heh the VW1308 is a nice touch.

I bet your exhaust will be too loud. :) Did you use thickwall pipe? I can't remember if I asked before. Also how many more mufflers will you use?

The disc brake stuff is looking pretty good. I have access to a local VW guy who does disc brake conversions in busses and bugs. If you ever want a lowered beam or any other cool stuff, I can send you his website URL.

Thanks Jeff!

Yip,you are right there,haha.the wall thickness of the pipe 0.11" (or 3mm) so yes.The wall is very thick.In my initial thread on the beetle https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...arly+age+dream

I showed some pics of the other silencer.Its really big,with 4" piping and a nice baffle that is removeable.

The hubs are from a local VW spares company here.The machined them for me.The discs are imported.I will be using GTI MK2 calipers.Wanted to use Mazda,but was forced to buy the caliper brackets as well.

Thanks for replying!

Doesnt look like the other guys are very interested in my project

You might post this on the samba or some other VW forum. They like rotaries in street bugs but sadly don't give much respect to rotaries in bajas. They seem to believe that you can't build a rotary for torque. Lol they don't know me very well. :D

cool project. you must have had lots of fun welding that header. :)

thanks

haha.fun is a relative term.The exhaust has been taking 23hours so far,and is about half way now!

Karis

damn...nice car. keep up the good work. i have a friend who loves bugs. he would die to see that in action.

Hi Guys.

So i bought so more things for the beetle this morning

Bought some 8mm Nylon jose for the fuel lines.
a 4" Silicone elbow for the Intake that i`am busy fabricating
a EMPI short shifter kit *to shift mad fast yo*haha
a EMPI set of eyelids for the headlights

Allso started sanding the lower half of the manifold,here is a progress pic

and i finally got the right bearing to fit the new hubs

Thanks for reading

Karis

i wish i could see that video of the air flow test that you talked about in you old post.

Karis
I have a 12a in a VW based kitcar. A beetle was going to be my next project. I've had it legal and on the road but the 12a needed rebuilt and the tranny gearing was way to low. If there's anything I can help with let me know.

Kevin

Looking good.

Sorry for not being able to do the actual test yet.I will be doing it this week,as i will start work on the front radiator cowling.

nivekdodge : Thanks,i might shout for some help every now and then!

Jeff:Thanks for the postve words.

So the plan for this week:

1.Change the fuel lines.
2.Fit the new front wheel hubs.
3.Order 1 more cross drilled disc.
4.If all goes well, the oil cooler will be arriving too.Yippee!

Karis

That's cool. It looks like I'm getting a rotary to VW adaptor in a few months. I'll leave the bug motor in it until after the threat of snow has passed. I'd rather have fun than work on the conversion during the most fun time of year for a baja. :)

I am however begining work on a friend's rotary baja engine. I've got the core here to tear down and inspect. It will go in the car as soon as we can pull the other engine and get the tranny redone. Check this thread for details. https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showthread.php?t=693015

Cool stuff jeff!Wowee,that engine will produce a hell of allot of torque!

Low down torque!

on the rotary adapter for the bug to fit the rotary motor using the kennedy engineering products it's just a simple drop and go thing right? Use the plate provided and the bolts and just bolt it up to the tranny, or do you have to make more support brackets to hold the motor in place? I got a 65 bug here in my garage and i don't know if i want to go with the 1600cc motor thats already in it that only has 450 miles on it rebuilt or go with one of my motor's i have built in my garage.

It's just a bolt up and go. The flat 4 that they use are a lot heavier than a rotary and a lot wider and they don't shear or break the mounting bolts often. In fact I've seen a bug with a 1200 engine that was only held on by one bolt.

good!!! I'm backed up on work here at the garage with other customer cars. and i just wanted to do the swap really quick over a weekend and call it a day. It will be my daily driver seeing that insurance on a 65 is more fucking cheaper then my 2004 f-150. Im getting my lisc. back

I heard the rotary weighs 40 pounds more than a typical 1600. I can't verify this.

I think a rotary with Y castings, aluminum waterpump and light rotors can be pretty light. You can feel it when you move them around without the aid of another person or an engine crane. The rotary baja in the other thread is getting Y castings and an aluminum waterpump. That will shave a few pounds over the current R5/3B castings and cast iron 1st gen waterpump. :)

where are the mounts that hold everything in place at? On the tranny and if so where? On top, bottom, or the side?

I don't know. I think beetle trannies have two rubber mounts at the bottom of the bellhousing and one up front at the nose cone. It might not be enough for a rotary.

I guess a few extra hours of fab work wouldn't hurt then

Guys
The VW motor is totally supported by the Tranny. I have no other mounts but I have heard of guys usin the front mount (four studs under the main pulley) for security. it would have to be in sync with the tranny.

The first cars I worked on were air cooled vw bugs, buses, and gias. Most vw shops dont put the one top engine to tranny bolt back in because its a pain to reach. It requires a long extension. The engine will be just fine with only 3 bolts to secure it. On some drag setups people make custom bars that bolt under neath the motor and are supported by jointed bars on either side that connect to the firewall.