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Mazda Rotary Wankel Swap Willys

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Ol' Unreliable View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ol' Unreliable Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar. 2023 at 9:11pm
Originally posted by Millennium falcon Millennium falcon wrote:

As I said above I’ve always found rotaries fascinating, the swap is unique….no one has done it before and they get lots of hate....if you or someone else wants to do the dirt bike engine swap I fully support it.

No hate from here on der Wankel.  

As for the other, I saw a picture in Four Wheeler about 30 years ago of an M-38 with a Honda Gold Wing engine under the hood.  Not a dirt bike engine, but it's an interesting choice.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar. 2023 at 10:03pm
Originally posted by Ol' Unreliable Ol' Unreliable wrote:

Originally posted by Millennium falcon Millennium falcon wrote:

As I said above I’ve always found rotaries fascinating, the swap is unique….no one has done it before and they get lots of hate....if you or someone else wants to do the dirt bike engine swap I fully support it.

No hate from here on der Wankel.  

As for the other, I saw a picture in Four Wheeler about 30 years ago of an M-38 with a Honda Gold Wing engine under the hood.  Not a dirt bike engine, but it's an interesting choice.

I saw some YouTube videos with a goldwing powered jeep! Pretty cool unique idea. 


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LuzonRed47 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Mar. 2023 at 10:14am
Scratch from Wisconsin: "Honda dirtbike engine"...what are you suggesting, an XR650 air-cooled single? Chain final drive? Hmmmm....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Mar. 2023 at 10:16am
I have a bunch of work to do before the wankel willys will see real off road trails, but its getting closer each day. I took it out in the back yard to play and do a little low rpm testing. I like the idle to be around 1000 rpm.. this allows me to lug it down pretty good without touching the throttle when crawling. In this video I not giving any throttle on a brake stand and climbing a pile of wood. It went down to around 600rpm and really impressed me. considering "rotaries make zero torque" its a good reminder that with the right gearing and weight any engine can be fun! Maybe Ill swap a hit and miss engine next! haha! Stay tuned for more updates!


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Apr. 2023 at 10:31am
2 weeks of daily driving update 


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cpt logger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Apr. 2023 at 4:10pm
Way cool! Thanks for the video.

I am a tad surprised with your fuel mileage. Back in the day a friend had an RX-7 IIRC, It was fast, but truly ate fuel. He got about 8-10 MPG. I remember commenting to him that a Sherman tank got 6 MPG.

This looks like a pretty good engine when mated to a Willys drive train. It looks to work well as far as drivability goes. As you said earlier, the rotary engines are not as plentiful as they used to be, but other then that...

Good show & thanks again, Cpt Logger.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Scratch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Apr. 2023 at 5:30pm
Looks like it drives very well on the street.  Anxious to see an after trail report this summer!  I really like your high line spring plates too!  I must have missed you talking about them.  Did you make a video or something about them?
43 GPW 93487 Blk
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47 CJ2A 141681 Grn
48 CJ2A 156240 Red/Yel
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Apr. 2023 at 5:40pm
Thanks! The first tank I checked was like 11-12mph but a lot of that was idling and putting around the yard while I was tuning it. Normal driving seems to yield high teens. I’m guessing the low weight has a lot to do with that. It takes very little skinny pedal to keep it at cruising speed on the road. 👍 

Scratch: yes I made the spring plates. I was lazy and didn’t do a video on them.  😆 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Apr. 2023 at 6:51pm
I finally had some time to button up some small details on the interior of the jeep. I sewed up some shift boots from an old tent. I also installed this groovy little cup holder RED ROVER PARTS gave me to try out. They make land rover parts but are a great fit for the old jeep. They also made my shift knob. The cup holder swings out of the way and lays flat when not in use. You could bolt it to the dash or tool box on a cj2a. 












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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Apr. 2023 at 11:14pm
Ive been putting lots of miles on the rotary jeep the past few weeks. Getting prepped for some trail time! 

The main skid plate was next on the list. 


Mocking it up before final trimming. 
I used stock 2a crossmembers so my ground clearance is unchanged from running a t90 and substantially better than it was with the sm420. 



all buttoned up and ready for duty. 






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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LuzonRed47 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr. 2023 at 8:43am
TDI jeep in background looks lonely and unwanted....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr. 2023 at 9:10am
Originally posted by LuzonRed47 LuzonRed47 wrote:

TDI jeep in background looks lonely and unwanted....

Worry not, the tdi jeep is still well loved. I try to drive it equally. I’ll definitely use the tdi for longer rides. And family rides. It’s a lot more relaxed and quiet compared to the rotary. It’s like the different between riding a stallion and a pack mule 😆 I love ‘em both but they are definitely different animals 😆 


Edited by Millennium falcon - 06 Apr. 2023 at 9:11am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Oilstretcher Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr. 2023 at 9:56am
Don't remember where but I saw a John Deere B with a Harley Flathead swapped.   Here's an idea, how about putting swapping in John Deere 2Cyl.  I've had a number of the old John Deeres and love the unique sound of their firing order.  The 2 cyls hit 90 degrees apart and then the flywheel rolls 360 degrees before it does it again.  They got the knickname "Johnny-Popper"from that sound.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Apr. 2023 at 10:40am
I’ve actually contemplated the John Deere swap… that would be very cool! The problem is the engine is part of the frame and everything is very large and heavy. But who knows… maybe someday if I get bored enough. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Apr. 2023 at 10:42am
I’ve been driving it every single day and putting on as many miles as I can as I slowly finish the small details and tweak the efi tuning. I thought you guys would enjoy this video. 





Edited by Millennium falcon - 12 Apr. 2023 at 12:57pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 43 Flat-Fender Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Apr. 2023 at 11:05am
Really cool perspective ...

Drivetrain looks quite stable and handles "Torque Loads" well in both directions, accel and decel.

Driveshafts/U-Joints are amazing things and that one is as straight as an arrow !

It looks like a blast to drive and wheel !!

Well done Seth.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Apr. 2023 at 8:05pm
We have an official weight for the Wankel Willy’s. If you remember my older video where I weighed the engine/transmission I shaved just shy of 300 lbs by switching to the rotary/5-speed. My blue tdi swapped Jeep weighs 2,640 on this same scale it it was a fun comparison. I hope you enjoy the video! 






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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Apr. 2023 at 8:55pm
Originally posted by 43 Flat-Fender 43 Flat-Fender wrote:

Really cool perspective ...

Drivetrain looks quite stable and handles "Torque Loads" well in both directions, accel and decel.

Driveshafts/U-Joints are amazing things and that one is as straight as an arrow !

It looks like a blast to drive and wheel !!

Well done Seth.

Thank you! Yeah I’ve been having a lot of fun with it lately!
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