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Mazda Rotary Wankel Swap Willys

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Millennium falcon View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Mazda Rotary Wankel Swap Willys
    Posted: 07 Jan. 2023 at 9:29am
RED EYE GARAGE Rotary Willys Swap! Started work on 1/01/2023

With a new year comes a New project!  I understand this may not be everyone's cup of tea...Its not practical and there are other swaps out there that make more sense.......but we build and drive 70+ year old vehicles so practicality left the chat long ago.. I've done the diesel swap thing twice now, and there are innumerable v6 and v8 swaps out there already so I wanted to try something i haven't seen before. I like to try new things and dip my toes in the unknown.... If you're a purist I recommend you hit the "home" button now lol... I want to give a shoutout to Barry Spangenburg and Tom Jones for going to great lengths to help me collect some parts for this project! 

Ok, Lets dive in with the details.

The Subject:
1) the jeep will not look any different on the outside than it does in now.
2) Its a 1945 gpw body on a 49 cj3a frame
3)  dana 44/25 axles Lock right front and rear 5.38 gears. 
4) 7.50-16 NDT's
5) Currently has L-134, Sm420/spicer-18 & Rear PTO
6) weight 2400lbs 
7) Top Speed 55mph (to the wood on a flat road) 
8) 80" wheelbase

The Donor:
1) 1991 Mazda Rx-7
2) Mazda Rotary 13b twin rotor Naturally aspirated 1.3L Fuel injected engine.
3) curb weight of 3,150 pounds
4) Redline 8,000 rpm
5) 94" wheelbase

As most of you know Rotary engines like RPM's and I am taking steps to combat the different power curve of this engine. Read on to find out how. I am also aware of all the inherent issues with apex seals, oil consumption, cooling, coolant ports, ect that come with rotary territory. That is not the focus of this post.  

The goal for this vehicle to have an good crawl ratio. Be able to maintain a top speed of 60 mph while keeping the rotary in the power band... I need it to have EFI and sound like a mixture of a kazoo and a snowmobile. 

With my current setup I will have a Crawl ratio of 122:1  Fully Synchronized transmission with overdrive, EfI and a 60 mph cruising rpm of 4250. I know that seems high but that is as fast as I need it to go and is where the Rx7 makes really good power.  


On to the pictures and videos!!! 

The Jeep!




The RX-7
I have spare engines too lol.....


pulling the car into the shop...


ready for the teardown


Its out!


The tiny size and lightweight are going to be a critical factor in helping met setup squeeze into the the short 80" wheelbase. 


about to go under the knife



Out with the old....


in with the new..




Its just hanging in there as I begin to mock up the final position and make motor and transmission mounts. 





At this point im sure some of you have left and permanently blocked me for this blasphemy... haha, but those of you who are still here probably have a bunch of questions and or insults... So im going to pause here and post my latest video. This video goes into more detail than i can on here....I explain the entire drivetrain setup and specs and will save me a lot of typing. I will continue to post updates on here as they come. Thanks for watching! Happy Jeeping! 





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Barry S View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Barry S Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan. 2023 at 10:06am
Always happy to activate the "Willys Express" delivery service and have a chance to visit with Jeep friends!  

Awesome project thinking outside the box!  Looking forward to watching your progress!

-Barry
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Scratch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan. 2023 at 11:00am
Cool project!  I like that it’s not the same old swap that everyone does.  It’ll be interesting to see how it is driving.  What are your plans for the L-134 and does it run well?  I don’t need the engine at all, just wondering what your inspiration was for doing an engine swap?  Was it knocking, cracked, etc… or is it perfectly fine and you just wanted to try something interesting for funsies?

Also, I like the way you did the “wipe” transitions in your video.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote oldtime Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan. 2023 at 11:14am
Fascinating mental and fitment challenge Seth.
You da Red Eye garage R&D man !
And that Jeep is a real looker regardless.
Best of luck .


Currently building my final F-134 powered 3B .
T98-A Rock Crawler using exclusive factory parts and Approved Special Equipment from the Willys Motors era (1953-1963)
Zero aftermarket parts

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Greyghost Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan. 2023 at 3:33pm
interested to see how this goes. 

I would like to have seen the motor mounted right back against the fire wall, but I can see why not. have you thought of shortening the Mazda boxes output shaft to gain some room??

One point to note is, the best thing to do with a suzuki t/case is make sure you make the mount "pickup two of the front output cover bolts" this stops the case from "rolling around" the factory mounts.
I did this on my samurai running 35"s and never had the case move on stock samurai mounts.

I have fount the "rings" (like you have there) to be useless, however they do stop the gears from pushing the case apart. but i've only seen one do that and he was running 60 series land cruiser diffs and had been "halting on it" for a long time.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nofender Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan. 2023 at 6:18pm
Looking forward to seeing this come together! Very cool!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lee MN Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan. 2023 at 9:11pm
40 years ago, a then local hot rod guy swapped one into a crossly car, it worked out just fine 👍🏽

Lee
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LuzonRed47 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan. 2023 at 9:24pm
That rotary is clearly not a candidate for "Top 20 Best Engines to Swap into a Willys jeep" but you'll get a ton of YouTube traffic with this one, Seth. There are scores of reasons why Wankels never made the mainstream (in both autos and motorcycles) but if anybody can make this a successful swap, you can.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jan. 2023 at 11:21am
Originally posted by LuzonRed47 LuzonRed47 wrote:

That rotary is clearly not a candidate for "Top 20 Best Engines to Swap into a Willys jeep" but you'll get a ton of YouTube traffic with this one, Seth. There are scores of reasons why Wankels never made the mainstream (in both autos and motorcycles) but if anybody can make this a successful swap, you can.

My top 20 list of engines to swap are the 20 no one has ever swapped before. And write this down….. you’ll see at least one more rotary swapped flatfender in the 3 years following mine. 😆 and it will bare an uncanny resemblance 😆 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote oldtime Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jan. 2023 at 2:42pm
Is the 10 HP Fairbanks Morse on your top 20 swap list ? 
It only weighs on at 2250 lbs LOL
Currently building my final F-134 powered 3B .
T98-A Rock Crawler using exclusive factory parts and Approved Special Equipment from the Willys Motors era (1953-1963)
Zero aftermarket parts

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan. 2023 at 1:21am
This is out of order but thought you guys might want to see it. I did have the car running and driving in the fall before I removed the engine from the car. I have been working on the swap and will list more updates soon! Have a great week! 


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nick_ Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan. 2023 at 9:23am
This is going to be so cool. I desperately wanted to build a Wankel Willys circa 2018 after watching LSX Willys doing wheelies down the freeway, and started looking at JDM 20B engines back when they were only $5k. Somehow I ended up with an FD RX7 during the search, and the Jeep project never came to be. Thanks for letting us live vicariously through you.

After watching your videos about how you can fit the 5 speed in there with the 13B, I think you made the right choice with a 2 rotor. That never crossed my mind. I think this is going to be one of the most versatile flat fender swaps ever done. Do you have any plans for bumping up horsepower, or just keeping a reliable NA engine?




Edited by Nick_ - 10 Jan. 2023 at 9:25am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dasvis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan. 2023 at 11:02am
Interested in seeing what kind of adapter you make to mate the engine to trans. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan. 2023 at 11:11am
Thanks Nick,  no turbos for this build. 

Edited by Millennium falcon - 10 Jan. 2023 at 11:12am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Millennium falcon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan. 2023 at 11:13am
Originally posted by dasvis dasvis wrote:

Interested in seeing what kind of adapter you make to mate the engine to trans. 

No adapters needed this time. The first video I posted covers all that. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DAAN Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan. 2023 at 12:25pm
I watched the videos; will be a great one to follow. Good luck with the project!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dasvis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan. 2023 at 1:47pm
Guess I will need to watch the video 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dutch 1960 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan. 2023 at 7:37pm
As a rotary Mazda guy and a flatfender Jeep guy (but not in the same vehicle), I am intrigued.  A few items for you.  

The torque curve is very flat and the power comes on strong but rather gently with a rotary.  This means, for trail work, keep the revs up and downshift early.  Keep your foot in the throttle and the rig will pull nicely without jerking the driveline or the Jeep around with torque peaks and valleys.  I think it will work fine.  You have 7k or a bit more for a rev limit, so you can scream it up the inclines when necessary.

There is the matter of heat with these things.  Imagine jamming a V12 through a single two-outlet into one pipe exhaust manifold, with constant high revs.  That’s the equivalent here.  You need to get heat out of the engine, and not burn anything up among the rig and passengers along the way.

Take a look at the radiator in the RX.  It is tall and wide (and mounts at an angle to get extra height), but it is not thick like an old CJ radiator.  It is actually thin in depth, which aids heat transfer.  The old CJ radiator is more of a heat sink than a heat transfer (to the air) device, because it doesn’t need to be.  For the rotary, you need to get the heat out of the radiator through efficient transfer.  Make the radiator as tall and wide as you can, given the space.  Nd put a fine mesh screen in front of it.  A rock hole in the radiator will fry the rotary instantaneously, like nobody’s business.  Also an external engine oil cooler, a big one (again big but thin) is the best.  The tranny is fine without a cooler.

Now, the exhaust pipe.  It will get very hot.  Use thick wall tubing. Mount it away from the fuel tank (not hard to do, tank is on driver’s side and the exhaust exits to the right).  Also, mount it with an air gap to the floor.  Here’s where scavenging from the RX is useful.  Take the exhaust pipe shields and adapt them to the Jeep. A set for between the pipe and the floor of the rig, and a set to isolate the pipe from the ground.  Leave the sides (the verticals) open for heat dissipation.  But you don’t want to start grass fires with the exhaust pipe.  Like a hot cat converter, the hot exhaust will light stuff up.  It sometimes glows orange at the head end, that’s how hot it can get.

You can use glass packs, that’s what I use for roto project vehicles, but get steel wool packs for the muffler at the head end, to keep from burning out the packs.  Racing Beat has a pricey but good piece available.  Chambered mufflers don’t work well on rotos, very loud and the sound quality is piercing.  You don’t want to beat up the ears of your trail mates.  Glass packs give a nice sound, and three of them will get it somewhat quiet.  The RB piece followed by two Cherry Bombs works well for me.

Feel free to reach out with any questions.  Will follow this one with interest.
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