Stuffing a Rotary into a....Fairlady Z?

I'm not Takumi

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2007
Messages
727
Location
Hawaii
Car(s)
Toyota AE86 Corolla
http://www.rotaryz.com/


Seems a bit silly to me. A rotary is hardly the engine I'd choose to swap into a car. :?
 
RB26 is the only way to go.
spoken like a true bandwagon ricer. "ZOMFGRB36FTW!!11!1!!1" :rolleyes:

http://www.rotaryz.com/


Seems a bit silly to me. A rotary is hardly the engine I'd choose to swap into a car. :?
light, cheap, easy to make power and easy to work with. reliability depends on your tuning, and if you're not an idiot you can easily get 100k out of a decently powerful 13BT. Engine pops and you've got a pancake stack of 3 moving parts and a bunch of seals, not really a big challenge. used engines in good condition can be had for ~$800.

not the worst choice.
 
spoken like a true bandwagon ricer. "ZOMFGRB36FTW!!11!1!!1" :rolleyes:


I hate when people put different marque engines in the wrong marque cars.(Chevy V8's into Dodge's/Porsches etc)

Nissan into Datsun is fine, Alfa into Fiat is fine... Mazda into Datsun? Is not fine. :(
 
Last edited:
a while back there was a guy looking into a 20b swap into a 240Z. Personally i would go with a Lexus V8 those things last forever and love the boost plus they are cheaper then the VK series of V8s from nissan
 
I hate when people put different marque engines in the wrong marque cars.(Chevy V8's into Dodge's/Porsches etc)

Nissan into Datsun is fine, Alfa into Fiat is fine... Mazda into Datsun? Is not fine. :(
well if you really looked into it, you'd find that RB swaps don't ever do very well, not without a very expensive standalone ECU. It has something to do with the funky way the computers work in the skyline, but 90% of RB swaps you see run like crap. It's actually easier to swap a toyota inline 6 into an S-chassis or Z than it is an RB, and IMO they are better motors.

My roommate currently has an S13 undergoing a 1JZGTE swap :thumbsup:

If you don't like frankestein swaps that's cool, but everytime time "nissan" and "engine swap" are used in the same paragraph, the riceboy answer is always, "ZOMFGSR20/RB26!!!" and most of the people saying it have no real experience with engine swaps and just regurgitate the same ricer BS every fanboy says.
 
That rotary Z needs a small-block inside it. And then a 2JZ superturbo. Topped off with Very Tall Engine Coolant.

It'll be like the automotive equivalent of a turducken.
 
You know what the most wicked swap would be?, swapping a Veyron engine into a Caparo
 
That is neat all, dropping a rotary into a 240Z, but how would that affect handling? Since the geometry is centered around the honking weight of the original engine, many bad things could and will happen.
 
light, cheap, easy to make power and easy to work with. reliability depends on your tuning, and if you're not an idiot you can easily get 100k out of a decently powerful 13BT. Engine pops and you've got a pancake stack of 3 moving parts and a bunch of seals, not really a big challenge. used engines in good condition can be had for ~$800.

not the worst choice.

But according to the links, alot of fab work for motor mounts and fuel injectors for starters.
 
That rotary Z needs a small-block inside it. And then a 2JZ superturbo. Topped off with Very Tall Engine Coolant.

It'll be like the automotive equivalent of a turducken.
fucking ROFL :roflmao:
That is neat all, dropping a rotary into a 240Z, but how would that affect handling? Since the geometry is centered around the honking weight of the original engine, many bad things could and will happen.
It's not really a big deal to tune the suspension. I doubt the owner was planning to leave it stock.

But according to the links, alot of fab work for motor mounts and fuel injectors for starters.
yeah, and? That's going to happen with any cross-make swap, and in a Z that's necessary even for swapping in newer Nissan engines. motor mounts and such really aren't a big deal for people who actually know what they're doing, not dumb teenagers who are used to seeing bolt in honda swaps or SRs into 240s. Just because something doesn't bolt directly in doesn't mean you need an automotive engineering degree to do it.
 
well if you really looked into it, you'd find that RB swaps don't ever do very well, not without a very expensive standalone ECU. It has something to do with the funky way the computers work in the skyline, but 90% of RB swaps you see run like crap. It's actually easier to swap a toyota inline 6 into an S-chassis or Z than it is an RB, and IMO they are better motors.

My roommate currently has an S13 undergoing a 1JZGTE swap :thumbsup:

If you don't like frankestein swaps that's cool, but everytime time "nissan" and "engine swap" are used in the same paragraph, the riceboy answer is always, "ZOMFGSR20/RB26!!!" and most of the people saying it have no real experience with engine swaps and just regurgitate the same ricer BS every fanboy says.

Where are you seeing RB swaps done? Everyone I've known to do it doesn't bother to run the OEM ECU. Hell, that includes a lot of people I know with swapped engines. It's funny, after checking this thread I realized how many people I know personally with swapped engines. Pretty nuts.

Oh and also for the rotary business...I know a guy running a 9 second FC as his daily (has an FD track car too, lol.) I asked him how many miles he sees out of the rotaries he tunes, and I can't remember off the top of my head, but as Zenki said earlier...it's a lot. A lot more than I would have guessed (given my fairly weak rotary knowledge.)
 
Where are you seeing RB swaps done? Everyone I've known to do it doesn't bother to run the OEM ECU. Hell, that includes a lot of people I know with swapped engines. It's funny, after checking this thread I realized how many people I know personally with swapped engines. Pretty nuts.
when my roommate looked into it he found that without going with a very expensive stand alone they're hard to get running right through the rev range and idle properly. Even with a proper $2500+ computer they can be a paint to tune. A lot of kids think they have good swaps, because they run, but if you look at their AFRs you find rich and lean spots up and down the range, and they don't make as much power as say, if you modified one still sitting in a skyline. This isn't to say there aren't good examples running around, there are, but they are very expensive usually, and with the same amount of money and effort you could get similar numbers and better reliability from either a toyota I6 or even an SR in many cases. Also, parts for tuning and basic maintenance are more expensive and harder to come by, while even tho the 1J wasn't offered in the US, you can still go down to Napa or your local parts supplier of choice and get new seals and such.

plus isn't the RB series a lot heavier? I dunno I remember that for some reason.
 
I hate when people put different marque engines in the wrong marque cars.(Chevy V8's into Dodge's/Porsches etc)

Nissan into Datsun is fine, Alfa into Fiat is fine... Mazda into Datsun? Is not fine. :(
It's hard to argue with a rotary on the grounds that it's so damn short you can shove it far back in the chassis. Even if it and an SR20det (after you count intercooler and turbo etc...) weigh as much as an LS1.

well if you really looked into it, you'd find that RB swaps don't ever do very well, not without a very expensive standalone ECU. It has something to do with the funky way the computers work in the skyline, but 90% of RB swaps you see run like crap. It's actually easier to swap a toyota inline 6 into an S-chassis or Z than it is an RB, and IMO they are better motors.

My roommate currently has an S13 undergoing a 1JZGTE swap :thumbsup:

Toyota 7m-ge/gte's from my understanding are quite popular swaps.

If you don't like frankestein swaps that's cool, but everytime time "nissan" and "engine swap" are used in the same paragraph, the riceboy answer is always, "ZOMFGSR20/RB26!!!" and most of the people saying it have no real experience with engine swaps and just regurgitate the same ricer BS every fanboy says.

This is true.

plus isn't the RB series a lot heavier? I dunno I remember that for some reason.

And this. Engine and trans on an RB26 I've seen weighed at 700lbs. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather get more displacement from a shorter package and go with an SBC/LSx.

Oh and also for the rotary business...I know a guy running a 9 second FC as his daily (has an FD track car too, lol.) I asked him how many miles he sees out of the rotaries he tunes, and I can't remember off the top of my head, but as Zenki said earlier...it's a lot. A lot more than I would have guessed (given my fairly weak rotary knowledge.)

Browse rotary forums for a while, and you can really see that it's far more intelligent to pay someone to tune a rotary ecu than to try and do it yourself. It seems as though a lot of the guys doing it themselves either can't get it right, or can't keep the boost down and blow motors.

One thing I noticed when I was still following them, was that a lot of guys would try and go cheap and stick with the factory ecu, and IMO just seems like a bad idea, as it likes to stop fuel if it detects over boost... instant blown motor (if I recall correctly, usually the rear rotor will break a seal). Proper fuel + proper ecu tuning = a very reliable, high power rotary.
 
Last edited:
when my roommate looked into it he found that without going with a very expensive stand alone they're hard to get running right through the rev range and idle properly. Even with a proper $2500+ computer they can be a paint to tune. A lot of kids think they have good swaps, because they run, but if you look at their AFRs you find rich and lean spots up and down the range, and they don't make as much power as say, if you modified one still sitting in a skyline. This isn't to say there aren't good examples running around, there are, but they are very expensive usually, and with the same amount of money and effort you could get similar numbers and better reliability from either a toyota I6 or even an SR in many cases. Also, parts for tuning and basic maintenance are more expensive and harder to come by, while even tho the 1J wasn't offered in the US, you can still go down to Napa or your local parts supplier of choice and get new seals and such.

plus isn't the RB series a lot heavier? I dunno I remember that for some reason.

My buddy's rb26 swapped s14 made ~650whp on a race tune (batch firing) with a broke-ass EMS. He switched it to an AEM EMS and had AMS tune it. You mention "kids" a lot...and I think this would be the issue with any engine, any tune where "kids" are involved. Kinda have to know what you're doing to get it right on any setup.

Browse rotary forums for a while, and you can really see that it's far more intelligent to pay someone to tune a rotary ecu than to try and do it yourself. It seems as though a lot of the guys doing it themselves either can't get it right, or can't keep the boost down and blow motors.
I don't know if you're speaking in general or to me specifically, but I'm a member on rx7club.com, and I couldn't agree more (not only for rotaries but any engine.) That is, unless you know a lot about how to tune of course.
 
Last edited:
One thing I noticed when I was still following them, was that a lot of guys would try and go cheap and stick with the factory ecu, and IMO just seems like a bad idea, as it likes to stop fuel if it detects over boost... instant blown motor (if I recall correctly, usually the rear rotor will break a seal). Proper fuel + proper ecu tuning = a very reliable, high power rotary.
You can run the factory ECU if you have mild mods at the most, and a Fuel Cut Defenser. You can also port the wastegate on the stock turbo so there is little to no chance of it being overwhelmed by a boost spike. I ran a stock ECU in mine with a GHETTO FCD and ported wastegate. With full 3" turbo-back exhaust(no cats) and intake, I had no problems with overboosting or running lean. Boost would come on sooner, but it wouldn't spike beyond what the stock computer can handle. what does people in is they install a boost controller and run higher than stock boost on the stock ECU and injectors, and that's just stupid. You can tune your own car if you watch your AFRs and know WTF you're doing. BTW my car was done in by a heater hose I failed to check, nothing rotary specific.

My buddy's rb26 swapped s14 made ~650whp on a race tune (batch firing) with a broke-ass EMS. He switched it to an AEM EMS and had AMS tune it. You mention "kids" a lot...and I think this would be the issue with any engine, any tune where "kids" are involved. Kinda have to know what you're doing to get it right on any setup.
anyone who doesn't know WTF they are doing is a "kid" to me. I'm only 23 so I'm not really referencing age. There are a lot of people coming from hondas and getting into nissans and mazdas thanks to the explosion of drifting, a lot of wannabe takumi losers who have no idea WTF they are doing, and that's who I'm referencing most of the time. I'm sure your buddy's car is nice and runs well, but I'm also sure he paid a fuckton for it to get that way, and he's probably not the normal bandwagon fanboy, or at least paid someone who isn't the normal bandwagon boy to do it. for every nice RB swap you see there are at least 50 that run like shit. IMO it's probably the most overrated swap, EVER.

BTW the grand total for my roommate's 1J swap, including aftermarket clutch, exhaust, FMIC and some other little shit like gauges was quoted as $5000-$6000, including labor. Go ahead and try that with an RB, lol.

rx7club sucks dick BTW.
 
:twisted:Here is some more cross breeding madness :twisted:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvPfi-ZeQRM

Its old but its good :twisted:

PS if anyone knows which episode this was from can you please tell me because i am desparate to find out. thanks.
 
Top