The Official 914 World 3 Rotor 914 Build Thread, Otherwise known as round and round we go...... Options

[soloracer]

Well there has finally been some progress made on my car so I thought I would start a build thread about it for those who are interested. I'll try to keep it updated as I go along.

I'll start off with an introduction to the project for those who don't already know. I bought a 914 with a Sheridan Motorsports wide body in an E-bay auction. The car was being set up for a Porsche 6 to be used on the track. It came with the wide body, a 915 transmission (mag case) that was converted to side shifter with a Vellios kit and the ring and pinion had been flipped. The front suspension is supposed to be from a 911 - don't know the year yet - and the car has a brand new set of Kinesis rims that appear to be 17x12 in the back and 17x10 in the front. Also included were a set of new tires 315's in the back and 285's in the front. The previous owner also had put a front mount oil cooler and a somewhat poorly welded roll cage.

Here are some pictures of the car:

[soloracer]

For a number of years the car has sat in my garage while I made up my mind what I wanted to do with the car. I determined that I wanted to make around 400 hp in a reliable fashion. At first I considered staying with the Porsche six as the original owner intended but after pricing out how much 400 hp would cost and what a potential rebuild was worth I decided to consider other options.

Naturally I considered the V8 route that so many here were doing and thought that I wanted something a bit more unique. So then I moved on to the Subaru engines considering both the 3.3 flat six from the SVX and the 2.5 turbocharged flat four from the WRX. I couldn't find anywhere that that people had modified the 3.3 engine and it appeared that there wasn't strong support for an engine build up so I decided not to go that route. This left the 2.5 turbo and it looked really interesting however I could not find an engine locally. However, I did find a turbo Toyota MR2 3SGTE engine and after some reading figured this would make a good alternative. So I bought the engine and continued to do my research.

As many of you know I also own RX7's and one day a group of us got talking about the 3 rotor engine - known as the 20b - and what the potential was for them. Several of my friends had rebuilt their own 13B's and we were all getting very self sufficient on fixing our RX7's. Needless to say our 20b talk got my mind working - what would be cooler and more unique than a 3 rotor 914? So I sold the 3SGTE and bought a 20b.

[soloracer]

In my garage the engine, transmission and car sat for another few years while I continued to collect parts. In the meantime I bought an acreage with a 2400 square foot shop to work in. Here are pictures of the car as it sat in it's new and old homes:

[soloracer]

One day at one of our Porsche Club track events a BMW showed up that didnt' sound anything like a BMW. It was driven by Paul Botting - a son of one of the Porsche Club members. When he popped the hood nestled between the strut towers was a nice LS1 that looked as though it came from the factory. Paul installed this beast himself and was looking to participate in the track day. This car went like stink and proceeded to set some of the quickest times for the day. I really liked the professional look to the install and we struck up a conversation. I told him about my 914 project and he was hooked on the idea as I was. He just loved the thought of doing something that nobody else had done. So after some discussion I hired him to install the motor.

Here is a link to a short video of the LS1 BMW:

http://www.members.shaw.ca/fc3s/TrackDay/LS1BMW.wmv

Please use "Save As" and don't directly link to the file. Thanks.

[soloracer]

I went to Kennedy Engineering ( http://www.kennedyeng.com/ ) and ordered their rotary to 915 adapter kit and a 915 HD pressure plate and upgraded clutch disk.

[soloracer]

While trying to figure out how to accomodate intercoolers and plumbing for the 20b my good friend Max Travers - the local Rotary Guru - suggested going normally aspirated. He said that I if went with a peripheral ported 20B I could make 400 hp reliably and have a car that was more predictable at the track. I decided that this would simplify things a ton.

So I hauled the car and engine off to Paul and he began the job of stripping the engine and getting it mounted in the car. Here is a shot of the engine mated to the transmission. Paul has a polyurethane LS1 block that he uses to mock up the engine in cars and he wanted to compare the length to my 20b. Looks like it's pretty close to being the same size.

[soloracer]

When Paul went to install the engine he found that it was going to be too long so I bought the Renegade Hybrids transmission blocks that you V8 guys use to shift everything back a few inches. I also purchased 4 WEVO semi solid engine and transmission mounts. Since the transmission was converted to side shifter I found an engine mount bar for side shifter on e-bay and purchased it.

Paul proceeded with getting the engine mocked up and this is where we are today. He found that he still had to make a cut in the firewall for the water pump and it looks like the firewall will have to be reshaped around the top of the water pump where the thermostat is to give adequate clearance

[soloracer]

The plan is to build brackets that will bolt the engine to the bar which is in turn mounted to the chassis with the WEVO semi solid motor mounts. The plan is to use the three bolts holes above the bar (triangular - the bolt is in the bottom left part of the triangle). We will consult with Max to get his thoughts on this as he is the expert on the engine. Originally Max had wanted to build a baffle plate that had ears that we could mount to. He has worked in performance shops in Japan and said that the baffle plate would be strong and be a good place to mount to if the plate was made thick enough. However, Paul believes these existing bolt holes are good enough.

[soloracer]

Paul also removed the front oil cooler that the previous owner installed and started to work on installing the Renegade Hybrids radiator system that I purchased to keep this baby cool. I will keep the oil cooler as I believe it is going to be necessary to have one on this engine and will probably find a place to mount it in the engine bay.

[soloracer]

This is where we are at today. Paul is also going to work on the brake system for me. I have purchased a set of front and rear 1990 911 C2 calipers and rotors for this car. I will need adapters for them as the caliper bolt spacing is different than what is on the car. If anyone has information on where to get the adapters please let me know. I also purchased a pair of early 911 axles but the look to be too short and the bolt pattern on the inner CV doesn't match the output shaft of the transmission. Any ideas here are welcomed as well.

I've also wondered about the rear hub conversion that was done. Can anyone here tell me if these look like 914-6 units are are they just a drilled out hub with an extra bolt in them? Any help identifying what I have is appreciated.

[soloracer]

Here is another interesting shot showing the chassis reinforcement made by the previous owner. It also appears as though the trailing arms are boxed. I have purchased Engman's longitudinal stiffening kit and will be building a new cage for the car. Hopefully this is sufficient to prevent any problems.

[soloracer]

The car didn't have a steering wheel when I got it so I bought a used Momo Monte Carlo wheel and a quick release mechanism and installed them

[soloracer]

I also ordered and received my independant throttle bodies (55 mm x 3) for the peripheral ports. I am going to use a Haltech E11 V2 for control of the engine. I'm still not sure what size injectors to go with but I do have a set of 1600 cc units that will probably find their way into this project.

[soloracer]

Here is a picture of what I expect the car to look similar to when it gets completed. I have to thank a fellow teener for photoshopping the picture for me. The orange will probably be a little lighter - like that on a Lotus Elise - and the black will probably be more of a charcoal. But at least this picture will give everyone an idea of what I am going for.

[soloracer]

Here are three peripheral ported rotary housings courtesy of Mad Max Travers - rotary specialist - and one silly looking German gaurd dog wearing a cycling jersey because he can't stop scratching his stitches. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[drive-ability]

This is where we are at today. Paul is also going to work on the brake system for me. I have purchased a set of front and rear 1990 911 C2 calipers and rotors for this car. I will need adapters for them as the caliper bolt spacing is different than what is on the car. If anyone has information on where to get the adapters please let me know. I also purchased a pair of early 911 axles but the look to be too short and the bolt pattern on the inner CV doesn't match the output shaft of the transmission. Any ideas here are welcomed as well.

I've also wondered about the rear hub conversion that was done. Can anyone here tell me if these look like 914-6 units are are they just a drilled out hub with an extra bolt in them? Any help identifying what I have is appreciated.

I have a V8 and a 930 transmission and the hub looks just like what I have. The inside axle attachés using only 4 fasteners. I assume the other 2 are for pins. Looks like you will have a real nice car when its finished. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

[soloracer]

Thanks! The axles do have two dowels and 4 bolts from the looks of it. I notice that on the transmission side that the output shafts don't match the axle though. The axles also appear to be too short. Are adapters needed? What are the options for this build in terms of what axles to use?

P.S. Nice car. Bet it really hauls. I would like a 930 tranny as well but since this one came with the car I thought I would use it. Plus the 930 is only a 4 speed and mucho dinero. If I had to upgrade I think I would consider a Mendeola box like the sand rail guys use. A sequential shifter would be really something too. In my dreams though.......

[soloracer]

I picked up a 915 transmission cooler on E-Bay for $750. It's from a European Carrera 915 transmission. Hopefully it's enough to keep things together in my transmission. Can't hurt right?

[Mueller]

that plastic V8 is pretty darn cool.....

how much does your 20B weigh??

[Dr. Roger]

This is where we are at today. Paul is also going to work on the brake system for me. I have purchased a set of front and rear 1990 911 C2 calipers and rotors for this car. I will need adapters for them as the caliper bolt spacing is different than what is on the car. If anyone has information on where to get the adapters please let me know. I also purchased a pair of early 911 axles but the look to be too short and the bolt pattern on the inner CV doesn't match the output shaft of the transmission. Any ideas here are welcomed as well.

adaptors can be found at Patrick Motorsports @

http://www.patrickmotorsports.com/cgi-bin/...cat2=&cat3=

Great looking work. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)