so you couldnt come up with a way to dump a rotary in a 3rd gen chassis?? they are stiffer than 1st and 2 gen rx-7's and plus to me thats just no longer a Protege, just some Pro sheet metal on an rx-7. Which essentially will just make it more heavy?? Sorry, not trying to hate, but it just doesnt make sense to me...guess im just too logical, but it would be more cost effective to build the 2.0L, turbo it, and get the tranny built with an LSD to handle the power, or go with J-spec AWD tranny...

 

i don't know. we were thinking about that, and determined that it may be less trouble to do it this way then to fabricate a rear end, but i am still looking into my options at the moment. that option is not gone just yet.

 

well it is tru, when i thought of the name "Rotege" and how you said you were gonna just drop the chassis on top, i was thinking that its no longer really a protege.... and then i was thinking like RX-3, but thats already a car from the 70s, then something along the lines of RX-323, but that just didn't flow, then i look at the protege name, and thought rotary, and then the two clicked in my head, "Rotege"

well i cant remember weight and everything of RX-7s and Proteges but i don't think they are too far off, but then again 100 lbs will give you 0.1 off of ure 1/4 mile time

just ballpark figures
the 2003 protege ES i think the curb weight was 2600lbs - 2700lbs
the RX-7s curb weight is about 2700lbs

so they aren't too far off...

Also remember the RX-7 was deisgned to keep 50/50 weight distrivution, so if your gonna go with an rx-7 underbody you still wanna maintian that, also the centre of gravity is much lower, and with throwing the protege chassis on i think the centre of gravity would go up some... so i think the best would be to try to retrofit the rotary into the protege.... not put the protege chassis on top of the rx-7

Some more info for thought....
The design of the rotary engine, means that the transmission will connect up to the middle of the rotary engine, so it will have to sit really really low, because on piston engines the crankshaft are at the bottom end of the engine, and thats where it connects up to the transmission, but on a rotary engine the eccentric shaft (basically same as crankshaft) is in the middle of the engine (due to the rotaries small small size and the way it works) so it would have to sit really low.... but you are going basically custom the whole way through so it might not be too much of a problem....
in some cars the rotary can fit into the transmission tunnel.... thas how small it is, so it might be okay...

but yeah there should be a way to get the motor in there, and converting it to RWD which is in a reasonable cost for the amoutn of customizing and work to be done in the project....

just gotta think harder

my info above is not to discourage you, cuz i think this will be an awesome car.... and a car that not many can touch at all... after all it will be the ....
ROTEGE

but just giving some insight on some of the things to be done .... maybe if you dunt want to continue on with the project, this is all here for someone else to pick up from,

i know i would do this in a heart beat if I had the money to do it with...

but then again, if it was me, i would probably make it a 20B (26B if i had $150,000 for mazda to make me one, but then again that is 700bhp NATURALLY ASPIRATED ) and probably streetport, the reliability mods, probably go 3mm apex seals, get the engine rebuilt (well if i'm gonna port it ofcourse ima rebuild it ) etc etc....

a BIG project, but seriously, i think it is worth it.... it will definately kill ANY turbo protege out there, and it will be completely original, hehe, and you wont be just like the next turbo protege hehe....

even though turboing it would be more friendly to your funds...

and you will have it turboed as a rotary

 

As long as we're dreamin........how about a mid-engine rotary? A common set-up in sand rails uses a VW transaxle and a Mazda rotary. Then you could keep your front end intact for cruzin and the rotary in the back seat for grins

 

well i think if he is ACTUALLY gone go through with this project then it aint just dreaming....

Plus i think he still wants to keep it a protege..... if you want a mid engine version he would have to take out the back seats and completely custom fabricate alot more things....

IF you ask me i think it would be easier to make a rear-engine rotary (RR) rather than a mid-engine setup....

because this way you wouldn't have to touch the interior much, and basically you just gonna switch the trunkt o the front, and the engine bay to the rear.... i think that would the easiest BIG conversion


but personally i say keep it a FR (front engine-rwd) setup

 

I agree with VagaBond-X completely, I want this to be a "sleeper", which is no body-kit, no wings, or any useless items like that. If i were to do any exterior work it would be rims(Advan 17x7.5 6 spoke rims in the mail ) and maybe a front lip. I'd like to be able to pull up to a 'vette (I don't think I'd be dreaming too much here..) and they look over and see a stock appearing 4 cylinder(..cough..) car and then get backhanded by it. I am not sure how long this is going to take to accomplish, but in my opinion I think it would be completely worth it no matter what the cost, time, or effort.

 

prtygy22, for you to beat a vette, especially the new ones you will have to have a few mods done to the rotary....

basically you will want about 350whp which is not too much for a rotary.... the stock turboes can handle that but i really they shoudl be upgraded to better turboes because they will be losing their efficiency around there....

with about 400whp you will be seeing 11s in the 1/4 mile.... well with an rx-7 you will.....

you will have to factor in the weight difference, and the difference in drag coefficient.... but still i think u should be able to see 11s, if you drive pretty decent... if you are a great driver and with some slicks i wouldn't be surprised if you see 10s

i knwo some guys in the RX-7 club which dyno at about 330rwhp - 350rwhp and they pull 11s all day long

you see that is viper eating territory cuz they run about mid 11 second 1/4s when they are stock

Now if you come up across a Z06 vette, you might come across some trouble..... you should be able to take one if you have about 430+ whp

but either way man... even a protege with a stock 13B in it will be crazy enough.... you are more than doubling the horsepower.... and the rotary engine is just awesome...

liek the sound of the rotary is crazy.... just hearing a protege make that sound would be liek damn.... plus they are loud... lol....

just imagine pulling next to a vette.... u ask him to run you... he laughs.... but says what the hell and he gets ready... lights go green.... and u just take off LOL... damn you definately gotta take some videos of that...

liek this CAN be done.... in Japan they have an AE86 (1986 corolla) with a 20B in it.... even tho the AE86 came rwd stock.... it still says that this can be done... and the AE86 pulled so crazily that it aint even funny.... it just left the car behind it as if it was standing still.... and it wasn't standing still!!! I have the video if someone wants it

 

i would love to see that video of that AE86. I agree with you in modifying the engine. I had no intentions to leave it stock. What would be the fun in that? ... I'd probably start with a huge single turbo, larger injectors, a loud *** BOV, turbo timer, and work from there with the other necessities. As soon as I accomplish this, I would definately record some videos.

 

I am new to this forum... I am also interested in the idea of dropping an Rotary motor into a Protege. My question is if you could some how get the rotary motor to match with the FWD tranny. or if there is any FWD rotary capable transmission I could swap into the Protege. The car I was considering using would be a 2003 Protege 5. Any advice would be great

DWD...

 

This will never hapen. No'one will invest $20K to custom fabricate everything needed to pull this off even half-assed.

While it's a nice idea it's just never going to happen. Let's be real here.

 

DAMN you tried to rain on my paraide didn't you? well, let me tell you something, you don't know me as well as you think you would like to and i know people that fabricate all kinds of things. and right now i have about 10 different people for about 10 different specialties that will help me out for free or next to nothing right now. I have someone who is excelent with turbo's and exaust systems(6 second turbo 'vette all custom), several people that built their own stock cars(chassis, suspension, transmission) and they know how to do eachothers jobs too and have many years of experience working on cars. i even have some company customizing a rear end for me right now w/ a ford 9" w/ a 3.08 gear, custom suspension and axles....never say never because it is all in who and what you know, especially when $ is not too big of a deal

 

I think you're full of crap. I have to throw up the B.S. Flag on this. If money was no object and you were getting all this custom work for free and you can afford to start buying up 13b-REW's (and you'll need a couple of them) then you wouldn't be driving around in a 2002 Protege ES. You might have sprung for a little nicer car...something not in the compact class.

I personaly like the proteges and the rx-7's but you will NEVER and you can quote me...NEVER get this car running. If you do I'll give you a thousand dollars.

I'm not trying to "hate" on anyone but I'm so sick of all these people coming on the internet, (not knowing what they're even talking about) and running their mouths like money is no object when they drive a $12K car. It gets old after a while.

 

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Like I said before, you obviously don't know me as well as you think you do. However you can judge me all you want. You think that out of all of those people that say things like this there isn't going to be atleast one person that actually pulls it off? secondly, i kinda belive in keeping a mazda motor in a mazda, and i've wanted a rotary. any average person can buy a RX7 or RX8, and if it makes you feel any better i am working on seeing how well a 20b fits. Everyone is entitled to your own opinion, but someday in the near future I will prove you wrong.... You are right, I could have payed for a better car, but I decided that I liked this car way more than any honda/acura, mitsubishi, and nissan that i drove. I thought this car had more potential than the others and how often do you see a mazda protege w/ an engine swap? you see civics w/ b16's and 18's all of the time, same with 240's and an sr20det. mitsubishi has a nice awd turbo 4g63 motor, but like the honda's and more and more every day 240's they are a dime a dozen. i don't like the look of new eclipses and not enough power for me, and i wasn't too impressied w/ the nissan ser spec v. the mazdaspeed came out a few months after i got mine, so that rules that one out too. even if i had waited i wouldn't but an srt4 because it's a neon, so that leaves me somewhat limited, so i chose a protege.

 

Do you know why you see so many honda b16-b18 engine swaps?? BECAUSE THEY'RE POSSIBLE!

I compare your project idea to the RWD 302-powered Focus that is being made. You purrchase a focus and then give this company $15K and they convert RWD. I know it can be done I'm just doubting that YOU will do it.

Prove me wrong though. Oh yeah, and be sure to include pics of everything once you start since you'll be starting soon, I'd like to see it come together.

 

I would be more than happy to take many pictures of the whole process maybe i'll record the major parts of it. Anything is possible when you know the right people, and even still, $15,000 is not that much. I don't even expect to spend 10 to get it running. "It is all in who/what you know"