Dyne wrote:Dude, you should read everything before you state something. I'm not putting an "cast iron inline 4" onto it. Its a rotory engine, and it only weighs 40 more pounds then a VW engine. 130 horse to keep up with a stock VW, where did you get that from? A rotory engine does not weigh a lot and it wouldn't "destroy" the car for what it is. Research before you talk, it could help. Accept the fact that building a performance VW isn't always the easiest way to go. So what if a VW engine is made out of well crafted metals. If you want to take engine materiel into it, Japanese had and still have of the best steel in the world ever. In the 1600s during Iyesha Tokugawa's empiricy Japanese steel had less that .000006 phosfourus in it which is an even better rating then modern steel. And a lot better then anything Germany ever made. Granted, that amount of phosfourus was created by the laminated steel technique created and mastered by the Japanese in the Sen Goku period (1300 AD) but even today with their mas produced steel, it still holds one of the best phosfourus ratings in the world. You don't get steel like that in the 1960s out of Germany. I'm not saying German steel is horible or anything but its not on par with Japanese steel. All in all, Japanese steel wins in this argument no matter how hard you try to prove yourself. I know Japanese history and their steel used in their swords and just about everything else is a big part of their history because it was so perfect for the time period and even in modern day. I do Kendo so I like to study Samurai and Japan. VW engines are good for what they were designed for and thats 60 MPH down the Audubon. You can get horsepower out of them but its not the easiest or most reliable engine to use. It would have its advantages but so does the rotory engine. And by the way, don't even bother trying to bring the materials used in the engines into this. Its utterly pointless and the Japanese steel is by far more efficent then the German steel. And becides, be happy. Felix Wankel was German and he invented the rotory engine. German make, Japanese steel and inovations. Enjoy the history lesson! I've got a lot more I could so about the history and culture of Japan if you would like, just ask. And yes, I do want the car to be unique and different. And your "bobbing" around problem could be easily fixed with some suspension mods.
Great you read a book on some things in Japan. I lived there for years. Yakoska to be exact. I'm sur the spellings wrong but please don't grade me on that.
first off my example of better materials addressed your choice of a German designed but unfortunately american built Ford motor. I could care less about some percentage point of some inpurity in German steel. German steel beats American cast iron any day.
But it seems you are obviously just dreaming at this point and have changed your mind about the Ford and now you want a rotary because of the pretty picture most likely.
Fact ,rotaries are compact and small. But they are NOT light weight! add water, electric water pumps (because the stock one has probs pumping water a long way) ,extra tubing under the car to transport the water, radiators, etc , etc. and you end up with a TON of extra weight junior.
how do I know this because I've been there done that. How many cars have you built????? I've been building fast cars from the ground up for decades. You'd wet your pants if you got a ride in my 65 street Bug.
Buy the way Mazda got their rotary design from NSU and soon found out they got SCREWED! The german design sucked. The Japanese should be given full credit for inventing the rotary motor that "WORKED". The german one was lame and smoked. The people at Mazda working to the point of exhaustion and bankruptsy invented the "carbon seal" that made the amazing rotaries of today possible. The silly German rotaries were NOTHING in comparison to these machines. The german design was nothing more than an unsuccessfull oddity.
If you can't comprehend the inner workings of a simple VW motor then do your self a favor and give up the grandios idea of building a whole car complete with transplant motor and all systems. Your most likely be best off buying a store bought Honda or Camaro.
