Whats up everyone, im brainstorming a project right now and im looking for some insight/advice. Ive got a spare 97 Honda Civic Dx coupe in my backyard with no motor and im completely stripping it out to build up something monstrous . i started out researching fwd motors to build up considering it would be a somewhat easy swap because a lot of honda motors will drop right in with little modifications. During my 4bangin' studies a buddy of mine, who is into the older muscle cars, said i should just get a 350 v8 for it and he would help me put it all in. So i started researching that. ive found that a f$&@load of custom fabricating is required including frame rails, differential installation and so forth. Now, considering im only 19 i was born and raised in the tuner era (i shouldnt say raised because my parents were not mechanics but w/e i do my research) so i dont know the first thing about a v8. Still exploring my options, i started to look into rotary motors because ive always admired the rx7. i found theyre much lighter than a v8 and can produce similar power with little modification to the motor, on the downside tho they dont usually last more than 100k miles but who cares its a race car not a daily driver. ****, if you do the math thats roughly 400,000 quarter mile runs, which is plenty. To get to the point im not afraid of the time, work, and money this will cost but just for arguements sake lets assume the money part isnt an issue. My question(s): to drop a rotary motor into my civic shell would i need to do something with the firewall? and if so how would i go about keeping the heat away from the driver? As far as the rwd conversion, is the differential different for every motor or could i hook up any drivetrain/differential to any rotary motor + transmission? Ive also read the gas tank may have to be relocated, where to? Or, if possible would it be easier to drop the shell onto the whole chassis setup off an rx7? I know i still have to buy an rx7 im looking into getting a salvaged one

Ive only seen pictures of 1 person who put a rotary in a civic and i think its a great idea, considering that a honda shell with an rx7 motor would weigh almost 200lbs less than an rx7 with an rx7 motor, and also the civic has a wider wheelbase which if im correct would handle better (especially lowered)

 

rotarys are homosexual, fix the civic and drive it normally. If you don't know what ur doin then dont do it. having a rotary in a civic is like watching fat guys having a threesome.

 

you are scaring me

 

Not the same, expect to break parts quickly.

 

Damn!

 

no no, totally the same, you DO drive at redline and speedshift 100% of the time in a DD right?

 

Dont do rotarys suck, if you dont want the shell sell it. and by a rx7 if you really want a rotary

 

rotary is only for homos, but nonetheless if ur a homo go for it

 

If "the money part isn't an issue" you haven't gotten serious yet. The money part is always an issue, and the fact is that a civic coupe with a badass rwd 13b in it is going to cost tons of money. Drop someone's wayward SOHC swap in that car and daily it. Then get a miata, a 2nd gen rx-7, or a 280z and do a big chevy v8 since kits are readily available.

Good job thinking outside of the box. Keep researching and approach your goal of a crazy hybrid as practically as you can.

 

doesn't that say just everything!!
he was drifting in his crib!!!!

 

an incredible amount of work and money to get a rotary into a civic.

 

a rotary in a civic would be pointless even if you could do it.

 

im not going to be as harsh as some of the "rotarys are homo" but really your money could be better well spent. plus even if you do it, and it turns out to be a "monster" people will always say you should have just turbo'd a b series or that you should have done a k swap. just my .02

 

Thats a good sane way to say it.

 

dumb idea, and from ur post it dosent seen like u have an 8th of the knowledge u should have in order to do this.

 

If you can't figure out where to put the gas tank, how the hell are you going to figure out where to put a RWD drive train. In case you didn't know, civics are FWD.

 

Even though anything is possible, if u were smart enough to do it, then you would know its not worth doing.

 

lol this made me laugh. this idea= FAIL

 

i personally think it would be badass, as for the dude that said take a crazy project as practically as you can...what in the hell is the fun in that?

id say if you got the money, know how, and resources, then go for it.

**** the haters

 

X2

You would probably get alot of positive attention.

 

I say don't do it, I would just put a k20 in it and a good drop with rims.
If you want Rotary just get your self a 88 Rx7, those are really cheap, aleast the N/A are.

 

this is a crazy project but this is honda tech right

 

Anything is possible. Money is always an issue as previously stated. As for a Rotary they aren't junk but unless you know about them or know about basic mechanic's of a internal combustion engine then you won't understand the "wankle". What most of these jerk offs are trying to say is if you are asking about it then you really probably shouldn't try it. Stick with what can and has been done and you will be more then happy especially at 19. If money isn't an issue like they said just buy a RWD car. Like a Supra,S2k,240,IS300 hell if you talked about v8's get a vette,mustang,charger,challenger, or camaro.

Nothing wrong with Dreaming but you will learn a costly mistake if you dive into this without the right knowledge b/c you will be paying other people to finish it for you.

 

having been a rotary since before alot of you were born, i would have to agree with not doing it, first saying rotarys dont live past 100K is pure BS, most dont live that long because people dont treat them right, even a honda wont live to 100k if abused...

a decently built turbo D will put out the same HP as a mildly set up rotary... to get serious power out of a rotary (over ~300-350HP) they become moody, and not very streetable, also where honda motors go to a max of about 8500 (for the most part) rotarys can easily spin at 9-10k with no problems, when built for it...

i would say if you want a unique car keep the FWD and put a rotary in with a honda trans (there are several companys that make a kit for connecting a rotary to old skool VW (bug, transport, ghia, type III) engines so honda trans/rotary would be not to far off but would have to be custom...

someone suggested getting a 2nd gen RX-7, i wouldnt do that either, the 1st gen RX-7 were lighter, more structurally rigid, and have better options for a stronger rear axle...

i got my first RX-7 in '88 or '89 and was sad to see it go, would love to have another one, but isnt feasable now, you are young and still exploring the world now, throw a honda engine in it, if you want a quarter mile monster thro an H or even a K in it... get some serious automotive experience under your belt and then consider what your proposing above, you will know alot more, especially if you also buy a RX-7 also and get to know both cars...

 

I like that civic ^%^^^^^

**** the people hating on your idea man , even if it is pretty improbable , your thinking outside the box which is good. its funny how some people say rotary's are for homo's , those guys just have little dicks thats all. they think rotarys are for homo's because even if they had one in their civic or an rx-7 for that matter, they still wouldn't get any chicks.