Does anybody know of a sucessful FWD rotary mini ?

There's one that keeps popping up on here from New Zealand , uses a Toyota gearbox , the rotary is transversely mounted and is race only (I think the body's been widened 4" or so too ) but not sure of the website . Google rotary mini new zealand and see if it comes up . There were a few others done over the years , one with a VW style transaxle and the rotary mounted longitudinally but again race car only .

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its from nz... not sure if its the fwd drive tho..... and its a 12a rotary i think....


http://s3.forumforfree.com/a/index.php/miniforums/t13.html

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Yep , that's the one I was thinking of , front wheel drive and awseome power .

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and looks great also

I was under the impression there was a guy on the Sunshine Coast capable of doing it (or had atleast done the conversion once before)?

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But he's thriving and striving and hugging the turns.

Yeah i heard the one that has been made in Australia was made in QLD.. but is running around in sydney somewhere..

But have not really tried chasing it up really..

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Baracade
Relationships! The only time you get to sleep with the enemy!
1972 US Export Moke in Bundaberg QLD

i remember the logic behind the rotary mini...

there's a honda civic with a transverse 12a in it.. (from a mazda luce)

honda fit in minis, therefore...

"the doc" there seems to think the rack would be an issue...

however..

the rack was supposed to be an issue with vtecs in a roundnose without extending the front, and i saw one in a mini mag that two bohemians had found a way around it...

using that logic again.... it should be descretely (if not hugely expensively) possible....




make sense?

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interesting..thanks everybody

there was supposedly a race car in vic a long time ago.... I don't see why a starlet GT gearbox wouldn't be an obvious choice for transmission.

The motors are very wide, but I reckon it'd fit. My friend has a 13B in a Midget, looking at it the underside on the hoist, there is an awfully wide sump under it, but....

One time I did some asking around if anyone in my area had a spare motor I could measure up, but nothing came up

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

Dangerous thoughts there Simon , starlet or Swift GTi box perhaps , I'll have to check if a mates still got various 13B motors kiscking about and see the dimensions , imagine having a standard looking clubbie (for the extra space under the bonnet) in primer with a 13B hidden inside ...

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your reading my mind

How about into a moke , be easier to extend the panelwork at the front for a bit more room and very few would pick it , you could have decent tyres under it too that way without looking obvious . It'd give our WA friend a go for his money , whenever he get's his moke finished that is ....

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OK to drag up a subject I thought about a long time ago...
The Mini is ideal for a rotary engine the weight nd the power they produce, not to mention their size.

I have heard of sucessfull FWD conversions using cordia boxes (Mitsubisi) these boxes are ment to be strong and not in short supply. I don't see why it couldn't be done but on the flipside the Rotary's are panalised heavily under ADR standards as size (cc) to weight and a small rotary is all you could put in and engineer for rego. The rules for engine size are available from DOTARS website I will not quote them as they have been known to change and it's been a while since I looked at them.

if your thinking of a racer (non-regoed) I would hapily put a big rotor in. but I would consider a flip-front as the rotary's tend to be high maintanance and it'll help a great deal when it comes to working on it.

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-doing a Degree in Mechanical Engineering,
and a few conversions:
13B Extend in a 1600
4EFTE in a mini ute (all slowly)

does need a gearbox that rotates in the right direction though.... the one in the NZ honda had the engine on the left, as does that race car... the starlets and swifts have the engine on the right. Maybe it rotates the other way.

I wonder if it would mate with a honda AWD gearbox

go on Ian, go talk to your friend and get some measurements for us

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?