13bt rotary conversion in gen 3 liberty

RYTONQ · Post by **RYTONQ** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 9:49 pm

hey guys i own a gen 3 liberty with the sluggish ej20 in it just wondering any1 from syd know how 2 do the conversion and if so wats the price range? supplied and fitted

tim_81coupe · Post by **tim_81coupe** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 11:05 pm

A few points to consider, I don't want to sound condescending or anything but these are plain facts:

1) It's not a standard conversion, I doubt it would be a drive in / drive out jobbie anywhere
2) It's not a simple conversion, it would involve a complete rewire of the engine harness and a lot of splicing for the body harness for everything to work.
3) Gen 3 EJ20 turbo front cuts are out there, with a matching front cut it is an incredibly simple task and lets face it, the power outputs of the motors are very similar.

I'm not at all against rotary conversions, I only know of 2 performed on Subarus and I think they're both great cars. However both of these cars came standard with the old pushrod EA81, to fit the turbo EJ into them you need extensive subframe modification making the rotary a more desirable engine choice. However in a Gen 3 Liberty the turbo conversion is simple and relatively cheap, the 50kg weight saving on going rotary would be the only advantage.

RYTONQ · Post by **RYTONQ** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 9:59 am

im not afdter something thats easy and common i want 2 be different and im aware it will be in workshop for a while

steve_rising_sun · Post by **steve_rising_sun** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 3:08 pm

Rotary engines weigh about double a EJ20t, and are fairly tall.
So try a EG33 converted to twin turbo, you will be the only one in town
Steve

RYTONQ · Post by **RYTONQ** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 5:39 pm

im not much of a wizz with motors but the above motor is from the svx if im correct is that a hard conversion and am i looking at a big power increase? i want 12 sec passes or low 13s minimum

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 5:53 pm

That Volks conversion guy sells adaptor plate and flywheel for the conversion. I think his name is John Sherman W:0755377770. You don't get engine mounts/crossmembers with it.................20B?

kwijmbo · Post by **kwijmbo** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:29 pm

i dunno, but why butcher a GEN 3 for a drag car? Go with something older that is lighter and you're happy to chop and change. I cried when i got a stone chip on my Gen3 Heritage.

My rotary conversion wasn't an overnight job. It took me two years. Yes two years. Of course it was part time, but there's so many things you'll need to consider rather than just bolting in bits and making sure they fit. You'll need to up your cooling considerably as rotaries run quite hot. They are also quite long so fitting is a consideration, adaptor plates, custom clutch, make sure u get the right flywheel, computer, you'll need a custom radiator, custom engine and gearbox crossmembers, new tailshaft, and then don't even get me started on how tempermental rotaries are. Quite frankly from my experience, the people in the rotary world are the least helpful and most keen to make a buck from selling you dodgy parts and advice. I strongly suggest if you wish to go ahead, read read and read more about rotaries. Learn how they work, all the parts and what you can modify and what it will affect. They don't behave like piston engines and problem is they don't start rattling, pinging and blowing smoke like normal piston engines, they go off with a bang and just stop working. Just be really careful cos like I said, I found the rotary world are largely just sharks unlike the subaru world where we help each other and don't expect $1k for it.

Not trying to turn you off, hell I'm really happy with my conversion. Just that like tim said, you can bolt in an ej20t almost directly. A rotary conversion will cost you a lot of money and time and you'll have to figure it all out yourself. Just be aware, once you cut that loom and cut and weld your crossmember, you're into it head first. For me it was quite a daunting experience even tho my car was old, it was already well and truly done up - many times i thought of just switching back to a worked ea81.

Other than that, I would love to see it, just like i've learnt doing up any car, its worse than marriage in the commitment and money side of things.

Paul

MUDRAT · Post by **MUDRAT** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:47 pm

I really think you should consider if the rotary is the right engine for your car. Libertys are heavy, luxo spec all-wheel drive things.

Rotaries are designed to perform well in light, nimble RWD sports cars where torque is compensated by rpm - in an AWD you cannot have this luxury.

EJ20 twin turbo

RYTONQ · Post by **RYTONQ** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 9:55 pm

not as a drag car my car is all show atm custom paint airbrush etc leather trim u name it. jus time for some diff engineering.
car is driven 1 a week maybe 2 times.

rotors my friends all own rotors and the stories they rnt reliable etc is bullshit build it wrong and it will be shit of course.

daza · Post by **daza** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 10:11 pm

again NOT trying to put you off exactly...
but if you can find someone to take on a unique conversion they would have to be asking a ridiculous amount of money. These sorts of "one off's" are only practical if your doing most of the work yourself and time is no object... Ask kwijmbo just what was involved, in detail.

Sorry, it's a cool idea though. Oh and if you go ahead with it We Must Have PICS!!!

kwijmbo · Post by **kwijmbo** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 11:13 pm

dude I own a rotary.

i didn't say unreliable. I said tempermental.

hey i'm the first person to say dive in head first. I say go for it. You aren't a stranger to the world of modification as it seems. Why not, you only live once? Just like the guys here said, may not be the best engine for your style of car and maybe not the best bang for your buck. unless you plan to strip weight. My leone is 900kg. My lib is more like 1300.

Anyway good luck with it and if u need any advice or help please just ask. I'm more than happy to explain how things were done etc.

Paul

RYTONQ · Post by **RYTONQ** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 11:04 am

Thanx guys for support i have gotten a quote from a few places im looking at 20k + for the job

MUDRAT · Post by **MUDRAT** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 1:00 pm

You should post up some pics of your Liberty.

smoov · Post by **smoov** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 7:07 pm

RYTONQ wrote:Thanx guys for support i have gotten a quote from a few places im looking at 20k + for the job

where abouts did you get these quotes mate?

are they rotary workshops?

rocco's performance out at minchinbury used to do wild conversions (i've seen a EJ20T in an E30 BMW!!!) dunno if they still do.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 2:37 am

I would definitely go EJ20 turbo conversion, its pretty much a plug&play job on that car and will not cost you much more than the frontcut (depending on your personal mechanical ability). Also the power will not only be similar to a 13b turbo but more suitable to the car (much more torque etc). 13b turbos go well in small, light weight cars.

Not quite sure where the notion of one weighing twice as much as an EJ20 turbo came from......they do not. Rotaries by their very nature are light weight and are known world wide by this very feature.