Rotary Engine Install: Part 2, Page 1
05/06/99
Now that everything's sized up and the motor is situated
where it needs to be, it's time to start fabricating motor
mounts. The idea was to engineer a system that was as close
to a "bolt-on" as was practical, while keeping it simple.
I decided to use 4" x 3/16" angle for the bracket attached
to the motor, cut down to 2" on the horizontal "leg". For
the frame bracket, I used a 4" x 1/4" angle welded to two
3/16" plates at either end. Then I was able to use the
factory Mazda motor mounts sandwiched between the two. This
is a view from the top:
Since the rotary mount bracket is at the very front of the
motor, this presented a problem due to the proximity of the
steering box. So I had some tight-tolerance sleeves cut and
replaced the steering box bolts with 6" (!) long grade 5
bolts. This way the "end plate" of my frame bracket clears
the box by about 1/8":
For the other (passenger) side I drilled (3) 11/16" dia.
holes in the frame rail, then welded sleeves in them. I have
since come up with a better design which avoids this
particular step for any that I may build in the future.
Here's another pic of the whole thing secured in there:
For the rear (tranny) mount, I left the stock Mazda rubber
mount attached, and used a 4" x 9" x 3/16" steel plate to
secure it to the Samurai frame crossmember. Due to the very
critical alignment requirement of using only a single u-joint
in the transfer shaft, I then spent some time shimming the
plate and mount with washers until I got it *just* right.
Next Page
[Main Page & E-mail] [Contents]
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page