88-91 JDM 13B-T Custom Project

I'm working on a project to install a 13B Turbo engine into a 1959 Austin Healey "Bug Eye" Sprite. It's a project that will be one of a kind I'm sure..even though 12A's have been installed in the same type of vehicle before.

My problem is that the engine needs and ECU and Wiring Harness, and I'm trying to find out whether or not the US versions of both will be suitable for a JDM engine. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I put a 1989 13B turbo in my 1975 Porsche. I purchased a running donor so I had everything I needed. The "brain" is different depending on the year. You will need a brain (ECU) and wiring harness from the same year as your engine. The 1989 and newer are slightly better than the 1988 and older. The wiring harnesses into the ECU are quite different (88 to 89). The JDM engines are very close to the Federal engines. That should not make a difference.
You will also need leading and trailing coils from a donor car.
The radiator needs to be larger than you would think. Again a donor car will get you the right size.
Make absolutely certain you get a factory oil cooler or larger. These engines shed much of their heat through the oil.
For my swap I used a Kennedy adapter plate for the clutch/tranny and left the stock Porsche clutch and tranny. Since you are going rear wheel drive, I would suggest using the Mazda Turbo II tranny. Get a custom driveshaft made. The shifter may have to be adapted to fit the "bugeye".
Use three inch exhaust tubing. I made my own downpipe etc. I went with a three inch Super Trap muffler that is tunable for noise output. Rotaries are incredibly loud but the turbo helps quiet things.
A Turbo 13B in a "bugeye" will be great fun! It is amazing how much power they make. With a car that light you will need wide sticky tires to put any power to the ground. I love my swap.
www.fc3s.org had the factory wiring diagram on line. I could not have done the swap without a very good wiring diagram. However, with it the swap was not that hard.

Go to http://web2.airmail.net/atl/Rotary.html
to find a great write up on a 13B non turbo into a Porsche 914. Photos of my car are near the bottom of the page (Yellow 911).

I'll be happy to offer any help you may need to complete the project.
Quick question is the "bugeye" 6Volt positive ground"? If so you will need to rework all the wiring.

rotary 911's info was correct as usuall.

Personally i would get and ecu and harness from a single donor car...

then rebuild the harness to suit your needs in the car...

There are alot of things you do not need on these engines, and since it will be in a 59 chassis you can LEGALLY remove this stuff..

Make sure you get the Turbo transmission!!!! it would be way cheaper initally to get the t II transmission, and make it work in the chassis, than to buy an adaptor plate from the 13B-T to your transmission....

then bear in mind that the 13B will soon break the shit out of you stock sprite transmission... I would also consider finding the rear suspension from an 84-85 RX-7 GSL-SE. I have never seen a sprite chassis, but I'm sure you could make it work...

Doesn't the sprite use leaf springs? if so you could simply cut the flanges off of the GSL-SE axle to make it fit.

have a custom driveshaft made, and then you have all the hard stuff done... don't sweat the harness thing, we can walk you through it when the time comes... but again, try to find a heavily rear-ended donor car.. you can pick up cheap.. that will have all the extra components you'll need. buying them seperate will be costly later.

The sprite has some strange looking leaf springs, it's like they're actually half of a leaf. And it also has lever shocks as well, which are another strange and outdated design.

I plan on redesigning the suspension in the front and rear. Probably going with a coil over system. I will be looking for a rear end setup from a donor RX7, and then try to adapt it to the Sprite. I have also thought of using a Ford 8" or 9" rear end, and set up a 4 link for the rear. Working on designs is what will tell me for sure which I'll go with. The front will be modified as well using the factory lower A's modified to accept a coilover. This method has been used successfully on several other projects I've studied.

The transmission and the engine are both from the same car, and I purchased them still attached. They're from a Japanese version RX7. I didn't really know the differences between the Turbo and TurboII, so I just went with the Turbo. My original plans were for a carburated 12A, since I haven't seen any Bug Eye swaps that used the 13B-Turbo. I just hope it fits without too much modification to the chassis.

I will be stripping all unecessary parts from the engine to save space and not have to use as many wires. I've been deathly afraid of wiring harnesses since I did my first JDM Toyota 3S-GTE swap in an MR2 Turbo. I used the US Spec ECU and Harness, and it took many hours to get it all figured out right, the Japan engine was more horsepower, and didn't have a lot of the sensors that the US version did, as well as some that the US version didn't.

I appreciate the help I've already received, and the offers for more. As soon as I get to a point where I can begin laying out the engine location, etc, I'll definitely be looking for more advice. The good advice I've been given so far has surely kept me from a state of panic. Thank You.