>Hi, volks,
>
>I was wondering about the Wankel for some time. A guy I know with an old
>RX-7 was whining about a blown seal, but upon reflection, said that he had
>no real problems with the motor except for that.
>
>However, I am not aware of any kits for Wankel conversion, nor am I hip to
>anyone who has done this, and I get the suspicion that there is a reason.
>Does anyone know what is up with this?
>

        Plain and simple it's the lack of torque at a low enough rpm
        to make it useful in a Vanagon (make sure you're viewing the
        following chart in a non-proportional font):

           1st Generation           2nd Generation            3rd Generation
           Standard GSL-SE    86-88   89-91 86-88     89-91   All U.S.1996-97
                                            Turbo][  Turbo][  Models  (Japan)

Engine Type  12A      13B     13B     13B   13BTurbo  13BTurbo 13B-REW 13B-REW
Displacement 1156cc  1308cc  1308cc  1308cc  1308cc   1308cc   1308cc  1308cc
Power output 105bhp@ 135bhp@ 146bhp@ 160bhp@ 182bhp@  200bhp@  255bhp@ 265bhp
              6krpm   6krpm  6.5krpm 7krpm   6.5krpm  7krpm    7krpm   6.5krpm
Torque(lb-ft) 105@    135@    138@    140@    183@    196      220@    222@
              4krpm   3krpm  3.5krpm 4krpm   4krpm    3.5krpm  5krpm   5krpm

      OLTECO                    Ari Ollikainen
      P.O. BOX 3688             Networking Technology and Architecture
      Stanford, CA              Ari@OLTECO.com
      94309-3688                415.517.3519