i caught my first whiff of lsx'd miata a few weeks ago, and i can' get the thought out of my head. i'm at a point in repairing my c5 where it would be really feasable to just swing the hoist to a new home... what say you tdub gayragers?

9/1/2009 6:44:49 AM

This could most definitely be worthy. I guess it depends on your intended usage, but that would make for one hell of a fun go-kart.

What would be your plans for the rest of the drivetrain?

[Edited on September 1, 2009 at 7:31 AM. Reason : b]

9/1/2009 7:30:54 AM

haha adam tryin to procure a vette

9/1/2009 7:42:38 AM

hahah nah
i meant what would he be running drivetrain wise in the miata besides the LSx ? i think i will buy my vette with engine intact

9/1/2009 7:48:41 AM

lol did you blow the motor on the vette already?

9/1/2009 8:14:25 AM

^^ford 8.8 irs. t56 trans.


^yeah, you didn't see? i've posted about it a few times. burned a valve, broke an oil control ring, which in turn hurt the piston and scarred the cylinder wall. ended up taking the whole block .040 and a fresh set of pistons ($$ouch$$). might could have just sleeved the one hole and kept the others intact, but that engine has seen an ungodly volume of juice through it. plus, never been a big fan of sleeves except when required. nothing new otherwise. c5- 0 nawz- 1

9/1/2009 8:57:52 AM

haha. It would be badass to see another bastardized car on here. I thought about an LSx miata when going thru my list of "possible cars to put a v8 in."

Miata would definitely be fucking awesome. I say do it. I'd try to get an '01-'03 with a blown engine or something... I've always favored those the most, even over the initial 3rd generation... The recent face lift on the 3rd gen is hawt though....

Do it. You have my approval.

[Edited on September 1, 2009 at 9:10 AM. Reason : .]

9/1/2009 9:04:55 AM

gayragin' approval here, btw.

12" driveshaft, FTW

9/1/2009 9:06:52 AM

put it in a rx7

9/1/2009 9:12:20 AM

I know a guy with an Fc that would be a decent candidate. He'd sell it for cheap too.

PM for details/info.

[Edited on September 1, 2009 at 9:16 AM. Reason : .]

9/1/2009 9:15:32 AM

Quote :

"ended up taking the whole block .040"

damn, .020 wasnt enough lol?



sleeving a v8 would probably be $$ rhode island

9/1/2009 9:35:32 AM

I've been wanting to do this since 1990. Well, with a 302, which is hardly worth it. This would be worth it.

You can do it.

We believe in you.

9/1/2009 11:17:14 AM

My vote's for the FC swap.

9/1/2009 11:20:47 AM

you crazy bastard

put the motor back in the vette

buy a wrecked one for the drivetrain if you wanna do a miata swap. hell, i saw a high mileage one that was in ok shape for 9K on ebay the other day

9/1/2009 11:24:50 AM

do yourself a favor and do NOT try to put that motor in a car that was originally OBD II, whether it's a Miata or whatever. that's just asking for inspection headaches, which would also make it harder to sell the car because people don't want to buy a car that's really hard to get inspected in most areas

[Edited on September 1, 2009 at 11:41 AM. Reason : nitrous = too much torque for a Miata chassis without $$ to build up everything else]

9/1/2009 11:36:00 AM

^you act like BBR isnt versed on structural modifications, why so good buddy?

9/1/2009 1:33:39 PM

I think it is pretty much understood that this type of build more or less has to be ground up, to be successful, chassis included. Im going to assume BBR has thought of this. I personally wouldn't go this route, but it would be cool to watch him do it if he is willing to put in the work to do it right.

9/1/2009 1:40:00 PM

do it.

9/1/2009 2:05:36 PM

^^^ I'm just concerned that the cost would spiral out of control for a car that may be tough to sell. Buying an OBD II Miata would add a lot of hassle and cost for an LSx swap... you have the inspection issues which hurt the resale, and the weak Miata chassis. You can still do it, but is it the smartest swap for the money?

Assume the project ends, and he's ready for something else. Either you sell the whole car and probably take a big loss, or try to part it out. The motor will hold its value but all the chassis mods and/or the roller likely will not.

9/1/2009 2:48:01 PM

that could possibly be true - but then again Ivan may not give much of a fuck about getting his money back out of it when it's all over with.

9/1/2009 2:50:54 PM

Gotta pay to play.

Besides, I'm sure some bastard out there will bite. There's always ebay. No telling how much someone would pay for something like this.

Do it Ivan. I don't know you, but I'll be your garage bitch (nohomo) and would love to lend a hand in this project in any way I can. Even if it's just me staying out of your way and watching you work, I'd like to be there so I can learn me some stuff.

9/1/2009 3:20:39 PM

flyin miata has kits to make it go in much more easily. They have the crossmember, mounts, drivetrain kits, etc.

for someone not wanting to do the whole custom fab setup that is.

[Edited on September 1, 2009 at 3:32 PM. Reason : ]

9/1/2009 3:29:57 PM

They'll do a turn-key LS3 conversion out the door for like $25k if you throw them your otherwise functional Miata.

If you do it yourself then I still see spending a solid $15-$20k with ease.


What truly amazes me about this swap is how well the chassis seems to put down the power. I'm all for it, but the only downside is that you're going to be flushing much of that money down the toilet, whereas you might get a lot of it back if you just spent that $25k on a C6 or something obviously.

9/1/2009 6:10:13 PM

^ right, but then it's not an lsx miata


the only logical replacement in the c5 is an ls9 crate motor

9/1/2009 7:40:25 PM

obligatory 240(L)SX

9/1/2009 10:00:58 PM

Quote :

"^^ford 8.8"

i remember you posting about how the 8.8 was garbage. why the sudden change of heart.

[Edited on September 1, 2009 at 10:12 PM. Reason : funny thing is I actually came in this thread to see if you were going to freaky friday?]

9/1/2009 10:10:17 PM

the only 8.8 i've ever called garbage is the one you put bird shit all over.

as for the cost of this grand idea, i think some of you are forgetting i already own what would amount to the donor car which could still be parted out or sold as a roller to offset a good chunk of the costs. the swap kits out there are very reasonably priced, include nearly everything needed, and make it practically a bolt in affair. resale is of no concern. the primary expense would probably be the labor, because i have neither the time or desire to do the dirty work.

anyway, at this point it's definitely nothing more than a dream/infatuation/something to make a thread about. i'd have to find a real sweet deal on a clean suitable chassis within the next week or two for any kind of serious talk.

[Edited on September 1, 2009 at 10:59 PM. Reason : oh, and fuck freaky friday]

9/1/2009 10:55:44 PM

how bout freakin friday?

9/1/2009 11:09:57 PM

only marginally better. i don't go to the track to see skee lo and company do 27 laps around the parking lot, everyone on a bike pretending to be in a dmx video, or gawk at 300lb. females wearing clothes they stole off a 5 year old.

9/1/2009 11:26:21 PM

i saw a modded out miata it was coo today.

will i will go to freaky friday with u.

9/1/2009 11:48:19 PM

I haven't been to freaky friday since I blew my diff in front of thousands of people.

9/2/2009 1:10:26 AM

it's a fun time. I'm never disappointed except when it rains.

9/2/2009 10:42:25 AM

Quote :

"^ right, but then it's not an lsx miata the only logical replacement in the c5 is an ls9 crate motor"

Well, since you guys can't properly write "LSx" or "LSX" and instead revert to the entirely incorrect "lsx", I have no clue whether we're speaking about the entire LS series of engines or the LSX block itself. I haven't kept up with BBR's vehicle and when I saw him mention "swinging the hoist to a new home" I assumed he meant he was going to use the modified LS1 I thought he had in his C5 when I last saw it. Unless he's now gone to a built LSX block, I don't see why I should have assumed what you're saying.

I'd also prefer an N/A LS3 to that LS9 honestly (ESPECIALLY when we start to consider costs, jesus god). Throttle response is not going to be as good with that S/Ced engine anyway I'm sure and the power levels aren't that much higher than the N/A LS engines considering the increase in cost. I mean, if you want to throw me an LS9 though, I'll certainly use it.

9/2/2009 11:23:38 AM

shenanigans

9/2/2009 11:42:58 AM

^Agreed

9/2/2009 4:27:03 PM

Where's my LS9?

9/3/2009 1:57:16 PM

Bbr, my wife's miata is for sale right now. 99 British racing green 5spd with 78k mi. Just lowered the price to $5900.

9/5/2009 2:11:53 AM

PM sent with a very suitable roller.

Also, an LS9 would be a waste. I think that some of you don't understand how strong the engine from his C5 is and how little a Miata weighs.

9/5/2009 9:53:12 AM

no, i halfheartedly suggested the LS9 as a reaplacement for the C5, not to go into the miata. and that statement was only based on dropping in an extravagant crate engine, not because it's the be-all-end-all thing.

-Hurley

9/5/2009 2:58:12 PM

dude, when u are going to be swapping another engine in a car u dont need to worry about buying one with only 78k miles for 5900

9/6/2009 1:03:52 PM

^i wasn't going to bother saying anything, but my thoughts exactly. hell, it's a pretty hilarious price even if you were just looking for a nice miata to do nothing with but drive.

9/6/2009 8:16:05 PM

Quote :

"^ right, but then it's not an lsx miata"

I'm still waiting for someone to explain this.


^ Were you talking about an LSX or an "LSx", meaning "some LS motor", in your initial post? If you meant LSx, then the above statement makes absolutely no sense as I mentioned an LS3. If you actually meant LSX as Hurley said, then I'd like to know why you'd choose that route instead of what I thought you already had at your disposal.

9/7/2009 9:54:19 AM

his vette had an LSX

9/7/2009 12:01:08 PM

Interesting, when did this happen? I had been under the impression he was working with heads/cams/nitrous on an LS1.


I'd have been tryin to get a look at it if I'd have known that son.

9/7/2009 12:07:48 PM

nah, i wish. that's a bad ass block. i'll probably move to one eventually, but for now it's just stock stuff.

[Edited on September 7, 2009 at 1:20 PM. Reason : LSx to be specific...]

9/7/2009 1:18:32 PM

Hurley lied to me

9/7/2009 1:31:55 PM

my bust -hahahhaa, for some odd reason i thought I had read that BBR had a full LSX setup

my bust

9/7/2009 3:42:45 PM

Quote :

"It is a 1990 RX-7 GXL with 112000 miles on the chassis. I bought the car as a rolling chassis and did all the work myself. I'm not sure how many owners it has had before, but the title is clean. Parts list: [B]Drivetrain[/B] 2000 LS1/T56 with ~65000 miles on it. (just about every accessory/gasket has been replaced with new) Reprogrammed PCM Corvette aluminum driveshaft Jags that Run cooling kit, with Volvo fan Custom CAI Hinson Mounting kit Supra fuel pump Corvette fuel filter/regulator stock exhaust manifolds to 2.5" to single 3" exhaust with magnaflow muffler [B]Body/Chassis[/B] Painted stock white about 2 years ago BG progressive rate springs Tokico blue struts New brake rotors all around Hawk brake pads New brake master cylinder A-Tech Eraser wheels 17x8 front 17x9 rear Kumho SPT tires 215/45 front 245/40 rear only ~1000 miles on them Full alignment Front custom swaybar spacers Autozone Mazda Miata battery mounted in passenger bin, fully vented OBD reader mounted above steering wheel Short stick shifter There are lots of other small things that have been replaced on the car. I have owned the car for a few years but now need to sell it, I'm graduating college soon and unfortunately can't keep it when I move. The only serious problem with the car is the paint job. I had it done after I first got the car as the paint was peeling off. It looked as it had been painted in the rear half of the car before that. I sanded the peeling paint of and took it to a local guy to spray. The job was not for looks, mainly just somthing to protect the car. There a quite a few defects and they can easily be seen on close up inspection. It has been painted for 2 years now and held up really well, I keep it waxed on a regular basis. I think the pictures show that it can look good, but I'm warning anyone who is decieved by those that there are defects. No audio system currently installed. All the electronics work, sunroof, power windows, fan, heater, etc. Black interior is in great shape. [B]Asking $8000[/B] Any questions please email. "

9/7/2009 3:59:39 PM

That car only weighs a couple hundred pounds less than a corvette. He would have been better off just ditching his girlfriend.

9/7/2009 4:18:16 PM

are you saying his gf is a couple hundred pounds?

9/7/2009 4:27:43 PM