Not sure I'm in the right area but here goes anyway. I need to know if anyone knows the best Miata engine to use for my bugeye swap. Mostly I'm wondering about ease of the wiring and ECU. My granddaughter and I are about to start a modified roadster project and I need to order my engine. 1.6 or 1.8 are both available for almost the same cost but I need to make a decision on weather or not to buy the factory harness and ECU.
Thanks
I'm not sure but this guy's website might help:
http://www.britishv8.org/other/bobchartier.htm
Looks like a lot of modification to the tunnel to make the transmission fit.
Megasquirt it and you don't have to worry about getting an ECU to work.
You will have to figure out a fuel supply system too.
Super thanks for the info. I have seen pictures of the metal work needed to the tunnel. The British v8 site is great. Oh yeah the fuel system, I was so focused on the electrical I hadn't even gone there yet.
What are you starting with? Don't use the early 1600 engine.
Are are you hard-set on FI or can you go to Carbs?
insofar as difficulty of getting it to run there really isnt much of a difference between a 1.6 and 1.8, much of it is close enough that there are ways to make it interchange.
The 1.8 weighs a little bit more than the 1.6 and the 1.6 is reputed to want to rev a little more while the 1.8 has more torque.
Early 1.6's have an issue wherein the crank nose destroys itself. (see http://www.miata.net/garage/crankshaft.html )
In fact, if someone did careless maintenance, the 1.8's (and long nose 1.6) can have a similar problem despite a bigger interface area. When looking at a miata motor you most certianly want to check the crank nose for play. If it goes, you are looking at a new crankshaft and it will probably make more sense to just get another motor.
I am working on a Bugeye too and I have a '95 miata as a daily driver. I have replaced engines in my miata and a 1999. The OBD1 miata is pretty simple, even for a 90's car.
They have plug and play solutions for megasquirting a miata motor, so if you are comfortable spending a bit more, that is probably the lower labor solution (just add mapp sensor IIRC)
That isnt to say that using the stock harness isnt feasable, you will just have some time spend tracing wires and cutting out excess. (Plus the 'squirt will perform better)
Speaking of perform, what are you going to do for the rear end? From what I have seen, even a miata motor could be a bit much for the stock axles. But then, I think as a racer who is going to hoon on it...
Based on my experience putting a Fiat 1600 DOHC engine and gearbox into an MG Midget, the rear axle is not going to last long with the Miata drivetrain.
The easy button is a narrowed RX7 rear axle.
Thanks for all the info, I'm thinking a 1.8 will be the way to go and im going to put a narrowed rx7 rear in it. The original rear is way to fragile and the brakes are not good for an increase in power.
Nohome. The video of the dual carb engine is pretty sweet but I'm going to go with injected if at all possible. I've done the whole weber carb route and my other car has webers so I'm almost over that. Right now I'm just finalizing engine choice and have started building two car rotisseries so I can do body work at a more comfortable height. I am a way better welder if I'm welding in position, which is to say I'm not the greatest welder. Hopefully my granddaughter will be really good at it.
Apexcarver , are you going to modify the bugeye? I'm wondering about front disc brakes since I plan to use a rx7 rear. My understanding is the fronts need to be larger to avoid rear lockup. Any ideas?
Bubbaz wrote: Nohome. The video of the dual carb engine is pretty sweet but I'm going to go with injected if at all possible. I've done the whole weber carb route and my other car has webers so I'm almost over that. Right now I'm just finalizing engine choice and have started building two car rotisseries so I can do body work at a more comfortable height. I am a way better welder if I'm welding in position, which is to say I'm not the greatest welder. Hopefully my granddaughter will be really good at it.
Be careful doing structural work on a sprite while it is suspended on a rotisserie. The rotisserie feeds loads into the chassis that will close your door gaps. Door braces can actually mask residual stress and chassis twist is a real concern.
If you need any pictures of how the shell comes together or apart, I have quite a few from when I did my Bugeye.
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