Am I nuts? Miata engine in an Alfa!

Bought this POS about 2 years ago for the wife cause she thought is was cute. Now she doesn't like it and wants it gone. I have to agree, aside from being a vert and beautiful the car has no redeeming value. Low revving twincam motor, row row row your boat shifting and the random grind into second have made it the least favorite. Tried selling it, but the offers are pitiful. So what would it take to make the car fun? A miata motor and trans look like they would fit right in, judging prices on ebay I could sell the alfa drivetrain and buy a miata with cash to spare.
I posted the idea on the Alfa forum and boy did I get flamed. How nuts do you guys think this idea is?

First question: What kind of Alfa?

The very fact that you got flamed on the Alfa forum is possibly the #1 reason to DO IT!

Yuck...

But I'm not a fan of cross brand engine swaps in general.

i would definatly do it, just to post the pics on the alfa forums!

If this car were valuable, some Alfa lover would have bought it. That opens the door with impunity to have your way with her.

I'm surprised it has a lowing reving motor. I thought they were all supposed to be high revers.

Did you try to sell it here?

Alfa engines are fine, and are larger (post '74? cars are all 2 liters in 4 cyl. versions) than the Miata engine with a good deal more torque. You can do a good rebuild and a set of cams and it responds very well. I've had a number of Alfas and Miatas over the years, and a good Alfa engine is a joy. The US spec cars are pretty strangled but are easily corrected.

Before the Miata, the Alfa gearbox was the one all others were measured by, but it does have very long throws and a weak 2nd gear syncro.

To be honest, it probably isn't worth the trouble to convert it, and if you think it's not worth much now, all that trouble and it would be worth much less than it is today, and unless you go FI, it would end up slower as well than with a simple, good engine rebuild.

If it's too much trouble to make the alfa motor run right, an engine swap is 100x the work.

Mel asked the key question......which Alfa?

I asked this same question after finding an engineless GTV with a good body and suspension work a few years back. Not a popular idea, lemme tell you.

But I wish I'd done it.

Sorry its a spider, the two seat vert. Regarding the engine, it redlines at 5500 and doesn't sound half as good as my Audi turbo 5. It probably has more torque than the miata, but parts for it are a fortune. I figured the motor/trans is worth about 600, saw miata drivetrains on ebay for 300. Not doing it for the economics of it, I know how much work it could be. Just sounded like a neat idea in my head. Probably should just sell it though. Yes it is in the GRM classifieds.

the answer isn't always miata......

otherwise a miata engine is lighter and more powerful, and easy to fit into my GT6. But then it wouldn't be a GT6. So I won't make the change :)

I expect to have an extra Miata engine and transmission very soon. I've looked at two donor cars this week and I only need suspension and steering. Let me know if you plan to go forward with this project.

The answer is Miata engine + turbo

I was thinking a supercharger actually. Woody where are you, how much?

I'm in Connecticut, but I'm still deciding between two cars. More details to follow.

From a paractical point - maybe From an ethical point- sacrilege.

On the other hand........ (ALFA in Morris Minor)

Keith wrote: I asked this same question after finding an engineless GTV with a good body and suspension work a few years back. Not a popular idea, lemme tell you. But I wish I'd done it.

Well you certainly would not want to ask a bunch of Alfistas.

I asked here.

It would seem I'm not much of a purist.

Engineless GTV + LSx = Fast Blissful Sacrilege

Yeah, if I'd been into the LS motors at the time, I may very well have that combination in my garage. Probably would have been less work than the current ship in a bottle project.

porschenut wrote: Sorry its a spider, the two seat vert. Regarding the engine, it redlines at 5500 and doesn't sound half as good as my Audi turbo 5. It probably has more torque than the miata, but parts for it are a fortune. I figured the motor/trans is worth about 600, saw miata drivetrains on ebay for 300. Not doing it for the economics of it, I know how much work it could be. Just sounded like a neat idea in my head. Probably should just sell it though. Yes it is in the GRM classifieds.

Don't worry about an engine swap. Just ditch the Spider and get a Miata. It is a superior car in nearly every way.

Sounds like you are asking too much to sell it. Just sayin.

If you read more of the threads on the BB- you'll see one Nissan turbo swap, one Honda S2000 swap, and a V8 swap.

The turbo Nissan guy got flamed pretty badly, not for the swap, but for the goal of 200hp- which is quite easy with a turbo Alfa. Done one for less and $2k. Had he been shooting for 400-500hp, the Nissan is much cheaper than the 30k it would take to make that power from an Alfa.

And one should forgive a marque specific page in taking some offense in doing a swap. You are a P car enthusiest? Do P car people appreciate it when someone swaps in a Subie motor into a 911 or 912? Miata engines are, indeed, nice, but they are a LOT heavier than an Alfa motor. A LOT. Miata block = cast iron, alfa= thin cast aluminum.

Parts are not expensive. Compared to the cost of the swap, and the hours it will take to make the swap, and how much your car will be worth after the swap.

That being said, I have thought about a sub-frame swap of a Miata to a Spider... Just couldn't figure how to put the rear sub frame in...

Anyway, it's your car- hack it up as you see fit. Why do you care what other people think? I'd worry more about what your wife thinks.

Eric

I'm no Alfista, but I think you'd definitely be much better off waking up the stock engine with some basic mods. Or even try to turbocharge it. That's been done before with success.

I've seen Nissan SR20DET's into 1750/2000 GTV's, which makes more sense. Larger/equal capacity, and way more usable power and torque than stock.

A Miata engine into a 1600 Junior could work, but even then...

I'm with the Alfistas on this one. The Miata engine is a good one, but it's not this gold nugget of an engine that would be worth the swap IMO. If you wanna keep it in the family, you could try an Alfa V6. Or sell it and get a Miata.