Are used Miata 1600 engines not worth anything?

I love the way 12 hp transforms an engine from a "gutless wonder" to something more acceptable

Aftermarket parts availability is actually about the same, at least in our catalog. Other vendors may not be so well balanced. There certainly are more factory options for the 1.8.

rcutclif wrote:

NOHOME wrote:

rcutclif wrote: well, since I just got my grassroots back issues with the miata-swap story and I keep looking at an MGB-GT that is a driveway ornament at the moment, this is of interest to me. Anyone who cannot get rid of a miata motor in or near the chicago region can feel free to let me know!

Ya know...You might be on to something. I do have this MGB GT that is in great shape bodywise but continues to piss me off with the mediocrity of its drivetrain. Maybe I should just keep the Miata mechanical bits and graft them into the GT! Oh, and the good news is that the Miata engine is the later long nose crank.

I challenge you to a build-off! (Starting in the fall of course, I must complete my house first before my wife deliver's our first kid...) Below is my candidate.

I would take you up on that challenge except I also need to finish a project where I am grafting the Miata suspension on to this old crock. A smarter man would have also used the Miata engine and gearbox, but I am not that person.

In reply to NOHOME:

Awesome project!

Keith Tanner wrote: I love the way 12 hp transforms an engine from a "gutless wonder" to something more acceptable Aftermarket parts availability is actually about the same, at least in our catalog. Other vendors may not be so well balanced. There certainly are more factory options for the 1.8.

That's like 10% of the 100hp the 1.6 came with...or something.

I didn't notice much difference between the 1.6 and the 1.8 until I drove an NB with the improved head. I noticed that difference right away. Course that NB 1.8 was putting out the same power my Greddy turbocharged 1.6 was putting out with the stock Greddy kit.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

Is that really the horsepower difference? Since it's 4 cylinder, it probably also has 8 more ft/lb of torque.

You think you're joking about that, but...

1990-93 1.6: 116 hp, 100 ft-lb
1994-95 1.8: 128 hp, 110 ft-lb (this bumped to 133 hp in 1996, supposedly due to a better ECU)

Yeah, I looked it up on wikipedia, and the 99 got bumped up to 140hp because of the better cylinder head I believe. Us grassroots guys should be picking up the 1.6s, and a little head porting may achieve 10hp from a stock cylinder head. They're also a good option for ChumpCar and LeMons racers. I'm surprised that .2 liters, or 12 cubic inches of displacement is needed to sell more cars and engines, especially when there wasn't too much direct competition in the market. Most people probably weren't competing with them either, so they couldn't really feel the extra hp.