KLZE Miata info needed

Hey gang,

I've got a buddy who's looking to swap a KLZE into his NB Miata. Has anyone here done the swap? What are some good sources of info? And finally, he was looking for the best source for the motors. Are there specific trusted importers, or is eBay a safe bet?

He's set on this swap, so a hundred posts on why a turbo would be better are not needed He's in love w/ the sound of a high revving V6....

There was a guy on Miata.net who performed the swap. It's not so easy a lot of the hoses and stuff will point to the firewall when they need to point to the radiator support.

I suggest the 3.0L V6 from the Mazda 929.

I am looking to to the same. There is a lot of work involved. I believe there has only been one completed and there is a guy in England who is on his way to finishing his He will need to fabricate a new intake manifold, headers, oil pan and pickups, motor mounts, and an adaptor to attach it to either a miata or rx7 belhousing. I have cad drawings from the guy in england for the adaptor if he wants to get one cnc'd, but this one involves cutting the bellhousing in some spots to make room for the starter. From the research I have done, he will need to use the flywheel and PP from a v6 mx3 and a miata clutch disk if he is using the miata tranny. He will aslo need a spacer for the flywheel made that is the same thickness as the engine/trans adaptor. Some people will say that there are oiling issues when mounted fore and aft. The guy who completed his said there weren't any issues, but he did enlarge some of the oil passages. Other than that, there isn't a lot of info. I'm doing it because of the weight. The long block without manifolds, ps, ac, but with the clutch and flywheel weighs 310lbs. Which is only about 10-20lbs more than a 1.6.

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The videos of the completed KLZE Miata do strange things to my pants.

This is semi-relevant to my interests... in the middle of sourcing parts to transplant a KLZE into the DeathScort.

It would be relevant if you decided to install a Miata rear subframe in the car and make the DeathScrote RWD.

And yes you read that correct I said DeathScrote.

Or for more power out of the box and potential.... http://www.bellengineering.net/article_info.php?articles_id=160

Also a nice fun v6.

Here are a few informative sites:

http://majica.net/JNR/major.htm

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3078431

The KLZE Miata was the subject of an article in the second issue of Forever MX5 magazine. I've got a few photos on my hard drive somewhere as well, but I think they're all ones off the Cardomain site. The owner isn't terribly responsive to email unfortunately.

That 350Z swap should be interesting when it's done, but I suspect it's still a few years from running.

some info and links here

I have long thought that these engines would be slick in a miata, particularly with a turbo on each bank of cylinders...

Wouldn't it be neat if there was some enlightend aftermarket company out there that would made a conversion kit?

It's all about the cost/benefit ratio. It's just as easy to stick an LS engine in there as it is a KL, and by the time you've dealt with bellhousing adapters and the like the cheap initial price of the engine is no longer an advantage.

true, but any "sleeper" advantage goes away when you start up a V-8. The rumble of the V-6 is not so obviously non-stock.

Also the v-6 is a shorter engine than even the miata engine, you ought to be able to tuck it farther back in the engine bay, so you don't disturb the balance of the car or add it it polar moment of inertia like you would with a v-8 / Transaxel arrangment.

FYI, I love talking other people into large and potentialy expensive projects, so don't take anything I say seriously.

But V8s sound good and V6s just, well, don't

I don't think the packaging for a transaxle would work. Everyone's using a traditional transmission, which puts that mass smack in the middle of the car. That's where nearly half the weight gain on an LS1 swap comes from, by the way. The T56 is a hefty beast. Anyhow, the polar moment is not affected as much as you might think.

I love seeing different swaps, but it's a lot easier to sell people on the idea of a V8 Miata. A V6 is interesting, but the V8s strike a primal nerve.

Keith wrote: But V8s sound good and V6s just, well, don't

Whoa whoa whoa.... KLZE and VR6 would like a word.

Agreed the sound of a KL or a VR6 are are quite awesome. They imitate a straight six sound very well and then change it a little bit.

Keith wrote: But V8s sound good and V6s just, well, don't .... I love seeing different swaps, but it's a lot easier to sell people on the idea of a V8 Miata. A V6 is interesting, but the V8s strike a primal nerve.

two comments:

1. the 60-degree DOHC KL03 and KLZE engines do indeed sound quite good, especially when the tach goes north of 6500 (I've taken mine to 7500 even though the tach goes red at 7000, there doesn't seem to be any rev limiter before 7500)

2. strikes a primal nerve indeed. i had the pleasure of driving the FM LS-Miata outside Road Atlanta at the Mitty and i promise you it is one sick beast! when ed mcmahon shows up with my 5-foot check, i'm buying one!

For me I love idea of a V8 in anything but as a Miata owner a V8 makes it a muscle car. A fast reving V6 keeps the Miata a sports car.

That said the Miata in stock form is more capable than I am as driver.....dang I hate saying that!

Sultan wrote: For me I love idea of a V8 in anything but as a Miata owner a V8 makes it a muscle car. A fast reving V6 keeps the Miata a sports car. That said the Miata in stock form is more capable than I am as driver.....dang I hate saying that!

since this is the internets, let me be the first to disagree. a miata with a v8 is not a muscle car, because a muscle car seats four or more, and is typically only capable of high longitudinal accelerations. a sports car, OTOH, seats two and is capable of high longitudinal and lateral accelerations, as well as high longitudinal deceleration.

a miata with a v8, when done properly, is a sports car on mega-steroids. but it is still a sports car. the FM LS-Miata weighs only a pound or two more than an intercooled turbocharged OE-engined Miata, and the weight distribution is about the same as well. as such, it exhibits similar ride and handling characteristics to the OE miata, but much greater longitudinal acceleration, even with the limited rear footprint.

Bizarro Canoe