Miata Torsen Swap Question

I know that torsen swaps have been discussed in other threads, but I've never seen the answer to this question.

What is required to swap a Torsen into a 97? Since the car already has a 1.8 and the bigger axles, etc, do you need anything other than the Torsen unit itself?

Best bet is to get the Torsen already assembled in the housing. If you have that, it's about a day or easy weekend of work. No additional parts are required. If you just have the unit and need it installed in a housing, you will need to set the backlash and such in the differential. You will probably want to take it to a shop to do this.

You will probably also need to rent a pull hammer to pop the stub-shafts out of the differential.

^ what he said. I've done it both ways. You can just buy the torsen unit, but it takes a while to set up the diff. but there is a good tutorial on miata.net. You will also need a new crush washer $$$ or to refurbish your old one. It's much easier if you can buy one that's still in the carrier.

Weekend? Takes me an hour if I have the diff in the iron housing Chances are you'll be able to buy one this way because it's more work to pull the actual diff out instead of leaving it assembled, so rarely do people bother.

No need for a pull hammer. Get two prybars so you can put pressure on both sides of the axle at once. Then, while you apply some load, tap the side of the axle with a hammer. A short, sharp shock just like Pink Floyd tells you to. It'll pop right out.

Yeah, but I include setup and cleanup times in that estimate. Plus the frustration of not having a lift or prior experience and spending extra time figuring out what I'm actually doing.

I tried prybars and a hammer, didn't do so well for me. A pull-hammer rented from the local Auto Zone worked perfectly with no frustration. The little bird-foot slipped onto two of the bolts easily.

With the pull-hammer and not working in a parking lot, it would have been one day for me.