V8 Miata-talk me down

I'd be flabbergasted if that cammed LS1 only made 300hp. At the wheels or otherwise.

Wow!!!

7 whole hours between 'talk me down' and 'I bought it!'

This board IS just a bunch of enablers. Just remind me never to tell about some of my automotive schemes.

Good man. Now if only I could follow in your footsteps and find the stones to swap an LS3 into an RX-7 shell

I can't wait to see my baby turned into a beast!

Junkyard_Dog Volvo listings will be up by the end of the weekend so if anybody has money burning a hole in their pocket contact me through the board. I think I need a new water heater

9 times out of 10 it is a bad element, kill the power, remove the wires and do a continuity check across the two screws. Check both if you have a 2 element heater. If the t stat is bad usually it will be slagged. Only time you truely need a new one is when the tank itself goes bad. Most of the time it is the bottom element. Take the time to clean out the scale build up, if you can take it outside and roll it around with a hose in it, or my favorite is a coated wire hanger in a cordless drill to break it up. Good luck with it.

Oh and we expect to see build pictures.

Those engines were rated for 305 crank by the factory, but the same engine in the Corvette magically made 350. Engineering by brochure The F-bodies seem to dyno right around 300 at the wheels, stock. With some mods, I'd expect it to be a bit healthier. Regardless, it's going to be quite a beastie. That relentless low-end torque only comes from a big engine, and the first time you explore the upper edges of the speedo you'll understand the difference between a good power/weight ratio and lots of power.

Spinout007 wrote: 9 times out of 10 it is a bad element

Its got great heat, but it snaps crackles and pops when refilling. Also has a leaky relief valve and its 20 years old. Its just time

Powar wrote:

Keith wrote: Having both owned a JRSC Miata and having spent a reasonable amount of time in a LS1-powered Miata, I will respectfully disagree with Powar. The V8 will be more fun

And you, good sir, are much more qualified than I to make that call. I guess that for me personally, the Miata has never been about big power, so I just don't 'get' the V8 conversions, etc. I'd probably feel differently about it if I drove one.

drive one, you will get it.

I drove one of the original Monster Miatas back in 92. Could not believe how much fun it was.

Keith wrote: ....the most common reaction to the V8 car wasn't to do with the acceleration, but how the car still drove and handled like a Miata...

I wonder if you could speak to the feeling of the non-FM kits, either here or in private. I'm still weighing my options. I've no doubt the FM kits/parts are top notch, but they're so berkeleying expensive!

There are only two LS kits I know of for the Miata - the V8 Roadsters stuff (also sold by FM) and the Boss Frog. V8R was first to market and their stuff is really nice. Boss Frog just suffered some inflationary issues and I don't think they have a price advantage anymore, although they once did - and I think you could see the difference in the quality of the design and the construction. Plus the FM parts come with FM support, and we've probably got more experience building these toys than anyone else in the world.

The biggest difference between the BF and V8R parts is the engine location. The V8R kit puts the engine as far back as possible for the best weight distribution. This also means the shifter comes up in the correct spot and gives you the most room for a radiator and intake (particularly important in an NA) and a front sway bar. The "rear mount" setup means a little bit more work on the transmission tunnel - about 2-3 hours more work - but you end up with a much better car. The V8R kits also work well with power steering, where BF has interference between the PS lines and the engine.

Basically, you're looking at $3805 for the new front subframe, frame rail reinforcements, trans mount, Getrag diff mount, new halfshafts, new driveshaft, driveshaft adapter for the Getrag, hydraulic clutch bits and a pile of nuts and bolts from V8R. It appears that the Boss Frog equivalents would be $3550 if I read their site correctly.

Thanks Keith. Thats about what I figured. I should be picking up my GTO diff. tonight. I'm still finding and reading all I can on the various forums and websites.

One more question-wasn't there a list of which stock parts work best somewhere? I'm talking specifically about the FM/V8R kit but any thoughts on the others would be great as well. I thought it was on the FM site but could be wrong. I need to know which accessories and other misc. parts to look for.

Here's the list on the FM site - not so much a list of the best stock parts but the ones that we use. It's good for getting an idea of the scale of the work and what sort of parts you'll need to source, but almost everything can be picked up elsewhere with the exception of a few custom parts that can be fabricated - or you can simply call us up.

http://www.flyinmiata.com/V8/costs.php

In terms of the "best stock parts", well, if you buy the conversion kit from us we're a little more free with the info. There's a fair bit of our time tied up in determining that and we'd prefer to share it with our customers.

In terms of the big stuff - F-body oil pan, F-body transmission (I think you just have to change the shifter on the GTO unit), CTS-V diff (not sure how the GTO one is different) and a Y-body (Corvette and others) accessory drive belt location.

Keith wrote: CTS-V diff (not sure how the GTO one is different)

Hmmmmmm, might have to figure that out in the next 90 minutes

GTO diff in not the same as the CTS diff. GTO diff is cast iron and does not mount the same as the CTS.

unk577 wrote: GTO diff in not the same as the CTS diff. GTO diff is cast iron and does not mount the same as the CTS.

Well crap. I'll still go by and see what he has then.

Would it be worth anything for the limited slip? Like is it only the CTS-V diff that works or are all CTS diffs OK? And if so would a CTS unit take the LSD from the GTO?

Couldn't tell you that because I don't know. I'd go for a new CTS-V part because of the various running improvements to the design. The early ones had some problems and I'd be concerned about junkyard units. The nice thing is that a new CTS-V diff (2006-08 car, BTW) is about the same cost as a used Miata Torsen with 100k on it!

Completely different. Thanks for all the help. I love this place!

For years whenever anyone asks where to go for Miata parts I tell them FM. I guess its time to listen to my own advice and spend the extra for the FM stuff. The customer service is second to none-even before you're a customer. Keith, you're a class act.

It has begun.

Hmmm,that goes in there... Umm, that bent metal was in the way. I love my sawzall! Next up, straight out the front.

I really need to start a build thread....but then, I haven't actually built anything yet.

Excellent.

Mullet-mobile dies so V8 Miata can live - I can live with that! Yes, please do a build thread so I'm not the only one putting up what seems like nightly posts about his own work. Before you can build first you must harvest the donor's organs, but it's all part of "the build" - document it! Seems like a time-lapse webcam pointing into the garage would work quite nicely for that purpose...

pigeon wrote: Seems like a time-lapse webcam pointing into the garage would work quite nicely for that purpose...

Only if you want to see lots of me standing around drinking beer

Junkyard_Dog wrote:

pigeon wrote: Seems like a time-lapse webcam pointing into the garage would work quite nicely for that purpose...

Only if you want to see lots of me standing around drinking beer

I for one would take comfort in knowing I'm not the only one...

i like where this is headed.

plug for Flyin Miata: keith got me some seat time in one of their LS1 cars (the first one?) at the '09 Mitty. it drives like a miata with a ton of power from idle to "holy E36 M3!" and the quality of their conversion parts is definitely top shelf.

Do you still have a headlight on your driver's side?

I'd like to come down and check this out/lend a hand/help you drink beer if you don't move REALLY fast on this swap. I'll be down there on Monday, but i'm unsure if i'll have time that day. Might be down next weekend as well.

93celicaGT2 wrote: Do you still have a headlight on your driver's side? I'd like to come down and check this out/lend a hand/help you drink beer if you don't move REALLY fast on this swap. I'll be down there on Monday, but i'm unsure if i'll have time that day. Might be down next weekend as well.

Still have the headlight. Any help/company would be great! Even if you just hang out I like having a "spotter" in case something bad happens. Like a car falling on me. I miss my old gearhead neighbor who knew to look in the garage if he didn't see me for a day.

I'm having a BBQ on the 2nd if any local car people want to stop in and say hi.