Nowak1981

I found a 96 with a blown auto tranny, I'd like to do a ls1 t56 swap, would it matter if I started with a manual or auto? Should I even try to put a v8 in an obd2 car? Or should I just try and repair it and find a better starting point.

This would be my first miata, so I'm kinda diving in feet first. It just looks like too much fun.

ToySnakePMC

To me, the most important criteria would be the condition of the body - not wrecked and especially no rust. Replacing the Mazda automatic with a future T56 wouldn't be a concern. You can find a used Miata clutch pedal assembly rather easily on eBay or these enthusiasts' sites, perhaps. That's all that you'll need - along with buying the large, upper rubber shifter boot when you put it all back together.

Regarding OBD II, it may be a concern in your state - or however they look at emissions for a '96. If you'll add your location, somebody might be able to chime in with an informed opinion. Best of luck - I like the price if it's a clean shell and a big plus if the interior is nice.

charchri4

+1 to what Pat said ^^. By far the most important factor is a rust free chassis. Some say autos are better because they are less likely to be beat on but I feel that is not such a big of deal since you are about to triple the power and beat on it anyway.

You do need to know the emissions laws where you live before you buy it though. Best to post you location and let someone from that area fill you in.

You are spot on about one thing though... it is too much fun!

Nowak1981

As far as emissions go I have none here in Iowa, I do have a good obd2 scanner, so that would be nice. For my first build I want as few headaches as possible. Gonna try posting pics on here. The back window is trashed bit the picture doesn't show any critical damage. For 1100$ plus about 500 to get it up here. Seems like a good starting point. Now if I only had the money to buy the rest of the build.

charchri4

LOL - if you want as few headaches as possible stop right now and go buy a sensible car!

You ever done anything like this before? Do you have a plan and a budget? Have you read THIS post? The thread never really took off but it may be helpful.

Where in IA? I hope I am close!

Nowak1981

I actually have read that thread several times. I am a fairly mechanical person and I have more then enough tools to get the job done, minus one plasma cutter and one welder. If been wanting to do this ever since I saw that Stacy David's gearz episode. I was totally blown away. And then I found this site with all this great information, it's just the project I was looking for. Most of my experice comes from rebuilding ford escorts, I've owned 9-10 or those and I still drive one today. I like it better then the 2014 vw I just bought last year lol.

charchri4

PS I didn't mean that to sound discouraging. There will be lots of headaches and surprises along the way and that is all part of the adventure. I do have a long list of what I would do different but there is no question I would do it all again with no hesitation at all.

Nowak1981

I've frequent the escort forums over the years and I've made a few how-to's. Hopefully I can do this for the swap.

Let me know what you think

How-To replace a Speedometer And Cable (sticky me I'm done) | Ford Escort Owners Association (FEOA)

charchri4

LOL yeah that gearz deal gets a lot of us sucked in! I know you have been all over Pats build tread and I'm sure you have been through my blog too so you have a plenty good idea what to expect. I'm excited for you because I know you are in for the ride of your life!

Don't suppose you happen to be in the north west of Iowa by chance...

Nowak1981

And I live in Des Moines, you know about the miata specialist we have here in town? He runs a repair shop on the south side called Kraft five star, he races miatas.

charchri4

Wow that is one legit write up! I'm looking forward to your build thread for sure! Yeah you have the chops to convert a Miata. And you don't need a plazma cutter but a welder is pretty handy.

Can't say I have heard of Kraft but I'm kind of new to Miatas. Have you ever autocrossed with the SCCA club there? They have quite a good organization and I have looked into coming down to run then them before.

Not as close as I had hoped but if you ever want to check one out up close and feel the kick in the pants they'll give you I am only 4 1/2 hours from ya.

Nowak1981

I've actually never raced in my life, I suppose the end result is to build a quiet sleeper and then when no is is suspecting, lit up the tires and enjoy the ride. I'd love to road racing but I'm pretty terrible at tuning. We'll see if I manage to get to that point.

Nowak1981

Here are the pictures the owner sent me. I've decided to purchase it for $1100 it's gonna cost 275$ for a truck rental, another 200$ in gas and 100$ for a trailer. It's in little rock Arkansas, about 9hours from me.

I talked to the guy on the phone he seemed pretty cool, it's locked up in a gated community so hopefully I'm getting a good platform to start with.

He did say it's been sitting for almost 3 years and the top finally broke last year. There is an issue with the fuel pump but he said he can start the car with an alternate fuel source. Not a huge deal, I think I'm gonna try and get it drivable so I can sell the drive train and recoup some money for the v8.

charchri4

I like the color a lot! Looks pretty clean in the pix and no structural rust for sure. The top is tired but fixable I think. I put a back window in mine for 15 bucks. It has the usual headlight cover dents but the bumper cover is crazy clean. With just 130K on it you won't have to mess with suspension bushings and what not in it. Given a choice between what I started with and yours I'd pick yours in a second!

ToySnakePMC

Welcome! Looks like you're somewhat committed now - that's great. From the pics, you have a good starting point. Make sure you check the bottom side of the quarter panels just behind the doors. That's where the water sits when you have convertible top issues and rusts out that area. Probably wouldn't be too intense if you have rust there at all and can be repaired.

Now go pick it up and keep us posted with a build thread here. You'll have two stalkers for sure -- Jim and me!

Nowak1981

I have a trailer on reserve at usual, I'm working on getting a truck. We are supposed to get a blizzard today so hopefully the roads will be cleaned up enough by sat.

MRM331

Good luck with this. I was going to recommend buying a car from the south or west if you are up here in the rust belt. I built my last car about 5 years ago from what I thought was the last rust-free garage kept 1994 Laguna north of the Mason-Dixon line. A month after finishing the build the rockers began to crack. If I ever build another the donor car is coming from Arizona or New Mexico. I'd much rather paint a faded rust-free southern car than deal with a clean north east car that may or may not start reverting back into iron oxide at some point.

Good luck and keep us posted,

-Jason

Nowak1981

Can anyone tell me if there are row loops on each corner? I just want to make sure I have enough straps to make sure it stays secure to the flatbed trailer I'm renting from haul.

Got the 3/4 truck reserved at enterprise, assuming the weather clears out by then, I should be a proud new owner of a 1996 Mazda miata by Saturday afternoon.

I might as well make this the start of my unofficial build diary.

charchri4

Lots of easy places to tie a Miata down. In the front there are little hooks on each side of the grill and in the back on each side of the frame that are designed for that purpuse. The only thing about these places to grab is they are a pretty small hole. You can hook on to them but would not be able to pass a strap through them being so small. Sizes in this thread for ya

Haaalpp, Tow hook/baby Teeth/Tie Down dimensions - ClubRoadster.net

Info here too...
How are you strapping down your car? - Miata Turbo Forum - Turbo Kitten is watching you test compression.

Easy to grab the front sway bar and rear control arms too.

Nowak1981

Cool thanks, I bought a set of heavy duty ratchet straps, and a roll of duct tape for the back window today.

charchri4

It dawned on me where I have a couple of great photos of the rear tie downs for you. Look though this post at pix 2, 8 and 9. Click on them and they get big for you.
Jim and Jenna build diary, Miata LS1 Conversion: DIY exhaust cut out - the nut and the welder strike again!

Nowak1981

One rental truck

One rental trailer

Lots of gas

And a pocket with no money in it...


At least I got the car and it was a cool drive, 20hrs straight made a well spent Saturday.

charchri4

Outstanding! I thought about you over the weekend wondering how it was going. This is great I'm really glad you got it home on one piece. Thanks for the photos of the trip. Man I love the color of that car!

Nowak1981

Ok so step one is complete. Buy a car...

I feel like I got a really good platform to start with, nothing looks rotten, all the panels are straight, none of the metal is dented. The plastic is tired, but I suppose that is to be expected for a southern car.

The car has 130k miles, which seems really low to me. I purchased it from the son of a repair shop owner that ironically doesn't really like working on cars. He was in the middle of changing the fuel pump when I bought it. But he never finished. The sending unit and a new fuel pump are sitting on the floor atm.

My background is mostly in ford escorts. I have owned 9-10 different cars in the last 12 years but I still own the original car I started with. I work on them for fun. Some people work on mustangs, some on camaro's.. Me, I like escorts, they are cool easy little cars. But I've never really been able to do anything drastic to it. I've seen escorts with 550hp on a turbo 1.8l. But there wasn't enough text to go off of.

The escort forums are quite large, I help out when I can, I made a couple how-to's. It keeps things interesting.

So what are my plans?

Well, short term. I want to see if I can make it a drivable car as it sits. This means finishing the fuel pump replacement, and determining the exact status of the automatic transmission. The previous owner said some time he could get it to go in reverse and sometime get he could get it in first gear. Since the miles are not particularly excessive. I'm gonna try a simple filter and oil change. I couldn't locate the transmission oil dipstick to check the oil level, so I'm wondering if it is just low on fluid. I found a dipstick on the drivers side back by the firewall but it appeared to be the engine oil dipstick, which was dark, but at a good level.

Once that is determined, the top will need to be repaired or replaced. My long term gaol is to weld in a fastback hardtop, I don't like the looks of roll cages, and I figure this is a good way to stiffen up the chassis. For the time being I'm gonna have to look at the top and see if I can get a cheap fix on so i can not worry about leaving it outside.


I am not looking to make a race at out of it, so weight isn't a real issue for me. I want this car to be a driver.

It's still 15 degrees outside so it's gonna be a while before I can actually get in there and do some work. Winter has be pretty crappy for us this year.

So stay tuned.

mazdaspeedmiata

step one for me is have a donor car sitting in the garage
i m still in search of a clean / cheap miata