DanielDD

Apologize for the long intro, but its Sunday morning and I've got time on my hands at the moment. We've owned 5 Miatas in the past (1-93, 2-99s, 1-01, and 1-06). We moved away from Miatas about 3 years ago and moved on to more upscale offerings due to various reasons.

For a project vehicle, I bought a 91 BMW 850 and spent 3 years restoring it to its former glory and sold it last summer to someone in New York. Since then, I've been looking for my next project vehicle. I wanted another convertible, so I looked at the Z4, Corvettes, and M3s. The M3s are simply too expensive, most are already ragged out and have rear subframe ($$$) issues. The Z4 is nice but I don't like the seats. The Corvettes - you know - I really tried to like the Corvettes, but I just couldn't. I tried the C4, then the C5 and I couldn't warm up to either of them. I did try the C6, but for $30K, I just couldn't justify it and it wasn't that great of a car other than the acceleration factor. I did my best to buy a Boxster, and I came close a couple of times, but I knew I was going to have to deal with the IMS issue - and besides - Porsche parts are notoriously expensive. I used to own a 928 and it was ridiculous how much parts were.

So, deciding there was no car out there for me to enjoy, I was resigned to something less pleasant, like a home improvement project.

BUT, then I saw a video from Monster Miata and the desire for a true PROJECT began to take form in my mind! So, I bought the book (it arrived yesterday) and began the search for a suitable car…

Before I go on, let me show you my lonely shop and the BMW I finished this past summer:







So, the current dilemma is which series of car (NA or NB) do I want? Monster Miata appears to cater to the NA, but I like the interior styling of the NB better. I've looked at NAs here in North Alabama and almost every single one would require painting. I figure this is normal given the age of the vehicles, but I don't do body work or painting - so I figured if I was going to go down this path, the best thing for me would be to find a car that had an excellent body, paint and interior, so I started looking at NBs. Found a nice Shinsen in Atlanta, low miles with a Jackson Racing SC for $7500. Called the guy and offered him $7K cash over the phone. Unfortunately, his wife decided to keep the car, so he pulled it from the market. I would have liked this one as I could have sold the motor (45K miles) and associated parts for a nice sum.

I found an 03 LS, low miles for $7.5K in Nashville and seriously considered it but I found out it had been sitting outside (under a carport) for the past couple of years and had been driven rarely. My thoughts are that a car sitting outside in the elements (regardless of carport) and driven rarely is more damaging to one that is used daily. She also was non negotiable on price.

So, presently I am still on the hunt, leaning more toward an NB.

My last issue is engine type. We live in Alabama and there is no inspection, so I guess I could put whatever year engine I want into a Miata. I like the Corvette engine, but am sure it would get expensive fast. If you guys can help me decide a good engine for an NB or otherwise give me good reason to go NA, I am open to suggestions.

SupaDupaSteve

Personally I'd go with a GM LS powerplant. But my suggestion is to look around at build logs and see which direction you lean towards. There's definite pros and cons to each.

cvx_20

There are some epic videos in this series that might sway you toward an LS swap in a pristine NB.

https://www.v8miata.net/general-moto...d-series-2070/

Mike

DanielDD

Thanks. I've seen the Project Thunderbolt series of videos. Quite impressive to say the least.

papabear

Where in North Alabama are you? I know of at least one LS2 Miata in Huntsville area.

DanielDD

Huntsville. Would like a contact if you got it….

papabear

I do not know him, just saw his car over at Fusion Works Fabrication when they were working on it. I think it's on there Facebook page.

charchri4

This^. For every pro there is a con to both the NB/NA question and the bowtie/blue oval question. Every build and every builder is different and as you thumb through build threads you will see why each did what they did and how that lines up with your needs and desires.

This stage of the game is one of the most critical to your success and your happiness with the end product. Read read read and understand what you are getting into and what makes the most sense for you to build.

Also I think your intuition to check out a real car is spot on. I wish I would have made more of an effort to do that before I did mine. Within 3 hours of you in the Atlanta/north GA area there are several top notch builds owned by the best guys you will ever meet. You show up with a 12 pack and a few hours to hang out and I guarantee you it will be worth every mile of the trip.

I would encourage you to subscribe to this section: https://www.v8miata.net/area-member-...-v8-miatas-43/ and watch for events. Last spring we had 20+ builds all at road Atlanta and it was a weekend I'll truly never forget.

Oh and welcome to the forum you have a great start and have come to the right place!

DanielDD

Appreciate the warm welcome, Jim. Frustrating to have to hunt down a suitable car. Looks like I'm going to have to do some traveling to find a decent one. Got my eye on an 01 BRG at the moment. Waiting on detailed pictures before I decide to buy a plane ticket.

Yes, I've only scratched the surface of this forum, so I need to do my homework and dig deep into the various threads and see which way I will go power plant wise. My initial leanings are SBF, but that obviously is subject to change. Will keep you updated on any forward progress...

charchri4

LOL there is nothing fast or frustration free about this and you have more then enough build experience I don't have to tell you that!

You are totally on the right track in taking your time to find the best car possible. There is nothing worse than getting to end of the build and saying gee I wish I would have started with a nicer car. Not that I would know anything about that...

ToySnakePMC

Welcome Daniel. As someone who just finished 7-8 sometimes frustrating months on bringing back to life a neglected E46 Touring and seeing how complicated the Bavarians can make things... You will have no worries putting one of these V8Roadsters together! The 8 Series looks incredible. That has to be one smooth Grand Touring car on the open interstate!

tbone heller

I am located north of Atlanta if you want to check out a Ford-powered build, but bring more than that 12-pack that Jim suggested.

charchri4

LOL and call Shannon with his fine GM just north of Atlanta and Dave with his Ford in Atlanta and wait - this sounds like a party!

There is an Alabama guy I thought of that I think is building a Ford but hasn't done a build thread. Which just so you know means no one follows, helps or loves you around here... Anyway look up papabear and send him a note. He might be in your back yard. v8 Miata Forum - Home of the v8 Miata Conversion - View Profile: papabear

papabear

I am in Huntsville. But no Miata I am building a Exocet. So kind of a see through Miata.

charchri4

Cool. Same principle just with cooler fenders

So there you go DanielDD meet papabear and why I love this community!

DanielDD

Thanks for the invite and I just may take you up on it.

The hunt continues for a suitable car. The 01 BRG fell through. Owner decided to keep. I guess I shouldn't have mentioned I was going to put a V8 in it. I don't think he particularly liked my idea. Lesson learned - Don't tell prospective sellers what you intentions are with the car!

charchri4

Not always! When the PO of my little cruiser found out I had a V8 car and was looking for any excuse to put a Ford in his old one he loved the idea. He also loved the car and only sold it because he inherited a Porsche. He emailed me a couple months after the sale asking how it was going and when I was going to come back and show him the swap.


Who knows you might get a better deal if you tell him you'll come back for a road test when it's done!

DanielDD

Ya know - Jim, I'm really envious of what you've got there!

stng_96

Welcome to the forum!

Do you have any idea of what kind of budget you are looking at? From what I can tell, generally you can build a SBF for less than you can an LS if your are looking to save money, but obviously you can spend a boat load on either if you want to also. I expect based on your quotes for donor cars you are looking at, you are wanting to spend more than most of the guys on here(we buy cars that need some love to start out and make them strong!).

Just to give you a rough idea, I will probably have 18k in my build when all said and done. I have done a good job saving money were I can, but I have also not cut many corners.

charchri4

I love engineers always the master of understatement!

Daniel if you have not seen his build thread the car, the builder, and the detail in the thread is one of the finest you will see anywhere on a LS NB swap.

charchri4

LOL the moral of the story is don't build your V8 car so wild your wife won't ride in it!

papabear

Yeah try explaining why your car does not even have doors.

DanielDD

I figured it would cost me $15K without the cost of the car. That is alot of coin, but its cheaper than a C6 corvette and more unique. I have no clue at this point whether I'm in the ballpark or not.

I'm leaning toward a SBF swap but the jury is still in deliberations at this point. I've heard that there are clearance issues with the SBF with respect to it being a low point in relation to the road (Keith at FlyinMiata mentioned it in one of the GRM threads).

Recently I've seen an odd swap of a Honda V6 into the Miatas. It is relatively a recent swap mechanism, but it retains most of the Miata's drivetrain and obviously it is much cheaper. Not a V8 though…..

stng_96

Yeah those honda 3.5 swaps are pretty neat looking, maybe next on my list. You can figure when I say that I will have around 18k in mine, that is with a 2500 dollar shell, so 15k is more than reasonable. Check out charchi's blog, he has a detailed list of costs associated with his build, thats as good a resource as any for real world costs. He is almost as good at blogging as he is at plugging for other people......

SupaDupaSteve

I too have a detailed cost breakdown in my build thread. I'm not finished yet but I expect to be around 17-18k as well. Currently at 9k.
https://www.v8miata.net/general-moto...et-build-1889/