Patrick in Texas - Hi V8Miata.net!
10-30-2017, 01:21 AM
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Patrick in Texas - Hi V8Miata.net!
Hey guys,
I'm Patrick ... a V8 newb. I've been into 4 cylinders and 2JZ's for many years now. I currently own a 1999 Miata and a 1987 Toyota Supra with a 2JZ and single turbo. I'm considering buying a third car (miata) to put a 5.3 (GM) or 5.0 (Ford) motor in as a project. I love working on my own cars, even though I don't have a lot of experience mechanically. I did, recently, perform a clutch, rear main seal, flywheel, power steering delete and de-power, timing belt, and water pump job on my miata for the first time. I've enjoyed cutting some metal and still need to learn electronics (soldering) and welding. I want to do my own v8 project. I'm leaning towards 5.3 since I prefer GM over Ford. I like that the 5.3's are a little newer than the old 5.0's. I hear the T-5's aren't all that powerful but they are cheap (which is a plus). I'm looking for a budget build, but wouldn't mind spending a little bit more money for something I feel will be more reliable for me from the get-go. Hence, the reason I am leaning towards GM. I read that a lot of the old 5.0's require rebuilds, which is something I'm not comfortable doing just yet. I want to drop a motor in without having to open it up (besides doing seals and basic maintenance).
Anyways, I know that was a long introductory post. Hello!
-Patrick
I'm Patrick ... a V8 newb. I've been into 4 cylinders and 2JZ's for many years now. I currently own a 1999 Miata and a 1987 Toyota Supra with a 2JZ and single turbo. I'm considering buying a third car (miata) to put a 5.3 (GM) or 5.0 (Ford) motor in as a project. I love working on my own cars, even though I don't have a lot of experience mechanically. I did, recently, perform a clutch, rear main seal, flywheel, power steering delete and de-power, timing belt, and water pump job on my miata for the first time. I've enjoyed cutting some metal and still need to learn electronics (soldering) and welding. I want to do my own v8 project. I'm leaning towards 5.3 since I prefer GM over Ford. I like that the 5.3's are a little newer than the old 5.0's. I hear the T-5's aren't all that powerful but they are cheap (which is a plus). I'm looking for a budget build, but wouldn't mind spending a little bit more money for something I feel will be more reliable for me from the get-go. Hence, the reason I am leaning towards GM. I read that a lot of the old 5.0's require rebuilds, which is something I'm not comfortable doing just yet. I want to drop a motor in without having to open it up (besides doing seals and basic maintenance).
Anyways, I know that was a long introductory post. Hello!
-Patrick
10-30-2017, 10:00 AM
#2
V8 Miata Enthusiast
Hello there Patrick.
What part of Texas are you from?
Good to see some new blood on here considering a V8 Miata swap.
It looks like you are asking the right questions but be aware there is no right or wrong answer.
All my comments are based on going with a GM based build.
If you go with a Ford based build ignore everything past this.
First thing you need to do is watch the V8 Miata swap video series on YouTube that were made by TurboTom as they will give you a good overall feel for the steps required to do a swap into a Miata and decide if you have the necessary shop space & tools and expertise.
You can get by with less but his build has the wish list we would all like to have available.
You might check out my build thread that shows the process of doing a swap using mostly Flyin Miata conversion pieces in conjunction with a used engine & transmission from a 2000 Z28 in my 2000 Miata.
https://www.v8miata.net/general-moto...d-getrag-3104/
For what it is worth, here is my opinion based on my thinking before purchasing a Miata and after doing an LS1 swap.
Unless you just have need of a third car or your 99 Miata has some issues that would kick it out such as rust or twisted body from a wreck, my opinion is that you have an outstanding candidate for a V8 swap. There is a sweet spot with the Miata to do V8 swaps. 1999 thru 2002 if I remember correctly. Older than that has those wonky pop up headlights that I personally just don't like. Plus the first generation Miata's have less room in the engine bay & transmission tunnel & hood clearance. Early 2nd generation Miata's (1999 thru 2002?) have nice simple electronics, which is huge if you are not into electrical stuff.
The one negative for doing a GM based V8 swap on an NA or NB Miata is that the front part of the transmission tunnel is just too small and MUST be cut and reshaped and re-welded. It is my understanding that NC Miata's (2006? to ???) have transmission tunnels that are large enough to clear the GM bellhousing. Trimming the tunnel does not sound like that big of a deal until you realize that you need to remove the dash to get to the area that gets reshaped.
From the standpoint of cost, I can see where you are wanting to do a T5 rather than a T56 because the T5 transmissions can be had for hundreds of dollars while T56's cost several thousand dollars. One item to be aware of is that you presumably want the shifter handle to come out in the same location as the factory Miata shifter so that you don't have to do any modification to the interior console, which in turn keeps the finished swap looking cleaner. You would need to do some double checking to make sure that the T5 you are considering will fit all the requirements. Presumably a T5 from a 1998-to 2002 V6 Camaro or Firebird would work but there might be other issues such as spline count and yolk size and pilot shaft size. It could also require a specific driveshaft length. There can also be issues with the transmission sensors correctly talking to the LS engine computer. I don't know if the crossmember that comes from Flyin Miata or V8 Roadsters works with the T5. A lot of things to research before actually spending money.
On the 5.3 LS engine, a number of swaps documented on here are using that item so you would need to look real hard at the threads. One issue I could see being a problem is that almost all 5.3 wiring harnesses would be set up for an automatic transmission, which could cause harness & ECU issues when using a manual transmission, similar to what I mentioned about considering the T5 over a T56. Hopefully somebody with experience on that combination can chime in and give you some actual information since I am just guessing.
If I do another Miata swap, the 5.3 with T5 is the direction I am strongly thinking of going as long as future research shows it to be viable.
Given your stated level of experience, you will probably need to do what I did and spend money on the various Flyin Miata kits that cover the different areas to do a V8 swap using LS based components. The cost on the various Flyin Miata kits is probably over $10,000 without the actual drivetrain components but everything is top quality that works smoothly and fits and has usable instructions.
If you are a person comfortable with fabricating pieces you can look at the "Fabricator" thread under the GM build threads and save a good bit of the $$$ required to get the Flyin Miata kits. Personally, I did not feel comfortable with fabricating pieces that locate & support the drive train for my first build. Too much chance that I would locate something in the wrong place or fail to give correct clearances to necessary items. For my next build I will do the majority of the conversion by fabricating my own pieces. Only thing I will buy will be the V8 Roadster subframe and Flyin Miata headers.
What part of Texas are you from?
Good to see some new blood on here considering a V8 Miata swap.
It looks like you are asking the right questions but be aware there is no right or wrong answer.
All my comments are based on going with a GM based build.
If you go with a Ford based build ignore everything past this.
First thing you need to do is watch the V8 Miata swap video series on YouTube that were made by TurboTom as they will give you a good overall feel for the steps required to do a swap into a Miata and decide if you have the necessary shop space & tools and expertise.
You can get by with less but his build has the wish list we would all like to have available.
You might check out my build thread that shows the process of doing a swap using mostly Flyin Miata conversion pieces in conjunction with a used engine & transmission from a 2000 Z28 in my 2000 Miata.
https://www.v8miata.net/general-moto...d-getrag-3104/
For what it is worth, here is my opinion based on my thinking before purchasing a Miata and after doing an LS1 swap.
Unless you just have need of a third car or your 99 Miata has some issues that would kick it out such as rust or twisted body from a wreck, my opinion is that you have an outstanding candidate for a V8 swap. There is a sweet spot with the Miata to do V8 swaps. 1999 thru 2002 if I remember correctly. Older than that has those wonky pop up headlights that I personally just don't like. Plus the first generation Miata's have less room in the engine bay & transmission tunnel & hood clearance. Early 2nd generation Miata's (1999 thru 2002?) have nice simple electronics, which is huge if you are not into electrical stuff.
The one negative for doing a GM based V8 swap on an NA or NB Miata is that the front part of the transmission tunnel is just too small and MUST be cut and reshaped and re-welded. It is my understanding that NC Miata's (2006? to ???) have transmission tunnels that are large enough to clear the GM bellhousing. Trimming the tunnel does not sound like that big of a deal until you realize that you need to remove the dash to get to the area that gets reshaped.
From the standpoint of cost, I can see where you are wanting to do a T5 rather than a T56 because the T5 transmissions can be had for hundreds of dollars while T56's cost several thousand dollars. One item to be aware of is that you presumably want the shifter handle to come out in the same location as the factory Miata shifter so that you don't have to do any modification to the interior console, which in turn keeps the finished swap looking cleaner. You would need to do some double checking to make sure that the T5 you are considering will fit all the requirements. Presumably a T5 from a 1998-to 2002 V6 Camaro or Firebird would work but there might be other issues such as spline count and yolk size and pilot shaft size. It could also require a specific driveshaft length. There can also be issues with the transmission sensors correctly talking to the LS engine computer. I don't know if the crossmember that comes from Flyin Miata or V8 Roadsters works with the T5. A lot of things to research before actually spending money.
On the 5.3 LS engine, a number of swaps documented on here are using that item so you would need to look real hard at the threads. One issue I could see being a problem is that almost all 5.3 wiring harnesses would be set up for an automatic transmission, which could cause harness & ECU issues when using a manual transmission, similar to what I mentioned about considering the T5 over a T56. Hopefully somebody with experience on that combination can chime in and give you some actual information since I am just guessing.
If I do another Miata swap, the 5.3 with T5 is the direction I am strongly thinking of going as long as future research shows it to be viable.
Given your stated level of experience, you will probably need to do what I did and spend money on the various Flyin Miata kits that cover the different areas to do a V8 swap using LS based components. The cost on the various Flyin Miata kits is probably over $10,000 without the actual drivetrain components but everything is top quality that works smoothly and fits and has usable instructions.
If you are a person comfortable with fabricating pieces you can look at the "Fabricator" thread under the GM build threads and save a good bit of the $$$ required to get the Flyin Miata kits. Personally, I did not feel comfortable with fabricating pieces that locate & support the drive train for my first build. Too much chance that I would locate something in the wrong place or fail to give correct clearances to necessary items. For my next build I will do the majority of the conversion by fabricating my own pieces. Only thing I will buy will be the V8 Roadster subframe and Flyin Miata headers.
Last edited by BGordon; 10-30-2017 at 10:27 AM.
10-30-2017, 08:40 PM
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Hello there Patrick.
What part of Texas are you from?
Good to see some new blood on here considering a V8 Miata swap.
It looks like you are asking the right questions but be aware there is no right or wrong answer.
All my comments are based on going with a GM based build.
If you go with a Ford based build ignore everything past this.
First thing you need to do is watch the V8 Miata swap video series on YouTube that were made by TurboTom as they will give you a good overall feel for the steps required to do a swap into a Miata and decide if you have the necessary shop space & tools and expertise.
You can get by with less but his build has the wish list we would all like to have available.
You might check out my build thread that shows the process of doing a swap using mostly Flyin Miata conversion pieces in conjunction with a used engine & transmission from a 2000 Z28 in my 2000 Miata.
https://www.v8miata.net/general-moto...d-getrag-3104/
For what it is worth, here is my opinion based on my thinking before purchasing a Miata and after doing an LS1 swap.
Unless you just have need of a third car or your 99 Miata has some issues that would kick it out such as rust or twisted body from a wreck, my opinion is that you have an outstanding candidate for a V8 swap. There is a sweet spot with the Miata to do V8 swaps. 1999 thru 2002 if I remember correctly. Older than that has those wonky pop up headlights that I personally just don't like. Plus the first generation Miata's have less room in the engine bay & transmission tunnel & hood clearance. Early 2nd generation Miata's (1999 thru 2002?) have nice simple electronics, which is huge if you are not into electrical stuff.
The one negative for doing a GM based V8 swap on an NA or NB Miata is that the front part of the transmission tunnel is just too small and MUST be cut and reshaped and re-welded. It is my understanding that NC Miata's (2006? to ???) have transmission tunnels that are large enough to clear the GM bellhousing. Trimming the tunnel does not sound like that big of a deal until you realize that you need to remove the dash to get to the area that gets reshaped.
From the standpoint of cost, I can see where you are wanting to do a T5 rather than a T56 because the T5 transmissions can be had for hundreds of dollars while T56's cost several thousand dollars. One item to be aware of is that you presumably want the shifter handle to come out in the same location as the factory Miata shifter so that you don't have to do any modification to the interior console, which in turn keeps the finished swap looking cleaner. You would need to do some double checking to make sure that the T5 you are considering will fit all the requirements. Presumably a T5 from a 1998-to 2002 V6 Camaro or Firebird would work but there might be other issues such as spline count and yolk size and pilot shaft size. It could also require a specific driveshaft length. There can also be issues with the transmission sensors correctly talking to the LS engine computer. I don't know if the crossmember that comes from Flyin Miata or V8 Roadsters works with the T5. A lot of things to research before actually spending money.
On the 5.3 LS engine, a number of swaps documented on here are using that item so you would need to look real hard at the threads. One issue I could see being a problem is that almost all 5.3 wiring harnesses would be set up for an automatic transmission, which could cause harness & ECU issues when using a manual transmission, similar to what I mentioned about considering the T5 over a T56. Hopefully somebody with experience on that combination can chime in and give you some actual information since I am just guessing.
If I do another Miata swap, the 5.3 with T5 is the direction I am strongly thinking of going as long as future research shows it to be viable.
Given your stated level of experience, you will probably need to do what I did and spend money on the various Flyin Miata kits that cover the different areas to do a V8 swap using LS based components. The cost on the various Flyin Miata kits is probably over $10,000 without the actual drivetrain components but everything is top quality that works smoothly and fits and has usable instructions.
If you are a person comfortable with fabricating pieces you can look at the "Fabricator" thread under the GM build threads and save a good bit of the $$$ required to get the Flyin Miata kits. Personally, I did not feel comfortable with fabricating pieces that locate & support the drive train for my first build. Too much chance that I would locate something in the wrong place or fail to give correct clearances to necessary items. For my next build I will do the majority of the conversion by fabricating my own pieces. Only thing I will buy will be the V8 Roadster subframe and Flyin Miata headers.
What part of Texas are you from?
Good to see some new blood on here considering a V8 Miata swap.
It looks like you are asking the right questions but be aware there is no right or wrong answer.
All my comments are based on going with a GM based build.
If you go with a Ford based build ignore everything past this.
First thing you need to do is watch the V8 Miata swap video series on YouTube that were made by TurboTom as they will give you a good overall feel for the steps required to do a swap into a Miata and decide if you have the necessary shop space & tools and expertise.
You can get by with less but his build has the wish list we would all like to have available.
You might check out my build thread that shows the process of doing a swap using mostly Flyin Miata conversion pieces in conjunction with a used engine & transmission from a 2000 Z28 in my 2000 Miata.
https://www.v8miata.net/general-moto...d-getrag-3104/
For what it is worth, here is my opinion based on my thinking before purchasing a Miata and after doing an LS1 swap.
Unless you just have need of a third car or your 99 Miata has some issues that would kick it out such as rust or twisted body from a wreck, my opinion is that you have an outstanding candidate for a V8 swap. There is a sweet spot with the Miata to do V8 swaps. 1999 thru 2002 if I remember correctly. Older than that has those wonky pop up headlights that I personally just don't like. Plus the first generation Miata's have less room in the engine bay & transmission tunnel & hood clearance. Early 2nd generation Miata's (1999 thru 2002?) have nice simple electronics, which is huge if you are not into electrical stuff.
The one negative for doing a GM based V8 swap on an NA or NB Miata is that the front part of the transmission tunnel is just too small and MUST be cut and reshaped and re-welded. It is my understanding that NC Miata's (2006? to ???) have transmission tunnels that are large enough to clear the GM bellhousing. Trimming the tunnel does not sound like that big of a deal until you realize that you need to remove the dash to get to the area that gets reshaped.
From the standpoint of cost, I can see where you are wanting to do a T5 rather than a T56 because the T5 transmissions can be had for hundreds of dollars while T56's cost several thousand dollars. One item to be aware of is that you presumably want the shifter handle to come out in the same location as the factory Miata shifter so that you don't have to do any modification to the interior console, which in turn keeps the finished swap looking cleaner. You would need to do some double checking to make sure that the T5 you are considering will fit all the requirements. Presumably a T5 from a 1998-to 2002 V6 Camaro or Firebird would work but there might be other issues such as spline count and yolk size and pilot shaft size. It could also require a specific driveshaft length. There can also be issues with the transmission sensors correctly talking to the LS engine computer. I don't know if the crossmember that comes from Flyin Miata or V8 Roadsters works with the T5. A lot of things to research before actually spending money.
On the 5.3 LS engine, a number of swaps documented on here are using that item so you would need to look real hard at the threads. One issue I could see being a problem is that almost all 5.3 wiring harnesses would be set up for an automatic transmission, which could cause harness & ECU issues when using a manual transmission, similar to what I mentioned about considering the T5 over a T56. Hopefully somebody with experience on that combination can chime in and give you some actual information since I am just guessing.
If I do another Miata swap, the 5.3 with T5 is the direction I am strongly thinking of going as long as future research shows it to be viable.
Given your stated level of experience, you will probably need to do what I did and spend money on the various Flyin Miata kits that cover the different areas to do a V8 swap using LS based components. The cost on the various Flyin Miata kits is probably over $10,000 without the actual drivetrain components but everything is top quality that works smoothly and fits and has usable instructions.
If you are a person comfortable with fabricating pieces you can look at the "Fabricator" thread under the GM build threads and save a good bit of the $$$ required to get the Flyin Miata kits. Personally, I did not feel comfortable with fabricating pieces that locate & support the drive train for my first build. Too much chance that I would locate something in the wrong place or fail to give correct clearances to necessary items. For my next build I will do the majority of the conversion by fabricating my own pieces. Only thing I will buy will be the V8 Roadster subframe and Flyin Miata headers.
Thank you for such a long informative post.
I’m in Houston, TX
I’ll watch the V8 Miata Swap series on youtube from TurboTom. I’ll check out and bookmark your build thread too!
Again, I read all of your post and can’t thank you enough.
-Patrick
10-31-2017, 08:16 AM
#4
V8 Miata Zealot
Be sure to check local emission & registration requirements before doing anything else. It would suck a$$ to build a nice 2002 V-8 Miata and have to wait 9 more years until you could drive it.
10-31-2017, 07:35 PM
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