Mazda Miata with Corvette engine and Camaro transmission.

[QuitBanningMe]

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: MaxFusion16
how much is the weight increased and what's the weight balance?

I don't know. But I'm sure it ruined the 50:50 weight distribution.

How much do miata guts weigh? The same swap in a Z only adds 30 pounds (to the rear) and they can be shaved.

 

[Shawn]

No clue, perhaps I was wrong.

 

[bootymac]

Next step: V12 engine in a lawnmower

 

[MasterAndCommander]

Now thats a manly Miata :thumbsup:

 

[Actaeon]

The weight increase wasn't much. The 4 Cylinder in the Miata is an Iron Block, while the V8 LS1 is an Aluminum Block. The LS1 would weigh a bit more, but not as much as you guys might think.

Either way, you're pushing 300% more power (about 310 bhp) to the wheels in a 2300-2400lb car with an awesome suspension. Talk about a wicked fast car.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: rbloedow

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: MaxFusion16
how much is the weight increased and what's the weight balance?

I don't know. But I'm sure it ruined the 50:50 weight distribution.

Shouldn't - the chevy engine is supposed to be very small - lighter than mmany smaller engines.

Lighter than a 4 cylinder Miata engine? I doubt it. Add the gearbox and I'd bet you really upset the balance of that car. And good luck getting all that power to the ground. That thing screams death trap.

 

[EvilYoda]

He should install a camera with a nice zoom lense in the back of the car to snap pix of the loser's expression...I'm sure he'll have quite the gallery.

 

[QuitBanningMe]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: rbloedow

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: MaxFusion16
how much is the weight increased and what's the weight balance?

I don't know. But I'm sure it ruined the 50:50 weight distribution.

Shouldn't - the chevy engine is supposed to be very small - lighter than mmany smaller engines.

Lighter than a 4 cylinder Miata engine? I doubt it. Add the gearbox and I'd bet you really upset the balance of that car. And good luck getting all that power to the ground. That thing screams death trap.

Doesn't seem to be any balance upset. Seems to get power to the ground. Same overall weight as the stock Miata:

Re: Mazda Miata
05/18/05 02:42 PM
Edit Reply Quote

I finished an LS6 Miata a few months ago. I believe it to be the first LS1/LS6 into an NA (1990-1997) Miata.

There is certainly no widening of the engine bay to be done. I did have to shim the K member 2.5 inches to make room for traditional dual exhaust. The rear end is a 2003 Ford T-Bird rear end to retain the independent rear suspension and handle the excessive torque produced by the LS6. It is the complete rear end assembly - not just the pumpkin. I can assure everyone here, the LS6 is absolutely the largest engine that can go into a Miata and still keep it a miata. Absolutely NO possiblity of a big block going into the miata and you wouldn't want one because you would destroy the beautiful handling of this car. This car is all about handling. There has been some talk about a viper engine going in. This would be very difficult and I expect most of the dash would be lost.

I managed to retain all dash functionality (although there was some strategic modification of the transmission tunnel.

My miata gained about 100 pounds of weight in the front and about 115 pounds of weight in the rear. This has maintained its 50-50 weight distribution almost perfectly. The car weighs approximately 2500 pounds. A bit less than the weight of a new miata.

The rear tires are 255/50/16 (84 Corvette size). Front tires are 225/45/16. The higher profile tire in the rear allows for better accelleration in a straight line. The car still handles like a dream, able to do right at 1.00 lateral g's. Accellerometer actually measure 1.04 however, compensating for body roll I expect the actual number to be closer to 1.00.

0-60 times according to accelerometer are about 3.8 seconds at 6000 ft elevation. Basically, it will beat just about anything on the road. If it ever locked up, it would probably flip.

It's not a sleeper by any means. The hood will require a scoop to fit, and the rear fenders have been widened 5" to accomodate the wider t-bird rear end. Red line on the LS6 (6800) is almost the same at the miata red line (7000 RPM). The weight difference between the miata 1.6 liter engine and the LS6 is less than 100 pounds. The transmission is a modified 4L60E. The Automatic is there for better 1/4 mile times. Also, I wanted my wife to be able to drive the car and she won't drive a stick.

Corvettes, Camaros, Porches, Vipers make for tasty snacks routinely. The 405HP and incredible torque of the LS6 pegs the GRIN factor on the car. Rear gearing is at 3.58 to 1. NO ONE can get into it without romping it. Afterwards, the only thing they want to know it how long the conversion took and am I interested in doing one for them. It took me about 10 month to convert the vehicle. I have a personal machine shop where I made pretty much everything I needed.

These pictures are a bit dated, but other than some body work, many of the designs were kept.

http://www.sammichael.net/ftp

Quite a few v8 miatas use the 302. That is a good engine and there are quite a few supercharged versions that are pretty intense. Many of the 302's are sleepers not giving anything away until too late...

I wanted a newer engine that was capable of a lot of NA power and torque but also had lower weight than the 302. The LS6 fit my requirement perfectly.

This car has a big following and is the most successful roadster ever made selling more than 700,000 since it was first introduced in 1989/90. For that reason, Lots of great engines have gone into the miata. This includes the Ford 302, rover engines, the new honda s2000 engine, quite a few toyota engines, and a number supercharged and turbocharged V6's. Any way you slice it, a car that light, that handles THAT well, is going to be a wicked fast convertable gokart when you put a fun engine in.

Sam.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Lighter than a 4 cylinder Miata engine? I doubt it. Add the gearbox and I'd bet you really upset the balance of that car. And good luck getting all that power to the ground. That thing screams death trap.

Last time I looked up the weights, the aluminum LS series engines only weigh about 80 lbs more than a typical cast iron 4 cylinder engine. Of course the weight will vary a bit depending on which 4 cylinder engine it is.