The bare block itself is nearly as heavy as a complete long block D series honda engine (also iron block). :giggle:

The really cool swap for the Miata is the Rolls Royce Merlin V12 from a Supermarine Spitfire or North American P-51 Mustang.

Or, you could go more modern and do a gas turbine. Flamethrower!!

Seriously, cut your teeth on maintaining/restoring the stock car. Do the ECU and learn to tune.

DON'T SPEND A DIME ON ANY OTHER "SWAP" PARTS. IF YOU DO, YOU ARE THROWING AWAY THAT MONEY BECAUSE YOU ARE GUARANTEED TO BE BUYING THE WRONG THINGS AT THIS POINT. YOU ARE IGNORANT AND YOUR FRIENDS ARE IDIOTS (except, probably, your Dad -- talk to him instead of your friends).

With your Dad's background in stock cars, an LS conversion seems like the best swap down the road. Would be an awesome father/son project.

I blame fast and the furious... lol "But guys, if I don't engine swap my car, how will I ever go fast"!?

I just shipped a bp6d long block with clutch and mounts to dopple. No manifolds or accessories tho. I was very surprised it was only 305lb dry. Short block is probably close to 200lb I would guess

gotta get those SPOON engines in time for race warz, or johnny tran will disrespect your famiry.

Lol, I picked up a bare d-series block for a friend with one hand and put it up on the top shelf of his super cheap particle board shelves. Couldnt have been more than 40 pounds.

Well AN engine swap will be necessary. My miata has a 1.6 in it and if I stayed with a miata engine, I'd put a 1.8 in it. Regardless, my current 1.6 has too many miles to be playing around with, or so my dad told me. He said the best idea would be to get a junkyard car with a 1.8 and rebuild the engine. Plus during all of this, the car needs to stay a commuter car. I figured if I'm putting a new engine in the car regardless of what happens, why not go big?

See you THINK you know what you're talking about and what you want, but you really don't.

you reallllllllly don't

Mileage is irrelevant. Unless engine runs like crap you don't need to do anything to it.

You're all over the place - I want a big nasty project, I don't have much money, I want to do complicated swap, I have no skills, I want this to be a monster, I need this to be a commuter.

You sound like the typical idiot 15 year old kid that doesn't have the faintest clue about wwhat you want and need.

Step 1) Go to daddy's "shop".
Step 2) Ask for a "compression tester"
Step 3) Do a compression test.
Step 4) Compare numbers to what is known to be good (use interweb searches for this)
Step 5) Realize your engine is just fine.
Step 6) Forget about being a ricer with all the horsepowers.
Step 7) Start reading up on chassis/suspension modifications
Step 8) LEARN TO DRIVE THE FUCKING THING FIRST.
















BTW- Your friend is an IDIOT.

Well the car does have some issues as it sits. Oil leak and some other things.
I do want a big project and no I don't have much money. That's why I'm trying to get an idea of what to save for right now before trying to start the project. The project would start way down the line. I want this car to be a monster but in the mean time I have to have it as a commuter.

Your dad works on American cars primarily, doesn't he?

There's no such thing as 'too many miles' on these cars. I've seen people on this forum pull apart engines with 250k miles on them with perfect crosshatching still.

But you've answered your own question BTW. Best bang-for-the-buck swap in a '93 is a 1.8.

Motor is leaking oil? May as well junk the car.

Just start saving as much as you can then and don't worry about what to buy. Read and research as much as possible. Once you actually understand the car you will have a much better idea of what direction you want to go in, what is realistic, and what it takes to get there. You will need money for the project no matter what so just save with no concrete plans.

Yeah that's what I figured I should do. Thanks. I appreciate the advice!

Also, yes my dad specializes in Chevrolet vehicles.

Ha! Called it. Talk to your Dad instead of your friends. He's a lot smarter than you think.

Oh yeah. I know. Haha. I'm talking to him more than my friend.

Save up 15 grand if you want to swap in anything besides a 1.8L from another miata.

This. Way too many people underestimate the amount of money it takes to properly swap an engine. I'm helping a friend with an SR swap into a 240SX and even though the engine was designed for that chassis it still costs a few grand before you get around to buying the engine. There's way too many people that think that because people go around doing $200 engine swaps for lemmons racers, that anyone can do the same thing. Trust me, you can't. If you want a smooth running well sorted car, its going to cost.

buh-bye.

Aw, hope you enjoyed being around smart people while it lasted.

Did some posts get deleted? I always miss the real fun.