Any Guys from the UK? My 1JZ in an MX5...
 

Hi there

This is my first post guys, so please be gentle! I've been reading the forum for months now, and especially the 2JZ build thread lead by Sean, and wanted to know how many guys there are from the UK on here, and what conversions have been done in the UK?

You may have guessed by the title that I've embarked on a 1JZ build in a MX5 / Miata which I beleive is the first in the UK. Just to put you in the picture, I have recently bought a Lexus / Toyota Soarer TT complete with (Supposedly) the head gasket gone. However, I'm 99% sure it's the water pump, not the head gasket anyway. Also, it is one of the ultra rare manuals with the R154 box in it, so my idea is to use the engine, box and rear diff (none LSD though) with custom prop shaft and hybrid / custom drive shafts.

My donor car is a '94 1.8 (NA8C?) in good structural condition, though will benefit from a paint refresh when complete. The goal for the project is to keep the car looking as standard as possible from the outside, and to sit the engine in without it protruding through the bonnet. My main aim is for drag racing but to keep it so that it could be used for the occasional track day too. My other big aim is to build it to drag in the high 9's / low 10's too, as I bet a friend I could build a car that would be able to (on paper, at least) beat a Veyron up the Quarter Mile - I think this is around 10.1 - 10.2 from what I have read...

I have currently got the engine nearly out and am accumulating parts for it, with (so far) 100mm throttle body, single turbo manifold, 1JZ inlet manifold (on it's way from the US), T4 size turbo plus much more to come. I think I'm going to get it running on the stock ECU / injectors before going standalone with 600cc+ top feed injectors and rail. I'm hoping for 500+ bhp on the stock engine which should be acheivable - My Supra made 500hp at 0.8 bar boost with a big single.

I've got a good amount of knowledge on the 2JZ and drag racing, as I worked for a motorsport company for 7 years and had a 740bhp Supra, and 860bhp Mitsubishi Evo which did a 9.89 quarter in the end, so I'm hoping this will benefit me when doing the conversion. I'm also quite good with fabricating stuff / welding so this may also help me.

So there you go, I just though I would share my experience so far, and if anyone in the UK has any similar experience or wants to share some knwoledge which may help me, feel free and I will take some pics in the spring of 2011 when I will really make a start on the MX5.

Thanks guys, and just to let you know this forum is a font of knowledge for stuff like this, and not so much of the 'bedroom experts' as you get on a lot of the forums.

Cheers Chris


Manchester, UK.

From the UK, tho my swop is for a later 2001 BP, so a little bit easier than your project...

I dunno exactly how your registration process works, but wouldn't you want to use a 1.6 chassis? Do you have to report the displacement of a swapped engine when taking the car for MOT?

Looking forward to the potential of seeing this....and I say that becuase there is a lot of talk about a lot of swaps, but very few finish it...you know how that goes.

If he is only going to track the car, is this really an issue?

The power goals should not be a problem with a 1JZ as you say. The problem, as always, will be getting it down. Sounds like you have some experience there though.

That said, it will probably be a challenge to set this car up to do sub-10 second 1/4 miles AND have the suspension compliant enough for the odd track day... unless that track is a NASCAR oval... ;)

I dunno..some people still drive cars to the track. I didn't se where it said "track only" in his thread either.

Indeed you are correct - it is not clear one way or another... ;)

“Assumption is the mother of the screw-up” - Donghia

So, dear OP, will this car be road-driven, or just a track hack?

In the UK, if you change the engine, insurance gets much more expensive, but it doesn't stop you from driving it on the road assuming you can get insurance sorted.

I'd assume from the OP's job he'll have a trade policy, which means insurance will be pretty much a non-issue. He'll just inform the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency aka a bunch of crooks) of the engine size change (if there is one), and job done.

Update...
 

Hi Guys

There's no intention to use it on the road at this stage. I think the work required to get out of it what I'm after, will make it unroadworthy anyway. May involve cutting rear inner arches, move fuel tank etc. I will probably remove all electrics including lights, and removal of p/s and a/c is a given too, so life would be hard on the road at best.

It's nice to see people taking an interest too!

Cheers Chris

One issues I could see, and I can't fully remember but I believe the soarer 1jz are mid/front sump. With the miata being rear sump car, you most likely going to want to use a rear sump oil pan.

Progress...
 

Well chaps, it's been a while since I last posted as I've been waiting to get the garage sorted so I can start to tinker. Had all sorts of issues, but now the project is underway. See pic below of the start of a big project!


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...4&d=1345730639


Just started to strip the donor car down, a 1991 Lexus Soarer JZZ30, and so far the all ancilliaries off and ECU, fusebox and Wiring harness have been removed. I've spent the last few nights taking all the wires out of the harness that I'm not going to need like headlights, horn, fans, A/C stuff etc and ended up with a pretty neat harness leftover with a question mark over about 5 or 6 wires in total which I should be able to sort out.

The engine is held in only by the gearbox bolts so I'm about 10 bolts from it coming out onto the engine stand. Then the plan is to strip the rest of the stuff required i.e. gearbox, prop, drive shafts etc so I can scrap the car as it's looking a bit of an eyesore now having stood for 3 years!

I'll get some photos up soon with progress for anyone who is interested. It's very exciting for me, as I've had this project in mind for 4 years and just getting around to doing it...

Cheers!

in, love me some 1jz/2jz

In for progress pics. Loving the sound of it so far. :)

Progress...
 

OK Chaps

For those who are interested, the donor car is being sufficiently ripped apart and pics below show what the 'building blocks' for the MX5 will be. Hopefully, this weekend will be fruitful enough for me to remove the gearbox, rear diff, prop shaft and driveshafts.

More pics soon...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1346418445

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1346418445

In for updates. This looks like it could be awesome.

I'm from Essex.

Progress...
 

Quick update from the weekend. Missus at a Christening, so loads of free time to mess around!

The Lexus donor car now is pretty much stripped out. Just the throttle cable to remove I think, then it's off to meet it's maker!

Gearbox now out of the Lexus, as is the rear diff, drive shafts and prop.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1347262395

This is the starting point of the MX5 transmission...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1347262395

Turned my efforts on to the Mazda for an hour or so, so started off like this...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1347262395

Ended up removing most of the peripheral stuff, wiring loom, charcoal can etc and then binning a load of stuff I would never need again...A/C condensor, P/S cooler etc and looked a bit like this.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1347262395

Needless to say I'll have the engine and transmission out soon so will be going spare should anyone need a 1.8 !! As well as loads of other spares ....

Keep you all posted....

Just a quick update for those who are interested and following this thread.

Had a couple of hours free over the weekend and not much left to do to get the 'donkey' out if the MX5, so got it to a state where I could pull the engine and box out together. Note, anyone who's taken a box out of these before will have encountered the 2 massively long bolts that go through the gearbox cradle and can only assume bolt into the rear view mirror - they are that long!


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1349078297


She's been stood for the best part of 3 to 4 years so she's a bit rusty in the engine bay so when I've had a chance to get rid of all the unneccessary stuff in there, I'm going to rub down and repaint the whole engine bay.

Next step is to get the 1JZ engine back out and see if she fits in. With it coming out of a Lexus Soarer and is the mid sump variant, I'm not sure whether it'll fit in or not, or whether I'll be on the hunt for a front sump setup.

Only time will tell...

Thanks for keeping this updated. Looks like you are on a bit of a roll at this point...keep it up!

Glad it's keeping some people interested. I'm at that point now where I can't wait for another session on it !!

Update...
 

Update from the weekend for those following this thread.

Had a few hours free this weekend, so converted the power steering rack to a manual rack as per the FM instructions and removed the dashboard so I could get to the wiring easier.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1349684519

I thought whilst I was in there, I would get rid of everything that wouldn't be needed so out went the A/C box, the fan blower and the heater matrix. Doesn't it look bare in there now!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1349684519

Had to remove the headlights to get to some of the the wiring so it's looking very sad at the moment!

Next job is to get the wiring out of the car so the engine bay is as empty as possible, jet wash and degrease the engine bay so I can assess how much surface rust I need to address and then try the engine for size. Managed to locate a Front Sump for the 1JZ engine should I need it for a good price, as I'm suspecting the mid sump on the engine will hit the sub frame but I guess I'll know for sure later in the week!

Do you think you could use the mid sump but cut the firewall and move the engine back a bit to keep the weight off the front wheels and add more weight to the rear? Or you could just modify the oil pan and pickup tube to be a rear sump (easier).