Any reason not to?

I think all of the builds I've seen have been from an NA donor.

 

do it

 

Probably because there are more NAs out there which are wrecked / rusted to hell / totally unsalvegable than NBs.

But the NB engine and suspension are superior, and if you have access to an NB which is otherwise trash, and don't mind paying a slight premium, it's a better choice for a donor in nearly every regard.

 

I have access to the one pictured above.

And I definitely did NOT pay a premium...

It may be too far gone though, I'll have to make a decision after inspecting it.

 

 

Do ghettocet's, eliminators, and exocets have to comply with OBD testing based on the donor vehicle? If so, I can see that as a good reason to stick with a 95 and older NA. I know it's not any more inconvenient than bringing an NB back to stock (enough to pass) every two years but if you can avoid it I can't see the negative outweighing the positive personally.

 

This project (not mine)


Started as an NB


and is getting this

 

I think most people register them as kit cars and then are subject to a whole different set of rules, which usually does not include OBD or emissions testing?

 

As Efini said, things like Exocets, which entirely replace the donor body / chassis with a tube-frame structure and therefore don't retain the original VIN on anything, tend to get registered as new specially-constructed vehicles, and that's where state laws vary wildly.

A Ghettocet, which retains the basic structure of the original body, and the VIN, would probably tend to continue to be registered as the original Miata (not speaking from experience here, just guessing.)

 

Thanks! In that case the donor vehicle for my (someday) eliminator build has been changed!

 

As Joe alrady pointed out, this does indeed vary wildly from state to state. I checked with our local PA experts and in order to have it registered as a Miata it would have to be "substantially stock". Even if you keep the part of the car that has the VIN attached, this requirement is not met with any Ghettocet etc. setup.
So in PA it would be a "Specially Constructed Vehicle". Again, Joe already said this. These get a new VIN. No OBD requirement for those. Check with your State's rules. Guessing here does not make any sense.