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Hi there my name is Winslow, long time Miata owner first time forum user. Brief background, I have owned my 93 since ~ 2002. Drove it during high school and was heavily, shall we say ribbed for it. That is until i bought and installed a Greddy turbo kit and suddnley romped on every kid with a Honda and a wing that thought..... I still don't know what they were thinking.
Through out the years I improved and modified the car, full turbo back exhaust, intercooler, fuel system ect ect. In its final and current iteration it has a ms pnp pro, something or another cc injectors( memory fails me) running around 20 psi. At some point in the last few years the car fell out of favor, and sat in the woods behind my shop for quite awhile.
To back track some here, I became interested in welding/fabrication and machine tools in my late teens. it became an obsession that outshaddowed but often overlapped my passion for all things automotive. As a result I now have a well equipped machine shop, my wife and I run a business plasma cutting signage on our cnc table, and I feel quite confident tackling about any machining or welding job that comes my way. This is not our full time job, but you might think it was looking in the shop and around our property.
Back to now, I got sick of the Miata being In The way all the time. I pulled it out of the bushes(literally) leaf blew out the engine bay and interior(yup), took it for one rip up the street and said **** it, I'm going ls. Posted the drive train, turbo stuff and electronics on Craig's list, started doing a little research. This may seem a rash decision, however I have always hd the itch for a v8 Miata. I knew some day I would get to this point. I also have a small car big engine problem in general.
The car was my dd for many years, saw lots of neglect and abuse but is a solid 90,xxx 2 owner car. It's fugly as hell, has no interior, and was once called a rat rod by an old man at Home Depot before rat rod was a term. I've used it to haul cement, 2x4's, thousands of pounds of steel tubing( they absolutely loved me at the steel yard) landscaping rock, ex wife's, drainage pipe, multiple kittens....... and soo much more. This car hooked more than one friend on turbochargers, and gave countless joyrides to folks who didn't know what miatas were about. I feel Iike I owe this car more than it owes me.
I hope to do this conversion a bit different than I've seen in general, but haven't dug in deep to see if it's as doable as I think. Of course I'm thinking "yeah I'm gonna do this cheap". Build instead of buy is my way usually, but as time goes on I seem to have less and less of it. Pictures to come if any one is interested to follow along. For now here Is the turd up on the lift so I can do some poking around and day dreaming.
If if anyone in the pacific n.w is looking for parts let me know, the drive train, turbo setup and ecu ect. are up for grabs
Quick picture of the car I should be spending time and $ on and a partial overview of the shop from atop a power hacksaw. I don't talk much about my hobbies publicly, when folks come over for the first time they have on many occasions said "so the house came with all these things" as tho some one left behind all their junk and I just happened to find a use for it. I guess looking at me most wouldn't think this is how I enjoy spending my free time. Or that I actively collect antiquated industrial machinery. I take it as a compliment, but am often saddened by the lack of knowlage and interest of how every day items came to be every day items.
Thank you, a work in progress like everything in my life. My dad is always game come by and help unload hernia inducing equipment, stare at unsolvable problems, give advise he has no business giving and tell me I'm doing it wrong. Couldn't do it with out you dad.
Thank you, the ford is getting there slowly but surely. I have my eye on an aluminum block 5.3 and a cdo9 trans for the Miata. hope to get some parts coming this week!? I've spent a lot of time under the Car looking and planning. mostly getting excited to start, and thinking it needs to happen in a reasonable time frame. I guess that's how they all start though.
Amazing shop! I just got a shop space myself last month. Love what it gives opportunity to do, and hope that I can build it into something to free me from this gray cubicle one day!
Having space is amazing, until u fill it all up and have none left haha. Maybe that's not a bad thing. Engine is out, trans is paid for, still considering engine options. Looked hard at a few ls1's but the premium price is probably not worth it. A lowish mileage 5.3 is looking a lot better option.
My daughter multitasking, she is always a huge helper in the shop and around the house which is such a blessing. She mostly loves spending time working on projects with me. Not many kids get this kind of exposure anymore, My wife and I put a huge emphasis on getting dirty, playing in the woods and not staring at a tv or computer screen all day. Bet she is the only kid in her class who can say she pulled an engine on her summer break!
Safety is no accident. Learn from dads mistakes, I perfer to put on the goggles after metal is embeded in an eyeball. The mini fridge is Always stuffed with freeze pops in the summer, the ice cream man hasn't come by in years so there has to be something readily available.
Going back and forth on cutting up the stock subframe and building from scratch. It's probably just as reasonable to bend up some tube and go for it as a serious jig is for sure needed to keep alignment intact either way. What seems more interesting to see happen?
Safety is no accident. Learn from dads mistakes, I perfer to put on the goggles after metal is embeded in an eyeball. The mini fridge is Always stuffed with freeze pops in the summer, the ice cream man hasn't come by in years so there has to be something readily available.
Going back and forth on cutting up the stock subframe and building from scratch. It's probably just as reasonable to bend up some tube and go for it as a serious jig is for sure needed to keep alignment intact either way. What seems more interesting to see happen?
By the time you build the jig, the marginal extra effort to make a tube subframe seems relatively minor, especially compared to the potential weight savings and the ability to add strength where you need it. Of course, there's always the easy button. Using the term "easy" loosely here.
Lots of good things happening. working on the new subframe, cd009 trans in hand and 70k mike ls1 inbound. A few pictures of the progress in no particular order.....
Engine and trans are locked in place now. Maybe ive spent too much time looking at it, but it seems soo natural with a v8 sitting in there. Dosent seem strange at all. I broke down and bought the fm oil pan. Money well spent I think. It is a beautiful piece. The baffling is awesome and the welds are picture perfect. Not a cheap part however. Been chipping away at the exhaust, just about finished up. Collins cd009 to ls adapter is also a super nice part. Hooker u bends from summit on the other hand, pure garbage. I don't know what they are made from, certainly not steel, it's like nothing I ever welded before. Instant porosity no matter what I try, Paper thin, super kinky bends, total trash, avoid at all costs.
07-12-2019, 11:18 PM
New member, long time Miata owner
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