First time Challenge Builder(Or any build for that matter)

So I have decided to take the plunge and do a challenge build, mostly because i have limited funds and want to learn more about cars, more technical stuff. It all kinda happened by accident really, a friend of mine had a Miata and and bought a better Miata, and was changing parts over. I asked out of the blue what he was planning on doing with the old one, and this is where it happened. He said he was gong to JUNK it. I couldn't believe it. I don't know what possessed me to ask, but I did. I asked if it had a title. He said yes it does. I said "Ill take it!" He said you want it you can have it. So that's how it happened, I now owned my first Miata, FOR FREE! So now i had to call my wife and explain how I exactly got another car without paying for it. WHOOHOO i finally had a project car.

So my initial plan was to just put in a 1.6 or 1.8 and drive it, then sell it. Then I thought about the Challenge. Perfect, but i cant go to the challenge with a pretty much stock Miata. I know I will put a V8 in it!(Brilliant!) I started (and still am) researching the swap, originally I was going to do a small block 350 carbed, with a t5 and couldn't figure out what rear end to use stock Miata, Rx7, Ford 7.5 or 8.8IRS, my mind was racing(hehe)Today i figured i would look into the 5.0 as a lot of people have done it so there is a lot of info and help out there. Well as far as I am concerned FATE came my way today. A customer came in talking to me about his car, and how he really couldn't sell it because the frame is severely rusted, but it still runs and drives. Long story short i told him I would give him junk price and i would pick it up. DEAL! I am the new owner (on Thursday) of a '92 Mercury Cougar XR7 for $400, complete with a rusty frame no big deal because........ its got a 5.0 a AOD trans, and a POSI! Oh yeah, then I had to call my wife. No pics of the donor yet(soon) So now i am in need of advice from any and everybody on what to do please please, my goal is the $2015 Challenge. Thanks guys i cant wait.

Nice score! You may have to go with scrap or fmv value on the miata shell, but looks like a great starter kit for a challenge car. I like the pro-ject sticker

Yeah I figured I would have to value the Miata at something, what would you guys say it is worth?

What would you guys recommend, I was thinking of converting the engine to carb, less wiring(maybe cheaper and less headache) or should i suck it up(or give Painless a call) and do the EFI?

fstbandit wrote: What would you guys recommend, I was thinking of converting the engine to carb, less wiring(maybe cheaper and less headache) or should i suck it up(or give Painless a call) and do the EFI?

Intake manifolds and carburetors aren't free so I'd look at keeping the EFI even if you had to buy the painless kit. But do some web surfing, I'd imagine someone has done and documented some kind of 5.0 using stock wiring and can tell you where to cut and discard and what to keep. If not that then maybe megasquirt to allow you to tune it further.

Scrap value. Print out or photograph the $ for weight rate of a local yard and estimate what he would have been given for scrapping it. That or find ads for cars in similar condition.

Here is how you are going to install the rear end using scrap metal and no money. Not my work but very nice work. http://miatav8.blogspot.ca/2014/01/rear-subframe.html

Axles are a separate issue. They cost half the budget. Let me know if you find a solution.

There is lots of low buck Miata swap stuff on the web.

For a first challenge car, I would leave everything exactly as it is in the donor: Stock engine with FI running stock computer and whatever box is behind it connected to the differential you have. The front K member can be made to work with a sawzall and a welder.

Miata.net engine swap section is your friend.

http://forum.miata.net/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=38

Thanks NOHOME, i have been reading everything i can(including miata.net) and that rear set up you showed me looks awesome, i cant wait to start ripping these cars apart. My plan is to pull the motor and trans out of the Cougar, do a test fit, start taking measurements and seeing where i need to massage some things, then work on the rear end, after i get everything to where i know it fits, i am tempted to do a rebuild to at least the engine(it has 225k) body work int., paint ect.. I did give Painless a call today and he said I had to make sure it was the H.O. motor and I have to find out which ECU i have to get the right kit. I am not gonna lie this whole wiring and fuel injection has me a little scared(dont get me wrong i like a challenge)never done this before, guess i am excited and scared all at once. Do you guys have any advice on how(as in which order) i should attack the project?

Don't worry, it's just wires.

riiiiight. Just wires. I have just come to the realization that within 2 weeks i bought 2 cars.... i couldnt figure why my wife talking to me like i had a "problem".

Welcome to the neighborhood.

Make a large checklist/s on poster board sized paper, like packing paper. Put them on the garage wall where you can see them, mark tasks off when you complete them. Prioritize what MUST be done, what PROBABLY needs done and what would be nice if you had 4 more weeks to work on the car. Don't miss the Challenge because you missed something that should've been done before you started buffing the paint.

A little confused about why you are making life harder by seeking an aftermarket harness when Ford engineers were nice enough to give you a harness and computer custom tailored to your application? And its already included in the budget.

If it were me, I would take a running stock 5.0 swap for $2014 as sufficient creds to show up at the Challenge.

I have a sneaking feeling that there are a bazillion other logistical items required for you to attend that you could address with your time and money.

You can win it in 2015.

'92 cougar is "OBD Zero" so should be really simple to swap into just about anything. Don't cut any wires, don't even try to simplify the wiring harness, just lift it out of the coug and lay it into the miata. probably only 3 or 4 power wires and the same number of grounds that will have to be connected to the miata. take notes and pix as you remove it from the coug, label wires and connectors with painters tape and sharpie marker. you can do it, waterboy!

A little more research progress, I got a look at how much Painless harness cost- NOPE not on this budget! I think I am going to attempt to just transfer everything over from the Cougar, maybe even try and cut and "fit" the dash and gauges seeing as I have none of that in the Miata. I am number crunching, because it is looking like the best option right now for axles is this http://www.driveshaftshop.com/import-axles/mazda/miata/mazda-1989-2005-miata-with-ford-8-8-rear-conversion-400hp-direct-bolt-in-axles-with-bolt-on-inner-stubs apparently they use to be $650(not sure how long ago) saw that on another board, but now as you can see they are just about $1000!!!! On a side note I am having so much fun right now and I dont even have either of the cars here. haha

The drive-shaft shop and Boss Frog V8 conversion seem to have agreed on a price. I think that the axles are going to be an issue with the budget.

Try these guys just for fun, you might find that they can match the old price for the axles

http://www.rcvperformance.com/index.aspx

I am worried about the axles and driveshaft the most, but if i can earn back the max $1007 somehow i might have a chance. The drive shaft quote i got for a new one was $400-$450 for a 3" steel one from DriveShaftShop, i gave RCV a call and the guy said they really only specialize in offroad stuff and that i should give the DriveShaftShop a call, he said they do manufacturing for them anyway so the quality and prices would be about the same.

fstbandit wrote: but if i can earn back the max $1007 somehow i might have a chance.

how many do you have to buy before some kind of sweet price break kicks in? maybe you have to become a middleman for V8 Miata half-shafts.

is the cougar new enough to have IRS? maybe you build a wide-body miata with cougar IRS underneath it.

I thought about just trying to stuff the whole assembly under it and making some flares, but then what would I do about the front, I would have 5 lug in the rear and 4 lug up front??

Progress! Ha not really just picked up the Cougar. Here it is in all its glory. The red string is the driver door opening mechanism. And no the nitrous bottle didnt come with it, its mine i had to pick it up on the way home. The reason i bought the car.(also the trans, rear end, and bunch of little things) It runs smooth ish, kinda drops in idle every once in a while. The trans that was supposed to shift GREAT, it only shifts great 1-3, i dont think the old man i bought it from went fast enough to get it into overdrive haha. Oh and.....it is faint but the LSD works.

Go sniff around the Fatory Five Cobra site and homepage. Those guys seem well versed in the in-and-outs of these axles. I hear rumours of much cheaper alternatives than 1k.

What's more expensive than a FREE boat?

Of course, the GRM answer is Miata.

NOHOME you were right, i gave Factory Five a call, and to my surprise their axles are $110/ea. Good call on that, so know i am left with if budget allows trying to figure out how to get a 5x114 bolt pattern up front OR just run 5x114 in the back and 4x100 up front. Are spacers really that bad? I have heard guys say no not really and some acted like i committed a sin just by asking them. What's the deal? I am doing my research on it now, but what do you guys think giving the application.

Small update, started ripping out the dash so I could have easy access to the wires. Trying to salvage the driver side dash might use it. Cluster out and clean. I found a receipt from 1994! Oh and from what my brother tells me, it is now leaking trans fluid down the driveway! Any advice on how to tackle the wires, do I start in the engine bay or interior?

Sowhats the news from Factory five? What exactly do they provide in the way of axles? Typically, you would use the cougar center section and the Miata rear subrame and hubs, with a hybrid axle that sells for about $1200.

That is the plan that I had for the rear end on the Volvo/Miata/302 hybrid.