Brainstorming - Miata Coupe

Hungary Bill wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: I grafted a ZX2 upper body on to a Miata years ago in Photoshop for a thread just like this in GRM. Unfortunately, I had to cheat on the scale. The lines might work, but there's a size discrepancy. We also discussed the Opel GT at that time, I believe. I may have even done some measurements.

^^^ That's seriously cool! Potential donor roof?

The googlez sez MX3 is less than an inch wider than a NA. Could we have found a roof donor!??!?! I imagine that back glass would be too long. And the window openings are wrong. Ah well.

Autokonexion fastbacks are $2,200 plus shipping, but are available for both the NA and NB.

The The Warhorse Performance top is an interesting alternative, but I don't know whether it's a one-off or if they are being produced for sale:

First, the good news... Most measurements between the Miata and rx7 are pretty much dead-nuts vaguely identical.

The bad news??? The rx7 roof is about 42" wide at the top of the a-pillars, while the Miata is 46" at the same point.

The Miata windshield frame would have to go, and the rx7 frame grafted in. But, the distance between the base of a-pillars between the cars is close enough to make it possible.

captdownshift did it. At least his was the name showing as the last posting when I first noticed this resurrected.

In reply to DeadSkunk:

I responded to the wrong miata thread then deleted it

And are we all happy with the way that Mazda has filled this request?

if you're going to put up pictures of the RF, don't use its driver's license photo

You had to post the targa position din't you. For some odd reason I love convertibles for driving and the Coupe for style.

I gag on "Targa" with this being the most offensive of the genre:

On that note..Happy Easter one an all.

NOHOME wrote: You had to post the targa position din't you. For some odd reason I love convertibles for driving and the Coupe for style. I gag on "Targa" with this being the most offensive of the genre: On that note..Happy Easter one an all.

If you have one of those laying around I'll gladly take it off your hands. Wont even charge for disposal.

Sorry, I did not mean to offend. Better?

nderwater wrote: Autokonexion fastbacks are $2,200 plus shipping, but are available for both the NA and NB. The The Warhorse Performance top is an interesting alternative, but I don't know whether it's a one-off or if they are being produced for sale:

I know it's a zombie, but Autokonexion is not producing right now, and the Warhorse is essentially an Internet myth as far as I can tell. I've spoken to the owner. They don't exist.

I am inches away from pulling the trigger on building a mold for one.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

I just saw a coupe in the wild for the first time the other day. I was on the freeway and someone was taking a test drive. It was a gun metal grey metallic, and I have to say that to my eyes it looked waaaaay better in real life than it does in pictures (although the first thing I'd do to one is lower it a bit). Is it just me?

NOHOME wrote: You had to post the targa position din't you. For some odd reason I love convertibles for driving and the Coupe for style. I gag on "Targa" with this being the most offensive of the genre: On that note..Happy Easter one an all.

That the targa roof is off and the windows are up is triggering me. It's like people driving convertibles with the windows up

bravenrace wrote: In reply to Keith Tanner: I just saw a coupe in the wild for the first time the other day. I was on the freeway and someone was taking a test drive. It was a gun metal grey metallic, and I have to say that to my eyes it looked waaaaay better in real life than it does in pictures (although the first thing I'd do to one is lower it a bit). Is it just me?

I am assuming you mean the RF.

I just saw one for the first time too- VERY nice.

CGLockRacer wrote: Has anyone ever grafted an FB RX-7 roof and hatch to an NA Miata? Are the sizes compatible? Grafmiata, you have both, don't you? Thanks!

There is a guy on rx7club grafting an MX-3 roof onto a Miata.

It looks cool.

Knurled wrote:

CGLockRacer wrote: Has anyone ever grafted an FB RX-7 roof and hatch to an NA Miata? Are the sizes compatible? Grafmiata, you have both, don't you? Thanks!

There is a guy on rx7club grafting an MX-3 roof onto a Miata. It looks cool.

Link ?

SVreX wrote:

bravenrace wrote: In reply to Keith Tanner: I just saw a coupe in the wild for the first time the other day. I was on the freeway and someone was taking a test drive. It was a gun metal grey metallic, and I have to say that to my eyes it looked waaaaay better in real life than it does in pictures (although the first thing I'd do to one is lower it a bit). Is it just me?

I am assuming you mean the RF. I just saw one for the first time too- VERY nice.

Not many people can manage to capture the look of the car in camera. I think it's because wide angle lenses make it look stumpy, and since every camera these days is a phone with a tiny wide angle lens, that's what you get :) They definitely respond to a little bit of a ride height drop.

While bench racing with a friend we came up with the idea to graft the suspension and driveline from a Miata (almost doesn't matter what year) into an FB. Boom, Miata coupe. Kinda.

Time to set up some more Craigslist alerts.

JeffHarbert wrote: While bench racing with a friend we came up with the idea to graft the suspension and driveline from a Miata (almost doesn't matter what year) into an FB. Boom, Miata coupe. Kinda. Time to set up some more Craigslist alerts.

It's been done a few times, including a BP engine.

It takes a bit more metal work than my tastes allow - the chassis rails are too low for the Miata bits to mount up easily in the front (too low for the FC, too, as I found after I did it the easy way) so you need to move them upwards and inwards, and the rear suspension is a step backwards handling-wise compared to a sorted solid axle. Too much toe change, not enough anti squat. The RX-7's wheelbase is a good five inches longer.

Given that RX-7s are climbing out of the depreciation well, it's probably easier to just buy a Miata with a hardtop. Miatas are a whole bunch lighter anyway. Or find an engineless FD and put a nonturbo engine in it, if you must have a Miata like suspension and a hatchback. They used to be pretty easy to find given that turbos are the dumbest thing you can put on a rotary, so blown up FDs were common.

DeadSkunk wrote:

Knurled wrote:

CGLockRacer wrote: Has anyone ever grafted an FB RX-7 roof and hatch to an NA Miata? Are the sizes compatible? Grafmiata, you have both, don't you? Thanks!

There is a guy on rx7club grafting an MX-3 roof onto a Miata. It looks cool.

Link ?

Link.

Knurled wrote:

DeadSkunk wrote:

Knurled wrote:

CGLockRacer wrote: Has anyone ever grafted an FB RX-7 roof and hatch to an NA Miata? Are the sizes compatible? Grafmiata, you have both, don't you? Thanks!

There is a guy on rx7club grafting an MX-3 roof onto a Miata. It looks cool.

Link ?

Link.

Not seeing this ending well. I am seeing a Honda-Del-Sol so far.

what about the roof from a 1st gen Hyundai Tiburon?

It would be a hatch, not a coupe, but at least the hatch does not go all the way to bumper height

JeffHarbert wrote: While bench racing with a friend we came up with the idea to graft the suspension and driveline from a Miata (almost doesn't matter what year) into an FB. Boom, Miata coupe. Kinda. Time to set up some more Craigslist alerts.

This was my plan with my SA challenger I sold to Mr. Voth.