Miata transmission swap question - paging Keith to the Miata courtesy phone...

Ignoring bellhousing issues based on which engine you choose, which version of the T5 best lines up with the Miata shifter hole?

Left to right:  S10, Mustang or Camaro?

Dunno nothin' about no T5s other than the one the V8R Spec guys used is way off the hole.

The T56 we use has a shifter that's 29.5" from the back of the block. Which is from a fourth-gen Camaro, so that might tell you something.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

It there 3" from the back of the LS to the firewall in the LS Miata?

Nope. The heads are basically right against the firewall. We push it back as far as we can.

SHIFTER DISTANCES  (pulled from https://core-shifters.com/pages/shifter-distances on 30 October 2017)

Distance from front of bellhousing (aka rear of engine block) to shifter stub (hopefully you find a model that puts the shifter stub in the center of your console or floor opening)

Before you buy a transmission, figure out which model suits your needs. Don't expect a shifter to cure a bad transmission choice; a cheap transmission is worthless if there is no decent way to make it work in your car. If you already bought one - it may require major changes or you may be better off with a different one. Transmissions are not universal - they come in dozens of configurations per OE specs; probably only one or two of them work for you.

• Install engine block first, to define bellhousing location
• Make sure bellhousing is compatible with your engine, flywheel, & clutch
• Consider floor & console openings, seat placement, dashboard, etc.
• Minimize rear offset (horizontal distance from base to knob) where possible
• Think about the available stick shapes and look you want
• Expect to cut a hole in floor large enough to install shifter base from interior
• Prepare to reconfigure. Transmission tailhousing may need to be swapped to put shifter at better position; this may involve swapping or modding internal parts too
• Plan the driveshaft connection. Some models do not use slip yokes but can be adapted; HOWEVER if yoke to driveshaft angle is > 4 deg, a CV joint is needed

Dimensions are estimated, subject to error - confirm yours!

Assumes OE bellhousing length - this varies by make & model!

In most cases, Core / Hurst swap bases position the shifter stub directly over the receptacle center. This used to be the same location used by OEMs but most recent cars (since ~ 2004) use rear offset remote linkage shifters that don't work so well in custom situations. We offer swap bases that eliminate this remote linkage, converting to a direct mount above the receptacle - hence the dimensions above for both the stick center and receptacle center where applicable.

I have both a camaro t5 and a 99 miata trans in the parts car. I can measure tomorrow if i remember. 

For what it is worth, I have a rotary bellhousing, adaptor, and Ford V8 T5 transmission.  The shifter is in approximately the same spot as a '78-80 RX-7 (or for that matter an RX-3/4/5, not sure about RX-2)

This would put the Ford T5's shifter about six inches forward of an 81-85 RX-7 shifter, which is slightly forward of a Miata's shifter.  ('78-up nonturbo RX-7 use the same type of transmission as Miatas)

That all assumes that the bellhousing face plane is in the same spot for whatever you are doing, if not then you may extrapolate from there.