Canute
Canute New Reader
1/9/10 3:48 p.m.

I was wondering, will these engines bolt into a north/south configuration? I have fantasies of buying a wrecked Speed6, parting the car out, and putting that engine into something lighter.

Capt Slow
Capt Slow HalfDork
1/9/10 4:00 p.m.

like a miata?

Because its really the answer to everything

Canute
Canute New Reader
1/9/10 4:02 p.m.

Nah, I like FCs. They're light and have a bit more room inside as well as more crush space outside.

Canute
Canute New Reader
1/9/10 4:24 p.m.

Plus my wife and I both have NBs. Been there, done that :).

Junkyard_Dog
Junkyard_Dog Reader
1/9/10 5:36 p.m.

The 2.0 in the current Miata is from the same engine family iirc so if thats true then an NC Miata trans should bolt up. Taking this to its logical conclusion, what you want to do is bolt it into an RX8 using the Miata front subframe. I hear there is a rotary NC that swapped the other way so the reverse should therefore be possible.

xci_ed6
xci_ed6 HalfDork
1/9/10 7:13 p.m.

LS1....

What? Someone had to say it.

Canute
Canute New Reader
1/9/10 11:28 p.m.

I have a couple old 5.0s handy, but my Mazda guru is convinced V8 power would wreck the car's handling.

m4ff3w
m4ff3w GRM+ Memberand Dork
1/9/10 11:45 p.m.
Canute wrote: I have a couple old 5.0s handy, but my Mazda guru is convinced V8 power would wreck the car's handling.

I'd wager the weight difference between an aluminium headed 5.0 and a 13b+turbo is VERY small.

vazbmw
vazbmw Reader
1/9/10 11:46 p.m.

Did he define wrecked handling? I guess it would depend on expectations

xci_ed6
xci_ed6 HalfDork
1/10/10 12:12 a.m.
m4ff3w wrote:
Canute wrote: I have a couple old 5.0s handy, but my Mazda guru is convinced V8 power would wreck the car's handling.
I'd wager the weight difference between an aluminium headed 5.0 and a 13b+turbo is VERY small.

The 5.0 is tempting too, they're cheap! I haven't seen a comparison of the 5.0/FC swap, but the LS1/240sx supposedly the LS1 is lighter than the KA, but the transmission is heavier, resulting in a better than stock weight distribution.

Canute
Canute New Reader
1/10/10 12:39 a.m.

My expectation would be to have a car whose handling would not frustrate an experienced road racer. Right now I have a set of 235/40R17 RA1s on the car on Y2k Mustang GT wheels. The handling in a lot of ways is phenomenal but can get a little frustrating because the rear of the car is glued to the ground. This is due to a complete inability of a stock engine with stock gearing to be able to rotate the car under power. One advantage to using these wheels is that it doesn't need nearly as much of a wheel spacer as an RX7 spec'd wheel would. At least with a 5.0 I would have a snowball's chance in hell of having the car pass California smog. Somebody called it in so the car is in annual "Test Only" hell.

xci_ed6
xci_ed6 HalfDork
1/10/10 1:34 a.m.

You could try a slightly narrower rear tire. It did wonders for my Accord, which never had a chance to rotate the rear under power

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