Looking for some ideas that are of the 6 and 8 cylinder variety that dont use the stock tranny (that and the stock motor are spoken for).
So far I like the idea of a 1uz because its cheap, reliable and pretty easy to get. Plus it makes decent power and wont kill me.
What are some other options lurking out there?
I'd suggest the VQ, but I don't know if the trans will fit.
Vq is too large for Miata swap. Ls, windsor, and chevy lfx are the common swaps that don't use the stock tranny.
I'm very interested in the Lfx swap. Seems kind of a seeet spot, way cheaper than the ls, more hp and less weight than ford, but it's not super well developed
<img src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tVWWHbqpDWo" />
Hmm. A lot of NAs are now emissions exempt in my area.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/lQkdMw4TVjY"
https://youtu.be/lQkdMw4TVjY
Electric motor(s).
Looks like this guy runs 9s with one forklift motor direct drive to each rear wheel.
icaneat50eggs wrote: I'm very interested in the Lfx swap. Seems kind of a seeet spot, way cheaper than the ls, more hp and less weight than ford, but it's not super well developed
LFx? whats that stand for?
Chevy V6. It's not that much cheaper, and requires all the same mods.
But it's not as popular as the LSx, which makes it cooler 
I wouldn't use "doesn't use the stock tranny" as a parameter, because it's really easy to get one if you want one.
In reply to Keith Tanner:
Apparently it is. Every time I bought a Miata transmission, it'd get stolen from my car/garage. So apparently getting a Miata transmission for cheap is as easy as follwing me around 
Robbie wrote: Looks like this guy runs 9s with one forklift motor direct drive to each rear wheel.
He's got about $30k into that car. Those aren't any forklift motors, or everyone'd be doing it.
Soooooo.....just how fast could one expect to go with a Challenge priced electric build? We have some pretty clever people on this board.
After salvage uard hoping today I found 12 1uz ripe for picking. Right now thats top of my list.
Knurled wrote: In reply to Keith Tanner: Apparently it is. Every time I bought a Miata transmission, it'd get stolen from my car/garage. So apparently getting a Miata transmission for cheap is as easy as follwing me around
See? There you go, problem solved 
DeadSkunk wrote: Soooooo.....just how fast could one expect to go with a Challenge priced electric build? We have some pretty clever people on this board.
The batteries are tough.
Everything else is possible pretty cheap.
I usually try to stay on the lookout for converted electric cars on cl just in case one comes up really cheap.
In reply to Robbie:
For the Challenge I don't think batteries would be an issue. You could build it with a 5 mile range and probably be OK.
Say your motor pulls 500amps at full load (pretty standard for a car type 80ish volt system).
Now, let's say you design for 6 autox runs at 45 sec each and 6 drag passes at 15 sec each. That's 6 minutes of 500 amps. Or 50 amp hours.
A standard car battery can do about 50 amp hours, but it is only 12 volts. You need 7 for an 84 volt system.
So, you will basically fully deplete 7 car batteries in 6 autox runs and 6 drag passes. With charging in-between runs you could get a little more in.
At the end of the day though, 7 car batteries are not gonna be cheap or light. Unfortunately the lead has a strong recycle value so even junk batteries are not free.
Sure, you can switch to a better battery, but the cost only goes up from lead-acid.
Try to negotiate with this guy?
500a times 80v is 40,000 watts. 40 kilowatts won't get you very fast 
This why hybrids run voltage in the 200-400v range, less amperage makes the current more palatable.
That Miata, as a very rough guesstimate, was making maybe 650-700hp, which translates to about 500 kilowatts of power. Now, let's talk about power losses....
In reply to Knurled:
Yep, just means you need 10x the battery.
My example was to illustrate near minimum battery capacity needed.
Robbie wrote: Say your motor pulls 500amps at full load (pretty standard for a car type 80ish volt system). Now, let's say you design for 6 autox runs at 45 sec each and 6 drag passes at 15 sec each. That's 6 minutes of 500 amps. Or 50 amp hours. A standard car battery can do about 50 amp hours, but it is only 12 volts. You need 7 for an 84 volt system. So, you will basically fully deplete 7 car batteries in 6 autox runs and 6 drag passes. With charging in-between runs you could get a little more in. At the end of the day though, 7 car batteries are not gonna be cheap or light. Unfortunately the lead has a strong recycle value so even junk batteries are not free. Sure, you can switch to a better battery, but the cost only goes up from lead-acid.
You pick it yards here sell batteries for $15-20. Buy enough to get 7 really good ones. Or ... one of our yards here have a couple of first gen Prius. Diy your own battery pack.
Btw first electric car to make the Challenge = Buku bonus points in contours. Our Q45 was 4.7 seconds and 8.5 points out of first for dynamic. We were 11 points out of first in contours. Easier to make it look better or cooler engineering than to make it faster.
Here is an interesting take on it from a guy with a bunch of experience with these cars. Iirc he's making 182(?) at the wheels na. That's pretty berking respectable from an n/a1.8l miata motor.
https://youtu.be/3zBlYIkVhSw
I've been in both his cars and they both have a unique charm. That said the ls swapped ones that I've been in and driven do more for me as an all around car. There are few wrong answers when it comes to the answer.
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