Sultan
Sultan HalfDork
4/1/13 5:22 p.m.

Can it be done? Has it ever been done? Is it even possible? Does anybody sell a kit? What if I want to use a Ford Powerstroke diesel V8? If not can someone put all of the time and money into making a kit so I can go online and complain about the price and how it is a rip-off? Did you think this was a real question? Happy 4/1:-)

ebonyandivory
ebonyandivory Reader
4/1/13 5:42 p.m.

In reply to Sultan: Love it!

dean1484
dean1484 GRM+ Memberand UberDork
4/1/13 5:47 p.m.

Talk to FM I think they can answer all your questions.

JeffHarbert
JeffHarbert GRM+ Memberand Reader
4/1/13 6:05 p.m.

I've never heard of such an awesome thing. Maybe the GRM crew has seen one somewhere.

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
4/1/13 6:25 p.m.

If someone had done it, I probably would have heard about it.

grafmiata
grafmiata Dork
4/1/13 6:30 p.m.

A V8 in a Miata??? That makes about as much sense as putting alcohol in cotton-candy...

Uh, wait... That actually seems like a pretty good idea!!!

SVreX
SVreX MegaDork
4/1/13 6:31 p.m.

Ever seen a Powerstroke outside of a vehicle??

Sultan
Sultan HalfDork
4/1/13 6:34 p.m.

Uh the Powerstroke thing is part of the joke.....happy 4/1

Swank Force One
Swank Force One MegaDork
4/1/13 7:09 p.m.

E36 M3 i thought i had logged into ClubRoadster for a minute.

The OP would not be a joke on that site.

SVreX
SVreX MegaDork
4/1/13 7:17 p.m.
Sultan wrote: Uh the Powerstroke thing is part of the joke.....happy 4/1

I bought it. Touche!

chandlerGTi
chandlerGTi Dork
4/1/13 7:57 p.m.

The R&T article was pretty good Keith.

bmw88rider
bmw88rider GRM+ Memberand Reader
4/1/13 10:03 p.m.

I think I hear one of those unicorns every now and then and I drool every time I do. It's torture.

Dan Pedroza lives a few streets over and I see his car all the time and everytime I just think man....I need to start saving more.

wspohn
wspohn Reader
4/2/13 5:33 p.m.

There were quite a few conversion businesses in the old days sticking things like Ford V8s into Miatas (because they fit best), but the performance was never really commensurate with the cost because the rubber you could run without radical body mods didn't let you hook the power to the road. The acceleration times weren't a lot better for the Miata V8 than for the Mustang the engine came from, but the Miata certainl;y made a lot more smoke getting there.

SVreX
SVreX MegaDork
4/2/13 6:10 p.m.

There's a lot of clueless people in this thread.

The thread started as an April Fool's joke. You're not gonna fit a Powerstroke diesel in a Miata. I was clueless person #1.

Somehow it morphed into a general discussion of V-8 Miatas. Perhaps some of you have not met Keith Tanner. He is a tech at FlyinMiata. They build V-8 Miatas (among other things). Keith has written 4 separate books on performance Miatas. Keith has forgotten more about Miatas than most of us COMBINED will ever know. Additional clueless folks... meet Keith. Keith... meet additional clueless folks.

Here's a little of his work:

Anyone that doubts what can be done with a V-8 Miata, feel free to check them out at FM:

FlyinMiata REAL V-8 Miatas

I'm putting in the plug for Keith (and his work, AND V-8 Miatas), because THAT is what this site is about!

April Fools Day is over. Time for all us fools to get out of the way and get serious about sport cars again!!

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
4/2/13 6:22 p.m.

Thanks SVrX I thought it was pretty funny, but some didn't get the joke.

wspohn wrote: There were quite a few conversion businesses in the old days sticking things like Ford V8s into Miatas (because they fit best), but the performance was never really commensurate with the cost because the rubber you could run without radical body mods didn't let you hook the power to the road. The acceleration times weren't a lot better for the Miata V8 than for the Mustang the engine came from, but the Miata certainl;y made a lot more smoke getting there.

Road & Track numbers for an FM-built V8 Miata: 0-60 in 3.8 seconds on a dusty desert road. According to Motor Trend, the 2012 Corvette convertible does the sprint in 4.1.

Need more nuanced performance? On the Targa Newfoundland stages, my V8 Miata was faster than a C6 Corvette (I don't think it was a Z06, not sure) being driven by Jud Buchanen, who has multiple podiums and 10 years of experience in the event. At our local autocrosses, the V8 Miatas usually beat the Corvettes by 3-5 seconds - on a course set up by the Corvette club.

Cost? We can build you a V8 Miata using a brand new LS3 engine and other drivetrain components for less than the price of a new Corvette convertible. And GM will warranty that engine.

They work pretty well.

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