That’s the question we had as soon as we got our LFX-powered Miata running, and even though we knew the answer courtesy of the internet, we still had a tiny nugget of hope in the back of our minds: Maybe, just maybe, we’d get lucky and the V6 would magically fit under the stock Miata hood.
Yeah, uh, no. This engine just barely fits under the hood on a later NB Miata, but there was no chance of that happening on our tinier NA.
So we went to work. Never one to shy away from hacking up perfectly good parts, Very Cool Parts owner Wayne Presley created a cardboard template, then marked, drilled, and cut a spare hood to fit.
Tah-dah! We’d made room for our LFX, and made our Miata significantly uglier in the process.
So ugly, in fact, that we had second thoughts. Did we really want this–a jagged hole showing an ugly plastic intake manifold–to be front and center on a project that has taken years of work? Yeah, no.
Fortunately, there’s an off-the-shelf solution, and it’s not even that expensive: Treasure Coast Miata sells fiberglass hoods with a bulge in exactly the right spot to clear our LFX, as well as other popular swaps like V8s and K24s. At 9 pounds these are lighter than the factory hood, too, but still bolt to the stock hinges.
The price for all this magic? $530, though oversized shipping adds another $300 to $400 on top of that.
Since we’re located just a few hours away from where these hoods are made, we picked ours up in person to save the shipping cost.
Once we were back from our road trip, it was time for installation–which took about five minutes.
Seriously. Treasure Coast’s hood bolted right up, and even fit far better than we expected aftermarket fiberglass parts to fit. This hood doesn’t have provisions for the OEM latch, so we got rid of that and installed hood pins in place of the factory rubber hood stops near the radiator.
Pins installed, we stepped back and admired our handiwork: Our LFX-swapped Miata was looking much, much better.
Comments
Great job guys! I have been very interested in the LFX powerplant for a variety of projects I am working on. I know it is probably in the article features of the build, but what did you do for a transmission? Original Miata or another donor? Thanks and keep up the great work! Your features on chassis building, designing, and printing parts are out of this world :)
Last, I am sure I am going to frustrate some people, but, yes Tom Suddard, I am more than willing to step up as did the loyal GRM advertisers like Tire Rack and others; so yo can raise my subscription $10 to $20 annually as I get 10 times that back in enjoyment and content.
Keep up the GREAT works!
In reply to V8 Road Racing West :
Thank you for the kind words. And we'll get some transmission answers for you right away.
Typically the transmission used is the one already attached to the LFX in its original application. Stronger than the Miata unit and no adapters required.
That hood is a good option, nice work Treasure Coast.
I dunno about this, I feel like you missed out on an opportunity to make a shaker hood here 
Just read the entire thread from start to finish and looking forward to more. The MV5 transmission sounds like a nice unit, similar to the AR5.
Glad you found the transmission answer, and glad you like the project! We're excited to get it on track.
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