Birth of a Ferrari V-12

[masraum]

This is a very cool video of the manufacture of a V-12 from the casting on through...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYQNM-eVmTQ

I wonder if that would fit in my miata?? Hmmm.

I guess a better choice would be a 3.0 4cyl from a 968.

[legion]

I'd be willing to bet that a 968 engine would be too physically large for a Miata engine bay.

How about one of those 4 cyl. F1 engines from the 80's?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Very cool stuff. . . I can't wait for the day when I'll be able to afford me some good Italian Trash. . .

[masraum]

Originally posted by legion
I'd be willing to bet that a 968 engine would be too physically large for a Miata engine bay.

How about one of those 4 cyl. F1 engines from the 80's?

You sure?? A 5.0L mustang engine fits pretty easily.

I'm not actually planning or contemplating a swap. If was was going to make a change it would probably be to add a turbo.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

those sand castings are pretty impressive

[sand_man]

Fascinating!

[dd74]

Sweet video.

A friend who races spec Miatas says the 5.0, because of weight, will actually make the Miata slower.

[svandamme]

weird looking pistons...

[kaisen]

Dropping in a 5.0L Ford was common, and Ford's newer OHC 'modular' V8 is too wide to fit.

But the current trend is dropping in GM's LSx all-aluminum V8. Much lighter, more compact, more powerful.

In fact, quite a few who have done the swap say that the all-aluminum LS1 V8 is lighter than the cast-iron 1.8L 4 cylinder that the Miata came with. Finished LS1 Miatas run ~2200 lbs and retain a 50/50 balance.

320-505 horsepower in a 2200 pound package? Fun!

[nostatic]

yeah, but is the sub-frame strengthened to deal with the extra hp, torque and cornering forces? Seems to me that most engine swaps are not very thoughtful in that regard. I would think you'd also want a full cage tied into the suspension points to stiffen up the chassis.

[kaisen]

Most LSx swaps use a tubular 'K-member' (front subframe) specific to the conversion.

Anytime you add power, you need to beef things up. True in the 911 world, true everywhere.

[RickM]

Great video. Thanks for posting.

[dd74]

Todd -

more stuff here on the swap:

http://www.fergfab.com/gallery.php?gallery_link=23