V8 Miata - what do you think of this car?

[trekkor]

Originally Posted by emcon5

You talking about Dean? I saw that beast Saturday, it is pretty impressive.

Yes. Nice car and a great driver!


KT

[emcon5]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I would build and drive a V-8 914 in a heartbeat. We used to have one up here that was a regular at our DE's. Damn fast little car; well sorted with great brakes and good handling. The difference, though, is all that weight was added to the middle of the car.

FYI, an Aluminum LS1 V8 doesn't weight much more than an iron block Miata I4.

Talking to Dean last weekend, his car is about 300lbs heavier than a Spec Miata, but some of that is transmission, rear axle, and a beefier cage.

He also turned a ~1:55 at Thunderhill, for comparison the Spec Miata pole is generally around 2:05.

I can't wait until he gets the suspension sorted.

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by emcon5

FYI, an Aluminum LS1 V8 doesn't weight much more than an iron block Miata I4.

Talking to Dean last weekend, his car is about 300lbs heavier than a Spec Miata, but some of that is transmission, rear axle, and a beefier cage.

He also turned a ~1:55 at Thunderhill, for comparison the Spec Miata pole is generally around 2:05.

I can't wait until he gets the suspension sorted.

Good ones have been known to take FTDs at autocrosses. I would have a good one, but then I have a supercharged NA to boot around.

Fun cars. Monsters usually go for more than that one. Sounds like it has a few issues. Like 911s, it may be that all monster Miatas are 20,000.00 cars.

[Reg]

Thank you all for the feedback on this one. I figure I could get the car possibly for $10k plus my car (which owes me zippo) so the dollars may look more attractive then. That said, I am a little worried because it is not a monster miata kit - just a transplant.

sorry about the pasted caps:

TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION BETTER ABOUT THE FRONT SUSPENSION. THEY ARE MUCH BIGGER COILS AND STRUTS. THEY ARE AN UPGRADE FOR A MAZDA PICKUP. NOT JUST A FLIMSY MIATA UPGRADE. YOU REALLY MUST SEE THIS CAR IN PERSON TO TAKE IT ALL IN. LOTS OF DIFFERENT PARTS FROM VARIOUS VEHICLES. THE FRONT BRAKE SETUP CAME OFF OF A 1988 CORVETTE. THIS IS WHY THE WHEELS ARE SO BIG. ALTHOUGH YOU CAN DOWNSIZE THEM A BIT IF DESIRED.

All the necessary welding of plates/ frame ties is complete. the front suspension is great. its dampening adjustable to whatever stiffness you prefer. car handles great, it hugs the road and is very responsive. surprisingly the tires do not rub. i do Not do any crazy turns or race this car. it is my DD and i keep it at that.


I'd put a Prototipo wheel on it straight away. The owner seems like a straight shooter - all around nice guy. I'm thinking about it further over the weekend. Still have to get the wife to agree too. The Mustang may be a better idea as the kids and Mrs. can fit in too.

Thanks again!

[88-diamondblue]

I would be afraid of it after looking at the ad. A good quality conversion kit that is engineered for the car would make me feel better about it. It's built on a 20 year old car so it seems very expensive and would probably be a big problem to figure out if something goes wrong.

How much Mustang convertible could you buy for 15k and have a much better car. My brother has a Mustang GT and has been a fun fast car. Plus the after market for Mustang performance parts is huge.

The Mustangs at the track are fast with some modifications. I rode in one and was impressed. This car just looks to be a money pit. Of course all of the above is JMHO

[dd74]

Originally Posted by kaisen

+1 for the LS all-aluminum fuel-injected GM small block.

Why you'd want a carburated iron-block V8 in that car is a mystery.
The LS motors add about 50 pounds to the nose of the Miata, compared to stock NA, and not too different than the factory turbo Mazdaspeed
You also wouldn't need the fugly hood. The LS tucks under the factory hood just fine, with room for a brace.
Visit LS1Tech.com and look at their 'swaps' subforum. Lots of Miatas there getting 500hp

Nice! Any links to whomever does this?

[dd74]

....then again, I'm old school in the end.

If you want a Miata, get the Miata R.

If you want a V8, get the 2011 Mustang or a Corvette. Or any other V8 variant out there.

[kaisen]

from Dean Thomas on Vimeo.

[Reg]

Wow. The car seems to easily overtake everyone! Thanks for the video.

[kaisen]

Here's Dean's (dtfastbear's) build thread on LS1Tech.com (I've been there 10 years):

Just another Miata swap - building a race car with a V8Roadsters kit - LS1TECH

Here is the company that supplied his kit / crossmembers:

V8 Roadsters LSx Conversion Company

[m21sniper]

My cousin has a supercharged 94 miata pushing 8 psi. of boost. It's a really fun little car, but nothing like the V-8 beast in that video above.

[dd74]

Factor in the plausibility that a reasonable Miata can be bought for a little over a thousand bucks, this whole conversion might very well be a bang-for-the-buck steal.

[Superman]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I would build and drive a V-8 914 in a heartbeat. We used to have one up here that was a regular at our DE's. Damn fast little car; well sorted with great brakes and good handling. The difference, though, is all that weight was added to the middle of the car.

When I saw Jeff's first post in this thread, I thought I would not have to add my observations. Then when I saw this one, I decided to weigh in. While I would expect that a V8 914 would outperform a V8 Miata, and while a V8 914 would be ferocious on the straights, we have not seen a V8 914 outperform a regular 914 at Autocross. Sure, they have way more power, but the weight is too high.

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by Superman

When I saw Jeff's first post in this thread, I thought I would not have to add my observations. Then when I saw this one, I decided to weigh in. While I would expect that a V8 914 would outperform a V8 Miata, and while a V8 914 would be ferocious on the straights, we have not seen a V8 914 outperform a regular 914 at Autocross. Sure, they have way more power, but the weight is too high.

You haven't seen the right 914/8s then. An iron lump? Sure. Aluminum? Weight really isn't the issue, they're pretty close.

Tight autocrosses don't really favor more power. Racetrack? Different story.

[Steve Carlton]

A V8 914 sounds pretty wicked. What would a decent one go for that's rust-free (enough)?

[McLovin]

The biggest issue with V8 914s is the transmission. Most people cheap out and just use the stock 914 5 speed. That makes for a crap drive. The gearing is simply all wrong. A transmission designed for 80 lbs of torque is all wrong for a car putting out 300 lbs of torque. It's silly. And, you can't drive it very aggressively for very long before it blows. (No fun worrying about blowing the trans every time you floor it).

The problem is there is no really cheap solution. To get a reinforced 911/930 trans (either a regeared and reinforced 915 or a 930 box) plumbed into the car and shifting is a fairly expensive proposition. All 911/930 transmissions are designed for a rear engined car, with the tail of the trans facing the front of the car. In the mid engined 914, the trans is reversed and the tail now faces the rear. You gotta use a kit or otherwise figure out how to rework the shift linkage. Tp get it all going is generally $6-10K expensive.

[McLovin]

Oh, and the chassis should be stiffened, too, suspension done and bigger brakes.

Most 914 V8 conversions are done on the cheap, someone just buys an adaptor kit, drops out the stock VW engine, drops in the V8, hacks in the radiator and hits the road. That, in my experience, is not a fun car to drive.

[Steve Carlton]

So is there a market value for a 914/8 with a properly shifting tough trannie that's sorted?

[McLovin]

IMO it's a completely unpredictable market. Right now, the market in general for almost all fun cars is in the toilet. This is esp. true for any kind of modified car. (Some cars, like 356, early 911, collectible pre-73 Ferraris, etc. are actually doing quite well).

The thing with a 914-8 is they are all be definition very personalized cars. Paint, bumper treatment, flare style, interior style, are all different. If you have a car mechanically done right, and find a buyer that likes the "style" of the car, it would probably fetch some decent money.

The other thing is with 914-8s the quality and level of the conversion varies hugely. No 2 cars are alike or even really directly comparable. For instance, almost all are flared. This ranges from fiberglass Chalon style flares, to homemade flares, genuine steel GT flares, glass GT, etc. Proper chassis reinforcement, no chassis reinforcement, etc. All aluminum injected engine, iron block/alum heads engine, carb, how the radiator is designed and installed, etc.

One done "all out" would be a very cool car. This would be a properly reinforced chassis (factory GT style weld in kit) and half roll hoop welded in, factory GT flares, 911 suspension, 930 turbo brakes, factory style GT fiberglass bumpers, 930 4 speed (or even the '89 930 5 speed), all aluminum injected SBC, stock looking GT style interior, and a first class, clean install. To me, that car would be worth up to $30K. It would probably cost $60K or more to have professionally built.

But, in general, I'd say the majority of 914-8s out there sell for $6-$12K and are very poor to mediocre cars that most buyers end up not being happy with long term

[kaisen]

Well said, and spot on McLovin