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#1
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Engine swap
Hey all, just got to thinking 'bout puting some decent power in a
Miata. Like a 7+ litre, oops sorry 427 cid side oiler, in the little beastie, but I need to know the rough dimensions of the engine bay (mainly the depth from hood-line down to the bottom of the control arms) and the width of the rear axle inside of rotor to rotor. Any help is welcome. If I go thru with this I WILL post weekly updates on progress. TIA |
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#2
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In article >,
K-tron > wrote: > Hey all, just got to thinking 'bout puting some decent power in a > Miata. Like a 7+ litre, oops sorry 427 cid side oile Not while retaining the front suspension--there's not nearly enough width between the spring towers. The largest that will fit without extensive butchery is a Ford 302, a fairly common conversion. There are even kits to smooth over the bumpy parts of the swap. IIRC, there's a mailing list or forum where 5-liter Miata owners hang out. -- Lanny Chambers, St. Louis, USA '94C the alignment page: http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html |
#3
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On Mon, 13 Sep 2004 03:22:12 GMT, Lanny Chambers
> wrote: >In article >, > K-tron > wrote: > >> Hey all, just got to thinking 'bout puting some decent power in a >> Miata. Like a 7+ litre, oops sorry 427 cid side oile > >Not while retaining the front suspension--there's not nearly enough >width between the spring towers. The largest that will fit without >extensive butchery is a Ford 302, a fairly common conversion. There are >even kits to smooth over the bumpy parts of the swap. IIRC, there's a >mailing list or forum where 5-liter Miata owners hang out. Mmm, the 427 isn't THAT much wider than the 302. 'Sides butchering the insides of shock towers to gain another inch or so isn't a problem (have welder, will cook. You may be thinking of the 429/460 which is MUCH wider than the 302. The beauty of the 427 is several-fold: 1) It doesn't take much effort to get an extremly reliable 425 Hp@ 6000 and 480ft/lb@3700. 2) You can spin the big motor to 10 grand on a regular basis and not have it self destruct (The chev 427 tends to go south VERY quickly when pushed past 7000). 3) Nostalgia/novelty value, When was the last time you saw a 427 in a car? 4) Remember the Shelby Cobra? ... Nuff said. A Miata doing 'bout 150+Mph in 3rd with a gear to go and 60Mph in a tad less than 4 seconds. Sound enticing? Just some VERY random musings ...... |
#4
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>3) Nostalgia/novelty value, When was the last time you saw a 427 in a
>car? > >4) Remember the Shelby Cobra? ... Nuff said. > Problem is the Miata's track and wheelbase are shorter than the Cobra's. -- There are plenty of other options to persue to get nearly the same power, without chopping the car and damaging its integrity. (Much less the suspension/weight-distribution nightmares...) - L '97 STO, "Chouki" // Change TEJAS to TX to reply via eMail // |
#5
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L Bader wrote:
>>3) Nostalgia/novelty value, When was the last time you saw a 427 in a >>car? >> >>4) Remember the Shelby Cobra? ... Nuff said. >> > > > Problem is the Miata's track and wheelbase are shorter than the > Cobra's. -- There are plenty of other options to persue to get nearly > the same power, without chopping the car and damaging its integrity. > (Much less the suspension/weight-distribution nightmares...) > > - L This has been done during the 60's (with some input from Shelby)- a little beastie called the Sunbeam Tiger, combining a Sunbeam Alpine with a Ford 302 (eventually killed when Chrysler became the parent of Sunbeam/Rootes Group). Lots of comments about rear wheelspin, and nasty handling characteristics in the damp. What I've read about the Monster Miatas is better, but I still think you'd be better off keeping the Miata and buying a used 302 Mustang for straight-line thrills. Joe Silver '99 (Stock) |
#6
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Check out: http://www.v8miata.com/Default.asp
They will put a Ford V8 into your Miata or supply a DIY kit. Randy "K-tron" > wrote in message ... > Hey all, just got to thinking 'bout puting some decent power in a > Miata. Like a 7+ litre, oops sorry 427 cid side oiler, in the little > beastie, but I need to know the rough dimensions of the engine bay > (mainly the depth from hood-line down to the bottom of the control > arms) and the width of the rear axle inside of rotor to rotor. > > Any help is welcome. > > If I go thru with this I WILL post weekly updates on progress. > > TIA > > > |
#7
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On Tue, 14 Sep 2004 07:01:24 -0700, "Randy Maheux"
> wrote: >Check out: http://www.v8miata.com/Default.asp > >They will put a Ford V8 into your Miata or supply a DIY kit. > >Randy > > >"K-tron" > wrote in message .. . >> Hey all, just got to thinking 'bout puting some decent power in a >> Miata. Like a 7+ litre, oops sorry 427 cid side oiler, in the little >> beastie, but I need to know the rough dimensions of the engine bay >> (mainly the depth from hood-line down to the bottom of the control >> arms) and the width of the rear axle inside of rotor to rotor. >> >> Any help is welcome. >> >> If I go thru with this I WILL post weekly updates on progress. >> >> TIA >> >> >> > Ok, I visited the above site. YAWN !! all small block conversions, but I left an email question anyway. My thoughts are a pre-smog (65-68) ,8V 427 that is TOTALLY stock. Stock as in y'all could buy one in a crate from your local Ford parts counter. BTW the HP/Torque specs I mentioned are the ' published ' figures. The 425 HP is more like 475-500 and the 480 FT/LBS are closer to 520 . Twitchy handling in the wet is not a problem, same with excess wheel-spin. Butchering the inside of the car not a concern,keeping the exterior basically the same is. Think anyone would notice the streetable 40 series rubber or wheel tubs in the back ? Weight distribution not much prob, fuel cell underneath and in trunk plus a 9 inch rear end isn't exactly light either. I figure about 60/40 balance at worst. |
#8
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In article >,
K-tron > wrote: > Ok, I visited the above site. YAWN !! all small block conversions, but > I left an email question anyway. My thoughts are a pre-smog (65-68) > ,8V 427 that is TOTALLY stock. Stock as in y'all could buy one in a > crate from your local Ford parts counter. I understand and respect that you're more interested in the uniqueness of a 427 than in actually going as fast as possible in a straight line (forget about handling). I'd guess you'll be breaking new ground, building what's essentially a Miata funny car. Aside from the 302 Ford, all the other V8 conversions I know of are Rover (think 215 Olds aluminum) from the UK, and an outfit in Oz that uses a 4-liter Lexus engine. I doubt either of those will keep up with an FM turbo on a stock Miata engine. Given the traction limitations, I wonder if a 427 would be any faster than, say, a good 351 with a Lysholm blower. Still, I realize that isn't the point. It ain't Fred Lorenzen's 427. -- Lanny Chambers, St. Louis, USA '94C the alignment page: http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html |
#9
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Lanny Chambers > wrote:
>In article >, > K-tron > wrote: > >> Ok, I visited the above site. YAWN !! all small block conversions, but >> I left an email question anyway. My thoughts are a pre-smog (65-68) >> ,8V 427 that is TOTALLY stock. Stock as in y'all could buy one in a >> crate from your local Ford parts counter. > >I understand and respect that you're more interested in the uniqueness >of a 427 than in actually going as fast as possible in a straight line >(forget about handling). I'd guess you'll be breaking new ground, >building what's essentially a Miata funny car. > >Aside from the 302 Ford, all the other V8 conversions I know of are >Rover (think 215 Olds aluminum) from the UK, and an outfit in Oz that >uses a 4-liter Lexus engine. I doubt either of those will keep up with >an FM turbo on a stock Miata engine. Given the traction limitations, I >wonder if a 427 would be any faster than, say, a good 351 with a Lysholm >blower. Suppose you cover both the tires and the road with contact glue and let it dry. Then take off. That would be very fast. Leon > Still, I realize that isn't the point. It ain't Fred Lorenzen's >427. -- Leon van Dommelen Bozo, the White 96 Sebring Miata ,) http://www.dommelen.net/miata EXIT THE INTERSTATES (Jamie Jensen) |
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