Look what Flyinmiata are upto....

[Munter]

Madness. Pure Madness. I like it.



http://www.flyinmiata.com/projects/current_project...

[MX-5 Lazza]

I love it - god bless America (and it's not often you'll hear me say that)

[hornetrider]

Aye. Loads of vids of LS1 equipped Miata's and 5's on youtube. Sound awesome, and somehow quite unnatural to hear that noise coming from a 5!

[MX-5 Lazza]

Looking at that engine bay, it looks like there is plenty of room for UK cars too (brake servo will be on the other side) and there is even space to retain the ABS and possibly even AC

[Munter]

I'm not sure we can take that as a finished view of the engine bay. Still would be good for a laugh. Might have to chop a hole in the bonnet for the supercharger though.....

[franv8]

They are very compact (and much pokey) engines - being a pushrod engine with the inlet manifold in the 'vee' makes for a small package. Interesting its got a cable operated throttle, IIRC they are all drive by wire as standard, and can retain this with a package from GM that includes a new bolt in accelerator pedal.

Surprisingly frugal too. My mother has a C5 Corvette, and despite 5.7L it returns high 20's - which is er, the same as my 1.6 Eunos...

[vrooom]

wont that make a nose heavy?

[minipower]

Very nice. My Dad's got a C5, maybe I could rip the engine out and put it in my Mazda, not sure he would be happy though.
On a more serious note though, I would rather have the engine in my mazda stay and supercharge or turbocharge it for more power. I would prefer to just buy a C5 than all the costs to put the LS1 in the MX5. The LS1 would be fun in the Mazda but for me it wouldn't suit it, same for the C5 really, if you put a 350bhp turbocharged four pot in to it, it just wouldn't be the same.
Great seeing these cars though, thumbs up to the guys.

[miniman]

Mummy.

[MX-5 Lazza]

minipower said:

Very nice. My Dad's got a C5, maybe I could rip the engine out and put it in my Mazda, not sure he would be happy though.

I REALLY hope you aren't talking about a Citroen C5

[sassthathoopie]

vrooom said:

wont that make a nose heavy?

Probably not as the stock engine is built out of boat anchors

[minipower]

MX-5 Lazza said:

minipower said:

Very nice. My Dad's got a C5, maybe I could rip the engine out and put it in my Mazda, not sure he would be happy though.

I REALLY hope you aren't talking about a Citroen C5

After experiencing the engine in a Citroen Picasso, I couldn't think of anything worse.

[franv8]

sassthathoopie said:

vrooom said:

wont that make a nose heavy?

Probably not as the stock engine is built out of boat anchors

It's probably a similar thing to the old Rover V8 conversions, when people dropped them into Capris they were a fraction (and I mean fraction - I think the Ford V6 I hoiked out of my old one was heavier and harder to handle than the original all iron 5.7 small block I had in my other car) of the weight of the V6's, and believed even to be lighter than the 4 cylinder engine.

The Mazda has an iron block, whereas the LS doesn't feature much on the top end (single cam in the block), a plastic intake manifold (so featherweight compared to the large Mazda item) and is all ally.

Total irrelevancy - but on the subject of the right and wrong engines for certain cars, Chevrolet were at one stage looking at V6 power for the Corvette (amny years ago) - in fact someone in the Yank car scene thought the turbo V6's (liek the Buick Grand Nationals) were the future. Too many people felt that the '8 was one of the things that made the Corvette a Corvette and the idea was shelved.