2001 Mazda MX5 LS2

Author
Discussion

beautifulbusso

Original Poster:

710 posts

168 months

Good morning everyone, long time no see!

Please see my LS2 powered NB MX5, collect the wee small thing on Monday so I'll be able to tell you all what it's like.

It's a 2001 NB MX5 with a LS2 mated to a T56 gearbox, rear diff is a Lincoln Mk VIII with Ford Racing 3.73 gearing.

All excess has been stripped from the car, so no TC, no ESP, no ABS, no heater, no AC and not even a radio.

Goes like stink, traction is at a premium with the rear spinning up in pretty much any gear @ any speed.




LuckyThirteen

526 posts

22 months

Now that's proper!

paradigital

890 posts

155 months

That’s superb.

samoht

5,876 posts

149 months

Looks great, I like the wheels, it can be tricky to package the necessary braking and tyre width without looking stupid on a small car but that looks spot on too.

Power? Weight? Balance? You say it has a Ford diff, is the rest of it still standard MX-5 suspension?

I was interested in the Flying Miata conversion a couple of years ago but they'd stopped doing it, but that seems to involve more of a Camaro underneath, for better and for worse. I was watching a YT vid on one last night, apparently another company has picked it up so more V8 MX-5s will be coming smile

trails

3,954 posts

152 months

Really cool little thing...looking forward to hearing more about it smile

RustyMX5

7,933 posts

220 months

Tasty smile

beautifulbusso

Original Poster:

710 posts

168 months

samoht said:
Looks great, I like the wheels, it can be tricky to package the necessary braking and tyre width without looking stupid on a small car but that looks spot on too.

Power? Weight? Balance? You say it has a Ford diff, is the rest of it still standard MX-5 suspension?

I was interested in the Flying Miata conversion a couple of years ago but they'd stopped doing it, but that seems to involve more of a Camaro underneath, for better and for worse. I was watching a YT vid on one last night, apparently another company has picked it up so more V8 MX-5s will be coming smile
So as for the rest of the car it has front and rear subframes from V8Roadsters that swaps out the old for all new setup.. suspension arms are all new items including all the bushes etc.

There is very little left of the original MX5, apart from the untouched brakes!

I completely agree though that the wheel/tire combo suits it absolutely perfectly, the Hankooks will be removed for a set of A058s.

georgeyboy12345

3,595 posts

38 months

Awesome! cool

Bright Halo

3,074 posts

238 months

Wow!
What a great car.
Please tell us more about it.

beautifulbusso

Original Poster:

710 posts

168 months

Cheers to all, really is an awesome little thing.

The guy who built it started in 2016 and sorta finished it in 2001, then just been adding upgrades and sorting out the cooling issues etc.

He purchased a crashed 2006 GTO where the engine was damaged, so that went off to be rebuilt with a Texas Speed cam 244/246 .600 profile.. on the dyno she made 401whp and 400ft torque BUT it was spinning the wheels the entire time, so I suspect it's more than that.

As for the Wright I'd be looking at around 100ibs more than a standard one because the engine adds approximately 160ibs to the weight BUT the original owner also removed anything 'excess' so saved weight.. I'll be removing the seats for CF items probably to remove more weight.

Front and rear subframes are custom built to hold the LS motor, gearbox with custom mounts.. same for the rear subframes where it's custom built to hold the Ford rear diff, he also fitted an aluminum drive shaft and all new suspension arms, with polo bushing everything that can be done.

Now she does sit on a set of budget coilovers which will be replaced for Ohlins but it's the brakes which need a complete overhaul.

She sounds like a Cobra with the longtube headers, with the side pipes and the funky cam.

Edited by beautifulbusso on Sunday 30th June 19:18

CKY

1,548 posts

18 months

beautifulbusso said:
So as for the rest of the car it has front and rear subframes from V8Roadsters that swaps out the old for all new setup.. suspension arms are all new items including all the bushes etc.

There is very little left of the original MX5, apart from the untouched brakes!

I completely agree though that the wheel/tire combo suits it absolutely perfectly, the Hankooks will be removed for a set of A058s.
Awesome machine OP thanks for sharing, and also good to know about V8Roadsters carrying the baton for V8 MX5 swaps. Always wanted a go in one but they're not commonplace in the UK - looking forward to seeing and hearing more about your example!

beautifulbusso

Original Poster:

710 posts

168 months

CKY said:
Awesome machine OP thanks for sharing, and also good to know about V8Roadsters carrying the baton for V8 MX5 swaps. Always wanted a go in one but they're not commonplace in the UK - looking forward to seeing and hearing more about your example!
Should head on over to the website, they literally sell everything needed to build a whole new build if in budget and here's a video of the car from a few years ago.. not much has changed except small details.

https://youtu.be/0zskmYTdYdo?si=_qGx7On06cvDOmui