2016 Miata, exploded view

SoCal RV Flyer

SoCal RV Flyer

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Man, it takes a ton of disassembly to get the diff out...it's totally caged in by the subframe. I swapped out the open diff for a limited slip unit last week. Luckily, no suspension realignment necessary as the adjustment happens where the links meet the subframe, and I didn't need to loosen those bolts.

Powerplant frame (truss above exhaust system) is an interestingly shaped piece. Connects the diff to the transmission.

No more one-wheel peel! :)

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Man that looks like a lot of work. But also worth it on that car, if you have the time and ability.

I wish I fit in them better. We’d have kept dad’s. I just don’t fit in Miatas well.

The 100 lb dog and his 45 lb buddy even less so.

Super fun to drive though.
 
Ted said:
Nice work! I hate open differentials.
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The Mustang GT I used to have had a Torsen, it was great. If the rear end lit up (and it did fairly often :biggrin:), both tires would spin at the same time and rate. Made it really fun and controllable.

Sometimes I think I need another powerful stick shift V8 sports car...
 
Another Miata may be in our future. I had no idea they didn’t have a limited-slip differential, though with our “geriatric” driving mode it probably won’t matter much.

My 1994 had a different solution, a rear end from a Ford Thunderbird. Though that wasn’t the only mod! Fun car.

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FastEddieB said:
Another Miata may be in our future. I had no idea they didn’t have a limited-slip differential, though with our “geriatric” driving mode it probably won’t matter much.

My 1994 had a different solution, a rear end from a Ford Thunderbird. Though that wasn’t the only mod! Fun car.

33990582606_e06a3ea534.jpg
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I've had the thought of a V8 Miata as well. Of course I decided on the Cobra. Miatas really are fun cars, I'm kinda surprised I've not owned one yet.
 
FastEddieB said:
Another Miata may be in our future. I had no idea they didn’t have a limited-slip differential, though with our “geriatric” driving mode it probably won’t matter much.

My 1994 had a different solution, a rear end from a Ford Thunderbird. Though that wasn’t the only mod! Fun car.

33990582606_e06a3ea534.jpg
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Is that a Mustang 4.6 I see, or is that the older 5.0? Did the extra weight on the front end make it handle badly?
 
Bill Jennings said:
Is that a Mustang 4.6 I see, or is that the older 5.0? Did the extra weight on the front end make it handle badly?
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Looks to me like the standard fox body 302 upper intake to me.
 
Bill Jennings said:
Is that a Mustang 4.6 I see, or is that the older 5.0? Did the extra weight on the front end make it handle badly?
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5.0 from a wrecked Mustang GT. Conversion by Monster Motorsports in Escondido, CA. Bought used post-conversion.

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Handled fine in most situations. Did try to autocross it once, and then the understeer was obvious, causing the front end to “push”. Got smoked by near-stockers.
 
Boy, that's one clean collection of parts though. I guess it never rains in southern California.
 
If I had to put that much work into a Miata I think I'd get a new Miata. They're not exactly scarce on the ground. And yes an explosion might very well be involved.
 
denverpilot said:
Man that looks like a lot of work. But also worth it on that car, if you have the time and ability.

I wish I fit in them better. We’d have kept dad’s. I just don’t fit in Miatas well.

The 100 lb dog and his 45 lb buddy even less so.

Super fun to drive though.
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Yeah, they're a blast! On on my third one (NA, NC and this one, an ND). I just barely fit...my right knee is about an inch from the shroud beneath the steering column, and I have about 3/4" of head room when the top is up. But being snug in there connects you with the car. I think the dealer would charge about $900 for labor on this job, and that buys a lot of 100LL!

Chip Sylverne said:
Boy, that's one clean collection of parts though. I guess it never rains in southern California.
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Yes, minimal rain and the car has only about 11K miles, so it's a pleasure to work on. I did wipe down the subframe before taking the pic, as it was a little dusty. I really do enjoy seeing all the components out of the car...gives a new appreciation of the engineering that went into them.

Now I have to get a few break-in miles on the diff, then it's off to Chuckwalla (near Desert Center, about an hour east of Palm Springs on I-10) for an open track day. I've never run there, but have heard good things about it. I've got a second set of wheels/tires for that...Bridgestone Potenza RE-71Rs, amazing grip.
 
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I've been trying to find the some video from the Seinfeld show where a gang of guys in Miatas give Seinfeld a hard time. No luck, but perfect for this thread.
 
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Tarheelpilot said:
Then buy a flyin Miata with the 525 crate motor from Chevrolet. They don’t have the handling issues like the for conversion because it’s an aluminum LS series.
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I already have an LS powered car. Next will probably be a C7 or C8
 
I did a 914 conversion with an LS. Wicked fast! It didn't affect the handling that much as it's aluminum as stated, and the additional weight is centralized with mid-engine configuration. Probably the biggest adverse effect was a higher cg (vee configuration vs flat). It was as much a sleeper as it could be...muffled way down for the element of surprise!

I sold it to pay for a crate Lycoming for the RV-9A, but no regrets.
 
Seriously, SoCal, I want to be your neighbor and hang out with you! Wow. Terrific stuff!
Or at the least, I want to be there when you sell your cast-offs! You've done/built/owned some very cool machinery.

Oh, I presume you no longer ran 165/80R15 tires on the LS-powered 914?
 
That's really not a big enough hammer for under-car work...

Having owned 5 MX-5's (NA, NB, NC, ND, now back to NC), the LSD is a requirement. Had one without it and didn't like.

I did supercharge the NA, but the others I have left stock. They come with the perfect amount of power.
 
G-Man said:
Seriously, SoCal, I want to be your neighbor and hang out with you! Wow. Terrific stuff!
Or at the least, I want to be there when you sell your cast-offs! You've done/built/owned some very cool machinery.

Oh, I presume you no longer ran 165/80R15 tires on the LS-powered 914?
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Thanks, G-Man! I'm always looking ahead to the next project.

I had a 205/225 setup, Toyo Proxes RA1 tires on 15x7 ATS wheels. A 225 is just about the max you can squeeze beneath the rear fenders, and even those required some fender lip rolling/massaging with a baseball bat. Renegade Hybrids out of Las Vegas sells the conversion kit, which is quite complete. I'll have to dig out a couple of 914 shots that show the build.
 
Here's a few of the 914. People are amazed at how well the LS1 fits...there is a ton of room under there to accommodate the boxer four. LS intake manifold is designed so it can be flipped 180 degrees, so throttle body/air filter protrude into rear trunk that also functions as a huge airbox. It's a nice cool place to mount the ECU as well.

I changed out the suspension with a 5-lug conversion, early 911 struts/hubs/calipers, and sandblasted, rebushed and repainted everything. 914 guys call those odd rear trailing arms "dinosaur bones," for good reason! Point of trivia...914 was first production Porsche to use coil springs (rear only), as transverse torsion bars didn't package well with mid-engine configuration.

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Yeah, I hear you. I have a 2 door soon to be 4 speed, soon to be 392 Scout, so I get the specific "need". :) It's an exciting time for 4wd cars though. The new Bronco looks awesome and that is pushing Jeep to do a lot more too.
 
MIFlyer said:
Yeah, I hear you. I have a 2 door soon to be 4 speed, soon to be 392 Scout, so I get the specific "need". :) It's an exciting time for 4wd cars though. The new Bronco looks awesome and that is pushing Jeep to do a lot more too.
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I'd love to see pics when it's done, Scouts were always a great vehicle.
 
GRG55 said:
Definition of a Miata...an MGB without the oil puddle in the driveway.
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And that right there is probably why I’ve never owned one. I generally own vehicles with oil leaks.
 
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