• Hi Guest!
    If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

miata engine swap

Share this page

K

kmcormick9

Senior Member
Offline
hey guys, i am seriously considering swapping a miata engine into my midget. does anybody know of anyone that has done this or know of any problems with it?
 
The Miata engine is quite physically large and quite expensive. As a side note Kia makes a version of the Miata engine but with 2.0L in their small SUV - a 2wd / 5spd one would be cheaper and more powerful than a Miata engine.
 
Baxter,that site and Miata conversion is pretty interesting. Looks like that guy does good work. However, if I were to do an engine conversion, I think I would do the Rover V-8.
 
I'm doing a Rover V8 conversion right now & chuck & I are starting a Chevrolet V6 conversion also...were I to do another, I'd use the Ford overhead cam 4-cylinder - the fancy, powerful one out of the US Ford sedan that's the same as a Sierra
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>I'd use the Ford overhead cam 4-cylinder - the fancy, powerful one out of the US Ford sedan that's the same as a Sierra[/QB]<hr></blockquote>

Zetec?
 
Yeah! That's it: ZETEC...turn it north/south & hook it up to a plain old Ford 5-speed & you've got power to spare!
 
Apparently in the UK, the neat swap is the K-Series engine:

brigdensprite3.jpg


More K Midget info:

https://www.robsfrogs.org.uk/Glens%20'K'%20series%20Midget.htm

I saw a Bugeye with a Miata engine. It fits easy enough and seems like a good swap, but the purists will scream.
The new Zetec engine is a nice swap (assuming the cost of a rwd trans doesn’t kill you).
A really nice swap is the old 1600 push-rod Kent motors used in Pintos and Cortinas, but they’re getting a bit hard to find.

[ 10-20-2003: Message edited by: aeronca65t ]</p>
 
&, its not hard to get a K-series engine/tranny over here!
 
As I understand it the Zetec uses the Kent/(really, really common Ford) bellhousing interface so it should be very easy to come up with a driveline for one.
hammer.gif



PC.
 
PC..that's correct...heck, you could use an old Pinto 4-speed if you wanted!
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by PC:
As I understand it the Zetec uses the Kent/(really, really common Ford) bellhousing interface so it should be very easy to come up with a driveline for one.
hammer.gif



PC.<hr></blockquote>

actually all recent RWD Ford 4 Cyl uses the same belling housing so a T5 from a 4cyl Mustang would work. But there are details to hook it up Check out this https://www.mcsorley.net/locost/powertrain/default.htm for details.
 
There ya go: 170hp from a stock 4-cylinder! &, it'll fit under the hood!
 
Or install the Moss supercharger kit. When (if)you sell the car, remove it, reinstall the old bits, and install the supercharger on your next 'B.
 
See, andy, I don't see $2700 for a supercharger to get out of it what you do as a good investment....I think there are other ways to get more for the same amount or less....my local salvage yard offered me a VETEC for $800, for example
 
Tony, did you mean Zetec or Vtec? Everyone's swappin' zetecs every which way these days. Vtec's useless to everyone but Honda guys, as it turns the wrong way. Except for the s2000. It's OK.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Baxter:
Tony, did you mean Zetec or Vtec? Everyone's swappin' zetecs every which way these days. Vtec's useless to everyone but Honda guys, as it turns the wrong way. Except for the s2000. It's OK.<hr></blockquote>
I never knew that!!! I guess the direction of rotation could be change pretty easy though, right?? They do it in boats with twin V8's all the time!!
 
Ford Zetec
 
Tony: I like the Ztec just fine. I had a 2000 Focus ZX3 for a spell. A great car! But I prefer to stay close to stock with my present 69B. I havent decided to invest in the supercharger yet either, but what I wrote is true, I think. Unlike most coversions you can easily reverse the supercharger kit( assuming you havent blown the engine), and probably sell it and recoup a decent proportion of what you paid. My priorities right now demand that a repaint must come first. I am pretty happy with my car in stock trim.
cheers.gif
 
Back
Top