The car featured in this article is a 1995 Mazda Miata conversion. The Mazda Miata is not generally looked at as a muscle car but our conversion here sure fits the bill. The Mazda Miata came to the market in 1990 and was a big hit. Some initial buyers who lined up to buy the first of these snazzy little cars actually paid above sticker price. The two seat, lightweight Miata Roadster filled the bill as an affordable sports car.
The first 1990 Miata had a stock 1600cc 4 cylinder engine with a five speed manual or a four speed automatic transmission.
The second generation of the Mazda Miata came out for the 1999 model year. The third generation was seen for 2005 and the fourth comes out for the 2016 model year.
There are not a great many of these Miata V-8 conversions but the ones we have seen look pretty impressive. There are likely a few hundred of these on the road today. What makes our featured 1995 Miata conversion truly unique is it's use of a Ford CCRM (Constant Control Relay Module) computer to operate the fuel pump, fans and A/C. This conversion uses the Ford power steering pump.
The Mazda Miata itself and it's structure works well for a V-8 transplant. The Ford 5.0 V-8 engine in this vehicle meets emission requirements for most states. The Miata Conversion Kits
Miata conversion kits are on the market and most will say that the proper amount of dollars to put aside to perform the conversion well is likely $10,000 and more realistically $12,000.
While the time involved to perform the conversion might be thought of to be just a few months, six months or so may be more realistic depending on how much time you have to devote to the project. With that being said, If you're extremely proficient with Miatas (like you could drop the motor, transmission, differential, front subframe, and pull the interior/dash / HVAC in a long Saturday) then a month to complete the project is possible.
Monster Miata
Our featured Mazda Miata V-8 was built from the kit offered by Monster Miata. As mentioned above, the structure of the Miata is suited very well for a V-8 transplant. According to Monster Miata...We have converted 100+ Monster Miatas in the past 20 years. It is a passion of ours. Having spoken to many gearheads, the consensus is there needs to be a straight-forward way for the average person with a toolbox to do their own V8 conversion . We're proud to say we have achieved this and produced the "easy to understand" V8 conversion kit.
1995 Mazda Miata Specifications / 5.0 V-8
As mentioned above, the 1995 Mazda Miata featured in this article has a 5.0 Liter Ford V-8 engine. This engine came from a 1995 Ford Mustang rated at 215 HP as it came from the factory.
Custom features include ceramic coasted shorty headers, 3-way cats, wide band bungs, 12 inch resonators and a Hard Dog padded roll bar.
Transmission is a Ford Racing 5 speed.
This car has a custom driveshaft, lightweight wheels from 949 Racing
Suspension has custom higher rate springs and eight-way adjustable shocks.
First generation Miata dimensions included a wheelbase of 89.2 inches, an overall length 155.5 inches, a height of 48.4 inches, a width of 65.9 inches and a curb weight of 2.070 lbs.
You may also be interested in the Muscle Car Journal articles on the links below...
The 1949 Anglia Custom Racer
The 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302
A 1953 Studebaker Street Rod
Miata V-8 conversions on the market as of this writing can be found in a wide price range due mostly to the fact that the conversions themselves differ significantly. We are seeing asking prices of anything from about $17,000 to $30,000.
Those interested in more information regarding Mazda Miata V-8 Conversions might want to take a look at www.v8miata.net. This forum discusses the Miata conversion process and can offer problem solving information. Another site that answers questions and offers Miata conversion kits is..http://www.bossfrog.biz/Miata_V8_Swap.html
A good book regarding Mazda Miata performance includes...Mazda Miata MX-5 Performance Projects by author Keith Tanner.
(Article and photos copyright 2016 Muscle Car Journal)
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| 1995 Mazda Miata V-8 Conversion |
The second generation of the Mazda Miata came out for the 1999 model year. The third generation was seen for 2005 and the fourth comes out for the 2016 model year.
There are not a great many of these Miata V-8 conversions but the ones we have seen look pretty impressive. There are likely a few hundred of these on the road today. What makes our featured 1995 Miata conversion truly unique is it's use of a Ford CCRM (Constant Control Relay Module) computer to operate the fuel pump, fans and A/C. This conversion uses the Ford power steering pump.
The Mazda Miata itself and it's structure works well for a V-8 transplant. The Ford 5.0 V-8 engine in this vehicle meets emission requirements for most states. The Miata Conversion Kits
Miata conversion kits are on the market and most will say that the proper amount of dollars to put aside to perform the conversion well is likely $10,000 and more realistically $12,000.
 |
| Ford 5.0 V-8 |
Monster Miata
Our featured Mazda Miata V-8 was built from the kit offered by Monster Miata. As mentioned above, the structure of the Miata is suited very well for a V-8 transplant. According to Monster Miata...We have converted 100+ Monster Miatas in the past 20 years. It is a passion of ours. Having spoken to many gearheads, the consensus is there needs to be a straight-forward way for the average person with a toolbox to do their own V8 conversion . We're proud to say we have achieved this and produced the "easy to understand" V8 conversion kit.
1995 Mazda Miata Specifications / 5.0 V-8
As mentioned above, the 1995 Mazda Miata featured in this article has a 5.0 Liter Ford V-8 engine. This engine came from a 1995 Ford Mustang rated at 215 HP as it came from the factory.
Transmission is a Ford Racing 5 speed.
This car has a custom driveshaft, lightweight wheels from 949 Racing
Suspension has custom higher rate springs and eight-way adjustable shocks.
First generation Miata dimensions included a wheelbase of 89.2 inches, an overall length 155.5 inches, a height of 48.4 inches, a width of 65.9 inches and a curb weight of 2.070 lbs.
You may also be interested in the Muscle Car Journal articles on the links below...
The 1949 Anglia Custom Racer
The 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302
A 1953 Studebaker Street Rod
Those interested in more information regarding Mazda Miata V-8 Conversions might want to take a look at www.v8miata.net. This forum discusses the Miata conversion process and can offer problem solving information. Another site that answers questions and offers Miata conversion kits is..http://www.bossfrog.biz/Miata_V8_Swap.html
A good book regarding Mazda Miata performance includes...Mazda Miata MX-5 Performance Projects by author Keith Tanner.
(Article and photos copyright 2016 Muscle Car Journal)
