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Miata swap poll!


Toph6888

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TL;DR: I have two miatas. Do I swap the good parts from the "crappy body" NB that isn't so crappy to the really clean NA miata, or do I keep the "crappy body" NB miata and then sell the clean NA once I fix the motor?

 

So over the past couple weeks I have been looking for a second car to just have in case the mustang or mini breaks, as well as have something of a different flavor. I originally was looking at tow rigs/trucks, but then the mustang has been doing so well I'm not really worried about driving it back and forth to track days, plus a one way uhaul/trailer if needed would only end up being around $400-500 (granted, its a lot, but not quite enough to really offset the cost of a truck).

 

Anyways, looked at lots of things and ended up buying my friends 91 BRG (british racing green, apparently a rare color) NA miata (pop up headlights!)

19510671_10103001494947252_8305731148403520083_n.jpg?oh=068f80438d9bb51efef38655064b5015&oe=59C935DA

 

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Specs/extras:

ZERO Body Rust (garaged pretty much its entire life)

1.6L engine (needs crank and cam seals, leaks oil like a MF)

upgraded clutch

4.3:1 Torsen differential

plug and play megasquirt

nice catback exhaust (car is currently naturally aspirated)

Matching color hardtop

Tan Interior

Begi Tubular turbo manifold with GT2554R garrett turbo / turbo back exhaust

Log style turbo manifold / TD04 Turbo

Intercooler piping/small intercooler

ABS

Cruise Control

AC

Factory CD player

OK top with plastic window, but plastic window has one or two small cracks.

 

Needs Tires and brakes.

 

Anyways, parts are cheap, and I thought it would be a fun car to daily and maybe occasionally autox at circleville since the mustang is just a bit too big for that track.

 

Then a week later, my other buddy at work decided to sell his track rat 99 NB miata. He had lots of other toys, and just wanted to sell, so I got this car for DIRT CHEAP considering all the parts that are on it. Its a rebuilt salvage title, and it has had some slight frame restraightening in the past. Its plastidipped because he also tapped some tire walls during a drift event, pulled the dent out, bondo'd, then plastidipped so it at least looks one color.

 

19424360_10103001495171802_3897045663270922929_n.jpg?oh=00243bcf650ced4aa938673c5f393017&oe=59D3EF8D

(note the hardtop on the NA miata in this photo)

 

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Features:

1999 1.8L Engine

Flyin Miata Turbo kit with GT2560R garrett turbo with voodoo piggyback

Flyin Miata Clutch

4.3:1 Torsen Differential

Enkei 15x6.5 Wheels with 205/45R15 Kumho Ecstas (kinda old/worn, not bad)

Flyin Miata VMAX coilover suspension

Flyin Miata VMAX swaybars

Mishimoto Radiator with dual slim fan

Harddog rollbar with harness bar

Momo Steering wheel/hub adapter

14x6" oem rims with 185/50R14 Dunlop Direzzas (more life left in these)

Flyin miata coolant reroute kit (in the box still)

Clean black softtop with glass window

New HPS brake pads/rotors

blown heater core so currently no heat in the passenger compartment

 

So I was under the assumption that this car's body was pretty trashed, and the initial plan was to swap all the gray NB miata parts over to the green NA miata. However, under further inspection of the gray NB miata, its actually really clean.

 

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So WWCRD? The car needs to be a semi daily driver and able to drive in the winter (woot!). The NA would be a really clean car, but it would take time to swap in. I have a week off from work next week, so I think I can get a lot of things done. The 1.8 engine is pretty easy to run with the 1.6 PNP Megasquirt, just swap one or two sensors and run it with the 1.6 harness.

 

The main goal of the car is fun daily/occasional circleville autox (anything else I take the mustang, so this car wouldn't ever see a track) and something that I can drive in the winter if I need to. Probably keep it at least 2 years, but its so cheap to maintain/use, it would probably not be sold until we were desperate for the money.

 

Option 1: Swap NB drivetrain into the NA:

Pros:

Clean NA with matching hardtop

Can sell extra 1.6 parts / NB body and odds and ends for what I paid for one of the cars

three sets of rims / coilovers for summer and stock suspension for winter

I fit a touch better in the NA than I do the NB

aftermarket ecu

 

Cons:

nice car that needs to be driven during the winter (i could drive the mini if it gets really bad out and I don't want to take the miata)

Time cost

Time it takes to sell parts

Hitting cones with the NA would kinda suck since the paint is in good shape

 

Option 2: Keep NB and fix the NA to sell:

Pros:

NA only needs a timing belt/seal job, and it runs fine. A couple friends were already potentially interested in the car.

Not driving a clean NA in the winter

Hit a cone or something, no big deal.

I would keep the hardtop for the NB probably unless I got a lot of cash for it

NB already runs

Could put the NA completely back to stock (stock ecu/injectors, etc) and sell some extra parts

It would probably be a bit cheaper in the end to keep the NB as is and sell the NA, but not by a lot (less than $1000 difference)

 

Cons:

don't fit in the NB quite as well

NB interior is a bit more dodgy, but its fine for what it is.

Can't really see the gauges in the NB, but it has an OBD 2 so I can just use my phone with a wifi adapter

NB is 100lbs heavier

Would either have to keep the piggyback or get a PNP megasquirt for the NB

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You're not going to put the 1.6 in the NB I assume, and nobody would want it if you did, so if you do the swap you're going from two sellable cars down to 1 sellable car and a plastidipped roller. I'd take option 1 off the table because to me it doesn't make financial sense.

 

If you don't want to drive the NA in the winter, I'd introduce option 3, sell both and buy something else. But really, the NA isn't something you need to wax with a diaper, it's rare-ish but not anything you have to go nuts over. I'd just fix it up, sell the NB and rock it as a daily. Keep the BRG hard top with it, hard tops are as good as $1000 in cash but even better when the colors actually match.

 

eta: If you were going to track it I'd say keep the NB, other than the paint it actually looks pretty nice and it'd be a lot less work.

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Sounds like you need to find a second 1.8. So if you take the one out of the B, you could just put another one in it. Still sell it as running / trackable?

 

I thought about this option, but it would require more than just the engine (clutch, wanting to keep the torsen/diff/brakes/wheels/tires) and replacing all that stuff to make a stock NB with a salvage title just isn't worth it. The body is worth more in body panels/parts/scrap than it is as a driver with a salvage title.

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I usually prefer the NB body style, but in this case there's no doubt I'd put all the nice stuff in the NA and part out/scrap the NB. The fact that you stressed dirt cheap, I'm assuming you would pretty well recoup your total investment in the two cars and end up with a nice, fun car.
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Well if you were me you'd be over the Miata thing very quickly and just get a Corvette.

 

I've had both cars, an NA and an NB. Personally they are too much the same damn car. They drive pretty much the same, and while they are fun now when the novelty wears off it'll just be a small car you are likely to get annoyed with just driving around.

 

But hey maybe you like little cars, I got sick of it because other then twisty roads and autocross they are just a small car. So I guess you have to decide if you want a nice one with some goodies on it, or some old track rat with some shit on it. I vote for fix the NA and sell it. Should get decent money, BRG adds value, keeping the matching hardtop adds a lot of value. So let some Miata fag oogle the damn thing, play with the track rat for awhile, and then sell that too and get back to the Mustang.

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I was expecting an LSX swap

 

Give me some time to blow up the 1.8 motor, its not like an LS swap hasn't been thought about :lolguy:

 

Well if you were me you'd be over the Miata thing very quickly and just get a Corvette.

 

I've had both cars, an NA and an NB. Personally they are too much the same damn car. They drive pretty much the same, and while they are fun now when the novelty wears off it'll just be a small car you are likely to get annoyed with just driving around.

 

But hey maybe you like little cars, I got sick of it because other then twisty roads and autocross they are just a small car. So I guess you have to decide if you want a nice one with some goodies on it, or some old track rat with some shit on it. I vote for fix the NA and sell it. Should get decent money, BRG adds value, keeping the matching hardtop adds a lot of value. So let some Miata fag oogle the damn thing, play with the track rat for awhile, and then sell that too and get back to the Mustang.

 

I was aware ahead of time the miata life would more or less be a fling. I race a lot at circleville, and while the mustang is fun, after driving it at gingerman/mid ohio and up at different autox like Akron SCC at Dragway 42 where I can actually use the car, the mustang just isn't much fun on a small track like circleville. Hence, miata. Probably run it for a couple years, then like you said get bored/annoyed with it and sell it.

 

I think I will pretty much put the BRG back to stock, sell it, and then sell the aftermarket parts off of it. My brother in law is really interested in it and gave me a great offer, so unless someone could actually match/beat that, I think the decision is pretty much made for me. That will put me into the gray NB miata for about $1600 total after everything is said and done.

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I'll buy the NB for cheap. Pm price

 

I'd buy the nb or do some parts trading with cash if you wanted to part it out closer to stock

 

Sorry guys, I'm keeping the NB to tool around in. Drop top is pretty nice for the daily drive home.

 

I'd but the MS PnP Ecu off you (and maybe other parts) if it worked for a 1.6 car.

 

I'll let you know once I have things apart. The megasquirt is a PNP for the 90-93 miatas with the 1.6. The extra turbo parts and whatnot are also for the 1.6L.

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