I currenty need a vehicle to commute to work. I'd like to purchase a Miata with the hopes of converting it to a V8 in the future. I thought that I could kill two birds with one stone by upgrading certain parts of the car on the weekends with the ability to still use it as my commuter vehicle. The v8/tranny swap would of course be the final effort before the car became more of a toy instead of a daily driver. Any advice on what years I should be looking at? Since I need it initially as a reliable daily driver, I didn't want to make the mistake of buying a year that perhaps had more issues than another. I live on the left coast(California) will I be able to do the swap and pass smog? Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks, Todd

 

You should contact Martin at Monster Miata. He is located it California.

 

i am in the middle of a miata v8 swap,i am planning on having the car down,for about 6 to 7 months,i am doing the wiring and detail work,right now,time consuming,going to tear apart the interior next,have to take out the dash,there is a hole in it,and remove the carpeting,it smells.i would look for a early miata,craigslist is a good place to look,thats where i bought mine,for 900 dollars.

 

go to auto wreckers and look for a early 90s lincoln mark 7,it has the same engine as mustang gt,ho motor,federal law,as far as emissions go,engine has to be the same year or newer and have all the required stuff,to be legal.

 

I daily drive my V8 Miata until the snow starts falling. If built right it's no harder to daily drive than a 90's Mustang GT.

-Jason