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Lord have Mercy, the car photography business is good!
Glad to see you still enjoying yourself, Jordan...
not everyone does.
Great pictures and fantastic update!
Super classy color scheme. Loved the 787B wrap too! Nice to change things up though!
FJ is looking bad ass too. Wheeling is one of my new favorite activities
Same here. The FJ has opened up a whole new world of friends and places to go. We have Dalton Hwy trip in the works for 2020. =)
Originally Posted by rockstar143
Lord have Mercy, the car photography business is good!
Glad to see you still enjoying yourself, Jordan...
not everyone does.
Great pictures and fantastic update!
Thanks man! Still not my main gig yet, but I keep pushing for that to happen.
Originally Posted by KaMLuNg
more on this LS6!!!
Originally Posted by civicdrivr
Holy fucking shit.
More info. Who's doing the swap?
We went back and forth about 100 times on what engine to go with, how "built" to make the engine etc etc etc. My goal in the beginning was to have anything over the factory HP #'s which obviously would have been real easy. This LS kinda landed in my lap a month or so ago and only has about 2k miles since its rebuild. Since it already had some pretty substantial go fast parts on it, it was dumb for me not to get it.
American Body Works in Lewisville, TX is doing the whole build. Its actually somewhat easier than you'd think to stick that engine in the car because there is a company called V8Roadsters that specializes in subframes, chassis mounts, etc for LS swaps in all year Miatas. Really, the only major stuff we have to worry about is retaining the stock gauges and making sure everything like AC still works. I think the common misconception on these swaps is you have to tear the car apart to get it in there..not the case! Unfortunately, V8Roadsters knows they have a monopoly.
Here is the engine in its current "home" before the car was finished. It was stripped and rebuilt for this car by a mechanic at 21st Century Muscle Cars in Addison, TX originally a couple of years ago. That mechanic is now at ABW where my car is.
Are you intending on still doing autocross days after the swap? Won't that engine completely destroy the weight balance, braking and handling? It's gotta weigh way more than the factory 4 banger
Are you intending on still doing autocross days after the swap? Won't that engine completely destroy the weight balance, braking and handling? It's gotta weigh way more than the factory 4 banger
I can’t imafine it being a deal breaker ... battery relocation and maybe a few other items to somewhat even it out.
Then again, there’s enough power to turn understeer into oversteer in pretty much a split second
Are you intending on still doing autocross days after the swap? Won't that engine completely destroy the weight balance, braking and handling? It's gotta weigh way more than the factory 4 banger
I'll let him chime in but for anyone curious, the swap adds 150-200 lbs total, which isn't bad considering everything else in the powertrain is accordingly beefier.
Pushrod engines are generally lighter than comparable DOHC engines, swap probably brings weight distribution from 51/49 to 53/47 at the worst.
Well worth it I'd say. And yes I pulled those distribution numbers out of my ass
Adding 200 pounds to the front axle will shift the distribution more than 2%. The car weighs like 2500 pounds. I know when I had a ~100 pounds in my NC Miata in the trunk, the car felt completely different. I can't imagine doubling it.
I'm sure the car will still be totally drivable, but it may hurt his overall lap times. Earlier braking, slower cornering speeds... I'm just curious is all.
Adding 200 pounds to the front axle will shift the distribution more than 2%. The car weighs like 2500 pounds. I know when I had a ~100 pounds in my NC Miata in the trunk, the car felt completely different. I can't imagine doubling it.
I'm sure the car will still be totally drivable, but it may hurt his overall lap times. Earlier braking, slower cornering speeds... I'm just curious is all.
You got me really curious, so I decided to look it up for kicks
Still, it's not just a straight-line punching bag. The big Tremec is the heaviest part of the driveline swap, and since it sits in the center of the car, the Miata's famed balance remains unsullied. Mazda graced the roadster with a 52:48 split. The V8 car makes do with 52.7:47.3.
Yep! Its getting a rebuild at the same time with a new boosted LT4.
Originally Posted by TacoBello
Are you intending on still doing autocross days after the swap? Won't that engine completely destroy the weight balance, braking and handling? It's gotta weigh way more than the factory 4 banger
I'll probably try everything at least once. The swap , for the most part, evenly distributes the extra weight. Since I wanted the car to still look somewhat unassuming, and not run flares etc, getting it to hook up is going to be a problem. I can fit a 18x9.5 and up to 285s on all 4 corners as it sits, but I dont want to run that big of a set up for the reasons you mentioned.
Originally Posted by Costco
You got me really curious, so I decided to look it up for kicks
the modern LS's being aluminum help save weight... it's the reason we have become LS swap da world and ~100 lbs lighter than their iron predecessors...
I'll let him chime in but for anyone curious, the swap adds 150-200 lbs total, which isn't bad considering everything else in the powertrain is accordingly beefier.
Most of that weight is in the transmission too - which is well behind the front axle in a Miata. Most people underestimate how light aluminum block LSs really are.
Maybe a set of 949Racing Beryllium 6ULs for wheels?
Edit: Maybe not, they only go up to 17"
17 would be ideal, and those actually clear the Wilwoods. I just cant fall in love with them for some reason. Color is right though..
Here are some ideas floating in my head. Color is irrelevant as I'll likely have them powdercoated a very dark metallic charcoal, near black.
18x9.5 RPF1s <-- Top pick. I just love the way they look and this car was my original inspiration. Cheap, light, etc etc etc. Super common, but for good reason.
Advan RSII should be on your list after your last 2 selections...
my personal favorite wheel although these days I'm rockin just good lookin oem wheels.
I almost bought the TC105N too for the S2000...sexy shit.
Personally I dig the RS better...but you already know that about me...
I don't like the carved grooves on the spokes. But they are getting to be harder and harder to come by.
I wonder if my last set would have worked for you...
The FJ looks great and the Miata is giong to be killer when complete. My vote for wheels are the ZE40. That matte anodized blue would look amazing on the paint color you went with.
I sold them wayyy too cheap with a pristine custom powder color
17x9+45 is THE size for the NC. Perfect fitment.
Originally Posted by CCColtsicehockey
Damn one heck of an update.
The FJ looks great and the Miata is giong to be killer when complete. My vote for wheels are the ZE40. That matte anodized blue would look amazing on the paint color you went with.
Holy shit J-money... what's going on!?!?!? And totally weird you posted this b/c I was just talking about you at the end of last week with a buddy. I'm looking into a Miata track car and immediately thought of your Gulf livery. I was like, I need to find that thread for the pics. Too weird.
Anyway, glad to hear from you and happy all is well!! Vehicles and pics are sick as always
11-13-2018, 11:33 PM
to be fair, I did say 2% shift at worst
