1992 Miata, LS1, then LS3 swapped

mazpower · 06-02-2011, 12:05 PM

Epic progress this weekend!

Old engine comes out...

Look at that dirty transmission LOL...162k miles will do that I guess.

Empty engine bay

Dashboard and HVAC yanked, carpet pulled back...

Firewall ready for cutting. See those braces at the top of the tunnel, on both sides? Remember those for later...

And the cutting begins! Plasma cutters are fun. Much better than cutoff wheels and the like. Well until you shoot sparks through the steering shaft hole and set insulation on fire on the floorboard of the car.

I wet everything down real good, got a wet towel to cover up the seat and insulation, and continued flame-free for the rest of the day.

First section removed!

Cutting finished on driver's side, still need to bust out the grinder.

Time to cut up the passenger side!

Done!

*Almost* ready for a V8!

Time to cut the tunnel where it meets the firewall, so it can be expanded. This is where I had to stop yesterday. The braces I told you to remember above stopped me from continuing. My good friend Robert - a body tech - is bringing me a spot weld drill bit so we can pop the braces off and continue the cut...then after the tunnel is widened and rewelded, I can spot weld the braces back on.

Passenger side

Driver's side

Driver's side from the engine bay...you can see that the cut isn't quite high enough...it needs to go to the top of the tunnel but the brace is blocking that.

More to come tomorrow!

06-02-2011, 12:05 PM	#5
mazpower Rawr Bearclaw Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: The Souf Posts: 197 Rep Power: 18	Epic progress this weekend! Old engine comes out... Look at that dirty transmission LOL...162k miles will do that I guess. Empty engine bay Dashboard and HVAC yanked, carpet pulled back... Firewall ready for cutting. See those braces at the top of the tunnel, on both sides? Remember those for later... And the cutting begins! Plasma cutters are fun. Much better than cutoff wheels and the like. Well until you shoot sparks through the steering shaft hole and set insulation on fire on the floorboard of the car. I wet everything down real good, got a wet towel to cover up the seat and insulation, and continued flame-free for the rest of the day. First section removed! Cutting finished on driver's side, still need to bust out the grinder. Time to cut up the passenger side! Done! Almost ready for a V8! Time to cut the tunnel where it meets the firewall, so it can be expanded. This is where I had to stop yesterday. The braces I told you to remember above stopped me from continuing. My good friend Robert - a body tech - is bringing me a spot weld drill bit so we can pop the braces off and continue the cut...then after the tunnel is widened and rewelded, I can spot weld the braces back on. Passenger side Driver's side Driver's side from the engine bay...you can see that the cut isn't quite high enough...it needs to go to the top of the tunnel but the brace is blocking that. More to come tomorrow! __________________ Illicit Performance Rotary building, porting, tuning, chassis dyno services www.illicitperformance.com