mx-5 donor 1.8 or 1.6??

I wouldn't read too much into the bhp figures the Japanese quote, they have been fibbing for years on bike horsepower so wouldn't expect the car folk to be any different.

[CTWV50]

Originally Posted by fabbyglass

I wouldn't read too much into the bhp figures the Japanese quote, they have been fibbing for years on bike horsepower so wouldn't expect the car folk to be any different.

Yes I've read that they marketed it as lower power for budget drivers/buyers to get cheaper insurance in the uk. They've simply altered the cam timing to move the torque lower down the rev range and added sequential injection to reduce emissions and improve performance. Not sure why they dropped the CR to 9:1 but this is only a bonus to me as I intend to turbo eventually. Engines are rumoured to not have oil squirters but the 95' on 1.6 auto's bottom end does apparently and is a straight swap. If I melt a piston I'll replace the bottom end. These engines certainly have a nice sound to them, bonus!

[Airhead]

My wifes 1990 V-Spec has 230k (km) on the clock and is still sweet as a nut. IMHO they are lovely bomb proof little motors.

[CTWV50]

Yes my friend who works at a mazda dealer has said they are solid engines, he's never had to strip an early mx5 engine yet!

[CTWV50]

OK I have my donor! It's a 1995 1.6 but it has the earlier B6 engine so afaik it's the earlier 115bhp version. Managed to pop the main fuse due to a dodgy headlight motor connection. So it begins!

[skov]

Originally Posted by CTWV50

OK I have my donor! It's a 1995 1.6 but it has the earlier B6 engine so afaik it's the earlier 115bhp version. Managed to pop the main fuse due to a dodgy headlight motor connection. So it begins!

Nice one!
Welcome to the MX5 donor club

[HandyAndy]

sounds great, well done finding a good donor,

Enjoy the strip down, watch those knuckles

all the best for your build, look forward to seeing some build progress pics

cheers
andy

[CTWV50]

Thanks people, I'll be relying on you guys alot for info advice and ideas. Looking forward to having a go at those drawing from SaturnSportsCars.com.

First question....

Do you purge the tubes to get a good weld or is that not necessary? I've got argon/co2 mix bottles.

I'll get a build thread going soonish.

[CTWV50]

Bit more info on the weight of a 1.6 to a 1.8.

the 1800 engine produces more power than the 1600 (130hp as opposed to 116hp) but it also comes with a weight penalty, resulting in a kerb weight of 585kg compared to 545kg for the 1600 car. Also the 1.8 has a lower max rpm and doesn't like high revs that much.

Taken from here...

http://westfield.devocht.com/