drtyhatch
+1y
here is what i have gathered with my super senses LOL,
Engines that will fit into a mazda DRTYHATCH STYLE... I have done extensive research on this subject.
I will list them first and then i will elaborate
1-chevy smallblock v8 or v6
2-ford smallblock v8 or v6
3-late 80's 626 and protege
4-miata 16b or 18b
5-rx7 12b, 13b, 20b
6-nissan sr20det
7-2000 KIA SPORTAGE
8-anything you want with time and money
Elaboration
1-chevy smallblock v8 or v6
(time consuming and expensive)
several companies make the mount kits for these engines and seem fairly easy to do, room is definetly a factor and if doing fuel injection you are looking at a wiring nightmare, carb setup should be really simple as the carb should be set up a lot like the mazda.
2-Ford v8 or v6
(time consuming)
302 5.0L is you gonna be a good bet to go with, MOTHERGOOSECUSTOMS.COM makes the mount kits and the wiring kits for this model and you can have fuel injection. since the early 90's late 80's stangs had a stand alone engine wiring harness you do not have to swap the entire vehicles wiring around and you only have to wire up the ECU that runs the engine.
3-a lot of mazda's in the late 80's shared the same blocks but used different heads, some of the 626, 323, protege's and mx6's used a block with the code FE, if the block has this code, its almost safe to say that it will bolt up to your mazda tranny. It would be best to find the whole donor car to change everything to fuel injected. try to find one with a 16valve head, you will have to have extensive machine work done on the intake manifold and some sort of ignition system because both the intake and the distributer will be facing the firewall.
4-Miata
inexpensive but time consuming not much power gain
Miata;s are everywhere and can be had for next to nothing especially if they are wrecked. In the early 90's miatas came with a 1.6 L 170ish hp, but it has low torque, not that the factory mazda engine has any, this swap has been done several times and just really requires modification to the wiring harness because it will be too short to reach the firewall and you will have to have the complete wiring harness out of the miata. In the mid 90's miatas came with a 1.8L engine and it had just a few more ponies than the 1.6 however i have heard that this is a much better engine. still not that powerful though.
5-RX7 engines
very difficult and not that many people can work on rotary engines...
Your pockets better be deep to perform this one. heavy modification needed to make the engine sit in the bay at the right angle, almost every little thing will be custom made, and the wiring will be a disaster, the only thing that i think will make this swap easier is to have a complete donor car or a complete front clip with all wiring, I don't recommend this swap at all, although it would be cool as crap it will drowned you in the end.
6-Nissan sr20det
Yes thats right the dreaded sr20 that everybody is talking about... People underestimate this engine but it is highly powerful and responds great to modifications, Wiring is a nightmare but anyone that is big into the nissans can wire one up in any vehicle. straightforward design so set up in engine bay will be a breeze, however since this is a turbo engine you will definetly have to do some modification to get the intercooler set up with piping...this would be one hellacious swap and probably be very dependable and gas friendly. I was quoted to have this swap done in a mazda truck by a shop in Tampa FL. $4500 running. Not bad when you consider what you are getting out of the deal. If i ever get my dream RHD mazda this will be the swap i do. NOT cost effeciant, but hella power, wiring is definetly an issue.
7-2000 KIA sportage
LOL i have to say i laughed at this the first time i ever saw it but you will be quite pleasently suprised to find out that this will bolt into your mazda, yes you heard me correct, a bolt in motor swap for mazda. In the late 90's KIA bought the FE engine block design from MAZDA, read correct FE same exact block as your 8 valve 2.0 2.2 engine. this engine will bolt into your factory motor mounts and bolt up to your transmission, I have heard issues with the oil pan but simply swap that sucker out with your old one, also i have heard rumors that there might be a clutch binding problem but that is all hearsay, i have not done this swap but it would have to be the easiest out of all of them, the engine is slow but it is fuel injected and 16 valves so mods will be a bit more appreciative on this engine. wiring might be an issue but if you can get a hold of the entire vehicle you would be set fo lyfe.
In closing to my vast kNOwledge i have shown here, J/K LOL these are all things i have researched and i have a lot more info on them but it could take pages to post it all, Any swap is possible with money and time... I would recommend you do your own research on what kind of power you are wanting to make and what kind of style your looking for, these are just a few of the options out there, be creative and i'm sure you will come up with some crazy swap ideas. I personally am a Mazda/HONDA guy so i would really like to see an S2000 swap done on a mazda, i might just do that...
BLARE, MARC are you game to help with this swap???