1980 B1600 engine swaps?

Hi guys.

I'm not sure if you got these in the US but I live in New Zealand and I have a 1980 Mazda B1600. What motors will swap in fariluy easily? I have access to a 1600 MX5 (Miata) motor or a 626 FE3 motor. Jst after a cheap quick option to get me cruising again.

105849

Cheers.

you may be able to swap in a bell housing from the later ute to get an fe3 in. either that or the b6 are both good, the fe3 is cheaper and stronger and torquier and has more power.

either of them will need engine management.

if you have the whole mx5 you can use the oem ecu etc with little fuss. i dont know what the engine mounts etc are like on those early b1600s. the late ones were f6 powered and straight swappable to the fe3.

click the www link below this if you wanna have a nosey at my fe3 swap in my courier.

hope that helps

fred.

having seen that pic you sent me, the engine mounts will be totally different either way. that you will have to fab up with instruction from your local certifier.

the box... hmmm, it *looks* from that angle to be an early rib case! if so, hang onto it, they are strong. does it have a square sump cover plate under it? is the bell seperate from the front half of the box? can you stick a camera under and snap a pic or 5 from below at the moment?

the rib case ones are square across the bottom and round on top, like a D on its back. the other ones are just oval cross section, and the bell is one piece with the front part of the case. that link i gave you should give you enough pics to compare with. if you want me to comment, snap some more pics of your own and post them up.

i love that you did all the hard work yourself! panel and paint is a pain in the arse, good on you for pulling the hard yards! now the fun stuff comes make it go fast.

fred.

also, it looks like you have a 10 bolt diff?

is it lsd? if so, you should make it tighter, and if not, you should get one. its the single most important upgrade to any rwd vehicle!

there are lsd heads available for the 8 bolt head too if its one of those. either is strong enough for NA engines. the 8 bolt will hold a mild turbo conversion too, but the 10 bolt will hold a serious one, or a lesser one with more abuse

fred.

Ok so I went out and bought an miata motor today. Should be picking it up this weekend all goin well. Still very keen to hear from anyone who has done this swap or knows of anyone who has done it. And any other info you guys have is much appreciated.

read that, chat with him

i hope you got the ecu, loom, and coils/ignitors gearbox, etc too? or are you just going to wing it?

fred.