"DailyTurismo" (thedailyturismo)
11/10/2015 at 13:52 • Filed to: Blog, Miata, Daily Turismo, Diesel, Rolling Coal
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"DailyTurismo" (thedailyturismo)
11/10/2015 at 13:52 • Filed to: Blog, Miata, Daily Turismo, Diesel, Rolling Coal | 0
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The Mazda MX-5 (aka Miata) is the answer to all things automotive — what is the best car for a
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, what is the
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, and what is the
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...but I can’t understand what this 25 hp diesiata is best at...can you?
When K2 tipped me on this, I thought about just posting a link to the ad and just typing
NO
in the largest font available on the Blogger platform. I guess it is your car and you can do what you want with it, but why would anyone do this to a Miata? Talk about not getting the whole point of the car. Find this
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for sale in Warminster, PA for $3,250 via craigslist.
To me, this swap is wrong on so many levels, I don’t know where to start. If Bob Hall and Tom Matano were dead, they’d be rolling in their graves (luckily they are both still alive and kicking!). The original motor in the NA Miata was a 1.6 liter twin cam with an iron block and aluminum head, producing around 116 bhp and 100 torques and loved to rev to its 6,500 rpm redline.
The ad says it’s been replaced with a 1.0 liter Isuzu diesel making 25hp, but getting over 55 mpg. Seems like it should make more than 25, but there’s too much meh here for me to bother to look it up. But with a diesel, it is all about the low revs and low down torque (and black lung), or so some say. Which is pretty much at odds with the Miata and sports car philosophy in general, right? I don’t think Bob Hall’s blackboard sketch of a lightweight roadster envisioned a boat anchor with a 2,500 rpm redline under the hood.
The interior appears to be untouched, although it’s hard to assess the condition of the driver’s seat bolster - a common wear point. I’m curious how the stock gearing of the Miata 5 speed works with the totally wrong power plant. Shouldn’t it be a 16 speed with a Jake Brake?
No mention of the top condition or rust - a problem with Miatas that live where salt is used in winter. However again, none of that matters, does it? It would probably be doing the earth a favor if it broke in half because of rusty rockers. The bigger question though is what would be the line of thinking that would go into doing a swap like this? Monster Miata I get, this I don’t. Sorry to go off the rails on this if you are the builder, but I can’t see why anyone would do this, let alone thinking someone else might buy this (unless they were really rich and wanted to tick off their friends in the local Miata club). Could you run it in LeMons if you caged it?
See something requiring even larger quantities of mind altering substances to seem like a good idea? Email us here:
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Originally posted by Gianni on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! as !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
Gianni is Daily Turismo’s Pacific Northwest correspondent. He thinks diesels are for 18 wheelers and farm implements. He tries not to rant, but sometimes he can’t help himself. Tip from K2 Mystery Car.
Übel
> DailyTurismo
11/10/2015 at 13:56 |
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It’s a pretty poorly conceived swap. That’s a lot of time and effort to waste on a 25hp motor when they would’ve been much better off choosing any number of diesel engines that would be nearly-as if not more powerful than the original Miata engine for roughly the same amount of effort.
Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> DailyTurismo
11/10/2015 at 13:56 |
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I kinda love it.
Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
> DailyTurismo
11/10/2015 at 14:03 |
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One does not simply swap a diesel into a Miata...
But if One does, One should use common sense and use a built-up VW TDI. 200hp/300torques.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> DailyTurismo
11/10/2015 at 14:16 |
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What I’ve managed to turn up so far is that it isn’t an AA or AB series 2/3 banger Isuzu tractor diesel, and instead appears to be a C180.If that’s the case, it’s actually a 1.8L and turns out a minimum of 38hp, probably 50.
That still means the Miata is as gutless as my 45hp VW Rabbit pickup, but not completely undrivable.
tromoly
> DailyTurismo
11/10/2015 at 14:36 |
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what is the best car for a 2-spd powerglide
Monster trucks, duh.
Most monster trucks run 2-speed Powerglides nowadays.
Ryanator122
> DailyTurismo
11/10/2015 at 14:36 |
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Let's not leave out the possibility that this is all the builder had laying around...
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DailyTurismo
> tromoly
11/10/2015 at 17:09 |
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I think that Powerglides should be a standard for all future automotibles. Tesla Model X...powerglide. Ferrari 799XXX...powerglide. Google CubePancakeMobile...powerglide...etc.
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DailyTurismo
> Ryanator122
11/10/2015 at 17:11 |
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Sure...but if the only thing I have in my kitchen pantry is a 4 year old box of baking soda, I don’t just whip out a spoon and start shoveling...