Project Thunderbolt, The LS3 V8 Miata - Part 2: Teardown and Breakdown!
In this update we’re finishing the job of tearing down our unsuspecting 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata chassis. After that we’ll do the same to our stock Miata four cylinder drivetrain by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable pieces.
Due to the size of the new LS3 engine and its position in the chassis, the firewall area and driveline tunnel will need to be modified (i.e. sliced and diced a bit) to make room for the Chevy V8 power and its related accessories. To prepare for those modifications, the engine bay and interior must be stripped completely bare. There are plenty of parts flying off quickly, so I did my best to label everything and keep close tabs on hardware and where it belongs.
While the stock Miata front subframe won’t be reused, the attached suspension components, such as the A arms and uprights will. The rear subframe will be used (and modified) to house our Getrag differential that we’ll install in a future video.
Here's the video version of this update. Check it out!
Thanks for reading and watching, see ya next time!