Miata Head Conversion/Turbo

[celborn]

I read somewhere on here that you can swap the head off of a 1.5l miata onto the Z5. what my plan is to swap the head off of a miata (after have the ports polished 5 angle valve job and slightly more agressive cam) on to the bottom end of my z5 and turbo it cause i know for a fact that there is a million and a half different kits to turbo the miata.. just lookin for any thoughts and concerns before i dive head first into this project

[stamar]

Im not sure but Ill take your miata with the z5 when youre done.

[firelizard]

1.5L Miata eh?
Good luck finding a car that doesn't exist.

Miata had a 1.6 (B6), two 1.8 (BP and Euro MZR), and a 2.0 (MZR)

[95pro]

why would a turbo kit designed for a rwd car fit a fwd?

you just have to diy.
start from scratch, almost everything will be custom.

[firelizard]

Well, the upside to that (if there was such a thing as a 1.5L Miata turbo kit) would be the turbo manifold, and top end components.

[stamar]

um the protege had a b6. and theres turbos for it.

If the miata had the same b6, well its compatible.

My whole key point though, is Id much rather have the miata. with the z5. that sounds much cooler.

lol. I mean if youre makin a gen 2 protege from a gen 1 miata... Id rather have the other way around.

I mean check it out, z5 is lighter, has more hp better gas mileage. dohc. kicks all ass. That would be a cool vehicle.

[firelizard]

Yeah, the Protege had a B6 in the 1st gen, but the Miata still had no 1.5L...anyways, maybe that was a typo.
But a B6 head wouldn't fit on a Z5, and since we're in the 2nd gen forum and no 2nd gen had a B6, it's a moot point anyways.

Also, regarding the Miata's B6:

B6ZE(RS)
1.6 L B6ZE(RS) - 1597 cc (78x83.6 mm) - Developed for the Mazda Miata (1989-93). The engine uses a DOHC 16-valve alloy head with a lightened crankshaft and flywheel to allow a 7200 rpm redline. An aluminum sump with cooling fins is an unusual featue of this engine. The Japanese version of the engine had a 9.4:1 compression ratio and produced 120 hp (90 kW) and 100 ft·lbf (136 N·m).

It's a much more powerful engine than the Z5. It's other B6s that are weak, such as in the 1st Gen Protege

The 323 GTX's B6T is the most powerful B6 engine of all at 147hp

[stamar]

Yeah, the Protege had a B6 in the 1st gen, but the Miata still had no 1.5L...anyways, maybe that was a typo.
But a B6 head wouldn't fit on a Z5, and since we're in the 2nd gen forum and no 2nd gen had a B6, it's a moot point anyways.

Also, regarding the Miata's B6:


It's a much more powerful engine than the Z5. It's other B6s that are weak, such as in the 1st Gen Protege

The 323 GTX's B6T is the most powerful B6 engine of all at 147hp

the b6 head does bolt on directly to the z5 block

whats most different is the exhaust port. plenty of pictures of it right here in the forum

this guy is correct most of you responding are wrong.

[firelizard]

:O well, I'm afraid I've made a fool of myself haven't I?
lol
I would never have guessed a 1.6's head fits right onto a 1.5's, I probably should have researched first. You say there are pictures of a B6 head on a Z5? Or just of the B6?
I'd like to see a completed B6 head on a Z5.

[95pro]

the b6 head does bolt on directly to the z5 block

whats most different is the exhaust port. plenty of pictures of it right here in the forum

this guy is correct most of you responding are wrong.

most of us know that already. but then you have to fabricate an intake manny, t/b, intake piping, probably a turbo manny, and so on. and who knows the limits of the z5 rods?

[celborn]

i was thinkin i could use the manifold from the 1.6 (yes the 1.5 was a typo) cause i think they collect in the middle. i realise i would have to custom fab a downpipe. i was jsut wondering what the clearence problems would be with the radiator. but a little fab work im ok with cause i want to dump some of my deployment money under the hood of this car and try to make it as much of a sleeper as i can.. i realise it would prob be easier to just swap the BP in it but i HATE wiring. God i miss my nova a small block with nothing electrical on it (save a few sensors) but anyways....

[firelizard]

Well, there appears to be barely any room from the exhaust manifold to the rad stuff...maybe..but that's with the shield on too.
I reckon if the exhaust manifold doesn't take too much room and it's the sort with the turbo below it, there shouldn't be any clearance issues that I can think of...with the intake out of the way there should be a good amount of space, at least on the driver's side. If I recall, though, it's pretty cramped on the passenger side, where all the belts are.
Here's a high res picture:

[fastmatt1986]

the head swap seems to be a great way to increase HP with a turbo a great deal without breaking my bank. i really am interested in attempting

[celborn]

thats deffinately some good news on this front here. does anyone know where there are some pictures with a 1.5 with the 1.6 heads on it?

[rusty]

This thread might just bring my motivation back to working on the z5. I had just about gave up on doing any more modding on the 1.5 engine due to lack of mods. Heck my 1.9 sohc ford escort has more mods available for a long shot and there really isn't that much.