Hi all, new to the forum. I was wondering if anyone has made or has heard of an MX-5-based kit car that can use an automatic-transmission donor vehicle. I’m quite keen on building a kit but I can’t drive manual. Thanks!
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Any MX5 kit car can use an auto. But Mk1 autos are more common than Mk2 autos; though the Mk2 autos are likely better candidates to be chopped up/ruined by a kit car conversion.
You can build any kit car with what ever you want, but if its an Auto you need for the project go for the import NB/NBFL versions, nicer box to use.
M-m
Very interesting, thanks for these responses, folks. Specifically I was after the ANC Replicate. I contacted them and a gent named Andy had some thoughts:
He didn’t know if the auto box would fit, as he’s not seen one in the flesh. He believes that they were only fitted to Import cars, as the UK cars were all manual.
He wasn’t sure if there is any difference regarding their dimensions and what additional hardware they may have (such as maybe an extra ECU, for example)?
He though that someone out there will have done an auto to manual swap and may have specific info on differences, but unfortunately hadn’t seen it down specifically with his ANC kit.
So do you folks recon it would still all fit OK? There may be a lot if guesswork involved on my part if I turned out to be the first one to try this - it would be a nightmare to get a donor and kit that ended up not fitting together.
There were some UK spec mx5 Autos but were the mk 2.5’s versions only, a Auto to manual swap is not as hard as you think, the internet is full of scare stories and ill info and advice on the subject and will have you spending more than whats needed and swapping more than whats needed , even more so on the MIata sites.
M-m
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Ask the builder to supply more pictures of the areas around the gearbox where he thinks there might be problems. All MX5 NA/NBs used the same transmission tunnel, and I think the manual and auto boxes were roughly similar dimensions (Mazda_mender might have some comparison photos).
I can’t think there is an issue unless the builder has done something stupid.
Thanks for these responses, folks. I’ll ask for those photos
You might find the slushbox is a tad bulkier and as such may require the auto PPF frame.
The exhaust downpipe on mine past the manifold was a different shape from a manual on mine ( 1993 1840cc Auto to manual change out)
Do not take this as gospel please,
Andrew at Autolink in Dumfries will have the definitive answer. He did my swap out.
There’s nowt Andrew does not know about it.
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There is no need to change swap the down pipe doing a auto conversion to manual , it can still be used, its a personal thing to do if wished.
If the donor car is an auto then everything is and will be there to transfer over to the kit car, so there would not be an issue, the only thing to really fabricate in would be the oil cooler for the trans box, which is no biggie and does not need to be a big cooler.
The body tub of the mx5/eunos roadster/Miata are all the same regardless of them being built as a auto or manual, they did not change anything tub wise, so there is no reason why the auto box will not fit in a kit car, to build the car wished.
As i have said before ,personally to get the best out of a auto box from one of these , get a jap imported auto MK 2 1.8 or a MK 2.5 VVT 1.8, they are better as autos, do not get a MK 1 1.6 for this.
M-m
M-m
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Amazing, thanks!