It’s been a while since we’ve had an update on Tom Tharp’s Project Thunderbolt LS3 Miata build. Since finishing the car back in June, Tharp has been racking up the miles to break in the Miata’s Chevrolet Performance LS376/525 crate engine. This included a trip through the world famous “Tail of The Dragon” in Deals
Project Thunderbolt lives. Over a span of nine months, Tom Tharp of Tom’s Turbo Garage built an LS3 V8-powered Mazdaspeed Miata. Think of it as a modern interpretation of great V8 sports car like the Shelby Cobra and the Sunbeam Tiger. “In my eyes this is the perfect sports car…one I had been building in
[portfolio_slideshow id=43756] In this episode, you’ll see the most thrilling, yet nerve wracking moments a car guy will ever experience—the first start and drive of a newly built car. But we had some work to do before turning that key. We finished the rear section of the exhaust, reinstalled the stock interior bits, added a Moroso
In this action-packed update, we finished up the bulk of our electrical work by finding a home for all of the wires that run into the cabin. Included in this bird’s nest is the drive by wire gas pedal wiring, speedometer and gauge wiring, fuel pump lead, and ECU outputs. After Fun with Wiring, we plumbed
We’ve turned the hustle knob up to 11 to get Project Thunderbolt on the road before the next ice age. First on this episode’s task list are the suspension’s rear control arms, which needed a thorough restoration and some stiffer bushings to help reign in our newfound LS horsepower. We installed the refreshed rear control
Up to this point you’ve seen me tear down, tear apart, strip, cut, beat, weld, and paint my Miata to prepare the car for its new Chevrolet Performance LS3/T56 Magnum six-speed drivetrain. Now that we are done test fitting and modifying things, reassembly can begin. The work is going to happen quickly from here on
There’s a long list of benefits that come from jamming a big engine into a little car: the speed, the sound, the terrified wife, and so on. But a big drawback is unwanted heat and noise. To address this issue in our Project Thunderbolt Miata, I ordered up LizardSkin products from Summit Racing. LizardSkin is
[portfolio_slideshow id=41606] Welcome to Part Six of Project Thunderbolt, our LS Miata swapfest. In this update, we’re ready to mate the Chevrolet Performance LS376/525 engine with the Tremec T56 Magnum six-speed for good. But before we could join them in mechanical matrimony, we needed a clutch that combines excellent holding power with great drivability. Summit
There is a lot happening in this episode of our LS Miata swap. First, we installed the Chevrolet Performance CTS-V Accessory Drive System on our LS3. This impressive kit includes everything needed to add power steering, an alternator, water pump, and air conditioning. The CTS-V kit fit in our tight engine bay with room to
[portfolio_slideshow id=40863] Let’s jump right in and see what’s happening in this episode of our Miata makeover: We welded thick reinforcement braces in the engine bay. These braces are designed to add strength and support back to the firewall area we modified to fit our LS3. We mounted a 3.42-geared Getrag Cadillac CTS-V differential in
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