Reply To: OK, here we go!

Good point, so here is where we stand. With lots of help from Joe, Lance, and Pete we are getting closer to putting the motor in the car. Honda 3.5 V6 is resealed, TB,WP, oil pan, valves adjusted, powder coated valve covers with new seals. MSM trans got rebuilt and strengthened in NC, then I promptly cut a big chunk of the housing out to accommodate the Honda starter, and installed a hydraulic throwout bearing to replace the normal slave cylinder and clutch fork. Got the adapter plate mounted to the engine, and mounted the trans and starter to it. The engine stand mount is kinda cool because it mounts to the side of the engine allowing access to both the front and rear of the engine simultaneously, and can pivot to use gravity in your advantage. Pete DelMastro has been helping me swap out the normal 4.10 ratio ring and pinion for a 3.63 ratio one the Mike Zilinek sourced for me out of Australia. With the added HP and torque of the larger engine this ratio will make first gear usable and make cruising on the highway better at lower RPMs. My original plan of mounting the power steering pump on the passenger side came into conflict with my air intake plans, one had to yield, and the power steering, and my wallet, were the losers. The simplicity of electrically  assisted steering won, KPower makes a bolt in unit specifically for Miata swaps, and it has the ability to dial in the amount of assist from nothing to video game levels. Lance somehow knew that in 2014 the Acura MDX was still using a very similar engine with electric power steering, and the belt tensioning setup bolted right up to my engine solving the problem of tensioning the serpentine belt after deleting the power steering pump. Wiring looks to be the next big hurtle, deleting what I can of the Miata stuff, and rewiring the Acura harness to a standalone Mega Squirt ECU. Wish me luck on that!

Here’s a few pics: