Project Thunderbolt LS Miata: It Lives!

A nip and tuck here, some brakes there, an exhaust, and more wiring has brought the monster that is Tom Tharp’s LS3-powered 2004 Mazda Miata to life.

If you’ve been following the buildup at OnAllCylinders (you have, haven’t you?), this has been a long time coming. Tom Tharp of Tom’s Turbo Garage spent almost a year tearing apart, modifying, and rebuilding the Miata. Then came the most thrilling, yet nerve wracking moments a car guy will ever experience—the first start and drive of a newly built car.

But there was plenty of work done in the last month to get the car to that point. In Episode 10, Tom finished up the bulk of the electrical work, plumbed and routed the radiator and heater hose, reinstalled the front and rear suspension, and updated the brakes to better slow down all that LS3 horsepower. He also began fabrication of the exhaust system based on a Summit Racing Rod Builder Exhaust Kit.

In Episode 11, Tom finished up the exhaust system, put the interior back together, installed a Moroso air/oil separator to keep the intake tract clean (a must on LS engines), and reinstalled the fenders and bumper. And as you’ll see, the moment of truth arrived when the key was turned and—well, you’ll have to watch the video to find out what happened.

Speaking of which, you can watch these episodes—and catch up on all of the previous episodes of Project Thunderbolt—right now at our OnAllCylinders blog.