I was wondering how hard it is to put FB trany into SA I know the hole dont line up but are the trany mounts in the same spot or different I have a 81 trany sitting around and just getting tired of driving my car like a semi truck

 

just spend $100 and buy a used sa tranny, not worth cutting up a soon to be classic if you ask me.
i believe you have to cut the shifter tunnel back a bit and maybe use a 81-83 shifter surround/console. also use the 81 driveshaft.

 

I agree with Midwest, why cut the car up if you don't have to. You can get SA trannys soo cheap now. Actually I have one if you want to but it.

 

As others stated find a Sa trans.
Correction on info here. You use the same driveshaft when using a FB trans, there is no difference.

You can also get away with using the Sa console trim also. Just have to redo the shifter boot and it will still clear..

 

ok what can I do to fix the shifter in the SA trany becouse it is so loose I am having hard time getting into 3 gear I keep missing it. I think I can get away with just getting some new shifter bushings but not sure.

 

yea try replacing the bushings, upper and lower. order a new return spring while your at it they,re only like $5 and will hold it center better for more accurate shifting.

 

I just looked at mazdatrix web site they have the upper ones and then 2 different kinds of bottom one one is aluminium and the other one is nylon witch one is better or is this is even the right stuff I am looking at.
http://mazdatrix.com/g4.htm heres the page.

 

if you didnt slam it in every time maybe that wouldnt happen!

 

check yours out and replace it with whatever it was stock.
if you havent already pull your shifter out and inspect whats going on.

 

I believe that you can also swap the SA tailhousing to the FB transmission to resolve the shifter position. I've also heard that you can use early miata internals in an FB transmission as well. I've seen SA transmissions roaming around on eBay as well. Check out therx7addict on Ebay. He is always selling SA/FB parts just like this http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1979-...spagenameZWD1V
Always a good idea to have a spare anyway. I would buy this as a used core and find a reputable shop to rework it. Swap it in and rebuild your old one as a backup and set it aside. Certain SA parts are bound to become a bit more scarce... Speaking from one stalwart SA fan to another SA owner. Good Luck in any case!