svenchen

I've been modifying cars since I got my drivers license but never enough to where I would consider something a "build". i think that time has finally come.

a brief background
i remember as a kid my decidedly non-petrolhead parents were debating between the NA and the W20 MR2. they ended up with a slushbox NA8 M-Edition which surprisingly fit my hockey gear and sticks at an awkward angle. it was also the car I learned to drive on a little over two decades ago. at the time we had the Miata and a green Infiniti J30 in the family, so the Miata was definitely the cooler of the cars to take around. i took my driving test in the Miata and when we got home my dad threw me the keys and told me I could go wherever I wanted as long as I was home by 10. i remember that feeling of freedom with the top down in the crisp spring air covered by darkness. my primary car was a Civic, but whenever I got the chance I'd steal my dad's keys. especially in the rain.

i had set the civic up with some coilover sleeves and koni yellows and was really looking forward to driving the thing forever until it was stolen and totaled by insurance. my next car was a 2.5L WRX which i setup for autocross and started doing HPDEs in. it was around the time that i was getting more serious about tracking that i got married, bought a house, and had a couple of kids. at some point after not driving the WRX all that much I decided to upgrade to an E90 M3. i've had it for a few years now and started hitting the track again but felt my progress as a driver was being hampered by 400+ horsepower on tap trying to move almost 4000 lbs.

present day
fast forward to last month... I had been debating between an NA8, an E36 M3 or a C5Z as my next car. i was discussing these thoughts with my track instructor who was decidedly anti-corvette but he made some strong arguments for the Miata. from an entry-cost perspective it also felt like something that was a safer bet so I started my craigslist search in earnest. last week a black NB1 with hardtop popped up late Wednesday night. i immediately emailed the seller and we agreed to meet up the next afternoon. i called my bank to up the daily ATM limit just in case and a few hours later i was figuring out how to get both of my cars home.


in the beginning...

429
429 is a '99 base with a factory hardtop. as she sat when i bought her she looks and feels mechanically sound. mostly stock aside from a set of Tein Street coilovers that seem set way too low. she's got some rough spots on the paint on the front and rear bumpers and the hood is starting to show that signature fade. the front and rear wheels and tires are mismatched.

my goals for this car are to build a track car that i won't be afraid to push the limits in while having the most fun possible in the process of building it. i immediately jumped on the internet with my credit card and ordered some theft-prevention for the car and hardtop, a GT3 rollbar and black spoiler from Moti, some new pedals, and a steering wheel. my friends and i also miraculously got our wives to watch the kids while we did this yesterday...


making progress on removing the interior

underneath i found a hell of a lot of dynamat that i plan on scraping off over the next couple of weeks.

the next few weeks...
i'm doing more planning for what i'd like to do for the interior of the car: door panels, seats, perhaps painting the dash all black
ordering new wheels and tires -- leaning towards RPF1s and Dunlop ZII
raising the car to a more acceptable level and getting an alignment
getting a PPI (post-purchase inspection ) for piece of mind and taking care of any maintenance items
new stock-ish brakes

... and beyond
bigger brakes
new suspension
basic aero
power adders
endless money pit

thanks for reading!

sonofthehill

iTrader: (1)

Nice, you must be in my area, is that perhaps SF or Daly City?

I saw that car pop up on CL. I was thinking, just paint all 4 wheels, but then I would have been stoked about the dynamat. Looks like a nice car, enjoy!

dleavitt

iTrader: (1)

If you are wanting bigger brakes you will want to rethink your wheel choice. Not a whole lot of space under the RPF1s.

thumpetto007

iTrader: (15)

He'll be fine if he goes radial mount wilwoods. Not sure about the stoptechs that are out now.

dleavitt

iTrader: (1)

Now that you mention it, I think I remember Goodwin getting RPF1s over the Stoptechs. Don't remember if it was the standard 11" kit or the 11.75".

Regarding the radial Dynapros, it may depend on where he sources it. I emailed 949/Supermiata about their radial kit (pretty sure it is a rebranded V8Roadsters kit), and they stated it didn't fit under 15x8 6uls, and 15x9 needed a spacer. If it doesn't fit under the 6ul, I doubt it will fit under the RPF1. The Mini kit that bbundy uses may position things better though.

All that to say, the OP should be aware that his wheel choice will limit his BBK choices. There are other track-worthy wheels that open up more options on that front.

Mobius

iTrader: (2)

It's not like the current wheels can't be resold and replaced when he decides what bigger brake kit to get. Personally I'd do (and have done on my car) the TSE 11.75 kit and using the AP Racing J hook rotors.

svenchen

i was going with the RPF1s on the assumption they'd fit the Goodwin V5 BBK. 🤞i've always wanted a set of RPF1s (and just put in an order today) but if it really comes down to it I might find another set of wheels in a 15x9 to satisfy the brakes at a later date. I was definitely disappointed to not see the RPF1s on the TSE fitment list.

yep! local to you. photo was at my friend's place in south city.

sonofthehill

iTrader: (1)

Nice view, see you around the neighborhood perhaps.

Mobius

iTrader: (2)

I would buy the BBK I want, and then wheels to fit, rather than the other way round.

TSE 11.75 + sport rears + Cobalt xr1 front/xr2 rear has proven to stop most anything, with no concerns about bedding, transfer layers, etc. Cobalts just work. If there's an opposing transfer layer on the rotors, they just eliminate it. Highly recommended for track use. One can nitpick about which Master Cylinder is in use, and certainly NB2 abs is preferred. But as far as I'm concerned, that's the golden be-all stop shopping now easy button for good reliable brakes that will stop a **** ton of miata speed.

svenchen

thanks for that, Mobius. i'll do some more reading up on those.

for the time being i think i'm going to pick up some centric blanks and Hawk HP+ from Trackspeed... and most likely pick them up will call and chat a bit with them (Andrew?)

slammed200

iTrader: (8)

yes Andrew is who you will talk to at Trackspeed

If you do run Cobalt pads just be mindful to clean your wheels as the dust from those is very corrosive, wear isn't great either. Everyone has a preference on brakes, mine is Raybestos ST-42 especially on the 11.75" radial mounted Wilwood setup offered by a few good vendors on this site

Mobius

iTrader: (2)

Most every race pad except carbotechs, you shouldn't leave the dust on there any longer than necessary. There is iron in the Cobalts, like many other pads, so if you dust up the wheels and leave the car out in the rain, the dust turns into icky rusty goo that eventually solidifies and takes a bit of work to get off. A plastic scrubby does the trick eventually.

This hasn't been the problem for me that I thought it would be because I wash the wheels after every trackday anyway, and I don't street the cobalts except to/from events. The wheels are stored indoors, so they get washed before coming in. And, you should inspect your wheels after every event, and you can't do a decent inspection of dusty wheels, and it doesn't take long to wash them.

So corrosive brake dust is only a problem if you deliberately allow it to become a problem. Even the carbotechs, which I ran on my car for 5 years, even that dust will still gunk up inside the wheel if you let it. It just won't be corrosive.

sonofthehill

iTrader: (1)

Ok, spotted your car twice now, you live in the neighborhood I grew up in. Shri, I won't say anymore, got homies all over there, I will have to PM you next time I visit my mom. You can see what my ridiculous car is like.

Roda

Looks like a good start!

I picked up a very similar NB1 back in December, but with leather and an automatic. Mine is going to be a street car, though, to supplant my NA which has become a track rat. I swapped in an NB2 engine and manual trans, and it's nice to have a stockish driver. NB1s are definitely in the sweet spot for value in a Miata these days.

The Supermiata 11.75 radial front is the V8R setup, which is also the same as the Goodwin V5... that's what I have on my NA. 9" 6ULs do require a spacer. On the rear I went with the Powerlite Radial kit from FM with Sport rotors. Honestly, it's on the verge of providing too much rear bias, but I couldn't resist the bling factor. Sport rears should do everything you need to do.

+1 on the Carbotechs (or GLoc)... dust like hell, but pretty easy to clean up.

svenchen

not much actual on-car progress in the past two weeks since i've had the car. mostly amassing parts and waiting on my rollbar. i did manage to raise the rear of the car slight as the previous owner had it reverse raked but it still needs a real alignment. i'll also be taking the car over to SBGarage in to get a major service done, a bunch of seals and gaskets replaced, and while we're at it... probably replace the clutch and flywheel.

i have a bunch of parts sitting in the garage waiting for weekends to be free of weddings and kid birthday parties: new pedals, steering wheel and QR, some aesthetic pieces, and the Supermiata Stage 1 brakes with G-Loc R10/R8. oh and these...



in doing more thinking about the car i'll probably not be considering the bbk for a while though interestingly the Goodwin V5 says it'll clear the RPF1-RS's pictured. in my current estimation my learning and car focuses are...
2018
personal focus: driving technique and continue to work on newbie driving mistakes
car focus: maintenance and track readiness
2019
personal focus: learn about handling (suspension and aero) and continue to work on newbie driving mistakes
car focus: start tweaking suspension parts and setups and explore some DIY aero
2020
personal focus: finally read the engine management book i've had sitting on my shelf for two years and continue to work on newbie driving mistakes
car focus: explore power adders and continue to work on newbie driving mistakes
beyond...
who knows, even 2020 seems really unpredictable

i did take the daily on what is quite possibly its last track day.
disclaimer: non-miata content. as you can tell, the primary thing the NB1 needs is drivermod.



nice! i had wondered if you were the green NB with the cut rear bumper but i don't think that's you. lots of seemingly track prepped Miata's in the neighborhood i encounter on my evening runs.

sonofthehill

iTrader: (1)

My car looks bone stock, with the same wheels you have, I live in Marin but my mom and inlaws are in SF.

svenchen

welp...

had a bunch of maintenance done: SB Garage pulled the motor and re-sealed it all had a new clutch and flywheel put in. i installed a Blackbird Fabwork GT3 bar and changed out all the brakes.

i walked out this morning to drive the car to work and it was gone. STOLEN! if you see my car running around the SF Bay Area please get in contact with me or SFPD.

thumpetto007

iTrader: (15)

**** dude. that sucks.

sonofthehill

iTrader: (1)

Well that ******* sucks, right in my mom's neighborhood too.
My eyes are peeled.
They actually caught the guy that stole my work truck years ago. They called me to ask if I knew the guy and lent him my truck. I told them to hang the ******.

svenchen

thieves ended up not getting too far away because of a prevention device i had in place. wheels were gone and ignition and key tumblers were completely destroyed. car is at the shop waiting on parts and will be back on the road hopefully next week. i ended up going to Sears Point last weekend in my M3 but was really hoping to have been in the Miata. more updates when I actually get the car back!!!