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[NA] Rescuing a 1990 Miata - This Sparks Joy!
- 1990 Mazda Miata Turbo [NA] Build Thread & Ownership Log Post 1-4: Purchase Story, New Floor, Mold Removal, New Wheels, Exhaust. Post 5-12: Paint Restoration, Custom Hood Paintjob, Hardtop, Autocross, Trackday. Post 13-14: More New Wheels, Second Hood Paintjob, Winter Wheels & Tires, Rear End Cosmetics. Post 15-17: Driver's Seat Mount, Short Shifter Part 1, Engine Bay Tuck/Shave(?), LED Taillights. Post 18-20: eBay Turbo Kit, SpeedyEFI Speeduino Standalone ECU. Post 21-23: Wastegate Porting, Tuning, Water Neck Oops, Half-Throttle Video, Roll Bar, Sound Deadening, RX-8 Injectors. Post 24-28: Roadtrips, Hidden Washer Fluid Tank, Trackday, Broken Turbo Stud Repair, Boost-Creep Solved, Spare Engine. Post 29-31: Trackdays, Timing Belt & Water pump, Flyin' Miata Coolant Reroute, FM Radiator, FM Swaybars. - https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a8a84069_b.jpg - Mod List:
- The Backstory: Lost my father in early 2019 after he went in for heart surgery. Needless to say, this has been hard on myself and my family. I've been looking for something to cheer me up, and nothing gets me more excited then a new (to me) car! I was set on something RWD, Manual, and (most importantly) fun. I've already got a 1987 BMW 325is (E30) as my in-depth restomod project (Panici's '87 325is E30 - Turbo Build - M52, Standalone ECU, Shaved Bay - R3VLimited Forums), and was looking for something less serious. Frankly, it's too easy (and not as fun) to buy a car that is already well sorted. Therefore I decided to save some money on my initial purchase and rescue a car that badly needs some love! - https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fb59862f_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...abb4a3bc_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3973f8d1_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...87893f1a_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...57d1a680_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...436d5980_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7e66f37c_b.jpg - |
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Day 0 - The purchase (August 3rd, 2019): Found a 1990 Mazda Miata (NA) for sale on facebook marketplace earlier in the week. Patiently waited until saturday to see the car with my (now ex) wife, on the way to visit her family. The car was rough, soft-top trashed, and paint faded/damaged by a "new finish" product applied by the previous owner. However the engine and transmission felt and sounded good on the test drive. Body has 298k KM on it, Engine 130k KM. The owner and I drove around looking for a garage to perform an appraisal (needed in my area to register an older car). Pulling off the highway, the car died and smoke billowed from the trunk! Turns out he had an oversized battery loose in the trunk and the positive terminal shorted to the hinge. The smoke was the ground wire melting all of it's insulation! He moved the battery out of harms way, and I pushed the car so we could bump start it in 2nd and get out of traffic. (Battery wasn't turning the starter after such a quick discharge!) After our adventure, I struck a deal with the owner who ended up dropping the price from $3600cad to $1800cad (and he kept the hardtop). He also through in some spare parts, including an OEM aluminum hood. I bought some ratchet straps from the local wal-mart, strapped the extra hood to the roof, and set off for my in-laws house. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5de21519_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...80607f24_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...56f33549_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5a734918_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a86487b7_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5282a7a1_b.jpg - Day 1 (August 4th, 2019): My (now ex) wife left to visit Toronto with her sister, leaving me the entire day to work on the Miata at her folks house. My first job was to repair the driver's side mirror, which was currently sitting on the passenger side floor. I disassembled and repaired the mirror with a spare bolt, and glued the black trim back in place. I then debadged both the front & rear of the car in preparation for my future paint correction attempt(s). I removed the front license plate bracket, and (empty) fog light brackets. I vacuumed the carpets & seats, and changed the oil with fresh Mobil 1 10w-30. I noticed an immediate difference with the new oil, the valvetrain was now almost silent. That evening, I convoyed with my wife back home. We opted to stay off the highways due to my 2nd hood, and had an uneventful 2hr drive. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b98e02d5_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d1e08fcd_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4540c49f_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e8d1d664_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a849ebd6_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c648e167_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cf1e47e8_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c20566c5_b.jpg - Day 2 (August 5th, 2019): Removed the nasty, moldy soft-top from the car. Removed the mildew-smelling seats & carpet. Driver's side seat rails are rusty and siezed, and will need attention. Found driver's side floorboards to be ventilated models, which isn't surprising in this area with an almost 30 year old vehicle. I plan to address this with new metal. However this will be a purely functional repair, and not nearly to my usual standards of restoration. As I said before, this is a fun car/project and I don't want to get bogged down (like I do with my E30) making things look perfect. Purists beware I suppose! I found out why the driver's side seatbelt didn't have a bottom mount, as the sill is completely rusted away in that area. Thankfully this is the only structural repair I'll need to make (so far). Kicked the Jeep (http://jeep.panici.ca) out of the garage before a thunderstorm hit. Still have not decided how I will handle the rain long-term. I am playing with the idea of a bikini top and waterproof interior for the Miata. Finished up for the day with a thick coat of rust paint, which I'll let dry overnight before tackling further repair. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...431f1033_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...94458f35_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...573bd3b5_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...da2ecb35_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4d86ba42_b.jpg - Day 3 (August 6th, 2019): Tackled the driver's side floor pan & seatbelt mount today. Made a new floorpan complete with drain hole. Welded in place and seam sealed. Had to weld a nut to the old seatbelt bolt to remove it from the backing plate. Made a reinforcement plate for the seatbelt (used thicker steel then the new floor pan), welded in place, and seam sealed. Welds look ugly as I was burning off factory paint & sealer as I went (didn't prep car-side enough). I promise there is still full penetration. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...04ebfc23_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...54ca7bd2_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...aa673945_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...36209655_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cc680829_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5ff111e3_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d9d62f6d_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...27e68a79_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...674e2511_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...138f82a9_b.jpg - Day 4 (August 9th, 2019): Painted the new driver's side floor (and seatbelt mount) last night. By the afternoon it was dry. Freed up the stuck driver's seat rails (would not slide) using PB Blaster and a hammer. Knocked a bunch of rust scale out of the rails (as pictured). Lubed up with white grease afterwards. Unfortunately one of the rails is missing a mounting tab. It must have rusted away along with the car-side mounting point. As both sides of the seatbelts do not mount to the seats, I just wedged a piece of wood under the missing mount for now. Works quite well after a test drive. Painted the Grant GT steering wheel bolts. Pulled dash apart to troubleshoot radio inop. Found no power on the ignition-switched wire to the headunit. Will investigate further later, for now just jumped this to constant +12v. Headunit works better then expected. It has a decent FM tuner, USB, and Aux inputs. Door speakers are alright for their size, but run out of puff for higher speed driving (could definitely be upgraded). I also wired in the driver's seat headrest speakers. Neat feature! Bought a used set of wheels & tires for $300cad. Gram Light 57c replicas (16x7 ET40), with Toyo T1R tires (195/45R16). There is some heavy toe wear on two of the tires, but they will work for now. They were filthy inside, coated in a thick layer of grease and dirt. After many coats of APC and a few of wheel-specific cleaner, I got them significantly cleaner. I removed the various stickers on the wheels. The wheel faces look decent from six feet away, but it's clear they need some paint and refinishing up close. Mounted the wheels up, and I love the look! Threw in the rollbar, driver's seat, and replacement driver's seat belt (thanks Brookr!) and went for a drive. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cab36c19_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d83412fc_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...42dc4209_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...419c24a0_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4d528c1c_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...795f86a8_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0c6db51a_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d6a16135_b.jpg *ANIMATED* http://i65.tinypic.com/2ajxc9f.gif https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...48e0bd0a_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6e23b1f9_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5a74a33d_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8db893d9_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b705a971_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2f4ac700_b.jpg |
Day 5 (August 10th, 2019):
Drove the car around a bunch today running errands, and in-between the rest of my tinkering. I cut off the muffler which was in rough shape. I figured it wasn't doing much as there was a split in the pipe before the exhaust even reached the muffler. I fabricated a piece of exhaust as a muffler delete in it's place. After driving the car around, turns out the muffler was still partially doing it's job. This is WAY too loud (uncomfortable without earpro) even for short drives. Now it's just a lot of show for not much go. I'll need to add a muffler into this soon. A nice exhaust tip would also clean up the rear end. As a sidenote, the muffler weighed 12lbs. I'm sure the delete pipe I added onto the car was less then that. Not that it matters as I'll need to add an aftermarket muffler in the near future. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5d6bb9ed_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f272f9bd_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0d9e2b56_b.jpg -- Next up I removed the aftermarket steel hood, and cleaned the engine bay with some APC and the hose. I didn't scrub anything, but it already looks better then before. Aftermarket steel hood weighs in at 29lbs, OEM aluminum hood weighs 16lbs. You save 13lbs with aluminum over steel. Unfortunately the steel hood I have is matte black and would need a complete respray to match the car. Right now that amount of work isn't worth 13lbs to me. Dirty: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...47b6d04a_b.jpg Clean: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c6f227a0_b.jpg - Next I stole the battery from my motorcycle, and some new wire leads from my pile of E30 parts to be installed. The oversized battery that was in the car is 34.2lbs, and my smaller battery + cables is 7.2lbs. That's a savings of 27lbs! I may turn this into a permanent solution for the Miata when I have some money burning a hole in my pocket for a new battery and wire leads. No concerns with starting power; I started the car four (4) separate times in quick succession after repeated stops to let the remaining water/steam out from the spark plug wires & boots. Another side note, a full windshield washer reservoir is 8lbs. I also removed the jack from the car, as I don't have a spare tire. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1e3e4f6a_b.jpg -- Noticed a few things driving the car around that I'll need to address. There is a vibration that starts around 100kph. RF turn signal works intermittently (bulb is good). I figure I removed about 77lbs today. Believe it or not, but the car felt lighter on it's feet around corners. Acceleration is still mighty slow though. And don't worry, the car won't be staying in this lightweight state of disrepair. It's just a bit of fun for now! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...83f14a57_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...41658cb1_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...21e6f655_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fc55cdfb_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2d53a289_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e2c7deb0_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f0421097_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c8307252_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...321b225a_b.jpg |
Day 6 (August 11th, 2019):
Sometimes it's the small things that add up to make a difference, so today I focused on a bunch of little improvements. I started by taking some stainless steel wool to the valve cover. This did a pretty decent job of removing the first layer of tarnish. It's by no means a mirror finish, but it's a noticeable difference. (Compare to engine bay picture in post 1) https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d6d98e78_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bb108b4b_b.jpg -- I then banged out most of the dent by the gas filler. I had to remove the gas filler neck to get behind the panel. It's by no means a perfect job, but at least the area doesn't immediately draw your eye like it did before. (See post 1 again). https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...45bc6032_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f6413a59_b.jpg -- Next, I set about diagnosing my vibration over 100kph. I swapped my new rear set of wheels for the best two of the old set. After a test drive the vast majority of the vibration is gone. I then swapped the sets front to rear and there was no change in the remaining vibration, which is apparently not a wheel issue. I will take the two questionable wheels & tires to a shop tomorrow to have the balance checked (and tires flipped while they're at it). Hopefully the wheels are not bent, as replica wheels are known to be of poor quality. I went through both fuse boxes, and found almost all of the fuses in the interior box to be oversized. I replaced them with the correct fuses. I also bought a 30A fuse to replace the missing "fan" fuse in the engine bay. I still need to source an 80A Main fuse, as there is currently an oversized 100A in it's place. Correcting the fuses also fixed my lack of accessory power at the radio (even though none of the old fuses appeared to be blown). So I wired the headunit correctly to use the accessory blu/black wire, and reassembled that part of the dash. Unfortunately I didn't get lucky with the interior lights, which are still not functioning even after new bulbs. While I was in the interior, I flipped around and tightened the hood pull handle. As my last task for the day, I removed the leather/vinyl cover from the rollbar padding, and painted the padding fluorescent green. Again, don't worry as this is easily hidden by reinstalling the cover onto the foam once I've had my fun. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cd771abf_b.jpg -- It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so I moved the motorcycle in-between the Mini & E30 and squeezed the Miata in the garage. Still haven't figured out how I will handle rain in the future, considering I don't have any sort of top. I may just leave the carpets out and pull all of the drain plugs. This also gives me some hope for the winter, as again I will have a storage issue. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...28415a3c_b.jpg |
Day 7 (August 11th & 12th, 2019)
I modified my Canadian DRL unit to allow for switchable DRL functionality/disable. This is the green DRL box, outside of its case. You sever the Blu/Yel wire and Red wire before they go into the unit, and connect together. This allows the handbrake light in the dash to operate normally. Then you connect the red wire going into the unit to ground to disable the DRLs. Or put it through a switch to ground as I did to allow switchable DRL disable! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7e745772_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a2e6a338_b.jpg I replaced the oversized 100A main fuse with the correct 80A unit. I've now eliminated all of the oversized fuses that came with the car (in both fuse boxes). One of my pet peaves, as it's just asking for a vehicle fire to use oversized fuses on original wiring. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f8402103_b.jpg I removed the exhaust manifold heat shield and painted with high-heat engine enamel. I also cleaned up and painted a rusty area that was hiding in the corner of the engine bay. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c9f79268_b.jpg I had two of my tires (the ones with the worst camber/toe wear) flipped on their wheels. I then installed all four with some hubcentric seating rings I purchased. Hopefully this will help eliminate vibration. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d582e671_b.jpg I started the paint restoration. First I completed a test patch on the passenger side of the trunk. After that was very successful, I cut/polished the entire passenger side of the car. I can't wait to get the driver's side done as well. This made a huge difference in how the car presents! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...42a00109_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0681e235_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...433d7122_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...88b860ef_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3c370454_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ccc744a0_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1a544a37_b.jpg |
19th August 2019
Paint Restoration Round 1 Finished. Muffler added. Finished up the first attempt at a paint cut & buff. Very pleased with the overall results, the car looks great even though it's still covered in a layer of red paint dust! (Needs a wash) There are a few areas which need to be touched up after it's been washed, and some heavier paint damage on the driver's side that may need a different approach. As I probably won't have carpets in the car until I have implements to keep rain out, I also painted the aluminum interior/floor panels red to match the car. I took the car for a two-hour shakedown drive (which required earplugs). Shortly thereafter I added a muffler (the smallest body regular muffler they had at the shop). Unfortunately the car is now too quiet! I drilled a small hole to bypass part of the muffler chamber, (and although it sounds like an exhaust leak) at least I can rev-match again. I may keep it this way for troubleshooting purposes until I can fix all of the the suspension noise & vibration. Following that I'm going to try a glasspack in place of the muffler. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7a8dfee4_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...152a4311_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...58097936_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8396b606_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cf7a6162_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8ea0b8b2_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d8662117_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d5a30b40_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ba481da6_b.jpg |
23rd August 2019
Washed car, some quick photos https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...be031f85_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...91332e91_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3e7e35c3_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...af466612_b.jpg[ [url=https://flic.kr/p/2h4k8hu]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...848d0453_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d385a727_b.jpg |
14th September 2019
Interior, Hood, & Hardtop I took all of my interior carpets (which were sitting under the back porch) to the car wash, and pressure washed them all out. After sitting in the sun for a day, everything got a spritz with anti-mold/mildew spray before going back into the car. I rolled on a coat of black paint on my extra (aluminum) hood (it was blue before). I wanted to try something different so I attempted a paint splatter effect with neon green paint. I bought a black hardtop so the car can be stored outside for the winter, and gave it a wash and coat of wax. Really brought the depth back to the black paint. Also gave it a good scrub inside to remove any dirt. I did a second round of paint splatter on the hood, this time with a more aggressive approach, and better results. I reinstalled the door cards after treating the green/white mold on the cardboard inserts. I threw out the old speaker surrounds as they were disintegrating and covered in black mold on the backsides. I was able to fit the existing speakers in the spare plastic inserts. I want to upgrade these to larger drivers in the future. While I was working in the interior, I discovered the Grant GT steering wheel was loose. Tightening all four bolts hidden behind the horn button has eliminated the majority of the steering/vibration issues! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e82a2020_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5114f68c_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...de13d63e_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a1718eee_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8ddc29d3_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...97d6073c_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...90218828_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bb8a5206_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...aa7a1867_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1b124850_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6e5f24b6_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0d3e0734_b.jpg |
16th September 2019
Hardtop details, Exhaust bodges As I previously mentioned, I wasn't happy with how quiet the replacement muffler sounded. I started with a small hole out the end of the muffler (bypassing the second chamber) and worked my way up to this based on sound: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5c592658_b.jpg Produced a lot of resonation in the cabin however as about 2/3rds of the exhaust was now bypassing the tailpipe and exiting sideways under the car. Quick (and free) solution was to use the 90 degree bend from the original muffler to direct exhaust gases towards the rear. It's certainly not pretty, but it made a big difference in the "booming" effect in the cabin. Excuse the terrible tack welds. I didn't bother to clean/prep and just burned through the rust & soot. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...06682421_b.jpg Today I also replaced the passenger side windshield latch on the hardtop with the one from my old softtop frame. The old hardtop latch did not lock in place, I'm assuming it was worn/stretched. I purchased a used set of strikers for the side hardtop latches, expecting them to arrive later this week. Should help to cinch down the top properly and prevent any water ingress over the winter. A couple more shots of the new look, just because I can! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...005ac140_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...91881068_b.jpg |
8th October 2019
Autocross, Trim paint & More
Car ran great at Autocross. Both my friend Thomas and myself ran the car, had 10 runs on it before the day was through! Could do with an LSD though. Photos with my E30, quite the stark contrast in styling between the two cars! Autocross video: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f18ed3ea_b.jpg - https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...039d2f9c_b.jpg - https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2040f198_b.jpg - https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...28006dc5_b.jpg - https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...317194cf_b.jpg - https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...79033003_b.jpg - https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b0c6364a_b.jpg - https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5bf327c6_b.jpg - https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...285efac1_b.jpg - https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8f39f217_b.jpg - https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5792e730_b.jpg |
30th June 2020
Heat Delete, Trackday #1 My first attempt at reducing in-car heat: Looped my heater core hoses, added some HushMat 10500 Ultra to the areas I could access without removing the interior. This was a big improvement, car went from painful temperature to tolerable. It's still quite hot inside the car, I may take apart the interior and add HushMat to the remainder of the driver's side firewall and transmission tunnel. Ideally I'd add some DEI heatshield from under the car, but that would be quite a job to degrease the firewall and trans tunnel! Pulled the passenger seat out, and loaded up for the Miata's first trackday! Went to Mosport DDT for the first time, and managed a 1m55s laptime. Thinking about a real rollbar if I keep tracking the car. Car did alright, except for boiling the power steering fluid. Also could use a brake fluid flush now and new tires! Video of lapping: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4c3a1edb_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...71f0d082_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c2d8371d_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...dc448ba3_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...715bdf11_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bc23f8f6_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...87893f1a_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...65af1c4b_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...04789979_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...270845c0_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...29748800_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...495eb7ae_b.jpg |
26th November 2020
New (Retro) Wheels, EBC Yellowstuff Pads, Hood Paintjob #2, H4 Headlights Picked up a used set of ROH Eurosport wheels (15x7) with like-new tires, mostly because the tires are shot on my set of 16" wheels. They're certainly a unique look, and period-correct for the 90s. Since I fried my brakes at the track last time, I threw in a set of blank rotors and EBC Yellowstuff pads. Also needed a new caliper on the LR corner as the bleeder snapped clean off! Gave the hood a new paintjob, utilizing the maximum of my art ability ;) Installed a set of Hella H4 retrofit lenses. Keeps the OEM lens look but significantly increased usable light on the road compared to the sealed beams! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5880b8e1_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...41b3de14_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b7104fb6_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...86362b39_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4d0ba406_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...793f5b3b_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8ae13b78_b.jpg |
24th April 2021
It's been a while since I've updated this thread! Going back through my pictures, I think I've got everything covered here.
Video of intake sound! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...76697f7d_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e712ab8f_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...051f9843_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c2e795f2_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b719a8f4_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...be06e2f5_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...255a444a_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8e143b91_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7e66f37c_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b9534b2a_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d804e148_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e081bb33_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b9170f50_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3069399b_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fa6fac06_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f5c59b92_b.jpg |
26th April 2021
Threw on a cheap $60 eBay short throw shifter, and was surprised to find the shifter turret completely devoid of fluid! Turns out the 1st gear detent is completely missing. I wonder how long it's been like this? Ordered the parts I need to repair, along with a new lower shifter boot. Also finally repaired the driver's seat mount. Say goodbye to the wood block holding my seat up! Still have a rust hole in that area to address from underneath, but we're going in the right direction with it! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...592e538f_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...61a863ec_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7c82d1fc_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...95f5434f_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f5dde1d0_b.jpg |
2nd May 2021
In other news, I spent a little time tidying up & scrubbing the engine bay. Made a custom coolant overflow bottle, two custom brackets to hold accessories, removed the charcoal canister & evap valve, removed the washer fluid bottle. Waiting on an aftermarket washer fluid pump to come in the mail, and I'll make a cowl tank to keep the engine bay tidy. Also made a blockoff plate for the wax idle valve (but still need to delete the actual valve and throttle body heating lines). https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a3fabaf7_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c21407a8_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0768c75a_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7957f5b0_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7b8bdbcb_b.jpg 4th May 2021 Some small updates today for the Miata. Did an LED bulb conversion on the 3rd brake light using a blink-then-hold bulb. I then installed the brightest LED bulbs I could find for the rear running/stop lamp and turn signals. The 1MOhm mod to the flasher relay eliminated hyperflash. Video of the lights here: Also installed a 1st gear detent assembly, filled the turret with fluid, and replaced the lower shift boot. Note the shift knob is temporary, I have some parts on order to make something custom :) https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e4b6c830_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...feb6905a_b.jpg |
6th May 2021
After looking at my photos of the engine bay, I decided to take things a bit further. :)
Also repaired my inoperative RF turn signal (issue was within the canadian DRL module) changed my fuel filter, and repaired the rear main ground to the PPF. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ee1ff865_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...00f8f165_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8569b145_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e819357e_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...95874beb_b.jpg |
8th May 2021
eBay Turbo Kit! Now you know why I was tidying up the engine bay :D Bought an eBay special 1.6 Miata turbo kit. So far I'm discovering that half the items don't fit properly, but that was to be expected for the price. Finished with the cold side intercooler mounting and piping. Strangely the passenger side pieces fit perfectly, but the driver's side was WAY off. Made four separate cuts to the piping to get it fitting properly, and will need two additional straight couplers to make everything work. Also had to cut/move the brackets for some power steering and coolant lines. I'm not going to use the universal turbo oil supply stuff they included in the kit, as it's way too long, no right angle fittings, not the right thread type ETC. Going to make my own -4AN setup. Started on the hot side, and found the turbo flange on the downpipe to be either bent during shipping (was poking out of the box when it arrived), or warped from welding. Going to attempt to sand this flat as a first step. Cut/bent some of the body to make room, bashed the downpipe to give me a flat spot for more clearance. I'm also going to need to fab something to connect the downpipe to my stock exhaust. Not only are the flange sizes different, but there is a good 4" gap between where the downpipe ends and the stock system starts before the cat! If that wasn't enough, I'm also going to move the O2 sensor location, as this downpipe has it RIGHT AFTER the turbo beside the wastegate. Going to burn up wideband sensors quick with that much heat! I also snapped off a bolt in the exhaust housing of the turbo. That's going to be an interesting extraction I think! Pretty sure the included bolts are too long, and made from some kind of pot metal. Snapped with almost no effort. So I'm obviously replacing those with some 8.8 bolts. Certainly not a bolt-on kit so far, but I'm having fun anyways! :) https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d9184a08_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...19fee771_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...26579edb_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ab2fec6a_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...40171612_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...dd92c188_b.jpg |
10th May 2021
Getting close to first fire up!
Making the AN lines was fun! I've never done it before, but it was pretty straightforward. I'm not sure why the downpipe came with an O2 sensor bung RIGHT after the turbo (beside the external gate). This would cook any wideband that was installed in that location. That's why I added the stainless bung further down on the pipe. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1aef2ac7_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0461195b_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0d236465_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6231d0b2_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5bb276ee_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...93f05852_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7b63b217_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...38e1e857_b.jpg |
13th May 2021
Turbo Install is Done! :D
I'll have to break out the good camera to get some better pictures. Now the tuning fun begins! It was rattling a bit with some lights freerevs on the first test start, thankfully I shut it down because I knew something didn't sound right. Turns out it was pinging, because when I hooked up my wideband it was crazy LEAN. I like to use the "Incorporate AFR" setting, so the basemap isn't much help for the VE table (and explains why it was running so lean). I've already got the idle sorted, but the rest will have to wait for another day! Here is a Timelapse video showing (most of) the installation: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...70179067_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a49f37dd_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...14c70cbe_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a4f41b34_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b05e2ce0_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5e2f6710_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...43ee2356_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...eb63238e_b.jpg |
Had some MAJOR boost creep issues with the eBay setup. Currently have a Tial Green spring in the gate for 4.35psi.
Check out this log below, spikes to 9.7psi and leans RIGHT out with the factory injectors (at only 75% throttle). Thankfully I didn't repeat that performance and there doesn't seem to be any damage to the motor. I've now set up the gauges in tunerstudio to warn me when I'm out of fuel, which is when I lift/shift. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c7e92822_c.jpg To try and control the situation, I ported the wastegate passage in the turbo exhaust housing. I didn't get fancy with any of the edges; Just went for a straight gasket match. I haven't had a chance to do more then a couple pulls with this new modification, but so far it seems more controlled. Saw 4.2psi peak at about 75% throttle on the quick log I took today. As a sidenote, Acceleration Enrichment was disabled for the log below. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...980249ab_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...09a55ddd_c.jpg I've been having fun with the tuning. I've never tuned a boosted car before, and it's a learning experience! Haven't had a whole lot of time to tune this week, but I have enough in there to make the car very livable under 75% throttle. Still out of fuel with the factory injectors over ~5500rpm, so that will be the next upgrade. -------------- Wanted to swap out my OEM thermostat (Canadian spec cars were 195F afaik) to a 180F unit. Ended up snapping the water neck off the head instead :eek4: Thankfully I found that the unit bolts to the head, and one of the local autocross guys (shout out to Brook R!) hooked me up with a replacement that same day. He didn't even charge me anything for the part! Going to need a new upper thermostat housing piece as mine split along one of the bolt holes while liberating it from the broken bottom half. I tested it up to 210F water temp without issue. I am dripping a bit of water from where the neck contacts the head. Ordered a new o-ring, which will be in next week. Not too concerned, seems to either stop leaking or evaporate before it hits the ground when motor is up to temp. Running mostly Water+Water Wetter in the cooling system, so drips on the ground won’t be a hazard. I’ll just bring some extra on this weekend's driving to top up as needed. At least the new 180F thermostat works mint! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b5a8c0be_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...916cb85f_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9e695993_b.jpg |
Finish welded, cleaned up, painted, and installed an actual rollbar (finally rid of the style bar).
Also added 10.5lbs of sound deadening to the trunk and rear parcel shelf. Gave the car a much-needed wash today, and then grabbed some pictures and video! RX-8 Yellow injectors are ordered and in the mail! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...32281585_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b348542c_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4a0ff0c5_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c0c8234c_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...58131988_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7b1f58d9_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...486497d2_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d0058417_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3973f8d1_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...57d1a680_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a8a84069_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...092f5c53_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...575de919_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...14f71136_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...71cce8b0_b.jpg |
After only one drive with the additional sound deadening, I realized it was worth the weight penalty and decided to add some to the floors and trans tunnel.
Black material is Hushmat (sound & heat blocking), whereas the silver material is the less expensive Kilmat (sound attenuating only). The Miata no longer sounds and feels like a tin can, the sound deadening made it feel more substantial if that makes sense. I cut my eBay short throw shifter in half, and welded on a piece of rod. Throw length and knob position is perfect now, and it feels better then ever banging gears! Will be switching to a Delrin knob when the weather is no longer temperate. Leather e-brake & shift boots with green stitching match the rollbar nicely. Modified a BMW E39 e-brake handle I had lying around to complete the look. Got a set of rebuilt RX8 Yellow ~425cc fuel injectors in there as well. Tuned pretty decent after only a few short drives. They don't like to idle nicely at small PW so my idle is pretty rich. Small sacrifice to make, as the price was right and now I'm not out of fuel anymore at WOT. As you can see from the screenshots, the car is making just over 6psi at 7000rpm. Since this is a fairly big turbo, I pulled some timing out up top to reduce the power and hopefully save the clutch. Also brought the motor to a (temporarily reduced) 7000rpm redline for the first time today since the turbo swap. Obviously this area is still untuned so it was pig rich. I replaced the water neck o-ring with a brand new item and swapped the cooling system to deionized water + water wetter. Hopefully (along with the 180degree thermostat) this will give the stock cooling system a little more headroom. As a final note, changed the oil to a thicker 10w-40 to help tolerate the heat generated by the turbo. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...451c1905_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...28224ba4_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...91aa161c_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a0127a78_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6e7251cd_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3451fb9c_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ba4a2ff9_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b3d64922_b.jpg |
Went on a driving trip last weekend with some friends. It was one of those "heat warning" days when they recommend staying inside.
Took the black hardtop off the Miata so I wouldn't cook, and dumped plenty of cold water on myself while driving! The car ran flawlessly, except for a battery terminal becoming detached. Was surprised to find the car wouldn't crank after stopping for fuel; Thankfully was an easy fix with the tools I brought along. I didn't see coolant temps above 210F or IAT temps above 120F. Ambient air temp was just under 100F for reference. Before I left for the trip, I strapped a washer fluid pump to an old isopropyl alcohol bottle and crammed it down under the intake manifold. I installed a sprayer in the center of the windshield cowl, making my hoodless setup legal in my area. It held on for the whole trip and is still working great! I logged the entire 8+ hour drive in TunerStudio, and afterwards was able to clean up my fuel map for the larger RX8 injectors. Found that I was now making 7+ PSI up top, which on this big turbo has to be on the edge of slipping for this poor little 1.6 clutch. I was able to modify the wastegate lid by removing some material thus allowing the gate to open a little more. This brought my peak boost down from 7.1psi to 5.9psi (on a 4.35psi spring). Note that only the pink boost lines are scaled evenly in the screenshot, the others have differing min/max and can be ignored. The lower pink boost line is after the wastegate lid modification. Obviously the boost creep situation needs more attention, but that will have to wait until the turbo is off the car again. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3f20f710_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...aeb87328_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6758ba56_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e1e4f8d4_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8922b3ff_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ed0723fa_w.jpg |
I've been driving and enjoying the car a ton!
Down to the small details on the tune like Altitude and Manifold Temperature compensation curves. Would still like to mess around with porting my wastegate some more. Stock clutch, 5-speed trans, and 1.6L rear differential holding strong so far! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e75ff384_b.jpg |
Rainy Trackday, More Boost, Spare Engine!
Finally got the car to the track for a shakedown run. Obviously got the turbo hotter then ever before, which contributed to lost turbo nuts and a snapped stud. I was able to steal an exhaust manifold-to-block nut and cross-thread it onto the turbo stud, which held for the remainder of the track event. Will need to replace these studs with some non-ebay quality parts! The stud snapped below flush on the manifold, but I managed to get it out. Otherwise the car ran great! Used the event more like a test & tune, as I turned up the boost a bit with my newly installed manual boost controller. I still need to review some data logs & tune a bit; I hit my boost cut at 8psi a few times. While I've got the turbo off, I took it apart again to give porting the wastegate another crack. This time I paid attention to smoothing out the airflow path which should hopefully help control the boost. As a final note, I drove 4 hours this past Sunday to pick up a spare 1.6L motor & 5-speed trans for the car. After a thorough degreasing, I built a wood stand and will be fogging/storing the motor properly this week. Now I can crank up the boost without worry! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e1965bcc_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f16213c7_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5a9f3275_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...65784845_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5af8ff5f_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...988b243f_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1b8d9f68_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2d416e44_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...121947a7_b.jpg |
Love the build, you've done an amazing job.
Could you share some insight as to how you dealt with idle tuning on the SpeedyEFI? I have the same thing and for the life of me, haven't been able to figure out how to get the rpms to "catch" when going into neutral. |
Originally Posted by Mad Scientist
(Post 1604759)
Love the build, you've done an amazing job.
Could you share some insight as to how you dealt with idle tuning on the SpeedyEFI? I have the same thing and for the life of me, haven't been able to figure out how to get the rpms to "catch" when going into neutral. In theory, if you add some timing in the column just below your normal idle speed, the idle should "catch" and not stall. I'm perhaps not the best person to ask, as my RX8 yellow injectors like to idle really rich (11:1 AFR). My idle valve has also gone bad (not using it now) and so my idle is set to ~1000rpm with the idle adjust screw. I have a replacement idle valve on my spare motor, I should probably swap that onto my car! ---------------- Few small updates. I've completely solved my boost creep issue now. Check out the screenshot below. Also added two exhaust hangers for stability and reattached my exhaust tip. Still driving and enjoying the car whenever I can! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e69d3dee_z.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3d0054df_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...169616ea_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e92e8fa4_b.jpg |
Finishing up 2021
Couple more trackdays in 2021, still only able to go for 2-3 hot laps @ 6psi before coolant temps exceed 225F. I set the laptop screen to light up red when this happens so I know to run a cool-down lap. Also made a heatshield for the brake master. Also went for a BBQ at the local miata shop called Dave's Garage! Drove the car until late fall. I swapped the water+water wetter to coolant for the winter and on the test drive the car started puking coolant. Parked the car for the season and later determined it was the water pump gasket that failed. The car sat outside all winter as my BMW E30 restomod project was finally back from paint! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2a935f41_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8099d670_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...37514508_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5f4442e4_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4ac079d0_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d62651e3_b.jpg |
Cooling System Refresh & Upgrades
After pushing the stock cooling system to failure last year, it was time to get serious about keeping this little 1.6L cool. Spent most of April wrenching after work and finished the following:
Reason for exposing the timing belt was that I snapped the 32 year old rusty mounting bolts off in the block. Going to build an undertray to keep road debris out of the belt. Took the car out for it's first test drive yesterday first at 4psi and then at 6psi. Ran flawlessly, but still am going to gap the plugs down from .040 so I don't blow out spark when I turn up the boost! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4f1d5fa2_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9d0edde7_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ee2e7e74_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6d5fae2d_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...30941c18_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b41c52fe_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fde99462_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4c70928b_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f0341f69_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4d2deba4_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6f0546b3_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ece5e63d_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fb59862f_b.jpg And a shot of the Miata with my other 2021 project car, a 1998 BMW E36 328i. Build thread @ http://e36.panici.ca https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a606db72_b.jpg |
Installed a set of Flyin' Miata swaybars (22mm Front, 16mm Rear).
Very noticeable difference in handling. On stock suspension it has changed the body roll from "boat" levels to "modern car equivalent". Had to take apart all the intercooler piping and clearance my custom overflow tank to fit the bars. Have been driving the Miata for 2.5 weeks now. Having issues with idle mostly when the hood is on. It appears that the RX8 yellow injectors heat up and don't want to spray fuel at idle, so the mixture leans out. As soon as the fuel flow increases the injectors cool off and the AFRs return to normal. I've been pedaling the revs up at the stoplights and this stops the car from stalling. If this becomes too annoying I may wire a high-idle switch or pony up for some higher quality aftermarket injectors. It's too bad because the RX8 yellows are perfect everywhere except idle. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...be8e7882_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d5ecf383_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...caf2b5d4_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...022a181f_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...28164f6c_b.jpg |
Finally washed & waxed the car for the first time in 2022!
A little bit of TLC goes a long way to make this old & tired paint look good from afar. Also went for a bit of a road trip up to visit my friend Jeremy to work on his project Nissan 240 with a V8 swap. On the way back near the lake (closer to sea level) the car saw 8.5-9psi and slipped the factory clutch for the first time under boost. I turned the MBC back down to ~6psi and now will save up for a better clutch. Thinking about the Flyin' Miata happy meal Level 2 with the 10lb flywheel & full face organic clutch. It should hold whatever power I throw at this thing in the future! I updated the SpeedyEFI Speeduino ECU to the newest 2022.02 firmware. My main reason for the upgrade was that the TPS has finally been addressed, allowing "0.5% resolution for TPS load". This translates into much better TPSdot readings and therefore Acceleration Enrichment that can actually work when rolling on the throttle. Going to have to retune my VE table a bit as I was compensating for the lack of AE in my fuel table. As gas prices are getting pretty wild, I also have started exploring tuning for economy. I don't want to get too crazy as I don't have a knock sensor, but here is my AFR table as it stands. Need to test & tune to see how this fares. On my initial test drive the leaned out low-boost areas have noticeably helped with spool. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7b735e98_b.jpg Clutch slip (yellow RPM trace, top graph) https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...33753af9_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1f630aca_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f4db305f_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5ea547a1_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c67418e8_b.jpg |
Progress update from the last few months of wrenching & driving.
Miata has been doing DD duty without issue.
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Aug 22, 2022 Update
Still driving the miata. Chassis vibration around 4000rpm (110km/h) was getting progressively worse. Installed new OEM Mazda engine mounts, intake manifold brace, and aftermarket door bushings to solve the problem. Refinished my set of 16" wheels with a fresh coat of white wheel paint and clear. Brand new set of Continental Extreme Contact Sport tires in 205/45R16 (TW340) mounted up. Aftermarket TPS that was included with the SpeedyEFI has developed a couple bad spots. This made the car spike lean as Acceleration Enrichment didn't trigger properly. As luck would have it, it's the same sensor on my 90s BMW engines. I happened to have a spare used OEM sensor in storage, which I installed to correct the TPS reading issue. Other things of note:
Runs @ 6psi and 9psi https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a30ab86c_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ddda2358_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...190e52c7_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fc62be00_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...79bdb10d_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...32d87624_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...62ac506b_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...abb4a3bc_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2d2c7440_b.jpg |
End of Season 2022
Drove the Miata until mid-october this year. It's parked for the winter now with the battery stored in the basement. Running a Tial Red spring now (5.8psi) in the wastegate with the MBC turned up to ~10psi. Somehow the clutch is now holding? I did exchange the clutch fluid with some fresh, but I can't see that making a difference. As for issues, firstly my charge pipes started popping off. Borrowed my friend's bead roller (thanks Zack!) which was able to roll all the raw edges except for the smallest at the cold side outlet of the turbo. I used some pliars on that as a stopgap. Second issue will require attention in the springtime; The engine is pushing oil out of every seal. Going to need a catch can setup first thing in 2023. Open to suggestions as to how people with semi-tucked/tidied engine bays go about running catch can setups that aren't just hoses everywhere. Oh, I also swapped out the broken coil bracket which solved an intermittent sync loss on the speeduino. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e26c33b5_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a2386bed_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...72cdcafc_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...763da3b7_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...15300319_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f45eaa16_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6468f3b4_b.jpg |
Sitrep for 2023
Took the car out at the beginning of April. Heater core is still unhooked so the morning drives to work are a bit chilly. Five clicks on the MBC makes about 8psi on a cold morning, car still pulls strong. Added a bit of hose to the engine block vent port on the passenger side. (Thanks @Icedawg for the details). Engine is no longer breathing through the valve cover vents. Right now the hose just comes up into the engine bay and shoots oily mist at the underside of the hood. 😅 Going to connect a catch can there. Exhaust is slowly getting louder under the car. There is a hole near the cat and it's getting worse. I have tubing, cat, muffler, etc to make a full custom downpipe-back exhaust, just need the weather and time to fabricate and install! Most pressing issue is the new smell of gasoline inside the cabin (and outside on a hot day). Obviously I've got a small leak somewhere, will need to take a look at all the fuel lines as they are probably due for replacement. Weather is still quite cold so probably won't get to this for a few weeks, and will park the car meantime. |
Installed a couple of catch cans to help with the block venting.
Starter gave out in July 2023, changed it out with a Bosch Reman unit (Thanks Elyse for the help!). Clutch hydraulics quit in August, put in a complete Exedy kit (master/line/slave cyl). Update on the fuel smell situation. Found my gas tank leaking at the rear seam due to rust. Drove the car for a few months like that with the tank below 1/4 full, and windows down. Eventually the fumes were too much, and I parked the car a couple months early for the winter season. I bought a replacement gas tank, so now comes the big job of dropping the subframe to get access. While I'm in there, the subframe and rear suspension is going to get a refresh. Managed to JUST squeeze the miata in the 1.5 car garage so I can plug away slowly over the winter months. There is enough room to walk sideways between the two cars. So far I have the car well-supported, exhaust off, wheels off, driveshaft unbolted, and all relevant bolts soaked in penetrating fluid. The stretch goal for the off-season is also to fabricate a new downpipe-back exhaust that is properly sized. I have all the tubing, muffler, cat, v-bands on hand, just need the time. Hoping to get close to subframe removal next weekend. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5ab704d6_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...243fa934_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f541210f_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a4ff0526_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...abab6c29_o.jpg |
Winter 2024 Update
Slowly but surely I worked at the gas tank replacement, took me from January to March working a little every weekend. Dropped the rear subframe, replaced fuel hoses with quality Gates items, Painted the surface rust on the exposed chassis, replaced the tank with an aftermarket unit. One of the previous owners didn't reinstall a front PPF bolt, I found two mismatched small bolts in it's place. Purchased a new large bolt and cleaned up the captured nut with a tap. Since I had the brake system drained, I replaced the hoses with Flyin' Miata Braided DOT approved items, and Super DOT 3 fluid. Topped things off with an oil change. Wanted to get the car on the road for the spring so bushing replacement and exhaust work will have to wait. Also not really enough room to take apart the subframe. I can tell you, I'm not doing such a major job right beside my E30 in the future. Nerve wracking having a fresh paintjob in the danger zone. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...521762a7_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a83250ec_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...118a063b_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7428e94a_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...57166dca_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...af246190_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...77b775a8_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fbc7c5a0_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e91dc8dd_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...42cc6fc6_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...46ddb4c8_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...496c7fb1_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bdea3ee2_o.jpg |
Loving all the updates man, looking good! I can't say I'm a huge fan of the red/green combo, but it's nice to see this car getting the love it deserves. I'm going to have to take a peek at your build thread on that brown bimmer, it looks beautiful .
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Originally Posted by Fireindc
(Post 1647366)
Loving all the updates man, looking good! I can't say I'm a huge fan of the red/green combo, but it's nice to see this car getting the love it deserves. I'm going to have to take a peek at your build thread on that brown bimmer, it looks beautiful .
I still like the green accents on the roll bar and cam gears. But I want to change the hood out for an OEM gloss black one if I can find it locally. Would match the hardtop nicely. I've had that brown E30 for 10 years now, it's a long thread but truly a passion project! :) |
Originally Posted by Panici
(Post 1647369)
Thanks man! This thread never gets any comments so I didn't know if anyone was reading along.
: Pos-cat added. |
Originally Posted by Lokiel
(Post 1647375)
I LOVE seeing rescued cars and what other people are doing to theirs so please keep posting - if nothing else, build threads provide a great log of your car's history.
Pos-cat added. It is nice to keep it as a log. I've found it comes in handy as reference years down the road to remember exactly what was done. Maybe more of an issue with many project cars/motorcycles going on at the same time. 😅 |
Fun build! I'm in a similar boat. I thought I'd do bushings and a new midpipe over the winter but other projects took priority.
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First wash of 2024 for the Miata.
Morning drives are a bit chilly with the heater core not connected, but otherwise the car is running great! Zero fuel smell now. Still leaks oil like crazy, which unfortunately makes a mess of the driveway. Would like to build and reseal that spare 1.6L motor, but I'm pretty sure it has some crank wobble I will need to address. Went to empty my catch cans for the first time and found absolutely nothing in the passenger side can, so that has been removed and the block vent just connected to some hose pointed at the bottom of the engine bay. Not having the filter vent on the passenger side firewall has reduced the smell of oil in the cabin significantly. Driver's side can had a very small amount of condensation, but I was expecting significantly more . Decided to delete that can as well and run the vac line directly from the valve cover into the turbo. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d3f6b4b7_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ec75a153_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...de58a1ca_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...af530b29_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1f096258_o.jpg |
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