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.

 

Will do.
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.

 

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.

 

Quick update before I forget the details.

Drove the car for about a month this spring. One day, merging onto the highway resulted in a cloud of blue smoke behind the car, and then it quickly started overheating (coolant temperature). No signs of trouble before this. Shut the car down and let it cool at the side of the road.

Investigation revealed a coolant leak behind the head, and a half-empty rad. Drove the car back home that evening, stopping to fill it with water and let it cool a few times.
That blue/oil cloud must have been the oil reaching it's smoking point in the head and billowing out of the block vent hose under the car.

Initially thought the coolant leak was a spot on the reroute hose that wore through on a bracket, but after fixing discovered that spot hadn't worn completely through the hose yet.
Took off the FM thermostat housing (along with everything else on the back of the engine to gain access) thinking it was a gasket or sealing issue.

It was then I discovered the rubber coolant cap on the back of the head had split in half. This is known as the "Cursed Water Plug". I didn't know about it, or I would have replaced when I did the FM reroute a few years back.

Car is back together now and holding coolant temperature.
No oil/water mixing so I got away with it (without blowing a headgasket).

This motor is already tired anyways, and leaks from every seal.
I'd like to rebuild a spare 1.6L and swap it in. If I ever stop taking on new projects there is a chance!

 

Drove the car for a few weeks, but oil loss is HIGH.
Having to check and potentially add oil every time I drive isn't great.

I don't think the car is burning it off, as there is no blue smoke and it runs normally.

Need to investigate further, starting with the block vent/breather that's now running to a loose hose under the car. I know the motor is probably on it's last legs...

 

Just came across this build thread today and really love your build! I'm also from Canada (Alberta) and always good to see someone rescuing a poor Miata from rustbelt.


I hope you still have the car and still enjoy it.

 

Thanks for the read!
Yes I do still have the car.

Unfortunately it's been sitting for a year as the top end of the motor is making some very unhappy sounds. Almost like a diesel idling.
I do have a spare engine. The plan is eventually to pull the one from the car, take the best bits from each, and put a refreshed one back in.

Life has gotten in the way at the moment, so the car is sitting. Wish I had indoor storage, but it is what it is.

Thought about selling but I won't even get half of what I've spent on the car back, so will hold onto it for now.