92 Turbo 1.6 "Road Warrior"
 

​**Edit** I guess I should mention here at the start what my goal for the car is; I always just wanted this to be a street car that was capable at open track and autocross. I've also always had a dream of building my own 4cylinder to run 12's on boost. Since I already had a Greddy kit and already had two 1.6 motors, I figured I would take the 1.6 and the Greddy as far as I could safely take them. I've thrown around power "goals" of 290-350whp but I've seen mixed results on if it was even possible. I plan on eventually doing water-meth injection and possibly nitrous to get there, but those would be some of the last "power adders" after the rest of the supporting mods are completed. I don't like the look of "aero" on a street car (like wings, splitters, front air dams) and especially hate them if I know they're not functional. To each their own, but if that kind of "racecar" stuff is YOUR thing, this might not be the build thread for you.
TLDR: This is the story of me taking a 1.6 miata block and a TD04H turbo as close to 350whp as I can on a street car, and hopefully making it capable of 12's in a 1/4mi without changing the setup (other than tire pressures).


This 92' was bought from some old guy by my friend Garrett many years ago. The guy said it wouldn't run but Garrett put a new battery in it and drove it home for $700.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463390450


He autocrossed it and eventually found a used Greddy turbo kit and put it on the car. He would also install some Megan EZ Street coilovers. This was his DD and it got put through some interesting weather conditions.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463390450

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463390450

A cursed water plug issue caused his head gasket to fail. Instead of replacing the gasket he decided to motor swap in another 1.6 he had found on craigslist. In the process he removed the power steering and AC. The new engine worked fine except it was leaking coolant under boost. We assumed it was the head gasket and so we replaced it. This is the car just after that work was being finished up.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463390990


He drove it less than a week after this and the car had an engine fire, the result of a cracked head (causing the coolant leak). The head leaked coolant into spark plug wells #2 and #3. He also had a leaking fuel pressure regulator, so when he went to check those cylinder plugs one day, a fireball happened, and an engine fire happened. He would eventually sell the car to me for $700 bucks, He was tired of working on it and swore it was cursed.
This was some of the damage I had set into repairing.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463390990


The wiring harness from the starter back to the firewall was fried. The washer fluid bottle was melted, the hood was warped and scarred, the clutch line was destroyed/charred, two of the injectors were melted, and various plastic pieces and wires needed to be replaced.
Here was the damage on the TOP of the hood (the bottom looked worse, but I never took a picture of it)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463390990

I took the original head Garrett had in the car and gave it a good once-over. I took it to the machine shop and had them resurface it and replace valve seals and do a pressure test. I replaced all of the parts of the car that had fire damage and washed/resprayed anything I could to make the car look half-okay. I de-turbo'd the car to get it back to a "reliable" state. After I reassembled it all the car fired up and was a great little daily driver. I gave it the "more aggressive timing" that is often recommended and ran premium gas for it.
I drove the car like this for almost a year and in the process visited family in Colorado Springs and drove to the top of Pikes Peak.
I'm originally from Colorado Springs and had been to the top of Pikes Peak probably 3-4 times and went to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb "Race to the Clouds" 3 different times but I had never driven my own car to the top. So this was a long-time goal of mine finally achieved on a car that I had put a lot of work into. It was a great day!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463391857


View from the top of my Mom's place:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463391857



​

On the way back from Colorado I noticed a scuffing noise coming from the car. It was cyclical and varied with speed. Initially I thought it was the driver's side wheel bearing so I replaced it. I thought it had gone away and drove it a while longer, but then the sound came back. It sounded more and more like a knock instead of a scuff and it only occurred during certain RPM ranges. I thought I had let the car run a day or two on low oil before I realized it and thought for sure I had trashed the bearings on this motor. So i decided to build the short-nose motor that was originally in the car.
I bit the bullet and sent it off to my local machine shop so they could build it. I figured that if I was about to go through the work to put a new block in the car, it might as well be built for boost. So, I bought some goodies.
FM rebuild kit
Wiseco Piston Rings
Supertech Pistons
Manley Rods
ACL Main Bearings
etc etc.
Also had the oil pan drilled and tapped for an oil drain line on the driver side of the engine.
Here's the engine when I just got it back from the shop all ready to drop in:https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463392349

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463392349

Out with the old!
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463392774

A word of caution: Anyone who is using the orange harbor freight engine hoist on their Miata needs to know that the top arm simply isn't long enough. Even on the "longest" setting (holds the least weight) it wasn't quite long enough to INSTALL our engine. Pulling it was a breeze, but install was a nightmare because of this. The answer is to remove the front bumper and its plastic support. This would have given enough clearance to use the orange harbor freight engine crane.

Empty bay!
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463392774


We took off all the accessories on this engine to use on our fresh one (sans oil pump):
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463392774

New engine on the stand with the old block on the cardboard of shame:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463393084




Other side of the old engine on the crane:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463393084


The car also got a new clutch and pressure plate combo that I didn't get a picture of. IIRC it is an ACT "Stage 2" which feels very much like a stock clutch if anyone is ever interested in them.
There'e me under the car making a creepy face. I was going half-insane from fighting the short-armed crane when trying to install the motor. Tools got thrown around more than once.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463393084

FINALLY back together on a built motor with turbo. Notice the discoloration on the Vortech FMU and the scorch marks on the firewall. I added an ebay Oil catch can and JB Welded shut the cursed water plug, the oil return on the passenger side of the engine, the EGR nipple on the intake manifold, and the open hole that is on replacement oil pumps. JB weld is my friend.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463393657


Notice in this picture that the heater lines don't have hoses on them. I ran the coolant bypassing them for a little while because they were leaking bad enough that I had hot coolant spraying on my ankles at one autocross event when I took a hard right-hand turn. I used a socket that was just the right OD to fit the ID of the heater pipe which re-rounded them out. Then I put new hoses on them and they've been good ever since!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463393657

This "charge pipe" setup was pretty awful even at the stock Greddy boost levels. The pipes never wanted to stay together. In this picture you can see some liberal use of duct tape used as a "cap" on the intake. This saved an autocross day for me and actually held for 100's of miles until I gave the intake pipe to a friend and intercooled the car. I have a new-found respect for multiple layers of duct tape and a worm gear clamp.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463394161


Here you can see a block off plate I made with an old computer case and a pair of tin snips. By the way tin snips are NOT the right tool for cutting a steel computer case (it was.....difficult....) RTV was used for a gasket. This is still on the car and going strong. I love the simplified amount of coolant lines on the car now too! ISCV, IAC, and TPS delete! I opted to keep the dashpot but it may get removed later.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463394161


I used JB Weld's "Steel Stick" to cap off the EGR on this intake manifold.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463394161

Since I had a ton of issues with the stock Greddy Piping I needed to upgrade. I wanted to try to reduce the amount of couplers (and thus, potential points of failure) and/or upgrade the couplers to a higher quality with properly sized piping, etc. So I bought a nice eBay kit for like $110 with 2.5" piping. Black aluminum with bead rolled ends. I had an EMUSA core bar and plate intercooler that Garrett gave to me as part of the sale so I put it all together. Along with that I decided to clock the turbo to make it all work.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463394856

I needed to have a straight oil drain tube off of the turbo so I ordered this kit for $12 shipped "Turbo Oil Drain Return Pipe Kit Mitsubishi TD02 TF035 TD04 TD05 TD06 KKK K03 K04" from eBay from a seller called xaturbo (That's the brand too XA Turbo). Was a really nice quality piece that came with hardware and a gasket.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463394856

With the turbo clocked and the new drain line installed:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463394856

And the turbonetics brand (lol, as if it matters) brass fitting in the pan. It's something like a 45degree angle which works great for my setup!
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463394856

BTW for anyone wanting to do this, I took my turbo off to do the oil drain line (If I remember right I think I had to in order to get a tool where the oil drain is). I had a pair of needle nose pliers that I used to take the giant retaining ring off that holds the turbo housings together. The two C-Clip tools I had bought for this purpose would not take it off and just bent/broke.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463395275

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463395275


Once I had the intercooler piping mocked up I decided to try this as an intake setup...it failed miserably because the turbo inlet on the turbo that I have is smooth and without a bead on the edge which makes it hard to retain a bite with a coupler. The inlet is also recessed into the compressor housing slightly and causes clamps to have clearance issues.

I even had a bracket up under the AFM on this setup but it wasn't enough. Once the turbo got hot that "silicone" coupler turned into jelly and came loose, ending an autocross day prematurely. My bracket was merely a "hold-up" to allow the AFM to rest on it. The bracket was bolted to the body of the car (which doesn't move like the motor does). Also, since it was just holding it up, during cornering the AFM actually wobbled side to side enough to contact the timing belt. The only way I'd run an intake setup like this would be if it had at LEAST one bracket that was bolted on both ends: one on the motor and one on the AFM, otherwise there's too much mass being supported by the turbo inlet coupler.

That glorious little filter is another eBay purchase; a Spectre 8168 SHORT LOW PROFILE. Fits 3" 76mm. I love that thing.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463395275

Once the setup was complete it looked like this: Mouth full o' intercooler! For mounting I drilled two holes in the metal in front of the radiator and put threaded rod into the threaded sections that were already on the top of the intercooler. The rod I used was A2 SS, M8 x 1.25mmx1m
1 meter was enough to do the two support rods and have extra.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463395857

This was the intake setup I ended up going with. If you're still using the AFM, it's basically required to have its weight supported in all directions somehow. This is easiest doing it like Greddy did and just flopping it over the driver side shock tower. The shiny pipe is a 180˚ 2.75" (70MM) pipe from ebay with bead rolled ends. The AFM side of that pipe is coupled with a 2 3/4" (70mm) Hump Straight Silicone Coupler, the turbo side of that pipe has a 2 3/8" to 2 3/4" Straight Reducer Silicone Coupler (60mm to 70mm). After clocking the turbo I needed a specific coupler to get the intercooler piping to mate up more easily so I used a 2" to 2.5" (51mm - 64mm) 90 Degree Silicone Elbow Reducer. It connects from the compressor to my 2.5" intercooler piping.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463395857

You might also notice in the pic above that I added a MBC. This one is the Voodoo V. I'm still unsure whether or not this thing is doing its job. More testing is needed.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...25b26747ff.jpg

I found a Mercury Capri XR2 Turbo at the junkyard and snagged its valve cover. Its powdercoat was flaking which matches my car's "paint scheme" perfectly. Also note I used 949's braided steel clutch line when I fixed the fire damage, you can see it in this pic. I pulled the rear vent tube on the Capri Valve cover and tapped it. Then threaded a bolt into it to cap it off. I'm just using the single "front" vent for PCV now (running it into my oil catch can, and then VTA). I didn't realize it at the time, but the valve cover on my Miata is what had the mount for the ignition coil, so I made a new (temporary) "bracket" out of 4 zip ties. This held up through 3 autocross events until I finally upgraded it.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463397622


I also picked this up!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463397622


To make this work with my universal piping I bought a flange from "enjuku" on eBay called: "ISIS Performance Aluminum Modular BOV Flange" for $10. I had a local guy TIG weld it on for $20 and I now have a nice setup for my BOV. This is an extremely convenient flange since you can unscrew the flat flange surface and weld the fishmouth on while keeping a tight profile to your intercooler piping. I was hoping to be able to unscrew this part of the flange to remove my BoV if I ever needed to but Greddy's BoV hardware has bolts that stick THROUGH the flange holesand bolt on the backside, they're long enough that It makes contact with the pipe and I have to unbolt the BoV if I want to remove it. I may tap the flange and BoV eventually and use bolts in the future.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463397622


I like this location because I can still adjust the BoV and the outlet for it faces down which should reduce the chance that any debris finds its way into the mouth somehow.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463397622

I used a bar of thick aluminum and twisted it for a bracket. I mounted it to the tapped PCV location and then drilled a hole on the other end to mount the ignition coil.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463398126


I also decided to do a few other small things on the car at this point. I converted the "knee/map" lights to LED, which helped a bit with light output. I still couldn't see anything above my waist at night so I decided to to a lighted rearview mirror. I added LED's into it as well and wired it all up. End result was amazing! My crappy phone pics just don't do it justice.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463398126


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463398126


Also put a light in my boost gauge. The company sells a light kit for like $30 bucks or something, but that's way too expensive for what it is. I was able to buy ten T10 168 194 2825 Wiring Harness sockets for $6.66 shipped from eBay. Here is the result (in person doesn't look overbight/bleedover)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463398126

Went on a cruise with some friends of mine on some good twisty roads around here. Pretty hilly with a few switchbacks. Well, found the weak link....brake fluid. After three spirited runs on a particularly twisty/hilly section of road. I went from completely fine brakes to nothing in about two turns. We suspect the brake fluid ended up boiling and/or the pads just went past their max operating temp range (it has autozone brake fluid and random OEM replacement pads). Here was the result:


An interesting image taken from video that day. This is from my friend's car whom was behind me. I probably eventually was about 2-3 feet in the air after hitting the right rear wheel into an embankment that had concrete poured over it.

Flyin' Miata
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463398965


It was a beautiful day for a drive, that's where I ended up landing, you can see the two scrape marks where the tow hooks from the miata dug in to the cement (keep in mind the right rear wheel of the car hit first)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463398965


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463398965


Luckily everyone was okay, just banged up. Got a tow truck out after a few hours and took it home:
The "baby teeth" saved the front end.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463398965


One advantage of not hard-mounting the bottom of the intercooler....it just swung out of the way during the collision. It doesn't have any leaks at all right now, just looks bad.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463398965


The right rear wheel that took the brunt of the blow.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463398965


Finish panel exploded for no reason, and some rear bumper scuffing action.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463398965


The only real metal (monobody) damage was on the passenger front rocker panel from when we spun back around and landed on the lip of the road.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463398965

I forgot to mention (and think it's funny that no picture clearly shows it) but for a while I had been driving around with my hood wire-brushed. I got tired of the old paint look and did this instead. I actually got quite a few compliments on it (this hood had been through a fire so I didn't care too much).
​https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463399829

And so the car sat for a while until I was able to order the repair parts. It needed upper and lower control arms front and rear. I also gave it new tie rod ends just in case. I was able to re-shape the rear fender arch by hand and reattach the bumper with ease. While it was out of commission I also added a new upper radiator panel.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463399829

Painted the headlight covers and got a new hood!
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1463399829

I just finished up the suspension work two days ago and sanded down the bumper a little bit. Going to look into products to fill in/ repair the plastic and respray it myself. I got a set of stock NA wheels from my friend with tires at a great deal and should be going to get my exhaust all fabbed up very soon (as the stock exhaust broke in the wreck).

Also will have to replace belts because one of my t-bolt clamps got pushed into the belts and scarred them up pretty bad.
I'll update as things happen (and they should happen soon-ish!)

Future plans include a Reverant ECU, 1.8 Rear end with LSD, another rearview mirror (mine broke in the accident), brake pads, brake lines, brake fluid, turbo heat shielding, new bracket for wastegate actuator, and loads more!

Got a new rear finish panel from Carbon Miata. Very happy with it overall. Needed a tad bit of dremel work on the holes that mount the license plate to the car (maybe 1/4" clearance) but that was easy and end up being hidden behind the plate.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1465895961



Also got a new radio surround from DDM Works which I am SUPER happy with. Amazing product there. They also sell a 3 hole and 2 hole version for mounting gauges, and you can get a flipped 3 hole version so your gauges are on top. Check those guys out, as they made a really quality part with this one! Also pictured here is my shift knob I think I've failed to mention in any other posts. It's from James Barone Racing and weighs in at a whopping 625grams! I LOVE the way the car shifts with this thing. Part number is MAZ-CYL-5RLR-BLK but they have others threaded for Mazda's in varying shapes and weights. And those rubber O-Rings around the knob they call "Kritz Rings" and I would encourage you to buy your shift knob with them. They give a much better feel/grip overall. I wouldn't have imagined those O-Rings would make much difference, but after trying the shift knob with and without the rings, I'm convinced they are the way to go.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1465895961

Even though I don't agree with all your decisions, this has been an enjoyable read. I subscribed lol.

Thanks Joseph, welcome aboard! This is what the intercooler looks like after the wreck. I "Fixed" the bumper (with an angle grinder).

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1466104948


I also needed to get a new picture for this amazing spot to mount a MBC. I have it out of the equation in this pic (just running on the 7lb wastegate for now). This is a terrible picture but the location is near the drivers fender just behind the headlight.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1466104948


I also got a heatshield and slapped the old turbo blanket back on (at a strange angle)! This setup is actually helping a lot with temps (haven't checked scientifically, but I swear it helps!)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1466104948


Shiny parts on an ugly car makes everything better! New oil cap!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1466104948


Painted the wiper arms!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1466104948


Also since the lighted mirror I had broke (on my hand) in the wreck, I bit the bullet and went with the Jass performance visor lights. I'm really happy with these! (install is a bit fiddly, they're expensive, but they're really nice)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1466104948

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1466104948

Have I mentioned that I hate points of failure....especially coolant lines? I haven't? Well then:

I hate coolant lines! I hate coolant in general, the smell and feel of that crap just bugs me. I'm running distilled water with some additive in it now that it's summer. I did some research and found that I would supposedly be okay deleting these lines on the front of the Miata. Since I wasn't sure, I JB welded bolts into the lines so that now I'm sure! :party:
These are valve cover bolts for a Ford Focus (which, by the way, are a lot stronger than our VC bolts). I used this same "technique" on the "cursed water plug" on the back of the block years ago and it's never leaked since. I was using those vacuum cap rubber plugs you can buy from the auto parts store, but they kept cracking over time so I made a more permanent fix. What prompted this, by the way: I realized that during the wreck the car had jumped timing somehow. So when replacing the accessory belt I also did the timing belt. When replacing the timing belt I noticed a tiny leak coming from the lower right mixer tube (the line that comes from the actual mixer unit). After removing my hose I realized that the actual aluminum line on the mixer neck had a pinhole leak in it...so I "fixed" it.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1466106144


Also, the crank pulley bolts are awful. Period. They can't hold the 10lb/ft torque they're supposed to hold without stripping over or breaking in half. I saw a lot of debate about this on the forum and a few guys said "they always break" and everyone else acts like those guys are retards and don't know how to install things properly. Well chalk me up with the camp that swears those bolts are total shit. (because they are...they're grade 2 hardware....on your damn pulley stack...You gonna trust that?) I went out to Fastenal and got some grade 12.9 M6x1.0x16mm hex head fasteners. I had to tap the messed up threads on the pulley for M6x1.0 (I think it might be m6x1.25 normally) I have no idea how/why it actually tapped properly to a coarser thread pitch (without going up in size to M8) but it holds 15lb/ft of torque now and those bolts don't move. I had such success that I used the same bolts on the water pump which you can see here. The water pump is already m6x1.0....so now you can use one fastener for both pulleys and stop getting those bolts confused.

If you are going to delete your coolant lines like me, you must drill a hole in your thermostat at least 3/16" in size. Someone smart on the forum had that recommendation. I drove the car around (on goofy not-alignment) and it heated up like normal and held temp like normal. That hole allows coolant to pass the thermostat and go into the radiator before the coolant gets to a temp that would cause the thermostat to open normally. Since you bypass super-hot coolant coming from the heater core (no coolant touching the backside of the thermostat), the thermostat takes a bit longer to open up (I think).

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1466106144

I really felt the need to upgrade things that weren't broken and NOT fix things that are still broken: So I bought these!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1467100494

Another eBay purchase! Those HID projectors are actually really nice and have a great cutoff. I still need to lengthen 4 wires to get high beams but they work great otherwise. The smoked turn signals and running lights were also really nice quality and came with new screws, pigtails and bulb sockets. I think I paid $110 for the headlights and maybe $60 for the signals (all 6 in a kit).

I also decided it was LONG overdue that I clean up my interior a bit. I got some NB1 seats in decent condition (better than my torn and mismatched seats. (I WAS running a tan NB2 driver seat and a stock black NA passenger seat). I actually like the way the NB1 seats feel even though everyone says they're the worst seat ever. I'm a big guy though so my opinion usually differs from other people on seats anyways. You will also notice my $4 "wedgie" cup holder from AutoZone. Worth every dollar. Lastly the new shift boot from RedLine. I used "Goop" to secure the new leather to the little plastic ring near the top of the shifter. I'm happy with the quality of stitching and leather and the fit. Top notch product!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1467100494

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1467100494

My Dad gave me a Seibon CF hood that he accidentally broke (it flew off the car he was towing at 70mph). He failed to realize that the hood didn't have the rear bolts installed in it before he started driving. It broke pretty bad but I'm going to try to fix it (since it's a ~$500 hood). If anyone was wondering, I can confirm that the CF hood is in fact a few pounds heavier than the stock NA aluminum one. I've seen it stated that people didn't believe that it was possible to get lighter than CF, but I assure you Mazda has accomplished it with our stock hoods, my official "arm-O-meter" weight comparison told me so. I want the hood for the looks (one of the few times I would do form over function).

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1467101529

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1467101529

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1467101529


I'm waiting on products to come in the mail before I tackle that. I'm planning on wet sanding the scratches and respraying the clearcoat. On the bottom I'm going to use liberal amounts of 3M Bondo Hair that I ordered from Jegs to reinforce the structure and fill in pieces that broke off. I'll update when things happen with that project.
My Dad is also going to hook me up (on the cheap) with a hardtop that's missing its rear latches (the ones that fit over the frankenstein bolts) I'm hoping bolt-on latches will hold it securely enough to eliminate road noise. It looks like it flew off a car at some point too so I'll be refinishing it. Here's a teaser pic of how that's going to go down:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1467101529


The car he bought also has these sweet door sills that I'm gonna buy from him! I looked around and apparently these were sold from a company called "mmmiata" that went out of business some ~4 years ago, So maybe they're like rare/uncommon now. Either way I like the ABS plastic way better than the aluminum door sills I've seen sold.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1467101529

As the car spent more and more time down I decide that instead of going the quick and cheap route I'd spend some time and money and do things right. First thing was to fix the remaining damage from the wreck, rebuild the turbo, upgrade the god-awful Greddy downpipe, do some heat management, upgrade brakes, etc etc. This was my table after the turbo rebuild was done. It was relatively easy and I now swear by Knipex tools. They were the only C-Clamp pliers I could find that wouldn't bend when removing that huge c-clip on the turbo housing. I later had this assembly balanced professionally by some really great guys who did great work locally. If you need a turbo balanced PM me and I can get you their contact info, they do mail-in balances often. They do both component and assembly balancing.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...13dc538dbc.jpg

Since heat is part of what caused my issue, heat management was a major goal during the car's downtime. I upgraded the brake system with 949 Racing's Upgrade kit using new rotors, pads, and stainless steel lines. Also made sure to use high quality brake fluid this time. I upgraded the front a rear swaybars on the car to larger diameter ones in preparation for future mods. I used DEI titanium header wrap on my downpipe and their reflect-a-gold tape on the brake master. I also used my old license plate and "Header Armor" to create a turbo "blanket" to keep heat from baking the hood and wrapped the manifold in that same stuff. It was a difficult product to work with and I ended up with a lot of wasted product. It's also a pain to remove and re-install if that's needed. I also noticed my wastegate diaphragm was leaking (I had a boost "leak" somewhere and finally found it) and replaced it with a new mitsubishi unit. Of course the new one is different from the original Greddy piece so I made a new bracket out of some aluminum stock, you can see it in the last picture.
In the 2nd to last picture you will also notice I've added A/C back onto the car. I'm going hardtop-only so my comfort was a real concern on hot autocross days sitting in the grid in Arkansas.
Big thanks to Abe at ARTech Fabrication for the downpipe. It's a beautiful piece and fits a 3" pipe in a tight spot. (Almost sad I covered it up with header wrap)

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...677336b17f.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...bb572ab0d5.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8bdd45826c.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...384349dd0e.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...563e5620d9.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3612d3fe61.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3d2e9e753c.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...769a1c2cd9.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...dc3da797fc.jpg

I needed to make a single post about something: bolts. I want to re-iterate that Mazda made the pulley bolts too weak, here's my pictures to prove it:
The bolts that hold the pulley on are Grade 2 hardware. You can break them in half under normal torque specs if they're old. That's what happened here. It's also apparent that the previous owner had confused the bolts from something else on the car. The upgrade was simple enough and gives me serious peace of mind.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...995014640d.jpg



Another set of bolts I had an issue with (that's more commonly an issue for others) is the turbo manifold bolts. I bit the bullet and bought the $80 kit from FlyinMiata to never have these be an issue again. They were FAR easier to install that I expected. the first picture is what happened when my last manifold bolts came loose after a day at the track. That gasket isn't supposed to look like that...
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d89615ae09.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e5b065c123.jpg

Installed a new vibrant intercooler (has yet to be piped) and worked on some cosmetic things:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7b11fd1a24.jpg


RB2 front bumper. I needed to fill in the brand name "impression" on the right side since I'm planning on vinyling the car.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f13f639856.jpg

It got the 3M treatment. I built this up using layers of fiberglass kittyhair, then once it was close it got a few layers of bondo and lots of sanding between each.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...54eedfd664.jpg

Quick shot of primer afterwards. Vinyl will follow eventually. Still need to do some finish work on the part so it'll accept all the turn signals properly, mount up sturdy, etc.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...29c2a46c21.jpg

I also got a new phone (takes better pictures, can't you tell?) Here's a shot of the center console area again. You can better appreciate the quality of the radio surround/blanking plate. Also the JBR shift knob, the Redline shift boot and E-brake boot. Also bought the Jass Motorsports window switches in the hopes that my slow windows would speed up (since I already bought the nylon window guides)...plus these switches look good!
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...78bcdce0da.jpg

I had a dent in the driver rear quarter panel. I'm pretty sure this area will eventually be covered up by a fender flare/ cut out, but I wanted to get more experience doing body filler/work so I tried my hand at it. Was a good learning experience for sure. I learned I don't have the right tools for sanding.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...de91216c6f.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...dfde131e0f.jpg

Sorry for the bad lighting here. It isn't perfect, but WAY better than what it was and definitely good enough to vinyl over.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...bc82e0bad8.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4582e25d3c.jpg

After a LOT of sanding and two layers of fiberglass.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ea457ebe10.jpg

This part was reinforced on BOTH sides of the crack. The plastic had completely torn here from the accident.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...dabca75756.jpg

If you look back at the pictures of my accident you'll see the BEFORE of this corner of the car. It had deep gouges and a large crack. I'm very pleased with how this turned out considering how bad it was when I started.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...00c6005b05.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f470056574.jpg

Took the car to get an alignment. I put the extended lower ball joints from 949 Racing on the car and was finally able to hit my alignment specs I wanted. Before, I was only able to get 0.0 on the driver front. Now I'm able to get over -4.5 if I wanted to! I went with a much more reasonable -2.5 front camber but I'm VERY happy with the E-LBJ as an upgrade/solution to front camber on the car. Simple to install and cheap. I made sure to do this alignment after ballast and a ride height adjustment (since replacing the entire right side suspension components). Ride height and alignment are now spot on. I also have new Falken Azenis RT615K+ all around so it's getting close to ready to run again!
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...050fad06ae.jpg

Nardi Classic wheel with NRG quick release hub.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3e4a48c329.jpg

Installed the Jass Gauge Bezels. Pro-Tip, don't use Gorilla Glue Gel on this. The spots that look like scuff marks in this picture are actually an off-gassing that the product does as it dries (it gets hot and cures). Now that residue is visible on my gauge and looks like a cloud. I'm going to have to clean the metal bezels and get a new gauge cover (and uninstall the bezels and reinstall in a new housing). Huge pain.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...41970babdb.jpg

Also picked up their A/C faceplate and a new HVAC control unit that has an A/C button (mine didn't).
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...0a566bc294.jpg

Once I'm done with all these upgrades I promise I'll detail the interior!
IL Motorsports pedals installed. I LOVE these so much. They feel amazing and were SUPER simple to install. Function better than any aftermarket pedal I've had on any car. (And they look great!)
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...534a1cabad.jpg

what's the point of wrapping the DP like that? you enjoy premature failure over longevity in order to gain immeasurable performance?

i do really like those door sills.

I absolutely love this thread. Just the perfect amount of hodgepodging and good parts.
I'm also amazed at how little damage your car took (based off of the picture). I wish you the best of luck!

Nice to see another person from Arkansas here. Did you wreck your car in mountain view. That looks so familiar. I've driven every curvy road in your side of the state.

Braineack- My decision to wrap the DP came from my brake failure and my concern that it came from the temps at the brake master reservoir. I took the route of "fix everything that MIGHT have been the issue" since I don't have any real data to say what the issue truly was that day. I'm not wrapping it to gain any performance increase. There is a small tertiary reason I wrapped it and that is comfort. This car gets damned hot idling between auto-x runs in the summer. I do know that the most effective way to control temps is to wrap the bottom of the car/trans tunnel, but I didn't find this out until AFTER I had done my rebuild and put the engine back in, so it'll have to wait until another day.

ByteVenom- I am glad you're enjoying it! I'll try to keep the updates a bit more steady! I've got an adventure in repairing CF hood clearcoat coming up and repairing hardtop damage too very soon!

Miataman- I was out on the "Pig Trail" near Cass. If you head south from Fayetteville on highway 23, the spot is just before the turnoff for highway 215/83. You can see the "Z" in the road on google maps after a long straight...There's a crew of us enthusiasts that are all friends in NWA, if you ever feel like going to autoX in Neosho MO or going for a cruise let me know and we'll give you details!

that's a stainless DP right?

I wasn't even close. But I have been there with my crew. We are usually in your neck of the woods twice a year for drives, I'll hit you up. Its always good to enjoy driving in groups.

Braineack- Yessir it is.

Miataman04- Good deal! I look forward to it! We've got a guy with a Honda J-series swapped into his miata, My miata, and a white NB2 amongst other cars. One of our friends is building a jeep cherokee into an auto-x machine and there's 2 S2K's and a BRZ that run around with us. All good guys that are laid back and enjoy actually driving and working on their cars (no stance lyfe here). =D

that wrap can degrade a SS DP. SS does a great job of retaining the heat, the wrap on the brake parts itself was good, but i dont think the wrap was necessary and could cause failure there. but you did a good job wrapping it.


https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...ac&oe=5A0F3D02

Wow that's intense wear in 7 years. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it as I drive! Another thing I noticed people say was to let the car run after getting the wrap wet so it can evaporate off and dry so I'll be conscious of that as well. Luckily the car has only been on very short drives here and there since I wrapped it so no real wear has happened. Once I get exhaust and intercooler piping fabbed up in the coming months it'll be driven a lot so I'll really watch it then and update as I go.

Wouldn't it have to get wet to rust out like that?

Yes, I believe so. I also think that humidity in the air is held against the pipe more easily with header wrap. I will be sure to keep a close eye on it over the years to make sure it doesn't start rusting.

I coated mine in high temp exhaust paint before wrapping it. I think that will help a lot.

So I finally got around to installing a helmet...
Just kidding. I finally got around to installing the RB2 front bumper I've been working on. Fitment is 7/10 I'd say. There was some fiddly/frustrating parts to the install but it's done and I'm happy with the result. The gap at the hood line is perfect, the gap at the "point" of the fender is bad, and the fitment around the turn signals is so-so. I painted the outside of the turn signal housings black so that it isn't noticeable. There's a lot of holes that aren't pre-drilled that are hard to measure and drill. Installing the upper bumper bracket on this thing was...not fun...but it's over and it looks awesome!
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...50722495b4.jpg

I had this upper radiator cooling panel given to me from a friend. I had to trim off about 1/4" on the bumper-side edge because the RB2 bumper fits a bit closer there. It's ugly and filthy right now (all the car is) and will get cleaned/detailed at a later time.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...372e8d0b65.jpg

I also had help from my buddy Garrett again so we cut the side panels and installed the hard top brackets. I painted the body of the car where the bracket bolts onto black so you wouldn't see WHITE shining through that hole. I recommend anyone doing this mod do the same because when Red and mariner blue shines through that hole it looks so bad to me! (This isn't final fitment, this was just mocking up the bracket to cut the holes. The hardtop still needs body work and I'll be re-painting the inside of it since it looks pretty beat up.)
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...57b05c201f.jpg

Also if you delete your soft-top, paint this back area black, where this black metal bracket goes. The bracket has to be there to hold the carpet tabs in, but normally behind it you can see the painted color of the car. Paint it to match your interior for a cleaner look! =)
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...275e676055.jpg

Finally back at it
 

So it's been too long, but I'm finally working on Road Warrior again. Life happened and I was lazy, not feeling like working on the car. Broke up with my girlfriend over a year ago, moved, got a new car (2017 Mazda 3 Touring), got a promotion, etc etc. Lots of life happened. So here's the near-term plans now:
Fender flares, Wheels and tires, vinyl the car, BMW transmission swap, GM getrag rear diff conversion, adding electric power steering, adding back Air Conditioning (already have the parts). .
I already have the transmission and diff, I went ahead and bought a ATI Pulley Dampener and the fancy Oil Pump (blueprinted?) from Flyin Miata. I plan on pulling the engine/trans and putting all the conversion pieces in, then dropping it all back in. While the engine is out I'll put on the new pulley dampener and oil pump, swap out my cracked oil pan for a good one, and generally clean up the engine bay a bit. All of this is to support the added power I'm planning for next year!
Here's the car 2 summers ago at my old house, note* the duct tape was temporary, intercooler was not yet plumbed in this pic.
https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...330_135617.jpg

I did a few panels of vinyl with the help of my buddy Garrett. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!
https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...615_034341.jpg

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...615_034501.jpg

When I added back the Air Conditioner pieces to the car, the compressor was in the way of how I routed my intercooler piping, so today I fixed that.
First I cut a giant hole. This whole process was way easier than I thought I was going to be.
https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...629_205359.jpg

And plumbed up some pipes.
https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...629_221136.jpg

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...629_221126.jpg

Car looks happy to finally have whoosh noises (from the BOV) and an intercooler plumbed up again!
https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...630_023400.jpg

Here's a teaser for what's to come


https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...315_233654.jpg

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...315_233734.jpg

Nice start. Which BMW transmission did you use?

I chose the Getrag 260 from the E30's. It's laying in my shop floor right now. I think I paid $250 for it from a local yard that already had it pulled. Might've been cheaper ($180?). Definitely not bad.

So got BFG Rival S 1.5 (245/40/15) all mounted up on the new wheels. The wheels are JRW Series 500 15x10 +25mm ofset with 54.1 hub bore sizing in color: Satin Bronze. I also picked up the Lug Nuts from Phil's Tire Service as well, they list them as "Open-end cold forged Aluminum 12x1.5 3/4" Hex" titanium color lug nuts. They're super lightweight and look amazing. I coupled these with 949 racing valve stems too.
https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...702_122736.jpg

It's a good thing I'm adding flares to this thing because these are WIIIDE
https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...702_123219.jpg

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...702_122748.jpg

Mocked up fitment pre-fender cut/flare install
https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...702_123322.jpg

Here's another goodie that I've yet to add but will soon! (Blueprinted FlyinMiata Hubs with ARP studs...these are for the front, my axles from V8 Roadsters for the Getrag diff will include them for the rear as well)
https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...702_132259.jpg

I had to make some adjustments to my pre-intercooler piping. I was unhappy with my options on intake setup while still using the AFM for the car, so I clocked the turbo down again, used my custom bracket for the wastegate actuator AGAIN, and used my 180degree intake pipe. Had to cobble a few tubes together to make it work but it should be fine for now. It'll get welded together eventually. Also reinstalled my heat shield.

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...704_033918.jpg

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...704_033927.jpg

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...704_033940.jpg

I forgot to show pictures of my LED gauge conversion after swapping my gauges too. Love the way these turned out.

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...704_034047.jpg

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...704_034054.jpg

A few pics of the car back on the ground. Able to turn the wheel lock to lock with full clearance on everything. I'm curious how much it would actually rub under hard driving (seems like it has room)...but I'll trust what others have said and cut/flare the car anyways.
Also a picture comparison of my old wheel/tire and the new ones.

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...704_042400.jpg

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...704_042408.jpg

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...704_042419.jpg

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...704_042426.jpg

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...704_042528.jpg

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...704_042553.jpg

Took the car out for a shakedown run and to get some gas in the tank. Ran great! Intercooler REALLY makes a difference in keeping the torque/power going until redline!
Unfortunately I still spin the right-rear tire all the time (limited slip coming soon). My buddy and I spent a long time getting the car's corner heights perfect a while back, then I had it aligned but it didn't seem to help much.
Also, I'm really surprised my front tires didn't rub this fender at all, I wasn't taking anything at track speeds but I took some good bumps and turns and had no contact at all. I don't have fender liners, I have about -2.5 camber in the front, but I still thought I was going to HAVE to roll the fender to avoid making contact...does anyone know why I didn't have any contact? Am I just not low enough for it to matter? I'm running the "SuperMiataDual Duty Alignment" with a 4.5" pinch weld height which puts most of the subframe about 4" off the ground and lower control arms are basically parallel to the ground.

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...704_134126.jpg

Probably riding on bumpstops and won't compress enough to make contact.

I'll look at my coilover again to check, but I'm pretty sure there's travel left in them. Also, since SuperMiata recommends this setup I'd think they would have mentioned that (and that other people would have also run into the issue of riding on bumpstops. It just seemed like everyone was sure that I would destroy fenders with this wheel/tires combo and it's not the case, even with a relatively common setup suspension-wise.
I'm not SAD about it, I'm just kinda kicking myself for dreading this part of the build and the "problems I was going to run into" with it.

I'll double-check shock travel and repost tomorrow! That's something good to check anyways.

I measured and it looks like I have 4" of available travel. Don't know if that's amazing or not in the Miata world. If I was a betting man the previous owner whom installed these coilovers did not install bump stops on them (if its possible). I'll have to ask him.

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...707_211807.jpg

I'm planning on vinyling the entire car but I'm also trying an experiment: Differences in adhesion, longevity, and ease of install of the vinyl on surfaces of varying levels of "prep." I've done the trunk which is basically smooth bare metal. The headlight covers are a non-OEM primer. The doors and fender are flaking paint/OEM primer, and the Hood will be the OEM single stage paint. For the Hardtop I've decided to try a very rough paint job myself. Remember, this hardtop has actually flown off of a car while it was driving at one point, had some poorly done repairs from someone else, and now I own it and decided to do some more really poorly done repairs. It looks better than it was, and it's protected now. It's got 3 layers primer, 400-600 grit wet sand. 4 layers color, 4 layers clear. Bad pics for now. I'll take more in the sunlight later.

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...707_140603.jpg

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...707_140548.jpg

Update on the mystery of the tires not rubbing: They rub now. I suspect the suspension settled a bit after being in the air for a while when I was working on the car and installing the wheels/tires. :dunno:

Haven't done much on the car in the past few days but I did finally clean out a large part of the shop (which was long overdue) and swept up.

Also got around to marking fender flare holes and cutting the fenders. Went pretty smooth all in all, I did screw up on the front with placement but luckily the correct placement still has the flare cover up the holes I drilled wrong so I got lucky. I cleaned up the edges with a dremel, sanded them so there's no sharp edges, primered for protection, and I'll be adding RTV to the rear arches between the outer and inner fender skin.
I had assumed (incorrectly) that the hardware kit that Fab9 and CarbonMiata offer for their flares would just "install, no big deal." I guess in my head I assumed that the "female" threaded portion (that stays in your fender) was an interference fit...this isn't the case. The RivNuts need a special RivNut gun to install them. I knew this, because I watched a video from Mighty Car Mods (not because either of their websites included that NEEDED information)...I feel like that information should be available on the websites that sell those kits.

So REALLY, the cost of those hardware kits is the price + ~$20-60 for the tool.

Here's the car with the newly painted top. I think it'll have a nice "two-tone" look when it's all in vinyl
https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...710_234543.jpg

And after the fenders were cut and primered
https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...711_035635.jpg

Took the car to autocross and spent the day cursing my open diff. Was overall a success since the car made it back home without any issues. The car is loud with no proper exhaust so ear plugs were a precaution that I'm glad I took. Hopefully in the coming month or so I'll finally get my exhaust fabbed up (i've had the parts for it for 2 years).

Flares are finished and turned out good.

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...713_161405.jpg

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...713_161413.jpg

And a shot from autocross

https://i793.photobucket.com/albums/...714_103546.jpg

Minor update: I realized that while I have the engine out I need to do a coolant reroute for it, so I picked up a ton of parts for that. I'm going with a slightly customized "M-Tuned" reroute, I'll post more details on what/why I changed when I actually install that. I also noticed when I was driving the car that it was getting more than 8psi boost, which isn't really what I want. Wideband isn't telling me I'm leaning out so that's good. It's been creeping really close to 11psi (in 3rd and 4th gear) after an initial 9to8 drop...then creep. I thought maybe my actuator wasn't adjusted properly but now I'm starting to think that the replacement actuator I bought is actually an 11psi actuator...I don't know for sure, and I don't have a setup to test properly, but I guess I'll run it for now.

Within the next few months I'll be pulling the engine to do a bunch of work, upgrading the transmission, rear diff, coolant reroute, new fancy oil pump, new oil pan (old one is cracked), new steering rack, electronic power steering, and an adapter for electronic speed sensor on the transmission to my analog gauges (same thing the old muscle car guys use when they upgrade to a modern transmission with an electronic sender).

Only thing to expect between those huge things will be vinyl, so I'll post again when I decide to vinyl some more panels and finish the body work on the bumper!