hi_im_sean

iTrader: (3)

deezums

iTrader: (3)

Miata is back together. I can't help but inherit cars/engines without thermostats...

But at least it's not melting down, I guess. The water pump is so, so toast. Going to strip the old miata this loong weekend and hopefully have room in my own garage to fix the new one.

VTCS manifold blows donkey dicks, with no thermostat I am exceptionally well acquainted with the crazy **** it likes to do. It's not fun when you're all worried the front is about to fall off. Boo, emissions.

Going to need a VICS manifold, or gut my second nb2 manifold.

I also am certain I've got left hand drive headlights now, can I take them apart and flip the cutoff shield?

deezums

iTrader: (3)

Said **** it and fixed it today, autoparts store has water pump but not much else. I'm doing this **** in my driveway, the car's not making it 30 miles back to my borrowed heated garage...

I bought cheap water pump from oreilys, took the front off the 1.6 and swiped the idler and tensioner and timing belt. I ripped the new old engine apart and determined that everything under the covers was hosed, the water pump and the idlers. The seals seem to be in good shape, though. Good deal, because I can only get an exhaust cam seal today.

You don't need to remove the cam timing mark plate to swap a water pump, I was afraid I'd have to remove it but it can be done. I glued the gasket to the water pump with some silicone and just pivoted it into place while holding bolts through to keep the gasket, all the while praying that I didn't tear the gasket. 1.8's suck and you can't remove the timing belt without pulling the crank bolt. All my tools are still at the other shop, I only have 3/8 sockets and half a combo wrench set. Old timing belt stays, oh well...

I started around 2, and was done before it got dark. If I have to do it again, I bet I can have it done in 2 hours. At least I'm good at something lol

This new engine has no knock, actually sounds quite nice. Now if I can fix my headlights I'd be reasonably happy. Think I might bake them apart tomorrow, NB bumper is much easier to pull than NA bumper without those two brackets shoved all up in the fenders...

deezums

iTrader: (3)

Should my MR short shifter be making so much noise? It's almost like I can hear the syncros working through the shift ****, an almost mechanical whirring sound when slow shifting to the next gear. If I match things better, it's much less noticeable.

It also starts rattling around 4500 rpm or so, a light hand on the **** will shut it up for the most part but you can still feel it clinking around a bit.

This is all just stiffer delrin bushings and no rubber damper in the handle no more, right? Kinda annoying but I can get used to it.

bahurd

iTrader: (8)

I guess mine is a little noisier. Not so much that you notice once you get used to it.

deezums

iTrader: (3)

It's pretty much entirely muted by a little bit of music, not stock exhaust and turbo spool will mask it entirely I imagine. I do like how much more positive the engagement feels, especially on reverse. It seems like I can tell the gates apart better, even though they're all closer.

I also finally checked tire pressure, something I should have done long ago. They all had 50 pounds, jeebus. It rides much better now, the suspension actually isn't all that bad now. I used to lock up the front passenger wheel crawling to a stop in parking spaces and stuff, that's gone now too.

Time to tear the old one apart, I guess. Anyone need a 1.6 turbo kit?

Monk

iTrader: (3)

I have an aluminum bushing if you want to try.

deezums

iTrader: (3)

To replace the delrin one at the bottom? I would think that aluminum would transmit more noise?

I wonder if it would help to lightly glue the lower bushing into the transmission. A little bit of silicone, or perhaps a new delrin bushing with a few o-ring grooves on the outside, just enough for a friction fit. The delrin bushing shouldn't need to move, I think it's making the rattling I'm hearing.

Monk

iTrader: (3)

Yes, it is a delrin substitute.
I know stiffer isn't probably the answer, but I can send you mine to try if you want

deezums

iTrader: (3)

Sure, I'll give it a try. I shattered the mounting screw tab under the window switch, it's much easier to get down at the shifter now.

It is for the later year 6 speeds, I think mine has a bigger lower bushing or something like that.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

Mine doesn't do that.

Monk

iTrader: (3)

ok. Mine is an earlier one I think, so it might not work. I haven't installed my 6 speed yet, so I will take the bushing out and measure it.

deezums

iTrader: (3)

New miata still works, is nice!

Old miata is coming apart, here's pics of the damage. Not bad at all, the bilstein shrugged it off completely besides the lower eye being all bent. Sweet!, now I have even more spares for my revalve project.













New, improved long bolt method.





I don't even think the subframe is hurt. Anyone need a super duper cheap rust free tub? I might set this one under a tarp in the driveway for future shenanigans...

Colipto

I wish you were near me - I would love a rust free tub. New England sucks.

deezums

iTrader: (3)

How's it been guys, remember me?

Been busy miating, made some new friends and hopped hobbies a few times. I've been loving stock NB2, despite it being so slow. It's been a boss since I swapped the engine and water pump, no worries till it recently lunched a pilot bearing after a little over a year, shitty auto parts store parts... So I bought a stage 2 happy meal, then got to thinking I've got about all I need to turbo. May as well, gonna buy a cheap ebay manifold and rework the exhaust and downpipe off the last miata. I'll rag on this now ~180k mile rusty junkyard motor with ebay bits till I get a better motor built up, pick up where I left off!

Also scored a $750 NB hardtop not long ago, finally! Only took 4 years of waiting for one to show up! I did a bunch of other little stuff here and there too, tried the v8r motor mounts for ~10K miles. Lost some fillings, trying just one now. Motor mounts are much easier with the transmission out. Half the fillings still falling out, whattdafuck. Think I might try drilling a few holes in the poly at the earliest convenience, so it's got a little more wiggle room. Fixed the rattly MR short shifter, just put a o-ring under the delrin shift cup, between it and the stock metal cup. Sweet, sweet highway silence, just don't pass through 1200 rpm or idle with the AC. I've got a bunch of other fun **** I've been stockpiling too, kinda forgot about half of the stuff. I've been commuting all over the place, miata does 1500-2000 miles a week. No time for doing things the right way, but the deals keep popping up...

Found a new miata shop too, and a few local buddies. The black NA is sporting my old roll bar and door bars, xidas, drop spindles, slow as ****. Soon to be VVT 6speed, that's the blue rusty parts car. This white one just showed up, 97 with 67K and hella stock. There's another bright as hell yellow 2002 outside too. Now that I have a hard top and no glass window I really want to steal my M1 roll bar back, need one before the weather gets better!

Also fell into the hole that is mountain bikes, then the weather decided it wants to be winter till fall. God damn it. Guess I have time to figure out a miata bike rack now...

I bought a MS3, tinyiox, wideband and a jimstim a while ago, put it together following trubokitty. I messed with it a while back, then put it down for months. I can't get it to pick up the crank signal no matter what I do. Starting to think it's something to do with the megasquirt, a busted trace or shitty solder joint. I guess it could be how I configured the VR jumpers although there's not much room for error there. R56 is set for 2.75V across R54, R11 is set for the same across R17 on the MSX board, I get a nice clean cam sensor and I've never seen as much as a bump on the crank input. About to try setting up ardu-stim, if that doesn't work I guess I'll have to start tracing stuff out.

Do these look like good signals? I just look like I know what I'm doing. Please don't laugh at my high dolla scope!





More pics...







China frame and ebay takeoff specials for most of the spendy bits, I was worried at first about the integrity of the frame but it soon became apparent I'd break first. My shins still show it...

aidandj

iTrader: (5)

...

sonofthehill

iTrader: (1)

How could we forget, welcome back!

acedeuce802

iTrader: (1)

I was wondering a few weeks ago if you were the same deezums on chinertown! That bike is awesome. I partially regret not building a Chiner instead of picking up a used aluminum frame.

deezums

iTrader: (3)

Yep that'd be me, thanks man! Crazy how small the internet can be!

I figured out what I did wrong on the megasquirt, supposed to install R45 and just jump over to the r13 spot with a pullup resistor. I found the schematic. R45 is pretty important, don't leave R45 out lol

There are too many new settings in tunerstudio... I have lots of catching up to do. Need to figure out how this tiny thing works now.

Aidan, is my scope really that bad

ridethecliche

iTrader: (2)

Are you leaving the headtube uncut so you can bop your noggin on it when you hit a root?