so i've been around a little while lurking and reading -

i made an intro thread a while back
https://www.miataturbo.net/meet-gree...veryone-57946/

iv'e been meaning to start a build thread, but i didn't want to be one of those ******* that doesn't actually have any parts on their car or real road to doing something that posts a big plan they've determined by just reading a bunch of ideas on here or other sites

this is what i want out of my build -
325-350hp reliable fun street car that i may take (occasionally) to an autox or road course event
i've attached a spreadsheet of what i've bought so far and what i plan to buy
some of the things iv'e been debating are -
gtx vs efr
over rad vs around the sides fmic
how big of a kirkys seat can i fit in there - i'm not skinny

i plan to do things in 4 major steps -

1st electronics - management
got ahold of a rev build ms2 and vvt box that was originally purchased by another forum member during a group buy - doesn't have all the features the last gb did but it's still pretty nice


installed that along with simple intake, new o2, mtx-l, 3 gauge pod, egt, and boost gauge (even tho i have vac only now)
don't really care if it looks the best to be honest function>form imo




ms also allowed me to ditch some useless crap from the engine bay, which was nice
unfortunately the used vvt box i got was fubar - i went thru a couple cables before i got the correct one and was able to comm with it -
had a few convos with diy and rev about it - prob cost more to diagnose then a new one - so i'll prob just get another before i install turbo parts

2nd - brakes and suspension

so i recently acquired the following -
tein street advance coilovers - from 949
fm sways
949 end links
949 brake kit



i had a few days off work so i decided to go at it all -
a lot of the tear down was a pain in the ***
all the end links had to be cut, several of the small bolts for crap like the plastics just snapped off, all of the rotors had to be pounded hard to get off, and all of the major bolts for getting the shocks out were tough
pb was my friends for sure -
i used the long bolt method for the front


and for the rear i just pulled the one small bolt that held the upper control arm


eventually i got all the old stuff out -


then i started to put the new parts in - which for the most part went smooth
coils went in pretty easy -


i ran into a bit of a snag with the brake kit -
i ordered the wrong one - the drag down menus on 949's site thru me a bit and i wound up getting non-sport brakes
i was kinda bummed when i noticed all the pads and rotors were too small
but Emilio was great when i talked to him this morning to fix the issue - for now i just put the factory rotors, and some vato zone pads on there -
i did go ahead and put the braided lines in and the fancy race fluid

getting the endlinks on with the new sways was tricky - mainly because i didn't pay enough attention to the orientation of things when i took off the oem parts and didn't read the instructions
but after some flipping around and reading i'm pretty sure i've got things the way they are supposed to be -



i'm sure i'll need to spin them all a little bit to get them closer to a 90 degree angle like they are supposed to be
i went thru the process of height adjustment just to get started -
for right now i've got all 4 corners at about 12.25" from center of hub to fender
i know that's not exact, but it's just a starting point - i'll measure from pinch weld when i'm ready to really dial it in



for the rest i think i'll hit up a real race - alignment shop
anyone out there in the columbus area with recommends - please speak up
i'd like to find some place i can just show up with 949's specs and a description of what i want to do w/ the car and have them set me all the way up with things like a nice corner balance

tomorrow i'll double check the brakes - bleeding again and pull back these stupid dust shields that keep rubbing and get the car out - clean it up take some nice stance pics


3rd - engine removal, tear down, and build
my spread sheet has the major components i plan to replace
i plan to do removal and tear down myself
i plan to use a shop in cinci for machining purposes and potentially full reassembly of the bottom end

4th - engine, turbo, exhaust, and fmic install
again the parts are listed on my sheet that i plan to go with - already have some of them

last- tune and fun
more fail to come for sure.....

 

Worry not about your fail, at least you bought new endlinks. My stock rear sway bar is still on because the bottom bolts are rusted out.

 

Craftsman Evolv 4 1/2 in. Small Angle Grinder - Tools - Corded Handheld Power Tools - All Corded Power Tools

i started with the cheapo harbor freight one
it shot sparks out the side and pooped out on the first endlink

 

The top bolts are good, so I just need to take them off. But I need new endlinks to put the new bar on while I do it.

So now it's just a waiting game.

Also you will be interested in this: https://www.miataturbo.net/insert-bs...-thread-51348/

 

ha
yeah i've seen that thread before, i just forgot about it
gotta take a quick scan thru there to see if anyone has tried that particular angle grinder
don't waste time trying to work on the top bolts
get your new endlinks - bars
cut the middle to get the bar out, then try to loosen the bottom just enough to expose the bolt then cut the bolt
if your car lived anywhere but a perfect sunny state the allen key center of those things is made of clay

 

Yeah, I will probably just do that. I have my HF dremel tool which should be good enough.

2 things I noticed were missing from your build list. Radiator and coolant reroute. For 300+ and taking it to track days you will probably want both.

 

yeah i'm a little skeptical of coolant reroute because of differences in head gaskets
i feel like i've seen one thread that says this and another thread that says that - i know for sure that if i want to do a re-route on my vvt motor i need to change to another gasket during the build
for sure what that gasket is ? don't know
i will add an after market rad to the list for sure..

 

Ah, I forgot, it's different with pre-99 motors (which is what most of these fools have). Not sure with yours either, because it's a different one than I have.

 

took a few decent pics today -




this one really kind of says it all...

 

sweet CF filter bro

 

Looks nice. Got a nice stance. How's the ride with the Tein's?

 

nothing but the best

 

a friend recommended turning the dampening all the way open right off the bat just for driving on the street
after the first few drives - i felt like i was bouncing around like a caddy on draulics
i turned all 4 of them 14 clicks - which is half way
i like it a lot better like this
eventually i hope to find a suspension - race alignment - prep shop that really knows what they are doing that can help me

 

Looks like a good start on the build but thumbs down on the HID fogs.

 

ha
yeah i did it b/c i had hids in my speed3's fogs and they worked great - no excessive glare or rings out there to blind people -




they just hit the ground out in the front of the car like fog lights are supposed to -
but right when i first got the miata i changed them out - shortly there after i realized i was blinding people with the light rings and glare
really, the projector housings for the lows them selves are a lower quality then what my speed's were and they don't do such a great job of controlling the light to a nice cut off point
big light mods are not worth it to me, so i may wind up switching them all back to reg bulbs -
no exactly high on the priority list
i almost never turn the fogs on

 

The coolant reroute is worth it. When you do your engine rebuild switch from the 2001 head gasket to the 94-2000 head gasket then add in the reroute.

 

yeah i've been watching this guy and i assume he's a pretty decent guide -
just noticing he doesn't mention the head gasket - what happens if you don't switch it?


i'm also guessing since i'm running ms - egr doesn't matter for the end and i can just block both of the ports

 

bump.

updates?

 

https://www.miataturbo.net/miata-par...-prices-79449/
I think he parted this car, breh