...not the factory I visited.

18psi: sorry...too much "Christmas cheer" last night. :)

I'm not slamming anyone for what they do or don't do with their cars...As usual, I don't always take the most efficient or best route to making cars. Plus SEMA is like a car geek's wet dream; there's go-fast stuff everywhere, and most of the vendors don't want to take their product back home after the show.

But here's the question: If you could order a 2560 with ball bearings for $200 (SEMA deal) and then add a cnc compressor that's supposed to add 10% moar horsepower for $50 (SEMA deal), would you do it?

Probably. But I'd still be nervous about the ball bearing chinacharger because those are the ones we have the least experience with, and a few years back those were the ones that were falling apart while the journal bearing ones worked great.

Just because I ordered ball bearings doesn't mean they're in there...

Gotcha :party:

NASA news
 

You heard it here first: the Catfish has been approved to race in NASA's Super Touring class, which is based on a horsepower to weight formula. It's one of the most popular classes, with everything from Miatas to Vipers racing in ST1 (5.5:1), ST2 (8.0:1) or ST3 (9.0:1). If you've got true supercar horsepower to weight (below 5.5:1), then you get to race in Super Unlimited.

We're drawing up some safety cage designs now to get the NASA seal of approval prior to any builds. If anyone has a serious plan about running the entire NASA season, contact me about potential sponsorship.

In other news, Roman drove the car down from Los Angeles to South Orange County tonight and was just in time for afternoon traffic. I asked him if he got any "thumbs up" signs--he said he was almost punted off the road a couple of times from people trying to get information about the car.

I'll take that as a good sign. :)

Whats the final weight and power of the catfish?

The current "street weight" of the car is 1,550lbs without driver and a stock 1.6 long nose engine. In race trim, after adding driver, safety cage and other requirements but also taking out the passenger seat and thinning up the bodywork, I'd guess we will be at 1,700lbs.

~1700lbs caged catfish and VVT in n/a spec makes me moist.

Indeed needs a 1.8 :)

needs a 1.8...
 

Had I built this car for racing, it wouldn't have been built. I'm not a "rules" guy, and I'm simply lucky that NASA has this catch-all class where we can race. It will take someone with more racecraft and experience than me to figure out the best mix of weight and horsepower.

edit--I've got a 1.8 and a churbo waiting for the street car. :)

short video is up, more to follow...
 

edit--found the rattle...Dzus fastener bouncing on the floor...

Dzus fastener? Sounds like the same decel rattle that I have (Along with a million others on Miata.net) Lol.... Fill me in!

Not factory style fastener on Miata's. They're a quarter-turn quick release fastener.

Makes Catfish even more tempting in a few years when I need a new project.

Ohhh makes sense, thanks

Streets of Willow
 

Had a great time at Streets of Willow CCW on Saturday. The car displayed only good manners and I finally got to hammer it a bit on the track.

The main disappointment was my driving. The first couple of sessions I might as well have been lost. Roman--who has some experience with the track--took me out for a few laps to help me recalibrate my brain. With Roman at the wheel, the springs that seemed too stiff started to work all of the sudden, and corners started coming at a much more rapid pace. After that my lap times dropped by almost 10 seconds.

Most importantly, the car is intact and well on its way to getting a license plate! The day before Willow we passed our VIN verification at the DMV, and our brake and light inspection. Now only a BAR visit and one last trip to the DMV are all that are needed until we've got a street legal Cat.:winner:

Dude, this is so fucking good!
I like where you've taken this, yet I still can't help but wonder. Does it make sense to replace Miata's unibody with spaceframe, while retaining the carpet, body panels (perhaps going fiberglass), and all interior trimmings just for the nostalgia sake? What would a car like that be like? Would it be worth it?
As awesome as Catfish is, seems like most of the Miata-based endeavors apply the following formula: take Miata drivetrain, add space frame, and forge on from there, creating something new and cool. I still kinda like the way my car looks... :)

Btw, subscribed for the sheer boner factor! :winner:

This is pretty cool! Glad to see it getting the official paperwork! Can't wait until it hits the roads with a license plate!

I'll wait for the model with insulation and a 5x11x22" maganflow ;)

Short answer, no. :)

My intention was never to build the "ultimate Miata". I feel like we've taken the best parts of the Miata for our build, but that with custom a-arms and a new engine and drivetrain (easily possible), there would be very little "Miata" left in this car. It's a completely custom vehicle that happens to use the engine, suspension and drivetrain from the most raced vehicle on the planet. Go figure.

You do the insulation. Magnaflow is right up the street...the owner's kids go to our school. ;)

New Catfish update
 

We got out a Catfish last week to the capable hands of Bill Cardell and Keith Tanner at Flyin' Miata. They're going to try and turn around a kit by the time the Mitty happens at Road Atlanta on April 25-27. Tall order, but they've got a helluva parts stash. :)

Keith did something we haven't done in a LONG time...weigh the frame. Without body or flat panels the production frame weighs in at 235lbs. Not bad. It's about as heavy as our -pre-production units, even with the extra triangulation.

The best part--this will be the first TURBO Catfish. :party:

Check out their build on the Flyin' Miata facebook page, with LOTS of photos.

https://www.facebook.com/flyinmiata

Maaang it needs a full roll cage. Looks weird with just the rear hump on there.

Feel better?

Unf.

I will come back to the Mitty if that will be there.

Indeed that settles my stomach well :drool:

The roll hoops are actually four points each and would be fine for track days, street driving, etceteras. For racing you'd naturally want moar.

What's nice is that you are surrounded by a bunch of very stout triangulated bars.

Once you have a nice cage, the Hardtop is next I guess :D

But that would make it look even more like a Z4...

Nope and nope. The first focus is to get to some semblance of regular production and iterate based on customer feedback. Roll cages are planned, but only as requested by our customers. There are customers who will simply take the car to their local "cage guy" so they can have something made that they like. We've already designed the twin roll hoops with Petty bars, but anything else will sit on the sidelines until someone asks for it and then pulls out a credit card. ;)

A proper windscreen would be made before a top. AND, when the top is made it will more closely resemble the Porsche Carrera GT top than anything else. Actually the first top will be the Project G "G-string", which is a minimal style just like the car.

Project G? Are these the same folks that sell them on the c rice forum for 400 a pop?

Yeah. Tops with no window or rain rail, selling for more that actual tops with both.

I've made bikini tops for Jeeps and they shouldn't cost that much. Cord can find an upholstery shop to make whatever he needs.

Cord, how close is the Catfish dash to Miata dimensions? Could it be used in a Miata race car? Or a stripped Miata street car?

Good question. Have any edge to edge measurements from your car? Otherwise it will simply take dropping the dash in a stripped car and adapting it.

I need to visit this section more. Didn't realize you had a build thread here, Cord.

There goes my morning.

I could try to measure some tomorrow. Or you could send me one, and I can stick it in there :brain:

I'm taking an MT-break from putting your gauge faces on, Adam. :)

Catfish sighting in Los Angeles
 

Roman stole my car for a couple of days and took some video footage, which he's editing now. Here's a snapshot from a dash on the 605.

Can't wait to see this thing on Top Gear... I'd like to see Jeremy's face like in the Atom...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1395991558

I think I can see a bug in his teeth. :)

How to reset your odometer to zero
 

Yep, I said it. After this post I will be showing people how to build their own crack pipe.

Seriously, the gauge panel on my "new" Catfish read 161k miles, even though the engine had about 60k, and the rest of the car was new or refurbished. Since I needed to check the DMV box "mileage on odometer is not correct" anyway, I might as well roll that sucker back!

Note: If you roll your odometer back and don't note it with the DMV, not only is it illegal but Karma WILL find you and smack you upside the mouth. :td::td:

The main reason for the roll-back was not the mileage, but that I'm putting on a new set of Revlimiter.net gauges. These are a modified version of the "Warbird" style, with red/white color, Catfish logo and the old VDO style red line sweep in red instead of green/white. Edit--I am very extremely happy with the gauges as well as with Adam's service. Worth the $$.

To the instructions:

In case the pictures aren't clear, the odometer tumbler needs to be removed from the assembly by bending the tabs that hold the "stopper bar" and the axle of the odometer. Hold the cage on the outside of the odo with your left hand, leaving the mile digit and cage free to rotate. Turn the odo with by the gear. When mile digit hits zero:

a) release the next cage over to the left (ten digit)
b) reverse the gear a half rotation (turn it the other way)
c) hold the cages again and watch the 10 mile barrel reset

repeat for each individual barrel.


PIC 1 what needs to be removed
PIC 2 odometer barrel
PIC 3 bend these pins--you'll know when you see them
PIC 4 this is the "stopper bar".
PIC 5 COOL!

After I reassembled everything and located the "cage fingers" into a line, I held everything together with some painter's tape. I then reinstalled the barrell and located the cage fingers so they were captured again by the stopper bar.

I'm hoping Adam at Revlimiter.net will make a proper post of this procedure, complete with excellent photography and his signature mini-helper. ;)

How to reset your odometer to zero
 

Bigger Pictures

You can force it. The teeth that move the things are very small so you can turn them easily.

I've never done it before and Adam at Revlimiter said he's tried the "force it" method, with not so good results. Of course if you bend the tabs that hold the axle or stopper bar too far, you get the same bad result.

Found a Turbo...
 

I found a turbo with almost no lag...

So has anyone built one of these with an LS / V8 yet? LS, 8.8 rear end, full cage, Xida, add a splitter and a wing. Sounds like a lot of fun.

Yea there's about a dozen of them driving around. :facepalm:

Sounds like a recipe for a quick death to me.

The two under construction right now will have FM turbo kits, and the little 1.6 on the original car will get a churbo on this spring.

sounds like someone hasn't ever even been near a car like this let alone drive one with proposed parts/setup

This is me
LPI Racing: About Us, Livermore Performance, Monty, Stephen, Bill, Tammy - LPI Racing

I've run SCCA, and was the 2010 SFR ITE champion in an LS powered RX7 that weighed 2480. (LS7, dog box, 8.8, etc...)
The car turns under 1:50 at Thunderhill and about a 1:30 at LS.

Here is a picture
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1397831709

Would you like to make any more wrong assumptions?

That being said, I really do like the new Catfish. It's a perfect design for a track car. Easy to work on, very light. I'm house hunting in So Cal right now, and when that's done I thinking this will be my next project.



Bill Lackey

hahaha well played. so build one and show us its not a death trap spin machine:)

Don't worry about 18psi. Sometimes he gets a bad vladitude.

God I get such a chubby for well built RX-7s. Well done blackey.

BaZINGA!!!

Love those CCW rims as well. That car is beautifully set up, and has what the Catfish needs for top times at T-Hill; splitter, wing, horsepower. We've got a flat bottom on the car that does create real downforce, and those low track times do need it.

When the test mule Catfish was up there--even with crap suspension and 135hp--it was hilarious to watch people think because "it's a Miata" that they could match braking points. More than one car following it ended up in the weeds.

Wheels
 

Any chance 15x10 with the 275's would fit?

Website shows up to 10" wide, but 245 width.

NASA cage
 

We just finished the drawing for a safety cage for NASA use, and can't wait to get a fully prepped car into the NASA ST class.

If you look closely you can see a custom K-member for a V-8 on this rendering...

There should be at least 2-3 Turbo Catfish at the September Miata's at MRLS in September, and rides will be given. :) You'll get to see if mere turbo power is sufficient to scoot you around a race track.

I'm thinking the best slicks would be the Hoosiers for the Radical 265/605R-16. You might be able to run the GT2 23.5x110.0R-16 on the back. That would give 10.6 tread in the back and 9.7 in the front.

I'm running 20lbs in my tires at the track because the car is so light. Any tire choice should wear like iron. Also, sidewall stiffness and height is important when running these low pressures, as you don't want to introduce too much slip angle.