...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

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

Dude, this is so ******* 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!

 

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