Grifbatenhorst

So I think I'm approaching the point in my build where you stop going by general wisdom. I've already done things like installed the xidas, sticky rubber, and finished the general maintenance, so this is the point where the car can finally start to take on it's own unique personality. Hopefully it will turn into something fresh and different.

I feel that now would be an appropriate time to start a build log since I can skip the "just finished the timing belt. what a pain!" posts.
_____

I'm originally from Hawaii, but moved to Tokyo for work after that. I moved back to the states from Tokyo almost 2 years ago. In Japan I endlessly chased and documented the car scene in a bright yellow Volvo T5-R, which i loved to death. You may have come across some of my images on the internet (notably Speedhunters, among others) or in a magazine.



Unfortunately this life style had to end. It didn't look like I was going to make it in this line of work, so I had to face reality. The bittersweet part being that right around the end was when things finally started to take off, and my images started to really have their own recognizable branding and style. One of the last things I did while I was there was have a gallery opening displaying my work.
I do go back to visit for a few weeks every 4 or 5 months however.

So back on US soil with a new job, I bought a bone stock black 93’ NA with a hardtop with somewhat unrealistic dreams of turning it into street legal daily driven race car.



After some elbow grease, general maintenance, clutch change, etc and basic modifications needed to be somewhat competitive in STS Autocross, it looked like this.



I started autocrossing and doing track days straight away, in the first two years entering nearby autocrosses and pro solos, picking up more modifications along the way. First season running Rivals, second on RE-71r. I also acquired a garage/workshop finally.





Aftermath of first prosolo:


Eventually got the Passenger seat in and was satisfied with the interior for a little while. Also cleaned up the bay.



In daily guise:


Restored a free trailer to accompany the car. Being pulled by an FM hitch.


More rassin'


More dailyn'


And finally this is how it sits now. Ignore the hitch. I use it okay!


I’ve stopped prepping the car for STS autocross since the last season. Modifying with a certain rule set and limitations has it’s place, but not when it’s your only car and there’s just so many fun things I’d like to do. I’ve also since come to terms that this car is primarily a street car, and should be modified with that primarily in mind. It was a hard, long realization, but over time I’ve found that there’s something to be said about how you feel 90% of the time you spend in your car.

Since i’ve stopped prepping for STS, the mod cap has been uncorked. First thing I added was a Megasquirt PNP2 and Injectors, and am now prepping fully for boost. (plans/parts below)

Modifications (as of 15 Jan 2016)

CURRENTLY INSTALLED:
Suspension/Handling:
949 Xida Clubsports. 700F/450R
Racing Beat 1.125" front hollow sway bar / Supermiata endlinks
OEM brake pads front, Hawk HP+ Rear.
ATE Superblue (RIP)
TR C1 15x7.5” wheels / Bridgestone RE-71rs (track)
Enkei RPF1 14x7” wheels / Dunlop Z2 star spec (daily)
FM Frame Rails

Powertrain:
Roadstersport 3 exhaust
Magnaflow high flow cat
Megasquirt PNP2
Innovate MTX-L Wideband
Miataroadster tall angled short shifter
Everything else bone stock

Interior:
Recaro Pole Positions on PCI seat mounts
Momo Mod 78 (320mm, suede), NRG hub and QR
JGTC Shift ****
Schroth Clubman Harnesses
Hard dog double diagonal

Exterior:
FM tow hitch
Trackdog tow hook


SITTING IN MY GARAGE WAITING TO BE INSTALLED:
FM Happy Meal
3.9 Torsen / Poly mounts
Mazdacomp Motormounts
Enthuza 3” exhaust / cat
Toyota COP kit
Dual feed fuel rail
Artech Manifold
Artech 3” divorced downpipe
Artech oil/water lines
Flow Force 610cc injectors

In the Mail:
FM no electronics kit / Garrett GT2554r/GT2560r/SR20 ???
Custom auxiliary gauges (wideband, boost, water temp, oil temp, volts)

Monk

iTrader: (3)

Solid intro. I think you're going to do alright here.
A bot will be along soon to welcome you and bitch about the filters you use for some of your photos.

Grifbatenhorst

You mean they won't like my iphone skillz? I don't even own a standalone camera anymore... :(

Anyway, just popped the "this is officially a street car" cherry tonight.
Pulled the entire interior and sound proofed everything. Also painted everything black! First step was to silence all the potential rattles, then kill the resonance, then decouple with some new insulation / closed cell foam, then a layer of mass loaded vinyl over all that.








After laying the layer of foam down I realized I had fucked up colossally by using the built in adhesive on one side instead of simply velcroing it. Oh well.



Black carpet set from ebay.


And finally after the paint cured and parts all reinstalled, this is how it looks. It's pretty great if I say so myself. Rattles and road noise are history.



The interior is far from done however. I still need to make a shift boot (in progress) and am still waiting on my custom auxiliary gauge set.

Not pictured are the custom gauge set and HVAC panel I had made from Revlimter.
I also deleted the soft top and headunit (a massive pet peeve of mine) and replaced it with a small amp in the glove box. The amp's power/remote wire runs through a small toggle switch on the blanking panel, which also turns on the slim subwoofer I have mounted behind the seat.

I'll post more pictures as the interior comes along.

Savington

iTrader: (31)

y u no EFR :'(

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

Welcome to the forum. We hope to see more pics and help you however we can.

Grifbatenhorst

To be frank, it's mostly because I don't know much about them. As far as turboing goes I'm trying to keep it simple by going down well trod paths.

Perhaps if Abe still hasn't started/finished my mani and dp I could ask about it.

Grifbatenhorst

Abe just sent me these photos. Shipping out soon!






I've also finally made a concrete move towards a "theme" (for lack of better term) for the car.
hint hint:



...a bit less extreme obviously...

Grifbatenhorst

Small update. ARPlease.

Grifbatenhorst

Received some goodies today!

The Artech Manifold, Downpipe, and oil/coolant lines all surprised me at the door today! I wasn't expecting them here so soon. Props to Abe for an excellent product and service!


My CB transceiver came in yesterday. Also received these things.

Escort Redline
some fluid
Trucklite LED headlights


Uniden BCD436HP Digital Trunking Scanner



The LED headlights were pricey for sure, but it's a huge annoyance to me that 1) the stock halogen color temperatures no longer vibe well with the white LEDs from revlimter in the interior, and 2), the power draw on the alternator and motor when the halogens are on just makes the car feel so old. Hopefully these will solve these problems.

I've been told by a lot of people (read: normies) that a lot of the things I'm buying would look really suspicious when in the car, but that's... kind of the point. I'm not looking to be street racing or endangering other people's lives on public roads or anything, and I'm not much for reckless driving or speeding anyway. Primarily these are aesthetic additions to the car to add to how I and my passengers feel when inside and driving. These particular things make me feel like a god damn outlaw, or like Gosling in Drive.

I only have a CB installed right now (not pictured above), but even with just that a passenger today just could not help themselves from smiling at the sight of it. They felt cool and mysterious, Like we were on our way to go pull a freakin' heist. (When in reality we were just going to Mcdonalds...and the CB radio chatter was nonsensical truckers or something. )

Besides, for every performance part I've installed I'm allowed at least one piece of rice correct?

Paint looks to have cured completely now. Applied it's first coat of 303 Aerospace protectant and the duplicolor vinyl and fabric paint has taken it extremely well so far. Some minor imperfections to the paint in some places, but nowhere that a non owner of the car would notice.



Current drivers view


Also took some pictures of my stereo install if anybody is interested. No I didn't paint the inside of the glovebox very well.
The sound is great as far as sound in an NA goes. It's not my Dali Zensors or anything, but it gets the job done. I just keep the subwoofer at a reasonable volume and crossover so it functions more as a fill and extension device than an "add way too much booming" device.



And finally my neighbors turbocats giving their approval.

Monk

iTrader: (3)

Abe never disappoints. That setup is gorgeous.
Well done black NAs and BRGs are my favorite.

Grifbatenhorst

Some small weekday updates.

Been waffling over which turbo to choose, and am likely to go the SR20 route for now, since it's a pretty safe bet/investment.

Also did a little bit of N/A tuning. I just finished reading "Performance Fuel Injection Systems" (by the megasquirt guys) and a little bit ago finished Corky's book "Maximum Boost." Trying to apply that knowledge here. The car is running really fantastic right now. Since I've finished those books I've been slowly branching away from the base tune and these are what I have so far.

The AFR table is based off of one generated by TunerStudio, with minor tweaks here and there. VE table has been corrected by a little bit of driving with VEanalyze. Timing is the base tune, as I'm still terrified of touching it.

I'm reasonably confident I can install and get running my new Flow Force 610's, but till I do that, any thoughts on what I have right now?





Installed the trucklites a little bit ago and...I have no idea how you could live without them. Cutoff is nice and sharp, super bright, and almost no draw on the alternator. They even look better during the day time, unlit.
The color temperature is pretty close to my dash lighting as well, so I'm happy.

Here's a picture of them on low beams.


Found a more permanent, less in your face install location for the CB. It's mounted on the passenger side of the cup holders, right in arms reach, and not in the way of anybody's space really.


Also mounted the scanner on the dash blanking panel. Both radios are affixed using strong swiveling magnet mounts like this:


It's super nice to be able to easily take the radio on and off without needing to fiddle with slotting it into something. I use the same thing for my phone next to the cluster. Extremely convenient and right where I can see it without looking away from the road too much. (think GPS, harry's lap timer, messages, music, etc.)

The radar detector will be mounted more permanently in the next few days with a stealth wire install.

My favorite pick up so far for the car is this Heuer Trackstar:


I'll be mounting this similar to what Keith did in his DD. (of Flyin' Miata)


Aside from a few gauges, this will probably be it for the interior of the car. If the ambiance of the police chatter and stopwatch ticking doesn't convey the feeling i'm going after while sitting in the car, I don't really know what will.

Bonus picture of my car being ignored.