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This is going to be a simple write up of my 1995 Mazda Miata. Unfortunately I didn't take the time to document my journey very well so we will have to work with limited photos. Either way, let's get to it! ( I will have a parts list at the end )
@Asianbuilt - Instagram
Background
My brother and I have talked for years about hypothetically working on a project car, never really trying to make it happen. While we were dreaming about cars to work on, we never even considered the Miata to be a project. Until I came across an opportunity where I learned my friend had a 95 Miata that did not run. We bargained a little and was able to pick it up for $2000 which included the hardtop! This was back in Nov 2017 and this is when the adventure begins.
A little about us... This was our first dedicated project car and we were set on installing our first turbo on a naturally aspirated engine. This was not as daunting as I made myself to believe since there are many well written guides and plenty of videos online. Not to mention my brother been a mechanic for a better part of a decade and works for a major dealership and is one the top techs in his field. I myself am just a car enthusiasts who enjoys all car related topics. I spent many hours combing the forums and watching every video online in regards to adding a turbo. Because this was our first project together , we decided to attack this in two phases.
What we purchased:
1995 Miata 198,XXX miles Hard Top XXR Wheels Gomiata 1/2 Wheel spacers Had newer NGK wires Hard Dog Double Diagonal Roll Bar BC BR Coilovers Test pipe with ISR catback Personal Suede Steering wheel Unknown Flares Turn Signal Intakes Lip kit all around w/ side skirts
Other than that, everything WAS STOCK with the assumption of Original powertrain.
Hard parked before we purchased this bad boy Slammed to the ground and not running, had to tow it home
Phase One
Everything we did in phase one was on the stock block
The entire purpose of phase one was proof of concept. We wanted to know we could get this car up and running with a turbo without rods being launched into the stratosphere. Getting it started turned out to be easier than we anticipated, only needing a new battery and a new coil pack. After driving it for a couple days we determined the car was way to loud. I traded the ISR catback for a stock one and sold the XXRs for some Advanti Storm S1 15x8 +25. We started sourcing parts on this site and Facebook groups to get ready for our build. Come January we found ourselves in a situation where we could swap some major components into our car from a 2004 Miata w/88k miles. We had a very limited time frame to work with and we decided to only pull what was necessary. We swapped our 5 speed for the newer one (ours grinded into 2nd), LSD diff for our open diff, and swapped along the NB axles, hub, and brakes. We could finally do a proper burn out! No more one tire fire.
Eventually with much discussion , we went with Trackspeed Engineering's turbo kit. The order was placed and items were back ordered till July. Meanwhile we were able to pick a Mishimoto radiator & fan w/shroud, qmax reroute, and a oil catch can from a local part out. While installing those item we ditched the charcoal canister to tidy up the bay. A used Megasquirt 3 Pro Plug & Play was then installed to help us maximize our efforts.
As parts started arriving and our goal of finish this up in the summer came closer we began to work on our car every chance we got. We both work full time jobs so a lot of late nights were put in. Our fuel was system was next on our list to attack. All new E-85 compatible fuel lines were put in, new sock and fuel filter. An unknown Walbro fuel pump my brother had laying around replaced the factory pump. A Radium fuel rail with a Fuelab fuel pressure regulator and ID1050x injectors went in. We opted to install a Deatschwerks inline fuel filter in addition to the factory one to help our injectors stay clean after we went E-85. Cheap insurance. We deleted the washer reservoir to accommodate all the extra hardware. At some point we also tackled depowering the steering rack and deleting the PS pump and lines and reservoir. I purchased a radiator cowl and belly pan from a local company (LRB Speed) who makes awesome aluminum parts. I also acquired Zerek Fab front knuckles and had to switch to NB front upper control arms to make them work.
Moving to the interior, I went with Sparco Sprint seat for both driver and passenger. Planted technology brackets were used. I ordered a Hard Dog Harness bar to help place the Takata 3" four point harness w/ ASM technology. I also upgraded to a NRG quick release 3.0 to compliment the suede steering wheel.
Late May....
Another wonderful part out bought us Wilwood brakes for the front and back with the proportioning valve and the Wilwood master cylinder. We also got NIB Skunk2 intake manifold and a NB Skunk2 throttle body from the same part out. As parts of the turbo kit started to arrive it was time to do some major work. Replacing the intake manifold, deleting the rest of the egr system and installing our NB throttle body which required rewiring to work with the NA harness. Next we assembled the turbo manifold, the EFR 6258 and down pipe. After trimming into the rear shelf to fit the down pipe, everything was finally in its final resting place. We really wanted to keep the intercooling piping full 2.5" all the way through. Because of that, and the fact we were keeping A/C (Florida is hot) we clocked the turbo to face the fender.
Fully committed now Had to trim up some of the metal to make way Finished routing for better or worse
My brother's coworker helped weld up the IC piping which was mated with to a vibrant intercooler. Some trimming was required on the LRB belly pan on the passenger side to route to the throttle body.
Something about measure twice... etc etc
With that the turbo install was complete. We double checked timing which we advanced to 10 degrees. I used Tunerstudio and proceeded to do some street tuning with the VE live feature. The stock catback was to restrictive so I ended up picking up the cheapest catback I could find. A used DNA catback as a temporary solution.
Late July...
We managed to get the car running on boost more or less well enough by our summer time goal. Now we changed gears to focus preparing our car to go on the dyno. The tuner I picked was based out of Orlando. Carlos runs BP Performance and is one of the best tuners in the area. We changed our spark plugs to NGK BKR9EIX and gapped them to the .024 per Carlos's instructions. We then installed an ethanol sensor in case we ever wanted to use the blend feature on the MS3. We opted to run the Turbosmart Boost controller to give us more options in the future and more adjustments while tuning. We also picked up a used Flyin Miata Happy Meal Clutch to help hold all the power. Because of conflicting schedules, we would not be able to get it dyno tuned until October.
Dyno Day
We finally arrive to the big day. D day. The ultimate test to almost a year's worth of work. I had many doubts with the expectation that this could end with a blown motor. Our goals were a conservative 250-275 whp. I knew from all the research I've done that everything we did up to this point should equate to those figures. We strapped the car down and to do a couple test pulls on some 93 octane pump gas. Our first major pull after everything was dialed in came in at 232 whp!!! We were pumped at this point , our goal was definitely achievable. Five pulls later, were coming up on the limits of the 93 octane and ended up with 286 whp and 228 lb/ft. We were so happy that it all paid off and the best part was yet to come.
It was time to bust out the E-85, sweet sweet smelling corn. After swapping fuel we did another half pull just to make sure all the values were dialed in. Next pull shatters all expectations. Never did I think phase one would accomplish 300+ whp. But there it was on the screen. Not one but two pulls at 17 psi came to 311 whp and 239 lb/ft . We dubbed this map "Kill Mode". It was a double edged sword, a blessing and a curse. This was absolutely the upper limits of our motor. Kill mode was to be used when we needed to roast some mustangs on the road as it would significantly shorten the lifespan of this old motor. With the Turbosmart Boost controller we dialed the boost back to an easy 13-14 psi for our daily use with the ability to go full spool at a touch of a button.
It about to happen!!! 93 Octane initial pull E-85 at 17 psi
Phase One - Completed
Proof of concept is in the pudding. We successfully boosted our car and made more power than we ever thought we could on a stock block. We can finally move to Phase Two. Built BP4W motor w/ pistons, rods , oil pump, volvo springs, ati balancer, arp hardware and etc etc.
We switched to Supermiata's crossflow radiator because the Mishimoto one seemed to have sprung a leak. We also switched to a 185 thermostat to help with cooling.
Ducting and suspension work needs to be addressed as well
I will update this again when Phase Two is concluded. Our goals have been reset and are much higher now. We will also begin to focus on the cosmetics of the car in addition to the APR spoiler and mirrors I already have on it. A T2 tranny swap will be done to handle the incoming power along with a NB rear subframe. New wheels, bigger and better flares and new coilovers. And a entire respray of the car.
Check those eclipse vents out... Black Takata Harness Jass Low Pros
Miata Is Always The Answer
If you read all this, you are a trooper.
Last edited by InitialM; 02-19-2019 at 10:53 AM.
Reason: forgot to highlight some stuff
Nicley done and welcome to the forum. Ditch the turn signal intakes they are actually counter productive for cooling. Also look at upgrading coilovers in the future.
What are you planning to do with the car? track? autoX? Mountain roads?
Nicley done and welcome to the forum. Ditch the turn signal intakes they are actually counter productive for cooling. Also look at upgrading coilovers in the future.
What are you planning to do with the car? track? autoX? Mountain roads?
Have new coilovers on the way! Did not know the TSI were counter productive 0.o I will have to look in to that. This build is nothing more than a fun time for now. Neither of our work schedules allow for anything more than a Autox every now and then. Hopefully some track time after the new motor. Sebring is close to us. And taking the it to the drag strip should be fun xD
02-19-2019, 10:38 AM
Professional Amateurs - Running on Hopes & Dreams
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