EFR'ed alpine thrill-seeker
 

Join my quest for fire

So this is my second build thread, the first being my dreadful attempt at swapping a VVT engine into my NA (go see The Definitive "VVT swap into 91 chassis" Failure Build in case anyone cares). Surprisingly, after the first build the car ran great. Learned a lot about Megasquirt tuning, the engine pulls strong and haven't had any break-downs, except for a wobbly ECU pin connector that gave me a hard time tracking down.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d4993d3eaa.jpgfinished the interior


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...056a7a364.jpegfinished the engine


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...41ea9a462d.jpgbuilt a camber gauge. 2.5°/2.2° because wannabe race-car


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a43fcaa952.jpgwent to a big MX-5 meet in Austria (yep, somewhere down there, there are 120+ MX-5s)


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...eea8f5131f.jpgsported googly eyes


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7b6fbb589d.jpgtook the wife on a 1200 km / 3 days trip through the Italian alps


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5d114aa14f.jpgpermanently moved to Munich for work and found a perfect windblock at IKEA


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a60a9624a9.jpgorganized a 2 days tour through the Austrian alps. 30 people / 18 cars joined!


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...073e1f92e5.jpgperformed a V8 swap, albeit in the living room


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e587facc6f.jpgdid a track day and gave a GT3 a run for its money (yes, it must have been this way, for sure *lol*)


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ba9386ce0f.jpgquickly found out that 400/260 springs suck on track


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9442ed9735.jpgtried my best at being a Steve McQueen double


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...535a295b5a.jpghad a lot of fun but was clearly crushed on the straights by M-cars and new Mustangs (damn those things were quick!)


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f9000f9c55.jpginstalled frame rails and stiffer springs (500/350)


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...6165cfeae0.pngblasted through the Dolomites with non-MX-5 friends (997, 928, VW Golf GTI, Audi TTs, BMW Z3 Coupé, Saab 900 Turbo)


In brief: I had a blast with the swapped engine. However, being completely honest, the VVT swap, learning how to tune the MS3-Pro and all supporting mods ultimately were the prep work for the fulfillment of a long hedged dream: a proper turbo build.

Ever since the day I bought my MX-5 (in 2005) I loved it, but felt like it could use a little more OOOOMPH. Unfortunately, back in Austria such feats were clearly disregarded by the authorities. Now, in Germany things are a little bit more car-friendly and less polar-bear-friendly. So over the next weeks this thread will become my build diary of a proper EFR 6258 build.

The car is my dual-duty, non-winter daily driver, alpine road thrill-seaker and trackday toy. So it has to be reliable on the road, look stealthy, but perform well on the track while keeping all daily driver amenities a bone stock NA has to offer (having no ABS, PS or AC this probably means a radio and working headlights....). Plans and ordered parts are:

engine
VVT engine, block bored and honed to 83.5 mm
EFR 6258 w/ T25 flange, goal: 17-19 psi (300-350 hp?)
Supertech pistons w/ Wiseco oil rings
ebay forged H-beam conrods
ACL bearings all the way
ARP head and main studs
new engine and stem seals
BE oil pump (stage 2 with 1 extra shim)
oil catch can with 323 GTX PCV valve, -10 AN line on passenger side
valve cover with copper scrubs, tiny hole mod and mini pod filter on driver's side
oil return bung and other fittings properly welded, not just tapped and JW welded
full 3" downpipe + exhaust system incl. cat

fuel & ignition
Hawley performance LS3 coils, wires + bracket, sequential spark
deatschwerks 700 cc injectors on stock NA 1.8 return-style fuel rail, sequential injection
stock fuel pump (apparently good enough??)

cooling
coolant reroute w/ 99-00 head gasket
460x160x90 mm intercooler
25 rows oil cooler with oil filter sandwich plate and thermostat
50 mm alloy radiator (already in use)

wiring & electronics
not happy with the original wiring job. All connections were soldered, and wires were not always color-matched. I have a spare NA 1.6 wiring harness that I will clear of unused wires and properly crimp matching colors as needed
chinese finger-trap nylon wire sleeves
oil temperature sensor in drain plug
VSS feed to MS3-Pro
"map switch" hidden in rear fog light switch (switches between wastegate-only and EBC)
stealthy 1-DIN 7" android radio to display Megasquirt gauges via Shadow Dash and enable ad-hoc tuning via MSdroid

brakes & aero
as of now 1.8 brakes (might switch to a proper BBK later, but now I'm broke as a joke)
GV style lip with DIY aero ducts to brake rotors
radiator ducting

drivetrain
10AE 6speed gearbox
10AE torsen diff
competition clutch stage-whatever-works
lightweight 15x8 ET 25 wheels with 205/50/15 Federal 595 RS-R tyres (only 225/45 available here is the Toyo 888 which given my yearly mileage would set me back €1,600/year!)



So here I am currently waiting for my parts to arrive. I hope I can start the build at the end of January. Until then I'll keep reading and preparing the wiring harness.

Oohhh this will be nice!

I hope so. 11 years of waiting are plenty nuff.

Fun fact: I probably would have waited some more if it weren't for the wife - she surprised me by promising to cover half of the turbo kit costs (FWIW, the one I tell her ;-) ) as a christmas present. She said: "I know you want to build it, and I want it too." She definately is a keeper!

Maybe it's because I once let her drive an MX-5...
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d2c1451969.jpg

1) A+ start for a build thread
2) A++++ scenery on those drives
3) Your wife is really cool
4) looking forward to seeing this car develop

Nice build dude. Those 205's will become nuclear waste in about 2 seconds though..consider any wider option IMO.

Those track pictures are great! much better than most.

and I'd reconsider the dw700's too (unless they finally switched from ev6 to ev14). mediocre at best
you want injector dynamics for your car.

I know 205s will be consumables on the track, but I do 10.000 km a year. The Federals cost €65.- a tyre. The only 225 UHP available here is the Toyo 888, costing €190.- a piece, and it wouldn't last a full season of shredding :(

Can you get the VR-1 there? Or an RS3?

Whose manifold/DP are you using?

The R-S3 is listed on the homepage, but nobody seems to stock tyres in 225/45

I like what you do there... Will be watching! ;)

P.S.: Also thinking about switching to 225 - I think Jan @ SPS has a new option available... - I even think about going 15x9...

This looks interesting! Must follow this built... Also dreaming of "ultimate response 1.8 VVT & EFR 6258 combo".

Btw, I love Austria. Skiing holiday there in next month.

Do you have more info on this? I couldn't find anything on their Facebook or webpage..

Jan told me they will start selling nankang tyres, but at least to my knowledge they are not available in 225/45/15

Looking at the specs the 205/50/15 AR1's have a 214mm section width that is similar to their 215 wide tires, so those might be wider than their 205 markings might suggest. Otherwise the number of available 225/45/15 tires in Europe is down to zero.

lol nankang

That's how Hankook started too :-)
Nankang's line of UHP tires surprised everyone by being decent value for money. Recently they have become the control tire in several racing classes in Europe (slashing the required tire budget by two thirds because they turned out to be long lasting too). Laptimes were a second or so slower than previously on R888s.

I don't think they ever made it to the US, but I think they are probably comparable to the VR1.
The newer Semi-Slick offering looks to be a step up, much like the RC-1 is to the VR-1. Not the fastest tire out there, but cheap, consistent, hard wearing and a second or two slower than the competition.

don't get me wrong, I've run nankangs before on my cars (I'm not proud of it, lol)

..but a 300-350whp Miata with a 10AE 6sp and torsen will spin all seasons well into 4th gear

How do you pass TüV?

Can I be your assistant, I am trying to get back to Germany.

These ain't all seasons..

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1a8f79fd06.jpg

Supposedly worth a few seconds a lap over R888s.

Oh wow I've never seen those before. My mistake. I guess nankang is getting into the performance tire market and not just cheap all seasons?

as said before, they are control tyres in several racing series over here.

Yeah I remember you used to work for BMW as well :) i'll send you a PM later.

do you happen to know the width of the rim it was measured on?

No sorry, its all just from the manufacturers spec. I've been asking around on fora, but no luck yet.

In part II they chop 3 or 4 seconds off The old R888's. That's pretty impressive.

Doesn't look too rainy road-use friendly... Guess one should be opting for a second set of rims and tires for track use...

Downright dangerous in wet conditions...according to all reports so far.

You could try the new NS-2R super-soft 100 compound as a dual duty setup? They are noted as having the same 215mm section width. But you'll probably go through a set a year or more.

Powerslave

So the first parts are in: forged ebay rods. They say "MaxPeeding" which - being named Max - I take as a good omen.

will put them on a proper digital scale when I find the time as fine-balance them if needed.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d2fda32449.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f668d27258.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...eff059e29a.jpgARP bolts FTW.
on a more discouraging note I crashed my winter car at low speed in a multi-floor parking lot due to black ice, shoving a brand new BMW into another. Endless joy.

​https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...0d187a3a42.png

Just got word from Jan that the Nankang AR-1 will come in 225/45/15

Interesting. I wonder if we will see them in the US?

Awesome, finally a new option!
Any word on when they'll become available?

You don't need them. You have plenty of choices :-p

Nope. Somewhen this year. Still I wonder if it's worth switching to 15x9 wheels. If we run out of nankangs, we'll be sort of lost, having only Toyo 888s and R1r to our avail.

measuring a mere true 225 mm, I'm not convinced the 225/45/15 will be noticeably faster than the 205/50/15 on a 15x8 wheel measuring 215 mm.

Based on the tread pattern, it's highly unlikely since it wouldn't pass DOT. It would have to come in as a radial race slick and that's not a large US market.

There are no more R888s or R1Rs in 225/45-r15 except those that are waiting for a buyer in a warehouse somewhere. Both have been discontinued for some time now. You can switch to 225-50 Kumho V710s, which some people are running with success at higher ride heights. I think its easier to make them work now with the extended ball joints. You also have the 235-40-15 Avon ZZS for 180€, while not as fast as the ZZR it should last a long time and OK in the wet.

I don't quite get this statement? Are you comparing a true 225 vs a 215 wide 205 against each other with both of them mounted on a 8J wheel? The answer to that one is probably that the additional aero drag negates the small advantage of the 10mm wider tire.
Both will work better on 9s than 8s. Whether that difference is large enough to make the switch to 9s a smart move? That's the big question. I've read reports of AR-1s as being a few seconds faster than 888s, but also seen reports of a 15 inch size on an MX5 that said they turned to mush and heat cycled out a lot earlier than the usual suspects. Its too early to say, but its good to see that the ringbanana guys like them...

Also, the 225 17s AR1s are more like 235 wide, so I'm hoping that carries over to the smaller sizes.

Option a) I put a 225/45/15 on a 15x9 wheel. According to Nankang the 225 tire really is 225 mm wide.

option b) I put a 205/50/15 on a 15x8 wheel. According to Nankang it is 214 mm wide.

so will the 9 mm wider 225 really matter in real life? Or is the narrower tire almost as good in terms of grip, while being more commonly available and lighter?

Day after day, day after day
we stuck nor breath nor motion

Combating excessive heat is a major concern. Less so on the track, but rather when pushing hard up a mountain pass where speeds might be low and flow through the radiator limited. U therefore got me a 25 row oil cooler kit. I'll mount it behind the alloy radiator, approximately 25 mm apart and fully ducted. I decided to do so after talking to a friend from the M GmbH. He engineers the cooling system for the M cars and owns an MX-5 himself. His first advice was to use heat exchangers, but we quickly settled for the oil cooler behind the rad. The oil can take higher temps than water. So it will be both warmed up quicker after the start, cooled even by warm air from the rad when pushing hard, and still allow a certain amount of fresh air to cool the rad. Full ducting of the mouth is mandatory of course.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...403e62af21.jpg

parts have mostly arrived, which took quite some time (and cash) due to frickin' customs charges and import duties. Anyway, stoked to finally have the parts from Fab9Tuning here. Props to Brian for ace customer support.
I took the engine parts to an engine engineer and fellow motorcycle rider today to have the eBay rods and supertech pistons weighed. The rods came in at 525.8, 525.5, 525.8 and 525.6 g. We were fairly impressed how accurately they measured.
The Supertech pistons weighed 284.9, 284.3, 285.0 and 284.7 g without pins. The pins weighed 84.7-84.8 g. We decided to call it a day and not bother any more about weight matching them.

Also, my EV14 750cc injectors from Clean-Injection (eBay) arrived on Saturday. They included a test protocol with latency times for several voltages along with flow data. They also came with an adapter harness and dropped right in. No messing with top hats whatsoever. However, the car ran like crap. Way too lean! Like AFR 19-20 when warm! So I went upstairs to drown my sorrow over crappy injectors in some Bavarian beer when I discovered a post be Reverant stating EV14s like to idle at around VE=70 (!) compared to the previous 48. Will try it later. If I fail, I still have plenty of beer left.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...288296bc1c.jpgEV14s are in. Gone is idle roughness, for whatever reason.

I also ordered some parts which are only available overseas. The BE oil pump cost an arm and a leg, but surely is a neat piece to look at. Also, stage 8 fasteners were impossible to find in Europe, so I had to import them.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b2a8994d9c.jpgBoundary Engineering oil pump

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ed5a23cc04.jpgStage 8 turbo fasteners

Slowly preparing the engine for disassembly and forging. Shortened and ditched some unused wires. Next steps will be to make a new clean wiring harness and get the injectors to run properly. Then I will remove the engine, have the crank assembly balanced, the block bored out to 83.5 mm and the head shaved, and rebuild the engine. Then a short N/A run-in period before things hopefully will get boosted.

I'll be following your build closely as it resembles mine, or at least what I want mine to be in the future, very well. Best of luck! Share any info you get!

Thanks, but to be fair I'm mostly copying what others here have done before. So I'm taking no credit here.

People make careers out of consolidating data. That's how I see it.

After getting the engine to run on EV14 injectors (idle VE was raised from ~48 to ~61 to reach a stoich idle) I fully charged the battery and did the MT-approved deadtime test. Instead of the 1.14ms
stated on the printout that came with the injectors, my results were 0.94ms @ 13.2V. Astonishingly the engine ran smooth with any AFR between 10 and 18 (at that point I didn't dare to go any leaner). The injectors "feel" a lot better than the stock 265cc Miata injectors.

I proceeded to clean up the wiring harness. Color-matched wires from the ECU to each connector, twisted wires, no solder, nylon braided sleeving - the full works. After that, the car wouldn't start or would run rough. After taking everything apart again, it turned out the cam sensor female pin at the ECU connector had a bad connection (the spring inside had become loose).

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...88647428c8.jpgTwisted wires because why not?

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...41c694e8b1.jpgsequential injection + VVT + crank sensor harness

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9a8e987bb9.jpgcrimped EV14 injector connectors

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a3da96ed97.jpgnylon braided sleeving FTW

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...543756715c.jpgmore sleeving

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...2334a3b5d9.jpgshielded wires for O2 sensor and injectors

So, with all issues sorted and the car running great, it of course was time to tear it down. When I bought the VVT engine the seller (who had bought it used but failed to get it running because he owned a 1999 1.6L NB) told me he believed the mileage was around 120,000 km, but he couldn't prove it. I drove it for another 10,000 km. My plan was to tear it down anyway because I wanted to have a totally rebuilt and forged engine for peace of mind and longterm durability.

Upon the previous removal I unbolted the subframe and lifted the chassis up. This time I had help from friends and decided to try the conventional method with an engine hoist. Looking back, I prefer the first method.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...de0b477dd5.jpgready for lift-off

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...57a0e0488e.jpggot myself a nice hardtop

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...76fae19b49.jpgmandatory Fred Flintstone pic

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...2237ae6db6.jpgstripping the engine

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7ce04639ca.jpgvalve clearance was still within spec

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ac602a46c4.jpgno signs of wear on the pistons, just carbon crud

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...28cc8b4905.jpgno scuffs on the crank either

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...0a97e3a010.jpgthe oil pump will be ditched too, although in perfect nick

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...652042f79c.jpgthese parts will not be reused

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c2922fc6cf.jpgshort block ready for 0.5mm overbore; valve cover will have dash 10 fittings welded on

Next Monday I will have the block bored and honed. In the meantime I mounted the 25 row oil cooler to the radiator. I wanted to make sure it was perfectly ducted. I fabbed up a bracket made from 2-3mm aluminium, rivets and a vacuum hose left over from the Megasquirt install. I only have basic tools (a small saw, an electric drill and a hand file) so please don't mind the visual appearance. It really looks like it was chewed off by a blind monkey :eggplant:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3db873e06a.jpgchinese oil cooler rad riveted to home-made bracket. additional high-temp RTV makes sure the rad stays put even if the rivets should fail and ducts all the air through the rad

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...107c03d3fd.jpglongitudinally cut silicone vacuum line protect the water radiator fins

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...234a273fe5.jpg100% sealed

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...de59773c82.jpgready to play

Engine assembly time! Of course it took way longer than expected because the guy running the machine shop went on holiday and furthermore refused to weld the -10 AN bungs for my double crankcase ventilation system and the oil return line...

first, with the wife at work, I cleaned the intake manifold, oil pan and valve cover

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...70ff94d678.jpg

the block was bored and honed to 83.50 mm. After checking for distortion (there wasn't any) I only cleaned the mating surfaces. The head was milled flat tho. I also decided to join the church of "no oil squirters" and removed them. I plugged the holes with M10x1.25 oil drain plugs apparently used on some motor scooters.
also, I checked and painted the 3.63 Diff from a wrecked 10AE. 200,000 km and the pinion didn't show any noticeable signs of wear, so I only replaced the seals. The prop shaft received some anti-rust treatment (phosphoric acid) and flat black paint.

all work was done inside my 2x2m storage room in the basement of my apartment. With all those boxes containing new parts space was... erm... compromised.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8d24bc4e49.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f6672fcf67.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...afc104cdd8.jpg

Nice progress man.

The crank was checked and found to be within spec, so I mounted it using fresh ACL bearings and old bolts. I torqued it to 2/3 of the final torque to check for any binding caused by new bearings. Of course there wasn't any, so I disassembled everything again and went to bed.

Today I took all parts to a DIY workshop in order to finally work in an humane environment

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5d7a3afc40.jpgI mixed & matched the ebay rods, Supertech pistons and Wiseco rings gor a maximum overall weight difference of 0.5 g

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...366b1aa41c.jpgI preliminary bolted the con rods to the crank to verify proper bearing play without binding
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f0b6bdf363.jpgIn come ARP main bolts

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3c4f746786.jpg...along with the crank

I then proceeded to gap the rings following Wiseco's recommendations for turboed engines. At first I wanted to use my dremel grinder, luckily was smart enough to use 1000 grit sand paper instead. I wrapped the paper around a thin 1 mm sheet of metal to best ressemble the future ring gap and slowly sanded a few 1/100s mm off the rings. Worked like a charm

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...fbfe005439.jpg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3b3f7327c9.jpg

next parts to be installed were the con rods + pistons, the Boundary Engineering oil pump and ARP head bolts. A 94-00 head gasket was installed too since I'm running a coolant reroute. Then came the cylinder head after thoroughly cleaning with brake cleaner and compressed air.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...703cb4344d.jpgARP head studs to keep all those horses inside
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4131cb6341.jpgMachine(d) head with cleaned & lubed cams
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9acf31666c.jpgHow it sits now
next steps:
- finish assembly of engine incl. oil cooler and competition clutch/flywheel combo
- make wiring harness for LS coils
- install walbro 190 HP + wiring from battery
- install 6 speed + Torsen diff
- install heat shield
- install poly bushings on the arms
- run in engine
- get tuning shop to ship turbo kit at last... :(

Did I say my wife gave me a track day admission ticket on May 1st as a Christmas gift? Arrrgghh I GOTTA get this thing running

How long on this longest day
'Til we finally make it through

- finish assembly of engine incl. oil cooler and competition clutch/flywheel combo
- make wiring harness for LS coils
- install walbro 190 HP + wiring from battery
- install 6 speed + Torsen diff
- install heat shield
- install poly bushings on the arms
- run in engine
- get tuning shop to ship turbo kit at last... :(

Good news is: after a long and tedious day the engine and transmission are finally in

bad news is: I'm still not ready to start the engine after losing time with the installation and running into fitment problems

on Sunday I only had 4h to my avail, so I did the final assembly of the engine. Inside the valve cover I did the "tiny hole mod" by enlarging the passage from the middle chamber to the LHD chamber to approx. 11mm and adding another 4mm hole right next to it. I then added genuine copper sponges to the chambers to add surface area for the oil mist to be caught.
After taking the photo I changed the arrangement of the sponges for fear a tiny bit of copper might make it into the engine. After all, I had cut open two sponges to fit them in the side chambers, but I wasn't sure I had managed to remove all remains of loose copper bits inside those cut sponges. The final arrangement is drown in orange. In the middle chamber there is an entire uncut copper scrubber in hopes it might catch any tiny remaining bit of loose copper.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5af8c7295b.jpgTiny hole not being tiny anymore

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...52ff81e90e.pngOperation during cruise and overrun

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...07f0201a4c.pngOperation during boost​​


I then sealed the cover plates and refitted the screws to the VC. Then I finished the assembly of the engine. Lacking the turbo kit, I had to temporarily close the oil drain fitting by attaching a short piece of drain hose with a bolt stuck into it.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ad004c7c50.jpgEngine ready. Oil drain fitting not yet closed off.

The first big issue I ran into was the 90 degree fitting + check valve mounted onto the inlet manifold. It simply wouldn't clear the hood, or the support bracing respectively. I was considering
- cutting the hood bracing (chance of rattling due to engine movement)
- using an -10AN to push-on hose fitting and relocating the check valve (possible boost leak by blowing hose off the fitting)
- pointing the fitting in another direction (not the clean install I had intended and possibly still contact with the hood)
- a mix of all the above options
- cutting the threaded fitting off the manifold and having another fitting welded at a flatter angle (expensive, 3 days lost, but cleanest option)

I decided to go for the last option

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8e43c31eb3.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...541c76c80f.jpgManifold dash fitting wouldnt clear the hood by approx. 10-15 mm. At least i got the MT.net-approved coolant reroute fitted (spacer, Kia Sephia neck, chevy silverado coolant hose)

Next phuck-up was the transmission install. I installed a competition clutch stage 4 and lightweight flywheel. The flywheel and clutch were installed using thread locker and the proper alignment tool. The 6speed transmission spline was lightly lubricated with high temp grease.

still, I couldn't for the life of me get the transmission to fully go on the clutch. There would always be a gap of 10mm or so between the bell housing and engine block. After numerous attempts and endless times lifting the transmission I removed the clutch and flywheel again. The clutch would easily go onto the transmission spline. So would the pilot bearing. Refitted the clutch, but again the transmission wouldn't completely fit.

the solution was to loosen the clutch cover bolts just enough to move the clutch plate with the clutch assembly tool, but not let the clutch move by itself. I moved the clutch disc until the assembly tool would go in and out without even the slightest effort. That meant the pilot bearing and clutch disc were perfectly aligned. I then evenly tightened the clutch cover in several steps, and voilà the transmission went on smoothly.

another 90 min lost...

Heat insulation was another issue. I cleaned the transmission tunnel and added self-adhesive 4mm fiberglass/aluminum heat protection sheets to the driver side and top from the transmission tunnel. Overall length was from the fire wall until the shifter opening. I also added another patch next to the steering rack and plan on adding golden adhesive tape to the clutch and brake master cylinder, plus an aluminium heat shield.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a8a863373f.jpg


then the engine was installed. This sucked big time and required the help of two fellow hobby mechanics because the engine wouldn't tilt to the driver's side to get the engine mount into the subframe. If I were to do it again, I'll go back to my proven method of installing the engine from below. I had done it that way twice before, all by myself, and it was super quick

another f-up was the installation of various water hoses. Except for the coolant return hose, all hoses are made from silicone and thus thicker than OEM. This means most OEM clamps wouldn't or only barely fit. Damn, I hate those sprung clamps... Also, the silicone hoses wouldn't fit a 100% and required shortening. At least they mount easily when used on combination with brake cleaner

all in all yesterday was a frustrating experience. It took me 12 hrs to finalize assembly of the engine and get everything into the engine bay, only to find out the dash fitting on the intake fouls the hood

Very nice and throughout work... Propcats to you!

Great build and photos.

Does anyone know what those 3 mount points below the EGR flange on the intake manifold are/were for?
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...17f7db6290.jpg
I've got one of these manifolds on my MSM and its OEM VTCS manifold had them too but they're unused.

Dunno. I think I use some of these holes for various chassis grounds

Jump in the cockpit and start up the engines
Remove all the wheelblocks theres no time to waste
Gathering speed as we head down the runway
Gotta get airborne before it's too late

We're back on track! The first 60 km are done, albeit N/A only (but it can't hurt for the break-in period)

since the -10AN fitting on the squaretop manifold fouled the hood I cut it off at an angle, rotated it slightly to get the fitting mounted lower and then had a colleague weld it back on. He's one of the guys building our prototypes and thus more than capable of welding aluminium. I guess I was lucky I didn't ad-hoc cut a hole in the support of the bonnet. I instead decided to go to sleep and came up with the idea of having the fitting rewelded. My hot-headed me seems to be getting calmer...

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b769af4b77.jpgWelded at an angle the hose clears the fitting on the VC. The check valve had to be relocated tho.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...0e90f75460.jpgLower than the VVT solenoid

I then proceeded to install the 3.63 torsen diff along with PU bushings. The stock rubber mounts had to be modified by cutting off the rubber, so that only the metal bracket remains

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...877e67c153.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9e00a779b8.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...662ec5056a.jpg250 kph here I come!
I replenished all fluids, removed the plugs and unplugged the injectors. I then cranked the engine for 10 seconds, but there wasn't any oil pressure showing on the gauge. Phuck! Anxiously I checked the oil pressure sensor, but couldn't find any mistake. In a desperate attempt I cranked for a second time and after 10-15 seconds I could see a slight movement of the gauge needle. Seconds later full oil pressure came on - hooray!

i reinstalled the plugs, and the car fired right up. I let it warm up, took it for a spin around the block, looked for possible leaks (damn NPT plugs in the oil cooler sandwich plate!) and instantly took it for a ride. I gave it the beans, letting it coast down from 5500-6500 rpm to 2500 rpm several times to properly seat the piston rings. Did feel strange to thrash a freshly rebuilt engine though.

after 50 km I pulled in and drained the engine oil. The magnetic oil pan plug only had a minimal amount of metal particles, and the filter was clean. So I filled the engine with new oil and drove it home.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ba4f9a73ce.jpgSmall metal shavings. I hope this is nothing to worry about?
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...236c774f20.jpgNothing to see inside the oil filter.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...25f8b17718.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...71f906c18c.jpg


wow, I almost forgot what driving an MX-5 feels like. The nimbleness, the sheer response, the cabin noise,... A very rewarding experience.

a few bad points:
- the 6puck clutch in combination with the lightweight flywheel makes taking off a little more difficult.
- also there is a little bit of drivetrain noise (occasionally). I suppose it's clutch judder, aggravated by the poly bushings in the diff arms.
- oil pressure is crazy. A full 6 bar when cold. When hot, the engine would idle around 2 bar (like before), but rev it beyond 2500 rpm and the needle is almost off scale. Me thinks it's due to the Boundary Engineering VVT oil pump (+1 shim), running thicker 15w-40 oil plus oil cooler and having removed the oil squirters. We'll see whether it gets better once the EFR is in

I will continue with break-in for the next 500 km. In the meantime my new wheels are supposed to arrive any day soon. With fresh rubber, we'll see whether the 6speed transmission will make up for the lack of power due to running 8.6:1 compression in a still naturally aspirated car.

200 km done and I have run into minor problems. The biggest one is an oil leak. First the NPT plugs on the sandwich plate were leaking, but I fixed those. Now I can see small drops of oil on the pan. At first I thought I didn't properly seal the oil pan, but it seems it's coming from the top front end. Maybe cam seals or the VC seal itself. Both were good and dry upon disassembly though.

Maybe the higher oil pressure is to blame. When warm, I get 1.8-2.0 bar at idle, but rev it up to 2,000 rpm and pressure rises to 4 bar. Anything beyond that rpm rapidly reaches the end of the gauge (6 bar). The needle itself is moving freely, so I suppose this is rather an issue caused by removing the oil squirters than having a stuck relief valve. What strikes me is the fact that at idle pressure is the same or even slightly lower than before the build, but give it some revs and pressure goes through the roof.

another issue was the front anti roll bar interfering with my oil cooler. The stock roll bar barely cleared the lower edge of the cooler (think: 1-2 mm), but now that I have an uprated H&R front sway bar (solid 26 mm, still stock 11 mm rear) it just wouldn't clear the oil cooler. It probably would if I weren't running a 50 mm water radiator at the same time. So I had to remove the water radiator brackets, drill new holes and angle it slightly more vertical than it used to sit. Having a 120 kg friend push the radiator forward while inserting the bolts made life easier.

new wheels are in: Japan Racing JR3 15x8 ET 25 in bronze. The weigh a true 6.3 kg each. I have a set of new Federals (205/50/15) waiting in the basement that I plan on mounting on Saturday. Right after my grandma's funeral ( :( ) and before the trackdays on Monday ( :) )

<3 <3

Love this thread.

Ist es schon Sparglsaison? :rofl:

Haha yes it is indeed. At least they served some in the Kantine. However I'm afraid most crop will have taken a severe hit after a week of winter 2.0

it's crazy, we've been having some 0-5 degrees Celsius over the past week, with constant rain and fucking SNOW (!). I have just completed a 1100 km round-trip to Vienna (good for breaking in the engine) and heading back home we had snowy rain all the way back from Salzburg. There's nothing like driving in these conditions with 13,000 km old Federal RS-R...

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...790f4b4f25.jpgOn the drive home yesterday

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8c150f13a8.jpgIn the meantime on the south side of the alps a friend was having a better time on the Passo di Maniva.

Today I fitted my new wheels. 205/50/15 Federal RS-R on 15x8 Japan Racing JR3. Took some serious roll in the front and rear, plus a slight pull. The arches received a special rust-protection grease to keep corrosion at bay. Working slowly and constantly applying enough heat keeps the paint from chipping, and it all came out great!

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f68d0e5cde.jpg4 tires + 4 wheels
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c81f8233fa.jpg
Before the roll: no es bueno.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...50b6c05ab5.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...fced084b05.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1be76e110.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7803baff0b.jpg205s on 8" run 20mm wider than 195s on 7"

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3a856cab83.jpg

It's warmer here.

My customer caught a fish.