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-   -   Emma The Great...A long and prosperous journey to awesomeness. (https://www.miataturbo.net/build-threads-57/emma-great-long-prosperous-journey-awesomeness-77481/)

TheGreatMica 02-11-2014 02:37 PM

Emma The Great...A long and prosperous journey to awesomeness.
 
4 Attachment(s)
Well let me introduce myself, I'm Freddy. I've owned a 1991 240sx and it was a bunch of fun but the maintenance was getting a bit tired some. So I got rid of it. It was a sad day because she was a beauty.

On February 2013, 95 NA Montego Blue miata. I loved the Miata platform so much and she was a bunch of fun. I bought her 15x8 Enkei 92 wheels and upgraded the suspension to some used Apexi N1 Coilovers which worked fine. I did a full tune up on her like every car I get. The previous owner did replace the water pump and timing belt with a bunch of other maintenance. It was rock solid car.

I've kept it like that for a while or say 6 months, but I kept eyeing the NB Miata so much more and I felt that although I loved the platform I wasn't indulged and in loving the NA miata. So I've got the chance to sale the NA Miata for a really good price, I was still going back and fourth if I should have sold it or not, I still loved the car for how reliable and fun she was.

I bit the bullet when I saw a completely Stock Emerald Green Mica NB Miata. I fell in love with just the posting. The guy had it in mint condition and it came with a oem black hardtop. I was just a little skeptical with the 170k mileage but I just kept loving the car. So I sold my NA miata scrapped up some extra cash to get this 2000 NB LS Miata. When I went to go pick up the car, the Miata looked 20920390324 times better in person. It had the lip, sides skirts, hard top spolier, and duck tail. All in amazing condition. She started right up and the interior was a major upgrade to the NA. The car pulled beautifully and shifted amazing. The guy was pretty cool. He was a graduate Nurse from Cal Poly and he was selling the car because he just bought himself a 2012 toyota tacoma trd edition, plus he has had the car since 2008. The guy and his fianace seemed like a good set of educated individuals. We signed the paperwork, he gave me a beer. We talked about Breaking Bad and Game Of Thrones. And rode on my new NB Emerald Mica Miata. I was so happy with it and still am.

On August 2013 I picked it up, I showed it to my girlfriend and she loved it. I felt the NB miata needed a name and we settled on Emma. It fits her perfectly.

Being a Full time college student and a part-time warehouse worker, was a bit difficult to source out parts for it but I already knew I wanted a simple but solid build for her, just so I won't be having to fix up or change up things just because I didn't spend those couple extra hundred dollars.

As I love being in mountain roads, going out to the track, and I would like to start doing some auto x. I felt I needed a good platform and tasteful mods. I want function and some form, I know its a bit pricey but i'm willing to be broke for me to achieve the certain platform I want Emma to be.

Emma's spec list how I bought her
2000 LS Miata
4.3 LSD
Oem Hardtop
New Belts
New Cat
Power Steering
Power Windows
Nardi Steering wheel
Brand new falkens 205/50/15's
Viper alarm system
Kick ass Sound system
and wait for it.....
ABS!!! ( Which I read around that it was an 800 dollar upgrade from the dealers)

This is Emma's First list when I started.
15x8 Konig Flatouts
Tein Flex Coilovers
RB or FM front sway bar
2.5 Inch Catback exhaust
K&N intake
Aftermarket bucket seats
Upgraded Rotors
Upgraded Brake Pads

Emma's First maintenance list
Mobil 1 Full Synthetic
Bosh oil filter
Ngk iridium spark plugs

Now for the pictures!

My 1991 240sx Aka Kendra

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147459

My 1995 NA Miata Aka Lindsey
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147459
079 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

This is Emma the Great
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147459
002.1 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147459
015_2 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

TheGreatMica 02-11-2014 02:39 PM

13 Attachment(s)
Well I have a major update since the last time I've posted on my build thread. First off Emma has gotten a new clutch, shoes, suspension, and ect. Lol. Well I purchased the konig flatouts on October. I managed to source out a set near a local tire/rim dealer out in Ontario, California and I must say I got an amazing deal from him. I was looking to order a set from good-win-racing but they would have came out $120 dollars more and I would have to wait for shipping and.... I kinda don't like waiting or forking up more money than I should.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147551
IMG_20140119_2323431 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

Also I saved up a bit and found some Tein flex coilovers for sale except they didn't come with any top hats, so I just used my NB top hats
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147551
IMG_20131228_1106351 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

My girlfriend got me an 2.5 inch catback Artech exhaust as a Christmas present and I want to thank her for it, she is pretty awesome (thanks babe) that we got from a member on here. The packaging the guy did was great and the fitment of the exhaust was fucking precise and it sounds amazing. I love it. I also feel that my car flows better with the Carb legal K&N short ram intake which I got for a stupid low price from a local sale.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147551
CAM002921 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

I had the flatouts and coilovers sit in my closet for a month before I installed anything. I had the wheels installed first and I was riding stock height with my flatouts until my clutch took a shit on me. It took me about 3 days to replace the clutch and look what I found

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147551
CAM003551 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

the throwout bearing was complete shit and the entire clutch setup, so I replaced it with an OEM Exedy clutch replacement

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147551
IMG_20131212_1117041 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

and I guess one of the transmission bolts were really stuck on there and broke this

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147551
IMG_20131209_1346121 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

I also replace the transmission fluid with Mobil 1 75-90 and it shifts like butter. I was looking what people always rave about with redline and motorcraft but I needed something from the self that was good enough and the gearing has much improved with the new clutch set up and transmission fluid.

After the new clutch I installed my Tein flex coilovers and it took me and my friend about 4 hours to do the entire set up and just to put it out there. The top bolt method is a blessing! Lol. It took us that long to adjust the coilovers accordingly. I love how it sits but i love how much better it handles. It compliments the 15x8 rims with the tein flex coilovers and the 205/50 tires just give it that extra umph. I'm planning on tracking the car over at Adams or local auto x events pretty soon, just to see how i'll do. I'm more of a sprinted canyon driver and I did Adams with my NA miata and I'm edger to see how my NB performs.

Next on to the list will be the pads and rotors. I went with stoptech high performance pads from reading good reviews from them and also the price for the front and rear was only 82 dollars. I'll also be getting blank rotors from Napa next week and i'll install the rotors and pads that same day.

Here are the pads and all I'm waiting on are the rotors
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147551
IMG_3713 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

I also bought 440 gram spun shift knob recently which feels so much better than the stock and the extra weight gives it a much precise throw. I highly recommend it for anyone who's looking for a weighted knob plus I also love the finish on it.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147551
IMG_3653 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

Thats it for now. I'm very satisfied how the car sits and feels right now. My next plans for the car will be a rollbar and some bucket seats, after that save up for a Flying miata turbo kit but thats going to be a while. I'll be updating my thread more often if I happen to pick up things here and there.

Here are some pictures I took today as I went on a cruise.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147551
IMG_3662 by f.munoz00, on Flickr
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147551
IMG_3697 by f.munoz00, on Flickr
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147551
IMG_3704 by f.munoz00, on Flickr
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147551
IMG_3677 by f.munoz00, on Flickr
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392147551
IMG_3675 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

eramey2012 02-11-2014 07:17 PM

Looks so good man! I'm going for similar results with my NB am in a similar situation with work/ school! Good luck with it!

TheGreatMica 02-12-2014 01:22 AM


Originally Posted by eramey2012 (Post 1101309)
Looks so good man! I'm going for similar results with my NB am in a similar situation with work/ school! Good luck with it!

Thanks man! Yeah its a slow build but it'll come through just slowly but surely. Just keep at it dude!

BARMY 02-12-2014 06:06 AM

Nice.

timk 02-12-2014 07:03 AM

Very cool! Looks just like mine!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1340960718

TheGreatMica 02-12-2014 12:32 PM


Originally Posted by timk (Post 1101436)

I just went over your build thread and I most say its a pretty bad ass nb2. Did you ever happen to fix those issue's when you went to get it tuned?

timk 02-19-2014 04:19 AM

Thanks man! Yeah it was the cam cover baffles that weren't sealed up properly, so oil was able to make its way in. I haven't had a retune done yet though, hopefully soon!

Cheers

TheGreatMica 03-18-2014 04:44 PM

8 Attachment(s)
An other semi big update list. Well since i've been pretty stumped with being a full time college student and working full time its been kinda hard to really make time to modify the car. But since in my spare time I always scan through the facebook fourms, craigslist, clubroadster, miata.net, and miataturbo for parts I've got myself a boss frog double hoop roll bar for a really stupid good price localish in socal. I had to bargain with the guy with the price but the end he ended up settling with the price I've put out with. The bar did come with the padding, brackets, and hardware. I picked it up that night in the miata and made it fit in my passenger seat. Lol.

My friend frank with an NB1 as well very kindly agreed to help me with the rollbar installation since he's already done it a few times with hard dogs but never a boss frog double hoop and we both thought it would be a cake walk but.... unfortunately that wasn't the case. Lol. I think the only major issue we had was the alignment of the rollbar everything was straight forward.

The day of the pick up
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1395175445
20140302_210255 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

The day of the installation with my bud frank the tank lol
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1395175445
20140315_114016 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1395175445
20140315_114012 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1395175445
20140315_113957 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

Test fitting my hardtop and just putting my wheels next to his car. Not a bad look. Lol.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1395175445
20140315_120601 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

A couple of hanger 24's
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1395175445
IMG_20140315_123259 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1395175445
20140315_134209 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

And after a long 8 hour process we are done.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1395175445
20140315_211030 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

TheGreatMica 03-18-2014 04:45 PM

3 Attachment(s)
I picked up an OEM valve cover gasket, NGK spark plug wires, and cas o ring at the project G meet. I wanted to replace my valve cover gasket because it would leak a bit from there and I also went with the NGK wire's because I just felt it was due for a replacement plus it did take away a slight hesitation Emma had. I also got tired of looking at my dirty ass engine bay, so when I replaced the gasket. I picked up a can of wrinkle black valve cover paint at vatozone and gave it 4 coats. The new coat of paint on the cover and a nice little clean up of the engine bay makes me feel 1002390239x better about lifting up my hood now. Also sorry about the wack heat shield I made under 5 mins while waiting for my girlfriend to get ready for a date a while back. Lol.

Before
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1395175545
IMG_3694 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

After
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1395175545
20140316_133129 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

I also got some stickers at the meet and got myself a shirt from a member on clubroadster which I think its pretty sick.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1395175545
20140317_125729 by f.munoz00, on Flickr


I look back at my list when I first got the car and all I really need left is the bucket seats. But i'll be picking up a NB2 exhaust manifold and Megasquirt PNP ecu done the road. For right now I'm pretty pleased with my NB. I was thinking about going turbo but at this point of my life and my NB being my current daily driver, I wouldn't want to risk it. Sorry guys. I know down the road I am though. ;)

Fireindc 03-18-2014 05:33 PM


Originally Posted by TheGreatMica (Post 1112695)
I look back at my list when I first got the car and all I really need left is the bucket seats. But i'll be picking up a NB2 exhaust manifold and Megasquirt PNP ecu done the road. For right now I'm pretty pleased with my NB. I was thinking about going turbo but at this point of my life and my NB being my current daily driver, I wouldn't want to risk it. Sorry guys. I know down the road I am though. ;)

I love your car, keep us updated on the build. I can't argue with your logic either, I don't think i'd turbo my DD unless I had a backup car. Plus a good n/a NB build is awesome in my book, your car is clean and frankly I'm jealous.

Other than the weird backwards hat thing on your hardtop, that's a CR.net trend I'll never understand.

TheGreatMica 03-19-2014 04:40 PM


Originally Posted by Fireindc (Post 1112712)
I love your car, keep us updated on the build. I can't argue with your logic either, I don't think i'd turbo my DD unless I had a backup car. Plus a good n/a NB build is awesome in my book, your car is clean and frankly I'm jealous.

Other than the weird backwards hat thing on your hardtop, that's a CR.net trend I'll never understand.

Thanks dude. I really appreciate the compliments. Yea I thought I was going to go turbo but then I started to calculate everything and seeing where I stand right now. It wouldn't be the most logical choice. Plus I still feel the stock NB BP engine is enough to satisfy my needs and with installing a NB2 exhaust manifold and play around with a megasquirt should give me enough juice to be content with plus i'm going to start tracking/ auto x my car more during the summer. Thanks dude I'm jealous of your buell and miata. Clean and long build!

TheGreatMica 05-31-2014 03:22 PM

8 Attachment(s)
Guess what? You thought I was done sourcing out fucking parts? Well unfortunately my dumbass seems to keep buying parts! Regardless how many times I tell myself I'm done.

Lets start off with the Enthuza AxleBack exhaust I ended up getting from a member I got from here. It's the budget series from what I could tell. My previous artec exahust I had was amazing but I had to sell it due for me paying some stuff at the time and it was a bit too loud for daily driving. So I searched for good sounding exhausts and of course Enthuza kept popping out, so BAM. I got this fucking Axleback because I was tired of hearing fucking silence on my stock exhaust.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=140156417120140521_225946 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

I started wanting a bit more NA power from my NB. I kept reading that the 99-00 NB's had the shittist exhaust manifolds that Mazda ever produced for any miata. I kept reading reviews just replacing them with NB2 manifolds would be an upgrade. But I said fuck that. I want real ebay headers! So I got ebay OBX 4-2-1 headers over the 4-1 because I wanted a better mid-range power. Did I have clearance issues? You bet your fucking tits I did. Was it a struggle? Was the Vietnam War a walk in the park? Would I recommend the 4-2-1's? No. I would have gone with the 4-1's because it seems there's a lot less hassle with the 4-1's than the 4-2-1's. But did I feel a difference? Fuck yea I did. It seems like my NB has a completely different power band with these headers on. Was it worth it? For 180 dollars for such a notable difference on my NB1, you bet your first born son on that shit, it was. Mind you I do have a Short-ram intake, axleback exhaust, and the headers. All I have to do is get rid of this rattle I have with them and they'll be perfect. The other day I got off from work I raced my co-workers Rsx base model. We're both slow but I still would've thought the rsx's K20 would have blasted me out of the water but to my surprise we were neck to neck on each other. Yes he's was a stick shift and we both had an okay launch. So heh. Suck it. :hello kitty:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=140156417120140524_141724 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=140156417120140524_141716 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

After we were done installing the headers, my friend and I washed our cars and enjoyed some brew. He has one clean S13, I must say.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=140156417110275971_646563475397154_6160279577167252581_n by f.munoz00, on Flickr

I also picked up Nitto Neo Gens 205/50's. Do I like them? No. I love them for what they are. Grip is there. Its always there just like that wart on your finger. Also got my car aligned and I guess my toe was completely off.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=140156417110297614_650330738353761_6228102010884541882_n by f.munoz00, on Flickr

Did my oil change because guess what? I do 5000 miles in 3 months. Can you say fuck mileage! I also wash my car with mothers because I trust anyone with a mother. Even Hitler.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1401564171IMG_20140523_103550 by f.munoz00, on Flickr]

I also went to Adams for the first time since I raced it when it was stock. Last time I got 56's now with my new set up my best time ended up being 52.18. Got better time than the 350z that was in front of me. I'm aiming for 48-49's by the end of june.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=140156417110402633_656526411067527_4631462930997314554_n by f.munoz00, on Flickr

Random picture

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1401564171IMG_20140529_083812 by f.munoz00, on Flickr

For what I have done and how my car handles and feels. I love it. Next mods will be a Nardi 330mm wheel or a personal and a bucket seats or cloth nb2 seats. I hate sliding around in stock LS seats. Till next time :hello kitty:

TheGreatMica 01-13-2016 10:53 PM

2 Attachment(s)
It's been a while since I've done anything to the miata. Most of 2015 has been a rough patch. Lost a job while going through a tough breakup of 5 years. So I didn't have much money nor a lot of interest with the miata as I did. I've got myself back up and landed a decent job again and got myself a daily. Don't bash me for it but I got myself a 2014 CAMRY se. I needed something reliable, gas efficient, and spacious. I was getting tired of how cramped the miata was and I had saved up enough and got a really good credit score for me to get myself a a decent daily.

Now the Miata will be my weekend/track car. I could comfortably start throwing parts at it again. I've just replaced the old nittos to Bridgestone RE11's. Those tires grip so effing good. It's my first time with real grippy tires and it's just purely amazing. I've done mostly everything I wanted to when I first got the miata. So I have a new list for me to complete by 2016.

2016 Emma List:
Rebuild Engine (Currently has 230k miles on it, still runs strong though)
Port and Polish the head
OEM Seals and belts
ARP head studs
Or replace it with a lower milage engine (Suggestions will be appreciated) :hello kitty:
Square Top intake Manifold
MSM intake Cam upgrade
Artech 2.5 Exhaust
Sports brake Caliber Upgrade (Front and Rear)
Garage Vary EyeLids
330mm Nardi or Momo Steering Wheel

That's my list for Emma. I just want to have a fresh engine with nice N/A power for me to track it reliably while having good stopping power. Since I've got my life back together, I could start enjoying the Miata again. I'll be more active on my build thread as I start collecting parts and working on the miata.

The Daily
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1452743594Snapchat-7417036911852321440 by Freddy Munoz, on Flickr

A shot with a few buddies after a nice afternoon Canyon Cruise, Roadster Club bruh.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1452743594IMG_20151007_182252 by Freddy Munoz, on Flickr


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