The dude promised me it was absolutely perfect, when In fact it had "trashy" oil pass through and score all of the journals. I had them all polished out and it sits on a shelf now. Still pretty lame.

Ah. Maybe the pic is not the best, but the "scoring" I can see in that one pics is very normal/not a problem whatsoever. Are the cam journals really bad or something?

Considering this but, upon closer inspection of this manifold, it already has one Helicoil installed in one of the holes. So I guess I'd have to battle that too.

Most of the used parts I have purchased, have had problems that were not disclosed during the sale. No more used parts. None.

Can you post a pic of the manifold threads?

That sucks about the used parts. I kinda agree, I try not to buy used stuff unless it's something I can't really buy new (a head, an intake manifold, an engine....) Looks like you're building a street car, if so I'd just buy some 3/8" studs and nuts, wire them together and move on.

I'm in no position to say what is ok and what isnt. What I do know is that when comparing it to my 180,000 mile head, it looked bad. Like i said, it's all poilseed and good now. It just needs a new home.

Not necessarily a street car. I was planning on the track mostly. I'll post more of my build soon. I have had some major life changes going on that have slowed progress significantly. And it ain't a baby. Not a human one anyway.

If it helps, I put 2,000 and wayyyy to many hours into a VVT head, and then dropped the head gasket on upside down and idled the motor till it locked up/died. Turns out a VVT head will idle for about 8 minutes with no oil, only Lucas assembly lube before one of the cams welds itself to the head. It messed up one of the cam journals pretty bad.

I spent about 1 hour getting the aluminum off the cam journal (easy) and then about 3 hours knocking down all the high spots off the cam journal. There's a lot of voids in that journal now where oil will be instead of aluminum.

I've run that head to 8,800 and not a lick of trouble from it. It saw 8,400 yesterday. It's fine. I've pulled that cam 3 times now to inspect to see if it's getting worse, it's not, it's ok. So I wouldn't sweat it, a little scoring is ok and "normal" too in my experience.

That's actually nice to know.

So after a few shots of tequila, I'm thinking. .....just drill out all the holes, re tap with 10 x 1.5, good by sweet ceramic coating, hello new threads.

There's an easy way to do it. Place the two open ends into the piston, grab a spare wrist pin from the junk pile, and push. Pop, it's in.

--Ian

<p>Shouldn't the threads not be ceramic coated anyways?</p>

Tap drill size is too big if you already have 3/8 threads. Some of your existing threads will still be there. Also you just said there's a helicoil in one of them. I promise you won't cut new threads into a helicoil. :)

They are not ceramic coated threads. The manifold is. The coating will most likely be damaged while welding all of the holes closed, along with the giant hole from when I remove the existing helicoil.

<p>Ahhh, I missed the welding holes shut bit.</p>

Also if you think you're going to drill and tap a weld, you might want to practice that on some scrap. Depending on how you weld it, the weld is going to have a very high strength and drilling/tapping it will be....... it's gonna suck/you're going to break shit.

I have considered this. I have access to a mill, so I can get it all straight. I have plenty of cobalt equipment as well. All of this doesn't make me any less nervous though. I have decided that worst case, I cut the flange off and start over.:fael:

Have you actually done this with the supertech pistons? I have installed lots of circlips, these by a large Marge were the most difficult.

I found them pretty easy to put in and I used a probe and a small flat head screw driver. I was expecting them to be more difficult from the word on the forum.

I put the edge of the clip in and held it in place with a probe. then following that same side of the clip with the flat head i went around the edge a little at a time pressing it in till you get to the end and they clip right in.

Admission on my part though is I don't practice it full time but am a 3rd generation locksmith and am quite experienced with small clips and lock bits.

The wrist pin way sounds easier though.

Not on mine. No way. These circlips were crazy stiff. I tried every method on the interweb. I got them finally. Similar to the wrist in method.

Yeah, I did it last year when building my motor, Supertech 9:1 pistons. I struggled a lot with the first couple using a pair of bent needle nose pliers, then happened to glance at the box of parts from tearing down the old bottom end and a lightbulb came on. It literally made it into a 10 second job per clip.

--Ian

I have been making some progress....

I ended up cutting the flange off of the manifold, building and re-welding a new flange that was tapped for the TSE 10mm inconel hardware. I also decided to go VVT. Because need has vvt for torques. Everything takes money and that takes time to get, so I also sent a few parts to get powder coated. Paint shop owes me favors, so that was a gimme.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1438533544


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1438533544

Now I need help. I have like 20 open vacuum ports on the manifold and have no idea what ones to use, and what ones to cap off. I thought I had taken pictures before I took it all apart, but I cant find them now. Im using the vtcs manifold, with butterflies removed, along with lots of bumps and sharp corners on the inner tract. I am using the 2002 throttle body as well. Can someone PLEASE direct me to some sort of directions as to how I should be routing the vacuum lines.

Looking all sorts of pretty.
Use whichever ones you want/need (such as boost gauge, megasquirt, etc) and cap off all the rest. With vtcs and smog junk removed all those ports are just...ports. I used the one on the back top for the ms, one in the middle for the bov, and capped/looped the rest.

Excellent, thank you.

actually my mistake, just checked over my pictures and I used on of the ports behind the tb for the bov. cap the middle port (in the lower/middle of all the runners) because it doesn't get a whole lot of air and wouldn't be the best for teh bov

illustration

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1438538519

Thanks man.

18, in the above image that you have labeled "MS", I'm guessing you T'd off the vac line for the brake booster? (because that's where that line goes...)

nope. the big one is the booster, there's a little one too that I use for MS
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1383100023

Oh crap, never mind. The fittings are all different on my squaretop. Derp! Sorry :facepalm:

Also, Ryan, that motor is ridiculously clean. Good jorb sir. :bigtu:

Thanks man. Its been a really looooong process..

After looking at a pressure map for the lil' 2560...im planning on running it at its limit. My question is, How do I keep from over spinning this thing when I am so close to its threshold? I need to keep the wastegate closed for as long as possible to keep power up, but it seems like that is a delicate dance when so close to the limit. I looks like I could actually explode this small turbo. Am I understanding this correctly?

The goal here was to have boost lag at a minimum, with good power. Do I just have to accept that with low lag also comes low boost?

Do you know how many turbo's are ran well PAST the actual posted compressor map? for years and years?
Like every other subaru, evo, and srt4, and dsm, to name just a few.
lol "explode"

Now, whether you'll make more power past the limit vs just under on pump gas, now that's the better question. With proper fuel you'll make a lot of torque. But past the flow limit of the turbo your horsepower gains will be pretty dinky.

I see. So run alofit, with enough fuel to prevent knock, and see what I get. HP will just peter out when it's at the end of compressor flow capabilities?

If this is true, then will my waste gate ever need to do anything?

This all sounds super noob, I'm sure. I've just never ran anything quite like this. Past turbo experience was on VW stuff that was pretty forgiving and making much less power.

ha, speaking of vw, pretty much everyone I've seen with a 1.8t runs like 20psi on the dinky k03, which iirc is about the size of the msm ihi (read: microscopic). Like twice what it's built for.

The wg will prevent you from spiking to something like 35psi in the midrange and probably blowing the turbo to smithereens LOL. Up top it will just stay closed (or as closed as it can with all the pressure attempting to push it open)

IIRC, overspinning it can kill the bearing if you do it long enough. Certainly the VW guys who turn up the boost way up with chips experience significantly reduced turbo life.

The 2560 pretty much just stops making more power when you get to the top of its range, so it's not hard to figure that out on the dyno.

--Ian

Got some more good stuff done tonight....so here is some oil and waterline porn.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1438919378


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1438919378


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1438919378


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1438919378

Two of my favorite tools of this build. Bolt stretch gauge, and the rigid flare tool.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1438919378

Got some more good stuff done tonight....so here is some oil and waterline porn.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1438919393


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1438919393


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1438919393


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1438919393

Two of my favorite tools of this build. Bolt stretch gauge, and the rigid flare tool.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1438919393

oh myyyyy, hardlines :drool:

You recognize that old turbo?

Of course. Did you sandblast it? it looks immaculate

I did. But then greasy finger prints were out of control, so I used that 1,000 deg. Header paint. We will see how it holds up.

I used stainless studs for the down pipe. What nut/washer combo should I use?

Last two of those turbo's I had all had copper nuts/washers from atpturbo

That header paint will flake off after about a year. At least it did on my 3076r and I prepped the everliving daylights out of the comp housing

Did you bake it prior to use, like they say?

Valve cover work. Man this all would have been easier before paint.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1439060212

Opened up that tiny little hole. Now I have to drill and press in this tube. Like I said, much easier before paint, I would have just welded a big AN fitting.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1439060212

Its been a super busy week for me and my Miata, but we made it. My golf game Saturday a.m. sucked bad, but that's a different story. here is what went down....
I hate this rusted turd, and refuse to pay what a new one costs.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1439778425

So I built this one.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1439778425

Then I finished installing my big 'ole new vent tubes. those are a full 1/2" I.D. of sucking power. Yes, I opted to use both sides, but had to try my PCV side with a tube in this configuration. I'm not afraid to not use it if it nets crappy results. My theory is that it will draw air from the roof area, and even in corners with heavy puddles, it will still get ffresh.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1439778425

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1439778425

That's the last of it. I just need to stab the clutch and massage it in. It is ready to actually go back into the car now. For now.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...2a99f1c1ae.jpg

That looks amazing.

What's the deal with the sheet plastic walls taped to the ground? Makeshift cleanroom for assembly?

Also...your threads reinforce my desire for a TIG box. Keep it up!!!

It's my makeshift garage. I closed in my car port with 2x2's and plastic, so that I could work on my car during winter in Virginia. :vash2:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1441717948

Some progress this weekend. Lesson learned: Install the downpipe before the engine goes in.

hahaha yup, that's why FM made theirs 2 piece

Or install the downpipe in the turbo, then drop the motor in. I have done it like that many times with no problems.

<p>Why you no run water lines 100% hard, as you did the oil?</p>

never go full hard? :giggle:

Turbo orientation intentional? Intercooler outlet up...intercooler on top of hood?

None of the lines are full hard. All of them have a section of soft line, to prevent breakage. Except for the small oil feed line, I feel like it flexes quite a bit and don't anticipate it being a problem.

The turbo outlet isn't tight, I just had it rotated to get to fittings.

More progress. I have been working in another country for the last few weeks, so this is really starting to just drag on and on. And on.
I got the compressor turned correctly, only to find that it interfered with the chassis. So I got out my hammer and hit it really hard, about 1,000 times. I only had like three inches of room, and a compressor wheel to avoid. So it was definitely sketchy.
I also made a new water return line. The old one just wasn't right once it was in the car. Then after making my sweet aluminum radiator hose, it won't fit with the IC tube. So it sits on a shelf now, waiting for a new owner, along with some gm coil mounts that no longer fit with the vvt head.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1442766123

Now I ask myself, " Is all of this worth using this puny 2560?"


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1442766123

Well I gotta go through this, but damn sir, you're doing very nice work and it looks really good. Lots of little details that improve reliability.

Thanks man! It all just takes so much longer in reality, than it does in my head.

I know the feeling. My car is on jackstands right now, and I'm having to make changes to fix things that didn't work the first time. And it's all taking wayyyy longer than I thought it would. Though I'm kind of getting used to that by now!

I have completed my solution for mounting the intercooler. I had to spend some time getting my aluminum skills up to speed. Mounting tonight to see if it actually works.

:idea:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1443010783


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1443010783

props for concept and execution :bigtu: