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Gutted Rusty Beater (with a Heater) Build
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So here begins the story of a college student who wants to go fast, spends too much money, and has too much fun.
picked up this innocent looking 1991 Miata w/ 161k on it from some old guy in twin cities in November 2013. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 sure there was some rust on it in the typical spots on the quick glance when i bought it, but it had a hardtop so for what he was asking I figured "ehh the rust cant be that bad". first things first. The mazdarati (as it has became known by all my friends) needed some maintenance work. New Plugs, wires, VC Gasket, and while I was at it I cleaned up the bay and painted some things.. deleted the A/C (that leaked throughout the entire history of the car from its records), and deleted the PS.. I also tucked a few things out of the way and removed some unneeded brackets https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 for a while I was content. the car was running better with the new plugs/wires and the engine bay was leagues better than it was before in terms of appearance.. still slow as hell, but progress none-the-less that is until my buddy suggested.. "hey lets do a entire wire tuck".. I drunkenly responded with a "thats a great idea".. then it led to this https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 *insert about 20 hours of screwing around with wiring and swearing later* and my engine bay now looked like this.. there are things I'd do differently, but for my first tuck ever.. I'll take it https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 at this point, the term "screw it, i dont need this anymore. Its weight reduction because racecar" became an ever more common term being thrown around at this car, but to become a racecar i also realized it needed to get faster so then I got a deal on this.. and by some stroke of god, my ghetto rigged fuel system of a boost setup didnt blow up the motor for the 2 weeks I had it installed.. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 from my previous boosted car experience, i used my better judgement and sold the M45 kit for a profit because well... you'll see in a simple scroll of a mouse turns out its normally nice having a good handling car before you make it fast. This car had a conglomeration of head-shaker's going on under the body.. we had a broken endlink in the rear, two broken springs in the rear, mismatched front struts, a blown rear strut, and a new spring installed on the front drivers side.. needless to say, at that point in time I'd compare it to driving a yacht. it would seem pretty logical to just buy a suspension kit for the car and install it before making the car fast.. so thats what I did.. FM had a good deal going on for the holidays on their Koni package, so I took them up on the offer.. in the meantime when I was waiting for the items to ship, i was enjoying the winter weather with my RWD toy https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 once parts arrived, I went to go loosen the bolts underneath the car and pretty much instantly regretted the "eh the rust cant be that bad" portion of my decision making on the car long story short, doing what should've been a simple job turned into this expensive mess. There was a lot of cutting involved sadly https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 the bright side was, the underbody coating seemed to be doing its job well.. solid metal is a rare sight on this car, but its there where I need it https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 the quick suspension build turned into a rather extensive refurbish of nearly everything under the car.. insert a month of working on the car in my free time around class and work along with way too much money and viola! https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 figured while I was at it I could play with some appearance ideas, so i shaved the tails, tinted them, and painted the finish panel https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 so then for the first time since there was snow, I was able to drive the car. Wow was the difference in handling night and day between the suspension and brake work.. I had to take some celebratory pics of the mazdarati https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 *insert a few months of being happy the car runs again* decided I needed some tires to go with my suspension setup.. found these TR C1's for sale on craigslist with new Z2's for a price I couldnt refuse.. they were purple, but hell its a girls car anyways might as well rock the look full force. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 again, the handling dynamics of the car was changed full swing for the better from what was 8 year old all seasons. considering the all seasons were that bad, i decided to finish them off. what's the point of having a beater if you dont beat on it!? https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 pretty sure the VLSD hates me, but it can suck one. :fael: while I was working over the summer, I also knew that the car would one day become fast again.. so I decided to go the correct (non-ghetto) route and build this.. got it up and running on the car N/A so I had something to do during my 1.5 hour round trip commute to work. Yay tuning https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/...67&oe=54EBBC2A spent the rest of the summer going to AutoX events and lapping days while still DD'ing the car about 700 miles a week. Can anyone say best beater ever?! Not only did I have to put angry eyes on it to make it look more aggressive, but I also decided to cut the rear bumper to look better as well. I mean, just look at that rusty stock rustoleum silver catback :rofl: https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1415495385 http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...psfbe4568e.jpg summer sadly came to an end, so back to college i went for my final year. Everything fit! who says miatas arent practical https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n...33457f259dc205 after talking with some college friends, I now managed to track down a nice desk ornament https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/...4c&oe=54E33FED and the current work is working on removing all the optional equipment for a Daily Driven car.. getting close but not quite done removing things. It still has heat, so as a Wisconsin daily driven car thats all I need. https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...95645cbf25b66a more updates to follow, hope keep learning from you guys on here. MT has been a flipping amazing resource for when I'm confused or frustrated and in need of a laugh while still being educational. Now if one of you would just give me a deal on a T25 setup (minus ECU and Turbo) that'd be great.. :party: |
I like this thread!
And thanks for the input on the wire tuck, I was considering trying over winter :rofl: |
Originally Posted by deezums
(Post 1181673)
I like this thread!
And thanks for the input on the wire tuck, I was considering trying over winter :rofl: I can honestly say I would do it again, but there are a few ways I'd change how I routed some of the wiring given the chance to do it again. I did about 95% of it in the course of a weekend and had the nightmare case of it not starting after I was done only to figure out I accidentally pulled the injector fuse instead of airbag.. :loser: talk about a relief.. |
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don't mind the mess of wiring that I need to clean up yet, but I finished up some interior work.
tombstone blanking plate installed new upper and lower shift boots deleted all unnecessary wiring from the dash harness (radio, illumination, cruise control, etc) Still have heat and power windows for that Daily Driven convenience factor :) https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1416790296 still need to delete the antenna wiring need to wire up the blower motor and power windows to toggle switches as well. any clever ideas on where to mount the megasquirt? currently debating bolting it along the trans tunnel near where its pictured above, but I guess I dont see that as being ideal. The heater core still being installed limits some good places that I've typically seen it mounted. |
Originally Posted by Padlock
(Post 1184770)
any clever ideas on where to mount the megasquirt? currently debating bolting it along the trans tunnel near where its pictured above, but I guess I dont see that as being ideal. The heater core still being installed limits some good places that I've typically seen it mounted.
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I thought about moving it behind the seat, but that would require extending all the wires which would suck some serious dong..
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Originally Posted by Padlock
(Post 1184796)
I thought about moving it behind the seat, but that would require extending all the wires which would suck some serious dong..
Welcome to the forum. You seem to be a DIYer so I'm sure you will do well here. Great intro, but you forgot something. |
touche sir
I think i may try welding a little bracket onto the dash bar above where the glovebox use to be and use that for mounting purposes to keep everything tucked up and away. currently working on 3D printed HVAC blanking plate design so I can use that as my switch panel for the blower motor switch, power window switches, easy access MS USB port, Volt readout, EBC switch, and dual USB charging port. I'll be printing off a few other various brackets and blanking plates more than likely as well. In-house 3D printing FTW. forgetting something? that's impossible |
Originally Posted by Padlock
(Post 1184898)
In-house 3D printing FTW.
Originally Posted by Padlock
(Post 1184898)
forgetting something? that's impossible
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Here kitty kitty....
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Turbo Manifold and Downpipe bought, should be here by Monday.
Any recommendations for which BOV and IC "kit" to buy? I'm on a fairly tight budget, so it doesnt need to be anything fancy or bolt-on. I'm perfectly fine with doing some DIY. I am thinking of just using a universal cxracing IC kit and modify the piping appropriately to make the hotside and coldside each 1-piece parts (if possible). As far as BOV is concerned, not really sure what to run. Anyone have some recommendations? Past that, I'm just planning on picking up some 460 or 550 RX7 injectors then making a quick 3" SS exhaust and I should be pretty much set.. well, until my clutch starts slipping and I blow my VLSD lol |
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Originally Posted by sixshooter
(Post 1184934)
I'll give you a hint, it's one of the symbols of our forum.
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I was able to piece individual bends together cheaper than an intercooler kit, since we really don't need all that many. I could have made the cold side in one piece, but I think the hotside is a lot more serviceable as two parts.
Be careful with those ebay intercoolers too, you can easily waste a lot of money returning expensive paperweights. I went through three of em till I found one I liked. My $35 36mm ebay v-band BOV seems to work awesome, too. It's got a little adjustability, but it seems to do fine at the 130-150kpa I'm currently at, hardly any flutter. I'd look into newer injectors, too. Seems you can get newer tech than the RX7's for less money nowadays. |
Originally Posted by deezums
(Post 1185647)
I was able to piece individual bends together cheaper than an intercooler kit, since we really don't need all that many. I could have made the cold side in one piece, but I think the hotside is a lot more serviceable as two parts.
Originally Posted by deezums
(Post 1185647)
Be careful with those ebay intercoolers too, you can easily waste a lot of money returning expensive paperweights. I went through three of em till I found one I liked.
Originally Posted by deezums
(Post 1185647)
My $35 36mm ebay v-band BOV seems to work awesome, too. It's got a little adjustability, but it seems to do fine at the 130-150kpa I'm currently at, hardly any flutter.
Originally Posted by deezums
(Post 1185647)
I'd look into newer injectors, too. Seems you can get newer tech than the RX7's for less money nowadays.
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I understand not wanting failure points, I'd of done my cold side in one piece if I'd ordered one more 2.5" 90 bend. That lower 90 on the cold side can be a bitch...
Lots of the ebay sellers are the same guy under different names, and they list pictures much better than the shit they ship. Check my thread, there's a good fitting cheap option there. I've seen a few guys since me order from the same seller recently get the good one. I plan to run 7-10psi pretty steady, but if the BOV doesn't surge under low boost I can't see it ever being a problem under more boost. And it stays closed on idle, so the spring must be matched about right. The sellers know jack about them, nothing about spring selection or if they are adjustable. I bought it expecting to have to trim the spring or shim it like crazy. I got lucky, it just works lol The RX8 injectors are a little newer, smaller, but can be had cheaper. There's a thread going on about ford EV14's that are even bigger than the RX7's, possibly even cheaper, or closer to the RX8 prices. They are both pretty PNP, the RX8 is 100% PNP even. |
Its looking like the CXRacing universal IC kit from ebay isnt a terrible deal FWIW. <$200 for all the bent aluminum 2.5" piping I think I'd need, the IC (although probably not the most efficient), way too many clamps and couplers, and a BOV with necessary flanges. I'll probably chance it with that. worst case scenario is the IC is really inefficient and I can upgrade that later. should be fine on the initial 8psi.
Good catch on the RX8 injectors.. completely blanked while looking at the miataturbo wiki page. After browsing the forum for the last hour I'm fairly positive RX8's are the way to go without a doubt. cant believe i missed that need to wire in a variable TPS as well yet.. still running everything off MAP, which is about as awesome as waking up as big spoon in prison. It's better than little spoon, but still gay. |
I'm running the green RX8 540s on my 90. It was as simple as buy, clean, install, adjust Req-Fuel, and autotune.
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You can get rx8 injectors from rock-auto pretty cheap too.
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I got a deal on RX7 460s that I couldnt refuse so looks like I'll be running those once they come in the mail.
In the meantime, it seems as though the car decided it didnt like its starter anymore. I'm not getting a click or anything when I turn the key forward. I've been having some cold start issues on the MS, which has been making for some rough starts namely during cranking. I tried giving it some more cranking PW to see if that would help, and I think my cranking advance is too advanced because the car "kicks back" a bit. This "kickback" seems to be a somewhat common cold start problem from what I've researched thus far, but that still doesnt help me get the car back on the road in the short term. I have to track down what may have went wrong.. yay beaters! |
I've diagnosed it to being a starter issue. The signal wire to the starter solonoid is getting 12V when the key is in the ST position, but the starter does not make any noise. I've tried bypassing the solonoid via the "screwdriver short" method and the starter doesnt do anything either. Pretty sure that fairly conclusive evidence the starter decided to quit life
this is going to be a fun replacement. I'm half tempted to just pull the motor |
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Got my first prototype HVAC blanking plate printed off last night. Need to tweak a few dimensions just a couple tenths of a mm to make it a perfect fit right off the printer, but the prototype itself will work great after I sand off a little bit of material. A little bit of acetone smoothing and some paint and it will look pretty awesome. I intend to have it almost be a press fit, but if need be I should be able to toss a dab of epoxy on it from the back to keep it in place if its a little on the small side. Its going to make a great switch panel
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1417719548 |
Originally Posted by Padlock
(Post 1187092)
Got my first prototype HVAC blanking plate printed off last night. Need to tweak a few dimensions just a couple tenths of a mm to make it a perfect fit right off the printer, but the prototype itself will work great after I sand off a little bit of material. A little bit of acetone smoothing and some paint and it will look pretty awesome. I intend to have it almost be a press fit, but if need be I should be able to toss a dab of epoxy on it from the back to keep it in place if its a little on the small side. Its going to make a great switch panel
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1417719548 |
I could potentially post the file once I finish up tweaking the dimensions.
Got these in today https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/...7d&oe=5508E7A7 Also got the starter replaced so it runs once again. It's so stupid easy to get at the bolts with the wire tuck I have done on the car. I got the whole project done with a 14mm 3/8" long socket, a 14mm ratchet wrench, and about an hour of time. Simple! |
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its currently like 0 degrees in the garage.. so the ambition to work on the miata is at an all time low until it gets tolerable to be working in the garage again. The turbo build should go pretty fast once that happens as i have a pile of parts waiting to be put on.
in the meantime, I've been working on my faster project. Picked it up wrecked for cheap = perfect streetfighter candidate. Completely repainting everything and making it look pretty on top of doing a mild build on a few components. here's how it sat a few days ago (front forks, brakes, wheel were done with new bars and clip-on's installed) https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1420519364 then i decided to bring it in the house where its nice and warm to work on this build when its freezing outside. I may have gotten a little carried away https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1420519364 figured out another reason to love mothers polish.. before and after https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1420519364 degreased everything and just got to repainting pieces. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1420519364 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1420519364 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1420519364 hoping to have it completely back together in a week as I have all the needed parts sitting on another pile. I'm literally waiting on paint to dry..... |
not to let the thread die, not much progress has been made due to weather conditions.. rather difficult to work on your car without getting completely soaked when it looks like this LOL
https://scontent-b-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/...0c&oe=5551B6B3 |
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budgets are getting tight with college graduation coming up in a month, so progress has slowed..
that said, I found a nifty spot to mount my MS so its finally off the floor https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1428451038 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1428451038 |
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spent some time working on some FREE.99 projects today.
Finally committed to deleting the AFM and making an intake with a bunch of intake pieces I had just laying around. Its short and has a slight bend to it but it's effective (exactly what she always said). I just put breathers on both the IAC and PCV. Also, I never deleted the Air Bag from the steering wheel even though the entire air bag harness has been removed for the last year. So between the steering wheel air bag delete and AFM delete I probably took another 8 lbs or so off the car. I'll take it! Don't mind my terribly exposed picture and plastic hood prop. Damn does my engine bay need a cleaning. The winter was not nice to it. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1428901281 Drove the car over one of the local farm scales. It is not an accurate way to measure but it is really all i have. Its resolution is only every 20 pounds and who knows the last time it was calibrated. That said, it weighed in at 2040. I'm thinking I have to be hovering very close to the <2000 pound club. |
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Deleted my antenna and 3D printed a plug to cover the hole and the section of worn paint that the antenna base use to cover. Got all the dimensions right on the first prototype, not bad for a 15 minute print! It sits about 1mm tall above the body
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1429076002 |
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went to put the top up on a cool evening and this happened.. the 24 year old top finally quit at life
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1431406183 so i did what anyone would do in this scenario.. made the car a hardtop only car! https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1431406183 then just because little racecar http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...psvum6rjqt.jpg |
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Life has taken over a bit..
Graduated college Started my new job Found a duplex to live in So heres the picture out of all of that which really matters.. LOOK AT ALL THIS ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES!!!!!! https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1432950585 |
Nicely done, garage space is mandatory, even with little racecar.
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well the build is well underway! car is up on jack stands since last Saturday
I scored quite a few additional bits to add to the build last-minute that I still have to install: Cobra Monaco driver's seat Hard Dog Hardcore Double Diagonal Roll Bar Progress: turbo manifold installed 460cc injectors installed universal IC kit almost completely installed T25 is clocked and good to go What needs doing: install oil and coolant lines (in shipping) install new turbo gaskets (in shipping) WG and BOV line routing lastly, some misc exhaust work |
Turbo gaskets are usually a waste. Especially if the car is tracked. They like to disintegrate.
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I dont plan on this car seeing anything past a short time interval lapping day or ice racing event anytime soon (besides its typical AutoX events). If the gaskets end up leaking, it is what it is.. I can at least say I tried. they are cheap
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I never even reached full boost before that shit disintegrated and left molten aluminum all over the bay.
Don't doo it! |
hmmm.. so you just put up with it leaking?
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My T2 flange and V-band off the back of the turbo both leaked. I bought stainless steel gaskets off of ebay, and coated them in copper gasket spray. Stopped the leaks. Went through an autocross, track day, and 5 months of hard daily driving before i had to take them off to work on the car. Gaskets were fine, cleaned them off, more copper gasket spray, and I reused them again. Still doesn't leak.
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Originally Posted by Padlock
(Post 1240406)
hmmm.. so you just put up with it leaking?
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thats a bold assumption to say my flanges are flat
i'll probably do what schuyler did if he had luck with it |
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progress is slowly being made
universal IC kit is coming together nicely. rough mounting position was tested https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434593709 made up a fancy $8 IC bracket out of aluminum with just a drill, dremel, and a set of pliers because I dont have fancy tools at my new place yet https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434593709 looking pretty https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434593709 got the turbo and mani mounted up in position. need to cut the bend off the charge pipe and it should connect right up. NOTE: the WG actuator is currently a work in progress and wont be at an angle when i'm done https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434593709 got this.. just need to take the decals off of it yet https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434593709 then last but not least, the last few nights have been spent working on my wiring harness on the interior to minimize it and clean it up.. not a lot to take pictures of, but I'm deleting everything (including plugs and associated wiring) not essential to making the car function. door buzzer wiring, speaker wiring, cruise control wiring, door switch wiring, horn, etc. It's tedious, but it's nice in the end of things. Yes, I still have floor matts in the car :giggle: https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434593709 you can see a bit of the new addition in that picture already. still need to finalize the mounting position https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434593709 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434593709 |
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the wiring harness is substantially thinner now that all the excessive plugs are completely deleted
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1435205831 |
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she's up and running! not the prettiest of bays, but boy is it fun!
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1436934543 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1436934543 fabbed up a quick and dirty $38 exhaust https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1436934543 current interior https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1436934543 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1436934543 ended up having to sell the roll bar as it was the M1 bar non-hardtop version, but I made a profit on it so oh well. and here she sits in her rusty glory http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...psjwzgds8y.jpg |
i have no idea what a turbo subaru baja 5spd (rare vehicle btw) with bolt-on's and 13psi on stock turbo makes for power, but whatever it is isn't enough to beat my 7psi base tune on the car. I couldn't resist giving him a go. I have a pretty solid AFR curve throughout the VE map after a couple hours of driving around. The car seems pretty happy minus a few hiccups from being a little too rich while ramping into boost (better safe than sorry)
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well.. took the car to its first lapping day event where a few things became apparent, none of which were unexpected.
1) the coolant system was grossly under capacity. 2) the VLSD with 183k of stock power was not happy with life at the new ~150whp so I sat and stared at the car for some time, pondered whether or not the rusty pile of a car that i called mine was worth putting all the additional money into and the answer was a resounding NO. Long story short, I'm $5500 richer with one less vehicle in the garage. Looking to probably sell my Cobalt SS/TC in spring then upgrade the stable to having a second-gen CTS-V or Z51 Package C6 for summer daily duties. |
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