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Hairdresser HP - An NB 105kpa max HPDE Build
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I've been a lurker on here for a long while. TBH I've never really felt that my knowledge or car was worth posting about. However, after 3 years of taking this car apart and putting it back together... I feel like I finally can join the party. I'm going to catch this thread up to where I am at today which encompass 3 years of work, track days and mediocrity.
The Car: 99 10AE #1126. I purchased this car nearly bone stock from a nice dude down in San Diego. The car was a little rough around the edges but it ticked the boxes I was after. 99+, 6spd, Torsen and not Riced up. The plan was/is to build what I considered the ultimate track car that could be street driven. I wanted a car that I could use to develop my grey matter, embarrass some expensive hardware and still drive home from the track. So this is where I started: https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405867438 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405867438 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405867438 |
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So here I am... I'm a newb. I really didn't know all that much about miata's at this point. I just started doing basic dicking around with newb type stuff.
Started by cleaning up the not so great headlights. This car had a documented parking lot nose incident that resulted in a new bumper and driver side headlight. This mean the passenger light still showed years of socal sun. Time to fix that: https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405867657 tape stuff up. not sure why, this car already has 4 different shades of blue on it. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405867657 Much better. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405867657 Derrrrp.... newb stuff. :dealwithit: maintenance; timing belt, water pump, ngk oem plug wires, new oem ngk plugs, all drive belts, idler pullies, new coolant, fresh oil, new cas seal, now valve cover gasket, engine steam cleaned http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5186/...e07820ff_z.jpg This car came with the oem 10ae seat and a set of brown leather seats. I put the oem 10ae seat back in... cause street car. http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5108/...5d075b76_z.jpg |
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Drove the car around rather stock looking to try and pick up dudes, because i mean, it's a miata
Attachment 184842 I got bored on a saturday and decided to de-chrome the headlights. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868125 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868125 Removed the baby teeth as well https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868125 red tails https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868125 rebuilt the shifter stuff. becausenewb https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868125 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868125 Polish those balls https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868125 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868125 fresh and clean http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...05570Small.jpg |
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I am fat man in a little car... in preparation for Blackbird Fabworx GT3 6 point and racing seats... I made some custom NA style door cards. The motivation was something like the early RS America Porsche's. That is the muse for this whole project.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868391 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868391 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868391 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868391 also installed these vent windows while I was at it. They are awesome https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868391 Finally starting to be less newb. |
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Was searching M4M craigslist and accidentially found some rpf1's
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868657 nice nuts https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868657 Got a new momo competition wheel and works bell hub. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868657 I also did an 01+ header with egr and mazda comp motor mounts. no pictures of that. |
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Bought a seat.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868850 In doing the door cards I had removed the oem stereo. I sorted missed it for some reason so I made a mono stereo out of a pyle 50 watt amp and automotive 1/2" din center channel speaker. More newb. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868850 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868850 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405868850 |
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In preparation for the racing seats being mounted to the floor, I made my own shorty console. It looks good from far but far from good... doesn't matter.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869143 Added a gen 2.5 nrg quick release https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869143 Installed some flyin miata unicorn farts vmaxx xxtreme track pack coilovers A++ number one usa win (most retarded coilover names ever btw) https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869143 |
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Turned the car over to Moti and Blackbird Fabworx for him to work his magic.
He installed: Cobra Suzuka Pro Driver Seat with BFW proprietary direct mount Cobra Suzuka S Passenger seat with same mount BFW GT3 6 point roll bar Schroth Profi 6 Driver harness with 2" pull up lap belts Schroth Profi 6 Passenger Harness Are we less newb yet? Meh almost. Still hard park status. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869523 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869523 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869523 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869523 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869523 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869523 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869523 I had Moti design this around keeping the oem 3 points for driving to/from the track. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869523 |
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After 4 years of apartment/carport life I moved into an apartment with a garage. I can finally do some more serious wrenching. Thank god.
Got right to work removing the AC and power steering. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869926 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869926 Got bored and decided to fix a small rip in my soft top. This was a drinking while working task... these are my favorite. Got cheap and bought some sam adams boston lager for the job... this beer is fucking terrible. Barf. I drank it anyway. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869926 Haidresser hands? You be the judge. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869926 Materials for this job https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869926 Patch from the inside. I backed the vinyl patch with some tent repair adhesive. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869926 And we're done https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405869926 Looks so, so but air and water can't get in now. |
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My oem battery finally gave up after a decade of service. I decided to replace the battery with a lighter weight atv battery from Vatozone. Part number enel15
old vs new https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405870447 Made a battery hold down the cheap/crappy way. I'll revisit this later for something lighter. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405870447 installed https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405870447 re-purposed an old motorola atrix for a torque display. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405870447 used a gopro mount to get this done. Ran power and headphone so that I could set audible gauge alarms. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405870447 Headed to Darrin at west end alignment to get the car corner balanced in preparation for the first track day. One of the Cadillac Challenge guys was there when I was there. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405870447 Sitting in the car for proper driver weight balancing while Darrin and his Son do work. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405870447 Also took some time to rebuild the wheel bearings and hubs. Used the typical amsoil dominator grease sourced from TSE http://scontent-b.cdninstagram.com/h...0a9f1354_7.jpg |
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Put on some z1 star specs for my first track day at #13 CCW Buttonwillow
Got to the track the night before to camp https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405870671 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405870671 cameo by ThePass https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405870671 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405870671 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405870671 http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8454/8...c6ed7b4b_c.jpg |
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Did a track day with my dad at streets of willow. I took my wives mazdaspeed 3 out to play for a few sessions and we did some doubling down on the miata as well. We put about 13 sessions into the miata and the old oem clutch started to let go. Was still a great weekend.
I was too busy taking care of both cars and having a good time with my dad to bust out the camera. Sorry for the crappy pictures from instagram. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405870996 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405870996 |
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Took a bit of time off to install a flyin miata stage 1 happy meal. Got the car put back together and headed to streets of willow for round 1 of the 2013 miata challenge. The car performed extremely well and considering this was my third ever track day with this car I was really happy with how I did. Managed to do a 1:33.2 and finished 3rd in street class.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405871817 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405871817 Bought a necksgen HNRS before this event. Still one of my favorite purchases to date. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405871817 Finished 3rd, that's me on the right. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405871817 Decent turnout for the event https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405871817 The BFW Crew https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405871817 |
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Headed to chuckwalla valley raceway for round 2 of the 2013 miata challenge. Not many changes to the car for this event. Made some brake ducts for the fog light openings and switched to XP10 front pads from XP8s.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405871371 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405871371 You can see the car burning some oil in that second picture. This would be the start of a long 2013 miata challenge season of beating on the car and slowly killing the motor. At this point it burns about 1/3 of a quart per session depending on the track. Here's some pictures of the home depot racing brake ducts. I used 2-1/4" high temp silicone hose, some pvc couplers from the depot and some mesh i had laying around. I zip tied the hose to the plastic under tray and put some felt on the tray so it wouldn't wear through it. Also through some silicone tubing on the zip ties for good measure. http://scontent-a.cdninstagram.com/h...0a1f9c90_7.jpg http://scontent-b.cdninstagram.com/h...0a9f1498_7.jpg |
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Most of the miata challenge crew took a break from the TT series and headed up to miata's at mazda raceway. My wife came along and we spent a few days before the event milling around Monterey. Got to take the miata on 17 mile drive and thuroughly annoyed the golfers playing at pebble beach lol. Pictures are mix of IG and my dslr. sorry for hte so so quality.
Photo's from that event (some are IG links... sorry) https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405872219 The Blackbird Fabworx Crew slumber party. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405872219 Took the car through 17 mile drive down to Big Sur... Epic place for a vert. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405872219 Erin got to take the car on the parade laps https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405872219 Getting strapped in is always a process with the HNRS. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405872219 One of my favorite shots from the weekend https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405872219 My car was featured on Mazda's facebook page after the event https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405872219 |
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I had some scheduling conflicts so I had to skip round 3 of the 2013 miata challenge but I was back at it for round 4 at WSIR international.
Another weekend and another round of the 2013 Miata Challenge. This time we would tough out the heat to turn laps at the fastest racetrack in the west - Willow Springs International. I was worried about the weekend because of the terrifying 6-9 complex at willow springs. In a miata you're flat out from turn 6 to the entry of turn 9... ultimately hitting 115mph right before you get pinched off at the decreasing radius that is t9. Ultimately t9 is a 90 mph corner and requires balls of steal. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1181207859.jpg The weekend was a scorcher with track temps in the 130 range and ambient temps around 95. Overall though it was an epic weekend and I was able to take the top spot on the podum for the street class. The weekend came to a head in the second session when I went directly to battle with Joe Xie whom is my nemsis in the Street Class. Joe is the leader in points (with me second) and has edged me out of the top spot in every event this year. Here's my video of the session and a recap posted on the miata challenge FB page. If you're going to skip this whole post/video at least watch the video @ 19:07 because things get really exciting. The first session was sorta a crapshow. Traffic was quite bad and it seemed that everyone was taking some apprehensive lines around the track (including me). This didn't stop Joe Xie from going on the attack and setting the bar high for the street class. Joe set a time of 1:46.153 for the first session, leaving a monumental gap to me with my 1:47.942. As the morning moved along so did the temperature. By the time Joe and I lined up for our second session the track temps were above 125 degrees and ambient temps were north of 95. The track was heating up in every way possible. Joe lined up directly in front of me on the grid and the game was on. As we pulled out of pit lane my nerves started to settle... I put the oppressive heat aside and got to work getting after Joe. As we worked our way trough traffic we both settled in and stated battling. We took turns throwing down fast laps. My tires work best when they aren't over heating so I went on the attack and started reeling Joe in. I managed to turn my fastest lap on lap 4 of 1:44.05. Joe let me past at this point because I was in the groove and just a hair faster than he was. As the session wore on Joe kept getting faster and faster. I saw him getting bigger and bigger in my rear view and I knew my tires were going off and he was getting into the groove. I gave Joe the point by so I could get out of his way and let him do his thing. I settled into a rhythm and tried to do some learning on the 3-6 combo which is where I was losing lots of time to him. At around lap 10 I was behind Joe and I got a slight run on him because his car got loose on 5. As we were approaching the hill to 6 Joe’s car let loose in a big way sending him into a 720+ degree spin down the center of the track. I jumped on the brakes, locking up the fronts at first, and headed to the outside of the track. I squared the car up and got rid of all my steering angle and prepared for an off track excursion. Right before I was about to dodge off track Joe collected his car and ended up staying on the right side of the track. All in all it was a close call to be sure. Either way this was the best HPDE session that I’ve ever been involved with. Joe is a talented driver and it was a blast to mix it up with him out on the track. I have nothing but respect for him after this incident as a competitor and friend and I look forward to the next event where we can explore the limits of street class miata’s. As for my laps… trackmaster tells me that I had a 1:43.001 in the car if you take the best sectors and combine them. I’m decently sure my grey matter isn’t up to snuff to put all those sections together… Overall this weekend was a big step forward for me and the car and I’m stoked to get out on the track again to keep making progress. Powerhouse Fire raging in the distance http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3725/8...99ca8c96_c.jpg Moti taking my car out for a few laps http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8276/8...def3e261_c.jpg Ryan killing it in supermod like always http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8556/8...6228e88d_c.jpg Get out of here Scion... you're drunk. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3787/8...46107ef3_c.jpg This track is steeped in history... I'd love to be able to poke around here http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7399/8...97e3d8c6_c.jpg All wrapped up and packed up http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8118/8...53230796_c.jpg The money shot http://distilleryimage6.s3.amazonaws...0a1f96a8_7.jpg |
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One saturday I was working on the car when my neighbor just happened to stop over and inform me that his daughter had just wrecked her NA and he had a hard top that he didn't need. I let him know I was interested and he threw out a price of $400. I didn't even negotiate... I just headed for the nearest ATM before he could change his mind.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405872740 Got roped into doing some work to my buddy's e30. I hate bmw's. http://scontent-a.cdninstagram.com/h...0a1f9d42_7.jpg |
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The next event for the car was round 6 of the 2013 miata challenge at autoclub speedway. This would be my first time at autoclub. I made some aero changes for this event, hard top, front wheel spats, removed rear bumper and taped everything up so it was nice and smooth. Top speed for the day was a personal best at 123mph as you enter the banking on the roval. It was an exciting day and I was happy to come home with the top step on the podum. Second win in a row.
Less talky more picturey. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405873208 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405873208 This was my last event on the star specs and 15x7 rpf1's. I drug a tire going into the first bus stop chicane and squared off this old tired set of shoes... time for something new. Dead star specs... pretty sure tires aren't supposed to be square. Wishing I had abs at this moment... although I think abs wouldn't even have saved this one. http://scontent-a.cdninstagram.com/h...0a9d0dfd_7.jpg |
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I put some work into the car after the event at auto club speedway so the car sat up on jackstands for a few weeks. I got the car off jackstands in order to give it a solid 2-3 weeks of shakedown prior to the next event. This would be the first time I’ve driven the car to some where other than a racetrack in most likely 5-6 months. As luck would, or wouldn’t have it… I ended up getting rear ended lightly by a dumptruck on the way home from work. The damage done was cosmetic but ended up coming in at 1700 dollars at my local body shop. The truck driver elected to pay cash instead of letting it hit his insurance. I elected to pound the dent out myself, replace the tail light and say…. Cause racecar!
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405873347 I’ll most likely be painting the entire car sometime next year in either the same color or something completely different. I’ll address this dent at that time. In the meantime before the next event I took the chance to do a track day in my dads Camaro on the east coast. It’s always fun driving something completely different and something that actually has horse power. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405873347 Once I got back home I had two weeks to get the car ready for the next event at BRP CCW #13. I came across a deal on a 2.5” stainless exhaust system built by blackbird fabworx. The exhaust is full 2.5” stainless with vbands, a race cat (and optional street cat and test pipe included), a hushpower resonator and some ungodly expensive muffler. The exhaust changed the tip exit location so that it’s pretty much straight through and exits on the driver side just off center. The exhaust also sits higher so it required a slight bumper cutout which changed the look of the back end of the car. I also added a willwood brake proportioning valve so that I now have adjustable brake bias as well. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405873347 For good measure I bought a set of 949 6UL’s in 15x8 and a set of 205/50/15 BFG Rivals. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405873347 |
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The next event was going to be at Buttonwillow Raceway Park CCW #13 configuration. While there is one difference in the track configuration compared to BRP CCW #1 that I ran last year… the track is mostly the same.
With all the changes I had made in between events the car was going to take some getting used to. Along with that I had some personal issues that held me back from the top step of the podium. After the first of the two sessions I was up on second place by just over a half a second. In socal the second session is almost always the fastest of the day due to surface temperatures climbing so much in the afternoon. However on this day session 3 would be the fastest due to cloud cover and cooling conditions. I just couldn’t get my head into the game for the third session. I was over driving the car in a few key corners and made some changes to my lines that just didn’t pan out the way I had hoped. My biggest competitor managed to take advantage of my mistakes and post a time .5 seconds faster than mine and took home the win. If you aint first your last… but I’ll take second in this case. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405873571 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405873571 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405873571 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405873571 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405873571 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405873571 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405873571 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405873571 |
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The next event in the 2013 Miata Challenge series was spring mountain motorsports ranch. We ran the 3.4 mile config and the track was an absolute blast. This event was really the end of my aging 6 speed transmission. I spent most the day nursing 2-3 and 4-5 shifts. I had a few key money shifts and had a torque app data log that showed 8200 rpm. Yikes. Car made it all the way home some how. Now burning about 3/4 of a quart per 20 minute session.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405874444 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405874444 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405874444 anyone fancy a c7? oh yeah, what color? https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405874444 Grilling and chilling. This is the best part of Miata Challenge. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405874444 Another event another first place https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405874444 |
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Had another event at Auto Club Speedway. Didn't do very well and finished 5th. I just wasn't feeling it and was way off the pace for that day. Not a huge deal still had fun.
That brings us back to WSIR for the final event of the 2013 Miata Challenge Season. I came into the last event tied for first in Street Class with Joe Xie. This day was no where near as hot as the last time we were there and the lap times showed it. I was having an epic battle with my nemsis Joe Xie all day. In the end he manage to edge my best time out by .6 seconds to take the win at the event and the win for the season. Overall it was a great first year of track days and I couldn't be happier with how the car performed and with how my driving progressed. For the last event I had a new 6 speed transmission that I picked up off of UrbanSoot on these board and had installed a Blackbird Fabworx Supermiata spoiler. It seems like this would be the first step down the rabbit hole of aero mods. Before the event my garage looked like a transmission bone yard. I got 99 problems and a 6 speed ain't one. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405916184 BFW Spoiler (dirty) https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405874796 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405874796 BFW Crew https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405874796 good turnout for the last event https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405874796 Not often that some one shows up for HPDE with a LM24 Running Pescarolo LMP1 car https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405874796 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405874796 |
So that bring this car and thread current as of about 12/15/13. I've done a bunch of work since then that I am going to catch the thread up on later today.
As of the end of the 2013 Miata Challenge season the car sat with the following performance parts: Stock 99 Motor (112k Miles) -K/N Intake with K/N Crossover tube -Blackbird Fabworx 2.5" SS Exhaust -2001 Exhaust Header Suspension: -Racing Beat Front Sway -949 End Links -Flyin Miata Xtreme Track Pack Coilovers Brakes: -1.8 Rotors and Calipers -XP10 front pads -XP8 rear pads -Willwood Prop Valve Wheels/Tires: -15x8 949 6ul -205/50/15 BFG Rivals Safety Setup by BFW |
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After the final round of the 2013 Miata Challenge I put the car up on jack stands to remove the coilover and take all of the suspension arms off for a poly bushing install.
vmaxx coilovers ready to go to a new owner (not gonna miss these) https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1405915186 I ended up using the harbor freight bushing removal tool to pull the bushings. I found that a little pre-heating with a blow torch helped them come right out. While I was at it I installed zerk fittings per the 949 locations. It was a total pita but in the end it would be worth it. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1405915186 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405914008 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405914008 I also swapped my 3.9 t2 torsen with chris for his 4.1 t2 torsen. I installed a set of poly diff bushings in the carrier before I put it in the car. Also a pita but worth it. The blow torch really helps with these. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1405915186 |
Props for an awesome and methodical build! I want a 6 point from Blackbird more than anything else for my car. I am sick of the lack of chassis stiffness. Too bad I live in NM!
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Originally Posted by Chilicharger665
(Post 1149763)
Props for an awesome and methodical build! I want a 6 point from Blackbird more than anything else for my car. I am sick of the lack of chassis stiffness. Too bad I live in NM!
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I had purchased an ms3 basic from reverent in mid december. 45 days after the purchase date it shipped just as he promised. It was going to be a long while before i had the time to install it and get it running but at least I had it and was ready.
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I think you need 2 Miatas.
My 1st year track anniversary came and went this last weekend. Sat it out because I have 2 Miatas and the machine shop has 2 Miata engines. Sigh. Miata Challenge sure looks fun. Wonder if there is something like that around here. |
What suspension is going on to replace the FM pieces? Xidas?
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Excellent thread, props given, also agreed, Ryans car is sick.
Dann |
Originally Posted by hornetball
(Post 1149770)
I think you need 2 Miatas. My 1st year track anniversary came and went this last weekend. Sat it out because I have 2 Miatas and the machine shop has 2 Miata engines. Sigh.
Miata Challenge sure looks fun. Wonder if there is something like that around here.
Originally Posted by hornetball
(Post 1149771)
What suspension is going on to replace the FM pieces? Xidas?
As luck wouldn’t (or would depending on how you look at it) I was within a few hours of getting the last set of Gen 1 xida’s. So my order went from a gen 1 order to one of the first orders for the gen 2 setup. The bad part of this whole deal is that I jumped the gun on selling my old stuff so I was left high and dry (literally on jack stands) for an event I was planning on going to with a friend in March. Fortunately for me I was able to borrow a set of Gen 1 xida’s from a friend for that event. To say that switch from vmaxx to gen 1 xida’s was a revelation was an understatement. The car was transformed. At any rate I got a call from Emilio some time a month or two ago telling me the gen 2’s had come in and he asked how badly I needed them. I was in the middle of an engine swap (which will be the be one of the next updates I make to bring this thing current) so I told him my set would best be served on some one else’s car. Long story short… gen 2 xida’s. I should have them in hand in the next two weeks. It seems our cars will be NA/NB versions of each other.
Originally Posted by nitrodann
(Post 1149800)
Excellent thread, props given, also agreed, Ryans car is sick.
Dann |
Wow. Yeah, you ordered Xidas about 15 minutes before I ordered Xidas. Your shocks are literally on my Red car. What a coincidence.
They work well BTW. Even with just a quickie alignment and eyeballed height setting I was doing personal bests. As soon as I get my engine in, it's going to MER for a real setup. |
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So to continue on with the 2014 catch up... I was working to get the car ready to head to Chuckwalla Valley Raceway with a friend. One of my good friends got an FR-S last year and had yet to take it to the track. We made the decision in January of 2014 to make this CWV event his inaugural event with his car and of course... I had to be there for it.
Chuckwalla is my favorite track in all of southern california. It has some great flow to it and really allows you to connect one section of the track to the other. I had only been there once and it was very early in my miata career, so I was stoked to go back. Changes for this event included Gen 1 xida coilovers, sport front calipers/rotors/xp10's, and a 1" willwood master cylinder. Overall the event wend splendidly. I managed to turn a 2:08.6 which is a 4 second improvement over the last time I was here. This was good enough for top step of the podium in miata challenge mod class by 2 seconds! I didn't get many pictures from the event and I had some focus issues with my new gopro which lead to me sending it in for RMA which meant my videos were all shit. I did get to take a session in the FRS that's pictured below and just had a blast. That is probably the best car I've ever driven in stock form. The balance was just amazing and I was able to drive the same lines in that car that I drive in my miata... I want one. Made a new gopro mount out of a shaft collar, and a micro ball head. More info on this later... it's very choice. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405993234 getting a quick and dirty alignment for the gen 1 xida's before the event https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405993234 Added some new Blackbird Fabworx Graphics before the event. Represent! http://scontent-a.cdninstagram.com/h...7ddd2640_8.jpg https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1405992978 I love waking up at the track... I also love my REI tent. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405993234 Moti made me a Kimi sticker for my spoiler... love it. http://scontent-b.cdninstagram.com/h...3e359d95_8.jpg All wrapped up and ready to head home https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1405992978 |
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Much like the spring mountain event... the chuckwalla event was a turning point for this project. I gave the tired 99 motor it's last 2 ever money shifts on track by my hand. On the way home the car reached it's peak oil consumption but still no knock and no smoke from the tail pipe. I got home and gave the motor a compression test. It showed 120 psi across all 4 cylinders.
Not quite sure how long the motor has been like that but it's time for a change. I managed to find a very low mileage 02 motor in arizona for 700 dollars. I lucked out because my parents lived there. So I borrowed a truck and headed towards Tuscon. 700 dollars later I was the owner of a 45k mile (verified on carfax) vvt motor. I loaded up the motor and headed back towards socal and got ready for the tear down and resulting build up. 02 vvt motor on the stand being torn down. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405999029 I also sourced a square top intake manifold that Moti @ BFW had sitting around. I got the motor refreshed with all new seals, a new timing belt, water pump, all new hoses etc. I tore everything down on the car and got everything ready for the swap. Once I got the new motor in I hooked it up to the oem 99 ecu and took the car for a drive around the block. The car started up on the first turn of the key like a champ. TBH this motor without vvt running felt stronger than my old 99 motor. I was so happy that this thing started up right I cannot even describe it. That gave me the confidence I needed to move onto installing the megasquirt. 02 vvt motor installed... blurry picture because cellphone https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1405999029 I pushed forward with installing the ms labs ms3 basic into the car. I removed the dash so that I could route the vac lines and other wires to the spot under the pedals where the ms3 would live. On Reverent's advice I purchased an AEM Uego, so I also routed the wires for that. Reverent's instructions were very easy to follow and I got all the dots connected. While I had the dash out I took the opportunity to install a longacre water temp and oil pressure gauge. I installed the two longacre gauges into the center eyeball vent holes. I then had to figure out a place to add the WB gauge and some switches I had in mind for the ms3 control. I had a mental picture of a radio delete gauge panel and I went to work putting my idea into reality. I wanted to have 2 5v powerd usb ports so i could charge my phone and gopro remote without having stuff hanging off the cig lighter. I also wanted a spot for a data log start and stop button. Another thing I wanted to avoid was just having a female usb cable sitting in the glove box. So I ordered up a USB female socket from amazon. Late in the game I decided it was a good idea to have a voltage gauge installed as well and I sourced a cheap digital voltage gauge from amazon as well. Longacre Gauges and Custom Gauge Panel https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1405998591 View from the driver seat. This is a bit lower than I end up sitting. I swapped the motorola atrix for a retired Samsung Galaxy S3 for trackmaster duties. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1405998591 Here is that gopro mount I talked about earlier. This is really a much better solution than the roll bar mount that gopro sells. All you have to do is loosen the ball mount adjuster and the gopro goes limp and you can remove the SD card and remove the camera from the housing. Quite pleased with this. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1405998591 A while back I made a fire extinguisher bracket that bolts into the oem front passenger seat rail mounting holes. This is just a simple ABC 2.5LB unit. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1405998591 I got the car running on the basic base map that rev provided and through many emails got the car idling. I was on a pretty tight schedule so I enlisted the help of Chris Safranski on these boards to help me get the car running on a safe tune so that I could get the car to Church's to get tuned. Chris got me running on an overly rich tune so that the car would be safe. We spent about 3 hours and he worked absolute magic for me and did in 3 hours what would take me a month. So this brings us to current. I've got an appointment tomorrow to get the car tuned by church's automotive tuning in Wilmington. I'm hopeful that the car will show some decent numbers. Either way I'm super happy with the way the car performs. I'm exstatic with the ECU I got from Rev. It honestly already runs so much better than the oem ecu even with just 2 basic hours of auto tuning. Good times! P.S. Yes I know the pictures are huge... I want to show off my DIY work, I'm quite proud of it. |
Fantastic read! Thanks for sharing.
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Originally Posted by Ryephile
(Post 1150105)
Fantastic read! Thanks for sharing.
Past ride. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1406001745 |
Originally Posted by EErockMiata
(Post 1150113)
Thanks Ryan. I appreciate the comments from you. I consider the only person to properly build an r53 mini. You may or may not remember my car from one of the michigan mini meets. I've since moved to the left part of the country. The work you did lowering the roll centers on your r53 was the only epic thing going on in that worthless community. Oh yeah... and the first legit turbo only r53 conversion wasn't bad either.
It's cool we're kinda doing the same thing in a different place. I'm currently building up my Miata for fast-street/occasional HPDE, though I definitely give you props for taking yours to the Miata Challenge level, and doing great in it too. Cheers :bigtu: |
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Just got back from the dyno and Church's Automotive Tuning in Wilmington. Sean church is the pre-eminent megasquirt and aem tuner in our area here in socal. He's tuned roughly half of the super miata's that are running in the series at this time so he's quite accomplished. I left the DSLR at home as I had to head straight there from work... cell phone pictures are going to have to suffice again, sorry.
At any rate less talky more result posting. Final numbers were 161/141 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1406079692 I was nothing but a ball of nerves while they were getting my car ready to get tuned. A real moment of truth for all the work I had done leading up to this. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1406079797 The man Shawn Church working his magic. http://scontent-a.cdninstagram.com/h...55139215_n.jpg Overall I couldn't be more happy with the numbers and the way the car drives. This dyno of Church's read about 5-7% high so figure real numbers are around 150ish give or take. The car has been completely transformed.... the area under the curve of this vvt motor is mind blowing. I'll post some info on the tables and maps when I have a chance. Can't wait to get this car out to buttonwillow this weekend. :party: |
Geez that's strong. And that's with an OEM exhaust header?!?
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Originally Posted by hornetball
(Post 1150415)
Geez that's strong. And that's with an OEM exhaust header?!?
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vid from Chuckwalla... Trying to keep up with Eric- one of the best sessions I've ever had!
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Lol at Church's dyno. I'd say it reads at least 10% high...compared to the dyna packs I've used.
I bet my civic that I dyno'd at 160whp on a dynapack in Ohio would do 180whp on Church's. Anyway, what really matters are not the raw #'s from his dyno, but how much was gained throughout the tuning session. It sounds like you're pleased with the power output which is good. Some famous racer once said a car doesn't have enough power unless it can spin the tires from one corner exit until the next corner entry... Nice build, do you ever catch flak for ruining a perfectly good 10AE? |
Originally Posted by Efini~FC3S
(Post 1150485)
Lol at Church's dyno. I'd say it reads at least 10% high...compared to the dyna packs I've used.
I bet my civic that I dyno'd at 160whp on a dynapack in Ohio would do 180whp on Church's. Anyway, what really matters are not the raw #'s from his dyno, but how much was gained throughout the tuning session. It sounds like you're pleased with the power output which is good. Some famous racer once said a car doesn't have enough power unless it can spin the tires from one corner exit until the next corner entry... Nice build, do you ever catch flak for ruining a perfectly good 10AE? Regarding Church’s dyno… yes it does read high. Those in this area that do a significant amount of nasa dyno re-classing seem to think this thing is around 7-8% higher than a dynojet. At any rate you are right comparing dyno numbers to each other from the other side of the country is a losing battle. That being said from my experience on this particular dyno a handful of years back it seems to read about 10% high. Taking that into account… even if this car makes 140-145 whp on a stock junkyard nb1 long block, with an ms3 basic ecu, a square top intake manifold and a 2.5” cat back…. Color me happy. I’d say this car is a racing beat header and e85 away from making 150-155whp on even a stingy dyno, which is good enough for what I want to do. This build for me is about being on track as much as possible. I’ve played the game of dumping money into the engine of my past projects and I’ve learned that it’s a losing battle. In my opinion the lap time improvements I get from doing 12-15 track days a year with 140whp outweigh the extra 50hp and driver improvements from only 3-5 track days a year. This car is a tool for me to improve my driving. Nothing more, nothing less. Yes, I do enjoy wrenching on it, but it’s a means to an end. That end is training the grey matter. Thanks again for stopping in on this build. I always enjoy your posts on these boards so I appreciate the comments. |
It looks from your blurry cell phone pic like you are using the '99 coils, how did you mount them? I'm doing a VVT swap in my '99 non-ae and I keep going back and forth on whether to use the '99 coils or rewire for the '01 cops since they came with the engine. Did you trim down the plug wires or get new ones to fit the VVT head?
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Originally Posted by thenuge26
(Post 1150541)
It looks from your blurry cell phone pic like you are using the '99 coils, how did you mount them? I'm doing a VVT swap in my '99 non-ae and I keep going back and forth on whether to use the '99 coils or rewire for the '01 cops since they came with the engine. Did you trim down the plug wires or get new ones to fit the VVT head?
I elected to go with the 01+ coil near plugs. I sourced the connectors from ballenger motorsports. The connectors I got from ballenger work like a champ but they do not clip all the way into the coils. So to be safe I zip tied them in place. Overall if I had to do it over again i'd do it the same way. Eliminating the 99 coils is pretty awesome because they are a weak point to begin with. It also cleans up the back side of the head and gets rid of some clutter. Parts and Links I used: Wiring info - VVT Engine Swap Ignition - Mostly MIATA 01 Connectors - Home » Shop » Connectors / Harnesses » Sumitomo » 3 Way Plug connector pigtail for Nissan and Mazda coils Wire - Solder Grip Weather Proof Butt Connectors - The butt connectors are choice. You simply put the wires in, hit it with a heat gun and it makes solid, waterproof connections with just the perfect amount of solder. |
Sweet, I don't even need the connectors because the junkyard I got the motor from simply cut the harness at the back of the head. So I'm pretty sure I have the 01+ pigtails to wire in.
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*Edit* Didnt mean to pile on. I just saw OPs post with the charts.
I love the thread and the car, but anytime I see church numbers I can't help but throw some water on the fire. Somehow the original article disappeared, (I would be suspicious but inside line has disappeared from edmunds) but this image remains. If you are comparing to other cars tuned there then no issues, but don't expect to keep up car that had similar power on another dyno. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1406139749 |
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Originally Posted by Ziggo
(Post 1150651)
*Edit* Didnt mean to pile on. I just saw OPs post with the charts.
I love the thread and the car, but anytime I see church numbers I can't help but throw some water on the fire. Somehow the original article disappeared, (I would be suspicious but inside line has disappeared from edmunds) but this image remains. If you are comparing to other cars tuned there then no issues, but don't expect to keep up car that had similar power on another dyno. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1406139749 I had my previous car dyno'd on a dynapak dyno (before I moved west) in Atlanta Georgia getting it tuned for 93 octane pump gas. Once I moved here I met the same tuner (Jan Brueggman of Revolution Mini Works) and had the car re-tuned for CA91. This was the very same dyno that my miata was just tuned on yesterday. photo of car on dynapak in atlanta Attachment 184820 At that time my findings were that my car that previously made 205whp on a dynapak in atlanta now made 210whp on shittier fuel on a dynapak in southern california. While it's not great that there is this variance between two dynapaks... it's the reality of dyno'ing cars. Dynapak's read 5% higher than a mustang or dynojet plain and simple. It's the fact of removing the wheels from the equation. In addition church's reads higher than most because it's either not calibrated or because number make customers happy. I get this and expected it when i posted dyno charts on a turbo miata forum of an NA miata making way more power than it should. That being said... this is the same dyno many of the socal super miata guys validate their power figures on and do their tuning on. People that run this series, west coast nasa events and the T25... tell me this dyno chart i posted here is good for 140-145 elsewhere. Which is cool, but doesn't matter to me. The car feels amazing and it showing nearly perfect numbers for competing in super miata. Which is convenient for when I put a cage in, pull the carpet and start rubbing wheels with the best nasa PTE drivers in the country next summer. I know I sound defensive but i pretty clearly called out whose dyno this was and that it reads high... I'm not trying to pass off snake oil here. Just the same formula the guys here in socal have been using to all but ruin nasa PTE for every other miata in the country (read: rule changes). :jerkit: |
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I just saw this when I posted. You can understand my reaction. Its a strong motor no doubt, but its not a unicorn, the dyno is the unicorn.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1406154847 |
I like virtual dyno. Lol
It's about turning and laptimes anyway. Love the flat torque curve. |
Btw, post your spark table. I'd like to compare. My red car is 95 block with 99 head and 01 pistons. Should be similar to a Vvt engine although intake cam profile (bp5a) and timing will be pretty different.
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Looks like you got a nice healthy motor. It's always a nice relief when you finally see numbers from a somewhat unknown motor and they are good.
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Originally Posted by EErockMiata
(Post 1150697)
Which is convenient for when I put a cage in, pull the carpet and start rubbing wheels with the best nasa PTE drivers in the country next summer.
: :dealwithit: |
Originally Posted by Efini~FC3S
(Post 1150844)
If the best NASA PTE drivers in the country all race in Cali, how come the last three NASA PTE National Champions are all from east of the Mississippi?
:dealwithit: |
Originally Posted by Efini~FC3S
(Post 1150485)
Lol at Church's dyno. I'd say it reads at least 10% high...compared to the dyna packs I've used.
I bet my civic that I dyno'd at 160whp on a dynapack in Ohio would do 180whp on Church's. Most of the guys on our team have me tune their car. Others that aren't close to us use Church with a know correction factor for SuperMiata (capped at 140whp). |
Originally Posted by emilio700
(Post 1151017)
If you know Jason Kohler personally, ask him how he won the 2013 PTE/TTE championships. :giggle:
:trollin: I need my own dbag racer trolling smiley or something... |
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Now that the drama has subsided, it's time to get back to what this car is all about, going around in circles. First things first... a few people have asked for my ignition maps etc. So below is what's on the car at this time. I'm going to circle back and clean things up since this car is still street driven (lean up cruise etc) but the car has been running absolutely great since the tune.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1407198529 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1407198529 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1407198529 |
Your spark map looks really conservative. Maybe that's the CA91 tune? Or maybe VVT makes a difference to the spark map?
I think your AFR targets are decent. |
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So in anticipation of the 7/26 day on the freshly repaved buttonwillow I ordered up another set of Rivals. This would be my second set. I'll have to look at my logs to find out just how many sessions I ran on this first set but I got some great use on them. If memory serves i think I got some where around 50 +/- 20 minutes sessions.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1407198876 I got the new rivals slapped on just in time to load the car and head out at 0 dark 30 in the morning of the track day to make the 3 hour trek to BRP. It was already starting to creap into the 80's when I showed up at the track at 7:30... it was going to be a hot one. I got the car unloaded and got the car ready for it's first session. At this point the heat was already headed into the mid 90's and it wasn't even 9am. The first session was mind blowing. Between the new track surface and the estimated 30-40% horse power increase I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. To top that off they put down a layer of Lime dust to help the track cure and it was like driving on ice. Lap time were irrelevant but wasn't was how this car pulls out of the corners. It's nice be able to pull a lower gear instead of struggling to keep the car in higher RPM's. Overall impressions are the car is much easier to drive within the 95% optimal laptime window. Whether I can manage to drive the car well enough to stay in that window is another story entirely. Half way through the first session I noticed that my wideband 02 sensor went black. I didn't give it much consideration knowing that the car wasn't making any ego corrections at WOT anyway and just let the car continue on running the maps. When I got back to the hot pits I popped the hood to trace the wideband 02 wiring back to the sensor and see what the issue was. I immediately saw that I left too much slack in my wideband wiring and it drooped and made contact with the header. I was left with a melted mess of 6 wires. This left me with a non functioning wideband for the day. I fired up the laptop and turned off PID ego correction and the continued on for the day. I cut out the bad section of wiring and used some butt joint crimp connectors to try and fire up the wideband. I had no luck and the wideband stayed dark. I sorta assumed I fried the wideband and or o2 sensor circuitry but the car was still running spectacularly and there was nothing I could do about it at the track so I soldiered on. Picture of the spliced wideband O2 wiring. Also a quick shot of the willwood 1" master sourced through 949racing. Stock heat shield and 01+ header in all it's glory. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1407203290 As the day wore on the temps kept climbing. It was obvious that as the temps got closer to the 105 degree mark my oem cooling system could not keep up. The day turned into an exercise of watching the freshly installed longacre water temp gauge and getting hot laps in when I could. I found that I could manage to do 1-2 hot laps and then had to get a 1/2 to full cooldown lap. I spent the majority of the day short shifting at 6200-6500 to make sure to keep temperatures down. Overall the car is still smoking fast compared to what it was. Obviously with temps like this and with the stock cooling system lap times weren't what they could have been but I still bested my previously lap times by 2 seconds on the one cool first session that I had (with no knowledge of the new lines, curbs and track temps). Overall the car shows absolutely enormous potential. Can't wait for Miata's @ MRLS to really ring the car out. Next up, Xida Gen 2's, Supermiata Coolant Re-Route, fresh corner balancing and a trip to Mazda Raceway. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1407203290 Added this totally geeky yet totally swanky "You shall not pass sticker" lol https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3836/...d6187de6_c.jpg |
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Less than 9 days before I head to Monterey for Miata's @ MRLS. Thrashing on the car this late in the game is not what I had planned... but it's a necessary evil at this point.
List o shit to do: -Install Xida Gen 2's -Install VVT Tuner -Finish M-tuned Coolant Re-route -Cut in Singular Motorsports Hood Louvers -Duct Radiator -Alignment/Corner balance -Re-install hard top -Pack and Get on the road. Spent last night removing the old Gen 1 Xida Clubsports to get ready to install the new ones. Also here's a sneak peak at the new for MRLS Stolzfarhen graphics package. Old vs new https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1409071957 My garage is a wreck at the moment. so is my car. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1409071957 |
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