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Coworker of mine wanted some headlight work done on his G37 coupe. Nothing fancy besides some paint work, which was a nice change of pace from what I'm used to. Amazing how something so simple can make such a big impact. Turned these around in a few days for him at the end of last week.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...61d0aa3724.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...27a4f7def6.jpg Received a few PM's from people here wanting a set of vents for their car on top of the group buy I had already organized which is awesome. Getting them powder coated took a bit longer than I was hoping for, for reason you will soon read about. One thing my powder coating guy and I went back and forth on for a while this week was powder type. Ideally, I'd like to powder coat the vents while flat, then have the customer bend them. We did a trial with intent and his standard medium gloss black powder, but we were running into some hairline powder crack issues along the bend joint. He contacted his powder supplier and ordered a sample of this sweet post-formable powder which should fix this for future orders, but I wasn't happy with delaying timing any longer. This could only mean one thing... I pre-bent all of the vents myself, so that way we could use standard powder. My fingers still have a slight loss of feeling in them as I'm typing this. :bang: https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e8ae903f52.jpg Ended up being very happy with the finish on the parts, and I know you guys who ordered will be as well. Got the group buy of vents all shipped out on Friday, so I'm excited to see some stuff I designed on some other members cars. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d762833495.jpg Good friend of mine who is big into woodworking decided to completely surprise me and make a nice sign with the side gig logo. If you are reading this and want his contact info, just toss me a PM. He did amazing work on this piece and I'd highly recommend him. It'll be great to use in replacement for a watermark with some of my product photos. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e8c0dba3e7.jpg Wrapped up my weekend with a time trial race at the local karting track on Sunday. Tucker, the Left Lane supervisor, was the first to prepare himself for the 2 hour trip. As it turns out, there's more of a function to deleting your center console than just weight reduction. It gives prime doggo seating! https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...401d43a71d.jpg It was pouring rain all day, so for those of you running RS4's you can understand what my struggles were. Traction. Definitely not my first tire of choice for wet conditions, but its part of the compromises you have to make in the 245 wide tire market. I really like the tread life I get out of them, so I'm willing to give on wet handling for that. Somehow still, I ended up being the second fastest RWD car of the day in the wet. I was bested by a really well setup S2000 on RE71r's. It was a great exercise in car control, so while the car wasn't as fast as I'm used to on dry pavement, I still enjoyed the event. On the way to the event, a friend of mine caught some of the aero in action with "poor man's CFD", aka rainy conditions. The fact water and air is exiting the vents should put most of the "do these vents actually work?" questions to rest. It's also pretty cool to see the water shedding around the tire from the wheel spats https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e31a6c74da.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...084122bc98.jpg |
Headed out to Road America on Sunday to catch one of the last autocross events of the season at their karting track. While cruising up to RA, friend of mine caught an awesome roller shot of the car.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...19bcb763fe.jpg Ended up doing extremely well given the circumstances placing 21 out of 161 RAW time. My 143k mile OEM clutch is starting to slip at launches after 3 years of abuse and the RA kart track is a known horsepower course. Knowing that, having a lowly 110whp n/a BP4W miata up near the top 20 against cars with nearly twice the power (or more) is something I can walk away very happy with. Excited doesn't begin to describe how I am to get the K24 in this car and be back next year with sights set on top 10 RAW on a street tire. I better get to work. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5a2d949af6.jpg |
Nothing huge going on for picture worthy updates this month. I was very busy and in Shanghai for a week due to work
K-swap related updates:
Not K-swap related: Planning out how the front end aero on the car will be updated this winter. With the upcoming switch to the V8R tubular sub-frame, my current splitter mounting design will no longer work as the rear portion of my splitter is supported by the lip on the OEM Mazda sub-frame. This lip by the steering rack doesn't exist on the tubular sub-frame. Kazespec and Nine Lives Racing have both came out with off the shelf splitter mounting solutions. I need to make a decision on which makes more sense for my goals. I have time here, so I'm waiting on seeing some feedback from others on these options before pulling the trigger. I already have a 10mm thick sheet of alumalite to replace the 2 year old plywood that has more than paid its dues, so that material update will be happening for sure which I look forward to. The biggest decision will be if I want to keep using an OEM front bumper with GV lip and wheel spats, or upgrade to an air dam setup. Functionally, the air dam would be better and lighter and I'd have more splitter height and design flexibility. Looks wise, I think the OEM bumper with spats is better as it keeps some of the cars "happy face" personality. Like I said, decisions.... Also planning out how to drop even more weight from the car in addition to the above updates without giving up DD amenities. Currently at 2278 lbs w/ full tank but would really like to see sub-2200. Chasing after 78 lbs!
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So the K swap will work just fine with a V8R tubular subframe? I like the idea of being able to buy that separately and spread out the expense to something usable with a BP in the car too. Especially since it would allow for the K20/24A swap too.
Wilwood Dynalites are pretty affordable as far as brakes go, and a good bit lighter than factory. I think Goodwin's kit is somewhere around $500. |
Originally Posted by Uncle Hoonsalot
(Post 1553471)
So the K swap will work just fine with a V8R tubular subframe?
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Originally Posted by Padlock
(Post 1553472)
If you buy the subframe ahead of time, it'll be nothing more than a big garage paperweight until you start the swap.
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1 12-pack of brews, 2 buddies to help, a pile of power tools, and a couple hours of semi-motivated work led us to this point yesterday.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f616f2c6e6.jpg Everything pictured is now for sale https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...71fb0599d5.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c80b0cc0bd.jpg ...and here's what I'm left with as a new starting point. Didn't realize just how filthy my engine bay was until I took this photo. I've got some work to do! https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...0c43be7452.jpg |
Oh the joys of de-looming harnesses. I was just so excited about it that I started delooming the OEM BP4W engine harness when I didn't even need to because its being replaced by a RSX harness :facepalm:. I'm going to try to make this wiring progression as good of reference material as I can for everyone that may be following in my footsteps. I'm hoping it will also be good reference for me in the event I screw something up and have a "no start" condition this upcoming spring :rofl:.
The plan is to tuck the wiring and run only the bare essentials to make everything look clean and tidy because I'm a big time fast n furious fanboi like that. This will include completely deleting all AC, Power Steering, Cruise Control, Windshield Washer Motor, Brake Fluid Level, OEM Diagnostics Box, Evap System, EGR system & Air Bag wiring including the multitude of relays associated with those systems. Maybe an easier way of saying it is that the only OEM Mazda wiring forward of the firewall being kept is going to be headlight, radiator fan, and windshield wiper motor wiring. The engine fuse box will be relocated to the interior of the car next to the new ECU in the passenger foot well area behind the dash. Current status. Engine bay wiped down and de-looming nearly complete on the engine bay side. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...6c78a9d8f7.jpg |
You're missing something there.
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Weighed a few options on the RSX harness:
None of these harnesses are built for a true RWD specific layout if you want wiring to look super clean, so there'd be some modification I'd be making regardless of choice. The last option of buying a used harness was the path I went down. Bought this used harness on the wonderful world of Facebook as a "working harness" for the lower end of the used price point knowing full-on that I may be in for a treat. I was not disappointed. At initial glance it seemed like a decent harness. All of the connectors were in good shape (albeit dirty), so that was a good win! https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8ab1a6c684.jpg I did notice that there was aftermarket loom on a vast majority of the wires. It was not the split loom, so that means the previous owner either properly de-pinned and repined the connectors (unlikely), or cut and reconnected the wires somehow (more likely) to get the loom installed. Time to do more de-looming to figure that out! https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9b8374ac50.jpg Upon investigation, I was left with vast variety of "connections". Consistency was not the previous owners forte when it comes to wiring... some uncovered and bare wires, some well heat-shrunk wires, some completely disconnected or broken wires, some electrically taped wires... you name it, this harness has it.. Classic example of getting what you pay for, but it can all be fixed. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...221fcd2a31.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3759c871e6.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...988f3ae286.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b92452bfaa.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...2810f90b7f.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f1db3e580d.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7e9b32e557.jpg Now you may be thinking, "Matt, you are spending all this money on this K-swap, why don't you invest in a better harness to control it all that won't potentially give you issues down the road?". To you who think that, you have a fair point and I won't argue your logic. For everyone else that wants to try and ball hard on a budget, this thread is for you! I have the skills to properly fix what I have, am just a glutton for punishment, and really don't mind big wiring projects. This will be a fun one! |
I hate car wiring. But only when it is in the car. Once it's all out and cleaned, it isn't bad at all to work on a harness. I would say buying a messed up harness so you have all the right connectors and going from scratch is a fine move.
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My fingers are sore, but the engine harness is completely de-loomed.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9b22733ed5.jpg |
Welp here's another K swap thread for me to follow.
Huge pet peeve of mine when people solder wires together at the same point. You just end up with this tumor in the loom. Staggered joints always look and feel better. Wire-Worx has an OEM style harness for ~$500. He's emailed me saying he's willing to make custom lengths of certain circuits and delete some things to fit our applications. K24Z or K24A2? |
K24A2
Agreed on the wiring tumor with cutting everything at the same spot. I looked into Wire-Worx. It would be ideal to make a custom harness specific to a miata, but spec'ing out things I wanted still got me to a $500+ harness. Depending how mine turns out, I could also update to a nicer harness later. Right now, dollar bills are talking to me and the used harness makes sense. Time will tell if this comes to bite me. |
Padlock, what all connectors do we need to connect to get the car running?
No VSS? No Trans Wiring? TPS MAP IACV Cam Position Crank Position Knock Sensor Oil Pressure Engine coolant temp Injectors Coils VTEC Solenoid O2 sensor Appropriate Grounds We need an IAT in there somewhere right? Anything i'm missing? |
Originally Posted by Brap-Brap
(Post 1554526)
No VSS? On NB, the VSS and reverse sensor will still be picked up by the OEM Mazda wiring so the OEM speedo and reverse lights will still function properly. Technically the Kpro shouldn't need any VSS inputs, but I am keeping that wiring on the RSX harness for future possibilities (ie traction control systems reference these pins I believe).
No Trans Wiring? Trans wiring is driven by OEM mazda wiring. I believe nearly all of the RSX trans wiring can be eliminated with exception of what's stated above. Necessary Sensors List TPS MAP IACV Cam Position Crank Position Knock Sensor Oil Pressure Engine coolant temp Injectors Coils VTEC Solenoid O2 sensor VTC solenoid IAT Appropriate Grounds |
Next batch of parts came through the door last night.
Worked in conjunction with David at Kmiata and Robert at Tractuff to be able to have my cake and eat it too for this one-off rear water neck piece. More to come later on why this should be a trick little add-on over the standard Kmiata piece that most people get. Quality of the work by both parties is top notch. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f3123d214e.jpg Received what I believe should be the last of my wiring with the Kmiata conversion harness. Thankfully, I won't have to de-loom this one! Also got my super legit bumper support bar in. Mat even surprised me with a custom baby pink paint job at no extra charge, what a deal! :rofl: https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f20bd9075b.jpg |
I could have sworn you got something else in that package? :D
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Pink but no welded on dick? Mat's getting lazy.
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*Cough* Stewart *Cough*
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Originally Posted by Scaxx
(Post 1554634)
I could have sworn you got something else in that package? :D
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This car is going to be an epic track weapon with the K swap. Sub'd
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Certainly wasn't the full monty in that pic. Extend us the courtesy of the plastic fantastic.
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Sold the BP4W yesterday with everything from the complete OEM exhaust to the tip of the inlet on the OEM intake filter box for $850. Also sold the OEM subframe for $175 locally as it has the desirable NB geometry, so that's some nice cash back in the pocket to cover more swap parts costs.
Want to know what a K24A2 swap is going to cost you? It's something I get asked frequently, so I made a quick spreadsheet (link below) to follow along with. So far into the build it looks deceivingly affordable, but there's a lot of high dollar items to buy yet. I expect to fall somewhere in the $8500 range all said and done with the "extras" added in that I didn't NEED to have. I broke down those "extras" as a separate line item in case you really want to see just how cheap you could do a swap without them. Hoping to save a few bucks with upcoming Black Friday sales. K24A2 Miata Swap Costs Spreadsheet |
Another big Kmiata order submitted and another couple weeks of waiting starts. It seems everything that I need right now is on backorder. In hindsight, waiting to order until after the z3 swap was announced was probably a silly idea, but I can't drive the car until spring anyways so no biggie.
Got the support bar bolted up. Might keep it pink for the laughs, might paint it black later. We will see. Nice piece regardless. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ae9ea339e2.jpg Also tossed the new water neck on. Patiently waiting on the oil pan setup to show up before really bolting the motor together again for the last time. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...706748425b.jpg |
I love that water neck! should help the bleed procedure significantly.
Do you have a plan for the heater hose hard line? Dan |
Originally Posted by Just Dan
(Post 1555347)
Do you have a plan for the heater hose hard line?
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Originally Posted by Padlock
(Post 1555349)
I will be cutting it shorter like everyone else then hitting it with a fresh coat of paint as there is some surface rust starting on it, just haven't gotten to it yet is all.
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Originally Posted by KMiata
(Post 1555351)
Don't bother, we just got some aluminum barbed fittings that lock into the thermostat housing so you can just run a basic 5/8" hose and delete the hard pipe. Not even on the website yet but they will be soon!
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Originally Posted by Brap-Brap
(Post 1555381)
Thank goodness i'm not gonna be swapping my car for at least another couple of years. Seems like every week you guys are innovating the swap process with new and better parts.
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Originally Posted by Padlock
(Post 1555391)
That's what I kept telling myself 2 years ago... here I am, 2 years & multiple test drives in various K-swapped miatas later, in the middle of my own swap, and David is still making new parts that make me re-think things.. what a madman! :bowrofl:
I have my wiring harness, but I'm still pounding my head against the wall for how to connect it all together. Certainly doesn't help that I have a K24Z and everything is different. |
Start out tonight's post with the pretty things. I was sent this photo of my fender vents on Deep Eddy Racing's Turbo NA endurance car. The first customer of mine to install the vents on flared fenders, and it looks awesome.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e1b104c6ba.jpg Next up, I was browsing online ads like I normally do and saw a local car that caught my eye. It was an ATS-V sedan with the LF4 3.6L TT V6 & 6 speed manual transmission. At the very least, it was worth a test drive, so yesterday I decided to swing over and check it out. When I was shopping for CTS-V's this car was always one on my radar, but I never pulled the trigger due to it being so much more expensive. At approximately 3800lbs and 420whp, I was excited to see what it was about. It turns out that I wasn't missing out on a whole lot, which was not the reaction I was expecting to have after driving such a car. While the interior was trimmed nicely, and the chassis/suspension/brakes were absolutely phenomenal... The power delivery left a lot to be desired. As the driver, I felt quite disconnected from the engine. I was hopeful that at the upper end of the powerband would start pulling harder than it did, but it just left me completely underwhelmed and looking for more which would be a deal breaker if I was seriously in the market for one. The gauge cluster and radio surround also were completely out of date for how modern the rest of the car was. Goes to show that just because a car looks good on paper, doesn't mean you'll like it when you hop into one. It will be interesting to pay attention to how aftermarket engine mods on these keeps going, because everything else is there to create a really fun daily. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...75433154d3.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...581d315d88.jpg Got home from the test drive and immediately felt motivated to keep the hammer down on the miata, because screw ATS-V's, miata is always the answer. Removed the dash, removed the pedal assemblies, started pulling all the wiring through the firewall, de-loomed everything https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9ce0ff4120.jpg Goodbye to the firewall sound deadening and insulation! Worth a couple pounds towards my weight loss goals of the car and makes wiring along the firewall easier to get to. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d22473cf4f.jpg Current pile of unused pieces from the wiring harness pruning. A lot more to go, but its a start. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...006a387421.jpg Engine bay is looking pretty bare. I'm looking into giving it a fresh coat of paint as long as I'm this far into it. There's a handful of scratches and scuffs throughout the bay that would be nice to correct and it would seem that now is the time to do it. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f2da19a102.jpg Yanked the heater tube from the thermostat housing per David's recommendation. Now just waiting on the new part to get added to the website! Waiting on the oil pan to come in before I can get it all sealed up. Fingers crossed on it shipping this week. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5edbf402b3.jpg |
I get what they were going for with the LF4, but that car absolutely should have just had an LT1 in it. Would have gone a long way towards making the car the world beater it should have been with that chassis.
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Originally Posted by turbofan
(Post 1555763)
I get what they were going for with the LF4, but that car absolutely should have just had an LT1 in it. Would have gone a long way towards making the car the world beater it should have been with that chassis.
Speaking of which, there's a prominent GM shop working on putting the LT4 in one... if only money grew on trees... https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...06019cdaac.jpg |
Black Friday deals started making their way to the door. Got a fair number of deals on misc parts and pieces that I know I'd want or need at some point in the project, so I snagged what I could get with discounts.
AEM dryflow air filter Ktuned breather filter (needed to find one to match my AEM because I'm OCD like that.. Ktuned FTW) Radium Engineering Fuel Rail Skunk2 K to B series TPS adapter NOT SHOWN: Acuity Hall Effect K-series TPS Sensor https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...2f383b3df6.jpg Kmiata RBB Intake Manifold 74mm Throttle Body Gaskets & such https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ec2805c47c.jpg Kmiata Belt and Pulley Setup https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...31dc91a3a8.jpg 5X Racing Shifter Rebuild Kit with bronze bushing. My current shifter was feeling a little sloppy. In addition, the upper boot was torn, so there was quite a bit of hot air making its way into the cabin due to my minimalist console exposing the torn boot. This should fix all of that as long as I have things apart. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...0e2a2c7242.jpg First thing I needed to do was test fit the Kmiata intake manifold up with my custom made upper water neck. As you can see, zero issues with fit-up. All sorts of space to work with.. YAY! https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d75b1f47c3.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...70ae0807b0.jpg Now to hurry up and wait for more ordered parts to arrive while working on Left Lane Design projects in the meantime...... If you were following along to the fender vents posted in this build thread and want a set for yourself, I started a dedicated thread to another group buy. If interested, post up here. https://www.miataturbo.net/miata-par...-vents-101639/ |
Important piece worth a post of its own came in today.
Its not very well documented, but here's a quick history lesson on everything you need to know about Honda TPS's. The OEM K-series TPS sensor is extremely prone to failures and expensive. Kmiata makes this pretty clear, which is why they offer a B-series 74mm throttle body in their kits that allows you to use an OEM B series TPS sensor which is more reliable and much cheaper. Cool, right? Well, kind of... The problem that isn't very well documented is that the OEM B series TPS can give some false or jumpy readings that affect driveability in a higher vibration environment (*ahem* like a k24 with balance shafts deleted mounted on poly engine bushings in a miata *ahem*) The fix? This sweet little guy: https://acuityinstruments.com/produc...honda-civic-si Run it in conjunction with this B series to K series TPS adapter from Skunk2: https://www.kseriesparts.com/SK2-309...RoCWtIQAvD_BwE And you are set! I'll let the description on Acuity's website do the talking on the sensor specifics, but its my opinion that if you are doing the Kswap, just get this hall effect sensor from the beginning and never worry about it again. Another benefit to running this sensor is you do not need the Kmiata B series TPS jumper harness which saves you $24. To summarize, you will have an RSX engine harness plugging directly into a K-series Acuity TPS that bolts into a Skunk2 K-Series to B-Series adapter to read from a B-series throttle body. Clear as mud right? Ok sweet... my job here is done https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...287bb41d47.jpg |
In the effort of making things pretty on a budget, tested out a "new to me" type of paint on the throttle body last night. Should have cured overnight, but didn't check on it this morning. If all goes well, IM is prepped for coating tonight. Its a $11 experiment that can be corrected by powder coating if it doesn't turn out as good as I'd like, so we will see!
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...86fe82c585.jpg |
Y pictures no worky?
Edit: pictures worky |
Originally Posted by Scaxx
(Post 1556747)
Y pictures no worky?
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The murdered out look might not be for everyone, but given the look of the rest of the car, the engine needed to keep with the theme. You'll probably notice that the engine is painted a flat black. This makes it easy to spot leaks if I ever have them.
Still waiting on oil pan stuff before moving forward from here, but I got the alternator painted gloss black late last week and mounted up. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e72f04b85b.jpg Played around with some wrinkle black on the throttle body. Realized quick that I wasn't a fan of how the paint was laying down. Luckily, the poor spots in the wrinkle will be covered by an intake coupler and the rest looks pretty decent. Kept with gloss black engine enamel for the Kmiata IM as I was a fan of how it laid down on everything else I've already painted, then got to final assembly of the IM assembly. Love how it looks. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5c8774b313.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...369872f020.jpg |
i like the murdered-out look.
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While waiting on Kmiata parts, I managed to squeeze in another set of NB2 retrofit lights for a customer. I'm VERY happy with how these turned out. Kept it simple and clean with these. With a little direction from me, the customer decided to save some money and not run halos, but instead spend money where it really makes a difference. I installed new Morimoto HB LED pods in the high beam area and tossed on some new lenses! The lenses were stolen off of a new set of the aftermarket NB2 headlights that you can get on eBay. For the most part, the lenses are a drop in replacement, but there are a few modifications you need to make to the lens and the NB2 bezel to get them to fit together properly.
I cannot say enough good things about the quality improvement of the Morimoto HB LED pods vs the Profile LED pods that I did on my previous set shown earlier. Much improved beam pattern and output on the Morimoto parts! I'm also a fan of how the projector lenses now look consistent for both the low and high beam regions. I gave everything a coat of gloss black paint, and you'd swear its OEM. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...72dbe8e026.jpg |
Got a few expensive parts in the mail. The Kmiata tubular front subframe is made by V8R for those who aren't aware. I haven't fit it up to the car yet to validate fitment, but initial impressions are somewhat lacking on it if I'm being 100% honest. A lot of MIG weld spatter is on the front tube portion of the subframe, where it was all simply just powder-coated over yielding a less than ideal finish. I understand that I won't see this when installed, but for what the piece costs I was expecting a bit better. The packaging could also being improved some as the powder was scuffed off of 3 notable portions of the subframe. I'll have to hit them up with some touch-up paint to prevent future oxidation.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4d0f188e1e.jpg The Kmiata specific pieces are pretty straight forward and bolted right up. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3255bc4200.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...fac72b5f5e.jpg Then I found this new overflow tank for a price I couldn't refuse on eBay. It needs to be modified to work where I want it located, but its a good starting point and beats starting from scratch. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...fa17a25114.jpg |
It's nice to see close up pictures of the subframe and mounts up close. I had no idea they sourced the tubular subframes from V8R. Very interesting. Bummer about the mig splatter on what should be a high quality finish for the pricing
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Might be a good time to reinforce the steering rack and control arm mounting points with some gussets. They are known weak points per Keith at Flyin Miata.
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Originally Posted by machschnell
(Post 1558857)
Might be a good time to reinforce the steering rack and control arm mounting points with some gussets. They are known weak points per Keith at Flyin Miata.
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Oil pan kit finally came in. Had a small moment of frustration in thinking that the pan was dented somehow, but after following up with David realized that this is done on purpose. More on that later.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7f43747aca.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a9214dc0af.jpg The pickup tube came in with a finish that wasn't exactly what I was expecting given other Kswap builds I've read through. A few burrs were found on the exterior of the tube and o-ring flange. I made quick work of it with a wire wheel. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...2af1fa86a7.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...45e5c83c36.jpg Here you can see how the Kmiata pump adapter replaces the OEM type S pump. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c2d950346f.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a4c7aed3c6.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c5e9d078c5.jpg The "dent" in the pan is to help clear the gusset on the oil pump and give as much steering rack clearance to the oil pan as possible. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...46ed354057.jpg Photos of the timing that was set to make sure I'm not going to smash parts together on the first startup https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5f071bebc0.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d7b21cc96c.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...cd8009fe2a.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a2ca94c278.jpg Finally assembly https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...0639370685.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...32058a29c9.jpg Need to get adapter plate and flywheel ordered next, then I should have almost everything needed to drop it in the car! |
No Honda build is complete without a super swaggy billet oil cap. Facebook comments told me that it makes it faster, so here we are.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...187c97fe4f.jpg Also got a Supermiata clutch in the mail. It's cheaper than the ACT clutch option that Kmiata offers on their website, holds more torque (regardless of option chosen), and I guess I trust the guys at Supermiata for quality miata parts more than I do a generic clutch company. Went back and forth for quite a while on whether or not to get the full face or the 4 puck. If this is any indicator of what may be in the works, let's just say I "may" need the additional 50 ft-lbs of torque capacity that the puck offers (340 ft-lbs) over the full face (290 ft-lbs). For the extra $10, I bit the bullet and figured I'd sacrifice some smoothness for that extra capacity in the event that I need it in the future. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9b20ec3a4d.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...6bef6c1512.jpg |
The dipstick is sort of a useless item on the engine with the Kmiata oil pan as it runs straight into highest part of the pan at OEM length. You can choose to keep your bright orange USDM OEM handle dipstick and trim off the bottom, get the black JDM OEM handle dipstick and trim off the bottom, spend allofit money and get the Ktuned flush dipstick that you can shorten, or spend someofit money and get a Ktuned knockoff that you can shorten. I chose the last option. The quality of the part was super nice given the $30 shipped cost. Even though it was more money I didn't need to spend, it sure looks a lot better. My OCD is pleased.
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If it gives you some confidence my supermiata 4 puck is much smoother than my fm stage 1 ever was. It could be I just really like the ceramic/metallic material a lot but its a great piece.
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This car is a never ending list of compromises. I've never had a great experience with a puck clutch (vs full face clutches) on other vehicles, but maybe this one will change my mind. Either way, it looks like a very nice piece and if it engages a little harsh, I'm okay with that for the additional tq capacity. I appreciate the feedback though, seems promising! Hopefully my results are the same.
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Sometimes you get lucky. I was just about to checkout a new order to Kmiata for the adapter plate and flywheel, when I found the exact thing for sale on the Kswap Facebook group. One man's loss is another's gain. Saved a couple hundred and everything showed up in good shape. It's a shame that the flywheel is going to be completely hidden as it's probably one of the nicest pieces of the swap kit.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...104734fc42.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8bac0e0698.jpg So now it appears as though I have everything I need to mechanically bolt the engine into the car. It was mid-teens for temperature in the garage this last weekend so I didn't have the ambition to freeze myself for no reason. Did home improvement projects where it was 70 degrees inside instead. This coming weekend it is supposed to be in the 30's so that'll be a more bearable temp to work in. This really makes me question why I don't live further south... |
I saw that listed on FB, thought you might have been the one to snag it.
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You might beat me to a running car now.
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Originally Posted by matrussell122
(Post 1560072)
You might beat me to a running car now.
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3 Attachment(s)
Some of the last required bits are starting to roll their way into the door. Fuel adapter hose and fittings along with some intake couplers and piping (even though I haven't the slightest idea on how I want to run the intake yet. That's a topic of discussion in and of itself.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...889eba3a21.jpg Then I mulled back and forth for a while on if I wanted to get fancy or not with the wiring. I decided to just say screw it and pulled the trigger on a nice 47 pin bulkhead fitting from Maven Performance. No more headaches with passing wiring through the firewall ever again. If a motor ever needs to get pulled for some reason, it will make it painlessly simple as well. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b06bdcb35c.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...bb96fddbda.jpg |
Wooooorth it. Being able to drop the harness with one connection is awesome. :likecat:
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I debated that, but then after determining how many extra connection points that adds to a harness, I decided I'll just leave the harness attached to the car and keep a sub-harness or two on the motor.
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I've given myself an official deadline to hit...
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...bd47b3c8b6.jpg |
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