You make my wiring jobs look beautiful.

Lovin the 80's flair workout band!

Haha! Supposed to help keep the brake fluid from breaking down from UV rays(since I don't run a hood) and prevent brake fluid leakage onto my powdercoat. Mainly though, they match my color scheme and cover up my old reservoir.

I am now street legal in Florida. It was a very strange journey but it ended successfully.
I spent two weeks trying to get someone at the DMV in Tampa to call me back to set up an appointment to turn in my paperwork. I finally got in on Tuesday and they tried to register the car using the Exomotive VIN. That number was already used on a motorhome so they gave me a new FLA VIN and a temp tag to come back in today for the inspection. I pulled up for the inspection and they took my paperwork and disappeared. They then showed back up with about six guys from upstairs to show them the car and talk about the build. Never checked a thing. No turn signal checks, no parking brake check, no headlight check, absolutely nothing. They slapped a VIN sticker on the frame and sent me on my way. I have been stressing about the inspection for weeks and they didn't check a damn thing. I'm almost pissed that I didn't get to show them everything I did to be street legal. Oh well. Time to enjoy the ride now.
I'll be shaking the car down for a few hundred miles and then getting ready for my turbo install. This thing is a blast right now, I can't imagine what it's going to be like with another hundred or so HP.

wiring disaster won't even begin to describe the rast nests you have there...but if it fucking works, it works.....just don't break it because tourbelshooting is gonna be a PITA

The wiring is crazy looking for sure. I just hooked everything up and dumped all the unused connections in the wiring tray instead of cutting them. There's a ton of unused leads and connectors that the Exocet doesn't need. Everything works perfectly and I still have everything labeled so I'm hoping things stay that way until I install the turbo. I'll be rewiring everything then. God help me.

do what i did, strip the harness and remove the unused cables.
when i did the removal of all the eGR crap on my miata, i laid out the loom and whatever wasn't needed was removed.

Here's a quick overview of how I got my short hub adapter for my NRG quick release to work with keeping the clock spring.

I ordered this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Steering-Wh...item284a33ca56

Instead of this:
Because I'm cheap.

The outside ring will need to be milled/cut down about 3/8" so that it doesn't rub on the clock spring. That's the issue that most of the guys that have tried to install these run into. If that outer ring isn't cut down it will never work and you will have to remove the clock spring. This is after milling down the outer ring:
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You will also need to destroy the clock spring connector on the front of the clock spring so that it fits inside the hub. Once you cut everything off you are left with just the leads. The copper connectors on the left are for the airbag. The four steel prongs are for the horn. Only the very left prong is going to the horn. The other three are dead and go nowhere. I used a connector that slid right over the first two prongs and it fit perfectly.
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Then snake the connector through the hub and connect to the NRG quick release hub and connect the ground
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The real trick to make this work with the clock spring is shaving off the outer ring so it's not dead headed on the clock spring when you tighten down the wheel. Everything else is pretty straightforward. This is for a 1999 so other models might be different.

And an engine shot just for fun:

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And another for good measure:

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So, it's been forever since I've posted. I've been having way too much fun driving this thing to post. I've been giving rides lately and thought I'd share my Mother-in-Laws first ride. She wasn't expecting the cul-de-sac turn around.

Beautiful build! I had my windshield crack a couple times and had to have it reduced in height to stop cracking. I think I ended up at 10-11" tall as the sweet spot. Just something to keep an eye on.

Yeah, mine flexes quite a bit at above 80 or so when it starts buffeting really good. We'll see how long it lasts. I'm actually working with a guy in Brooksville that makes Slingshot windshields. He's developing one for my Exocet. I'll let you know how it goes.

Are you still in Texas? I just heard the good news for Exocet owners. Congrats!

Yeah, pretty cool. One of my buddies was heading up the effort. I already had Montana plates and plan on keeping them. No way I'll pass emissions here.

Some drone footage my son is putting together. Family fun...

Looks like great fun. I should have invited you to go riding out on the back roads with Tony Montana and I on Sunday afternoon. Sorry I didn't think about it until now.

No worries. I was knee deep in house projects anyway. All's well that ends well. Keep me in mind for next time. I'm weather limited. My Exocet doesn't like water. Last time I got stuck in the rain my radiator fan wouldn't shut off until it dried out.

Changed out my big DOT dominators with something more stylish. Fab’d up some mounts on the CNC at work. 10 degrees of angle works perfect for my mount location. One of the LED’s inside the lights took a shit so I’m running without the inside blue light for now. The projectors are a huge upgrade compared to the Dominators. No low beam cut off but I rarely drive at night so they are aimed so that I'm not blinding people. Pretty happy for now. I’ll be replacing the blue lights inside the halo soon to make it complete.

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holy fuck.

Well, I decided to go all in and light up the wheel wells and under the dash. There are zero performance gains with this install but thought I would share. It does make the Exocet much easier to see at night though so there is that.

The real work/fun begins in January when I install the FM turbo kit.

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So, as promised, I am starting to install the turbo on the Exocet. I've been driving around for about 6 months or so and I've finally replenished enough of my bank account to tackle this project.

I had the turbo compressor powder coated and all the rest ceramic coated. I think it came out pretty nice. I'm currently getting the tune correct on my DIYPNP. I had an issue with no cam signal input but I finally got that resolved and I have a running car on megasquirt. I'll be installing everything this weekend and hope to have it back on the road by early next week.

Details of my components:
Garrett GT2554 (freshly rebuilt this week)
Flyin Miata manifold, elbow and downpipe
Innovate MTX-L wideband
DIYPNP ECU
HKS Super SQV blow off valve
Turbosmart IWG-75 wastegate
Greddy Profec B Spec II boost controller
Deatschwerks 700cc injectors
GM LS3 D510C coils
EMUSA Ebay intercooler

I doubt that I get the injectors or coils installed on this go around. I don't anticipate that I will be maxing anything out with this little turbo from the beginning. I'll probably install those along with a bigger fuel pump sometime down the road.

So here are some pictures of where I'm at:

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Finished the turbo rebuild tonight. Four hours of triple checking myself on everything.
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Very attractive.

I love my Profec boost controller. Three boost levels, WG, low, and high.

Yeah, I like your setup so I started looking. Found a decent deal on one.

Getting closer on having everything completed on the Turbo upgrade. I spent most of this weekend installing my gauges. I went with Prosport (supporting a local company) for the oil temp, oil pressure and boost gauges. Innovate for the wideband.

I decided to mount them directly on my instrument cluster surround. It's kinda spaceship looking and I'm not sure if I'm in love with it but the gauges are really easy to see when seated behind the wheel. I'm 3D printing a bracket at work today to mount the boost controller.

All of the turbo parts are installed and I just need to button some things up before I start it up. I had an issue with my idle control valve settings on my DIYPNP before the turbo install that I didn't really resolve so I'm trying read up on that subject. The car runs but when I set my ICV to the proper frequency the rpms drop considerably and if it stalls it won't start back up without dropping the frequency back down to the wrong level. I downloaded the basemap from DIYPNP for my year (1999) and started from there but I need to do some more learning before I try any more diagnostic changes. I don't want to blow up my ECU, ignition or engine.

Here are some pics of where I'm at:

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Gauge layout looks awesome! You are going to have a blast with the turbo on the exo. It ends up a wild animal that makes all kinds of awesome turbo noises.

That's what I'm hoping for. I've loved driving it around NA but the goal all along was to have boost. I installed a little GT2554 so it should spool quick. I really can't wait to get back on the road. The weather this time of year is perfect so I need to get it buttoned up and go drive.

Who knows where this obsession will end. I might follow your lead and put an LFX in once the novelty wears off. It looks fantastic.

Now that I have some road time with the the LFX and the turbo miata engine in the exo...

Turbo noises are awesome and I miss them
LFX has so much torque it is ridiculous even from idle
LFX sounds better as a whole but no turbo noises
LFX is loud as all hell. I need earplugs to drive it even with a muffler. (not much room for a full size muffler)

There were a lot of custom fabbed parts for the LFX build, but it worked out great because I was trying to learn how to tig weld and my welder paid for itself five times over by being able to do my own fab.
Either way you can't go wrong. I haven't put the E85 tune on the car yet and the big appeal for me was 330whp(ish) on the LFX in a near stock setup, so super reliable and cheap. I got a 12,000 mile 2015 LFX for $1,200.
The miata turbo motor was great, but it was just a pain to work on and there were always small issues popping up. (20 year old motor with 100k+ miles)

All in all, I am very happy I made the jump to the LFX. Such an amazing motor and it weighs the same as the miata turbo setup. So no extra weight like an LS swap.

Edit: On the plus side if you decide to go LFX, you can sell the miata turbo setup for quite a bit and cover a lot of the build costs for the LFX. You don't need to immediately put in a getrag and new axles, so that saves a ton too. I'm still using my miata diff with 3.91 gears and it is holding up great. You can take your miata driveshaft and just have it modified for the mv5 for a couple hundred bucks and save a grand there too.

I finally finished up my turbo install and a decent enough tune to get back on the road. OMG, what a huge difference boost makes in these cars. Garrett GT2554. I definitely need bigger tires now.

I'm still working on my tuning. This is my first experience with TunerStudio so I'm learning a lot along the way.

I can say with confidence that there aren't many cars on the road that can hang with this thing from light to light. It's stupid fast now.

I also finally got my personalized plate.

I'm really stoked to have gotten this far in my build. I put my deposit down two years ago and now I'm pretty well done.

Some pics of the final product:

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Excellent. Lmk if you have any tuning issues. I'd be happy to help.

Any idea what you are putting down to the wheels?

Yes, please!

No idea at the moment. I’m going to a show tomorrow with a dyno. I’m considering doing a couple pulls to see where I’m at.

Working on some aero.
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There has been more than a few recent issues with LTL carriers damaging the frames, and UPS shipping is outrageously expensive. In discussing this with the owner of Exomotive, we decided this was the best (and cheapest) option, especially since both my friend and I will be picking up our frames together, splitting the cost of the airline tickets and box truck rental. Another plus is that I get to tour the place and hopefully be given a ride in their test cars!
Kodi nox

Great move on your part. Save some money and also ensure that it gets home without any damage. Kevin is very accommodating at the shop. He's got lots of toys around.

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Not sure if I’ll keep the aero but it’s growing on me. Either way it’s a big racing go cart. I love this machine.

Looks great and the exocet provides never ending smiles.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you were supposed to precision balance a turbo if you take it apart and remove the compressor wheel from the shaft.

That is what I do every time. They balance it at 100+k rpm.

skip to 12 min mark lol

I scored both ends of the shaft so that when I reassembled the shaft the alignment stayed exactly the same as it was before disassembly. This may not be as precise as having it precision balanced professionally but the rebuild kit only replaced the bushings, bearings, retainers, wear plates, etc. not the compressor impeller itself so I’m assuming it will be balanced decently. I’ve checked the play a couple of times since the rebuild and everything seems really tight with no movement. I’ve done everything myself on my build and this another task I decided to try on my own. Fingers crossed it will last. So far so good.

You would probably be appalled at the amount of diesel owners that just blast on an aftermarket compressor wheel with an impact wrench lmao. And nothing bad really happens. Super common upgrade, I always thought that was wild.

I get my turbos (plural) balanced every time I touch them mostly because I do not pay for balancing.
Having said that, I watch the process as the technician painstakingly balances the assembly. The vibrations and associated shenanigans one can witness at various rpm levels on an unbalanced turbo is pretty sobering.

Just thought I’d update. Well over a year later running 18 psi and it still runs great. No issues so far. And I’m not easy on it. Hopefully I get many more miles out of it. Still need to get it on a real track. I’ve done two autox’s but they were without the turbo. I can’t wait to see how it does with the extra hp. Here’s a new pic just for attention.
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Beautiful car!

We should meet up. I'm near you with a turbo exocet on e85 that I track
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Hell yeah, is yours street legal?

Yessir, got tags on her/insurance. Currently have slicks mounted for track use so gotta get a street wheel tire combo

The JR19's Exomotive sells are perfect for a wide tire street setup. No spacers needed and you can run the 275 AR1's or CR1's when they become available.

exocet insurance
 

looking for insurance for Exocet for value....any ideas?
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I have mine insured through Hagerty with a $30k value.

Collectors car insurance via American Modern Insurance. It's based on agreed value (you tell them how much the car is worth if there's a total loss), how many miles you drive per year, will it be garaged, and your coverage options. My $25k Exocet + my $10k BMW 135i were (together) about $700/year with 2k miles each and a $1k deductible each. I'd have to check how much just the Exocet was by itself but you're probably talking $400ish.

Or them. Hagerty is solid too.

I had American Modern and accidentally let it lapse (got a new credit card) When I got everything sorted out they said they don't insure Exocets anymore so I went with Hagerty. Since then I've read that other Exocet owners have signed up with American Modern so I could have just gotten a lazy insurance broker.

Oil Cooler Install
 

Oil cooler install. I’ve always ran oil temps around 210-225 around town in the Fl summer heat which is usually around 95-100 on the hottest days. I jumped on the highway to go south to St Pete for a 45 minute drive. I settled in at around 85 mph and saw oil temps start to creep up. I got up to around 260+ once I got to my exit. I was concerned it might keep going higher if I pushed it harder. I want to track this thing eventually so this prompted me to go ahead with an oil cooler. The temps I saw are borderline acceptable but I wanna make sure I can keep temps in control once I do a couple of track days at Sebring next month. I decided to do an install behind my front splitter. I made some slots so I can adjust the cooler so that if I want to I can tuck the cooler all the way behind my front cowl. The cooler is halfway poking out at its most exposed position. The install was pretty straightforward but I had to replace my sandwich plate with the supplied sandwich plate which didn’t have enough ports for all of my gauges. I used a AN fitting with a port hole and that works fine. I’ve only done a couple of 30 minute drives so far and temp outside has been in the 80’s, not the high 90’s that prompted me to do the install. Temps are about 10 degrees lower just around town. I haven’t pushed it yet but it for sure is doing something.
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Hey...Not trying to be a kill joy here, I like the oil cooler a lot, but if you are planning to track your car, you may want to mount your oil cooler to some thing else other then the splitter. If (let's be honest...it's really When) your splitter gets hit and rips off that oil cooler is going with it and that's going to cost you a lot more. Cost of replacing the cooler / maybe engine and the cost of paying to have the track cleaned off of oil.

No, that's a very valid point. I'm going to drive it around for the next few weeks and see what results I get and then see if I can relocate before heading for a track day.

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New photo.