alienmiata1

iTrader: (2)

I’m shooting for MaTG. As long as all the parts are here reasonably soon I don’t see any reason it can’t be done. Seeing you’re progress has definitely given me motivation to get this done.

Just Dan

Thanks! I have been pretty aggressive about my build. I can't stand to be looking at parts on the shelf/stand/garage floor. I never thought i'd be this close, but now i'm thinking about ways i can make it to MATG. I would want to tow the car though, i'm not driving a fresh build on a 20 year old car on a 16 hr round trip....

I just looked over my thread, and apparently i forgot to mention when this all started. I've been at it for just shy of 2 months, though a lot of that was waiting on different parts.

Been an exciting 2 months for sure!
Dan

alienmiata1

iTrader: (2)

I’m right there with you. I hate parts laying around. Feels like a waste of money to not get them on ASAP! I’m also big in setting goals. Makes it easier to finish something when you have a end date in mind. I can’t wait to get this thing driving. I’ll probably still have more to do after the gap, but the car will definitely be running and driving. If you make it to MaTG, let me know. I’d definitely be down to put a face to the name and check out your car.

alienmiata1

iTrader: (2)

Been a minute since I updated. I didn’t make my goal of having the car done for MaTG. I was a little bummed, but reality set in and it wasn’t worth rushing the swap just to have issues on the dragon. Not exactly the place you want to do a shake down. Also didn’t help July is the busiest month of the year at my work. I decided to slow up the pace and just enjoy driving the LFX Miata. I had some friends in town, so they did most of the Miata driving and I drove my truck with a bed full of parts. Definitely helped clear the garage. It was good to take another peak at the k swapped cars to get a better idea of how to do some things. All that is left is wiring and getting the cooling system plumbed. I’m taking a trip this week then I’ll come back and finish her up.

I’m having a blast learning all sorts of new things doing this swap. My buddy Mike always helped me with my builds and at times he would work on the car on his own, which I appreciated, but I missed out on some major moments. Moving all the way across the country and not having friends to lend a hand has really benefited my learning. It has also led to a lot of swearing and somethings taking way longer than they should. I can’t wait to finish this up and enjoy the fruits of my labor! There is always a stronger sense of pride when you’re able to complete a project on your own.

Mad Scientist

Really looking forward to your next update :-)

alienmiata1

iTrader: (2)

Didn't realize how far behind this thread was. Here is an update post. I slacked a bit on photos, but you'll get the idea.

I bought the k24 with the type s oil pump already installed. I thought I saved myself some time. Turns out I didn't. I still had to take off the timing chain, remove the oil pump and put the Kmiata adapter and oil pickup on. It was my first time setting timing on a Honda, and I was a little nervous. This is one of the times I wished I had a second set of hands to help out. After a bunch of reading and a bit of time struggling to get the cams to TDC, I got the chain on and put the timing cover back on. I'm a million times more confident with a Honda motor after this. I got the Kmiata oil pan and valve cover on and it was time to bolt up the BMW transmission. Man is the Kmiata oil pan nice!

I ended up having a couple issues getting the transmission bolted up, but it all ended up being operator error. First I had to figure out how to reset the pressure plate. After watching a couple of YouTube videos, I was pretty confident in it. A couple of minutes on a shop press and it was ready to go. Unfortunately, my dumb *** decided to install the clutch without the alignment tool. Back to square 1. After resetting the pressure plate again I decided to use the alignment tool but not tape it the way the instructions said to. I fought for at least an hour trying to get the transmission to mate to the engine. I kept having about an inch gap between the adapter and the transmission. Finally I read the instructions and after the 3rd reset of the pressure plate I had the clutch properly installed. With the help of a tranny jack I got the transmission mated in a matter of minutes. Amazing how much easier it is when you do things right!

It was time to drop the engine in. This was another area where a little bit of proper reading and an extra set or 2 of hands would have been useful. I fought for over 3 hours to get the motor in. I also used every curse word I know many many times. I misread the instructions and tried to get the motor in with the mounts attached to the subframe. Once the motor was about in position I tried flipping the mounts toward the motor and aligning the bolt holes. This proved utterly impossible. Finally I figured it out. I loosely bolted the mounts to the motor and then 1 by 1 guided them into the subframe mounts. Wow that was easy! From there I put on the intake manifold and the headers. The headers required many extensions, but fit great.

I originally was going to run the car without my oil cooler, but was pleasantly surprised when I read that the sandwich plate was compatible with both motors. Saved me some money! I'm still not sure I like the positioning of the cooler lines. A little too close to the header for my liking. We will see how it does. From here I tried getting the alternator belt on. Man did I struggle. I couldn't get the tensioner pulley anywhere near the hole it was supposed to bolt to. I did some thinking and decided to check the pulley size on the alternator. Turned out it was an aftermarket pulley and was about 2 inches too big. Wouldn't work for my intended use, so I had to source an OEM one. It bolted together much easier once I was using the proper sized pulley. I put the radiator in the car and started trying to figure out where all the plugs from the wiring harness belonged. Took a little bit, but I finally figured out where every plug went. It definitely would have helped to be familiar with the K24 before attempting this swap.

Oh yeah. I also decided to do a thing while I had the car apart. Full tubular control arms front and back courtesy of V8 roadsters. I love the way my LFX Miata drives on the V8R control arms, so I figured I might as well make the Kmiata baller too!

And a front bar from Mat to pull the car together

This is how the car sits today. I took last weekend off and played in the other miata. I had a blast at MaTG on Saturday, then a buddy and I went to autocross at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday. It was good to get a break. Between work and working on the car I had been going non stop. It was good to take a step back, clean up the garage and do some reading on the wiring. This is the part I really don't want to mess up and have the least confidence in. I've labeled every wire on the Miata wiring harness and fuse box so I can figure out where the adapter harness needs to be spliced in. I'll start tackling it when I get back from vacation.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

sexy. that is all

matrussell122

iTrader: (1)

That bar is sweet! Everyone should get one of those!

Build is progressing nicely!

Padlock

nice progress and good call on taking your time and not rushing to complete it before MATG. By the looks of things it shouldn't be too much longer and it'll be a runner.

Scaxx

Agreed with both Matt and Mat Rushing a build like this is definitely not optimal, good job on deciding to take your time.

KMiata

So much win, I love the way this car is coming together. Well done sir, and great seeing you at MATG.