UPDATE! Paint is mostly complete. I absolutely love the way it turned out. You'll have to use your imagination to picture what it will look like once it has the right wheels on it, the ride height set, and all of the other trim pieces in place. I'm thinking a Nardi wheel and wood shift knob/parking brake handle would look right at home here.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1457359901


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1457359901


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1457359901

Looking good!

Alright, so here goes:

Saturday morning I loaded up my truck with a stack of car parts, tools, and supplies (like Doritos) and pointed it towards Auburn, Alabama (where the Salvagewon guys are) to go finish up this car. I arrived at Alan's house at 10am and got to see the car for the first time in 5 months. A ton of the heavy lifting had already been done over the past few weeks/months - the unibody was cut, cage installed, tub painted, and everything removed (engine, trans, wiring harness, brake and clutch masters, radiator, steering column, lighting, etc). But all of that stuff needed to go back in. Then there were things to be added like fabbing an exhaust, new coilovers, steering wheel/ quick release, seats, etc).

Here's a pic of our starting point - motor out, suspension swapped, sorting wire harness:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278470


The Build

We got to work almost immediately. The first priority was to untangle and sort the wiring harness. Robert (Emoximuu on this forum, the other half of SalvageWon) took the lead on that. His knowledge of the Miata electrical systems is impressive. All of this was complicated by the fact that the previous owner of this car had added a lot of junk to the OEM harness (under car lighting, stereo equipment, alarm system). Here is a pic showing just some of what he removed:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278470


Roger (fwman1 on this forum) wired up the taillights and did a very nice job. And they work! Thanks again for your help.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278470

Day one progress included adding the engine/ trans/ driveshaft back, getting the harness 75% routed, installing the steering column, building the exhaust, swapping in the new coilovers, installing the steering wheel, wiring taillights, and partially installing the nose. We wrapped up around 11pm with using a torch to "blue" the nose piece.


Robert fabbing the exhaust Saturday night. No jig; he did it all custom and did a phenomenal job. There's not really a spot for a muffler in the back of the Eliminator so the muffler and resonator are tucked underneath the car. The clearances are really tight to the subframe, diff, and driveshaft but the fit is perfect.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278470

End of day 1:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278470

Day two included finishing up the wiring harness, installing dash panels, installing/ bleeding clutch and brake hydraulics, 5 point harnesses, finishing pads on seats and fitting seats to car, finishing nose piece, installing radiator, wiring headlights, gauge cluster, and a lot of little things that I'm forgetting right now. Oh yeah, and turning the key! Pretty much fired up on the first try.

Getting close to the end of day 2:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278470


And just as we finished up the clouds parted and the rain cleared. A sign? I think so. So rather than leave the car and going back to pick it up later I was able to load it up in the trailer about 8pm and head back to Atlanta. Triumph! On the way home:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278470


HUGE thanks to Alan and Robert for taking on this project and delivering a car that has far exceeded both my original goals and highest expectations. Yes, it took a little longer than we all expected. It was totally worth the wait. I am beyond delighted with the car .

Now, for some "finished" pics. As with most builds this car will probably never really be finished - I have a number of short term items to address and a few longer term projects, but I should be roadworthy in a matter of days. In fact I intend to go to Caffeine & Octane on Sunday if the weather is nice, so if you are there come by and check out the car!

Hoping for a more legit photo sesh sometime soon. These will do for now though:

Loving this rear 3/4 angle...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278993

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278993

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278993

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278993



Loving the seats too. Definitely one of my favorite touches.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278993

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278993

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278993

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278993

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278993

Oh cool, you can adjust the coilovers without taking the wheel off
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1459278993

YES!!!!

Have a likecat.

SOOO COOOL. That rocks. Let us know she it goes!

Raw lookin, I dig it :likecat:

Are you going to paint the cage?

You have a list of your aftermarket choices? It would be interesting to see.

Funny, when I first saw a picture of an Eliminator I thought the same thing. But actually leaving the cage unpainted is very intentional. It's hard to really get a feel for the finished product in pictures, but it all makes sense when you see the car in person. It is clearcoated to prevent/ slow corrosion (will sand and re-clear periodically).

It's not a long list so far. And while I intend to keep it NA I do have 75% of a turbo kit on hand in case I decide otherwise. Here is what is (or will soon be) on the car:

Tein Flex coilovers
Racing Beat Header
Megasquirt PNP
RB front and rear swaybars (rear disconnected for now)
Intake
Hawk HP+ pads
15x8 949 6ULs (15x9 6ULs/ NT01s as needed)
Kirkey Seats
G Force Harnesses
Momo Wheel/ NRG Hub/ QR

Yep, thats what I was wondering. Looks good.

I may not have chosen brown for myself, but with the cage left nude, the diamond plate, seats and seat covers, it all makes sense. Very, very cool.

Thanks for the list - still parting out my donor in prep for the first day of cutting!

Yesterday was a day that I've been looking forward to a long time. The Eliminator has been a work in progress for almost 6 months now, and having just completed it I was excited for the opportunity to put it on the track. I really didn't know what to expect - I knew that some parts of the driving experience would be familiar; after all it is still (kind of?) a Miata, and I've had my green car for almost 10 years. I also knew that adding lightness would add performance, but would it be enough? Or would it feel slow compared to my turbo car.

The answers became clear after about a half a lap. This car is a blast!!! Although it doesn't accelerate nearly as hard as the turbo car, the improvements in handling and braking performance more than make up for that. It is also just a totally different experience than any car I've ever driven. Being totally open just feels so much more connected to the road - you can hear air rushing into the intake, you smell the tires and brakes differently, you can see the racing surface/ reference points/ etc much more clearly. I can't remember the last time I had that much adrenaline pumping!

My hope for this car is that it would be within 3 seconds of my best lap time at AMP (1:33.8). The night before Track Night Rick02R predicted I would hit a 1:39; I thought that sounded a bit ambitious for the first time out. I was ecstatic to put down a 1:35.1 in the third session!

So, quick math vs my turbo car: half the cost, same lap times, twice the fun.


A few videos:

First run group; first time on track in the car


Second run group


Showing up in the mirror of the (nicely built!) Super 7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QBz3zYflDY#t=3m54s

A few laps (fastest one at top)
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461338733


Heading out:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461338733

On the track:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461338733

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461338733

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461338733

Phew!!! Watching that second video, it was crazy to see you come up on that red BMW - the corners look CRAZY in this car.

For acceleration, I've got a Moss Eaton MP62 kit I'm putting in my own Eliminator (and have a second one w/ TDR intercooler that I'd sell)

What size rears did you run for these laps?

How was the SCCA "TNiA"?

Awesome. I'm terribly envious.

Thanks man. The corners ARE crazy in this car! Every session I kept pushing it a little harder and was amazed at how much grip the car delivered. I had to change my lines significantly vs my turbo car. I was running 225/45/15 NT01s all around.

You are going to love your Eliminator, especially with boost.

Fantastic. Significantly better-than-average Wednesday night. My weekends get filled with other non-track activities, so taking off work a little early one day a month to go turn laps for $125 works really well for me. I'm going to try and do as many of these as possible this year. Very well run event.

Are you still considering building one? Do it!

Sorry to get off topicish, how did the novice run group look? I will be doing my second track event ever with TNiA in May.

Also, if I ever crash mine, it is getting turned into one of these so fast...

Oh yes! Just trying to see if we get the garage addition done before or after:idea:

So does the car feel pretty rigid? I like the looks of everything, except for the shock towers out front.

Phew - three racetracks in five days has left me a bit tired but with a HUGE smile on my face today!

Drove the car to the Mitty on Saturday. Took all back roads, and the weather was perfect for a long drive. Grassroots Motorsports featured the car on their Facebook page on Saturday (!) - 850 likes, 82 shares and counting. Awesome! Combined with my "Internet Hot Rod of the Month" on the mint green car a few years back they've given my cars a nice bit of free PR.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461595738

Had a great parking spot in between the Miata corral and the Flyin Miata area. Thanks to Rotornut for standing in the spot while I fetched my car!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461595738

And found a friend:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461595738

Sunday morning I loaded the car on the trailer and pointed towards Ala-bamer'. Barber! My brother works for Bridgestone so we had sweet passes with pit/museum/hospitality/food/beer access. GeneSplicer hooked me up with a car corral pass.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461595738

I promise there is an Eliminator in here somewhere:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461595738

The museum is awesome.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461595738

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461595738

Next up: Music City Mustang Club at AMP over Memorial Day weekend


I didn't get to see much of the novice group since they were out on track as we were coming off, but every driver I talked to had a great time and felt like the event was well run. TNIA really caters to folks with limited experience too; I've encouraged a lot of folks that are looking to do their first track day to go that route.


Incredibly rigid.

Had a great time at AMP yesterday driving and instructing with Tracks Unlimited. I improved my best time by 8/10ths, so my new best in this car is a 1:34.2! That's only 0.4 seconds off of my best time in the mint green turbo car. However last time I timed myself at AMP in that car my best was a 1:34.6, so at this point it is fair to say the Eliminator is faster than the green car in its current state. I'm happy with that https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1464022747 Here is a video one one of my fast laps:



Here's a longer full session video:




And another long sessions with less traffic and more back-to-back fast laps:


This was a Porsche event put on by several dealers (I think they were all from Alabama?), so nearly all of the non-instructor cars were Porsches. I think there were give Cayman GT4s! That was surprising - I thought those cars were pretty rare. One was a really beautiful (and fast!) GT4 Clubsport:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1464022747

GT4, GT40, and a GT3RS behind that (!)
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1464022747

My whip
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1464022747

Some lap times from my last session:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1464022747



Amazing how slow my top speed was considering the low lap time. 105mph! This car isn't very aerodynamic.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1464022747

I'm already looking forward to the next track day...four days from now!

Very cool! At this point, how much do you have into the Miata (aftermarket) vs the Green car? That's impressive that they're so close in speed!

For this car I paid $1500 for the donor, spent $5500 on the conversion and paint, then spent $2300 on other upgrades (new coilovers, wheels/ tires, brake pads, harnesses). That's $9k, but I sold $4k worth of unnecessary stuff from the donor so net I'm right at $5,000.

I've spent another $2k on additional upgrades (Megasquirt, Torsen, rotors, brake lines, shifter boots, clutch hydraulics, new battery) most of which are not installed yet, so all in I'll be at around $7k.

I have about $20k in the green car.

So it seems like you need some boost on the car to make up for lack of aero. Come spend a nice weekend in Charleston and drop off the car with me. I'll give you a loaner miata to drive around and at the end of he weekend you will be the first eliminator running a mkturbo setup.

Very cool.

I've got a MP-62 Supercharger and TDR intercooler in the closet, waiting to go into the car as soon as I get done hacking it up. If Nick has the first Mkturbo Eliminator, I'll have the first supercharged!

In a few years, I know what I am building for track days. This looks like it is waaaay too much fun.

That's a heck of an offer Lars! I'm having too much fun as is though, so I'm going to keep this thing NA for a while. After all I already have a turbo car, so if I feel the need for more power I can always bring that car out.

I didn't realize you were selling a kit now; looks to be a great deal, I'll spread the word to other local guys here that have an interest in a budget friendly FI kit.

Went back to AMP last night for Track Night in America. These events keep getting better. Between the three track sessions, the on-site autocross course, and just hanging out with cool car people it seemed like there was always something to do. If SCCA does Track Nights in your area I would highly recommend checking one out.




I did about 10 autocross runs while we were there too. This month they added a "Top Gear-style" magnetic leaderboard to keep track of the standings and foster some friendly competition. It worked well - we all had fun continually raising the bar and pushing each other harder! I managed to be the second fastest driver. Cool!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1467307463

Here's a video of another dude driving my car:

A lot of updates since June. Will start with most recent and work backwards:

Met Magnus Walker on Sunday night and got to show him the car. Very cool guy.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8X...=w1397-h925-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pE...=w1397-h925-no

Added an APR GTC-200
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xx...=w1388-h926-no

Continued stalking expensive sports cars on the track
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/np...=w1388-h925-no

Bought some 15x10s (mounted pics soon)
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/mj...=w1234-h925-no

And had some "glamour shots" taken in the paddock:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FJ...mwBs3T=s750-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GH...=w1388-h926-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yW...n=w741-h925-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bf...m=w741-h925-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9Q...=w1235-h925-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fq...1ErZdz=s750-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4O...FZdqJE=s750-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cC...J=w741-h925-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Pe...k=w741-h925-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/89...3=w741-h925-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9N...z=w741-h925-no

Also a recent video

update
 

Any new info on the guys that build this kit? Having trouble finding info.

car looks awesome. i bet its a blast to drive.

There will be another round of Eliminator cages built in June. PM me if you are interested in buying one.

I've not done a great job keeping this thread updated, but I've been steadily enjoying this car at tracks around the Southeast. In the past 12 months I've visited Atlanta Motorsports Park, Road Atlanta, Barber, Hutchinson Island/ Grand Prize of America, etc. I've got a busy calendar this Fall too.

Here's a fun video from a few weeks back chasing a Ferrari 458 Speciale (one of my favorite cars) around AMP. The horsepower difference shows up big time in the straights, but I was able to make it all up in the corners! Fun "David vs Goliath" track battle.

Gonna bump this super old thread. Are you still at it in this thing? Super awesome build. I got to experience an eliminator build first hand this past weekend and was super impressed. They honestly seem to work better than any exocet I've seen.

Man, I can't believe it's been two years since I updated this thread.

Yep, all is good here with the Eliminator. As usual I got a bit distracted with another project - this rebodied Thunder Roadster ("The Crawdini") I picked up on Bring A Trailer last summer for $6200 (https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...mpetition-car/). The Eliminator sat on the bench for a few events when I took this car to the track instead, but I sold the Crawdini back in June so that I could re-focus on the Eliminator and my turbo car.

I took the Eliminator to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a track weekend back in July. That's probably not the most ideal track for the Eliminator bc low power and bad aero, but I still had a blast. I have 90% of a turbo kit put together for the car, but haven't had any free time to install it. I'll probably do that over the winter.

Here's a vid from Charlotte:

Also where did you come across an Eliminator? There are two here in Atlanta, one in Nashville, and the remainder are all still in Alabama I believe.

It was not an actual Eliminator I'm not realizing. It was a DIY miata kart with a full cage. Still seriously impressively fast. It was a 1.6 n/a miata and was on point with my turbo car on a small track.

Thanks for the info! Do you know if they are still selling the cage "kits" for these things? Strangely enough this has replaced the exocet dream I had, and now I wanna build one!

I checked with Alan - the cages are available through Kirk Racing: Home | Kirk Racing Products