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Man. Just read through your whole thread and this is so impressive. I just acquired an 01 NB with the Mk kit on it. Will be tracking here in Texas on September 7th for the first time. I will be keeping up with your build. From start to where you’re at now is truly something you should be proud of.
It's a big improvement over the U-Haul rentals and it's nice to be able to keep it at my house. It was a little tricky to load, because I can't see anything from the car while I'm driving it up the ramps.
Last week Harbor Freight had remote controlled 2500lb ATV winches on sale for $50. I took a flier and bought one. Then I fabbed a winch mount on the trailer with some scrap steel I had laying around.
I'm happy with the way it came out. Feels rock solid, and I just run the winch off of the van battery with jumper cables. I have a track day next weekend, we'll see how it does.
Last edited by Schroedinger; 09-05-2019 at 08:20 PM.
Track day yesterday with JZilla at RA. It's still way too hot for September, but it was a pretty awesome day. Got to meet a few MT'ers there, and generally had a really good time. The winch I put on my tow dolly made the whole load/unload process a snap, I'm glad I did it.
Last week, in an effort to avoid putting hood vents in, I got a roll of aluminum tape and sealed off all the small gaps around the radiator that I could find. Long story short, I flogged the car all day long with no overheating issues. The combination of running wastegate boost pressure and sealing up the air gaps seems to have fixed my issues for now. It was nice to get through a whole day with no problems.
I also have been interested in data logging. After realizing that the AiM type systems with video are crazy expensive, I figured I'd see how much I could squeeze out of Iphone apps. I got a Garmin GLO GPS receiver and mounted it on the windshield. Started running TrackAddicts to record the sessions, and got RaceRender for my computer. I'm very impressed with how it turned out- it's nice to be able to overlay the data on the video. I obviously need a better Iphone mount, the RAM ball/ suction cup setup I used is way too shaky. Anybody have a different way to mount the Iphone that they really like?
They say the definition of insanity is repeating the same action with the expectation of a different result. Bearing that in mind, I have this bastard off the car for the third time, fixing another exhaust leak.
Each leak has been the same; a crack in the #1 runner where it meets the flange. So far I've re-welded it and had the flange flattened at the machine shop, but it cracked again. Part of the issue is the need to grind back the weld to provide clearance for the mounting nut.
When I looked from the inside out, I saw opportunity for improvement.
The weld el is only welded to the flange from the outside. Welding the inside is a tough shot with the welder, but I figured I'd give it a try. Ground down part of the flange for some clearance:
... and laid down a really ugly bead everywhere I could reach.
To prove I'm not insane, I'm not expecting a different result from the last 2 tries. We'll see.
On my log, the 90* welds have all held, the butts have not. Last fix was to grind weld completely out. Put is a root pass that actually bridged a gap. Guaranteed full penetration. Then, covered that with 1 or 2 (I was not watching) passes. This should hold. In the end, going with thick walled pieces is not an advantage if the welds are not complete.
Lars is wise to target his cast manifolds to be direct replacement for the welded logs.
Your fix is probably all you can do with limited access to remove the outer weld material. Yet, there likely remain inclusions in the middle of the joints
They say the definition of insanity is repeating the same action with the expectation of a different result. Bearing that in mind, I have this bastard off the car for the third time, fixing another exhaust leak.
Each leak has been the same; a crack in the #1 runner where it meets the flange. So far I've re-welded it and had the flange flattened at the machine shop, but it cracked again. Part of the issue is the need to grind back the weld to provide clearance for the mounting nut.
When I looked from the inside out, I saw opportunity for improvement.
The weld el is only welded to the flange from the outside. Welding the inside is a tough shot with the welder, but I figured I'd give it a try. Ground down part of the flange for some clearance:
... and laid down a really ugly bead everywhere I could reach.
To prove I'm not insane, I'm not expecting a different result from the last 2 tries. We'll see.
Yeah I don't weld the inside at the runners to the flange. It takes far to long to attempt to get in there all around. I have done it once or twice and it probably doubled the build time. Along with not being able to have the flange bolted to something it is more likely to warp.
Originally Posted by DNMakinson
On my log, the 90* welds have all held, the butts have not. Last fix was to grind weld completely out. Put is a root pass that actually bridged a gap. Guaranteed full penetration. Then, covered that with 1 or 2 (I was not watching) passes. This should hold. In the end, going with thick walled pieces is not an advantage if the welds are not complete.
Lars is wise to target his cast manifolds to be direct replacement for the welded logs.
Your fix is probably all you can do with limited access to remove the outer weld material. Yet, there likely remain inclusions in the middle of the joints
DNM
All the the welds where runners meet each other have a small root pass done, then a larger pass on top. Same with the outside of the t3 flange usually. When being welded to the head flange I don't have enough room to get in a root pass and then a larger outer pass.
The tightness of nuts on the studs against the runners on the 1.6 is also something I am not happy about. Another reason that 1.8 are better.
Would an Allen head bolt in that position gain you a few mm?
That's a good idea. Too bad I didn't think of it when the manifold was out of the car. Next time that thing comes out, there will be a motor attached to it.
I had a long-term work project come in after 8 years, and was able to carve out a chunk for a really nice toy for myself. It’s a 2015 model year Cayman S with PDK and Sport Chrono. Single owner, 37k miles, Atlanta car with all service done at the dealer. I bought it CPO with a two year warranty from the dealership, and the price was actually pretty fair. Needless to say I’m pretty pumped.
Not sure what this means for the Miata. I have every intention of tracking the Cayman. I’d like to keep the Miata, but storage space is a bit of an issue.
Do you have another car to drive as a daily?
If it would be me, i wouldn't sell the miata in "Porsche and new car euphony". Sold two miatas for other cars and i missed them after 2 days. My worst decisions the last decade, haha.
Do you have another car to drive as a daily?
If it would be me, i wouldn't sell the miata in "Porsche and new car euphony". Sold two miatas for other cars and i missed them after 2 days. My worst decisions the last decade, haha.
Can't you find a garage for it in your area?
Right now I have a Sienna van that I daily drive, the Miata, the Cayman, and a Lemons car that is parked behind my office. My partner on the Lemons team is moving the car up to Chicago in a few weeks, so I could always keep the Miata in the space behind my office. It has a hard top, and I actually have a CoverCraft cover for it too.
I’m going to take a couple months to think about the Miata. Even if I sold it, I would probably wait until spring. Nobody wants to buy a convertible in November.
Sounds like the end of the ND track car thread. What did CPO stand for?
Certified Pre-Owned. It's a marketing term implemented to make people feel better about buying used cars. In this case it comes with an extended warranty.
Certified Pre-Owned. It's a marketing term implemented to make people feel better about buying used cars. In this case it comes with an extended warranty.
Pretty much. My thesis in this case is that anything major that’s wrong with it would be found during the first two years and thus be covered under the warranty. The car had been on the lot for a while and after the price reduction, it was actually priced a little below market. Basically I got a free 40k mile service, free fluids, and free new tires and brake pads.
Last edited by Schroedinger; 10-20-2019 at 08:11 AM.
Sounds like the end of the ND track car thread. What did CPO stand for?
Yeah, by the time I had an ND set up the way I wanted for track duty, I was getting into used Cayman territory. The difference is that the stock Cayman is already really well set up for the track, and the mods I wanted to do on the ND were basically like throwing $$ down the drain. I have a friend who tracks a mostly stock 981 Boxster S, and it’s amazing. All he did was swap on GT3 control arms to get more camber.
I considered a new Supra, but more up-front investment and depreciation and less practical knowledge of long-term track reliability. I considered an SS 1LE or a ZL1, but I just couldn’t warm up to the Camaro interior and driving experience.
In the end I’ve always wanted a Porsche and this was my shot. Life is short. I’ve been watching all the YouTube videos on how to do basic repairs and maintenance, and most of it actually seems pretty straightforward.
Been a while since I've posted here, so I figured I'd report back.
The Cayman is really awesome... and tires/brake pads/track day insurance are really expensive. It's really fun on the track, but is it 300% more fun on the track? Probably not.
While I will continue to track the Cayman occasionally when I want the easy button, I decided that I was going to stay in Miata-world after all. Only problem is that I wanted to complete the "circle of life" and have a simple, reliable naturally aspirated car that was fully prepared for the track. My driving skills have improved a lot, and I can foresee getting into some endurance racing (ChampCar or WRL) or time trials in the future. To get my current car ready for that would be a lot of money/work, so I started looking around at alternatives.
Then today, a thing happened.
1993 Spec Miata popped up locally. No rust, never wrecked, clear title. 220,000 miles on the original 1.6L motor but the compression was 170 across all cylinders and the previous owner took very good care of it. I won't go into the circumstances of the sale, but the price was right. Basically I bought a hardtop and a roll cage and the seller threw in a free Miata. I'm going to put the Kirkey seat in it from my other car, fresh fluids and new tires and this old girl should be ready to run.
Which means I'm selling Rocinante. I will list it in the classifieds shortly when I get good pictures, but if anyone's interested in it let me know. Has been an amazing, reliable, fast car but was no longer suited to my future track plans.
08-24-2019, 03:21 AM
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