I love having a trustworthy machinist 10 minutes away :)

Man I absolutely love having a trustworthy machinist drinking my beer in my garage looking at my motor.

G I would extend the courtesy to you if I could. Sorry about your luck. You ... you ... man you really seem to blaze the trail for the rest of us to an unbelievable extent for patience in navigating less-than-optimal vendor waters.

I am hereby giving you a long-distanced beer-infused man-hug.

I would take great pleasure in helping. And has a great machine shop 10 min away too...If G wasn't 3 hours away.

But seriously, why not assemble it yourself with the help of cool locals like cordus and others? No one cares more about your car than you do, so I doubt some machine shop monkey would take the time to triple-measure everything like you would.

Find a place to properly bore and hone the block, and maybe even mill it and the head flat just for good measure. Then assemble

btw loving the way the tags are stacking up for this thread:giggle:

My luck is unbelievable in this regard. With my luck the first time I start this engine the fancy compressor wheel in my EFR will probably explode and take out my whole fucking motor. Then we can discuss my patience. Speaking of patience, I need to remember to call Swain on Monday.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the positive vibes.

I AM going to assemble it myself. Or at least, that's the plan. Motor assembly isn't rocket surgery (he said before he spins a bearing) and I should be able to handle it. I've purchased a scale from Amazon that goes down to 0.01g and I'm going to take a stab at getting the rods and pistons as close to even as possible on my own.

When I have to push to get a crank balanced ("If its from the factory its probably fine") or getting the journals micropolished ("If you didn't spin a bearing you don't need it") or when they question the manufacturer recommended piston to wall clearance ("Its a forged piston so you are going to want at least 0.004") I start to worry about other things. I'm going to stop by the shop on Monday and talk to whomever is running the machines and see if I can get better answers. This should be a simple bore/hone/deck job.

They aren't touching the head, Emilio is taking care of that :party:

I've been impressed with them for a while now. I love it when people tag these things. :rofl:

sounds like the place is run by hillbillies and they likely don't even know what either of those things are, much less actually do them regularly.

Your paranoia is justified my friend

I feel your pain EO2K. If anything it is worse for me. I have 2-3 machinist in the entire area I have access to, none of which I have any idea as to the quality of their work and or experience with engines(car) in particular.

For your sake, I hope happy boost grins are had when it finally comes together.

You have the patience of a damn saint when it comes to assembling a car. I think I would have scrapped the project a long time ago. Remind me to be thankful my car internals/mechanicals were already done and all the hard work(relatively speaking) was sorted out before I built the external shell to shove it all in.

Certain things are indeed "fine from the factory", and I generally choose to keep them that way. Lots of stories out there of incorrect boring jobs for forged pistons, for example. Too big and it's scrap, which doesn't even consider out of round, off center, etc.

Also, do you really want to hand your crank to ANOTHER person for a micropolish if we're telling you it isn't needed and you have really bad luck?

I found it difficult to find a good machine shop that knows or cares about 4 banger performance. All the knowlegable shops around here here have the older guys that know their stuff, but only do V8 domestic performance builds. If it's a 4 banger it's just a factory spec refresh. My guys actually had an idea what I was talking about when I asked them to build my 1.8 for turbo use.
Generally if your crank is undamaged they won't be able to polish it as smooth as a crank that has some miles on it. I had the same response from my guys years ago.

Is this at Rob's? Or another shop?

--Ian

That's the thing, I think it might be just the guy answering the phone. I'll take a sniff on Monday. I feel I know what to look for and what questions to ask.
What do they work on, diesel stuff? Diesel guys always seem super hinky to me.
Ohhhhh yes... I had boost with the Rotrex (when it wanted to cooperate) and it was super fun. I expect the EFR to blow my pants off.
I'm sorry, did YOU just call ME patient? :rofl: If that had been my car, I'd have given up. Srs.
True that. I picked 83.5mm as that would give me a minimum "cleanup cut" on the bore for just that reason. I trust the guy I've used in the past to do this, I just need to get a hold of him directly (more on this in a sec)
Touché. ;) Though if I followed that logic, I'd just do an epic part out and disappear. I'd be nice to actually finish this :rofl:
Its a good point, this is why I want to talk to the machinists directly.
Its something I'm aware of, but I'd like to hear it from someone who has actually looked at my hardware rather than just waiving me off on the phone.

I feel like I'm one of those noobs trying to justify a poor decision here :giggle:

I DO trust the guy who works the machines. As I said, the particular guy I worked with in the past has done at least 2 engines for me, 2 other sets of cylinder heads, plus a full engine for my Dad. I went to school with his kids and we went to church together back in the day. He did TONS of performance builds in the area back in the 90's when people around here still had money to do such things. He independently did an SR20 build for a co-worker that is still kicking with the terrible management and abuse he has subjected it to. The problem is that he isn't answering the phone anymore and I keep getting this guy who sounds like he's in his 20s. How often has the person at the front desk been unable to effectively communicate for the guys actually doing the work?

The only reason I didn't want to use these guys in the first place is they usually have outrageous turn around times due to how busy they are. Its the "off season" out here right now as all the money is in Yuma, so the turnaround is like a week.

Another shop. Rob's is next on my list depending on how Monday goes. I do appreciate the PMs we traded :bigtu: It's a 1.5hr drive one way drive for me so I could take a half day next week and run the block up there if I don't like what I hear.

Yeah, even from the Campbell area where I live, Rob's is a bit of a hike. I wound up taking 5 trips up there, I think -- poor planning. :)

--Ian

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1420479316

I guess we need to let our wives know now...

:laugh:


:bowrofl:


:laugh:



omg there goes my coffee

The scoring on the bearings seems so light what do you think it was from? Some of them dont even look like it occurred frequently maybe just a few times. I struggle in this area of engines so hear me out. Do you think it could have been from oil starvation?

I'm no expert either, but if I had to take a guess (and I will) I'd say foreign object damage. Some tiny little piece of something managed to get past the oil filter and wreak some havoc on #3. There was nothing I could see imbedded in the bearing itself and the crank looked perfect so meh. The car had like 88~90k on it when I bought it so who knows what the previous owner(s) did for oil and filters. There was some crud in the bottom of the pan but other than that it was pretty clean inside.

From what I understand it, the polishing/scuffing wear really shouldn't be there unless at some point there was contact. Cold start would be my guess except that I don't live anywhere anyone would consider "cold" and the car has no history of being registered anywhere outside the area. The only thing I can guess is a pressure issue. I had a couple incidences where after blasting down I-5 holding 80mph @ 4,000RPM (because 4.3) for 2~3 hours at a stretch, I'd pull off the highway to take a leak and the engine sounded HORRIBLE as soon as the RPM dropped down to idle. Almost like it was not making oil pressure and the rods and pistons were just bouncing around in there. Its was all stock at the time so no real oil pressure gauge, and certainly no oil temp. I was running Mobil1 5-30 (because m.net told me to) and I would not doubt at all that oil temps were above the 240°F "danger zone." I installed a cheap oil pressure gauge and confirmed that yes, I had a pressure issue when very hot. It was a cheapie gauge but it was showing less than 5psi under those conditions @ idle. I was sure I had trashed the motor or that I had significant problems. Many sad pandas wept.

After that I did some more research and switched to Rotella T6 & Wix filters thanks to MT. Extended track sessions running forced induction, high RPM highway cruising, back road thrashing, daily driving... zero issues. A much nicer oil pressure gauge and oil temp gauge gave the the proof I needed that T6 is a no brainer. Now I use T6 in pretty much everything except my wifes Escape.

TL;DR: Foreign object damage from shitty filters/oil, possible oil pressure issues from running shitty oil.

:eek4:

:eek4dance

Hey, everyone has to start somewhere. Why WOULDN'T you trust a place called Miata.net? I've learned a lot since then.

I admit my mistakes so that others can learn from them ;)

BLERG! Just called Swain and the "target" for the manifold being done and ready to ship is the 21st.

That really cramps things as I still haven't finalized what I want to do for coolant/oil lines, and I still need to plan out getting together with Gesso to fabricate the rest of the exhaust. :sad2:

That gives you ~ten days to get the car together before the NCRC day on the 31st at MRLS...

lulz. I'm not sure that even gives me time to get the motor broken in. Even if I complete that, now we are talking about a 8.6 CR N/A motor. Does not exactly sound like funtimes :rofl:

OK, I'll chime in...my first year of Miata ownership ('00) I spent ALL of my time on m.net. That was my go-to place for everything "Miata".

Then I saw the light [cue angelic choir] and was saved from my ignorance and heresy. Now I know where all the knowledge (and cool kids) lives!

I've found that site to be extremely useful for diagnosing issues. Or at least it contains a lot of helpful members willing to post up suggestions for fixing the issue. That's about all I've used it for. And you occasionally find gems in the sell section since it's not too active.

I just watched TopGear Series 7 Episode 6 with my morning coffee. At the end of the ep Jeremy Clarkson tries to see if he can beat his PlayStation lap time in real life. Same car, same track. He chose the 05 NSX and Laguna Seca. He managed 1:57:xx in the end.

For whatever reason, that makes me feel better about myself :giggle:

The time is just a mental data point but it surprised me that they let him do it without a helmet. What really gets me is his description of the track and his description of all the "other things" that you worry about as an amateur driver. I'll let you watch and see what I'm talking about.

For those without Netflix, the video is here -> Laguna Seca vs. Playstation | Videos | Top Gear | BBC America

I'm curious as to what those of you who have actually driven Laguna Seca think about the description.

I just absolutely LOVED Laguna. I felt like it had such a flow and smoothness to it. Course I've only been on it and PIR, and only one day each, but PIR just doesn't have the flow. Can't wait to be back at Laguna in 2016.

Honestly, given that's he's built his life on being such an enthusiast, I'm rather disappointed with his actual driving. The car was certainly capable of far better times. As for his descriptions, I'd say they were clearly overly dramatized, especially for lapping at anything near his speeds. Sure, at F1 speeds, the corkscrew becomes as ominous as he portrayed, but I've seen it done in a 12 passenger tour van with less drama. :giggle: As for worrying about all the what-ifs, I've not been plagued by any other than the financial liability one (in the case of an accident). Usually, after a few laps there, my focus becomes clear enough that it's just all about dialing in smoother lines. Besides, why wait until you're on the track to worry about parts falling off and meteors hitting you; heck, that could happen on the freeway just getting there.

While the most famous, Laguna is actually the least interesting of the three bay area tracks, IMHO. The corners are all separated by straights of at least moderate length, so they don't link very well except for 8/9/sort-of-10. I find Thunderhill and Sears Point a lot more interesting.

--Ian

Perhaps that's one reason I loved it so much. While the nuances can keep an expert occupied for years, its layout and flow are easy for a novice to feel absolutely heroic.

Wonderful.

Update, of sorts.

1. Manifold isn't going to be finished by Swain until the 21st at the earliest.
2. I can't sort out my oil and coolant lines until I have my manifold back so I can't order parts for that yet.
3. Machine shop is still chewing on my block. No ETA at this point but it was supposed to be "like a week" on Monday of last week.
4. Head has been ordered, but I probably have another week to wait. I made a mistake when I placed the order so that will probably delay things slightly. Completely self inflicted.

So in the absence of things to do, I'm making things complicated. My Turbosmart wastegate actuator project is a bust (its FS in the classifieds if anyone is interested) so I need to rethink my plans.

I'm starting to realize I'm in the process of creating a monster. I very probably could run ALLOFIT on the 6258 as I've got all the hardware to support it. Unfortunately ALLOFIT is going to make the car a handful, and a maintenance nightmare. I'll also be quite traction limited. I'm trying to figure out how best to run very minimal boost so the car will be driveable and predictable for the uninitiated. The only way I can do this is with an ultra light wastegate. I'm not convinced the "Low Boost" actuator from BW is actually low enough. The original plan was to use a 5 psi weenee spring in my Turbosmart IWG-75 and set it up with an EBC and have selectable boost via dash switch. That plan fell through because I don't have enough stroke (lol) with the IWG-75 to get the WG open far enough to not make stupid boost with the WGA bottomed out (as far as I can tell anyway.) Its a good plan but the WGA just won't work for the EFR. (It was not designed for the EFR, I was adapting one intended for a Protege.)

It's not a fabulous plan I admit. I've always been worried because even if you disconnect the signal line to the WGA (or close it with an EBC) that 5psi spring is never going to keep the WGA closed with the almighty fury of a 1.8 BP pushing against it when trying to make man-boost. Like 10psi or something. I'm not Soviet after all.

Time for a new plan.

In the broad strokes, I think I can solve this with a dual port WGA and a 4 port EBC solenoid.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1421096254
Boost Solenoid BCS 4 Port | eBay
That is a MAC 46A-AA1-JDBA-1BA 4 port EBC

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1421096254
Forge EFR Internal Wastegate Actuator - Full-Race.com
And that is a Forge Billet WGA designed for the EFR. Notice the second port?

This is nothing new. In fact, the boosted Honda guys have been doing this for years. When you launch a big boost FWD Honda and the weight shifts to the rear, your front tires spin and you look like a douche. Some of them have figured out how to run boost by gear and thus manage 20psi+ on the top end once the car actually gets moving out of a 3psi spring, and can hit all points in between.

This got my attention.

I'm not going to bore you with the particulars but I starting to see the benefit of a super light spring for wife/valet/dad mode and at a flip of a switch do silly things. The most recent incident with turbofan's Dad got me thinking about the realities of a 300+hp Miata. This will also be important when I implement my MS3s boost by gear and/or traction control, that's why I bought teh ABS parts from Ed's MSM. But that will be the subject of a future post/project.

As far as I can tell no one is doing this on a Miata and the only person who has mentioned it in the past is Leafy, and of course this makes the whole concept suspect :giggle:

I think I'm going to try it anyway. I have an email in to Reverant to make sure that particular EBC is electrically compatible with my MS3 Basic. As soon as he confirms, I'm going to start ordering parts.

Will the lunacy never cease? :rofl:

I found this piece of candy in the garage today:

Attachment 238426

Oo, dirty girl.

Attachment 238427

The part number has long ago disappeared but his is I believe a Setrab 634. ∆P for this core is listed at 1.7/2.2psi and I believe they are -10 fittings. That's 34 cores of heat dispersing madness able to reject not only you at the bar, but also 43,000-59,000 btu/hr. Awww yisss. Who needs a radiator? :rofl:

I filled it 1/2 full of acetone, capped it and let it sit in the sun for an hour, shaking it or changing its orientation every time I walked by (every 6-10 minutes.) Thankfully, no leaks. After that I drained it into a coffee filter and other than some slight discoloration, its clean as a whistle. The outside is soaking in some Purple Power right now so maybe I can get the grime off it, but I think she'll be good to go shortly.

34 row Setrab? Holy shit that is huge.

I "acquired" it at a Speedvision World Challenge race at Laguna Seca around 1999/2000. Its from one of the earlier Integra Type Rs (94/95 chassis) that RealTime Racing was running at the time.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1421546343

The car got bumped, went off and assed up the front end. They ripped off the nose tossed the whole thing in the dumpster, including the oil cooler. So I liberated it. Its been in a box of books I haven't looked in since I moved in 2002. I honestly never expected to see it again.

Only about 1/4-1/3 of the core was exposed to track conditions and its a little sandblasted and dirty, but completely usable. I'm going to pick up some more acetone and let it soak a while longer just to be safe. RealTime sawed off one of the mounting ears so I'm not 100% sure how I'm going to secure it quite yet. I wanted to do something similar to what you and Hornet did, but I'll have to get creative with a mount.

And yeah, its fuckin' huge but I can't pass up a free $400 oil cooler.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1421604087

Man, I'm such a wiener. :rofl: That's what a 6258 looks like @ 10psi form 3k to 7k on a 1.8L. It claims 275hp @ 7k. Yowzers

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1421604087

Same thing, but 17psi from 5k to 7k. Tops out at 348hp :eek5:

BorgWarner MatchBot <- knock yourself out.

So this happened today:

Attachment 238414

:yippee:

Ohhhh nice. Cow's blood or assembly lube?

G has gone Dexter on us. He has finally cracked from the Sisyphaen task of boosting his car.

Lets hope its assembly lube. I seem to remember it being lot thinner, but only when its still warm and in volume. Of course once it sits and gets cold it tends to get thick and sticky. Blood, not assembly lube. :eek3:
:hahano:

Today's task is to get the shortblock out of the back of the Subaru and onto the engine stand with this screwdriver sticking out of my back.

It's false progress as I can't actually DO anything for at least another week minimum.

• Swain pushed my manifold back until Friday of NEXT week so I won't see it till February.
• Rosenthal decided to send my package via anemic carrier pigeon so "expected" delivery date will be Jan 30 if UPS does not fuck something up. So again, February.
• I'm not worried about the head. I still have another week before we hit the end week 6 in the 4 to 6 week lead time I was quoted. So again, February.
• I still need to order a fancy water pump and timing belt.

I did the timing belt and water pump service on this block less than 15k/mi ago. The pump is a Japanese made GMB but it has the stamped steel spot welded impeller. Now that I know something nicer exists, I'm want it. Is there anything wrong with it? No, absolutely not. But its a $52 part and water pump gaskets from Rosenthal came out to like $25, so I said fuckit and I'm ordering the pump because it COMES with new gaskets. The pulley and tensioner for the timing set are Mazda OEM parts from Rosenthal so I'll reuse those, but the fancy blue timing belt is getting replaced.

I should probably go work on my truck this weekend. My brother has filled it with a metric shit ton of stuff to take to the dump and now claims it won't idle. I need the truck and I need it empty so I can clean up my own mess, so that should probably take priority.

Hmm, I guess until you open up the bag we can't be sure it wasn't some unfortunate industrial accident at the machine shop.

http://i42.tinypic.com/2zz2ek5.jpg

Attachment 238402

I can't find the stupid metric nuts and bolts I just bought to bolt my engine to the stand. Sumbitch!

Buy some plastic storage bins with small dividers in them, like the ones under my shims in this photo:

http://www.codrus.com/miata/fm2r/shims-spare.jpg

If you're really ---- you can scribble on the top of the box with a sharpie to label the bolts (comes off with rubbing alcohol), but even if you're not it's a great way to keep all the bolts in one place. I wound up using like 4 of them, which are mostly empty at this point, except for the one with all of the 2560 fasteners in it.

I really need to go exchange that CHRA at ATP and put the 2560 back together.

--Ian

They are in a plastic bag someplace stupid in my garage, I just couldn't find them when I needed them. I've actually got a ton of plastic storage bins and drawer things, but these escaped my meager organisational efforts.

I picked up the block to move it and I think I may have dragged my belt buckle across the deck while transferring it from one workbench to another. If I scratched the deck I swear to god there is going to be an 18psi style partout. :crx:

Don't do it kimber!

:laugh: often imitated, never duplicated

Block is fine, no part out today.

Attachment 238391
O, hello dare

Attachment 238392
Mmm, bottom!

Jesus christ there are a lot of little gaskets and things that go into putting an engine together.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1422470467

Also ordered: fancy impeller gates water pump, new blue timing belt and big tube of Permatex ultrablack.

SwainTech FINALLY called me back this morning and my manifold is done and I have a tracking number. So the 2 weeks I was quoted back in December was actually closer 6 weeks, not including shipping. Ungh.

I understand lead times and how they can get screwed up because I used to work in custom manufacturing and short run production. Generally if you actively communicate with your customers and let them know WTF is going on as issues crop up they are far more understanding of delays. I'm not actually pissed that it took so long, I'm pissed they never communicated anything.

Anyway, I need to figure out what color to paint the block. Black is usually ends up being "cleanest" because you don't see the leaks, but then you never see the leaks. Silver actually looks decent but I'm open to suggestions.

No, I'm not painting it pink. :facepalm:

Copper. Gunmetal Gray. Anthracite. Light Blue. Purple. Teal...

Only take the first three suggestions seriously.

Haha, I have enough teal and blue in my life. I pretty much bleed Ford Blue when I'm not dicking around with the Mazda, and I am of course I enjoy my SJ Sharks...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1422505276

Gunmetal/Dark Grey/Anthracite doe...

But, but...blue is so purty

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/7_...WYhA=s170-p-no

I've got nothing against blue, or any of the above mentioned colors, it's just that I doubt he has any blue elements on his car, so it would look a little out of place. Maybe if he went all elaborate with it, and painted the valve cover, and maybe got some dress up washer/bolts in blue, as well... Still not really my style.

I have to do my timing belt/water pump and all of that stuff soon, and my valve cover looks like ass. I've been debating whether to send it off to be powder coated, but I don't know what color to get. My car is green, and I have anthracite wheels and headlight bezels, so I may do that. But something is nagging at me to get something more wild.

I am pretty disappointed you didn't just paint it mt.net pink and then wait to post a picture with the efr.

I don't think VHT offers pink.

...

I'll buy it if you'll do it.

HAhahahaahHAh! I should have checked before I made that statement.

The GM Satin Black and Nu-Cast Iron don't look terrible. None of the greys are dark enough for me.

I would buy a can too.

If you get one of those pressurized dispensers of Permatex Gray or Black, it sure makes life easier. Really helps laying down a nice bead for oil pan sealing. That's about the only place you use it (or should use it) on a Miata engine. And, OEM gaskets . . . nothing else even comes close . . . worth the price delta. Hopefully you're a Mazdaspeed member?

Paint the block white. It makes spotting leaks easy.

yes, so it turns a nasty piss color in a few months and you can hate it like soviet

I got the regular squeezie tube, because I hate my life. I had considered The Right Stuff as Gesso and I have had good luck with it, but I didn't feel like buying a giant tube AND a caulking gun. The pressurized cans were also $20+ and I was feeling the sting at that point. I've never had a problem with UltraBlack in the past so I went for it again.

:rly: Rear main carrier to block, oil pump to block, front and rear oil pan end gaskets, valve cover gasket corners... I'm sure I'm forgetting some as well. Also, I've been using this stuff on everything (except fuel) for years. It holds up great to oil and coolant exposure, never had a problem.

Yes, all OEM gaskets from Rosenthal except the water pump. Its a Gates pump and it includes the gaskets. It was like $26 for the 3 OEM water pump gaskets or $41 for the new Gates pump with gaskets. I've used Gates stuff for years and I trust the gaskets.
lolnope. I really should sign up but I don't fall into any of the "approved categories" anymore.

Yeah, 18 covered that one. Soviets block is now gross and I'd like to avoid that if possible.

I vote monster green on the block with a flat brim hat to match.

Btw I know I dropped the ball with the mixing manifold and heater line. I should be able to get that packaged this weekend and ship it next week.

I always considered the above part of the "oil pan" work since you do it all at the same time.

I've stopped using RTV on my valve cover gasket. Makes pulling the valve cover for inspection/whatever just a bit easier. Haven't had any oil leak issues as a result (OEM valve cover gasket) -- nice bit of time-saving.

:hahano:
No worries, manifold isn't getting here until next week sometime but thanks for thinkin' of me. Like I said, I'm not in a mad rush.
Ok, I see what you are saying here, I agree :bigtu:

I've never had a problem with the OEM recommended dabs of sealer in the little corners on the valve cover, then again I've not pulled a cover nearly as many times as you have. Sorry man :sad2: