Lol, @aidandj has my EFR at the moment, I couldn't install it even if I wanted to
I can't fault you for thinking that, I have to check myself from time to time

Ungh.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...18ceb6b728.jpg

Like, where do you even start?

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...360ba3f384.jpg
:cry:

​​​

id start with a vacuum and compressed air.

Water will probably be corrosive when mixed with ash.

Or a leaf blower.

Right, which is why my paint is fucked, thanks to the Camp Fire back in 2018.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a0388a8058.jpg

What in the actual hell is wrong with me? :facepalm:

Yes, what are you doing to your namesake, EO2K?

Biennial maintenance teardown. Check the torque on the manifold bolds, put fresh copper anti-seize on the o2 sensors, change the exhaust donuts, all pretty normal vehicle maintenance stuff.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ee423ac10f.jpg

I need to get rid of that Cappuccino bottle and go back to the stock one, it totally isn't needed in this car anymore. I bet my old one is still in the garage somewhere.

I feel like a post whore with 2 threads going at the same time :giggle:

I drove this car for the first time yesterday since Miatas@MRLS in October of 2019, which is tragic. Logic dictates that I should change the oil and filter, and probably the oil in the diff if my previous posts are to be believed. Exhaust swap was fairly simple... or at least as fairly simple as such things get.

Pulled out this beast, which is only used in off highway racecar events and is never driven on the street in a pollution controlled motor vehicle. This DEI Titanium wrap is straight done. According to Amazon I bought it back in Aug of 2013 so I guess its held up fairly well? It's dissolving into what can only be described as "glittery airborne cancer" so I tossed on a respirator, worked for a few minutes, then cleared the area with the leaf blower. Totally gross. Gives me the heebie-jeebies.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8ae229ca2f.jpg

Not sure any of the wrap can be salvaged, I think its all going to go in the trash. Cutting all those stainless straps is going to really suck. Interestingly enough, the 2" DEI Ti wrap I used on the Racing Beat Race Midpipe has held up perfectly fine, whereas the 1" stuff on the header has reached the end of its useful life. Unsure if that's a heat exposure issue or what.

Once again, modified offset o2 sensor socket is the hero tool of the day on the EGR tube. Not sure why I never thought of that before.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1f4d5ede9b.jpg

Speaking of EGR tubes... this is a little close.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9b3238daa1.jpg

Smells like buuuuuuurning! There's a big ass notch burned in the bottom of the hose, so it's done. That'll need to replaced, hopefully Mishimoto is willing to sell me just the one (I'm not holding my breath)

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4c2c760cc0.jpg

And the obligatory escaped manifold stud, for good measure. I reinstalled it with red locktite but I'm sure it'll burn up shortly.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f7a286fe1a.jpg

I left the Racing Beat "Power Pulse" single in place and reassembled the rest. Just add battery and away she goes!

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...008b2cfdd4.jpg

God I've missed driving this car.

It's at the point where it just feels, I dunno, put together? I pulled the 15x8 Storm S1s and the positively ancient 205 Rivals off the NA and tossed them on the NB, and they feel great. I've always liked a 205 on an 8 in this car, it still feels spot on to me. I like the properly depowered steering rack (thanks @gesso!) I like the sound the exhaust makes. I like the MR shifter with the 6 speed. The Xidas with 700/400 feels just fine, without being too harsh, and rest of the suspension is what 949Racing SuperMiata now calls the "Big Grip Kit" although I've had the majority of these parts since before they started offering it as such. The K&N intake probably doesn't add much in the way of power but it does make for an incredibly pleasing sound. I just like this car. :)

What is tremendously disappointing is the damn precat and stock exhaust. Even with the 6/3.63 the engine feels good (for a BP) up to about 5,000-5,500 RPM and then there is just... no point. Might as well shift because you aren't going to get anything else out of it. I know the stock ECU in these isn't helping much on the top end either, the NB1s historically ran rich from the factory and the open-loop timing/tune is really conservative. I realize its only a BP but the stock parts are a huge letdown.

I'd love to be able to install something like this and just leave it in there:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...baa54a7823.jpg

But I don't have the stock downpipe section to match so I couldn't install it even if I wanted to. And I do. (If any of you Euro/UK bros have one lying around, we should talk) I love stock parts because they look like stock parts and fit like stock parts. I even have the heatshield for this guy, for all the good that does me.

I also kinda forgot my starter is dying. :giggle: About 9 times out of 10 you turn the key and nothing happens, juuust enough to cause you to panic. I'll have to watch the classifieds and see if someone is selling a known working OE one.

So yeah, had some fun with the car this weekend and it felt good :likecat:

I have a starter for u

I am certain I can find a stock EUDM "downpipe" for you. NB and NB2 should be interchangeable, besides the cat location/size, so it will need work to mate it with the rest of the exhaust. Plus OEM cats worth a fortune in scrap nowadays so everyone cuts them off. Hell, I had one with the cat cut off that I threw away a couple of months ago...

It's nice to see a picture of your car where it isn't covered in progressively more ash.

I think my problem may actually be the battery, but I'll keep this in mind. Thanks dood. Current battery is an Optima Yellow Top D51R that I installed back in 2017 and it hasn't exactly lived a hard life. I always disconnected the battery while the car was in storage and it was only ever charged with an Optima charger. Then again its also an Optima and their quality has been absolute trash for the last 5-10 years.

I paid $164 for it back in 2017, even used a gift card for part of it.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1da4efa16f.jpg

Fucker is $250 now, definitely not replacing it with another. I'll chalk this one up to "they just don't make them like they used to" and I'll replace it with an AGM from Odyssey or a NorthStar.

Optima can shampoo my grundle.

From what I've been able to suss out, the NB "Mk2" (98-00) downpipe should be a direct bolt-on for that manifold. It matches the length of the "shorter" US downpipe assembly and should bolt up to a standard US NB1/NB2 midpipe. I believe the "Mk2.5" or NBFL (01-05) is the one with the cat, and that one won't bolt up to a US midpipe as its significantly longer. Speculation is that it'll bolt up to the shorter US spec MazdaSpeed Miata (factory turbo) midpipe, which also has a cat in it, which is probably why nobody has bothered to figure out if it actually works or not.

Then things get even more complicated with the Japanese mainland cars as the o2 sensors got moved around...
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5c6f1641c7.jpg

I could use either of these to be honest. Off road, for racecar use only, on a vehicle which is never driven on public streets. Nothing illegal about swapping exhaust for trackdays, Shoot me a PM if something comes up.

It's nice to be able to share some. Unfortunately its damn near full dark here at 5pm and our temps are dropping into the upper 30s at night (36~38°F / 2~3°C) at night, so its been a bit chilly to work on stuff in the driveway. Neither the NA or the NB are getting much love right now. :sad2:

You need an intake manifold, not an exhaust manifold. I have numerous dyno graphs showing peak power for a VCTS at ~5700, which is exactly what you're describing. VICS moves it to ~6800, and unfortunately all my square top dynos are either cam'd or turbo, but I imagine it moves the peak even higher. Feels great. So much better than the VCTS manifold.

And for the love of god have someone make a gorgeous SS downpipe for that EUDM upper if you love it so much. It'll turn out 10 times better than either of the pictured stock units. If you pick the right fabricator.

Curly, I would think his 2000 has VICS.

whoops, so used to people having '01+, carry on.

I would submit that I need a lot more than that

Right, how drunk were you when you posted that? :bowrofl:

I've also got the sad pee-pee CA Emissions BP4W cast iron boat anchor manifold with integrated pre-cat, scroll up a few posts and there are pics.

And while said theoretical gorgeous fabricated SS downpipe may be 10 times better than either of the pictured stock units [Citation Needed] :giggle: the pictured stock units would allow me to use the stock EU/UK/JDM Mk2.5 manifold, which I suspect may actually be about 10 times better than iron boat anchor & precat I have now.

But more to the point, the path to "power" on a naturally aspirated BP is fairly well trodden path at this point, I'm not reinventing the wheel here. After more than a decade and nearly 10k posts on the forum I may have picked up a nugget or two. ;) I'm not doing anything competitive, I'm just a guy who (rarely) does HPDEs and tries to enjoy his car. I have a stock USDM NB2 upper manifold that bolts to the stock downpipe and midpipe I already own. I also have a Racing Beat NB header. And a Racing Beat NB race midpipe. And a EU/UK/JDM flattop sitting in the garage.

And sometimes I just like to tinker. But don't worry, I know how things work around here.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d5432ca2b7.png

:giggle:

That post was in May... Of 2016. LoL
Not that I'm one to talk about decades long projects, I just happened to be looking back through this thread to find out what's in the short block for the eventual part out :party:

How's that LS car going @gesso ? :D

Oh god. :facepalm:

And what happens when we click that link?

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d1860756a0.jpg

Apparently I bought a starter to fix this problem back in 2016. I guess that means its out in the garage somewhere...

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...42c301fc9a.jpg

Haha! Fuck.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c5b5cb134c.jpg

Well, looks like I have a starter :giggle:

I think this is what happens when you have a project car for too long.
1. How's that LS swap going? :bowrofl:
2. You aren't wrong about the part-out... turbo stuff anyway.

Oh you bastard!! 🌲'd me!!! Haha!