Prepping my '95 for track
 

Hello,
I am finally getting a custom roll bar welded into my car to accommodate my awkward size (6'4") which means it is time to prep my car for track. I sent the fabricator I am working with a picture of Ryan Passey's half cage and we are going to do something similar but with slight changes for ingress/egress. My long term goal for this car is to get it under 1900lb, and over 150whp while keeping it street legal.

My car so far:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1442073544

Xida CS 700/400
Poly Bushings with offsets in the front UCA
15x8 6uls with Rivals
Most CSP legal weight loss + more (down to just under 2000lb with a splash of fuel
TCM hardtop
Reverent Ms3 with canbus wideband interface
Borla cat back (came on the car)
Intake
Deka ETX-9
New front hubs with ARP studs

Parts I have waiting for install time
2001 engine
Squaretop
949 1.8 sport clutch with 10lb flywheel
Racing Beat header
Tillett b6f drivers seat
Cobra Suzuka pro XL for passenger
Schroth Profi II 6 point hans harness for me
Gforce 6 point FIA cert harness for passenger


On the to do list before spring:

*Replace rear hubs/pack with better grease + ARP studs
*Re-install stock RSB
*Re-Grease poly bushings and replace failed zerks
*Swap brake master cylinder to NB sport and add prop valve
*Brakes service (pads, rotors, slider pins, flush system)
*Make more secure battery bracket
*More tuning work

Other than having all new parts, my cooling system is stock. I am planning a re-route on the VVT engine and then will probably put in a crossflow radiator at the same time. I am hoping the stock system will hold up for the short term, especially since I am going to be driving pretty slow.

Some fun cutting I did today to prep for the half cage install:

ECU relocation to make space for cage weld in (need to move this again):
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1442073713

Door gutting (will remove more once door bars are in place):
Attachment 232787

Seat mount removal:
Attachment 232788

And my current spreadsheet of parts weights:
https://i.imgur.com/BCLug2F.png

I got my car back from the fabricator today. First impression, ride quality is much improved. Driving over horrible under construction pavement on I40 at 70mph to the fabricator was miserable. Driving home was as comfortable as my 2015 mazda3.

The whole thing is 1.75x.0.95. The drivers side front seat mounting holes have square tube under the tub tied into the cage, frame rails, and the drago trans tunnel notch he welded in. The rear mounts are reinforced with plates welded into the sheet metal. The seat belts are bracketed in for inspection reasons- They will never be used again. The main hoop is much farther back than any off the shelf roll bar, which was necessary for me to keep this car as dual duty. I sit so far back all off the shelf bars would have been right over my head I wasn't comfortable with that on car that I drive about 1000 street miles a year in.

Next up is painting the whole interior gloss white with rustoleum appliance epoxy.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1449361750

If you only want 150 whp, why did you go with the 1.8 clutch? The 1.6 clutch could've saved some weight and rotational inertia.

I didn't see anything about an oil cooler? CSF is making an exclusive radiator/oil cooler combo for Jackson Racing that might be interesting.

I wanted a 1.6 clutch but that setup came up used for really cheap and I impulse bought it.

I guess I didn't see this thread before. Hello fellow tall person. I'm 6'5" size big.

You did kind of what I did for starters with the half cage then I ended up going to a full cage for wheel to wheel, too bad yours ended up in a way that you have to take extra points for NASA Time Trials. Too many attachment points. And could have done 1.5" x 0.095" tubing as per the NASA CCR as well for less weight. One other thing to keep in mind is if you want to expand it into a full cage for wheel to wheel racing, the main hoop is illegal (cannot have more than 4 bends) so pretty much the whole thing would have to get cut out to make the jump to wheel to wheel racing in the future. I always said I would never do wheel to wheel and look where I ended up lol.

But all that's kind of irrelevant if you weren't planning on doing competition type events at NASA/SCCA or anyone that uses their cage rules, that's just a guess on my part.


Anyways, cool stuff man. Can't wait to see more progress.

No plans for wheel to wheel. If I was building a car for wheel to wheel racing I would probably pick something larger that I fit into better.

My thought was that with no front hoop this doesn't really constitute a cage and I should go by roll bar guidelines. I could have done lighter tubing for all the door bar sections though.

This started just needing a custom roll bar to be able to fit into the car in a way I felt safe on the street. Then it turned into a "for the weight of door bars I could gut my factory doors" situation.

I am keeping the car streetable but my standard for what I am considering streetable is basically a lotus 7.

Plans change...

Plans always change.


I wonder what percentage of TT'ers say "no plan for wheel to wheel" and then are racing wheel to wheel within 3-4 years?

W2W is like crack. Come to the dark side

I did the math on the doors bars weight in 1.75x0.95 vs 1.5x0.95. They are 15 feet of tubing total so the weight difference is about 4lb.

Total weight for this, including the seat mount under the floor tied into the cage and plate welded in for the drivers seat looks like it will be just under 90lb.
Gutting the doors saved me about 50lb, and I lost maybe another 10lb cut away seat belt tower, package shelf, and other bits. Basically, for about 30lb of weight gain I made the car massively stiffer, and added really good roll over and side impact protection.

I am trying to convince my wife to let me install some eye bolts as a latch system for our toddler.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1449966814

Holy crap painting tubing and interiors is a pain in the ass. I went with the more is better approach since preventing rust is more important than not having drips. I used rustoleum appliance epoxy paint. In a few weeks when it is cured to 100% hardness I will block sand the worst drips down and re-paint them.

Looks good from this distance :rofl: Seriously though I can imagine that must have sucked to paint!

Question- How do people paint the inside of taco gussets? I did my best to shoot primer into it but I am sure there is some unpainted surface inside. Is there such a thing as a long nozzle for a spray can that shoots in something like 180 degree pattern?

Love the way this is looking:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450904888

I have a black carpet cut up to go in the footwell area.

Are you going to run any padding?

Yeah, I am going to run a bunch of that dual durometer padding. Some on the door bars, and everywhere near my head.

The nice thing about having gone with a really custom route for the roll bar is that everything is positioned so I can't make my head touch it, even when lifting myself out of the seat not wearing belts. The tillet seat is an order of magnitude more rigid than any of the other seats I have messed with, and my floor has plates and tubes tied into the cage and frame rails so they aren't going anywhere. The b6f also has two areas you can tie into the seat back for extra bracing, which I might make a bracket for later on. Basically, this seat is not going to flex much at all.



Also, the answer to my question about painting the inside of taco gussets is this:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450918736

I got an alien motion 12 cell - This is basically the same as the ballistic evo2 12 cell, same cells, same arrangement, and alien motion used to make ballistic's batteries. I'm sure someone from ballistic would dispute that or claim they get some kind of cherry picked cells from a123 but all the images of disassembled batteries I have seen say otherwise.

Making a battery mount for it. This is stock battery tray with a sandwich core carbon tray being laminated inside. I am using the actual battery as part of the tool so it has to cure as room temp. Hopefully this all works and I can get the battery back out without destroying the new carbon tray insert:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450979800


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450979800

The three ribs coming from the battery outwards are the sandwhich bit, just some thin strips of foam.

Also, battery hold down some of the same foam glued on for insulation. The terminals are so close together that running a bunch of aluminum between them looked like a bad idea.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450979800

Looks real good. The Bsci padding would make that seat a nice place to be.

I might do the BSCI padding. I have a trial size of the firmest flexible urethane foam from smooth-on to test out. In my experience the rigid foams are comfortable so long as you aren't wearing a different belt than normal, or left something small in your pocket, in which case they get forced into you a little bit and become uncomfortable over time.

^exactly right. I did a new npo1 car. The driver forgot his iPhone 6 in his pocket. Left a huge imprint in the foam. I had to make a iPhone shaped piece of foam and glue it in.

A seat like yours should only need a medium sized kit. If you come out to a Nasa SE event ill poor it for you. I wave the $300 pour fee for fia seats at Nasa events. I think we'll be at cmp next month.

Thanks for the offer but I have the one man seat insert process down pretty well. I am probably just going to make a lumbar pad as this seat is already really comfortable without any padding and I want something quick and easy to remove without fussing with the belts.

My battery tray came out messy but still functional. The carbon got pulled out of place on the two narrower edges by the vacuum bag. The tray insert + hold down bar came out to 104 grams. I will hold it down with two small turnbuckles and threaded rod.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1451074204


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1451074204

Stripped interiors look so good in white.

Agreed.

I am getting ready to do my VVT swap. The 01 engine I have had sitting in my garage had a warped head. The good news is that I just lucked out on a 46k miles 2003 engine for $800 shipped to my door. It is supposed to include the exhaust manifold as well.

Parts I have on hand to go with it:

949 1.8 sport clutch
RB header
Squaretop IM
Full coolant hose set
All engine seals
New motor mounts
NB1 head gasket
New crank pulley
949 coolant reroute kit
Engine harness from an 01 cut off at firewall
NB1 fuel rail
1.6 FPR
ARP head studs


The only things left that I need are:
NB throttle cable
Fuel line adpater

Anything else I am missing?

I would seriously consider running a 1.6 FW clutch combo over the 1.8. Having run both, in a lightweight NA car the 1.6 stuff is much better. Someone will snatch up that SPM clutch quickly if you decide to go 1.6.

I had a buddy tip me off that the euro 98-00 NB FPRs fit much nicer than the flipped 1.6 FPRs. I just put one on my car. Obviously from a functional standpoint its identical, but the fuel line and vacuum line routing is cleaner.

Yeah, I would prefer the 1.6 setup but I need to get this finished up before the end of Feb for the first VIR event.

If anyone in the area happens to have a decent 1.6 setup on hand and wants to trade, feel free to PM me.

progress

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1452974223

Awesome.

Car looks good!

Got my "A Grade" 46k mile 03 engine and it looks like shit. At least it came with an exhaust manifold I can resell. I am going to tear into the engine and see if it looks as bad inside as it does outside:

https://i.imgur.com/266wAHm.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/46mYQzh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/pFustV4.jpg


Carfax says it was issued a salvage title in 09...

Ew. Get your money back.

Cams look like shit:
https://i.imgur.com/cbZOl7b.jpg

Before I call and bitch at them, how does that work with junkyard engines bought over the phone? Even if they refund me, I guess I am shit out of luck on the $200 shipping?


Also, I have another set of good cams but finding out that this has been sitting for 7 years and seeing the surface rust on the cams, I am betting there is surface rust anything else steel in the head. Who knows about the bottom end.

The engine is back on the pallet and getting picked up soon. I only had to argue with the guy for a few minutes.

My 160k cams looked better, wtf.

If you see a suspiciously cheap 46k mile 03 engine for sale in Virginia, make sure it isn't JM1NB353930310432

I got my new engine on a stand today. I also chose to get a 50% refund on that last engine and keep it for parts/core for later use.

This one has 64k miles and is in much better shape overall. I drained almost 2 quarts of oil out of it and the plug holes were already filled with oil. The only significant defect I can find so far is a chip on one of the cam lobes. The valve cover bolts were loose when I got it so someone has opened it up. I would guess it got damaged then? I have a spare set of cams in good shape that I can swap in.

I am replacing everything made of rubber on the engine, including valve seals and the crank damper. This is my first time having an engine on a stand and it is way nicer to work on than in the car or on a tire.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1454172182

I just can see how that chip would happen during normal operation, and if it did, I would expect to see other damage or clues on that lobe and bucket. I bet someone dropped their favorite 3/4" drive ratchet on it.

Pull the cam and get a good look at the bucket. If it was run like that, id almost bet it would show a witness mark or something.

Also If you want to borrow my valve tool, let me know and ill throw it in your box. You can also get your own for about $60.

Thanks, I will get my own valve tool. This is the correct one, right?

I also learned that if you pour oil down the plug holes and then later turn the engine over by hand, oil will shoot up and narrowly miss your eyes. I was watching the shim for a witness mark while turning the engine over and got a nice surprise. There is no mark on the shim so either it is a casting defect not causing any problems or it is damage that occurred after the engine was last run.

That tool is the correct one, but I like the KD Hand Tools 41910 as it comes with seal pliers and is the same price.

KD Hand Tools 41910 All in One Valve Service Kit | eBay

Are aftermarket ignition coils for the 01+ engines any good or should I stick to the OEM units?

I kind of like cleaning pistons:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1454195195

Are you using a wire brush, are you pulling this motor apart eventually?

I have no plans to pull the bottom end apart. I am using acetone soaked cotton rags and a brass brush for the corners.

Be careful with the wire brush, or better yet don't use it at all. I used small wire brush on my 1.6 last year, and a tiny piece of bristle broke off unbeknownst to me, in between the piston and cylinder wall. It left a nice vertical score in the cylinder wall the length of the stroke, and then probably made its way into my oil pump and into the filter.

Good to know. The rag gets most of it. I have been soaking rags (not so much that they drip), laying them over the piston, and the taping aluminum foil down overtop. That prevents the acetone from evaporating as quickly and you can let it soak for while to soften up all the carbon.

I used a plastic brush from HB on my drill to clean the head gasket it worked really well, then I finished with a 150 grit sandpaper on a flat block.

Seymour Alumi Blast on the valve cover and IM. I'll probably do the oil pan as well so I can find leaks easier. It looks pretty close to brand new cast aluminum.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1455997750

The headlights are in. I still need to file all the cut edges smooth, do cleanup, and mount the wiring, balasts, and turn signals.
https://i.imgur.com/bwbHW1S.jpg

Nice, looks like you got yours in there with a lot less cutting than I did. Looks good!

There is a nut welded into the underside of the support bar that was in the way. Instead of cutting all of that out I just drilled it out (that's the fresh 1/2" hole).

The headlights and turn signals are wired and functional. The little plastic panel that holds the turn signal will get replaced with carbon plate:


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1458593316

I didn't weigh what was cut out of the car or the singular headlight lid brackets - I would guess the headlight lids brackets are only slightly heavier than the steel I removed. Final weight savings ends up being 14.7lb:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1458593316

The 3 wire LED turn signals I got are intended to be run at half power for marker lamps and then toggle between 50% and 100% for turn signal operation. It is really hard to see the difference between 100% and 50% during the daytime so I am going to have to wire in a second set and get rid of the marker function. Everything else is finished:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1458655732

The lights look so much better coming from the turn signals IMO

Looks great!

I just added up everything that I bought, total cost was around $200. I wasn't able to sell my headlight motors.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1458656771

Sold my headlight motors on ebay for like $50 each or something.

Do you have a link for the Singular headlight door brackets? I couldn't find them on their website....

I think you have to ask for them. I found this out too late.

I didn't think the small turn signals were visible enough. They are too far back so you can't see them from the side at all. I copied Aidan and did this: