Nearly Zero Hour - What am I forgetting?
 

In about 2 weeks I will be loading my '96 Miata with a bunch of parts and driving 500 miles to another city where my friend has his race shop to install my DIY turbo kit and then drive 500 miles home hopefully hitting 140mph on the way.

Obviously this is a high-risk scenario where lots of unexpected things could happen on the way there and back. I'll also be under a time crunch, as every day working on the turbo kit is a day away from work. It also means I need to have my geese in a row before I start so I'm not missing a crucial piece of hardware halfway through the build because I won't be able to wait for anything off the internet. The good news is the city I'm heading to has a good car culture and lots of speed shops.

Stuff already installed:
-MS1
-ACT clutch
-wideband O2
-new timing belt, water pump, seals
-good water hoses, silicone vac hoses
-new harmonic balancer
-MSM PCV
-new motor mounts
-new brakes

Here's stuff I have acquired:
-SR20 T25
-intercooler
-550cc injectors
-flanges and tubing for DIY log mani and downpipe
-vac line check valves
-BOV

Here's stuff I plan sourcing on-site:
-mani and downpipe fabrication
-turbo oil and water lines
-intercooler piping
-any necessary gaskets
-heat shielding
-catch can

So basically, what parts am I forgetting for my 200hp street setup, what steps am I overlooking, and what dangers are lurking that will leave me car-less in the middle of rural New Mexico without cell reception?

Sorry for the noobish bullet point list too.

Mars ain't the kind of place, to build your turbo Miataaaaaaaaaaaaa. In fact, it's cold as hell.

Does your friend build manifolds for miatas? Trying to one-off something on a time crunch seems like your biggest hurdle. Your plan is kind of crazy. Why not, buy the parts you need, install turbo kit at home in a weekend?

Not many but a few turbo cars have been through there. I was under the impression that building a log manifold was pretty straightforward. I've done something similar before at this shop; got dropped off on my parent's way through town, assembled a motor and dropped it into a Honda and swapped a full wiring harness, fabbed an exhaust, replaced most of the suspension, and drove 500 miles home. I had a week for that, though, I'm trying to do the turbo in a long weekend.

Basically I just care if my list is complete.

I'd order a generic intercooler piping kit from ebay. At least you would have a nice supply to start with instead of being required to source it locally. You will also save money this way.

Does your friend also have a dyno for tuning this thing? It takes a while to tune a car 100%, especially on the street.

dude, you should start a blog.

I'd install the injectors first. That's 1-2 hours saved and there's lots of potential for leaks that could turn it into 4-6 hours.

My friends at the other shop have a pile of intercooler piping that I'm gonna sort through. Also the turbo and injectors are there. Tuning the car is the least of my worries, I'm comfortable with MS and have tons of other peoples' maps to check out. Dyno time is about half price compared to where I live anyway.

Maybe I'm retarded but how does installing injectors take so long? Also they have been to injectorrx and back, new seals.

e: looks like I'm all good, thank you fellas

It's just easier than you think to rip an o-ring.

Is this a 1.6? They are fairly easy, but it's just an hour or so of work you could eliminate, if you had them in your possession.

Unplug the fuel pump and run the car till it dies, it'll save you a small amount of headache.

Lol dude thanks but I think I can handle the injectors.

'96 1.8

And there's no one therrrrreeeee to build it, if you did...


So you want to take your only daily driver car to a remote location 500 miles away and slapdash install a turbo kit having to source a bunch of critical parts with the clock ticking cause you don't get PTO or something... sounds like a pair of Bad-Idea jeans to me.

But what do I know, I'm just an old bastard who's probably too cautious and thinks a lot of "Bad Ideas" are just that.

You guys were right this will take a bit more time than I thought. I was able to take a few days off work and get started this week though. Got the mani done, got oil and water lines figured out, got the intercooler mounted and the cold side piping done. Oh ya and put a new crank in my motor cuz I'm a retard.

I also parted with my power steering :(

The pic with all the smoke is a Miata that sucked in a shop rag and it ruined the rings.

e: oh yeah and it's a T28 not T25.

Holy shit dudes this is a lot of work fabricating everything from scratch why didn't anyone tell me?! :vash:

Coming along well though. Biggest obstacle left now is half the downpipe, we made the first half with a separated wastegate flow and it's baller but haven't connected it with the exhaust yet. Wondering if I should get this done locally or plan another 500 mile trip to my buddy's shop.

Race shops here charge ridiculous rates so it'd just be a regular muffler shop and that might suck.

I think you need more couplers than that to provide some relief for the intercooler piping.

Unless your engine is solid mounted

Will use one coupler at the seem right there by the PS pump, two couplers on each end of the intercooler and one on the throttle body. Was trying to keep the number down for reliability/boost leaks but didn't really think about flexing.

Do you think that will be ok?


Also if people are wondering why I make the drive, look at what they shut the city down for:

New cam seals and CAS o-ring. Avoid paranoia inducing oil leaks and drips.

It sure is easy to tell who's been to the track and who hasn't

Sold it.