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spending all my high school income on a 30 year old car
Hi guys,
I made a post a few months ago when I didn't really know a lot better so I'm gonna start a build thread here for real now that my car isn't stock. I live in the Bay Area and I picked it up in May this year (picture below) with 108,000 miles on it, a clean title, and 1 previous owner.
It took me a while to learn manual but a few months later I installed my first mods:
MeisterR ClubRace 12.5/7 kg coilovers
Advanti Storm S1 15x8 +25 wheels
Continental ECS 205/50/r15 tires
ISR catback + resonated test pipe (I know)
Momo start driver seat on planted fixed seat mounts
A picture of the car how it sits now:
Following shuiends forum post I am starting to gather turbo parts with an MSPNP2 and AEM UEGO not installed yet and FlowForce 640cc injectors (ordered, not shipped). I'm planning to get a Kraken manifold/dp/intercooler for either a 2560 or a 6258 but my main problem at this point is the ISR exhaust. At some point down the road, I would like to pull the engine and do rods/pistons and make 300-350 whp but I feel like the 2.5 in exhaust is going to be a limiting factor. Any advice would be appreciated!
In California keep all of your stock stuff in boxes. Remove it carefully. Make notes/pictures on how it was stock.
You may need to change it back to stock for emissions testing in the future.
Others in California have to take their cars back to stock every two years.
It's a whole bunch easier if you've got good notes/pictures/labeled parts to do this job.
Install the MS/injectors/WBO2 first and learn to tune on the NA engine.
You're far less likely to have a catastrophic failure without boost.
If you're going to spend big money on a built motor start with 99 or newer engine. The heads flow better stock than a 95 head flows fully modded.
I'd keep the original engine completely intact for the bi-annual smog check.
Looks like a nice clean car to start with...
You got lucky!
In California keep all of your stock stuff in boxes. Remove it carefully. Make notes/pictures on how it was stock.
You may need to change it back to stock for emissions testing in the future.
Others in California have to take their cars back to stock every two years.
It's a whole bunch easier if you've got good notes/pictures/labeled parts to do this job.
Install the MS/injectors/WBO2 first and learn to tune on the NA engine.
You're far less likely to have a catastrophic failure without boost.
If you're going to spend big money on a built motor start with 99 or newer engine. The heads flow better stock than a 95 head flows fully modded.
I'd keep the original engine completely intact for the bi-annual smog check.
Looks like a nice clean car to start with...
You got lucky!
All of this, and then some.
This is why I turned my VVT-swapped NA into a track-only car and bought a bone-stock street Miata. I ran out of patience for dealing with the biennial gymnastics.
If you're going this route and plan to build a motor, I'd suggest a 99-00 motor as it's less obvious than the VVT motor.
Even still, you could get busted and sent to a ref, who will find everything. And then the smog shop that passed you gets in trouble... I'm fine with being held responsible for my own actions, but I'd feel bad if my unknowing (really) smog guy got screwed because of my actions.
Yeah, the only reason I'm not too worried about smog is that I'm here just till the end of next summer when I leave for college and during that time the car will barely be driven, only when I'm back and maybe a few times a month when my dad takes it out, so I don't even need to smog the car before I leave and I have a hot smog I can take it too whenever I'm back and it needs that done. I have other cars which are available for me to drive all the time so if it gets to the point where it's a track/mountain car only I don't mind too much.
Alright I already know I'm gonna be **** at updating this thread but here we go:
Since my last post I have installed a MS3PNP and flowforce 640cc injectors and tuned for those. I wanted to get an MS2 to save money but at the same time I didn't want to offend the gods of this forum so $400 more and my car has an ms3pnp. The injectors were relatively simple to install and since I have no plans of building the motor they should probably have enough headroom. I do have a flex sensor that is not currently installed and I don't really see any reason to do so on pump gas with a stock engine. Im also bad at taking photos along the way so here are some photos from a car meet I went to last night:
and here's my friends STI that got totaled in the storms we've been having in California:
As of now, I have a low mount mani reserved from Kraken and plan to get the full kit for an EFR 6258 including a full 3" exhaust. At the same time, I need a new clutch, possibly transmission, and possibly new rear end. I currently have a 5spd and 4.1 torsen so if anyone has experience with this setup id love to hear it. I want to go 6spd/3.6 at some point in the future but if that is not required right now id rather just upgrade the clutch and do the transmission at some time in the future.
5 speed is usually good for twice the stock power, roughly 230-240 wtq. It shifts MUCH better than the 6 speed. The 6speed is good for another 50-60 or so ft lbs depending upon luck.
The BMW trans swaps made possible by K-Miata kits are unbreakable with a Miata engine as far as I can tell. I have the 6-speed from a 530i and it is very nice. I have also assisted with the install of a 5-speed version and it was great too. Both assemblies shifted precisely and positively, much like a bolt-action rifle.
So buy what you think you will need.
If sticking with a Miata trans, I recommend the ACT HDSS clutch and pressure plate kit.
If going BMW trans, I'm using a stock clutch and pp for the 530i at 3xx whp with no issues. It's also cheap. The 6-speed BMW trans itself was $125 because they never break. Junkyards don't ever get customers for them.
I placed a 50% deposit for the "last batch" of Kraken low-mount manifolds which were supposed to ship mid-January but the eta has been pushed back since then. Since it was taking a while I decided to build a motor .... pictured below is the disassembled BP4W that I picked up from a local guy:
With absolutely no ETA for the Kraken parts I decided to basically fully build the motor, parts that I have ordered so far are 8.6:1 84mm Supertech pistons, Manley rods, supertech heavy double springs. I dropped the block off at a machine shop last week for an overbore, hot tank, and decking the mating surface. I started assembling the head yesterday:
Installing the valves/springs themselves was really easy but I struggled at first with the keepers, using one magnetic flat head and one non magnetic and the flyin miata tool I eventually got the hang of it.
So far I have no structured plan for the rest of the build, I'm fairly sure that I'll run an EFR turbo but whether I'll swap in a 6 speed or go to a getrag is still fully in the air.
Forgot to add this in the post above but I also picked up FIC 1200's and a radium fuel rail from a close friend, so you guys will probably see my 500 mile 640cc flowforces and a DW200 in the for sale section soon.
thinking about just picking up a cheap clutch and dropping in my engine with my current 5speed/4.1 and turning the boost the f down, any opinions. sure I could hold out and save for the getrag trans+diff but I really want this car to be drivable this summer. anyone know how much lightly used supermiata clutches go for if I pick one up and just use it for a month or two?
No idea on the clutch, but skip the Getrag and for sure go with the ZF, it's a MUCH stronger transmission.
I'm a BMW guy and the Getrags blow up with 300-400whp and a good bit of low end torque.
I took it to Clark's automotive in Cupertino, can't remember the price for the original deck+bore+hot tank but I paid $600 for them to fully assemble the short block including polishing the crank which is a little high but it is the Bay Area.
nice to see a build come along. going a hell of a lot faster than me. ive seen the 6 speed fine up to 300hp. aint you a teenager? no way a teenager should have a 300hp car, let alone more! hopefully you keep it one peice. i wouldnt have
appreciate it man. car is definitely gonna be too fast for me which is why I'm thinking of just buying the clutch+flywheel in the classifieds rn and slapping it onto my 5 speed even though the motor will be heavily overbuilt but if a six speed does come up for sale in my area for a decent price I will definitely be picking it up. I'm not planning on taking my car for my first year of college next year so dumping $6000 plus into the drivetrain just seems kinda dumb (plus the amount of power I would be able to run through a ZF will require a whole new wheel and tire setup to even think about hooking up anywhere under 80 mph)
asking anyone who knows anything about engine building: how easy should it be to spin the cams by hand with supertech doubles? I have to use a crescent wrench and a significant amount of force and cant tell if this is usual
I wouldn't call it "hard", but you have to push pretty good to overcome the spring pressure.
Are you worried about the cams binding? If you have all the caps in the right order and torqued and you use the same cams, there shouldn't be any problem at all
no, surprisingly, they fixed that but it still feels like its made from plastic. first, the holes on the trigger wheel arent even big enough for the provided hex bolts from the fluiddampr to pass through. slightly surprising, but i thought just drilling them out would make it work. holes are completely misaligned, i said **** it and just ordered a supermiata 36-2. they have to be sending greg @ thecarpassionchannel some different **** because theres no way this pos is holding up to 500whp and 30 psi
no, surprisingly, they fixed that but it still feels like its made from plastic. first, the holes on the trigger wheel arent even big enough for the provided hex bolts from the fluiddampr to pass through. slightly surprising, but i thought just drilling them out would make it work. holes are completely misaligned, i said **** it and just ordered a supermiata 36-2. they have to be sending greg @ thecarpassionchannel some different **** because theres no way this pos is holding up to 500whp and 30 psi
I'm not surprised. The holes on mine didn't line up either, i drilled them out and got it to fit. Then within 100 miles it failed spectacularly, breaking at the tabs. Fortunately I was still running the car off the 1.6 CAS at the time, and hadn't switched over to using the trigger wheel yet, but it was pretty annoying to have to re-do the timing on the car to put a new ring on.
Been on the FM 36-2 without issue ever since. Great item. I'm sure the supermiata one is great too.
10-04-2022, 04:59 PM
spending all my high school income on a 30 year old car
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