Stein's Build Thread
 

OK, now that I actually started to fab something, I'll start a build thread. Here's the beginning of my manifold. I have started coping two pieces to mate 2 & 3 to the 1-4 runners. Once I get a good fit, I'll mark and open the runners to mate them.

Here's also some pics of what I have accumulated so far. SR20 T25, FM T25 DP, FM 2 1/2" stainless midpipe, resonator and high flow cat. It has a Flowmaster muffler that looks to have been fluxcored on, along with some rice at the tip. This must go.

We have a new ACT HDSS clutch, a used Koyo radiator, AEM UEGO and ATi NB factory fit center mount guage pod. Oil feed line and oil line tap. I still need the -4an to turbo fitting. I went with 2 1/5" mandrel bent mild steel tubing so I can weld most of the run to minimize couplers. Probably going with CXRacing 18x12x3 IC. No pics of the Zoom3, as they haven't shipped yet.

I have a spare complete dropout 99 motor and trans, just in case.

Some of that shit looks familiar ;-)

I'm glad that it will finally get to be used. Good luck Stien.

Nice radiator....

What length oil feed line is that, and where did you get it? I'm thinking I'm gonna need a 5' line as I don't think a 4' will reach short of running it over the valve cover.

Manifold looks good.

4' ran around the back of the motor fits great. I think mine is 46" and it's a little longer than I like. Fear not.

When you get ready to open up that runner for 2 & 3 I would break the tack welds you have for 1 & 2, then with a small pencil die grinder you could get in and fine tune the interal fitment from both sides on that weld-el.
I'm jealous, I want to fab some parts now. I loved doing my downpipe in my apt parking spot.

Is the plan to build this mani to near FM sidemount spec so that downpipe fits or comes close to fitting with minimal mods?

Since you've starting from the ground up and no one likes to do things twice I'm going to suggest going with a T3 60 trim right now. I wasn't happy with my T25, do you really want to limit yourself to like 230 hp? Wouldn't you rather have similar spool to the T25 with the capability of more like 300 RWHP?

That is awesome. :)

Couple of things,

The intersection between 2 and the #1 runner will only be about an inch inside of 2, so I will be able to reach it through the #2 runner. If I sharpie around the #2 where it meets #1, I will be able to pretty accurately port match before welding and touch up from the inside of #2 after welding.

I am hoping that it comes out pretty close, but I know I will be "lower" than the stock FM, as theirs steps up and mine will be "straight out" from the head, so I will likely have to do a bit of modding on the DP, but not much.

I will stick with the T25, as I will be limited to about 8 psi due to stock (or near stock) sized injectors because of the Zoom3. SOMEBODY(yeah, you):giggle: was going to build me a MS for my NB months ago, but he got busy and said he wasn't building them anymore. That would have taken care of that problem. The Zoom3 was the next thing to a PNP that was available without spending stupid money.

I may try to bump up to 305 Supra injectors after I get it going if I max the stock ones. Stephanie made 208WHP on the stock injectors with the Zoom3. If I could max the T25 and get 230 with the spool of the T25, I'd be thrilled.

I guess I needed to open the box finally to look at the rad. The guy that sold it to me is kinda shifty, so I figured I had better check it out.:giggle:

The line is supposed to be a 4 footer. Haven't checked. Bought it on the WTS board a few weeks ago for $20. Glad to hear from others that 4' will work.

Thats a .64/.80 T25. The one you had was smaller.

I hope that's a good fit for a 1.8. It's not going to be laggy, is it?

It won't be bad. You can always go to a smaller A/R turbine is you don't like it.

Got #2 and #3 grafted on and the flange welded. I brought it to work to have one of the guys mill the flange. It only warped about 1/16" so I was pretty pleased with that.

Looking good Stein. Looks like you're gonna beat me to turboing your car.

looks good so far. man i hate doing those #2 and #3 runners like that.

No doubt. Torch clearance was tight and a LOT of coping just to get them to fit. Your flanges are really nice. Thanks again.

Finally bit the bullet and started on the car. I still don't have my Zoom3, so I hope they are close.

Did a quick test fit on the mani/turbo/DP. As I anticipated, there were some minor fitment issues with the DP, but nothing I can't correct.

Got the clutch in but I can't get the damn tranny back in. I fought with it for a couple of hours last night.

I tried using my homemade tranny jack mostly, then finally lay on my back with the bell housing on my knees and tail in my hands trying to do it by hand. It won't go the last 1/2". Gave up and called it a night. I'll try again tonight. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.

I never pulled the tranny from under the car. Just moved it back as far as I could on my ghetto China jack with attachments. Plenty of room to install the clutch.

Also, a couple of quickie ghetto tools that helped.

Scrap parts bearing puller and scrap metal flywheel holder that bolted in place to hold the flywheel while breaking loose and torquing the clutch bolts.:giggle:

I had pure hell getting mine to go the last 1/2" too. :giggle: I'd clean the dowel pins and their recieving holes and lube them up. You have to get the two surfaces perfectly parallel and then hold the transmission so that when the dowel tries to allign, it's not pushing up or pulling down on the bellhousing. Once you get it nuetral, it snaps together with some wiggling. Also, if you can get say 3-4 bolts LOOSELY started, it will help you get it alligned. As you can push up till the bolts let it jam, then down till the bolts let it jam, and then put it in the middle and that's the middle.

oh the half inch tranny gap, how we all hate you!

there are only a few things that will stop the tranny:

1. release bearing against fingers
2. input shaft into pilot bearing
3. dowels around bell housing
4. that @#$%$ bell housing gasket
5. starter
6. several wires and hard lines at the top of the bell housing that fall down between the motor and tranny
7. the angle of the dangle

I'll second the "get a few long bolts in" and wiggle suggestion. just dont use the bolts to draw the shit together or you could end up with bad juju.

Nice job on the mani.

DIY SSTs FTW

It seems like every time I try to use a jack to put the tranny in, I always end up underneath it in bench press mode to get the proper "angle of the dangle".

looking good stein..my mani is coming out really similar to yours, though I had to point mine at a 45 degree angle for turbo to clear....I keep staring at yours, and CANNOT figure out how the hell yours points straight to the side and still clears the car. I guess my turbo is that much bigger? looking good man

I don't know if you noticed, but I angled "inwards" the two outer els. They aren't 90*, more like 75-80* They swoop in and then turn back out. I took off about 3/8" of the "inner" edge of the #1 and #4 els.

From inner edge of the flange to inner edge of the other flange is less than 4". If you did straight 90 into 90, it would be about an inch longer.

we took off exactly the same amount off #1 and #4 as you, otherwise it doesnt match up at all. we used your mani build pics as guidance/step by step instructions:)
then we measured, it was exactly 4" from head flange to turbo flange, and my turbo is about 6" in diameter from flange to other side, and no matter what we could not get the measurements to allow us to point the header straight to the side.

oh well, I wont waste your time since yours fits just fine lol....if you're ever bored or what not, can you measure the diameter of the whole turbocharger from turbo flange to its other side? I'm really curious whether you were able to do what you did because the turbocharger is much smaller and clears the car.

I agree with all of your suggestions and I disagree with the "don't use bolts to draw the shit together."

If you have about a half inch gap left, the trans is straight and nothing is interfering, put a tranny bolt in the 3 o clock and 9 o clock position and pull it the rest of the way in. I've done it many times with zero issues.

Is it just that tight in the pilot bearing? I can't imagine that the input shaft wouldn't just slide in. I know that the splines must be engaged in the clutch disc to get that close.

I'll be trying again tonight.

Hmmm...I guess I just got lucky. I just made it and hoped that it would fit. It is only a little T25, so it clears the inner chassis by about 1/2".

I only have to make one (or two) cuts in the stock DP to move it to where I need it. Waiting on that until I get the tranny back in and the rest of the FM exhaust in to see where the flanges end up.

Check and make sure your pilot bearing didn't pop out. When you try it again later tonight, make sure the trans is straight and line it up with the holes. If the trans is slightly off, rotate it.
Lightly lube the input shaft and make sure the clip on the back of the throwout is fully in place.

Just two weeks ago, we had a customer car in the shop. One of the trans bolts had snapped in half and it made it a bitch and a half to get back in. Once we got it aligned, I pulled it in with a couple of bolts on the sides and two on top. I also had help, though.

Thanks for the help guys. Just needed to know that I was on the right track. Installed the two dowel pin bolts, leveled the tranny up and it drew right in.

Got the FM midpipe, resonator and muffler installed so that I could start modifying the downpipe. at least the PO that did the hack job on the muffler had the hangers in the stock positions. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was within 1/2" of the DP being right where it needed to be. I cut the downpipe, bolted the top half to the turbo and the rest to the midpipe and am in the process of modifying it to fit. As it sits now, the "down" part of the downpipe passes about 1/4" from the steering column. Is that enough clearance?

Minor update. I got the DP to fit this weekend. Had to cut and reweld the first section at a different angle and add a 1" section to the lower portion. Everything fits fine with about 1/2" clearance on the subframe. I just need to pick up a gasket for the DP-to-midpipe joint and exhaust is done.

Installed the IC that I got from Prospero. It was a bolt-in fit. I was very pleased. It had aluminum brackets welded on that mount to two of the tow hook bolts. Very clean install.

Laid out the charge pipe routing and ordered the silicone couplers, t-clamps BOV, etc from siliconeintakes.com this morning.

Installed the Koyo that I got from patsmx5 last night. It really was a drop in fit. Really nice construction. I had to modify both fans a bit for clearance. Notched for the upper radiator hose on the AC fan and lower corner to miss the PS cooling loop. I also had to flatten the tab and add a hole to the radiator upper supports to fit.

Gasket for flange wasn't in stock, so couldn't finish the exhaust last night. It will be in today, so I worked on a few other things.

Got the turbo clocked to work with my mani. Built a spacer for the outlet neck as it was hitting the WG can. Fabbed a flange for the inlet side of the compressor. That's about it last night.

All hail the mighty homemade double barrel wood stove! It was 0*F last night with a 40 mph wind. Shop was a toasty 75*F.:cool:

looking great man...any pictures of the whole engine bay? like from the top? I want to see how everything is looking with the dp connected and the intercooler piping connected

I hope to get some tonight when I get the turbo and DP back in. Props for siliconeintakes.com. Placed my order at 8:00 yesterday and had a tracking number on my shipment by 8:24.:) I should see them tomorrow. Then I can start on the charge pipes. I have it pretty well laid out in my head. This IC is kind of a funky shape for the inlet and outlet. After I got in mounted I saw why. They took advantage of a gap between the PS lines that I hadn't seen. I kept looking inside the engine bay. The "In" line will go out through the fender along the frame and into the IC from the outside. It will be pretty clean. The "out" side is two 90's and a straight pipe under the radiator. Also looks like it will be pretty clean to do. I don't know who made the IC. I got it from Prospero here: https://www.miataturbo.net/forum/t29643/ In the pic it is upside down. The "In" side is the elbow pointing down. The "Out" side is the long straight but it runs along the bottom in front of the radiator. The long tube positions it perfectly for a simple 90* elbow under the radiator and another 90* up to the throttle body.

cant wait for pics. I just might have to copy your routing:)

either that or I'm going to get crazy and do the over-the-radiator piping I was planning all along

Revised my description a bit for clarity. It is going to be clean without having to cut the car, other than one hole in the fender. No notching in the structural areas.

[QUOTE=Stein;349029]Finally bit the bullet and started on the car. I still don't have my Zoom3, so I hope they are close.
QUOTE]

looks good, i am curious to see how the Zoom3 works, like you, i am going that route too

IC charge pipes and intake are DONE. Well, done again, as I forgot to weld in my BOV valve nipples in the air inlet and IC pipes before priming them the first time. Everything fits as planned, other than I lost my cruise control. Filter is up by the clutch master cylinder. Cool air FTW. Yeah, I know, pics or it didn't happen. The paint is drying as we speak. Will be assembling tonight and will take pics. If it (primer and paint) doesn't hold up, it's off to the powercoater I go.

Oil pan is tapped. Waiting on one gasket from Tuner Toys for oil drain (the one in the kit was wrong) and an oil feed fitting from ATPTurbo. Still a list of piddly little things but the big stuff is done. Still waiting on my Zoom 3.:sadwavey:

OK, lots of pics of the IC charge pipe and intake setup. It's not done because some idiot (me) can't count and order the right amount of T-Clamps.

wow man, that is a very interesting way you routed your ic piping. I honestly have never seen it done this way before. lookin good

Thanks. I was kind of married to the "over the top" discharge due to the clocking of the turbo with wastegate and a side mount compressor housing. Obviously, the SR20 T25 was designed to top or bottom mount.

when did you place your order for a zoom3 man? seems like it takes them years to get something out to people..

Very cool. :bigtu: Gotta admire a guy who's not afraid to cut up his car. And take lots of pictures. You're IC routing is perfect for a giant intercooler when you upgrade that cute IC and turbo. ;)

Might be going in another direction.:eek5: Details later today.

The cutting wasn't bad. Only the two holes in the fenders. Nothing structural.

Yeah, that IC and turbo was going to be perfect for the 8 PSI that the Zoom3 would run. Might be changing directions soon. They still haven't released it. After I did this routing, I saw how EASY it would have been to fit a 20x4x3 or so. This IC was a nice package, though. The brackets that they had on it bolted straight up to the tow hook bracket holes.

:) ms ftw!

Nope.:)

aww, c'mon ya gotta tell me asap

*edit:
hmmmmmm..:D

There is no reason to use any other piggyback.

aside from it not being available pnp for our cars?;)

Wrong again. :magna:Looking at going with the Adaptronic from Travis. Someone in the US has to try this thing.


https://www.miataturbo.net/forum/t25299/

Waiting for a phone call to discuss some details and then probably order one up. PnP for an NB FTW.

who the hell needs pnp? whiners.

wanna build me a parallel ms2 wise guy?:)

i mean, not really, but theres no reason you can't do it.

Lookin good Stein, your almost there with only 10 posts left. lol
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Well, it looks like I won't make it. I just ordered an Adaptronic ECU, so I can't get it here, get it installed and running before I go over that limit. I hope that it works as well as it appears to. Guinea pig, FTW.

Time to start looking through the MS threads to steal some target AFR, fuel and spark tables.

There's a fair few Miata, MX5. Roadster users knocking around now.

The Adaptronic forum is a great source, there's also a few guys on mx5nutz running the Adap in the UK.


Cheers
Mark

Looks like another forum or two that I need to start frequenting.:)

Hey Stein guess what? I'm not going to pass up the group buy deal he's doing, sooo....










































I'm getting one too:D:D:D

I'm talking with TravisR about ordering mine sometime next week. Guinea pig buddies FTW hahaha

:riaa:
That is a nice ECU though :mad:

Hey, at least he didn't say gerbil buddies.:eek5:

Well, other than two hose clamps for the turbo water lines, a radiator overflow line and filling the radiator, I'm done. I guess done is a loaded word, as I have no ECU. So, this thing will sit until I figure out what I am going to do on that. Piddled around and wrapped the heater core lines, built a heat shield and some other little odds and ends, got the IC charge pipes in for good.