Where not to skimp?
02-05-2013, 07:51 PM
#41
Pros:
93 car with torsen and 1.8 engine, new tires, MazdaSpeed Miata seats and hardtop for $2000
ARTech exhaust, Reverant MS2
Cons: 4.10 gears with 5 speed trans. Wrecked front end, body not in the best shape, headlights didn't line up, not many enough to make it a track car.
My suggestions is 94-00 with torsen, 6 speed if you buy a NB, clean car you can actually work with. Don't "make it work" like I did with my car, you'll regret it and want a new car like I do.
93 car with torsen and 1.8 engine, new tires, MazdaSpeed Miata seats and hardtop for $2000
ARTech exhaust, Reverant MS2
Cons: 4.10 gears with 5 speed trans. Wrecked front end, body not in the best shape, headlights didn't line up, not many enough to make it a track car.
My suggestions is 94-00 with torsen, 6 speed if you buy a NB, clean car you can actually work with. Don't "make it work" like I did with my car, you'll regret it and want a new car like I do.
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02-07-2013, 02:14 AM
#45
Don't cheap out on:
- Suspension - most people here are on their 2nd or 3rd setup (I'm on my 3rd). Do it right the first time. And by "right", think about how you are going to use your car. For a street car you can get away with AGX/ Ground Controls. For a track car, sky's the limit.
- Suspension - most people here are on their 2nd or 3rd setup (I'm on my 3rd). Do it right the first time. And by "right", think about how you are going to use your car. For a street car you can get away with AGX/ Ground Controls. For a track car, sky's the limit.
Some people like *** to mouth alright?
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02-07-2013, 12:23 PM
#50
Elite Member
iTrader: (11)
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Overland Park, Kansas
Posts: 5,360
Total Cats: 43
I regret just about everything I've done.
*Bought a rotten chassis that wasn't cared for
*Neglected the car during down time escalating body deterioration
*Bought an OEM replacement plastic radiator instead of larger Aluminum
*MS1
*Supercharger
*Didn't roll my fenders when I had access to the tool
*Bought a $150 six-speed transmission
*Decided to build my own turbo manifold / dp instead of buying AbsurdFlow
*Wasted a bunch of money attempting to "re-invent the wheel" with reroute
*Didn't use silicone sealant on BEGi coolant reroute
*Bought a rotten chassis that wasn't cared for
*Neglected the car during down time escalating body deterioration
*Bought an OEM replacement plastic radiator instead of larger Aluminum
*MS1
*Supercharger
*Didn't roll my fenders when I had access to the tool
*Bought a $150 six-speed transmission
*Decided to build my own turbo manifold / dp instead of buying AbsurdFlow
*Wasted a bunch of money attempting to "re-invent the wheel" with reroute
*Didn't use silicone sealant on BEGi coolant reroute
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02-08-2013, 11:50 AM
#52
Elite Member
iTrader: (13)
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Taos, New mexico
Posts: 6,603
Total Cats: 564
Few more things i regret:
Heavy 16" wheels from a honda buddy. They look okay i guess, but bad move on my part. Will be getting some new light 15x8 konigs soon enough.
550cc ancient rx7 injectors. I dont know how much i "regret" these, because i just bought some dw800's and have not installed them yet. From what i've read though it's probably worth it to go straight to a quality injector.
Areas I've skimped and don't regret it:
MS1/MSPNP. It was brand new when I bought it in 08 or so, the mspnp had just came out. Honestly i don't regret this, it's been a great ecu for me thus far and I'm going to continue using it until i see the need for something better.
Ebay FMIC. Works great, cost nothing.
Ebay Radiator. I didn't even get a "godspeed" or "mishimoto". I went as generic as possible, iirc around 100 shipped. It's exactly the same radiator as a godspeed or mishimoto.
Greddy turbo kit. Got it for cheap, worked well when i upgraded it, made lots of powah, no regrets for a 1.6 setup.
Ground control/kyb setup. Most people will tell you they are complete ****. This is probably true, but I still rather enjoy my setup despite what the internet tells me to think. I'd only recommend if you can get them at the price i paid ($290 shipped for 4 brand new struts, $150 shipped for used GC coil setup). For under $500 bucks it is so many leagues better than oem suspension, a little harsh on dirt roads which I expected, but once setup properly the car actually feels really planted in the canyons. No real track time here.
Heavy 16" wheels from a honda buddy. They look okay i guess, but bad move on my part. Will be getting some new light 15x8 konigs soon enough.
550cc ancient rx7 injectors. I dont know how much i "regret" these, because i just bought some dw800's and have not installed them yet. From what i've read though it's probably worth it to go straight to a quality injector.
Areas I've skimped and don't regret it:
MS1/MSPNP. It was brand new when I bought it in 08 or so, the mspnp had just came out. Honestly i don't regret this, it's been a great ecu for me thus far and I'm going to continue using it until i see the need for something better.
Ebay FMIC. Works great, cost nothing.
Ebay Radiator. I didn't even get a "godspeed" or "mishimoto". I went as generic as possible, iirc around 100 shipped. It's exactly the same radiator as a godspeed or mishimoto.
Greddy turbo kit. Got it for cheap, worked well when i upgraded it, made lots of powah, no regrets for a 1.6 setup.
Ground control/kyb setup. Most people will tell you they are complete ****. This is probably true, but I still rather enjoy my setup despite what the internet tells me to think. I'd only recommend if you can get them at the price i paid ($290 shipped for 4 brand new struts, $150 shipped for used GC coil setup). For under $500 bucks it is so many leagues better than oem suspension, a little harsh on dirt roads which I expected, but once setup properly the car actually feels really planted in the canyons. No real track time here.
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02-08-2013, 01:46 PM
#54
Elite Member
iTrader: (13)
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Taos, New mexico
Posts: 6,603
Total Cats: 564
The downside to mine, was it didn't come with the mounting points attached. I had to rip the old mounting points off my OEM one and bolt them to the radiator. Only took me 30 mins or so, and worked perfectly.
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02-08-2013, 02:15 PM
#55
How do you all feel about stainless steel oil/coolant lines? Such as, the ones from Flyin' Miata.
Initially I was planning on buying a set just to make my install easy and clean, but money talks, especially as I get closer to getting all the parts together to do a complete install.
Initially I was planning on buying a set just to make my install easy and clean, but money talks, especially as I get closer to getting all the parts together to do a complete install.
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02-08-2013, 09:52 PM
#56
Elite Member
iTrader: (37)
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Very NorCal
Posts: 10,441
Total Cats: 1,899
I've not seen the FM ones in person. Check out the plumbing and lines MicaCeli is using in his build: https://www.miataturbo.net/build-thr...t-years-70720/
Now tell me that's not clean. I think Abe still offers these, you might email him and find out. Looks like a winner to me.
I was going to put a kit together for this and even bought the FM one. But then ARtec posted this and I could not pass it up:
https://www.miataturbo.net/miata-par...s-39663/page1/
I wish I could say that I built it myself but this was just too good to pass up for the price.
The heat shields are from Begi.
https://www.miataturbo.net/miata-par...s-39663/page1/
I wish I could say that I built it myself but this was just too good to pass up for the price.
The heat shields are from Begi.
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02-08-2013, 10:10 PM
#58
I've not seen the FM ones in person. Check out the plumbing and lines MicaCeli is using in his build: https://www.miataturbo.net/build-thr...t-years-70720/
Now tell me that's not clean. I think Abe still offers these, you might email him and find out. Looks like a winner to me.
Now tell me that's not clean. I think Abe still offers these, you might email him and find out. Looks like a winner to me.
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02-12-2013, 08:34 AM
#60
Boost Czar
iTrader: (62)
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Chantilly, VA
Posts: 79,493
Total Cats: 4,080
regrets:
- 1.6L motor.
- 90-93 body so I had to upgrade: clutch, brakes, diff and still have a floppy dick chasis.
- blowing my first motor after about 15mins into my first test drive with boost (I had my timing advanced and still had 87 octane in the tank)
- buying another 90-93 after I totalled mine and didnt want to have to get a new manifold and DP for the turbo setup.
- buying a turbo from MJM Turbos
- ever bothering with FMU, Fuel Pump, Bipes instead of going straight to EMS
- swaping my 12x12x3 IC for a 18x12x3 IC
- swapping my 18x12x3 IC for a 18x6x2.5 IC
- buying an ebay IC at all
- building an IM and then selling it because I blew my motor
- buying frame rails and then selling them beause I blew my motor
- Buying seats and harnesses and selling them because I never track the car
- not tracking the car
- Doing a coolant reroute and reusing a gasket so I have a coolant leak now
- Upgrading to 11" Corado Front rotors
- not buying the 50 trim Chinacharger sooner
- Koni Shocks w/stock springs
- Koni Shocks w/FM springs
- Koni Shocks w/sleeves and 550/300 springs
- Koni Shocks w/sleeves and 400/250 springs
- Not selling my Koni Shocks fast enough
- Burning up two MS3 CPUs from asshatery
- Buying used injectors from this site, twice, and both times getting things not as described. First was low ohm injectors listed as high, the second had broken pintle caps and I paid to have them cleaned to find out.
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