Looking to build a street monster.
 

I bought my first Miata about 3 months ago (92 Nardi edition Black/Tan) and I'm very interested in turning it into a street monster. I'm new to forums and I'm not really all that informed when it comes to cars. I'll try to post some pics of her shortly.

She's got some minor mods to her already, things like exhaust and aftermarket shocks with some camber to them, lighter flywheel, better wheels and tires than stock.she just hit 90k. some things I've noticed is that when it's cold out she sequels very loudly for a second or two on acceleration and that the shifter shakes sometimes when I'm changing gears.

My goal with her is to turn heads and impress. Whether it just be cruising town or seeing if I can keep up with/pass a corvette or mustang on the highway.

I've come across this site:http://miata.turbomirage.com/turbo_miata_mods.html

that's pretty much how i want my Miata. Is that what I should shoot for or should I go a different route? My budget is going to be about 10k for the whole project.

any advice or input would be greatly appreciated and I'm trying my best to learn all I can.

You want to go turbo but not that good with cars? :facepalm: Drop your NA off at Flyin Miata, have them put a turbo on it and install a 94+ torsen diff. Write a check and call it a day.

The squeal is probably your serpintine belt. Drop it off at goodyear, write a check, and call it a day. The shifter shake is probably just drivetrain vibration.



If it were MY money, I'd learn how to work on cars, and make my own turbo setup, replace my timing belt/waterpump/serpintine belt, and make a better car for less money.

Well, that all depends on the price. Also, I doubt there's a Flying Miata branch in southern New Mexico

Howdy and welcome.


As an FYI, the Miata uses double A-arm suspension on all four wheels, so unlike cars with struts, camber is completely independent of the shock absorber; camber adjustment is all in the eccentric bolts on the inboard side of the control arms. Ride height does affect how far you can go with static camber adjustment, but even that can be nulled out with offset control arm bushings.

I just hope that by "some camber" you're not looking for hellaflush. :)



I can't imagine why you'd want to mess with transplanting all that DSM stuff. There are plenty of capable ECUs that work with the Miata's wiring harness.

So much to say here... Most of it is covered in stickys and whatnot. If you're interested in serious power, you will need to replace the diff (and axles and propshaft) with those from a '94 or later car. The ring & pinion gears in the '90-'93 Miatas are made out of soft cheese.

There isn't. They're in Colorado, but you can always drive there. Flyin miata would charge you an arm and a leg, but you said it yourself, you're not a DIY mechanic.


My advise: Use this forum, miata.net, and howstuffworks.com to figure out basic car mechanics. Do the work yourself.

Piece a turbo setup together from the for sale section and forum sponsors. If you want to compete with corvettes, it's probably not gonna happen. Mustangs are within reach though. If you want to get serious, prepare to have to change your 5speed to a 6speed, and change the rear end ratio.

First, Welcome to the forum! Glad to see some excited members. There is a couple of guys down in Las Cruces (stock and 99mx5), so see if you can get in touch with them for some wrenching assistance.

read a lot. I mean a lot. Shuiend had some book he suggested turbo newbs read by Corky Bell, but I can't remember the name. So hopefully he will chime in.

Other than that, you will get the hang of things, just start out small and move on to biggger/more difficult things. Lastly, I would suggest you get your ECU up and running before you put the turbo on.

Thanks for that info, Joe. the rear wheels are slightly like /---\ and one of my friends said that was camber. the front tires are regular. I'm reading sticky threads right now.

would it just be more cost effective to purchase a 94 instead of working on the 92?

Also, I'm not a big fan of driving to Colorado, Scott lol

I'll google those books, Track.

Yea thats Camber for ya. It sounds like you got a bit too much, but post up some pictures and lets see.

It's dark now, but I'll be sure to put some up tomorrow

That'd be by Corky Bell. Arguably the Qur'an of modern turbocharging, it's not Miata-specific, but gives you a good foundation in how turbocharging works as a complete system.


Sage advice this is.


Yeah, that's camber. Negative camber, to be precise. And a little bit of it is a good thing. We typically shoot for between -1.5° and -2° front and rear. But that's just a general guideline- camber adjustment is just one element (though arguably the most significant one) in setting up the suspension of the car to handle the way you want in cornering.

Just wanted to make sure you weren't aiming for something like this:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1325820114

It would be slightly less work, and have a slightly higher power potential. But assuming you just picked up a '92, I wouldn't immediately go out and sell it just because some guys on a forum tried to scare you off from it. Both of my Miatae have been 1.6s so far.

what you mean is I should get an upgraded/aftermarket one?

and as for that pic, hell no I dont want that. i've probably got the -2°

also, if I've got a bit of help from a mechanically inclined friend and a "Can do!" attitude about how much do you estimate it would cost to hit the 200-250 max recommended rwhp?

-Begi S4 kit: $3,680
-3" exhaust
-Megasquirt MS3X ECU (>$475 from diyautotune.com)
-6 speed
-Clutch that will take the power (Flyin' Miata level one is good for 318ft/lb, but you'll also need a flywheel from a 1.8 to make it work)
-94+ Torsen diff
-Other miscalculation junk

If you want to break 200HP then it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that an aftermarket ECU is going to be in the cards. It's not impossible to do this with the stock ECU and bandaids, but it'll be far more work, and probably more money by the time all is said and done.

Spend some time reading up on the various ECUs available for this car- we have a whole subforum just for that. There are numerous units available, but the Megasquirt is my personal favorite. It's cheap, it's simple, and it works.

Another option would be to buy a complete turbo-and-ECU package. Flyin' Miata's FMII system basically comes with everything in one box, along with an ECU that's pre-configured to plug right in and run on your car. It's a bit pricier than some other options, but for a first-timer, it's a pretty foolproof way to go. For someone just starting out in this world, buying cheap parts often costs more.

Ideally, your order of operations will go as follows:

1: Do any and all mechanical mods that you have planned (differential, suspension, cooling system, clutch, etc.)
2: Install wideband 02 sensor.
3: Install ECU and injectors, and tune.
4: (time passes)
5: Install turbo and related bits.

$5,295.

Thanks for all the info, Joe. Very helpful.

Upgrade path

Worth a look

nice, that's a good read. Thanks Jeff.

Buy MS first, then go from there. Nice car btw. I clicked on the "cars and coffee" link and was surprised to see something other than a bunch of "res-rides" in NM.

A few years ago I worked in NM for about nine months and about 4-months went by where a teal green Tempo as on the side of the road, finally one day we saw someone working on it, then on the way home we found that it was gone. That's my awesome story for the day.

Post Fail :noob:

Looks to be in TN or NC, not NM

Fooger, that link is fantastic, pretty much exactly what i was looking for plus joe's tip on the FM II

If you've got the money to spend, the FMII is an easy way to get your hands dirty and make your car fast. Coming out of the BIYers corner (Buy It Yourself) - I highly recommend the FMII.