Cincykemo

Meow
My current car is a na8' with an mp62 kit on it and is by far the most enjoyable modified car I've owned mainly because of the lessons I've learned with past cars. I thought this would be a fun thread to show off past builds and give others insight into different (non Miata) platforms you have personally owned. I've linked my current build thread and my "meat n' great" thread at the end.

I'm 35 currently and started late at 26 with my first modified car. I knew nothing (and still not much) so I figured I'd get something simple and cheap so I started with an EG Honda Civic. I bought a sedan version of the car and it came with a 2.0 liter bottom end (B20) out of a CRV and a b18 Vtec head from an Integra GSR. It also came with every bolt on you could do (intake, header, etc, etc) and was tuned via a chip in the factory ecu. Having no prior experience with performance cars in anything except my dad's VW R32 the car really felt quick, this was before I knew what torque was . I ended up switching shells to the coupe in the pictures and added a set of Progress coilovers, sway bars, rear disk conversion, and good mounts. The original car came with a GSR tranny (open diff) and a worn 3rd gear synchro so I sourced another GSR tranny with a different 4th & 5th (?) that gave it the same gearing as an Integra Typre R. The combination of the car being so light, the top end horsepower (6-8k) and the short gearing was fun but by the time the car was "fast" you were already breaking the speed limit by a good amount so it wasn't super usable. I put it on a Dynojet and it made 175whp/135wtq. Like all B series it had an slight oil consumption issue and again made as much torque as a Hyundai Accent. It did have a good sound. I had a Yonaka ebay exhaust that was a knock off of an Apexi exhaust and when it was wide open sounded like half a v8 which I thought was cool




The last car I owned before the Miata and by far the best looking was an SW20 MR2. I owned the car for about a year and drove it as I bought with the exception of raising it off the bump stops and I had it corner balanced which in hindsight I should have put that money into a different suspension. Luckily the previous owner was into buying non turbo MR2's and swapping 3SGTE's into them so this swap was pretty well done as he had done quite a few. The 3SGTE was a 3rd gen motor that came in the 95+ (?) versions of the MR2 that we didn't get here in the US and offered some small upgrades from the gen 2 motors. I can't remember what the turbo was upgraded to (Garett something 20G) and from what little I read about it was a popular turbo in the early 2000's and was capable of 400+. It certainly had a little lag, the boost threshold was at about 4,300 and when it hit according to the boost gauge it was a full bar of boost. After the Civic this car felt like a rocket ship and on my butt dyno along with some more experienced friends agreed it was a 300whp car. It made fantastic sounds. It didn't have a BOV so you'd get the flutter of compressor stall and with the turbo being right behind your head in the engine compartment you could hear it spool up and down. The SW20 is also fairly practical, in fact with the front and rear trunks probably has more storage than a Miata and from the factory a more superior seating position. The front visibility in a mid engine car is also fantastic and gives the impression of being right on the ground. I ended up selling the car because I was unable to work on it and make it how I wanted it. I'd love to revisit this platform someday and do a gen 4 3SGTE swap. With a 4th Gen swap you can get a very responsive 320whp on a factory ecu, nice. I forgot to mention it had fu#kin T-TOPS!




https://www.miataturbo.net/meet-gree...friend-105546/

https://www.miataturbo.net/superchar...thread-105612/

chiefmg

iTrader: (5)

Tell me about the Speed6 in the garage behind the Civic.

Cincykemo

You sir have a good eye. That Speed 6 belonged to my roommate at the time. It had a Corksport (?) turbo, Cobb access port, tuned on e85, front mount, intake and the usual suspension upgrades. I only drove it once and at the time was making in the low 300's on virtual dyno. It was a great kind of GT car and when you put your foot down it went straight as an arrow with the AWD system, no drama just straight line fun. Unfortunately the car never realized it's full potential as the turbo had previously been in a fire and the new clutch had a slipping issue that I think my roommate attributed to a leaking rear main. The engine in the 6 came out of his Speed 3 that developed a fuel leak in the engine bay, caught fire, and burned the front end of the car badly. He had just got done doing a custom top mount setup on that 3 with the same Corksport turbo and shortly after it caught fire. If I had to guess I'd say messing with that direct injection high pressure fuel pump and lines was the culprit of the fire. At the time there was a Mazda Speed "specialist" in the area who he worked with on that car and a lot of things went wrong with the cars that were associated with that shop. A lot of the Speeds in the area were tuned on e85 without having flex sensor capability, that coupled with the MZR being a sensitive motor to tune lead to a lot of blown engines.

On a side note that same roommate was really into Conquest/Starion's and had multiple since I knew him in college. He had one when we were roommates although it sat with wiring issues and collected dust as he worked on the Speed's. I've always loved cars since I was a kid but that dude is the reason why I have the interest I do today. He taught himself all he knew and was a really good person but...I'll end that here, it's sad.

Here's some bad pictures of that Conquest and the only one I have of the Speed 6.

chiefmg

iTrader: (5)

I had a Black Cherry Mica '06, so I know what they look like. Loved mine, only got rid of it because my wife hurt her left foot when one of the dogs pushed her down the stairs. She couldn't drive for two weeks because everything we owned at that time was a manual. I just had some basic bolt-ons and suspension but it kicked ***. I only had one person ever race me, but apparently my wife attracted the attention of a lot of Civic ricers when she drove it. She obliged them by spanking them. I still have some parts I need to unload from it.

L337TurboZ

iTrader: (1)

O **** he had a Conquest too! I used to have an 86 TSI. Threw a non jet head on it, 284/284 cam, TD06 16G turbo, KDM FMIC, 3" exhaust, 1050 primary/1250 secondary injectors and tuned with a SAFC 2 and GM MAF Translator. Car put down 330HP and 400 TQ at the wheels. I also had some rare goodies like an 83 Hood and 83 tails with the amber side markers. Car was great.






I also have a Speed platform car but mine is an 07 Speed 3. Currently it has BNR S4 Turbo, upgraded HPFP, TurboXS exhaust and downpipe, XSPower Turbo Manifold with Tial EWG, 3.5" Intake and FMIC using a Treadstone TR8 core, AEM Clutch/Flywheel, Corksport Solid motor mounts and torque mount. It's definitely a fun car plus the EWG screams. I'm running Subaru STI wheels on it with hub adapters to knock the center bore down from 60 something mm to the 50 something mm the WRX wheels are. I'll probably put some coilovers on it next. I just got done installing DBA rotors, Damond Motorsports caliper bushings and Stoptech lines for the brake system.
​​​I like your cars. I miss my CRX Si with the B16A VTEC engine. It just needed too much work. The suspension was shot, and the paint wasn't great. I have thought about getting an EF sedan and doing a K Swap just for the hell of it.

Lokiel

I had a 1982 Mitsubishi JA Starion for 21 years before my Aussie MSM.

The car was one of the best GTs for its time and many years after IMO, I could drive 8 hours straight between Adelaide and Melbourne and not have a bad back due to those magnificent 6-way adjustable seats.
It had one of the best coefficient of drags for its time too so was quite economical.

When I bought it, the wastegate valve was seized shut and the car accelerated light the Space Shuttle leaving earth (well that's what the adrenalin in my system and G-force felt like).

I loved that, car and every time I went to sell it, I couldn't justify the cost of the new vehicle when it wasn't that much better than "The Staz" (my brother hated me calling the car that so it stuck).

I only sold "The Staz" when she succumbed to too much car cancer (rust).

My new car had to offer something different so I bought a convertible, an Aussie MSM.
Needless to say, I was massively let down by its lack of power, it didn't even feel like a turbo car, so I started modding it immediately.