Bajan MX5
05-07-2014, 07:36 PM
#1
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Bajan MX5
Hey all, I've been trolling the forum for a few months and have already gained quite a bit of knowledge by using the mythical search feature lol. So tonight I figured it's about time I introduce myself and get to know some of the other forum users.
Some background info on me; I'm 25, fresh out of university, and I live in Barbados (an island in the Caribbean)
While the 93' NA is my third car, she's my first naturally aspirated and first rwd, so it goes without saying it's been an interesting change from fwd turbo to the miata.
I got it last year after chasing the po down for 3+ years and have been slowly but steadily restoring it since then.
The plan is to have a fun, reliable, turn key turbo miata, that can box outside it's weight class both on the track and in road races, as well as take a leisurely drive in the countryside while using the creature comforts (ac and ps).
I think I've typed enough for now, I'll let the pictures do the talking, and give you an idea of how far she's come, and what she looks like now.
Some background info on me; I'm 25, fresh out of university, and I live in Barbados (an island in the Caribbean)
While the 93' NA is my third car, she's my first naturally aspirated and first rwd, so it goes without saying it's been an interesting change from fwd turbo to the miata.
I got it last year after chasing the po down for 3+ years and have been slowly but steadily restoring it since then.
The plan is to have a fun, reliable, turn key turbo miata, that can box outside it's weight class both on the track and in road races, as well as take a leisurely drive in the countryside while using the creature comforts (ac and ps).
I think I've typed enough for now, I'll let the pictures do the talking, and give you an idea of how far she's come, and what she looks like now.
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05-07-2014, 08:35 PM
#3
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Was posting from my phone so I've edited this double post to be relevant.
My painter/bodywork man collected the car from the po once I had paid and started dealing with the rust immediately.
This is what returned:
New(to me) rubber:
Stock ride height:
At work between two of my boss' cars lol
(free) Obnoxious subwoofer:
Drove it like this for quite a bit while I decided on how best to go about the restoration process
Next up, the fun stuff!
My painter/bodywork man collected the car from the po once I had paid and started dealing with the rust immediately.
This is what returned:
New(to me) rubber:
Stock ride height:
At work between two of my boss' cars lol
(free) Obnoxious subwoofer:
Drove it like this for quite a bit while I decided on how best to go about the restoration process
Next up, the fun stuff!
Last edited by BajanMX5; 05-07-2014 at 09:09 PM. Reason: double post
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05-07-2014, 08:55 PM
#4
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Fun fact:
I have spent very little time in the West Indies, and none in Barbados. Most of my travels in the Caribbean have been nearer to Puerto Rico, where most of my family settled after leaving Cuba.
For some reason, I always assumed that the predominant flow of traffic on your island would be on the right, despite the fact that it is was a British colony during the 20th century. And I have never, in all of my travels, ever visited a country in which vehicles which opposed the local convention (right vs. left) were so noted on their registration plate.
That said, it's becoming quite difficult to find unmodified 1.6 cars in good condition, and aside from some fairly basic surface corrosion (and hose God-forsaken taillights) you seem to have accomplished this.
Welcome to MiataTurbo.
I have spent very little time in the West Indies, and none in Barbados. Most of my travels in the Caribbean have been nearer to Puerto Rico, where most of my family settled after leaving Cuba.
For some reason, I always assumed that the predominant flow of traffic on your island would be on the right, despite the fact that it is was a British colony during the 20th century. And I have never, in all of my travels, ever visited a country in which vehicles which opposed the local convention (right vs. left) were so noted on their registration plate.
That said, it's becoming quite difficult to find unmodified 1.6 cars in good condition, and aside from some fairly basic surface corrosion (and hose God-forsaken taillights) you seem to have accomplished this.
Welcome to MiataTurbo.
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05-07-2014, 09:17 PM
#5
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Fun fact:
I have spent very little time in the West Indies, and none in Barbados. Most of my travels in the Caribbean have been nearer to Puerto Rico, where most of my family settled after leaving Cuba.
For some reason, I always assumed that the predominant flow of traffic on your island would be on the right, despite the fact that it is was a British colony during the 20th century. And I have never, in all of my travels, ever visited a country in which vehicles which opposed the local convention (right vs. left) were so noted on their registration plate.
That said, it's becoming quite difficult to find unmodified 1.6 cars in good condition, and aside from some fairly basic surface corrosion (and hose God-forsaken taillights) you seem to have accomplished this.
Welcome to MiataTurbo.
I have spent very little time in the West Indies, and none in Barbados. Most of my travels in the Caribbean have been nearer to Puerto Rico, where most of my family settled after leaving Cuba.
For some reason, I always assumed that the predominant flow of traffic on your island would be on the right, despite the fact that it is was a British colony during the 20th century. And I have never, in all of my travels, ever visited a country in which vehicles which opposed the local convention (right vs. left) were so noted on their registration plate.
That said, it's becoming quite difficult to find unmodified 1.6 cars in good condition, and aside from some fairly basic surface corrosion (and hose God-forsaken taillights) you seem to have accomplished this.
Welcome to MiataTurbo.
Actually you are correct, we use right hand drive vehicles and drive on the left side of the road, which means my car is quite rare in that respect. There are about two other lhd miatas total on the island and a handful of rhd na's and nb's. Most recently I've seen one NC not sure lhd or rhd with the registration plates "MX 5".
I guess Barbados is unique in that respect cause cars, trucks, busses, etc all have to be marked lhd if imported from the US market.
Thanks for the props on the find, I'm really happy with it as well, I wouldn't have minded the extra torque from the 1.8 terribly and the ease with which I would then be able to find a nice range of turbo manifolds on this forum... but I'll make do with what I have.
(Spoiler: the altezza tails have been replaced
)
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05-08-2014, 04:14 PM
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Thanks, it really does seem like a great forum, not too serious but a wealth of information nonetheless.
Thanks man, I'm trying my best. Updates coming shortly.
Thanks man, I'm trying my best. Updates coming shortly.
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05-08-2014, 04:31 PM
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Bought some new rims next, 16x8 wrapped in 205 rubber:
Then bodywork and paint:
Rust Repair:
Slight fender pull and roll:
While all this was going on I did a foamectomy:
In case you were wondering how I delivered the car to the painter with no seats...here's how I drove the car up the road:
Then bodywork and paint:
Rust Repair:
Slight fender pull and roll:
While all this was going on I did a foamectomy:
In case you were wondering how I delivered the car to the painter with no seats...here's how I drove the car up the road:
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05-08-2014, 04:50 PM
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At this point, we were ready for paint, so here's one final artsy shot in the tattered, patchy, white guise I affectionately dubbed 'white cow':
And now with a touch of color:
Sanded down, and full coverage base coat applied:
And now with a touch of color:
Sanded down, and full coverage base coat applied:
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05-08-2014, 04:59 PM
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Up to date
This post brings you basically current, as the car has not changed any in terms of exterior mods since these pictures, with the exception of some tire shine 
So here ya are; the finished product:
I absolutely love this color
Did a deep dish wheel and quick release install as soon as I got her back:
And finally here's my aerodynamically superior licence plate bracket
So here ya are; the finished product:
I absolutely love this color
Did a deep dish wheel and quick release install as soon as I got her back:
And finally here's my aerodynamically superior licence plate bracket
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01-18-2015, 11:04 AM
#14
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Hey all, just realized other than my funny sticker I haven't updated recently so here goes.
After the last pic I plastidipped the rims all black:
Black and silver
With paint stripper
Raw metal
When it was done I took a nice pic with the tonneau cover on.
Tint all the glass!
Freshly tinted and how it sat for a while.
Then came the turbo bug.
Some bits:
Fitted the intercooler first.
Next to big bro (gonna be turboed later too)
An R-package front lip to complement the look.
After some fab work:
Manifold and downpipe shot.
Side shot from intake manifold.
Front eye level shot.
Front bumper level shot.
How it looks at the moment.
As you can see I went for an unorthodox mounting position.
As it sits the inter-cooler piping is quite simple, although the turbo intake required some creative thinking to ensure it's efficient.
I'll show you guys how I did this in future posts.
What's left to do: wastegate piping, finish welding manifold and exhaust, oil and coolant lines, weld intercooler piping and put in iat sensor, tidy up engine bay and re-tune.
And that long winded post brings everyone pretty much up to date.
Cheers.
After the last pic I plastidipped the rims all black:
Black and silver
With paint stripper
Raw metal
When it was done I took a nice pic with the tonneau cover on.
Tint all the glass!
Freshly tinted and how it sat for a while.
Then came the turbo bug.
Some bits:
Fitted the intercooler first.
Next to big bro (gonna be turboed later too)
An R-package front lip to complement the look.
After some fab work:
Manifold and downpipe shot.
Side shot from intake manifold.
Front eye level shot.
Front bumper level shot.
How it looks at the moment.
As you can see I went for an unorthodox mounting position.
As it sits the inter-cooler piping is quite simple, although the turbo intake required some creative thinking to ensure it's efficient.
I'll show you guys how I did this in future posts.
What's left to do: wastegate piping, finish welding manifold and exhaust, oil and coolant lines, weld intercooler piping and put in iat sensor, tidy up engine bay and re-tune.
And that long winded post brings everyone pretty much up to date.
Cheers.
Last edited by BajanMX5; 01-18-2015 at 03:05 PM. Reason: photos weren't working
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01-18-2015, 03:24 PM
#17
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I've learnt so much reading through build threads, and saved time and money as a result
Make sure whoever does the paint job on your car takes off as many panels as possible during prep, I discovered rust from a shoddy repair when my car was pulled apart to paint. Replaced all the bolts with stainless so now I never have to worry about bruised knuckles and broken bolts from those parts again.
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01-18-2015, 05:37 PM
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I'm sorry I missed your introduction initially. Welcome to the forum. I've been a few places in the East Indies but not Barbados. I'm afraid that the Mount Gay Rum distillery might keep me from leaving if I ever made it there. Great work on the car. I'll bring some turbo parts down in exchange for some aged rum sometime of you are interested...
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01-19-2015, 06:20 PM
#19
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I'm sorry I missed your introduction initially. Welcome to the forum. I've been a few places in the East Indies but not Barbados. I'm afraid that the Mount Gay Rum distillery might keep me from leaving if I ever made it there. Great work on the car. I'll bring some turbo parts down in exchange for some aged rum sometime of you are interested...
You should definitely plan a trip here if you can, we have some of the best beaches and weather you could ask for, and I would gladly be a tour guide for any mt.net member.
Funny enough my office is in an adjoining warehouse to Mount Gay's distribution centre.
Thanks, I can't wait to be finished and get some track time in.
Haha, I would gladly trade you some rum for car parts as I'm not a heavy drinker.
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