De-n00bing myself.
 

Hello everyone. :noob:

Im Col-G, 29, and live in Manchester, UK... Just joined up after being pointed over here from mx5nutz.
Ive got a '94 Imported MX5/Roadster/Miata 1.8 S-Special in black that ive had for just over 6 months.
I originally bought it as a cheap runaround while i was inbetween cars.. i used to have a mildly tuned Mazda(speed) 3 MPS which was running just over 300bhp.. but i sold it with the intention of ordering a BMW 135i at the end of summer.

This is my first RWD car.. and its been a revelation!! so much that ive scrapped the plans for the BM and ive decided to keep it!.

Anyway.. now that the car has been upgraded from "cheap car" status after having to spend a small fortune getting the sills done to get it through its MOT.
With it now being a project car.. it needs more power!.. so ive started to map out the things that ill be doing.. ive pretty much decided its going to be turbo'ed as i fancy a challenge..

Im from a Mechanical/electronic engineering background so im not scared to get my hands dirty, which i think is definitely one of the attractions to the MX5/Roadster/Miata (should i just call it a miata when i post on here? lol)

The plan for the engine is to first replace the ECU with a megasquirt (probably the DIYPNP) and WB while sorting the suspension out. as good as the bilstiens on the S-special are, they are simply not suitable for UK roads...
Meanwhile ill start collecting parts required for the turbo conversion.. im not after spending a fortune as the car didnt cost much in the first place but will spend money where its needed!..

These forums come with high praise from the UK MX5 forums and after having a browse i can see why!!.. plenty of useful info!!. not sure ill be able to add anything more, but i will do a build thread when i start the build :)

Cheers
Col G

Welcome to the board. Sounds like you have a pretty good plan of action. Definitely get the engine management running properly before you turbo the car. It just makes life that much easier.

Cheers..
The setup im looking at initially will be similar to yours actually.. either FM or Begi manifold and downpipe (whats the preferred option round here??) and chinacharger... will be running 5-6psi initially on stock injectors without an i/c - then ill start replacing and adding stuff on down the line to feed my thirst for powweerrrr :giggle:

The FM & Begi cast systems are virtually identical, so really I would choose it based on availability. The chinacharger way definitely seems to be the way to go if you want to save some money. My Godspeed turbo has been fantastic and I wouldn't hesitate from buying another one.

I wouldn't cheap out on turbo components. Unless your car looks like crap. I dunno what's with people thinking that a cheap car deserves cheap parts. Get the good stuff, and if you don't want to replace cracked DP's and oil/water lines, I'd suggest the 2-piece FM DP, along with hard oil/water lines. Also when you're ready for upgraded injectors, the RC 550s with plug-n-play clips seem tasty as all hell to me.

Welcome.

Invest first in engine management.