First Post - Attempting an engine build
 

Hello my name is David and I am a noob.

Well here it goes. I am a 21 year old college student in Maryland who loves the automotive world. I currently go to a local community college to boost up my gpa in hopes to attend a mechanical engineering program and a local university. That being said, I am a noob when it comes to rebuilding engines, but I believe I am a smart kid. So with enough help ( that's where you guys come in :) ) I will be able to tackle this project.

I recently picked up a used 1.8 motor that needs some love. I plan on doing a mild rebuild for several reasons. First, I want to learn, plain and simple. Second, I love Miata's and want to prep the engine for boost.

I am not going to ask any in depth questions, in fear of being flamed. So I will just browse the forums for information. However, just one question, what would be the best reading material for my project, the factory manual or one of Keith Tanner's books?

A few things you might need to know..... I have all the time in the world to complete this, due to my reliable jetta :) . Also a budget exists, but things keep adding up so that has yet to be set in stone. I don't want a track monster, just a nice weekend car so lets say 200-250 rwhp. ( Yes I know, 250rwhp is no joke. ) However, being around the tuner world I know boost is addicting, thus I will be upgrading the some internals as well.

Just a reminder, Im a noob and just came in to say hello and thanks for having me.

Welcome, Esskay. Check out the Miata Gallery and post up some pics!

Brain, your autoreply is we-todd-ed.

Esskay, it's helpful to have a Haynes or similar manual just to show simple maintenance stuff. Keith's book is good for learning what you want to build. Both would have their place.

haha wow, I read this post and at first I thought I wrote it. Here's why:

-I too am new to the site, but not to the automotive world
-My name is David
-I'm from Maryland(did my undergrad at UMD and took some automotive classes at MC)
-I am rebuilding my first miata engine; 1.6L with FM turbo kit(but not my first engine)
-wanted to study mechanical engineering at UMD and settled for a combined Physics and Engineering program

But then I saw you were 21 and I was like, oh wait I'm not 21.

Well welcome to the site! Good luck with your build. If you need any help or have any questions PM me, maybe we can help each other out.

I'm in the process of tearing apart my engine, replacing seals, cleaning, etc and I've been using the Haynes manual as my reference. It's useful for torque specs and such, but if I run into a snag, I usually use google and it has returned useful results.

btw, engineering ftw! (I'm an EE)

which community college? I am in columbia.

If you are building a motor I would size everything for 400hp. You can run 250hp on a 400hp setup but if you start with a 250hp setup, you have to buy everything all over again for 400hp.

you should go to the track, nothing will teach you how to fix and build stuff like going to the track. before I started tracking I knew nothing about how to fix anything on my car. now I feel pretty comfortable doing whatever work needs to be done.

Thanks for all the input fellas, its much appreciated.

This will be a long term project and I am in no rush to complete it. I wanna do things right the first time. Just saving up money to fund the project, as well as doing research about things that are needed to successfully complete it.


Yeah, that is the route I intended to go. This will be my first build, so I am a noob when it comes to that. However, I understand where your coming from. I plan on doing a full engine build (hopefully the right way :x: ).

I currently go to Community College of Baltimore County. F-ed up my first couple years :facepalm: , so now just setting things straight.

Thanks for your comment.

Welcome!

I too was at a community college, transferring to an ME program, when I got into turbocharging the Miata.

If I were rebuilding a 1.8L, I'd definitely find a good '99 head, do some minor port and bowl work, throw in some $300 M-Tuned rods for insurance, and then be ready to play around in the 250whp+ range without worry...which is a TON of power in our cars.

I used this book for engine clearances. For everything else, the internet.

would be nice to have a pdf :party: