Greasemonkey2000

iTrader: (3)

Hello, my name is Chad and yes I like to do things backwards....namely start a build thread before "properly introducing" myself since I thought killing "two birds with one stone" just seemed more logical. I am a 30 year old male from Earth, if it wasn't obvious, and I have been married now for 7 years 10 months and I put chemicals in water for a living.

I have been "into cars" for about 16 years or so and my first was a '72 Chevrolet Malibu and since I have had about 17 other cars but none as fun as these little two seater roadsters that were conceived in the US and "born" in the land of the rising sun. I first had a classic red NB1 that I bought in January of 2013 and sold about a year later but not before picking up my current '97 M that was bone stock, minus keyless entry and alarm, w/ approx. 93k miles. I have since put more money into it than I care to think about and it still boust an amazing 140 crank hp but I hope to alleviate that soon enough.


Here is a run down of what I have done so far and some pics:
In stock form the day I picked it up:

All stock interior, minus the Nardi/nrg hub/nrg quick release I installed right away:



Modifications done in the past 15 months of ownership....
Interior:
-custom Revlimiter Warbird Edition gauges
-KG Works aluminum gauge surround
-Revlimiter brushed finish hazard switches
-Revlimiter brushed finish window switches
-Revlimiter Warbird HVAC panel
-Revlimiter vent rings
-Zeromotive a/c ring, button and *****
-DDM Works ss din w/ 3 gauge panel
-Westach dual air temp gauge
-Westach oil pressure gauge
-Westach water temp gauge
-custom "ripcord" release for trunk and fuel lid
-Pioneer head unit w/ Rockford Fosgate door and headrest speakers
-Cobalt foot well LED light kit
-Audi TT shift ring and boot(removed currently)
-Miata Roadster 5'' angled shift extender(need to replace, second one to slowly bend/deform??)
-OEM Nardi wood shift ****
-OEM wood brake handle
-360mm Nardi Classico steering wheel
-NRG short hub
-NRG 2.0 quick release
-S2000 push button start
-Flyin Miata clutch override

Exterior:
-Singular Motorsports hood louver kit
-aluminum brake duct inlets
-Ryoku Rob tow hooks
-Zoom carbon fiber mirrors
-KG works spoiler
-Cobalt low pros w/ Revlimiter quad high beam mod
-IL Motorsports side marker lights
-louvered passenger side headlight lid
-custom Revlimiter Warbird Edition center cap decals
-GarageStar license plate bracket
-Project G driver side vent window
-Runabout type II fuel lid

Suspension/chassis:
-Fat Cat Motorsports Elite 2040 coilovers 375/325 springs and 39mm stops set at 12.25"F/12.5"R
-949 Racing end links
-Racing Beat 1.125'' front tubular sway bar w/ blocks
-new OEM eccentric alignment bolts
-Flyin Miata frame rails w/ butterfly brace
-GarageStar fender braces
-949 Racing rear subframe brace
-Centric C-tek rotors
-Technafit ss braided brake lines
-Motul RBF600 brake fluid
-Singular Motorsports 2.5 brake ducts
-Butler Built 2.5'' brake ducting
-ARP extended wheel studs
-front wheel bearings cleaned and repacked w/ Lucas Red n Tacky
-15x8 Konig Flatouts w/ machined lip(12.4lbs each)
-225/45/15 Hankook Ventus RS-3's
-949 Racing forged aluminum lug nuts

Drivetrain:
-Miata Roadster short throw shifter and turret rebuild kit
-ss braided clutch line
-Exedy master and slave cylinder

Engine:
-Moroso aluminum expansion tank
...uh that's it for the motor so far.


Most recent pics:









I have been hoarding parts for a FI setup and have the following waiting to get installed: Fab9 COP kit, MS Labs MS3 basic, AEM UEGO gauge, Westach boost gauge, Falcon voltage gauge, Westach oil temp gauge, Spec Stage 3 6 puck clutch w/ approx. 2k miles, Track Dog Racing filter relocation/cooler kit and Mazda Comp motor mounts. I plan on installing the clutch, motor mounts and doing the rear main seal at the same time and installing all the gauges, wideband and MS3 and getting it tuned n/a before taking on the turbo install.

I have been looking at different turbo kits/setups since I bought a Miata and none has captivated my attention like Abe's aka ARTech, so after probably 2-3 dozen emails over the past year I finally decided to commit to a setup from him and paid my deposit for the following:
-T2 steel log ac/ps manifold
- 2.5" ss dp w/ v bands, x2 o2 bungs
- 2.5" ss dual exhaust w/ v bands
- ss oil feed & drain line
- -6an ss extended coolant lines
- 2.5'' vband test pipe

I also received two parts to contribute to the turbo setup....

A GT2560R w/ approx. 15k miles, ported wastegate and Kinugawa adj. wastegate actuator from fellow Texan and mt.net member ScottyP and a CNC machined coolant spacer from fellow mt.net member skou for the coolant reroute I just started collecting parts for.

I have only had one other FI vehicle and it was a '04 SRT-4 that I did basic bolt ons so I consider myself fairly ignorant of turbocharging, especially adding a setup to a N/A car and thus have a lot to learn.

I really am excited but know I have a long road ahead and as of now I established a "deadline" of the beginning of the summer to have everything for the turbo setup and get it all installed. Since this is my daily, down time has to be kept to an absolute minimum and to do so I know lots of planning, reading and parts gathering will have to take place. My immediate power goal is 160+whp once the turbo setup is installed and stepping it up to around 220whp over time.

I look forward to everyone's help/information/advice/constructive criticism/trash talking and I apologize for my backwards approach and hope y'all won't hold it against me.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

welcome
sounds like you're on the right track

love the revlimiter gauges and audi tt shifter trim

Chiburbian

iTrader: (1)

Why are you sticking with 2.5" exhaust?

Good build, good intro by the way.

concealer404

iTrader: (3)

Sounds better, is cheaper, and won't keep him from reaching his goals.

Chiburbian

iTrader: (1)

That may be - but it just seems so many people end up revising goals. I'd hate to spend new part money on something I am likely to replace in the future. Either way, I think you will be very happy with your car.

Greasemonkey2000

iTrader: (3)

Thank you very much Vlad! The Revlimiter gauges are my favorite item in the interior and Adam is only getting better at his gauge mastery.


A legitimate question and one that I thought a lot about Stephen and these are the reasons why I went with 2.5'':

-HP: from what I have read 2.5'' will support somewhere between 250-300whp and even if I eventually built a motor, given the available transmissions limitations, I would not want to exceed 300whp and if I do its time for a v8 swap because I chose all the components I did to create a hp cap/limitaion of sorts.

-Spool: I should only be giving up maybe a 200-300 RPMs of spool speed.

-Clearance: I shouldn't have any clearance issues with the FM butterfly brace or any other under bracing due to the size of the exhaust and can be tucked up higher to be approx. 1/2 above the bottom of the frame rails, according to Abe.

-Sound: While, from what I have read, larger diameter pipe will CONTRIBUTE to a deeper tone, ultimately the biggest determining factors (other than manifold design) are the resonators/mufflers in the system which is why I believe I am going to fore go Abe's standard 5x8x14 Magnaflow muffler and go with a 6x10x24 Vibrant muffler with a centered 3'' center inlet and dual 2.5'' side outlets, which came recommended by Abe if the deepest tone possible was my goal.

Overall from what I have read, exhaust velocity is by far the most important factor and being in water treatment/distribution I have a basic understanding of flow rate vs pipe size and given the same psi the better flowing pipe will normally be the smaller one when comparing similar sizes that meet flow requirements, this may be an over simplification but it makes sense to me and air and water have similar flow characteristics.

The best analogy I have seen is when using a garden hose w/o a nozzle and using your thumb/finger to regulate flow, the more you constrict the opening the faster the flow but you also feel the increased resistance against your thumb/finger so in the end it is finding a balance. I believe, from my limited research and understanding, the components I have chosen so far compliment each other and make a well balanced 200-300hp turbo system. (i.e. log manifold, 2.5'' piping, gt2560r)


Ben gets it, of course he is at an advantage from is "inside information".

As I stated I picked the components I did to give me "head room" w/o the "sky being the limit" components since this is currently my daily but even if it became a "weekend toy" I see no reason in ever exceeding 300whp given the constraints of the drivetrain and drivability reported by those with experience on multi power level Miata's that eventually exceed 300whp.

I am quit confident that I will enjoy the turbo setup too and look forward to seeing the difference in power levels since I plan on starting at low boost 6-8psi and working my way up until I achieve around 220 lbs/tq.


I guess the next step for me is figuring acceptable fuel system components to meet the requirements I have already established. I see NO reason for 1000cc injectors and grossly oversized fuel pump, so I have been looking and think 650-750cc injectors(Deatschwerks, Five O Motorsports or Injector Dynamics) would be a perfect compliment to the rest of the system and goals.

The fuel system is one component I have put very little research into so far, so forgive my ignorance but I figured a new/larger fuel pump only made sense and figured a 255LPH Walboro or Deatschwerks should do the trick w/o being overkill. The injectors and fuel pump from what I have read will meet my hp mimum/maximum goals even if E85 was used, have I arrived at the correct conclusion on sizing?

hornetball

iTrader: (4)

Your 2.5" exhaust will work fine for you, however this statement is incorrect.

Flow velocity is an important parameter for scavenging. So, for a normally aspirated or supercharged exhaust where you're trying to keep a set of headers working well, it's important. Obviously, it's not the most important factor, you need to balance velocity vs. backpressure so that you have minimum pressure at the exhaust ports (otherwise, why stray from the OEM exhaust, right?).

The above is completely irrelevant to a turbo exhaust. The turbine wheel is such a restriction that flow velocity after the turbine doesn't matter at all. The only thing that matters after the turbine is minimum backpressure and larger exhausts always help. There is a point of diminishing returns though, which is why I think you'll be happy with your choice.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

Welcome, Greasemonkey2000. Check out the Miata Gallery and post up some pics!

hornetball

iTrader: (4)

LOL at the auto-Brain.