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Thank you Joe, I can't believe I missed that.

 

Wow, it has been quite a while since I have updated this thread. I almost feel bad.. anyways, I started to lose compression through my valves not seating properly, so the head is currently being rebuilt. It should be done this next week (5/2~5/8). It just just a stock rebuild, but the head is getting milled down .025". In the mean time I am cleaning every nut and bolt I can. Everything is being cleaned and polished if possible, and the wiring harness has been covered with that plastic stuff with the cut down the middle. A new oem starter, head gasket, and a few other parts will be installed as well. I will take better pictures with my DSLR once the semester is over.

[IMG]
IMG_20160416_220912 by Nicholas corlis, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]
20160430_180023 by Nicholas corlis, on Flickr[/IMG]
.050" overbore for ~1.9 Liters. The bottom end is still basically brand new, and feels that way.

[IMG]
20160501_135401 by Nicholas corlis, on Flickr[/IMG]
This may not look like much, but this is the coolant pipe that runs underneath the header and to the heater core. I will probably never been seen, but I am striving to achieve an extreme attention to detail. It was cleaned and polished.

 

Now jump on it, alternator, water pump...

As soon as I saw the pic, went double time and did mine, could not look any better.

I tend to use the DSLR, but bought a cheap iphone only for pictures, practical and easy to carry around.

On a side note: do a YT search for ebay turbo corvette, white trim. I know I will get a few neg cats again. On a budget they are not bad at all.
The one thing to buy, or custom make, is the oil feed line, dont cut corners on those.

 

More updates. The machinist I brought my cylinder head to did not machine the intake valves deep enough, so they had to fix that part again. The summer semester was approaching fast and I did not have time to wait, so I drove six hours round trip to Dallas to pick up another head. Install pictures below:

1.9L overbore. After 10,000 miles, the bottom end still looks beautiful.

One rebuilt BP-Z3 head will be for sale soon seeing how I only need one.

I thought the lighting on this picture was kind of cool. It looks like something from an old magazine to me.

The car runs great now! All it needs is a turbo ..

 

What's up with the panel gap between your fenders and front bumper?

 

The car had to be towed one time, and when the driver pulled the car up the front bumper got hung up on something and ripped open the holes that the two bolts go through to connect the bumper to the fender. I'm not sure how to fix that.

 

Oh, that's a bummer. I believe those tabs/fasteners are plastic on the NA and I would assume they are for the NB too.

 

They are plastic. I was brainstorming what I could do to close the gap. I tried putting a fender washer there, but it slips out quickly. The best idea I have had so far is to get a few of these to pinch the fender and bumper together lol. I suppose it does not matter too much, as I would like to replace the bumper with either an Autoexe or Nopro bumper anyways..

 

I recently installed poly exhaust hangers on my Miata after hearing a knocking noise going over large bumps. Considering the suspension is all new and torqued to spec, I thought to try and install these to solve the issue. These work great! I highly recommend them if you have a large aftermarket exhaust system. The video demonstrates how little the exhaust moves on start up, which is pretty much none. The factory rubber stuff let the exhaust hit the rear tie down upon start up.

 

I think that coolant pipe you polished, is just plain steel. It will rust if you don't clear coat it. That's what I did. I could be wrong, but it was coated in that yellow zinc.

 

Thank you Ryan, I will keep an eye on it.

 

Is there any chance you will be removing your appearance package 2 trim? I want to buy the bracketry and fasteners that hold it on the car.

I'll pay you a lot for them.

 

Not very high, sorry. I'm a big fan of the lip kit.

 

Cool, I thought I'd try.

Thanks. PM me if you ever do.

 

Sure thing! If I ever get a body kit (NOPRO please*) I'll let you know.

 

This last Saturday I got to rip the Miata around Driveway Austin for the first time in a long while. The really exciting thing was I finally got to race the Miata against my father's MR2 Spyder that I have been preparing for him. The unfortunate part of it all was for the hour or so that we were on track, it rained pretty heavily. Not enough to really pool up on the track, but enough to make things a pretty hairy. There were only three people on the course that day, so we all unanimously agreed to drive the shortest version of the race track- no one was too keen to take 70mph turns on the full course. I drove the Miata for the first 45 minutes, and my father manned the Toyota. I have raced in the rain before, but my suspension setup always leaves me disappointed in the wet. While I never was left behind, it took my best efforts and truly nerve wracking driving to keep up with the MR2. I feel like it is slightly quicker than my Miata, and most noticeably, it accelerates out of turns SO much quicker. While in the rain at least, the mr2 exhibited easily manageable understeer almost always unless really pushed. Even with rain hard enough to have the wipers all the way on full speed, the second you come out of the apex you can basically mash the throttle. It felt unfair coming out of my Miata, where acceleration out of corners required a very, very delicate foot. Really though, the difference in out-of-corner acceleration felt like the largest and most significant difference between the two cars. The lack of ABS also gave my trouble in the rain.

So in the rain, the MR2 Spyder was the winner regardless of drivers. The clouds did actually clear about an hour or so after we finished our first run, and where my father and I swapped cars. When I piloted the MR2, my father had to pit my Miata after blowing a heater core hose. I was extremely disappointed because I STILL have yet to race against my father's MR2 in the dry, where I feel our cars will be better matched. The mid-engine placement just gives the Toyota too much of an advantage in the rain if you can manage the snap oversteer. I'll try to post a go-pro video next time we head back.