New Friendly SE Michigan Idiot Looking to Waste all his Money
 

Hello Everyone. My name is Will and I've been lurking around these forums for a while, reading more than posting. A couple weeks back I purchased a 1991 NA Miata w/VLSD and 83K miles. I got it for $2,400 which seems like a decent deal since it's mechanically flawless except for a little play in the shifter (fixed already). It has no rust at all (something very rare in the snow-belt). Other issues include a dirty rear soft-top window, and small body damage on the rear quarter panel. I can't wait to get wrenching on it this winter, and track it hard in the summer. (Yes, it will be turbo and yes it will be 1.8L). It is not going to be full track car but it won't be a DD. I am shooting for 240 wheel HP on 93 octane. If I can't make that number I will go to E85 and/or Meth. I'm just looking to build a fun weekend car that is capable of AutoX, HPDE, and maybe one or two drift events for fun.

Why did I get a Miata?

That's simple, good sir. I wanted a car that is cheap, fun and RWD with unlimited potential. I love boost too and clearly these cars take that very well. I was actually originally shopping for an Evo, but figured a Miata would teach me a lot more about track driving at a lower operating cost (15 inch tires FTW).

Anyways enough talking...

My build thread can be found here: https://www.miataturbo.net/diy-turbo...9/#post1283288

Here is me:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447432827

This is my DD: (2007 gti, Full bolt-ons, K04 turbo, 93 octane, ~320whp).
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447432827

And this is my new baby:
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More information over on the build thread. Can't wait to start boosting and partake in turbo Miata shenanigans with you all.

Whalecum to the phorums!

Your build thread is promising. Needs more cats in both this thread and that though.

That has got to be one of the least-molested 1.6s I've seen in a long time. Hell, even the dipstick handle is unbroken.

Welcome aboard.

Ask and Ye shall recieve:

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Thanks guys, yeah the car itself is in beautiful condition. The best part? The car has never seen snow, and it's only seen rain once or twice. The guy had to sell it because of wife flak, and he had it online and sold within a day.

Helpful hint: when the upper radiator tank turns that color, it means you need to replace it.

Probably a good idea to do the timing belt while it's out. 25 years is a long time for a little strip of rubber. (Fortunately, Miata engines are of a non-interference design.)

The 1.6 rear differential is failure prone and can be swapped for the 1.8 unit.

Welcome.

Thanks for the tip man, you are a gentleman and a scholar. Guess its a good time for a FM radiator.

Good idea on the belt, I was planning on doing the belt and the fluid just so I know exactly when all that has been done. Maintenance is always the #1 thing when tuning.

Thanks man. Gah, I forgot to put that in my build plan list. Yeah I was planning on picking up a torsen unit since I think my VLSD is going anyways. Honestly it feels like an open diff a lot of the time.

At some point, you are inevitably going to be introduced to the concept of a "coolant reroute" in the context of your cooling system. You're going to be told to search and read, and when you start doing this, you're going to come to the conclusion that we're all a bunch of madmen who can't come to a consensus on anything.

I suggest you have a stiff drink ready.

I'll give you the Cliff's Notes version:

The Miata engine was originally designed for a FWD application. It had the thermostat in the "back" (flywheel side) of the head. When Mazda put it into the RWD Miata, they royally fucked up the design of the cooling system by moving the thermostat to the front of the head. This causes the engines to run very hot, and to be cooled very unevenly. Fixing this generally involved moving the thermostat back to its original location at the back of the head, which is a bit of a pain in the ass to do. There are several off-the-shelf kits available to help you. Some of them are badly designed, and I can think of one in particular that will cause more harm than good. Also, when you upgrade to a 1.8 engine, the specific year you choose will make a difference in what the best solution is, as Mazda took a half-assed stab at correcting the problem in 2001 by changing the head gasket design to one that blocks about half the coolant ports.

I'll let you suck on that hot popsicle of awful for a while, and assume that curiosity will eventually get the best of you.


And, again, welcome aboard.




edit: an automated bot named Braineack will shortly post in this thread, thanking you for joining the forum. I keep trying to time it, but the algorithm is tricky. We created Braineack years ago, and it's evolved into a semi-sentient AI that nobody can figure out how to shut down. It passes for human eerily well.

Yep already heard of this massive engineering f%*kup. I actually bought the coolant reroute already, as well as a sandwich plate for when I get Megasquirt. I still have a stiff drink ready because its Friday anyways :party:

Hehehe I like this place already :) Actually I'll need to contact this android soon to make my Megasquirt. Hopefully his software is up to date and he got the firmware update that says he should start giving all new users free MS3's.

Welcome to the site Goingnowherefast, thanks for joining up!

There it is.

BraineackBot has been acting glitchy lately...