New guy with K24 swapped Miata
 

First post, but I've been reading forums here for a few years now. I have a 2002 SE with a K24 that I've been driving/tracking for about a year and a half now. The swap completely changes the car, I'd recommend it to anybody. Just a few photos:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...83afff95bd.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a6b2387f3d.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...139f6dbaf8.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...de0c8988d5.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...af9175335b.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...2a28b53110.jpg

I'm always open to answering questions. I know not a whole lot of info is out on this swap so info can be hard to find. It's a blast!

I'm going to need an explanation on that dyno screen....

The ftlbs are all kinds of whacky, and what is the 4.910 ratio all about?

Yeah, divide by the ratio to get 190 lb-ft. He fat fingered the ratio, should be 3.91. Doesn't effect the rest of the numbers.

That torque number is actual "rear wheel torque" (as in torque measured at the rear wheels with a load cell, as multiplied through the driveline), but the X-axis is confusingly labelled with engine RPM rather than wheel RPM. Dynapacks also have a "flywheel torque" screen which divides the measured number by the driveline ratio in order to produce a chart that looks more like the torque you'd see on a dynojet display (Despite the name, this is not a figure that tries to back-calculate driveline losses).

--Ian

Nice job on the exhaust!

Welcome! Really nice, clean installation. Love the exhaust and the gauge setup too.

Not sure how I even noticed this, but I'd suggest moving that oil temp sender off the side of the block and mount it right to the chassis and use a stainless line to connect it. The sender will eventually crack off from engine vibration if you have it mounted that way. I'd hate to see that ruin your day.

That's some cool customer service.

I watched my friend almost get his k24 project completed then give up on the home stretch. Definitely could be the future of my sunburst.

So where are you located because i saw this on CL this morning

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...20a2b38c22.jpg

Now that I'm on lunch, I'll post more photos:

Here's the day I bought the car. It wasn't cheap, but it was a garaged 75k mile SE model with a hardtop. It already had a roll bar and an oil cooler so I was willing to pay a bit more. I think I paid $6500 - despite everybody saying "you can get a mint NB for like 2 grand bro!". Uh, maybe it's different around here, but that wasn't what I was looking for.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...6368e05074.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...795f71c39a.jpg
Car was clean inside and out.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...6efeadb344.jpg
First mod: Brakes, wheels & tires. I can get Dynapro for a good price through work so that's what I did. The fixed 4 piston has lots of stiffness and clamping force. BP-20 pads work great as a dual-duty compound.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3ea9d4cfe2.jpg
Break in was tough. As you can see I managed to get the rotors warm, but not real hot. The rotors are 11.6" diameter and shed lots of heat. Caliper to wheel is tight but acceptable.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...db2c7b59d2.jpg
She's a bit of a pig as stock, about 2600lbs with me in it (I think I weighed 180 at the time)
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4384aa998d.jpg
100HP just got old. Time to do something about it.



https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9b2c2b9998.jpg
Got the K24 stripped and primed with acid etch.



https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...856c13335f.jpg
A few coats of 2K basecoat and trial fit parts. Notice the Mazda logo on the intake, this fools most people - "What Mazda motor is that??"

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...84dd672319.jpg
I like to mark all fasteners after torquing to keep my sanity. I always take photos of flywheel bolts to ensure myself later they are torqued to spec.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3e9aa7553c.jpg
I have nothing but good things to say about the ACT street clutch. The pedal feels almost stock if not a bit lighter.


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d3f9209dc3.jpg
I pinned the adapter plate to the trans. I dialed in the adapter plate to the motor first to make sure it was concentric with the crankshaft. Then I transferred that to the trans, dialed it in, and drilled for dowel pins. This way it guarantees the trans input shaft is within a few thou concentricity to the crank. I think I got it down to .003". It took around 4-6 IIRC but it's worth the effort.



https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...406ae291fa.jpg
Nice clean trans with adapter plate ready to go. I don't work with greasy parts, I'm a sissy that way. I like my shit clean.



https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c6bfaa4d6b.jpg
Steering rack must be depowered. I printed plugs to thread in for a clean look.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1a48d891b3.jpg
About time!


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b5f35b239e.jpg
This was sketchy.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e14046431b.jpg
Holy shit it fits.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...74db432839.jpg
Header trial fit. Looks good.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...592d80338c.jpg
Tight fit. The header is of good quality.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a74e1164df.jpg
255lph fuel pump


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...32f5ae74d0.jpg
Removing sound deadening with a mixture of alcohol and dry ice, works like a charm. It all comes off in big chunks.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f78d11dd0e.jpg
Cascade Audio VB-1X applied. Works much better and lighter than Dynamat. I removed about 9 lbs of factory deadener and applied 10lbs of VB-1X for a net gain of 1 lb, and this stuff is way more effective.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9ef061c655.jpg
I'm not aiming for things to be super quiet, just cut down the rattles. K24's vibrate quite a bit.


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c13a70de01.jpg
You can tell when it's dry when it is no longer purple.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1a22fa3456.jpg
I went through a metric shit ton of molded hoses. I probably spent $300 and returned all but a few. I like the OE look and less stress on aluminum or copper heater hose outlets from strained hoses.


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...df77551a27.jpg
Getting closer.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f95cbd9a88.jpg
3D scan for printing an air intake. The dots allow the scanner to know where it is relative in space.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b5c74b3a14.jpg
Huge Magnaflow muffler. I like things quiet!
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...48face736c.jpg
Outlet


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9bfde5a74a.jpg
If this isn't centered it will irritate me forever.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4bac7871a7.jpg
Routing isn't too bad.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...25aa67d219.jpg
Time to figure the dash: I didn't like the old gauges and I want something more track focused, also I didn't want to fiddle with the stock gagues to work with the K24. Might as well just start over. Here's the initial mock up. All gauges must be visible all the time.


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...21c72c7e0d.jpg
Mock up wth 3D printed shroud. The tach is huge but it's the main focus, as it should be IMO.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9cc2799336.jpg
All wired up. Notice the OLED display for speedo and fuel level. The 3D printed panel was textured and painted to look like OEM plastic trim. Not easy to do but looks nice.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...88931d036a.jpg
Final product.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...bf5bcb262e.jpg
On to coilovers: Here's 3 urethane bumpstops I cast to get the desired results. I knew what I wanted in terms of force/displacement and thought it might be fun to 3D print a mold and cast them myself. Works well.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4f0d6a5a20.jpg
Here's the adjuster knob of the Bilstein AS2 coilovers. Very easy to get to, adjust, and read at a glance.


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4d0d06839a.jpg
Finished product.

Yep, that's me! I've decided it's finally time. I have 4 toy cars and it's hurting my family. I hate to see it go, this is the most enjoyable car I've ever owned.

Will do!! Thanks!!

Your kit was great, it turned a dream to reality. This car set the bar really high for future projects and I worry I'll never be able to top it.

Nerding Out
 

Let's paint a picture: I'm a car nerd. I'm a car guy, but an automotive suspension engineer as well. So I nerd out on everything. Hopefully these pics will give people some ideas now that 3D printing is becoming a reality for home users:

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...640d36c167.jpg
RPF-1s were scanned to make sure the Dynapro's would fit with a Mini Cooper 11.6" rotor. Big, cheap rotors combined with a stiff caliper. Win!


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d2448d4e2c.jpg
I recreated the Kmiata adapter plate in 7075 aluminum. The Kmiata is steel, but for a good reason: thread stripping. I made one out of aluminum, lightened it, and used thread inserts.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5c2068d0a3.jpg
I scanned the deal in the console to turn off the passenger airbag. Using that profile, I created a new panel to mount the Wilwood remote proportioning knob. Looks factory. I'll get a photo of the finished product.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...6959e59830.jpg
Front suspension to check clearances with the Bilstein AS2's and a 15x9 wheel.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...6c5c3af023.jpg
Same for the rear.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5db8b090e5.jpg
I like to use a combo of poly and bronze bushings. The control arm pinches on the center steel sleeve while the poly rotates with the aid of the bronze bushing. This helps to remove bind and rely more on the shock/spring to control movement. I think I'm on McMaster's christmas card list.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1820543af6.jpg
Cluster modeling


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1df79de4bf.jpg
This uses the square hole in the firewall for the cruise control and holds the remote bias adjuster cable. Looks clean when installed. I try to keep the firewall as clean and sealed as possible.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d522e38b0e.jpg
Weight of steel radiator bracket.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4b7666748d.jpg
Weight of 3D printed bracket. Every ounce counts, I did this on numerous parts, but ended up scrapping a couple due to durability.

Looks dead on how my car would look if K-swaps were road legal here, except the gauges. Great work, keep the updates coming!

Thanks Harry. Gauges are tough - everybody has their own idea of how they should look - just like wheels.

I hope to give back to people on this forum that I've been lurking on for so many years but never had anything to contribute.

I now feel like a cave man, with my MIG and hammer, etc. Me make pretty things some day....

Freaking lovely.

I am in love with this car. It's everything I want.

That exhaust looks almost exactly like my Artech system. Is that header at risk of vibrating on the oilpan/trans?

Well if you buy it you can store it at my house until you are in the area for work again.

Well, it is for sale! I can't post an ad here yet, I think I need to be approved? Not sure.

I'd have to double check on the header. I know it's damn close to the flywheel cover, but decent clearance to the oil pan. I was worried about oil temps but it hasn't proven to be an issue at all.

If anybody has any questions be sure to ask, I don't mind helping at all.

Uh huh. You seem like an intelligent person. We are to believe that you don't know why you can't post an ad, and that you don't know what you're actually trying to do with this thread?