New PNW Member! Don't get too excited.
 

Hello everybody, after a year of ownership I've decided to introduce myself here. I've been on the forum here awhile, and bought a couple things but that's about it.

My name is Colton, I am from Monroe, WA and am a 19 year old automotive student. I'm fairly mechanically inclined, I'm always down to help out local people, and I like to make stuff if I can instead of buying. I have a 1995 Montego blue. I bought it stock and everything that has been done to it was all me, be it good or bad. I've gotten to the point with my modifications that I'm gaining ground on turbo territory and I feel like I'm ready, hence my intro into the forced induction forum.

I'm going to dip my feet with engine management first while remaining naturally aspirated, but I plan on turbo sometime in the near future.

That's about it, any questions please ask. I'm a pretty laid back guy and I look forward to extending a helping hand anywhere I can.

Pictures! Because every thread is shit without pictures. We'll go semi chronological for the hell of it:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368681000
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368681000
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368681000
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368681000
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368681000

Welcome aboard. What cage is that?

Cage is an autopower bolt in. I wasn't planning cage for a daily, but I'm small, my seat is low, and the price from a local friend was waay too good.

Overall I'm happy with it, any questions let me know.

Very cool cage! very interesting design.. I like your wheels too!

Welcome, ColbyDangerJones!

Thanks for the welcome, I appreciate it. I've skulked around here for quite some time now, in the planning process for what type of turbo build I'm looking for, and determining my power goals.

I have to say the classifieds section on MT.net is bustling with good stuff all the time.

I've really determined that before I start collecting turbo parts, I need to still get a few things sorted out:

- I need a new transmission, my second gear has been bad ever since I bought the car.
- While the transmission is out new clutch, planning on FM happy meal with lightened flywheel.
- Harnesses (really before everything)
- Get seat lower to get away from the cage. I've been looking into the PCI non sliding mounts.
- Decide my goals/price point/which megasquirt to go with/build maybe, and tune it N/A.

Once that's done, I think I'm going to build my own turbo system. Planning for ~ the ballpark of 200hp, simple build, T25, sourcing random parts.
-Going to have to figure out what exhaust to run at this point as well, but I want quiet (still stock and love having no attention payed to me.)
-Should get wider tires, but probably won't.

This was really mostly for me to think this through in my head and have a place to go back and look, but I would love it if people chimed in with their opinions as well as advice.

My only prior experience with turbo of any sort was in building and swapping my friend's sr20det, T28 blacktop into his s14. That motor was around 220hp estimated, untuned at stock 8psi wastegate.

After driving that car, I set my goals to be fairly proportional in my opinion.

Wow, I type too much.

Black car with white wheels and cage: winning.

Welcome fellow PNWer. You'll like 200hp in a light NA, the SR20 T25 I have is absolutely perfect for the engine.

Yeah, I think 200hp will be perfect for my needs. And the small trim turbo will fit with the BP engine. I don't want a monster, I just want a precise, responsive car that functions as everything.

Eventually it will be retired to track only when I feel like I'm financially secure enough to do so. Until then, I'm gonna drive the hell out of it.

welcome, i am from kirkland !

I've ridden in Curly's car on track and it's a hoot. 200hp is a good point for an NA. Does yours already have an LSD?

For tracking it after boost you'll want to make a number of upgrades. Reroute, radiator, brakes comes to mind. There's also inconel studs and resbond for you turbo guys to deal with.

Yes, my car has a Torsen 4.10. I've also got a multi-clutch type from an 88 RX-7 GTU that I've been debating on trying out. I've read on the pro's and cons, but the clutch type would be a setup to go to my local drift track. To do so though I would need a full extra housing as well as ring & pinion because I'm certainly not cannibalizing my precious torsen.

I have a full aluminum radiator that cools extremely well, and I have thought about the coolant reroute, but my research hasn't yielded much in the way of DIY that I understood well enough to tackle it just yet. I could buy it, but it seems too simple to be as expensive as it is.

Car has standard rotors with Hawk HP pads all around, I don't know if I could give up the ability to run 14" wheels to run a big brake kit though and the cost is through the roof. Are there other more affordable options?

My thoughts were along the lines of my motor. In every regard it does seem healthy, and with my relatively low boost and horsepower goals I think it would hold up well. But the fact that is has 150,000 miles on it can't be completely disregarded. I do know that I don't want to put an extreme amount into the motor though before.... well everything. It's just not in the cards.

All maintenance is done on the car. New water pump, timing belt, cam/crank seals (not rear main), new heater/radiator hoses, thermostat, ect.

I appreciate the opinions, you guys are being quite helpful. And you're actually reading the huge novels that I'm constantly typing out. Keep em coming!

Oh, and a picture to show some safe shit goin' down and I'm not a complete hooligan:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368827415
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1368827415
No, it isn't SFI approved but I feel much better driving it and now I feel okay with having a passenger.

VERY good decision. My brief experience with a clutch type LSD makes made me feel like it was closer to a welded diff than anything "limited".

There are too many reroute threads, I agree. You need these parts:

BEGI spacer $93
BEGI sourced kia thermostat housing $23.5
car store sourced GM hose $15
car store sourced freeze plug $.3
car store sourced toggle switch $5

Install goes as follows: strip the back of the head and top radiator hose setup. Install freeze plug in front, then install spacer/thermostat/thermo housing combo, and route house to top of radiator. Cut pigtail off fan switch and wire that single wire to ground through the switch.

You're now rerouted and fans are controlled with a switch. Once you go MS, the MS will control the fans with the ECU thermo sensor.

Bottom line is our single piston calipers kinda suck. With the right pads they can be great on track, but taper pads like no tomorrow, wasting half the pad. And with wilwood calipers at $250/pair, no, there's no real budget setup for those, since you also need custom brackets and new SS lines. I believe TSE's old 11" is one of the best, big vented 11" rotors that only cost $30, but they no longer sell them, only the epic 11.75" kit. FM sells their little big brake kit now though, you can either keep your 10" 1.8 rotors, or for the same price (+new rotors) go for their wilwood/11" sport rotor package. All for $450, doesn't get cheaper than that.

Damn Curly, I hope you don't mind being my new best friend.

I seriously appreciate all the information and advice, and I'm glad you decided to chime in on my thread.

Also, you mentioned the clutch type LSD being quite aggressive, and more spool feeling than anything; do you know if it was a racing type/brand name?

I have driven a friends car with an OS Giken 2 way clutch diff, which chirped around parking lots even. I can't imagine though that the stock RX-7 LSD would be quite as aggressive as that.

I ask this because I am considering selling the RX-7 differential to avoid all the work/money that still needs to go into it, then finding out it isn't quite aggressive enough. Instead, having an open differential welded by a local shop specifically for drifting might be the cheapest option.

Mine was too aggressive. I tried the thinnest shims I could make, and it was just a welded diff. I should of tried it without any shim, but it had hardly any lockup on my work bench. After the first few attempts and after reading savington's opinion on here about them, I sold it. The other big issue, even if you get the corner exit right, the generally push like crazy on corner entry. It was very unnerving on my testing roads. I had no confidence.

Yeah, I'm leaning toward buying the cheapest open differential I can find and having it welded. I'm not planning on drifting competitively, so a welded differential will be the most cost effective route for the learning curve, and will be more predictable on the track than trying to learn the quirks of a new limited slip.

Thanks for the info on your experience with the clutch type differentials!

Are you just welding the stock diff?

Yes, I'll be welding a stock open differential when I find one. The torsen will remain untouched.