Garman

Hello everyone,

For the past several years I've been dreaming of building an Exocet based on the Miata and the time(cash) has finally come.

I purchased my donor Miata last weekend and my order for the Exocet goes in tonight. Since things are now a reality I figured it's time to get serious and join this informative and thoroughly entertaining site.

I'm hoping to gain as much knowledge as possible about the Miata. I plan on doing some part time racing and plenty of weekend cruising. I've wrenched/raced Celicas and Supras in the 80's, 300z's in the 90's, Land Cruisers in the 00's and now I'm fulfilling my dream of a racing Miata.

Here's my donor. I'll be selling everything but the engine and chassis in about 12 weeks once my frame arrives. It's kind of a shame to tear a perfectly good car apart but the results will be worth it, I think.




Thanks in advance for all of your help contributing to this site.

Ryan_G

iTrader: (8)

Hello fellow Tampa friend. There are a few of us active forum members from the area. Six-shooter, Miata2fast, and Tony Montana are all in the greater Tampa area. Looks like a fun project. I'm sure we would all be down to drop by and possibly help out sometime.

Garman

Hey Ryan,

I appreciate the offer. I have a feeling I'll be taking you up on that once I get into the build. Right now I'm just doing a lot of research on turbos and engine internals. I plan on installing a turbo so I may ask your opinion on some applications soon.

Of course, I bought the car right before the coldest week of the year so I haven't even had the chance to enjoy it with the top down. I'm hoping for warmer days ahead.

shuiend

iTrader: (24)

I will hopefully be bringing out a Exocet specific setup sometime in the next 6 months. I have one local to test build on, just need to find time to get it into the garage.

LukeG

Dope. You'll love it. The thing is batshit crazy and a boatload of fun with a decent amount of power.

What color frame/body and what are the build plans (engine, suspension, trans, etc.)?

I can also provide a bunch of tips after having to redo a large portion of mine. The oem gas tank does not work well without some mods fyi.

Garman

Thanks for everyone's responses. I'm super excited to get busy on this project.

My wife is undecided on my choice of color (Blue Madness) so I decided to get one more round of color samples this week and get the order in next weekend.They are right about the color choice being one of the most difficult decisions. I've got color sample swatches all over my kitchen.

My son was pushing me for an LS swap but I'm just not ready to take on that level of modifications just yet. So, I'm trying to determine the best turbo setup for use in the Exocet. Of course, I want as much power as possible but don't want to deal with reliability issues either. My plans are to install forged pistons and rods and also considering shaving the head but I've heard that it isn't a good idea unless it's necessary. I'm still researching transmission options.

I'm a little surprised how slow my Miata is stock. Not that it's ridiculous but I thought the engine would be a little peppier than what I've got. My donor has 151,000 miles so a good tuneup could help. I have to get above 4000 rpm for anything to really happen. I can't wait to get it on some twisty roads to see what it can do in the corners. Everything is stock and hasn't been touched so I've already replaced the rear wheel bearings which were incredibly shot. The guy who owned it before me must have been deaf to not hear those things howling in back. Other than that the car is super solid. I can do 80 on the highway and it tracks straight and doesn't shake at all. I'll be installing some coilovers soon so I'll be needing some recommendations on that front. There's a ton of options.

Anyway, lot's to think about and do so I appreciate everyone's willingness to help. Thanks!

LukeG

If I did it all over again, I would have gone for an LFX/LGX (current camaro V6) from the beginning. Just as light as the Miata motor and turbo (iron block) and makes 335hp in factory trim with torque down low. Pretty awesome engines and the trans seem to be good too. V8 Roadsters makes a kit. They are in Tampa as well and if was that close to them it would be a no brainer.

For suspension, seriously consider Xida GS or XL coil overs from 949 racing. They are the only coil overs I know of that let you get the optimum ride height on the Exocet. Those guys figured out the rear needs to be 10mm lower than the front because the Exocet is a bit different than the Miata in geometry. I'm currently using FM Vmaxx's, but going to Xidas as soon as I have the cash.

Hit me up when you go to setup the oem gas tank. It will not work for **** without some mods. I was getting fuel starvation under half a tank and the exocet fuel tank mounts suck ***** and will rip on you if you don't have a solution.

It's a fun adventure. I bought my car already built, but have literally replaced or removed nearly everything on the car at this point trying to make it more reliable and perform better.

There is a good Exocet facebook group that is pretty active.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/exoc...rs/?ref=direct

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

Welcome to the forum. We need a few more track rats in our local group so it's good to have you. We'll meet soon, probably.

mr steve

Im in tampa as well, Hi

Garman

Six Shooter/ Mr. Steve - Looking forward to meeting up sometime. Let me know if there's ever any local events you guys are heading to and I'll see if I can drop in. I'm just riding around in my stock Miata until the Exocet frame arrives but after that things get exciting.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

We'll be in touch. PM your phone number.

JohnAdams

Small world. Im 30 mins north of Tampa and also just started on my Exocet Build