Hey turbo dudefolk.

Got a '93 1.6L Miata junker (mechanically fine, cosmetically garbage) that a buddy dumped on me before moving out of town. I'm turning it into a track car that will likely get a turbo/1.8swap/something next winter, but I'm gonna see how fast I can get without the turbo first. So far I've done all the safety/reliability/free stuff (seats, roll bar, harnesses, steering wheel, brakes, brake and clutch lines and master/slave cylinders, wheels, tires, radiator, reroute, struts, weight reduction, A/C delete, power steering delete, etc.) but I'm trying to bite my tongue on adding power until I've earned it. I've also got an MS3PnP sitting on my shelf that I haven't gotten to install yet; was going to learn The Megasquirt Way on a stock engine first so I know what I'm doing a bit better when I start adding power.

This is just my fun project--this car will never get daily'd--so I've been tackling it in pieces that I can take on myself. I've done 100% of the work so far, and it's been super fun for me to learn how things work, slowly make my way around the car and take things apart, and (usually) put them back together, learn how to use new tools as I need them, and so on. Work's crazy and I've got a family to take care of, so things are just creeping along, bit by bit, as I can manage it.

I've only ever taken my own car to the track once, but I have thousands of miles of prior track time, mostly on two wheels (superbike/supermoto). I've had the good luck to be able to do a ton of different racing and rally schools though, and between all of those I've probably done a couple hundreds laps on four wheels. I haven't had a chance to get this Miata on track yet, and I'm excited to get it track-ready shape for the spring (or maybe even catch some track days in the rain if I'm desperate).

Anyway, that's it. No agenda. Just soaking up all the crazy good info and saying hi.

Peace.

EDIT: people are asking for pics. The best I have is a pretty out-of-date wheelwell profile. I'll try to update it more when I have the time.

 

Welcome. Go under "Media" and start a build thread. Post up any pictures you might have of the work you have already done.

Good opening post. Lots of info. Post up some pics of the car here.

Is this still a 1.6, with 1.6 differential? If so, I've heard that the 1.6 Diff -> 1.8 Diff needs to be your next mod.

DNM

 

Ah yeah good call. I added my (kinda out-of-date) Wheelwell profile that has most of the photos.

Yeah, it's a crappy 1.6 open diff. I'm debating whether or not to try to source a TorSen or just go straight to an OS Giken clutch-pack diff, or similar. Even the TorSen will struggle if I add more than the bare minimum in power, right? I've seen ballpark torque limits thrown around between 250-300 lb-ft. Seems like I could hit that pretty easy with a 1.8 swap + turbo if I did go that route. I'd kinda hate to do a 6-speed+Torsen swap only to have to swap the drivetrain again to accommodate medium-power numbers.

Or is it cheap enough and easy enough labor-wise that I should just do that diff swap now, get the handling benefit immediately, and worry about a different diff some day in the future if I need to?

 

You need to determine your end goals and then work back from that. 250 WHP 220 Torque is a good target with stock 1.8 engine. 1.8 Torsen should be fine with that. 5 speed may even be OK. Luck of draw / empathy.

Next steps to 300 HP starts adding lots of $$$. And it goes kind of exponential from there.

Drive a 250 car and then decide.

Personally, I run 230+ HP on street and enjoy it. Run only about 175 on the track to stay away from reliability and heat issues. (only a couple of track days so far).

EDIT: Even with the above comments I am beyond my personal experiences, except for where I talk about my personal experiences.

DNM

 

Welcome! Where in the in the sound are you located. Im in the Seattle/Burien area and there are a few others that are in the area.

 

Hmm, yeah in that case it probably makes sense to get to ~225-250HP and chill there for a while before going down the "built engine" path. In that case a TorSen would be a good investment to make immediately. Thanks!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by matrussell122

Where in the in the sound are you located?

Same as you Just a bit tin-foil-hat about putting personal info out on the intertubes

 

Check out MK Turbo for the 225-250hp then when you decide to go 1.8 its just a manifold change.

 

Same as me as in Burien area?

 

Where you at? I basically have a miata junkyard if you need anything. Snohomish.

 

Seattle area.

 

Good intro post. Sounds like you'll fit in well. Welcome.

 

I have everything you need for a diff swap into a 1.6 (drive shaft, axles, diff). The diff is a torsen type 1 4.3:1 out of a '94. It's already on poly bushings. I have an add floating around the classifieds somewhere. Hit me up if you're interested.

 

Welcome.
I am in tacoma. I have purchased from Wackbards; good experience. I am in the process of learning megasquirt as well before I add the parts from MK turbo.
Its good to see more washington people here.

 

A 1.8 diff will handle maybe 400whp. We don't usually break them.