sPoOlYbOi

Hey MT, I'm a welder/fabricator. I'm from Boston, MA but live in kentucky. This is my second miata I've owned. I had my first when I was about 16-17.


Anyway, I mig, tig, and stick weld, certified up to 6g on tig and stick separately. I'm going to be doing a lot of random fabrication on my miata. I've owned the car probably 5 days now and it took me two to realize that I had to immediately mount my drivers seat on the floor. So I did that, retaining stock sliders.


Going to be building my own stainless turbo manifold. The one currently on it is warped and I can only get two turbo bolts into it. Custom by the p.o.


Exhaust also gotta go. It's custom by the p.o. And dragging to the point that I've ground down some of the pipe by the diff. I have dual exits now! 🤣


Anyway, I'm at work and can't sit here and type too much but it's good to be back into the miata life. This time with 10lbs of boost and a whole lotta fab and mechanical skills.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

Welcome to the forum. I'm not sure if we have any other pool boys here.

Fabrication is a useful skill. Any ideas what components are on the car already?

sPoOlYbOi

Pool boys? Not sure I've heard that one before.

Thank you! Attaching the mod list that was posted with the car's ad. Take a look. I got this car off a trade out of an Audi b5 s4. I do not miss it 🤣






I'm taking care of the immediate maintenance issues before I start diving deeper into go-fast territory. The turbo manifold is one of those issues. I get full boost right around 4k on a gt25r turbo. Lots of exhaust leaking up front. Besides this, smoothing out the kinks in the street tune it's running, and maybe changing spark plugs and doing a COP conversion for all of those benefits, and replacing eBay parts with quality options, I think the miata is in great shape mechanically.

Took a look at the rest of the exhaust and it's hobbled together from scraps of mild steel pipe and aluminized tubing, and gasless flux welded. A stainless unit will be replacing it shortly, whether or not I decide to fabricate it. A 12-14 foot stick of 3" 304L tube, flanges and exhaust gaskets, and maybe a resonator should put me in the same price point as buying the cheapest crappiest ebay exhaust, without a downpipe (mine is also ****.) I think the decision is clear, I do want a well fitting pie cut stainless exhaust from the turbo back (if all goes well at least.)

While I'm nursing the exhaust I suppose I can look into repairing the heat shield that raddles and squeals at certain engine rpm. It's so loud.

I've got some 6xxx series 1/8"+- aluminum sheet meant to go to the Ford manufacturing plant from a factory I did work in. Still trying to find use for it. Rear diffuser? Undertray? Spoiler? New heat shield? Haven't really decided but I've been eyeing the DIY threads here a little.

Anyway, I think im at a great starting point with this build. I'm not quite sure what direction I want to go with this project, but I do plan on hitting NCM Motorsports park sometime before the end of this season and see what it will do in an autocross and/or drifting event.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

It won't autocross well with the welded diff. And Miatas make lousy drift cars because of their low polar moment of inertia, but it makes them great track cars. But torsen diffs are easy to find in junkyards and will give you everything you need.

Yeah, I misread your screen name for something to do with a pool boy. I was driving and using the mobile app and the font is small.

There's quite a few guys here who are doing track days within driving distance of you. Hopefully they find this thread.

tomrev

I had the same thought with the welded diff; especially on the street? That would be my first move.

sPoOlYbOi

I'll probably end up running it till it grenades and then find a Rx7 diff (and accompanying things,) or some other diff.. It's really not bad on the street and in parking lots. The tires are pretty grippy too, so it's also not scary in the rain either.

sPoOlYbOi

I'd like to meet up with them! I don't have much recent seat time but since the track is so close by I'll be able to resharpen my skills. I'm only minutes from NCM.

Sorry for the double post.

Scaxx

It's unlikely that the diff will grenade, but I would get rid of it sooner rather than later. Welded diffs really don't belong in something meant to handle corners unfortunately.