Z3 1990 Miata
 

Hi everyone,
I recently bought a z3 converted miata(sounds sketchy), it is in rough shape but nothing that I haven't tackled before. Goal is to build a drift car with 250-280whp. Right now I'm thinking of getting this car in good shape and selling it and starting with NB miata. But if I will have hard time selling it, I will get 1.8 salvage donor for drivetrain swap. Boost set up I have in mind is 1.8 engine controlled by MS II V3.0, gt28 turbo, alcohol/water injection. I have same set up on my KLZE probe but with China EMUSA 50 trim http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3352149/1993-ford-probe/ .

Now let's lunch this fail boat with some pics. I'm using iPhone right now, so I might have to edit this post as I go.
Here is how I got it
http://http://i30.photobucket.com/al...psolot1s7m.jpg

It seems that iphone is failing me big time on posting pictures, here is a link to a photobucket.
http://s30.photobucket.com/user/art4...ary/Z3%20Miata

Curly to the rescue!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1419518467

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...pskheaciuw.jpg

Let me go trough list of fails
Body- major fail, paint is peeling down to metal, trunk lip/spoiler was built worse way possible(new paper used as a core for fiberglass) I gonna start with new trunk lid and build a proper ducktail that doesn't look like cavalier.
Engine was running on 2 cyl, cyl 3&4 weren't firing and white smoke coming out of exhaust. I thought it was a head gasket, pulled intake, the gasket looked like coolant port leaked into cyl 3&4, I replaced the gasket, no change. Next was to pull the head, head gasket did not show any obvious fails, I had the head pressure tested and resurfaced. When fired up, problem was still there, I did more troubleshooting, turns out fuel pressure regulator failed and was pumping gas into intake trough vac line, good thing KL FPR is the same.

Clutch slave and master are shot, so I'm waiting on parts to fix that.

Gauges weren't working, turned out to be a bad fuse.

Soft top is all ripped, gonna rebuild that.

I been reading threads for past few days, tons of useful information. I have done a fair share of fab work, I was also engine lead at WSU Formula SAE when I did my mechanical engineering degree, so I can't wait to start this build. Some of my other projects are C3 Vette, KLZE probe and my wife got e46 330CI ZHP.

Welcome to the forum. It certainly looks like you have your hands full with that project.

Good luck.

Merry Christmas.

I was expecting a miata with a z3 engine

that poor car. Please tell us you are going to remove that hideous body kit and return it to proper miata form?

Pretty cool probe you have as well, a bit boy racer for me.. but still neat.

What a pile of shit.

Please tell us how many of your hard earned dollars you used to get this, a dozen? 2 dozen?

Ditch the style bar, it does no good. It blows my mind why people make miatas look like Z3's...Z3's aren't expensive. If I had my choice over Z3 or S2000, it would be S2000 all day.
Good luck with your fixing up.

I paid $1300 for it, there is nothing worth looking at around here for less than $2200, all 1.8s start at 3k. I was gonna fully cage it, and if sell attempt fails, I will end up either 6 or 8 point caging this. The big downside of this kit for race car, if I tag a wall, that $1500 just for fiberglass, and I havent see any for sale yet, that's why I would like to get NB and use this as fund raiser.

Curly, I'm living in Portland, do you know any dyno shops that rent dyno for <$100/hr ?

English is 100 an hour KO is I want to say 65 if memory serves correctly

What Martin said. KO is $60 an hour, ER is $100 an hour.

You paid $1300 for that car?

:hahano:

Welcome, Artsvetkov!

Cage that thing and Lemons or Chump car it.

Best idea ever.

Quick Update
 

Got all of the mechanical and electrical things sorted out, got soft top replaced and converted the mouse trap into a roll bar.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1421550010

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1421550010

Only thing left is to build a proper duck tail and paint before a sale attempt.

Why is it still alive.

How exactly do you figure that?

Sale attempt. :hahano:

it's still a mousetrap