Looks good man. You weld better than I do. Do you have a pipe expander? When I welded up my cat back I had to take my pipes to a local exhaust shop to have an adapter made for me. Then I (horribly) welded everything up myself.

My intake temps were really really hot with the airfilter positioned by the firewall like that. Don't recall the exacts, but I got someting like a 20F drop in intake temp when I moved the filter as far forward as possible. Look in the vbgarage at a pic of olderguy's install to get a visual.

You're also going to want a heatshield over your turbo. An old license plate works great, if you don't have any aluminum and a rivet gun.

Ben

 

exhaust looks good. whens the MS goin in?

 

It's alive!



Here's a short video of what the exhaust sounds like. I plan to get some better video soon, this was filmed with my camera. The exhaust sounds so much better than I imagined! It's sporty, but not loud or raspy at all. I'm very pleased with it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNdez_4Y8b0

I still have some things to do in the short term, (install water injection, heatshield, wideband, 02 clamp, etc) but it's to a point where I can drive it easy and break it in for the next few weeks while I tackle each one of these items. Heck, I've even got a full tank of 87 octane that I need to run out.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I am calling this phase 1 and will be developing my plan for more boost and fuel.

Here are a couple pics of the engine bay. I haven't had time to actually detail things under here, so it's still pretty filthy. I hope to get it shined up in the coming weeks.

 

omg, that paint is rediculously clean. i love it.

 

Ok...time for you to add a page to your turbomirage site for the miata.

 

Tom, thanks for posting the Magnaflow sound clip! I'm thinking of getting a better exhaust for my '90 Miata. I had a custom Magnaflow system on my SR powered 240sx, but had to add a resonator and flex pipe later. Did you have a resonator on yours? -ah never mind, you do - from a Evo.

 

first time seeing this thread tonight, looked through it all and it looks like you do clean work on your car and I can tell that it is not your first time welding and installing craps on a car. I am sure that you will be pleased with your final product and even at 5 psi, the miata really comes alive ... shoot im running 10psi and i am completely satisfied.

 

Thanks guys!

Tremiata: Yes! I do need to add a Miata section of my Website. I gotta get off my butt and do that.

weitau: No problem! I've beend driving the car and the sound of this exhaust is perfect for my tastes. Nice and quiet while cruising but sporty at the same time. There is no resonator in the system. I had originally planned on it, but space was a little tight, so I decided to try it without. I'm glad I did, it sounds great. I've got Magnaflows on both of my 4G63 powered cars and love the sound of those also.

akaryrye: Thanks! I've definitely enjoyed working on this car and have enjoyed the support from all of the Miata folks. I notice the power improvement just driving around back roads, and I'm loving it already.

 

How's the car running with just the FMU? Are you planning on getting a different engine management setup?

 

[QUOTE=underdog;131578]Hello All,

The section of hose is Napa truck radiator hose. It is 2.5" and is very tough. It comes in a variety of bends and is affordable compared to the same part in silicone.



Hey Tom, what exactly are you using that truck radiator hose for?

Thanx
Phil
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I had to look twice but in this pic you can see it's the piece between the "U" coming off the outlet of the FMIC and before the TB Inlet/BOV section.

 

B16AEJ1: I wasn't able to drive the car much last week, but finally ran the full tank of 87 octane gas out of it today. That and I finished my water/alcohol injection install over the weekend. I plan on getting a wideband before I run the car hard, so I'll have more info after I get that installed.

levnubhin: As Josh posted, I used that rubber section to connect from the "U" from the outlet of the intercooler to the small TB inlet pipe. I could've done steel piping here, but wanted a little flexibility.

Also, I got one of the black turbo blankets from Alamo and love it! It is far easier than trying to rig up a heat shield, and it does a great job of keeping the heat contained. I just made a slit in it for the wastegate rod to pass through.

More to come!

-Tom

 

Hey, your car looks amazing! You have done a super nice job, I shall now aspire to make my car as clean as yours.

How much welding experience do you have? I really want to fab up an exhaust like yours using a friend's welder, but have honestly only welded once in my life.

 

That's some neat looking pipework in your engine bay

Just shows what CAN be done with a little time & know how.

 

+1 for radiator hose technology

 

Congrats on the purchase of the car. That is a very clean and collectable Miata. Your installation looks very clean also. You do very good work.

I might suggest adding a heat shield for the brake master cylinder and also for the underside of your hood. I used a double insulated shiny aluminum cookie sheet from Walmart attached to the ribs on the underside of the hood with very short sheet metal screws. It will keep the turbo from bubbling up that pretty yellow paint on the outside.

Keep up the good work. This is a very nice example of how to install a Greddy kit right the first time with a few choice additions.

 

That is good advice--heat made my silver hood turn a chaulky gray-white in the area directly over the turbo, before I added a heat shield.

 

Thanks again for the questions, comments and support everyone! I really do appreciate it.

92Black&Tan & Ben: I got one of the turbo blankets (as seen here) from Alamo. It completely wraps around the turbine housing and does an excellent job of containing the heat. I think it’s more effective than a heat shield, although I’ll probably still do something on the underside of the hood as a preventative measure.

magnamx-5 & jim-NA: Napa truck radiator hose is the stuff! The straight sections of it that they sell are bomb-proof. Overall, the piping on this car was very simple to route.

speedf50: I’ve been welding for about 4 years. I started off by learning from a friend who is a professional welder. That and the video that came with my welder taught me quite a bit. All of that is useless without getting plenty of practice though. Just start welding stuff to other stuff. :-) Welding is half of the equation in building stuff. I think patience and a knack for fabrication are more important.