Godless Commie

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Bodywork and paint was finally done.

I was after a really bright red. I looked at all kinds of red cars and the Mini Cooper really stood out. It has the best shade of bright, deep red for a small car as far as I am concerned.
So that's the color we went with.




I was invited to attend Japan Fest. There was no time to put the car together for that event.
I checked with the organizers if I could show up in pieces, and they were delighted.


The stock 15" rims with really old tires are only used during garage projects to move the car around, btw.

I also cleaned the hell out of the bottom of the body and applied undercoating before installing the subframes and stuff. Clean.

Godless Commie

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I did not want a heavy clutch pedal.

The consensus when it comes to the 240 mm BMW clutch in a Miata is "upgrade the clutch master to a 19 mm unit to achieve the necessary throw".
Well, that makes the pedal a bit too heavy.

I experimented with a 19 mm clutch master cylinder from a Land Rover (fits perfectly with a simple adapter plate to get the angle right), and yes. Heavy pedal.



Turns out BMW offers a million different clutch slave cylinder diameters. They range anywhere from 20.64 mm to something like 27+ mm (maybe 29, it's been a wile). I bought the smallest one.



A friend had just bought a nice RF. I drove that car and thought the clutch pedal feel is just perfect.
We made a crude tool using a broom stick and a digital scale and measured the pedal effort. It was around 9.4 Kg.

Then I put together the stock 16 mm Miata master with the 20.64 mm BMW slave (I did make a custom hydraulic line for it, tho), and measured the pedal effort.
It was exactly the same as my friend's RF!

Not only I have perfect clutch operation, pedal feel is just right, too. I had many, many happies.

Godless Commie

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With a freshly painted body, it was time to put everything back together.

Here's a before shot with stock stuff:




And, this is what it looks like after all the work is done. I know, no exhaust yet, but it makes for a clearer picture.



I like the fact that it almost looks "normal" and the PPF is there. I mean, that PPF is what makes a Miata a Miata as far as I am concerned. Deleting that would mean robbing the car of its spirit.
Again, that is a very, very, very subjective opinion on. You could say "chuck the damn thing" and you could be right for your own reasons.

Godless Commie

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I wanted to lower the engine for a few reasons...

Lower CG, better turbo crap clearance under the hood, and achieving a perfect 2 degree angle for a very precise driveline alignment.

People lower the engine by about 1/2". That is roughly 13 mm.
Heeding that great rule of thumb, I went with about 22 mm. I mean, why not?

Instead of dealing with complicated parts, I just went nuts and re-drilled the bolt holes on the engine mounts...






Pro tip: If you want stiffer engine mounts for a not stiff price, just use Ford Ranger (or whatever the Mazda truck) engine mounts. They fit with very little hassle (you need to grind a small tab off) and they are strong.

Hell, yes!

Then I had an ooops moment when I saw the oil pan sticking its neck out from under the subframe...






Not even a hit, I mean, one serious scrape coming out of a steep driveway would mean a ton of headache...

I did not want to un-lower the engine, so it was time for a strong skid plate.
I used 5 mm steel for that.













I drilled as many holes as possible without weakening it to a) make it lighter and b) maintain the airflow around the oil pan.
Tested it (unintentionally) a couple times so far, and the thing is plenty strong.

I used M8 rivnuts, and it is mounted with a total of 10 bolts.
(Pretty sure it won't fall off)

Godless Commie

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The exhaust...

I wanted a 76 mm setup all the way.
Having embiggened the large turbo, I wanted the engine to breathe easier.

(I had observed a drop in boost past 6000 rpm with the old setup, and had been dying to address that issue.)

Plus, I had already made room for a 76 mm exhaust by moving the diff 25 mm to the passenger side.
Also, I had been talking to Iskender (the exhaust/CFD wizard I have mentioned several times on this forum.

So I took the car to him.

I had one simple request: As quiet as humanly possible without sacrificing flow.
He went to work and custom built a resonator and a silencer for me. All stainless steel.

The end product is something that belongs on a wall rather than under the car.






These photos fail to capture the jewel like beauty of the exhaust system.
The car is truly quiet, and it pulls like a bag of dynamite went off in the trunk when I get on the gas.
I have so many happies with it.

Godless Commie

iTrader: (2)

A project if this magnitude could not be complete with a massive **** up.

See those bolts through the cam gears?



Turns out I left those bolts loose when I replaced the timing belt and the cam seals (the engine was out of the car, so went to town on it)

I heard a "crunk" during my first test drive...
Limped back to the garage, leaving a trail of oil...
Popped the hood and braced for the bad news...

Bad news:






Both bolts liberated themselves, and one decided to duke it out with the timing sprocket on the crank. The oil pump was just an innocent bystander.

Out came the engine for a new oil pump, new timing belt and whatever else was needed to alleviate the shame, feeling of stupidity and incompetency.


It's all good now.

Godless Commie

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I feel like I have a new car now.

Just wanted to record a proud moment for posterity.

Godless Commie

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I had totally forgotten about this.

Here's a video I shot in the middle of the project, getting into details.