6strngs's project drift miata Options

[6strngs]

So, somebody suggested I should make a build thread for my miata in the off-topic section, so, here goes.



I got it from a speed shop in santa clara, basically what happened was someone brought their car to this shop, the shop pulled the cylinder head to see what was wrong, found a chipped valve, the customer couldn't afford the bill so he sold the car to the shop and the shop sold it to me with a rebuilt cylinder head for $1900. It needed a few things, but was mostly sound. The only bad thing is the car was totaled on the passenger rear quarter panel, the damage is cosmetic only and the car is a drift car now, so it really doesn't matter. Anyway here's the first round of "fixes" I did:

rewired the stereo (it was staying on even with the car off, haha)
painted the license plate panel black (it was silver which clashed terribly with the red)
reconnected the left side speaker
broke off the wheel locks since I didn't get a key with the car
Made my own battery tie down, it didn't have one before, and I really needed one...
removed the stock antenna
added a new convertible top, the window was pretty much ripped out of the old one


New top being tested out in the rain


And a pic of the "before" ride height:


Next was a set of coilovers of course! Here's a pic of the megan racing EZ street coilovers that I got for it


slammed... my buddy josh in the car, he was visiting from hawaii where he is stationed, and told me this car would still be considered needing "moar low" if it were there


And just to say that I could... I had about a 1/4" clearance,


I drove it like that for a few days before deciding it was just too low to be practical, so I raised it about 3/4 of an inch which gave me this:

[6strngs]

Next I put on a ebay maf adaptor and filter, and then went down to lowe's and got some sheet metal and made myself a custom heat sheild. I honestly didn't think it was going to work well but I figured why not for less than $5, but after driving around for a while if you put your hand on one side of it and then the other you can feel a noticable difference in temperature. It might just be a placebo from the car sounding better, but it feels like it pulls a little harder in the high rpms too. Overall I think it's a worthwhile mod for less than $25 altogether.



Next I decided to install the calipers off of a 94+ miata, which allow you to run the larger diameter rotors from the 94+. I put on 4 new rotors but I'm using the pads that cam with the calipers that had about 40-50% life left. It's only temporary until I can afford some hawk pads though. Here's some pics from the days work:


Difference in rotors:



Next up was a new ebay shift knob that's actually pretty nice. It's nice to have a shift knob that actually threads on, the previous owner attempted to JB weld a universal knob on which, needless to say, did not work... Also in this pic is my new stereo, I needed something with USB input so the cd didn't skip over every bump, also since it's a "digital media reciever" (doesn't play cd's, it has USB and AUX inputs only) it's actually way lighter than a traditional cd player. Yes I know my dash trim is chopped up, that's the way I got it. It honestly doesn't really bother me that much though.


Next I removed the carpet, which required removal of the dashboard. Parked in my garage like this because I could




Me!



What are those bolts in the floor you might ask? Why, just my flyin miata frame rail braces, which stiffened the chassis of the car up immensely!

[6strngs]

The next issue to address was an overheating issue I was having whenever I pushed the car hard in the backroads. So I put in a new lower temp thermostat (180 degree instead of 195). Also relocated my license plate so it would not block so much incoming air through the front grill. And lastly wired my two fans together so that whenever one fan would come on, both would (normally, the passenger sde fan only comes on when you turn on the A/C)




The next thing the car needed was a decent roll-bar instead of the chrome ebay "style-bar" that was there when I got the car. So I dropped a decent chunk of change on a harddog's most agressive and SCCA legal roll-bar, plus some high density roll bar padding and a nice vinyl cover to keep the padding from fading in the sun-light.



Next I got an ebay "tsudo" exhaust system. I got it second hand and one hanger was missing so I took this shot while I was at the muffler shop getting a hanger added:


Next I bought this:


I bought that car for $800, and it ran! It just needed a suspension installed in it, and had $800 in back fees on the registration. I tried selling the car for a long while but after no takers I eventually just parted it out. The wheels in the pic are now on my red miata, and they just so happened to be a set of genuine BBS mahles! Not everyday you buy a car for $800 that comes with a set of $500 wheels

[6strngs]

Next up I decided to trim the rear bumper a little. The bumper on these cars acts like a parachute so it's fairly common for people to trim them for a little less drag for better gas milage and wind resistance at high speeds. Before:


During


Apparently I never took an "after" picture... Whoops

Next thing I got was a larger 7" rear differential from a 94+ miata, the stock 6" are notoriously weak and often fail at stock power levels, let alone when you up the horsepower of the car. The one I got happened to already have a clutch-type LSD from an RX7 installed which bolts into the housing with a little modification. I also had to convert to the 94+ axles and driveshaft. Here's a couple pics of me painting the diff cover:







After I got that installed I attended my first drift event!

[6strngs]

Next thing that was needed was a power-steering oil cooler. It's fairly common on miatas to boil the fluid when doing this like drifting or autocrossing, and in fact I still boiled it over even with this cooler installed...


The next thing I did was added some modified steering knuckles which allow for more steering angle. This also required longer brake lines so I went ahead and did stainless lines on all 4 corners:











Then I had another drifting event:





The night did not end so great. On my very last run of the night I spun out and went straight backwards into a wall causing this damage:



I did get the crash on video though!



At my next event, I destroyed the clutch in the car and had to be towed home. I currently have a clutch and a lightweight flywheel on the way but they were backordered for a few weeks so I probably won't see them until early 2013, but I have a few things I will be doing to the car when they come in Let me know what you think so far

[Box]

Very nice. How do you like it? I've thought on and off about getting a Miata, just seems like it'd be too impractical of a car though for an only car.

[SwissFerdi]

FM stuff is brilliant, nicely modified. Will you do anything about the short nose crank? I should endeavor to copy your heat shield.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Dec 18, 2012 - 8:51 PM

[richee3]

Excellent read so far! I'd love to have a Miata for a track car.

[6strngs]

Very nice. How do you like it? I've thought on and off about getting a Miata, just seems like it'd be too impractical of a car though for an only car.

Before getting coilovers on it, it was kinda fun to drive. Afterwards, I'd say I've never driven anything this fun before! I don't think it could be my only car though, seeing as I can't fit a guitar in the back... But I did help a buddy pick up an engine block for his 99 civic si, so I can say a B16A2 block fits in the trunk nicely nicely with a little room to spare

FM stuff is brilliant, nicely modified. Will you do anything about the short nose crank? I should endeavor to copy your heat shield.

Yep, I've got a FM stage 1 clutch and 10.3 lb flywheel on the way right now, supposedly were supposed to ship from the manufacturer to FM today, so whenever they see it (later this week hopefully) it should finally be on it's way to me. As for the short nose crank, I was just going to call it pinnochio and have it tell a couple lies No, but if I do blow this engine (which is very possible cause I beat the crap out of it, haha) I'll just pick up a 1.8 off craigslist for cheap, give it a quick rebuild and slap it in, although I've been toying with the idea of a more extreme swap, I just can't think of any affordable engine that I'd actually want in this car. I don't want a v8 because I love being able to drive to the track, beat the crap out of it, and drive it back getting 30+ mpg. I wish I could mount up a 3s-gte in rwd layout The only other options I think I'd be happy with are an F20 or an SR20, but either of those would cost way too much.

[Box]

LS1 yo. It gets close to 30 highway in the Trans Am and GTO with the 6 speed. Imagine what it'd get in the Miata.

[kurt95gt]

Great....now I have to buy a,miata cuz this is to cool to not want to do it.

[mkernz22]

swap in a blacktop, they're setup for RWD

[Nial]

That's cool, I like it. Great cars to drive.

[6strngs]

LS1 yo. It gets close to 30 highway in the Trans Am and GTO with the 6 speed. Imagine what it'd get in the Miata.

I got a ride in an ls2 miata up at the drift event one week, he could literally just punch the throttle real quick whenever he wanted and go from straight to completely sideways like it was nothing... Very fun, but I want the car to still be fun to drive in the backroads too and not just be sideways everywhere. lol.

swap in a blacktop, they're setup for RWD

I feel like the 4age is too similar in power delivery to the engine I've already got for it to be worth it. I took this car once up a back road near my house and it gets to a part where you are doing back to back hairpins going up hill and I had to put my car in first gear just to be able to get up them. That's only gotten worse since then because I now have a 4.1 rear end ratio now instead of the stock 4.3, so I would want something that has some low end torque to it. I really doubt realistically that I'd swap anything other than a 1.8 in though, the cost is just too much for anything else when I know I can make decent power with just a simple turbo kit on this 1.6 or a 1.8 for cheap. And drift cars are all about cheap

[Box]

LS1 + throttle control. Eh, doesn't Flyin Miata make a turbo and supercharger kit? Probably would be the best way to go I'd imagine.

[SwissFerdi]

4A-GZE? Supercharger would be great.

[Akirad1]

blacktop 3sgte from a is200

[FrankB2]

SWEET! I've almost pulled the trigger on a couple of Miatas in the last month. It just looks like too much fun, and I NEED one.

[6strngs]

Car is in the garage right now getting a bunch of stuff done. Teaser pics to follow

[BonzaiCelica]

blacktop 3sgte from a is200

its 3sge.

a 4age blacktop would be a 30-35 hp advantage while keeping the weight down.

[pandakid]

awesome i wish their were more miata drifters in my area.glad to see one getting sideways!

[SwissFerdi]

I have the same shift knob, yet to be installed. Do you like the feel?

[m0dd3d1]

Nice progress! Makes me want to finally pull the trigger on my own Miata I've wanted forever now. I think I have too many toys though... :sadbanana:

[6strngs]

Hopefully will be finishing the car up today! it's been too long since I've driven it! Here's a couple of pics of some of the things I've done in the last week:

Got some tow straps, the rear one may need a little adjusting still, not sure I like how low it hangs.



Next I deleted the armrests on the doors for a little more leg room, oh and a few ounces of weight reduction! Then I had to make some pull handles to be able to close the door still.



Then I got an idea to make something that this car REALLY needs!


Next I installed a sparco steering wheel and sparco wheel hub. I got the steering wheel for $30, just the padding on it was all cracked so I got a cheap $6 "sew-on" wheel cover off ebay and put it on. Still have to trim the pastic column cover so it'll fit back on and get a horn button.


Then I went to town cleaning and painting the transmission.





Then my friend Justin polished this brace for me, this bolts to the transmission and to the rear diff to keep the drive angle straight. Here's some before and after pics:





Some new parts! Needless to say the old clutch was thrashed! So many heat spots on the pressure plate and the friction material was worn past the rivets. I'm using a clutch and flywheel out of a 1.8L miata so it's a slightly larger diameter clutch too. I ended up going with the flyin miata "happy meal" package with a stage 1 clutch and a 10.3 lb flywheel



Next to cut down on heat I am insulating the transmission tunnel. After removing the carpet from this car, the cabin gets unbearably hot in the summer time unless you have the A/C on full blast... I plan on removing the A/C so I had to cut down on the heat. I saw a few other miata guys talking about this stuff called "reflectix" so I got a roll and lowe's and I'm trying it out. I stuck it up there with a combination of DEI high-temperature spray adhesive, and foil tape. If it doesn't stay I'm just going to pop-rivet it in place though. I also replaced the rear main seal and camshaft position sensor seal to fix 2 of the oil leaks on this car. Now just have to replace the front seal and I think I'll finally be leak free.







If any of you ever do a clutch on a miata, I highly recommend removing that front exhaust pipe, it would've made my life SOO much easier. Anyway, that's what I've got so far. I pretty much just have to put the driveshaft back in, that brace that we polished, the exhaust, fill the transmission fluid, plug a few sensors in, and then I'm done and ready to drive it

This post has been edited by 6strngs: Jan 8, 2013 - 3:24 PM

[6strngs]

Didn't get around to taking any finished pics yet, but it's all done and I went for a drive yesterday for the first time in over 2 months. Feels good but the clutch pedal still needs a little adjusting... now I just have to wait through the 500-mile break-in period before I can really see how the new flywheel feels

On another note though, after driving around for a while the transmission tunnel still feels cold to the touch! Before, after it got warmed up it would be very warm, and in the summer you couldn't wear shorts because it would burn you if you touched your leg to it! I think that won't be a problem anymore

This post has been edited by 6strngs: Jan 11, 2013 - 7:51 PM

[Box]

Delete arm rests=more leg room. Interesting.

[6strngs]

So I got a couple seats the other day...



I was intending to only get one but it was a much better deal to get 2 so I did. I'm up in the air on whether to sell the second or mount it in the celica



With the bottom cushions taken out I sink into the seat another inch and a half or so and can actually sit in the car with a helmet on and the top up now, though I prefer it to be down still



Engine bay is slowly becoming less cluttered. Now with no AC I also put in a new clutch master cylinder because mine went bad, I can now say that every single clutch component has been replaced, lol. Drifting season starts next month!! The first 2 events are sold out already though unfortunately... But there'll be plenty of time to get some track time this season

[BonzaiCelica]

ooo nice.

i saw that an m coupe version of 1st and 2nd get miata was released. but never made it to the public. man those things look way better than the convertible.

[6strngs]

Well, the season opener at the drifts was a success Didn't get any pics but I did burn through my first set of tires of the season.



In unrelated news I also got a new gauge cover cause I broke mine accidentally a few weeks ago. Wrapped in printed duct tap for the luxurious appeal




Also, got a new finish panel for the back so my car isn't so ugly. Was too lazy to paint it right now so later on I'll paint it black again and get my ninja sticker back on there, as some of my friends call me Ninja Nathan, lol.



Lastly I got a new go pro hero 3 black edition! Good way to spend the tax return IMO. Unfortunately I was already having glitches with it and it kept freezing on start-up, even after updating the firmware. Apparently it's a firmware issue though and I just have to wait for gopro to release a patch. So I only got a couple videos and they were all early in the day where I was still warming up/getting back into things after 5 months off. I was doing a lot better towards the end of the day. I think I figured out a way around the glitch though so I should be able to get some videos tomorrow when I head back out there

Here's the best I of the videos that I did get: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpb7wz6kZx8

This post has been edited by 6strngs: Mar 19, 2013 - 8:46 PM

[Box]

DAT LUXURY.

Hey if you can't duck it, **** it.

[6strngs]

Got a compilation of my runs from last night thrown together for your viewing pleasure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZNzTYX3x3M

[6strngs]

Wow this thread needs some updating, my car and my driving have come a long way I'll try to keep this in chronological order as best as I can.

Foam-ectomy of the passenger seat. It's basically just ripping out some of the foam so you sink into the seat a little more giving slightly better head clearance and a little more "race-seat" feel



Water pump pulley with a bunch of holes drilled for lightness then painted green for drifter-ness? I got it for free in a trade so I figured why not?



Decals like every drift car needs




Then I started buying parts to piece together my own turbo kit, since I was not satisfied with any of the off-the-shelf kits, namely because I was trying to save a few bucks. I started off with this:




Tires at the ready



Turn signal intakes and no more A/C, washer bottle, and some other misc. stuff that I consider clutter in the engine bay


DIY alignments, I've gotten pretty good at them now



This post has been edited by 6strngs: Aug 27, 2013 - 11:43 PM

[6strngs]

The first turbo I bought, under the impression that it was a t3 50 trim. This was installed on my car for a while and wouldn't even START building boost until 4k rpms. The seals blew out on it in under 2 weeks! Guess that's what I get for ebay turbos. I later found out after dis-assembling it that it was a t3/t4 with a 70 trim wheel...



Ebay cast manifold and the worlds worst fitting downpipe... It hit the frame in several spots and was off by several inches... I eventually hacked it until it sorta fit and used it only for the intial test runs and to drive to the muffler shop.


Some more action shots (still NA at this point)




Let the work begin!


Here's that downpipe rubbing I was talking about... at least it bolted up well...




Adjustable fuel pressure regulator

[6strngs]

Car part porn...





Almost there





Custom made heater lines. I went to buy some braided steel line at a nearby specialty hose store but when I told him I wanted something that would be able survive in a prolonged high temperature area he talked me into buying some (expensive) push-loc hose with a fiberglass heat wrap. This is very thick durable hose, I'm sure it'll outlive this car.

[6strngs]

Then the modification of the downpipe to get it to fit:


Adjusting the FPR with a fuel pressure gauge


Then the new exhaust I had made. It's as straight through as possible. starts at 2.5" but jumps to 3" as soon as there's room to. I put a high flow cat in, but I had him put v-bands on either side of it so I could swap it for a straight pipe easily. It has a v-band connection at the turbo also.




VDO boost gauge and AEM wideband



Cut the valve cover to expose the cams and had the valve cover powder-coated wrinkle red by a friend. Also added a catch can


Next I took apart my differential because it was not as aggressive as I wanted it to be so I measured all clutches in it and everything was in spec, but the clutches were arranged incorrectly when I took it apart. I was able to re-arrange the clutches so it has a slightly more aggressive grab, but still not enough. I just got a spare open diff I'm going to weld though




This is me discovering that I had the wrong turbo on for the 2 weeks that it lasted

[6strngs]

apparently that's all the pictures I have on my photobucket. But long story short, I crashed the car into a cement wall (see video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTJttdpsEPU )



But I didn't care, just rip that crap off and keep going!


A few things have changed since, but I'll get some more pics up later. The miata is currently waiting on me to fix the frame, and it needs a new windsheild (headlight lid flew off on the freeway and cracked it)

Here's a video the night that I crashed it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGTfOSndXTA

And here's a video a few weeks later I took it back out, bent frame and all. If you only watch one video, watch this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_C2v4h3gNY

[Box]

I've been on and off again thinking about buying a Miata. Can't decide either way at the moment.

[SwissFerdi]

Can't decide either way at the moment.

YOU. NEVER. @##&$O#$. DECIDE.


Nice driving, even nicer modification. Some BEGi parts, I see. What are you expecting to put down with this, 160-190whp?

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Aug 28, 2013 - 7:33 AM

[6strngs]

Can't decide either way at the moment.

YOU. NEVER. @##&$O#$. DECIDE.


Nice driving, even nicer modification. Some BEGi parts, I see. What are you expecting to put down with this, 160-190whp?

LOL I've already posted in at least 3 threads where box was talking about all these cars he couldn't decide on, no offense but seriously just pick something lol.

Yep, BEGI FPR, stock injectors from a 1.8L, walbro 190lph high pressure fuel pump, ebay manifold, cxracing FMIC kit w/ bov, custom downpipe and exhaust, custom oil lines with russell hose, ebay catch can, HAD a tial wastegate but now am using the internal wastegate of the ebay t3 50 trim.

I was shooting for around 6-7 PSI and ~140-150 whp but this wastegate doesn't seem to want to make less than 10 PSI so I would guess I'm somewhere around the 160-180 whp range. It's not running lean at all but I am worried about timing slightly. I have it backed off to 7 degrees, which people say you should run about 6 without an intercooler or about 8 with one but those recommendations are still only meant for low boost set-ups. I plan to get a megasquirt and completely tune the car myself (I'm trying to do pretty much everything on this car myself, the only thing I haven't done so far is the exhaust) but the car has more pressing needs right now, lol. I've been bargain shopping and I got a new passenger fender for $20, a front bumper for free, and a hood and both headlights for $100. I've already bent the frame back mostly where it needs to be using a tow strap and my friend's 4-runner, I just need to get some hood pins, and weld a bar or two between my frame rails so the car doesn't split down the middle And it needs a new windshield. Once I have all that done I'll be back out there, hopefully by the end of next month.

This post has been edited by 6strngs: Aug 28, 2013 - 11:05 AM

[Box]

IT'S HARD THOUGH!!! It's a very life changing and important decision, I'm allowed to be indecisive. If it wasn't for people like you and their cool Miata with 150+ whp it'd be easier.

[6strngs]

IT'S HARD THOUGH!!! It's a very life changing and important decision, I'm allowed to be indecisive. If it wasn't for people like you and their cool Miata with 150+ whp it'd be easier.

Just do what I do, get a car, drive it for a year, then sell it and get something else. I've owned 5 celicas, a supra, a wrx, 2 miatas, a 79 amc, and a 69 pontiac in the 8 years I've had my license. Some cars I've already decided I will own within the next 8 years: eg civic/del sol, MKIV supra, FC RX7, eclipse gsx, another alltrac (or convert a FWD celica to AWD and 3sgte swap it...), Mr2, M3, etc.

[Box]

That's usually what I do and has been my trend, gets old after awhile though. Which is why I've been so indecisive this time, I want to pick a car and stay with it for a few years for once.

I still say you should've kept the LeMans.

This post has been edited by Box: Aug 28, 2013 - 1:56 PM

[6strngs]

Allright, allright, enough thread jacking more pics of miata!

[Box]

Someone stole your fender!!!

[6strngs]

well... I "fixed" the frame and got body panels to align fairly well:


Here's a pic that shows what I did to fix it:


It makes me sad to say this, but this car has officially been retired. The chassis is at a point where it's usable, but only barely. So when the engine blew I decided I'm just going to start fresh with a new car. I picked up an 87 rx7 non-turbo to be the new drift car, and I think I'm going to end up selling my 6gc in the near future to get another miata as a daily. I will, however, be keeping the welded diff I have for the miata on hand so if ever the rx7 is too broken to make it to a drift I can just swap diffs in the miata real quick and have a back-up race car

Video of the miata's final moments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3zR8OYUS98

[Poonicus]

Nice thread read all of it and everything then got to the end to here that it didn't survive.. It's the most heart breaking thing I've ever read haha. Keep up the good diy work

[6strngs]

Nice thread read all of it and everything then got to the end to here that it didn't survive.. It's the most heart breaking thing I've ever read haha. Keep up the good diy work

*sigh* I just can't bring myself to get rid of it yet, so I bought a new engine last night... I'm still debating on what my plan is, but I'm thinking most likely going to be building it with forged internals and use a megasquirt and bigger injectors and sit around 220-250 whp when I'm done, but I'll just be a bigger turbo and bigger injectors away from 400+ at that point.......