Nickt93's Build Thread - FMII Miata

[nickt93]

We'll start with a current photo:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/S-qUI2ooM9I/AAAAAAAACjo/8bpNAMO8DGE/s800/DSC00851.JPG


Here's a little background on my Miata - it's a recently turbo'd 95 that I picked up in April of 07. I found the car on eBay in Little Rock, Arkansas. The previous owner had gutted the car (no dash, carpet, door glass, AC, PS, interior trim panels), added a Hard Dog Hard Core rollbar, Ultrashield seats, G Force harnesses, a Torsen, KYBs/Ground Controls, and a few other bolt ons. I picked the car up for $4100 - here's a picture of the car right around the time I picked it up:

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/2756/51ef3jy1.jpg
Shot at 2009-01-04

Here's an interior shot:

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/9789/dsc00001jf1.jpg

I picked up a set of Rota RB 13s for autocross:
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/9629/070107024er8.jpg

[nickt93]

I bought the car mainly to do track events and autocross:

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/4641/nssaug07highresxt5.jpg

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/8797/10270720063wo8.jpg

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2011/dsc02933oj7.jpg

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/7123/img0607ub8.jpg

The car was set up great for both, but after a while I got hungry for more power!

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

I love this car, looks like an absolute blast to drive.

[nickt93]

...so I added a Flyin Miata turbo kit, Link ECU, an FM dual exhaust, an ACT clutch, and a Koyo radiator. The car is a beast now!

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/8383/img2679fl1.jpg

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/4899/img2687sw4.jpg

http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/2234/img2691jx7.jpg

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/2079/img2702jk5.jpg

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/2694/img2707de3.jpg

[nickt93]

Here's my "to do" list:

- Fender flares (Autokonexion Version 1s awaiting installation)
- Paint (open to suggestions on color)
- 15x9 949 Racing 6ULs
- Fuel rail - dual feed
- Coolant reroute

[RotorNutFD3S]

You forgot to show off the NB dash. :D
How's the tuning coming along now, or have you messed with it anymore?

I suggest gloss black for paint.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Yeah I noticed that! I didn't realise how smart they looked.

[RotorNutFD3S]

And look here for a good dual feed setup: http://m-tuned.com/
I have their rail, very nice product.

[nickt93]

The tuning is great - I've driven around a bit and let the Lambda function do some autotuning. It's been a fun learning process. I still haven't been able to do any data logging with DLL...not sure what the problem is, possibly the Seriallink.

That's funny you said black...I've been thinking a nice gloss black would look good!

[RotorNutFD3S]

Crap, I fail. I meant to go get the Serial Link for you. Keep reminding me to do that.

[nickt93]

Here's a pic of the NB dash - something a little different that only Miata peeps will notice. No surprise to anyone on the board, I have metalman to thank for this one!

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/7568/img3931e.jpghttp://img194.imageshack.us/img194/4805/img3291s.jpg


I've also got some NB door panels on the way. Now that I have a few extra horsepower, I can afford to haul around some additional lbs.

Just hangin' at home!

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/1056/miata42707002ih2.jpg

[nickt93]

A few laps at TGPR from last Spring:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb_3Yyn-014

[RotorNutFD3S]

That picture you took of us working on the car, how did it turn out?

[nickt93]

Ahhhh, memories :)

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/7197/img2642sq9.jpg

[wonton]

good pic it doesn't look like anybody is working though! we were all to fascinated with mikes helicopter. hahaha.

[RotorNutFD3S]

:lol: I thought you snapped one of us actually working. Haha!

[Doppelgänger]

color.... "torched penny" from the Scion xB.... it's a pretty rockin' color.
There are some nice black paints out there with some nice metallic touches.

Nick- ya might want to put some kind of heat shielding over the turbo and/or on the brack cyl and lines.... it would suck to melt the res. and burn the car down :(

[metalman]

Here's a pic of the NB dash - something a little different that only Miata peeps will notice. No surprise to anyone on the board, I have metalman to thank for this one!



Cool. Glad you got it installed.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Nick has an FM heatshield, but I guess he did not install it yet.

[nickt93]

Nick- ya might want to put some kind of heat shielding over the turbo and/or on the brack cyl and lines.... it would suck to melt the res. and burn the car down :(

Thanks for the reminder - I'll put it on today!

I checked out torched penny - that color is sick (in a good way)! I would love to see it on a Miata.

[Doppelgänger]

Cool. It looks badass in person and has a small colorshift from a copper to bronze-brown color.

Let me know when you go to another track day :)

[LagunaRoadster]

check out carbon blue from toyota as well. an interesting blue that's almost black.

[Doppelgänger]

BMW also uses that same color...

[nickt93]

A few pics from the autocross this weekend with the new 6ULs...

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/2170/img3032.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/2353/img3031.jpg

[ben91]

Wow, you went. Hardcore dude. ;)
My car doesn't like to get wet.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Awesome! Car looks really good with the 6ULs!!! I'm jealous.

[nickt93]

I upgraded a few fuel components last week. I picked up this dual feed on miataturbo.net for $90. It's apparently made by BRP and came with one of their supercharger kits. It looks to be about the same size as the FM rail, and overall it seems to be a quality piece. It was a little tough to get the injectors in the rail, but other than that no issues with the install.

Here's a picture of the new and old rail side by side:

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/91/img3023.jpg


Here's a picture of the rail installed:

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3568/img3039.jpg

I also dropped a Walbro 190LPH HP in the tank.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Damn dude... Mod happy? Where's the pro-valve? :D
Cylinder #4 will love you for the pump and rail!

[nickt93]

Wow, you went. Hardcore dude. ;)
My car doesn't like to get wet.

Your car is pretty though...my car likes the rain cuz its the only time the paint looks decent!

Awesome! Car looks really good with the 6ULs!!! I'm jealous.

Thanks man!

[nickt93]

I decided to scrap my previous plans to flare the car - as much fun as the 275 Hoosiers would be for autocross, they are expensive, difficult to find used, and don't last too long.

Instead, I found an Eastwood fender roller and rolled/pulled enough room to squeeze my new 15x9 6ULs and 225/45 RS2s (plus a little room to grow should someone release a wider 15").

Here's a pic of the roller at work:

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/4527/fenderroll1.jpg

For reference, here is the "before" picture of the fender lip - pretty much flat:

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/9110/fenderrollbefore.jpg

Now, here's the "after". Check out the new lip! I was surprised how much additional clearance I gained. If I had to guess, I'd say the roll/pull gave me another .5 inch or so.

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/9628/fenderrollafter.jpg

Hey Eric - that's your new 6 speed laying in the background!

[RotorNutFD3S]

Nice job on the rolling!!!

Yeah, we'll see who ends up with that in the end. ;) Because you know after the car is done, I'm going to be going into withdrawals with nothing to work on. lol

[nickt93]

A few more new pics with the 15x9s:

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/2974/img3277.jpg

The "wet look"
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/359/img3271.jpg

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/222/img3269.jpg

I've cleaned up the interior a bit - finally found a place for the Link keypad where it doesn't get in the way, and mounted the extinguisher where the passenger airbag used to be.
http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/755/img3291.jpg

http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/8725/img3265.jpg

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3606/img3295.jpg

[nickt93]

A few autocross pics:

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/136/dsc04581k.jpg

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/2638/dsc04584.jpg

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/8469/dsc04580w.jpg

[RotorNutFD3S]

Nice! Those 6ULs still = t3h hotness.

[Reverend Greg]

Yeah totally diggin those rims and the lip look after rolling

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Looking sharp Nick, I really like that colour combo from your last event. How do you like the 225 RS2's? I'm torn between them and a set of the much cheaper 205 Azeni's.

[nickt93]

Yeah totally diggin those rims and the lip look after rolling

Thanks man - the lip is pretty subtle...only a Miata guy would probably notice it!

Looking sharp Nick, I really like that colour combo from your last event. How do you like the 225 RS2's? I'm torn between them and a set of the much cheaper 205 Azeni's.

The 225 RS2s are great (although the cars on V710s in the pics :). I had 205 Azenis on before - they were fantastic before the car was boosted, but left a lot to be desired traction-wise with the turbo. Honestly I hope someone comes out with a 245/15 - that would be perfect.

[wonton]

car is looking good man! do you own that fender roller?

[FE3tMX5]

I was thinking a satin or gloss stripe (just clear) would look cool to go with the wheels. It'd be subtle, but tie in the wheels with the car using "shiny-ness".

[wildfire0310]

I was thinking a satin or gloss stripe (just clear) would look cool to go with the wheels. It'd be subtle, but tie in the wheels with the car using "shiny-ness".

I am guessing you saw the car on MT also. If not someone posted their satin/flat black miata with bronze strips and bronze 6ul. It looked good

[FE3tMX5]

yep- I agree... it wasn't just another satin/flat car, and yes, that's what got me thinking ;) plus I think Nick gets lots of satisfaction from his rattle can :lol:

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

link to said car?

[wildfire0310]

link to said car?


never























ok ok.. maybe






















http://www.miataturbo.net/forum/t35992/

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

That does look pretty badass.

[FE3tMX5]

satin is the new flat ;)

[nickt93]

A few quick updates...

Put stage 8 locking hardware on the turbo. These suckers aren't coming loose at the track!

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/6069/img3465j.jpg

I also replaced my front brakes. The setup before I had was working well, so I stuck with it - Brembo OEM replacements up front with Hawk HP+ pads. The rotors are less than $30 each, so I don't mind burning through them! The last pair lasted a surprisingly long period of time.

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/1619/img3827i.jpg

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/8240/img3847hot.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/9413/img3878ykd.jpg

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/4608/img3875e.jpg

[nickt93]

Here are a few pics of the extraction hood - rattle-canned flat black by yours truly!

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/3290/dsc04139hw.jpg

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/3925/dsc04144h.jpg

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/3240/dsc04151.jpg

[RotorNutFD3S]

Looks good! Just clears your strut tower brace...

[metalman]

As an FYI, if anyone local wants to make their own extraction hood I may have an elcheapo 90-97 oem hood that would be suitable for that kind of use. ;)

[ben91]

That hood is awesome

[nickt93]

Got something "magic" from the UPS man today...

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/SxcRPdqeYkI/AAAAAAAABrk/Rzg6o1aBY-M/s800/DSC04176.JPG

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/J022rMl5B-OTFTD5VF9PFA?feat=directlinkhttp://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/J022rMl5B-OTFTD5VF9PFA?feat=directlink

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

:banana: :banana:

[MeFryRice]

Which model are those? LB has the FLT-TAR's on her car.

[nickt93]

Yep, FLT-TARs, aka FLT-A2 I believe. Mono tube, 15 way adjustable, independent height and pre-load adjustability, and 12k/10k spring rates.

[MeFryRice]

Sweet. Let me know if you ever need to get them rebuilt. :)

[Sawyer]

I highly recommend those. I absolutely love them!

[ben91]

Dayum. They appear to be really well made.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Very nice! Congrats! I can only imagine the deal you got... lol

[nickt93]

Last winter I did the turbo install, and this winter I'm working on the suspension. My car is in pieces at the moment - brakes removed, suspension out, control arms off the car, and I'm about halfway through installing the Energy Suspension master kit. I repainted the control arms while they were out (pic below) and am adding zerk fittings as well so that I can keep the suspension lubed. When I put it all back together, the JIC Magics are going in.

I've also got frame rails to install, and a hard oil drain line from FM.

Here are a few pics of the car as it sits right now

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/3650/081cj.jpg

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/2678/086hg.jpg

Freshly painted control arms
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/4153/089yg.jpg

The Energy Suspension Kit
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/20/099wu.jpg

[RotorNutFD3S]

Nice! Should have said you were doing this! *hint hint*

[FE3tMX5]

Looking forward to pics of the bushing install. :D

[Adrian]

How difficult of a job is it to change out all of the suspension bushings? I feel like this is the next thing I want to do, because when I put the coilovers in my car, I realized that the bushings on the upper control arms were really worn out.

[ben91]

Looks good nick!

Adrian, might be tough on your car.

[Adrian]

Because of the undercoating? If I can't do it myself I'm sure it's probably expensive to have a shop do it...?

But c'monnnn it only took like 2 weeks of waiting and basically two days of actual work to install the coilovers! It can't be THAT tough!!

[ben91]

Yeah, tough because of the fact your car came from up north and all the undercoating.

If you want to tackle the job, I'd recommend picking up a donor set of control arms, and fitting the new bushings (and ball joints!) into them. Then swap them out onto your car as able. Some of that hardware is going to be REALLY tough. I had a northern miata that I gave up on getting all the CA's off when I sent it to the scrap yard.

[LagunaRoadster]

I did my bushings a few weeks ago, they werent too bad. Just take your time, be ready to get aquainted with a press to take them out. Putting them in, really didnt need much of the press at all. lay out all your bushings according to size, shape, and what the piece of paper says as to where they go, and DOUBLE check. I put in a pair that was not supposed to go in, and then had to pull them out, and put them in the correct hole (thats what she said) so just be wary of that.

[nickt93]

A few final pictures of the flat black before the new paint job:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/S9A2GruQaFI/AAAAAAAACR8/tS8treO47MY/s800/DSC00650.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/S9AzpKW1rfI/AAAAAAAACO8/BOtESzwHErc/s800/DSC_0068.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/S9A1yeNQqHI/AAAAAAAACRY/0TAlZfogMtM/s800/DSC00643.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/S9A18arh8VI/AAAAAAAACRg/-RBYPUWTbZ8/s800/DSC00645.JPG

Blank out plate I made to hold the Link keypad:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/S9A1F0phZcI/AAAAAAAACQg/3gQVNVqDFI8/s800/DSC00625.JPG

Random interior shot:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/S9A2KF3hmNI/AAAAAAAACSE/nZgRBT7cKuM/s800/DSC00656.JPG

I started stripping last night...the paint that is:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/S9BRmlE2FEI/AAAAAAAACTY/srr77bEGz8Y/s800/miata%20paint%20strip.jpg

[metalman]

Whats the new color?

[nickt93]

New color:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads14/Mint+Green+RS011238474167.jpg

[MeFryRice]

That's awesome Nick. Let me know if you need any help. :)

[RotorNutFD3S]

That's going to look great! Ditto on the help!

[matredd]

I'd love to help as well. I understand prep work to be a B.

[FE3tMX5]

Nick you need a palm M500 and Plink to replace the keypad. You'll get a display that gives far more realtime readout. If you don't have the serialLINK, get in touch with TurboRoach on mt.net. He's making diy seriallinks and selling them cheap.

[Beastinthebushes]

+1 on the help.

That is an awesome color choice. Your car is gonna look mean, I'm jealous right now. Do want!

Are those black 6UL's with a polished lip??? I may get those for my car instead of the Rota D2's.

[nickt93]

Thanks for the all of the offers for help! I'll let you guys know once it gets a little closer to spray day.

Nick you need a palm M500 and Plink to replace the keypad. You'll get a display that gives far more realtime readout. If you don't have the serialLINK, get in touch with TurboRoach on mt.net. He's making diy seriallinks and selling them cheap.

Great idea - after seeing your setup at last year's dyno day I found a Palm on CL that I was going to buy, but had some trouble connecting with the seller and then kind of forgot about it. I just found an M500 on CL for $20, so I'll pick that up. I've got two serial links, one which is already modified to work with the Palm Pilot.

+1 on the help.

That is an awesome color choice. Your car is gonna look mean, I'm jealous right now. Do want!

Are those black 6UL's with a polished lip??? I may get those for my car instead of the Rota D2's.

Yep - black with a polished lip, 15x9. I don't think they make the black/polished anymore. The only ones I've seen listed on 949s site are all black now. Depending on how the car looks once painted, I may want to go with all black wheels anyway, so there is some potential I could trade/sell these somewhere down the line.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Dibs if you sell and Daniel doesn't get them! :lol:

[Beastinthebushes]

I will gladly take them off your hands if you don't want them. Not sure how well the 15's will look on an nb. But they would be perfect track wheels for whenever I get time to take it to the track.

*EDIT*- I stand corrected. Eric has 15's on his NB, I thought his were 16's for some reason. :facepalm:

So with that being said, Nick, I was thinking, that color is awesome, but those wheels would look like crap on it. I mean people will say, "ewwww, that looks like crap!" so to avoid humiliation, go ahead and sell them to me. :D Because they would look sexy on my car.

[friday]

Glad to see this project is progressing, you should bring it to points 4 with the paint all striped like that. Im not doing the school on saturday anymore so I will be around at the inman park festival.

[theothersawyer]

I will help. Well I dont't know how much help I would be, but I am always up for chilling

[nickt93]

Just adding a few photos to the build thread (nothing new...robbed from my paint thread):

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/S-qTe-hEh5I/AAAAAAAACi8/Yj4ug6N39SQ/s800/DSC00844.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/S-qUIDmynQI/AAAAAAAACjg/YDcXPIOjwy8/s800/DSC00854.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/S-qUId5e8CI/AAAAAAAACjk/r7LU1Vq4xy4/s800/DSC00853.JPG

[Sawyer]

So pretty!
I want to see it when I drop of my midpipe. That is, if I ever remember to set up a time to bring it over..

[nickt93]

I spent this past weekend in Nashville as I always do on Memorial Day. This is the 7th year in a row that I've run at Nashville Super Speedway with the Mustang Club. It's a good group - I always look forward to this event. We got about six or seven 15 minute sessions each day and, for the most part, the weather cooperated.

There were some seriously fast cars there - a 996 Turbo with meth injection that makes about 500hp, a 996 GT2 with a few upgrades, a turbo E36 with 500hp, my brother's always quick 993, a supercharged 993, a new STi that was a nice build, and as always a bunch of Mustangs and Vettes.

In one of the run groups I was chasing down a former NASCAR car (I guess that's what you'd call it). This thing was a monster in the straights, but I closed in on him in the corners. I think I may have made him a little nervous, cuz going into turn 7 he got a little loosey goosey and ended up in the grass! Here's a clip:

2nEDwnX-aJ8

Here's another video with a few short clips from the event:

9fTOmsz3ZM8

Overall it was a really great event - lots of really cool people and good times. I'm looking forward to the next one!

[Beastinthebushes]

Its crazy how fast that looks with the camera that low, that looks like a lot of fun.

[VitaminD]

great videos, +1 on the camera angle.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Great video Nick, you made a Nascar fan feel pretty silly I bet. :lol:

[miata5620]

Just curious which one of your miatas were you driving?

[MeFryRice]

I'm going to assume it's the green one since it's in the appropriate build thread. :)

[caseyfoster]

Just curious which one of your miatas were you driving?
The green one.

[wildfire0310]

I think I may have made him a little nervous, cuz going into turn 7 he got a little loosey goosey and ended up in the grass! Here's a clip:





The car freaked out when it had to make a right turn. It didn't know what to do and panicked :lol:

[Beastinthebushes]

The car freaked out when it had to make a right turn. It didn't know what to do and panicked :lol:

Bingo

"Left, left, left, OH ****! RIIIIIIGGGGGGHH".....spin

[mustangtomiata]

lol tha nascar road race chasis are good cars. you just gotta know what your doing with 'em.

[nickt93]

Went to Road Atlanta today to have a little fun - what an awesome track! This was my first time driving on RA, so I was still getting comfortable with the track. Still, I ran the advanced group and only got passed by one car all day (a C6 Z06). My laps were in the high 1:40s, which is decent, but the car had a lot left in it - all of the opportunity at this point is with the driver! After another event or two out there I'm sure I'll be a whole lot more comfortable on the track.

I'm trying to burn up a set of Toyo RA1s that I've thought were on their "last event" for about the past three track days, but they keep coming back for more! Anybody have any experience with these? Is their lifespan significantly longer than Kumho V710s or Hoosier R6s? It seems that way to me.

For those of you with a short attention span, here's a short clip from the tail end of a chase with a Viper SRT10 - I had a big smile on my face as I was making the pass :)

i3yp78vIPBY

Here's a longer clip from the second session:

dHogPSSlWH8

And finally, a few pics I took around the paddock:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TENWAREbIKI/AAAAAAAACuE/rKD2mo0_-R0/s800/DSC01339.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TENWBRHiHOI/AAAAAAAACuI/rH2EdmDbF58/s800/DSC01340.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TENWB45OCvI/AAAAAAAACuM/KA_D0i1p_00/s800/DSC01343.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TENWC6uEcDI/AAAAAAAACuQ/QAvo8g6hgNA/s800/DSC01346.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TENWDUA1SaI/AAAAAAAACuU/o67dljzkoSI/s800/DSC01354.JPG



http://lh5.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TENWE_n6XZI/AAAAAAAACuc/Wpn8kQvMWGk/s800/DSC01358.JPG

When was the last time you saw a Ferrari Mondial??? This one had a twin turbo setup that looked pretty nicely done, and some kind of comical intakes coming out of the engine cover. It also had APC racing seats - anything less than Momos in a Ferrari is criminal! :)

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TENXgTSAcEI/AAAAAAAACuk/36JmC0rGzJA/s800/DSC01363.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TENXggH9RNI/AAAAAAAACuo/5VB-kCuwrbk/s800/DSC01366.JPG

[nickt93]

Also, had a little incident with my trailer. I went to grab food when I left the track and ended up in an overcrowded parking lot. Some beyotch in a 4 Runner ended up coming the wrong way down a one way section of the parking lot, and being nice I tried to back up giving her room to get by. The trailer jack knifed and hit the back of the car. I imagined the damage would have been 10x worse given the sound that it made, but got incredibly lucky that the trailer made contact with the turn signal. That will be an easy replacement and I can touch up the paint.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TENXrB6aWYI/AAAAAAAACu8/OSYX_ahs96k/s800/DSC01383.JPG

[Dr.Drew]

I've always thought that with some upgrades to the infrastructure RA would be more than capable of hosting F1. I've only driven it with a safety car (although he really didn't hold anyone back) but I thought it was a run and well laid out track.

Btw, please tell me they weren't tracking the E-Type.

[Doppelgänger]

Don will never "upgrade" RA to FIA specs to allow F1. RA is way too short, lap times would be around the 1-minute mark and all the barrier requirements would ruin the asthetics of RA and would kill track viewing for all the other racing that goes on there.

I'm honestly surprised that Don hasn't tried to get NASCAR to add a road course event at RA.


BTW Nick- Take all opportunities to be an *** to SUVs... :lol:

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Cracking videos as always Nick. Hows the mint car feel now you've got thundercat to play around with too?

[MeFryRice]

Mike - what makes you think Don is opposed to the idea of F1? I see F1 becoming more of a reality than NASCAR considering we already have AMS. I don't want to clutter Nick's thread with this topic...

Anyways, sorry to hear about the car Nick. Looks like an easy fix though. :)

[nickt93]

Btw, please tell me they weren't tracking the E-Type.

Thankfully no - although it did have a pretty funny little sticker on the driver window that said something to the effect of "I spent what would have been my children's inheritance on restoring this car."

BTW Nick- Take all opportunities to be an *** to SUVs... :lol:

I've learned my lesson ;)

Cracking videos as always Nick. Hows the mint car feel now you've got thundercat to play around with too?

The mint car ran great - still running a bit hot at the tail end of 20 minute sessions, but my coolant reroute should fix that (as soon as I get enough free time to install it!). Unfortunately I've got no basis for comparison with Thunder yet - I haven't had the opportunity to drive that car on the track. I'm hoping it is ready to go for the next track event though.

[nickt93]

A few new photos

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TGtDgjwdx8I/AAAAAAAACxI/yK5CjiJk1TU/s800/DSC_0007.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TGtEAzAbdnI/AAAAAAAACxo/KBLCeQzCies/s800/DSC_0035.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TGtELioEOMI/AAAAAAAACx0/xnHqDi5nY5M/s800/DSC_0043.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TGtEBY_Su5I/AAAAAAAACxs/eFKh8qei6ME/s800/DSC_0028.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TGtELMXeFCI/AAAAAAAACxw/ot9pnqbg_Vg/s800/DSC_0048.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TGtEV9uOPwI/AAAAAAAACx8/KULQ4XdG60s/s800/DSC_0054.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TGtEV7rtLkI/AAAAAAAACx4/AGaT6wBqvOg/s800/DSC_0059.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TGtEjshrrXI/AAAAAAAACyE/TwVXFlVrVdw/s800/DSC_0063.JPG

[RotorNutFD3S]

Great shots! Still looks so good!

[GVfanatic]

Dude it looks F'ing Amazing!!!! Im MONDO jealous!:hi5::clap:

[matredd]

Looks better each time I see it.

[Dr.Drew]

My what a pretty automobile you have there. I need to borrow it one day to take to the local high-end paint shop to show them how a car should look.

[tbone heller]

Looks good!

[nickt93]

Spent all weekend running at Nashville Super Speedway. Here are a few pics - more later:

Entering Turn 7:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TJYWYC3v7SI/AAAAAAAAC08/PkmBZ9Rbs0U/s800/IMG_0653.jpg
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TJYWYC3v7SI/AAAAAAAAC08/PkmBZ9Rbs0U/s800/IMG_0653.jpg%3C/a%3E

Chasing my brother's 993 around the track:

(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TJYWYC3v7SI/AAAAAAAAC08/PkmBZ9Rbs0U/s800/IMG_0653.jpg)http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TJYWYYbmdBI/AAAAAAAAC1A/0gXojvm0wP0/s800/IMG_0622.jpg (http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TJYWYYbmdBI/AAAAAAAAC1A/0gXojvm0wP0/s800/IMG_0622.jpg)

[jester911]

Nice action shots Nick.

[Beastinthebushes]

Looks good as always!

More pics of the 993?

[nickt93]

Looks good as always!

More pics of the 993?


Here's one:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/neonmike22/MCMC%209%2017%2010/IMG_0581.jpg

I've also got another picture for you Daniel that I'll post shortly - there was a yellow SE out there just like yours with flat black 6ULs and black stripes...it looked pretty gangsta! Better yet there was a 40 year old lady driving it - it was her first time on the track and she was driving pretty hard.

[jester911]

Nice looking 993. The Carrera stripe is not my cup of tea but to each his own.

Car looks pretty flat going thru the turn. Has he added some suspension goodies?

[Beastinthebushes]

Here's one:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/neonmike22/MCMC%209%2017%2010/IMG_0581.jpg

I've also got another picture for you Daniel that I'll post shortly - there was a yellow SE out there just like yours with flat black 6ULs and black stripes...it looked pretty gangsta! Better yet there was a 40 year old lady driving it - it was her first time on the track and she was driving pretty hard.

That is a very clean looking 993!

I'll be waiting for said picture. You should have rammed that yellow SE off the track. One less SE making mine much more rare! But I'm dying to see how it looks with black wheels and stripes.

[MeFryRice]

Do you drive the miata up to Nashville or tow it each time? If you drive it, that'd be pretty impressive. :)

[friday]

Nice pictures nick, hopefully in the off season I will be able to collect enough funds to join you. Bare essentials I need are roll bar, tires (probably some used RA-1's), and brake pads.

[GVfanatic]

black wheels.

Done

http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/1853/1701/29630850005_large.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/1853/1701/29630850004_medium.jpg

[oldgrayfrog]

I'm really Jonesing for an aircooled 911 right now, I saw a 69, an 84 and a 91 all in one place. I really like the 84, except that its a vert, and I really want a hardtop. At the same time I'm seriously considering a mild build on a BMW 2002 (the model not the year), all those 993 pictures make me all sweaty. lol, your beast looks fantastic on the track, I hope you let the folks in the high priced iron know what you built it for :)

[nickt93]

Car looks pretty flat going thru the turn. Has he added some suspension goodies?

Yep - he has Bilstein PSS9s, upgraded swaybars, and probably a few other things I'm leaving out.

Do you drive the miata up to Nashville or tow it each time? If you drive it, that'd be pretty impressive. :)

Drive it! Nashville is only a few hours away, but it can still be a bit brutal, especially if it's hot. Ultrashields don't do much for back support, and without a radio it gets a bit boring at times. Well worth it, though, for a weekend at the track!

Nice pictures nick, hopefully in the off season I will be able to collect enough funds to join you. Bare essentials I need are roll bar, tires (probably some used RA-1's), and brake pads.

I highly recommend the RA1s - they don't have quite as much grip as the R6s or 710s, but this set has lasted me a whole lot longer than either of those (I'm probably at 6-7 full track days on these, and I picked them up used).

lol, your beast looks fantastic on the track

Thanks man!

Daniel - pics for you!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TJiWuz2YX2I/AAAAAAAAC1U/v49UC9r8G6Y/s800/photo.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TJiW1ENIFdI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/MOkv1F8-0Ko/s800/photo.JPG


And last but not least, here's a video clip of me chasing down an insanely fast 996 Turbo (with upgrades I think this car was supposed to be putting down about 600hp). It takes off like a rocket in the straightaways!

FJy-N3b5x6o

[FE3tMX5]

Nick I think that guy would cry if he saw what you could do driving his 600hp porsche. :D

[nickt93]

Nick I think that guy would cry if he saw what you could do driving his 600hp porsche. :D

Put it into a wall :) Quite honestly, that much power would scare me!

[FE3tMX5]

You say that now, but my guess is it would only take you a session to get comfortable with the car. In that first session you learn to respect the throttle in that car, the same way you respect the brake in your car. Of course, I'm speaking from personal experience of going from a 100hp showroom stock Miata to a 400hp Viper, so I could be wrong. ;) But the differential is pretty close.

[Beastinthebushes]

Thanks for the pictures Nick! Not digging the stripes, but I am liking the black 6UL's. I'm on the fence about the all black look for wheels. I would still like to go black with either polished lip or yellow lip. I'm really liking the skull and cross bones though! I may have to steal that. Next time you do a track day, shoot me a PM, I would love to go for a ride and hang out for the day. It looks like you had a ton of fun though, you lucky bastard!

[lazybones]

A few new photos

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TGtDgjwdx8I/AAAAAAAACxI/yK5CjiJk1TU/s800/DSC_0007.JPG



I love your car so freaking much, Nick.

[jzilla]

Thanks for the pictures Nick! Not digging the stripes, but I am liking the black 6UL's. I'm on the fence about the all black look for wheels. I would still like to go black with either polished lip or yellow lip. I'm really liking the skull and cross bones though! I may have to steal that. Next time you do a track day, shoot me a PM, I would love to go for a ride and hang out for the day. It looks like you had a ton of fun though, you lucky bastard!

you know... you are still invited to the track day...

you can probably hitch a ride in this car. ;)

[Beastinthebushes]

you know... you are still invited to the track day...

you can probably hitch a ride in this car. ;)

Very true, I have class that day though, but I might skip to come join you gays. Just ride in everyones car. We will see.

[amaff]

I'm really liking the skull and cross bones though! I may have to steal that.

A good buddy of mine sells these:
http://bdtgfx.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=58&products_id=423

http://bdtgfx.com/bmz_cache/2/2de5cd66fe8a95a155bd9d6bade31274.image.249x250.gif

Tell him I sent you from this site :)
He's the guy that did the original run of decals for this site actually

EDIT: For an approximation of the size, link to a pic of the 1 I have on the back of my helmet:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs330.snc3/29092_557127934434_44304805_32620306_1075200_n.jpg

[Beastinthebushes]

Will do, thanks! And sorry to thread jack Nick.

Back to your minty green goodness!

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Awesome Nick, can't wait to see it in action in person!

[nickt93]

Check me out yaaaaaaaaaaaaall! Page 25 of the new issue of Grassroots Motorsports!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_aAJssjPw7mE/TcM8MAFEOxI/AAAAAAAADeo/TBJ4iokRTjM/s800/photo.JPG

[dmonroe2008]

wow thats kinds cool. i wish my car could make a mag!

[scandmx5]

java chip ftmfw

[RotorNutFD3S]

Awesome dude! Congrats!

[VitaminD]

Very nice, my mailman must be reading my new issue.

[Beastinthebushes]

Oh yeah, my friend showed me that magazine the other day, it was the truck stop fantasy article, right?

http://www.planetbears.com/Images/Uploads/bear-magazine-005.jpg

Congrats dude!

[blk95r]

Congratulations Nick, I just opened my issue tonight after work and saw your car, lookin good!

[theothersawyer]

Dude!!! That's awesome!!!!! Congratulations nick!!!!!!!!

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

congrats man!!

[Shortround]

Congrats dude that car is top notch!

[oldgrayfrog]

I laughed out loud last night enjoying my new issue,"That's Nick's Car!" and they picked the mint green one! not Thunder! Guess Ill have to paint mine Magenta to get in...Congratulations Nick !! That car has come a long way.

[caseyfoster]

Im assuming you gave them the picture of you in the size 22 new balances for the article right?

[amaff]

Very nice, my mailman must be reading my new issue.
Man, yours and mine both!:lol:

[nickt93]

My new credit card - ballin'!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-k2TpccXgeow/ThUn8jliHbI/AAAAAAAAD8M/RM64j0tSVRs/s800/Miata%252520Cred%252520Card%2525201.jpg

It's a good card too - gives you 2% cash back year round on gas and groceries.

[friday]

haha, thats great.

Now that thunder is on the way out are there any plans for this or just leave it as is?

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

:lol: I would have laughed if you just left your card details completely exposed then!

[nickt93]

Now that thunder is on the way out are there any plans for this or just leave it as is?

There are always plans :) I bought the 10mm Inconel turbo stud and stage 8 locking hardware kit from Trackspeed Engineering, and I'm aiming to install that before the PDX at Road Atlanta next weekend. From Thunder I'm planning to keep the Wilwood brakes, the APR wing, the oil coolers, the BEGi intake manifold, the Tein Mono Flexes, so you'll see all that stuff pop up here on the green car before long.


:lol: I would have laughed if you just left your card details completely exposed then!

Yeah, that would have been an awesome idea! Truthfully though, without having the CCV from the back of the card it would be hard to do any real damage.

[RotorNutFD3S]

That's a good looking car(d)! :) I kept forgetting to make one of those, now I have one on the way too.

[Beastinthebushes]

I wanted to do one of those, but I wanted a picture of me throwing money in the air on the card. Making it rain!

Good call on what you're keeping from thunder. Those willwood brakes are on my list later on down the road.

[miata5620]

Yeah I been wanting one like that but I have yet to have a picture of my car that I want to use.

[amaff]

Cool looking card, sh** @$$ company to deal with tho. Capital One can eat a d***.

[qualcon]

Nice card!

Did you find a place to drill out the turbo and mani for the 10mm studs? Begi doing it for free?

[nickt93]

Did you find a place to drill out the turbo and mani for the 10mm studs? Begi doing it for free?

Amaff ended up sending me to one of the local autocross guys that says he can do it - I'm hoping to take it up to him at the beginning of next week.

[qualcon]

Amaff ended up sending me to one of the local autocross guys that says he can do it - I'm hoping to take it up to him at the beginning of next week.

That's good to hear. Local is probably faster and cheaper than shipping it to Begi even though it's free.

[qualcon]

Is Road Atlanta this weekend? Is the car ready?

[nickt93]

Is Road Atlanta this weekend? Is the car ready?

The car is in pieces! Hopefully I'll be ready for Road Atlanta on Sunday though. Last night I took my manifold to get drilled and tapped for the 10mm inconel studs (thanks amaff for the tip - Hardy is the man!), and tonight I'm planning to put it back on the car. If I run short on time I've got Saturday too. Fingers crossed!

[amaff]

(thanks amaff for the tip - Hardy is the man!)

Yeah, the dude does amazing work. You should see him with a TIG welder. If you've ever seen a Racing Beat header for a miata, you know the welds are amazing.

When I had a crack on the #2 runner, I took it to him to fix. First off, if you didn't know it had been repaired, you'd never find it... unless you noticed that the welds on 1 of the runners at the flange is noticeably nicer than the rest of them LOL

Also: part of my rollbar on the race car:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-W1DiyiVDwDQ/TE3Kr6Jw8-I/AAAAAAAACv0/EBVc2NasjQM/s640/IMG_2517%252520%252528800x600%252529.jpg

[nickt93]

Chasing, then passing a Z06 last weekend at Road Atlanta. My friend passes me in his sweet 2011 Porsche GT3 near the end:

uB8bkNMkHR0

[Beastinthebushes]

Holy hell that looked like fun. It must feel nice stomping cars that cost 10x more than what you've put in the miata.

[qualcon]

Sweet video. Looks like a lot of fun. Glad you got your car sorted out in time for the track day.

[miata5620]

You must have been having a ton of fun out there, I had a good time just watching the video. Hope to get to drive road atlanta myself someday.

[jzilla]

damn that guy in the gt3 is fast as hell.

[nickt93]

damn that guy in the gt3 is fast as hell.

No doubt - that car is ridiculous, and he is a great driver. He picked up that car a few months ago and nobody could ever accuse him of not using it for its intended purpose. A few weeks ago he drove (not trailered) the car to Watkins Glen (yes, New York) to do a 2 day PCA track event.

Oh, also Zirra, he is Asian, so you guys are automatically down with each other should you ever meet. We'll be rolling to C&O together the first weekend in August if you are there (I can also bring your late, late Xmas present).

[bags]

The car is in pieces! Hopefully I'll be ready for Road Atlanta on Sunday though. Last night I took my manifold to get drilled and tapped for the 10mm inconel studs (thanks amaff for the tip - Hardy is the man!), and tonight I'm planning to put it back on the car. If I run short on time I've got Saturday too. Fingers crossed!


Sorry to dig this up.. but I am curious if your stg 8 locking hardware on the turbo is still holding?

And your log mani is still good to go?

I am planning out the turbo build and have read 10 debates wether stg 8 locking hardware vs safety wire vs welding the turbo to the mani is the best option....lol

Thanks

Bags

[nickt93]

^ No worries man - I'm actually a bot overdue for am update.

I got the car back together for the RA event and everything held together for the day. Later though, I looked under the hood and noticed that, while the stage 8 fasteners had held in place, the studs themselves had come loose and started to unthread. I think that may have been due to improper use of/ insufficient Resbond to hold them in. I got another tube of Resbond and reinstalled the studs on Sunday (has to pull the manifold again). I'll let you guys know how it holds up. I also added the FM downpipe brace this time to reduce the load on the studs and reduce vibration.

[bags]

^ No worries man - I'm actually a bot overdue for am update.

I got the car back together for the RA event and everything held together for the day. Later though, I looked under the hood and noticed that, while the stage 8 fasteners had held in place, the studs themselves had come loose and started to unthread. I think that may have been due to improper use of/ insufficient Resbond to hold them in. I got another tube of Resbond and reinstalled the studs on Sunday (has to pull the manifold again). I'll let you guys know how it holds up. I also added the FM downpipe brace this time to reduce the load on the studs and reduce vibration.


LOL.. well thanks for the FAST reply.. and the update.

[bags]

Oh and to harass you another time, what WHP/WTQ is the car at?

[nickt93]

Oh and to harass you another time, what WHP/WTQ is the car at?

It's a standard FMII kit, so probably 220-230hp on a Dynojet. I've only had it on a dyno once, and it was a brutal Mustang dyno.

[bags]

It's a standard FMII kit, so probably 220-230hp on a Dynojet. I've only had it on a dyno once, and it was a brutal Mustang dyno.


Ok, thanks again.

[nickt93]

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Y2SQT_Pl_9E/ToHU4OzHCiI/AAAAAAAAEb8/mzFX0qY7Cr0/s800/photo.JPG

[amaff]

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA that's not gone well :-P

[Beastinthebushes]

Hahahahahahahahahhahahaha!!!!


Your middle name is Meade?

[VitaminD]

Great letter! It's worth applying to get a gem like that.

[nolift]

LMAO, thats awesome. I too think it was worth it just for the letter. Nice work.

[theothersawyer]

hahaha that is AWESOME!!!

[RotorNutFD3S]

:lol: Good job Nick!

[nickt93]

I was having an issue with my wastegate binding up, so I'm in the process of replacing the turbine housing.

I'd like to do some cleanup under the hood while I'm there. What's the easiest way to eliminate the pipe that comes off of the mixing manifold and goes to the heater core (outlined in red below)? My car doesn't have heat, so it's unnecessary.


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bUmw2t7RsD0/TwxAfjNT6EI/AAAAAAAAEzo/70sVKVKkw5U/s640/Mixing%252520Manifold%2525202.JPG

[evilmiata]

What's the easiest way to eliminate the pipe that comes off of the mixing manifold

I still have heat, but for my coolant reroute I found a small freeze plug from Advance Auto that fits perfect. no chance of it coming out either.. i think It was the same size that fits the head...

[FE3tMX5]

I've plugged coolant holes by tapping the port and screwing in a bolt with rtv. I often chopped the head of the bolt and give it a groove for a flat head screw driver. Hasn't failed me. I've seen pics of barb pipe fittings in that hole, but I don't know if the installed required any welding to fit the NPT size.

[evilmiata]

here you go, it's a lil big for a bolt, but after cleaning it out it had 222-014 written inside


http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u48/exzile9/IMAG0743.jpg

[evilmiata]

You should upgrade to the Gtx2863 while you have it off!!!

[nickt93]

here you go, it's a lil big for a bolt, but after cleaning it out it had 222-014 written inside




Awesome! Thanks man!

A turbo upgrade would be nice, but it's just not in the budget right now. I'm on stock internals too, so not sure how much more boost I can really crank out before I leave shrapnel on the ground.

[nickt93]

I've plugged coolant holes by tapping the port and screwing in a bolt with rtv. I often chopped the head of the bolt and give it a groove for a flat head screw driver. Hasn't failed me. I've seen pics of barb pipe fittings in that hole, but I don't know if the installed required any welding to fit the NPT size.

Great suggestions here too. Anything that prevents me from having to weld is a good thing.

[caseyfoster]

Were actually in the process of installing our turbo and I was looking at that thinking do we even need it since we dont have heat. What do you do with the other end? Plug it as well?

[nickt93]

Were actually in the process of installing our turbo and I was looking at that thinking do we even need it since we dont have heat. What do you do with the other end? Plug it as well?

The mixing manifold has two outlets - one that goes to the heater core, and another that connects to the bottom of the radiator. You just want to plug the one that goes to the heater core.

[nickt93]

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-szqRZkvc2sI/TxM7d3hajaI/AAAAAAAAE0M/CfswBaryKEI/s800/photo.JPG

New turbine housing to fix the issue with the wastegate I was having. Looks a lot better than the old one!

[nickt93]

Doh - have another progress-inhibiting delay! I can't remove the studs from the old housing. I've tried everything - double nut method, liquid wrench, MAPP torch, candle wax, etc. These suckers aren't coming loose.

I'm going to order some new ones from FM later today (unless anyone has any other ideas where to locally source?).

In other news, I'm actually impressed with the picture quality from my iPhone 4s.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7SOGQgu6HxE/TxmC-gey1EI/AAAAAAAAE0Y/J7_tL6gOSCk/s800/photo.JPG

[amaff]

(unless anyone has any other ideas where to locally source?).

There's a Fastenal on Steve Reynolds in Norcross, IIRC.

[iamdallas]

Wow, that picture quality is nice.


Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk

[theothersawyer]

And thanks to phones Kodak is going bankrupt! :lol:

Joking aside, that is a very good picture. Good luck getting out those studs!

[nickt93]

There's a Fastenal on Steve Reynolds in Norcross, IIRC.

Thanks man - I checked on their website last night, but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.

And thanks to phones Kodak is going bankrupt! :lol:

Joking aside, that is a very good picture. Good luck getting out those studs!

Yeah man, I've given up on trying to get them out. New ones are on the way from FM!

[caseyfoster]

With the double nut method, I found it really important to keeping a socket on the end nut to keep it from spinning while I turned the back nut.

I was having some trouble with the studs in our motor the other day, but the socket on the front nut did the job.

[oldgrayfrog]

Sad but I haven't even taken one picture with my Iphone 4s, that Siri thing actually works though. Nick, I do have a breaker bar that's about three foot long. LMK if ya wanna try that. Also there's that super solvent of what brake cleaner and what was it WD40 in equal parts? Try soaking the whole works in that overnight.

[nickt93]

While I had the turbo off to replace the turbine housing, I figured I would lay down a new coat of paint in the engine bay. It was sprayed with Rustoleum flat black previously and was starting to look pretty dingy. Took a page from DecoyOctopus's playbook and went with gray.

Before
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xRXIruPzerM/TyXSrPPpSJI/AAAAAAAAE6U/GToR7VpM7FQ/s800/photo.JPG

During
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4ND97I9XvmU/TyXSg1gcgwI/AAAAAAAAE6I/8mQv7Ztc6s8/s800/photo.JPG

After
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-TpYXwcckbyU/TyXSPTq24ZI/AAAAAAAAE6Q/tjEZRxGo3rY/s800/photo.JPG

I tried to find a freeze plug to close off the port on the water pump inlet that I was no longer using, but no luck. I ended up taking the housing off of Thunder and using that. I like the routing much better this way - keeps it further from the turbo.

No laughing at my mess of blue RTV on the neck. I discovered a helicoil in the top mounting hole from the previous owner...ended up using longer bolts to try and go deeper and catch some good threads, then swabbed a bit of RTV around the edges once I mounted it up as extra protection against leaks.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_mMRxl6N6nw/TyXY_VOjFCI/AAAAAAAAE6s/fETGFs4ect8/s800/photo.JPG

And a shot of the car...
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2mpGmPapf8Q/TyXS2TU7FzI/AAAAAAAAE6Y/HEy7FcQ64Tk/s800/photo.JPG

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Love it. One of my favorite turbo Miata - nothing but business.

[iamdallas]

I love every bit of this car. It really makes me want to try to paint my own.
And you really need to let me use that lift!

I have seriously neglected my own build thread since I have no good camera. I've been trying to steal my girlfriend's, but no luck.





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[theothersawyer]

It really makes me want to try to paint my own.

I am actually planning on doing my car over the summer, that is assuming the financial situation works out.

[FE3tMX5]

How was the paint coverage taping everything up vs. removing a lot of those parts? I've got to do this and my engine is out- but the less work the better and it looks like you just did a lot of un-mounting, taping and pulling to the side. The end result looks great.

[nickt93]

How was the paint coverage taping everything up vs. removing a lot of those parts? I've got to do this and my engine is out- but the less work the better and it looks like you just did a lot of un-mounting, taping and pulling to the side. The end result looks great.

Thanks man - I expect it would have been both quicker and easier to do with the engine out, but it didn't take terribly long and looks tons better than it did before. If your engine is already out, I say go for it.

[tbone heller]

Looks good. I have found that aluminum foil works good to mask off things in the engine compartment for painting. It is a lot easier to work with than tape on hard to mask stuff like lines & hoses.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Looks good. I have found that aluminum foil works good to mask off things in the engine compartment for painting. It is a lot easier to work with than tape on hard to mask stuff like lines & hoses.

That's a tip I shall take with me from this thread. Great idea.

[iamdallas]

Paint my car, Nick!! Ill give you some xxrs and a 5 speed! Lol.

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[nickt93]

I have found that aluminum foil works good to mask off things in the engine compartment for painting. It is a lot easier to work with than tape on hard to mask stuff like lines & hoses.

PHENOMENAL tip! I wish I had thought of that beforehand - oh well, I'll know better next time.


Paint my car, Nick!! Ill give you some xxrs and a 5 speed! Lol.

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Painting the car is not the hard part - it's the prep that takes forever! Removing trim, masking, sanding, body work, etc.

[iamdallas]

Painting the car is not the hard part - it's the prep that takes forever! Removing trim, masking, sanding, body work, etc.

......soooooooooo??? ;)



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[nickt93]

......soooooooooo??? ;)

So if you prep your car, find a booth, and set up the equipment, I'll be glad to come over and spray a few coats of paint on it :)

[iamdallas]

So if you prep your car, find a booth, and set up the equipment, I'll be glad to come over and spray a few coats of paint on it :)

Lol. Okay. Haha.

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[caseyfoster]

Nick look what I found.
Some other guy has a freaking porsche mint green miata, lol.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/425847_333974683304180_185311478170502_1092235_565 754641_n.jpg

[nickt93]

Nick look what I found.
Some other guy has a freaking porsche mint green miata, lol.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/425847_333974683304180_185311478170502_1092235_565 754641_n.jpg

No way! Where did you find that?

I wonder who was first :lol:

[miata5620]

He is on CR.net " minto " is his name he has a nice car but don't worry he is not in the USA so I am sure your the only one with that color here.

[caseyfoster]

No way! Where did you find that?

I wonder who was first :lol:

On this facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/All-Things-Proper/185311478170502

The earliest picture I could find of it is 9-2011 which was posted on their blog called minty.fresh.

The upload date of the image is in the url of the picture.
http://alscarstuff.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/minty-fresh-5.jpg

Of course it could have been done earlier and they just didnt post it, but pretty much all the images that made it to the internet were around the same date.

Detective caseyfoster on the job.

[nickt93]

Thanks for the info guys. I'm not too proprietary about the color - it's not like I invented it ;) When I painted the car, I wanted to do something unique and spray a color that nobody had ever painted a Miata before, and to my knowledge I don't know of any others that were painted that color prior to mine. I can understand that some people might see another car and be "inspired" to paint theirs the same way.

I'm sure it rubs some of the Porsche guys the wrong way that there's a little Miata running around out there sporting their color. If you google image search Porsche Mint Green a lot of my pictures come up.

[theothersawyer]

I actually think that minto is a different color. They are just very similar. His seems to be more vibrant and yours is more of a pale green if that makes sense.

[nickt93]

I picked up my car from DIY Auto Tune on Friday where it received a gen 2 Megasquirt PNP and some proper dyno tuning. The results = pure awesomeness:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gpzd2QV9PW8/T5WLxLWZccI/AAAAAAAAFLc/Z_VaSF0bvKA/s800/nick%2520thompson%2520mpsnp%2520gen2%2520turbo%252 0miata_reduced.jpg

The pink line is AFR. Ben will have to help out with the others. I'm guessing yellow = boost, blue = horsepower, green = torque? Either way I'm right around 250rwhp, a number I'm very happy with.

I've been running the Link for the past 2.5 years and overall it worked really well - it's a reliable proven solution that can be had very cheaply in today's market.

Having said that, I'm THRILLED with the Megasquirt! Overall driving impression is that the car feels a lot stronger - part of which is due to running more boost and having a properly tuned car instead of just an autotuned base map. Beyond that though, the car just seems to do everything that much more smoothly - transition to boost seems more controlled, AFRs are less erratic. I'm looking forward to digging into the TunerStudio software and playing around some.

We are pretty lucky to have DIY Auto Tune here locally. If you are looking for a solid and affordable engine management solution, look no further (but if you have a '99-00 buy my Hydra ;) ).

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Sweet jesus that is an impressive graph! That's awesome man, that's really fast :lol:

Definitely privileged to have DIY here so close by, they're some special guys.

[oldgrayfrog]

That's a heartbreaker dyno just so you know...I think when Ben first took his S4 BEGI turboed 10ae it made around 215ish, my m45 with 11psi, overspinning like hell, intercooled was a whopping 172 on that dyno.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

That's what I thought too Dave, which is why I'm also particularly impressed! That's mental mate. Go plop it on a dynojet for a laugh and see if you get near 300!

[ben91]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gpzd2QV9PW8/T5WLxLWZccI/AAAAAAAAFLc/Z_VaSF0bvKA/s800/nick%2520thompson%2520mpsnp%2520gen2%2520turbo%252 0miata_reduced.jpg


Purple = AFR at the tailpipe (which reads slightly leaner than the in-car wideband)
Blue = WHP
Green = WTQ
Yellow = MAP

We have boost falling at 6400 rpm for mechanical empathy. The car was already peaking at 257 whp. Letting the boost drop from 13 psi to 11 psi should help your stock rods stay more straight. Otherwise leaving the boost at 13 psi might have made 265-270 whp.


That's a heartbreaker dyno just so you know...I think when Ben first took his S4 BEGI turboed 10ae it made around 215ish, my m45 with 11psi, overspinning like hell, intercooled was a whopping 172 on that dyno.I made around 270 whp first time on this dyno. Same turbo as Nick, but I have a higher flow exhaust and a BEGi intercooler. :D
I think the 215 number you're thinking of was my first time on a Mustang, back when I had a piggyback, stock midpipe, and a RB muffler (as it was when I first bought it).

[caseyfoster]

Oh dear sweet heavenly blessed miata!

[oldgrayfrog]

I stand corrected Ben, I was thinking of your first pull. Still your S4 is about state of the art for a non-forged motor, and I somehow think that you have a fairly good tune going on at this point Ben, I mean you do work at DIY and all....

[ben91]

Your dyno vid, sir

IHCZX2-sqLo

[nickt93]

Awesome!!! Thanks man.

[fastnfurious7]

Vid is cool. Ben, maybe we can make one when everything on Ole Red is done including the built motor. I'm not too confident that the numbers as she sits now will be overly impressive. Nick, your car turned out incredible, sounded great. I <3 turbo whistle!

[amcnult1]

Ohh the overwhelming urge to join the boost crew is insatiable. That is a thing of beauty Nick. Is that a daily or just your track car?

[nickt93]

Nick, your car turned out incredible, sounded great. I <3 turbo whistle!

Thanks man - it has been a labor of love over the past 4-5 years!

Ohh the overwhelming urge to join the boost crew is insatiable. That is a thing of beauty Nick. Is that a daily or just your track car?

I do drive it on the street occasionally, but it is mostly just a track car. No HVAC, no radio, Ultrashield seats - not exactly a comfortable DD!

[epilonious]

So.. how much would it cost to dyno and tune a Megasquirted Merkur XR4Ti running a slightly larger turbocharger and a slightly aftermarket intercooler...?

[amaff]

Having seen it in the last few days, it really is a cool / unique car. And, by all accounts, fast as balls. I'll need to take a ride in it now that you've gotten it tuned in. As if it wasn't already bonkers enough before when I drove it a couple years back :D

Now just get that mirror fixed ;)

[nickt93]

So.. how much would it cost to dyno and tune a Megasquirted Merkur XR4Ti running a slightly larger turbocharger and a slightly aftermarket intercooler...?

That's definitely an "it depends" kind of question, sort of like "how much does it cost to get my car painted" or "how much does a good car cost?".

I'm by no means an expert, but given what I know "tuning" is a loose term. It all depends on who is tuning it, how close your current tune is to the tune you want, and what kind of functionality you are trying to enable. Tuning could be as simple as basic fuel and ignition to get the car to an acceptable and safe level, or it could be all out optimization to squeze every last bit of power. It may or may not include things like boost control, water/meth injection, etc. I would think that even a basic tune would start around $500 and go up from there.


Having seen it in the last few days, it really is a cool / unique car. And, by all accounts, fast as balls. I'll need to take a ride in it now that you've gotten it tuned in. As if it wasn't already bonkers enough before when I drove it a couple years back :D

Now just get that mirror fixed ;)

Thanks man! And I couldn't have picked up that trailer from you a moment too soon in light of the event next week at CMP.

Oh, and I tightened up that loose side mirror as soon as I got home :)

[epilonious]

That's definitely an "it depends" kind of question, sort of like "how much does it cost to get my car painted" or "how much does a good car cost?".

I'm by no means an expert, but given what I know "tuning" is a loose term. It all depends on who is tuning it, how close your current tune is to the tune you want, and what kind of functionality you are trying to enable. Tuning could be as simple as basic fuel and ignition to get the car to an acceptable and safe level, or it could be all out optimization to squeze every last bit of power. It may or may not include things like boost control, water/meth injection, etc. I would think that even a basic tune would start around $500 and go up from there.

It would be rather basic. Essentially just tweaking maps and double checking our setup so that the AFR is more of a flat line and less of a roller coaster as boost comes on. The boost controller is manual and it's a rather rudimentary fuel injection system (good ol' Ford TFI).

Either way, thank you for the advice.