Considering re-joining the Mazda community...

[alex_n/a]

Didn't bother opening the link but the fb's with a 13b are the gal se model. I think that's the only 13b fb all others were 12a. But it could also be different in other countries.

I would say get an fc rx7 but since you are looking for a big aftermarket selection and cheap easy parts you're out of luck with most rx7 as they aren't as common as a miata.

/$0.02

[jamiel]

Do you want to be a "competitive" autocrosser or just casual?
Any mod plans? You probably know that relatively "simple" mods can put you into a class that requires $$$$ to have a "competitive" car. I'm happy to offer tips if you like.

A Miata is a great option no matter which way you want to go.

[roninsoldier83]

Do you want to be a "competitive" autocrosser or just casual?
Any mod plans? You probably know that relatively "simple" mods can put you into a class that requires $$$$ to have a "competitive" car. I'm happy to offer tips if you like.

A Miata is a great option no matter which way you want to go.

The plan is to be casual, but at the same time, if I got back into it, who knows haha.

I'm still trying to do a bit of research on a mod path, as I know certain mods bump you up in classes (I've ran DS & STX, and AS & STU in the past, but it's been years). More or less, I'd just like to get back behind the wheel of something I can have fun with and not worry about spending insane amounts of cash when something breaks (the E90 N54 is VERY expensive to fix if something breaks).

[RX-7 Chris]

Alex you are right. If that car is an original 13B car than it is a GSL-SE. All other first gen rx-7's (78-85) are 12As. The GSL and GSL-SE have 4 wheel disk and LSD. The base, GS, and GSL are all 4x110 wheel bolt pattern. The GSL-SE has 4x114 bolt pattern. Also the GSL-SE is fuel injected and all 12A cars have a carb. The GSL and GSL-SE come with power windows and a number of other things so they are heavier.

"The fuel injection system in the GSL-SE is a licensed variant of Bosch L-Jetronic, manufactured by Nippon Denso." It is a very basic system.

Not sure if there is anything else you want to know.

[erod550]

I like that FC TII, but $5k is a bit more than I'm looking to spend on a project car.



You posted my thoughts exactly. Although I'm kind of disappointed that the owner would swap out the stock 4.30's for a LSD with 4.10's in it, as I know they're fairly gutless to being with, so I'm sure the extra torque multiplication would have helped.

I would probably drive the car to work on occasion, but wouldn't rely on it as a daily (hence 335xi).

Just curious, any reason you swapped in another 1.6L rather than the 1.8L? Is the 1.8L swap significantly more involved or did you just happen to have a 1.6L laying around? Haha!

Having LSD would be worth the .2 difference on the gears I think. I would love to swap a Torsen into mine but you have the cost of the diff, then you have to get '94-'97 axles also and I think a '94-'97 driveshaft and it adds up. For a commuter car it's just not worth it to me.

As for why another 1.6L, coloskydiver on this site had just pulled a low mileage (~47k) 1.6L out of his Miata in the process of doing his V8 swap. It was the right price and he was able to help me do the swap too so that's why. It was more of an availability thing, plus having the help to put it in that made me decide to go that route. So now even though my car is still gutless it basically has about 65k miles on the motor and will last me a very long time.

[jamiel]

The plan is to be casual, but at the same time, if I got back into it, who knows haha.

I'm still trying to do a bit of research on a mod path, as I know certain mods bump you up in classes (I've ran DS & STX, and AS & STU in the past, but it's been years). More or less, I'd just like to get back behind the wheel of something I can have fun with and not worry about spending insane amounts of cash when something breaks (the E90 N54 is VERY expensive to fix if something breaks).

Definitely find a car with an LSD.
Avoid the 91-91.5 "small nose" 1.6L
Looks like you are familiar with classing (R-comps vs "street" tires) Here's a decent guide for SCCA SOLO mods by class (a bit outdated, but a good start) http://www.sff.net/people/dburkhead/prepcompare.htm

[roninsoldier83]

Having LSD would be worth the .2 difference on the gears I think. I would love to swap a Torsen into mine but you have the cost of the diff, then you have to get '94-'97 axles also and I think a '94-'97 driveshaft and it adds up. For a commuter car it's just not worth it to me.

As for why another 1.6L, coloskydiver on this site had just pulled a low mileage (~47k) 1.6L out of his Miata in the process of doing his V8 swap. It was the right price and he was able to help me do the swap too so that's why. It was more of an availability thing, plus having the help to put it in that made me decide to go that route. So now even though my car is still gutless it basically has about 65k miles on the motor and will last me a very long time.

Oh wow, I didn't realize the LSD swap was so involved, and that makes a lot more sense.

Yeah, I think if I was in your shoes, I would have done the same swap (cheap + assistance FTW!) haha. I won't lie, after seeing his build-up thread, I am extremely jealous of coloskydiver's Miata!

I was looking at NA mods for those cars, and most of them don't really seem to do much... it appears that the head just doesn't flow very well from what I'm reading, so not even more aggressive cams do much for peak power/torque. Kind of a bummer, but then again, my 335 just got a bump up from 13psi (made 341whp/400wtq on 13psi) to 16.5psi (I'm expecting 360-370whp & 420+wtq, would be more but along with the increase in boost, AFR's are considerably richer, logging around 12:1 with timing only ramping up to around 6* @ 6500rpm, these cars have really efficient combustion chambers/don't need much advance) so I suppose I'll have my "straight line fix" with my daily driver, but I have a feeling after a while, I'll be yearning for more power....

... but maybe I'm wrong. Are you pretty happy with the combo of your 5.0 and your Miata? Ever find yourself wanting to boost the Miata?

[roninsoldier83]

Definitely find a car with an LSD.
Avoid the 91-91.5 "small nose" 1.6L
Looks like you are familiar with classing (R-comps vs "street" tires) Here's a decent guide for SCCA SOLO mods by class (a bit outdated, but a good start) http://www.sff.net/people/dburkhead/prepcompare.htm

If you wouldn't mind, please school me on the internal differences of the 1.6L motors/1.8L motors.... I know very little about the old Miata engines, any problem areas I should be looking for?

So, '90 1.6L is ok, just avoid 91-91.5's? Is it kind of like the old DSM motors where the 6-bolt motors ran great but 7-bolt's had crank walk issues/manufacturing design that is a known issue?

I would really appreciate any info you might be able to share


EDIT: this explains a lot:
http://www.solomiata.com/Mx5Engine.html

Hmmm, are the pulley keyway failures really that common on the 90-91's? I'm a bit more wary about the car posted above now...

[ecam8000]

One other point that I would make is the lack of power is not always bad. I've not regretted the low power of the Miata on the track. It handles and stops great. I am slower than some of the others, but I am learning to drive "better" without the luxury of power/speed. It is also a great teaching car.

[roninsoldier83]

One other point that I would make is the lack of power is not always bad. I've not regretted the low power of the Miata on the track. It handles and stops great. I am slower than some of the others, but I am learning to drive "better" without the luxury of power/speed. It is also a great teaching car.

I think initially I would agree with you, with my only concern being long term when I became more adept at pushing the vehicle 10/10ths, the yearning for more power might start to rear it's ugly head.... but you make a great point.

[ecam8000]

I think initially I would agree with you, with my only concern being long term when I became more adept at pushing the vehicle 10/10ths, the yearning for more power might start to rear it's ugly head.... but you make a great point.

And when that time comes, you're looking at the 1.8 or turbo or a 5.0 swap! Or sell/trade up to the next steed.

I'll even kick in the offer to help when you need it.

[erod550]

Are you pretty happy with the combo of your 5.0 and your Miata? Ever find yourself wanting to boost the Miata?

Only every time I take off from a stoplight with my 13-14 second 0-60 lol. But then I think any money spent on boosting the Miata could be put into the 5.0 to make it even faster and I just go back to living with the lack of power in the Miata. I do want to get some handling bits eventually though, like a real set of shocks and springs from Flyin' Miata. The car is great fun once you're up to speed, it's just getting to speed that's not as fun, lol.

[roninsoldier83]

And when that time comes, you're looking at the 1.8 or turbo or a 5.0 swap! Or sell/trade up to the next steed.

I'll even kick in the offer to help when you need it.

Thank you for your offer sir! I might just take you up on it if/when the time comes. Of those 3 options, it appears as though the 1.8L would be the most cost efficient, but doesn't seem to offer too much in the way of power gained. At this point though, I don't even own one haha, I should probably buy one and get used to driving it before I think about engine swaps or forced induction... but I'm such a mod-addict, haha!

Only every time I take off from a stoplight with my 13-14 second 0-60 lol. But then I think any money spent on boosting the Miata could be put into the 5.0 to make it even faster and I just go back to living with the lack of power in the Miata. I do want to get some handling bits eventually though, like a real set of shocks and springs from Flyin' Miata. The car is great fun once you're up to speed, it's just getting to speed that's not as fun, lol.

You know, I was following coloskydiver's thread, and while I love the idea of shoe-horning a 5.0 V8 into a Miata, boosting the stock 1.6L does seem considerably more cost effective when you start to factor all of the custom work that needs to be done with a V8 swap... granted, I would rather have an NA V8 over a turbo-4 for a number of reasons (throttle response, lack of comparative stress on the bottom end, ect), but it seems costly and time consuming.

[erod550]

Yea you could boost a stock motor for a few grand. I think Ron's V8 project is in the 12-14k range so far. Plus the little 1.6L and 1.8L are stout. They can handle 200whp all day from what I understand and still be very reliable. 200whp in a Miata would be much fun indeed. Damnit, now I want a turbo...

[roninsoldier83]

Yea you could boost a stock motor for a few grand. I think Ron's V8 project is in the 12-14k range so far. Plus the little 1.6L and 1.8L are stout. They can handle 200whp all day from what I understand and still be very reliable. 200whp in a Miata would be much fun indeed. Damnit, now I want a turbo...

Yeah, from what I was reading, the block seems pretty stout and shares many internal features are the turbo 323 motors.... sound promising.... and much cheaper than a V8 swap haha! Although, the little 4 banger will never have the character of a pushrod V8... honestly though, I think I would be a little bit too cheap to invest in a V8 swap haha!