The Miata

User avatar
speedjunkie
Senior Member
Posts: 5281
Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:14
Location: Colorado Springs
Contact:

Re: The Miata

Postby speedjunkie » Sat Nov 21, 2015 9:14

Saul_Good wrote:
speedjunkie wrote:I don't know how you do it. I'd have a hard time keeping my modifications within the class rules, I just love modding lol.


You just need a fun, competitive series available to run in. Then it becomes all about driving, and you'll mostly be buying tires, pads, and oil changes. Your car is GTA level build soon. You should start getting that seat time in, so you can set yourself up for your post-mil career as 'racecar driver'


I'm hopeful to be ready for some seat time in 2016. A driver post career would be amazing, but highly unlikely lol.

FDEEZ
Senior Member
Posts: 235
Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2013 9:14
Location: Colorado Springs

Re: The Miata

Postby FDEEZ » Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:14

Sorry to hear about your motor. You should slap in a high revving ported na 13b in there :-) Smaller displacement, light, more powerful, and probably more reliable as well.

User avatar
Saul_Good
Senior Member
Posts: 480
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:14
Location: Cerritos, CA (DW says i can't play here anymore...)
Contact:

Re: The Miata

Postby Saul_Good » Fri Dec 04, 2015 9:14

So as I mentioned earlier I'm not doing anything crazy. It's just a miata that I'd like to get back on the road and track worthy. Met with a racer/engine rebuilder who specializes in miata's and owns/operates a machine shop. Rebuild will consist of race bearings, possibly grinding the head/block mating surfaces to ensure flatness. The motor is currently being rebuilt from a core a buddy lent me, I will give him mine in return. Possibly be all put together by January, if not sooner.

Possibly looking at adding an oil cooler and coolant reroute kit while the motor is out.

So the car burns oil. What i think happened is I probably burned a decent amount driving to the track (4000rpm at 75mph for 130miles), coupled with negligence by my not checking the oil level at the track (I always do it but slacked that day). Throw in some Gs and bam, rod knock. Lesson that I should've known, really learned. I'm hoping an oil cooler and using oil that is more resistant to burning off, would work better in the future.

Any guesses on oil brands that don't burn off easily? That day I had Rotalla T 5w-40.

User avatar
RX-7 Chris
Posts: 7800
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 9:14
Location: Colorado Springs
Contact:

Re: The Miata

Postby RX-7 Chris » Fri Dec 04, 2015 9:14

Have you thought about adding an upgraded oil pan baffle?
http://garagestar.com/blog/?product=kaz ... pan-baffle
http://clubroadster.net/vb_forum/85-jun ... ffles.html

The coolant reroute system does seem like a good idea.
1984 RX-7 GSL-SE [size=84]My restomod project[/SIZE]


1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL flat black w/ white interior, 2 dr fastback, 390 thunderbird, C6 auto, 2500 rpm high stall converter, shift kit, AC, Holley 750 cfm

[size=100]RIP 1983 RX-7[/SIZE]

My Car Blog

User avatar
RX-7 Chris
Posts: 7800
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 9:14
Location: Colorado Springs
Contact:

Re: The Miata

Postby RX-7 Chris » Fri Dec 04, 2015 9:14

1984 RX-7 GSL-SE [size=84]My restomod project[/SIZE]


1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL flat black w/ white interior, 2 dr fastback, 390 thunderbird, C6 auto, 2500 rpm high stall converter, shift kit, AC, Holley 750 cfm

[size=100]RIP 1983 RX-7[/SIZE]

My Car Blog

User avatar
Saul_Good
Senior Member
Posts: 480
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:14
Location: Cerritos, CA (DW says i can't play here anymore...)
Contact:

Re: The Miata

Postby Saul_Good » Fri Dec 04, 2015 9:14

Thanks! Ill check those out, for 40-50bux while motor is out should be no brainer

User avatar
Saul_Good
Senior Member
Posts: 480
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:14
Location: Cerritos, CA (DW says i can't play here anymore...)
Contact:

Re: The Miata

Postby Saul_Good » Fri Dec 18, 2015 9:14

Update! So I went with the person i mentioned earlier "Kowalski Machine Shop"

The build is going good and I am dropping the car off tomorrow to get the motor dropped in.
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

User avatar
speedjunkie
Senior Member
Posts: 5281
Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:14
Location: Colorado Springs
Contact:

Re: The Miata

Postby speedjunkie » Fri Dec 18, 2015 9:14

Wow that's beautiful! Congrats! You'll be back on track (literally) in no time.

User avatar
RX-7 Chris
Posts: 7800
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 9:14
Location: Colorado Springs
Contact:

Re: The Miata

Postby RX-7 Chris » Mon Dec 21, 2015 9:14

that motor looks really good. Any upgrades or stock?
1984 RX-7 GSL-SE [size=84]My restomod project[/SIZE]


1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL flat black w/ white interior, 2 dr fastback, 390 thunderbird, C6 auto, 2500 rpm high stall converter, shift kit, AC, Holley 750 cfm

[size=100]RIP 1983 RX-7[/SIZE]

My Car Blog

User avatar
Saul_Good
Senior Member
Posts: 480
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:14
Location: Cerritos, CA (DW says i can't play here anymore...)
Contact:

Re: The Miata

Postby Saul_Good » Thu Dec 24, 2015 9:14

Motor was in as of the 20th and is currently in the break-in process (~700miles). Will report back after the break-in and oil change. Overall feels good up to 4500rpm which is what i'm goin up to until done with break-in. Can't wait to really open it up. Hoping to be all sorted by the 2016 season kickoff at the end of Jan '16.

User avatar
Shadowden
Posts: 2288
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:14
Location: Highlands Ranch
Contact:

Re: The Miata

Postby Shadowden » Sun Dec 27, 2015 9:14

Did you put your cams into it? Ithe is really good looking!

User avatar
Saul_Good
Senior Member
Posts: 480
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:14
Location: Cerritos, CA (DW says i can't play here anymore...)
Contact:

Re: The Miata

Postby Saul_Good » Mon Dec 28, 2015 9:14

Shadowden wrote:Did you put your cams into it? Ithe is really good looking!


No. The builder (old crusty dude) was really against that cam (mazdaspeed miata intake cam). He convinced me that the way he degrees the stock intake cam 'will be bitchen'. He described although it has slightly more duration, that it was not optimal and has seen no real before/after accept mine which proved his point that it didn't make more power. I am not an engine builder nor do I have the hands on experience and dyno time this guy has had with Miatas, to tell him "well I read on the internet...." that I know better. The car does feel really awesome and now I can fit legally back into autox STR and also not take a points hit and use it toward something that will give more benefit in the class I am trying to stay in.

I was inspecting the rest of his work, and he went above and beyond to address missing screws, incorrectly routed catch can plumbing, etc

Since I have family in town, I haven't had time to put the break-in miles I wanted to by now. Once things settle, I'll get back to racking them up.

User avatar
RX-7 Chris
Posts: 7800
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 9:14
Location: Colorado Springs
Contact:

Re: The Miata

Postby RX-7 Chris » Tue Dec 29, 2015 9:14

I'm sold on listening to a good experienced engine building. On my Galaxie, I had the engine build and the builder put in a fairly mild cam because he said for that altitude and my setup that it was the way to go. I decided to install a lumpy cam and the car did actually get slower by almost a 1/2 sec on the 1/4 mile. The problem I ran into was I didn't have the intake, heads and exhaust to support such a large cam.
1984 RX-7 GSL-SE [size=84]My restomod project[/SIZE]


1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL flat black w/ white interior, 2 dr fastback, 390 thunderbird, C6 auto, 2500 rpm high stall converter, shift kit, AC, Holley 750 cfm

[size=100]RIP 1983 RX-7[/SIZE]

My Car Blog

User avatar
Saul_Good
Senior Member
Posts: 480
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:14
Location: Cerritos, CA (DW says i can't play here anymore...)
Contact:

Re: The Miata

Postby Saul_Good » Thu Feb 25, 2016 9:14

Trackday this weekend for the first time since dropping in this motor. The field looks stacked with some quick miata drivers. Going in with 11lb flywheel, 4.3 final drive (OE was 3.9) and fresh alignment from AMJ garage. Ill try to represent hard...:p

User avatar
Shadowden
Posts: 2288
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:14
Location: Highlands Ranch
Contact:

Re: The Miata

Postby Shadowden » Thu Feb 25, 2016 9:14

Go get'em Saul. You'll drive as fast as fast as you can, which is plenty fast.


Return to “Piston Vehicle”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 45 guests