Dual purpose NA Miata

In reply to NickD:

I hadn't heard anything about it yet, guess I'm going to have to get in line. That's good news though!

Because of the issues I'm having finding a donor cheap enough for the eco swap, I've been saving for a big order from FM, might just have to save up a little more to get everything at once.

Shifter rebuild is next on my list, but chassis reinforcement Will make a good fall/winter project, especially if/when the lift comes back.

In reply to RevRico:

https://www.flyinmiata.com/lift-kit.html

I'm not seeing anything about an update on the site? Oh well, I'm sure I'll get an email or a message here when something comes up.

Decided to do a little digging this morning to find out why I can't keep washer fluid in the reservoir. I thought maybe the replacement line I bought was leaking, but upon closer inspection, I found out it's the grommet that holds the pump to the res. So off to the dealership I went, and got that grommet ordered as well as another Mazda Tribute washer nozzle to replace the once that got painted. Nice cheap visit to the dealership, that had the added benefit of learning a talking point with the gorgeous cashier that works there. Turns out we both love Palahniuk, maybe I can make this work.

I also stopped at the lumberyard for parts to another project. I'm going to be building a cabinet to fill the hole left by my dishwasher. I love the looks and comments I get driving my car through the warzone that is the stockyard there. Any lower and I couldn't make it through.

I have numbers like a real racecar now haha

also found out where all my washer fluid has been disappearing through, parts should be in tomorrow

guess thats supposed to be solid, not pliable

The windows are back in. The outer window trim got a little... misshapen and doesn't line up right. E36 M3. Oh well.

With the baby here till friday this week, work time is limited, so I probably won't get the new door cards in until the weekend. I'm beginning to wonder how they're going to fit. I may wind up running without cards, or replacing the crap fiberboard inside the stock cars and painting them not white. I guess we'll find out.

Paint doesn't look terrible from a distance.

But it goes well with the wheels! I too have black wheels and am considering a similar color.

Like I think I said, the windows are back in. Something weird is going on with the passenger side regulator though, I might just take them back out again. Who needs windows anyway in a convertible?

Fixed the washer fluid leak, and replaced the blue spitter thing.

I think I might be calling it a wrap until I can get a donor for the ecotec swap.

New belts, alternator, coolant lines, coolant, thermostat, valve cover gasket, CAS o ring, plugs, wires, oil... All the big wear items are done. I think it's time to enjoy the car for a while.

Hopefully the rumors of the Paco lift kit coming back and being stronger than before have some truth behind them. I have an interesting idea for a wrap or paint now that the car is the proper shade of blue, but I would need the eco swap AND lift kit to not feel like an idiot doing it.

So, once the money stacks up again the following need taken care of: 1 shifter rebuild

2 frame rails

3 new top installed

4 delrin door bushings

5 suspension bushings

6 offroad tires on the spare wheels

7 strut tower brace

8 get that damn skid plate installed.

Looks like FM will be getting a good bit of my money in the coming months, but I gotta make it before I can spend it.

RevRico wrote: I'm not seeing anything about an update on the site? Oh well, I'm sure I'll get an email or a message here when something comes up.

Given the ridiculous number of quality and design problems with these, we are not going to make a lot of noise about them until we have good units in hand. There are 15 sets (which doesn't even come close to covering existing orders) that should be arriving at our shop in the next week or so, then they go out for powdercoat - the shop doing Paco's powdercoat was not up to par.

We are finally happy with the design, though. You can see the prototypes of the final setup on the product page. They're stronger, better fastened to the control arms and more consistent. Also, they fit.

Keith Tanner wrote: We are finally happy with the design, though. You can see the prototypes of the final setup on the product page. They're stronger, better fastened to the control arms and more consistent. Also, they fit.

That they fit is very important. I didn't notice that picture when I checked the site, it does look beefier than previous iterations. I'm in no hurry for them, and I'm sorry if it seems that way. It's actually saving me a lot of money I don't have with them being reworked. Just excited at the idea. If I wasn't stuck on the east coast, I'd offer to be a guinea pig for them though.

I'd want to learn more about suspension before I put them on anyway, and I'm currently buried in threads and FSMs trying to figure out the ecotec swap. The 7 step pictureless directions I got from ecotekmiata aren't quite as n00b friendly as I need. Although all the knowledge in the world won't help without a good donor vehicle.

Thanks for the offer, but one of the reasons we own so many Miatas at FM is so we can be our own guinea pigs We've tried working with customers before for that sort of thing and it's rarely satisfactory.

We have a lot of people very eager for them. It's been a long, frustrating process.

FINALLY got back out onto the course today. And worked on my video editing a little bit. Shakey video, watch out.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/BxnOgaKJtZo

If you can't tell, this camera is mounted ON the driversside mirror. Aside from the shaking, I'm happy with the angle. I actually JB Welded the mount it's on because it wouldn't hold the camera level. But now I'm wondering if maybe I should make a "shock" or something to absorb some of the bumps.

I'm expecting a new center console in the mail this week. I'll be putting a switchboard or block of 12V outlets in it, which will let me run my dashcam again, as well as some other things.

Then hopefully I can figure out how to combine the videos together and do some split video or actual editing. Sounds like a winter project to me.

Results are online for the season

My car is lighter, my tires are newer. I need to become a better driver. How can I recover from braking? I feel exit acceleration is where I'm losing the most speed, and that's where I need to focus on.

While turbo or swap is easy answer, I Need to match the 2.5 seconds of the other STS miata before those become an answer. It's driver error and skill, which I need to build up.

Left foot braking? Braking hard and late and just powering through?

OBD2 would be so nice to have for video overlay.

If you feel like corner exit acceleration is hurting, well, then start accelerating sooner! Duh! (kidding, but my point is, drive/setup so you CAN start accelerating sooner)

I find I go faster braking hard and early and getting on the gas early - at or before apex. You need to drive the right line for this to work, and it helps immensely if you have the car setup to rotate on throttle a little without just having a one-tire-fire. But even before changing my car setup for 2016, the second half of 2015 I got much faster when I simply had the discipline to drive in this manner.

You don't want to over-slow either, but you REALLY don't want to be worrying about the car pushing or going wide or anything else on corner exit besides building speed again.

JUST got off the phone with Mike from FM. I'm getting my lift kit!!!!!!!!

Thinking about some wheels, as I don't think the 14x5.5 will be wide enough to be safe lifted up. I'm thinking of going 15x7, as I've found brand new sets of wheels for 260ish.

And IF I'm right, and a 215 50 15 will fit on that size wheel, I've got winter/offroad tires covered CHEAP thanks to tire rack.

Well, the new wheels for offroad/winter came in yesterday.

I should have rubber on them next week, once I figure out a size.

So I haven't made an update lately, as nothing has really happened. I've been waiting on a call back from a friend who could get me access to a fender rolling machine, so I'm holding off tires until I do that just to ensure fitment. The electrical project still hasn't got off the ground either, it's just a stack of parts and simple yet confusing questions.

But the win today, and with it, my class for the year has me wanting to update. With the credit rebuilding encouraging me to spend a certain amount a month on things, I've got my wishlist up to date at FM, and think I see the end of the tunnel for this vehicle(unless I decide to try to make a junkyard turbo work, having never boosted a car before)

I'll be adding these to my collection over the winter, as well as a shifter rebuild kit. And if I can find one, a Torsen.

I'm hoping this collection will add the stiffness I'm after, but I might have to get frog arms and rear cannon brace later on. I'll find out when it's sitting taller. Replacing the KYB AGXs of unknown age with some Tokico's or Koni's might not be a terrible idea either.

One of these days I won't be last in my class. Although Chris Carlyle and his STS honda are both beasts.

As far as the STS Miatas go, my car weighs less, my tires are better, I weigh more, and I guess I'm just not as good of a driver.

In reply to RevRico:

In response to your wishlist, I got the Delrin door bushings in my car and I noticed absolutely no difference over the old rubber door bushings. YMMV, but just wanted to give my $0.02

I'm not expecting much from them, but they're at that price point that if I notice anything awesome, if not, oh well. With my drivers door a bit messed up because of a strippd screw when I put it back on, I really don't expect much change.

Honestly, I feel a little bad for all the advice and help I've gotten from FM without even buying stuff from them before, so I kinda just want to give back a little bit where I can.

In reply to RevRico:

I printed those too. In my case they quieted down door/window rattles over RR tracks and big bumps. I've had them in two cars for like 15k miles, love them. Made a set for a friend and they inexplicably shattered after a few months. IDK. But for me, they quieted things down a bit.

NickD wrote: In reply to RevRico: In response to your wishlist, I got the Delrin door bushings in my car and I noticed absolutely no difference over the old rubber door bushings. YMMV, but just wanted to give my $0.02

You're definitely in the minority. It's the most reviewed product on our site, and everyone loves them. Even if it doesn't make any difference when you're driving, the nice solid SLAM you get out of them when you close the door is worth the price of admission

If you printed a set and they shattered, that tells you they're taking a load.

Rico, I'd put money into shocks before I picked up the Frog Arms or Cannon brace. They'll make a bigger difference. The braces work, but good shocks work better.

Keith Tanner wrote: Rico, I'd put money into shocks before I picked up the Frog Arms or Cannon brace. They'll make a bigger difference. The braces work, but good shocks work better.

I was afraid you'd say that. Considering this is mostly an autocross car, but will be used for other things as well, what would you recommend? I've had an eye on both the Tokico stage 1.5 and the VMAXX sport package, but I'm open to suggestion.

I'm putting my own foot down, and saying I will NOT get the full offroadster. That cost would be better spent on a fly n drive WRX or E36 that I can use for family hauling and rallycross instead. I just have to repeat this to myself constantly, before I wind up with an Offroadster setup.

Just ordered in the strut tower bar, delrin door bushings, and clutch switch. Yay for winter projects!!

What other things? I've lost track, this is a street car as well, right?

I really like the Tokico 1.5 kit for street use, and it works on track. But it's not as sharp a tool on the track as the V-Maxx, and doesn't offer as many setup options.