Hillclimb Miata (aka the mountain boat)

So after ruining a few daily drivers & street cars by lying to myself that I would "keep this one mild", including a 400whp hoosier-lovin' WRX STI, I gave up and finally committed to buying a car for a specific purpose back in December 2019. Of course the answer was Miata. After looking over a few different ones I decided on a nice clean slate 2006 Miata. I really liked the styling and interior of the NCs.

After driving it back from Birmingham, AL with no radio, the ABS light flashing, & the airbag light on; I immediately set my sights on the reason I purchased this car. The SCCA Chasing the Dragon Hill Climb that takes place annually in Robbinsville, North Carolina. I only had about 6 months to fix the issues & do all the safety requirements, but I managed to do so. I was also installed some Fortune Auto coilovers & put some proper pads/rotors as well. I went on to do a few more Autocrosses & time trials that year

I had planned on attending more events in 2021 as well as 2 more hillclimbs, but due to Covid, work & me destroying my knee, it put a dent in things & the year was basically a build year.

I attended the 2022 Chasing the Dragon Hill Climb this past month. Thanks to a few (lots & lots) changes & previous experience my first run on the first day was 12 seconds faster than my 2020 time. 

The cliff notes on the car are:

NC3 club sport front end, 9 Lives Racing rear wang & front splitter, 17" RPF1 w/ 245/40R17 BFG Rivals 1.5. Custom Eibach coilovers w/ 650lb front & 400 lb rear springs. 2.5L swap from a Ford Escape w/ cams, header, intake. NC3 6 speed & rebuilt OEM LSD by Walter Motorsport.

The car is quite a handful & I'm looking forward to the places that it takes me. Especially as being my daughter will be driving next year & shes excited too.

I'm also looking to do some kind of forced induction this winter. I'm leaning towards a BBR Supercharger, but until I place an order that could change at any moment.

That's a great looking Miata! Excited to follow along. Are NC hardtops also going for as much as the cars themselves? 

I really like NCs, although I have never owned one. This one is choice, and in my favorite color, too.

In reply to mikeonabikesmith :

oddly enough, they aren't as bad as the NA/NB. I've purchased 2 from the Mazda dealers for like ~$2300 each & this one is a CCP hard top that I think cost me like ~$1700 before paint.

I've been adding/modifying this for a few days now. I think I've pretty much settled on the supercharger.

Hey, I know you! I love seeing this build progress. I remember talking to you at autocross about the 2.5 swap in 2020 right after you finished it. I had the crazy Datsun wagon in XSB back then. Also I think I spotted your car last month at Road Atlanta when I was waiting for the Sunday morning shush sessions. Awesome job on the build! I really think NC's are slept on these days.

In reply to maschinenbau :

Hey man! Yeah I was there doing the SCCA TT. Thanks!

Fab9 Turbo kit is in! Car is mostly dismantled. I went with a GT2871R turbo, 800cc injectors. I'm also going to go ahead and add a CSF aluminum radiator & Clutchmasters FX350 clutch while I'm there. I should be able to get everything done by the first hill climb next year.

So much for settling on the supercharger... 

One nice thing about turbos, is you can dial the power, and have switchable maps (with the right ECU).  Good for classing, less experienced drivers, rain, etc.

Great looking build, though I would start seriously looking at a full cage for hillclimbs...

In reply to Rodan :

Yeah, The Kraftwerks Rotrex-based kit doesn't sell replacement parts & doesn't care if your buying a second hand kit & just need 1 bracket. The BBR Rotrex-based kit is supposed to be decent quality, but I hear nothing good about their customer service from USA-based customers. And I'm not going to spend the crazy amount of money on one of the old & tired Flyin Miata/Cosworth superchargers just to make 250whp.

Turbo definitely seemed like the best option.

I'm a terrible mechanic. It's why I'm a "parts guy" by trade. Wrenching is a necessity to fit what I want to do in my budget. I don't enjoy it, but I do get a helluva lot of satisfaction from progress.

I officially own a turbo Miata. Yes it is a non-running turbo Miata, but it is indeed a turbo Miata. Baby steps.

Keep up with the updates!  This is a cool project. 

And now I have a running turbo Miata. Tuning will be wrapped up soon. I'm probably looking at between 300-350 whp, which I'm perfectly fine anywhere in that area.

The first hill climb of the SCCA Appalachian Hillclimb Series is about 6 weeks away. Still plenty of time for me to take it to work to install a clutch & then beat on it some to make sure It can survive the year head.

Overall the install on the Fab9 GT Turbo kit wasn't too bad. I did run into some hiccups, but between friends with smaller hands and documentation on Facebook groups/forum posts we were able to get everything figured out.

If I ever get another miata, it will be an NC.   Looks great!