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1999 10th Anniversary Edition #1371. 200,600 miles and counting
Engine:
2001 block with OEM 9:1 pistons, Manley forged rods, ACL main and King rod bearings, Boundary billet oil pump gears, Motorsports oil pan baffle
Gates WP and Kevlar racing timing belt
99-00 MS3PNP
Supermiata crank pulley/damper with 36-2 trigger wheel
Self port/polished 2001 VVT head with Volvo/VS855 springs. ARP head studs
OEM Mazda COP's
Skunk2 throttle body
Squaretop manifold
CXRacing/custom intake
AWR Engine mounts
4-2-1 Header with DEI LR heat wrap NB2 Header
Roadstersport V3 midpipe + muffler
CSF 42mm aluminum radiator
Garagestar flow panel
Drivetrain + Safety:
OEM 6-speed transmission (2001 donor with 47k miles swapped in after engine rebuild)
MiataRoadster shifter kit
3.9 Torsen LSD
I.L. Motorsport 15lb chromoly flywheel
Supermiata organic sport clutch and pressure plate
Hard Dog Double Diagonal roll bar and harness bar
Corbeau FX1 Pro drivers seat on PCI brackets
Corbeau 5-point camlock harness
Autopower seat back brace
Jass Performance hardtop brackets
Suspension:
Hard-S Bilsteins rebuilt and revalved by Whitener Racing with extended top hats; 700f/400r Hyperco springs, coilover sleeves, roller bearings, 5x Racing bushings and bump stops (Koni adjustable sport shocks with Flyin Miata springs, stock NB top hats, 5x Racing full urethane shock bushing and bump stop kit)
Energy Suspension Poly bushings all-around including differential
Bauer extended lower ball joints
OEM R-package tie rod ends
IL Motorsport shock tower brace with incorporated brake master cylinder brace
Racing Beat tubular front sway bar with support blocks
5x Racing 14mm rear sway bar
Supermiata end links
Aero/Cosmetic:
OEM Hardtop | GJRacing bikini top
Track Dog Racing front bumper lip
Galvez Customs duckbill spoiler
Custom fog light intakes for engine air and brakes
Morimoto HID headlight retrofit
Lifeline side mirrors on Jass mounts
2019 SCCA Time Trials Nationals at Portland International Raceway 2019 NASA HPDE at Utah Motorsports Campus
Brief background on myself and the car:
The first event I ever did was in 2015 at an HPDE in my 09' Subaru Legacy GT at Pikes Peak International Raceway. I had only just completed my first-ever oil change and basic car maintenance a few weeks prior to that. Even though I had always been interested in cars, that was the first time I ever worked on a car myself. It only took that one HPDE to realize how different and more difficult track-driving was compared to "aggressive street driving". So from that point forward, I knew without serious modifications, the Legacy GT would not be suitable for a track car. About 6 months later after moving to Washington, I bought a 91' Mazda 626 to teach myself how to drive a manual. I knew "how to", but had no experience driving in traffic or anything that would prepare me for what I ultimately wanted to do - drive a manual on track. I ended up fixing it up a bit and sold it for a minor profit so win-win!
I continued to teach myself car maintenance but it was still all pretty basic. After moving again to Idaho in 2016, I sold my Legacy GT and bought my Miata. The plan was to autocross in ES the following year, so that winter I continued my self-education and replaced the shocks, sway bars, exhaust, etc. I believe I completed in 5 different autcross events but learned it isn't really for me...I need to go faster and have more than 1 minute at a time to drive agressively. In 2018 I only did one autocross and one sanctioned Hill Climb event put on by the Northwest Hillclimb Association. That was fun but still too much standing around and not enough seat-time for me. Going from 2018 into 2019, I continued modifying my car and preparing for track events.
The summer of 2019 was the first time I ever took my Miata on a race track and first time since 2015. I don't have a trailer so I drove to them all from Boise and would swap some things around once I got to the track. I ran the following events:
April: HPDE at Utah Motorsports Campus. Only ran 1 day (4 20-minute sessions) but I was signed off by my NASA instructor for HPDE2.
June: SCCA Time Trials Nationals at Portland International Raceway. 2 days
August: HPDE2 at Utah Motorsports Campus. 2 days. 6 hour enduro was going on on Saturday so lots of teams were testing, leading to lots of fast traffic. Super fun
To be completely honest, during that last track event in August 2019, was the first time I started feeling truly comfortable on-track. I wasn't uncomfortable before, there is just simply so much to take in that its easy to get overwhelmed and lose your concentration.
A little visual history...
This is in the Spring of 2017, a few months after I bought it for $4500 from a guy in Baker City, Oregon. 187k miles, no rust (except for front sway bar mounts) and included the original hardtop and a side-braced deuce rollbar. According to the carfax it was originally in Missouri for about 7 years before coming to Oregon and staying there until I brought it to Idaho.
Drilling out the front sway mount bolts while replacing worn out OEM Bilsteins with Koni sports, RB front sway + blocks and RoadsterSport 3 exhaust (Goodwin's "ES Autocross" kit)...
Spun out and smashed a guard rail coming down the mountain. Had to wait an hour for a tow truck. Many lessons learned that day. Replaced the right rear lower control arm + long bolt and wheel for a few hundred bucks and good to go.
Trying to get rid of some rattles...little did I realize the sickness had taken hold and I'd be bashing the **** out of the trans tunnel within the year to fit my seat in
Money-shifted to 3 instead of 5 and went above 8k rpm for a second when in Portland...I suspect that is the main cause of these toasted rod bearings...
Things I'm doing as part of my winter overhaul and current status:
Building a VVT motor and replacing the original
Swapping 3.9 diff for 3.63
Replacing original 6-speed trans for 2001 donor with 47k miles and adding a MiataRoadster shifter kit
Replacing all OEM suspension bushings with poly
I'm going to be dropping some things off at the machine shop soon. Getting a hone at the minimum and potentially balance the rotating assembly. My goal with this build is a solid dual duty street/track car with the potential to add mild boost in the future but main goal of being a higher redline N/A build around 7500-8000 rpm that can consistently be ran to redline with insurance against a catastrophic failure.
Most of you I'm sure will also be happy to hear I'm having Whitener racing rebuild my original Bilstein's and doing a DIY coilover setup to ditch the Koni's
I’ve run race-valved (I believe by Whitener) bilsteins on DIY coilovers on my NB1 race car and was very happy with how they performed.
Not quite as good as XIDAs or other proper race dampers, but really very good for the money.
Car looks nice, the bump in power with the new engine build should be nice.
Quick question: why the 3.6 rear end? Are you planning for big power/forced induction longer term? If you’re planning on staying N/A around ~150whp, I’d highly recommend a 4.3 rear with the six speed. That sh*t is rowdy. Not great for a highway cruiser but is awesome on track....
Indeed, i wouldn't recommend going to 3.63 without turbo power. I had 230whp and 3.63 with a 6 speed in my 10AE and that was still marginal, often wished for a 3.9.
If you're sticking to NA, go the other direction on the final drive. I went from a 3.9 to a 4.1. If I was going to stay NA I'd go to a 4.3 after riding in a few similarly equipped cars.
Hmm well that seems to be a pretty overwhelming consensus...I was thinking the 3.6 would make the gears more useable and help with my long highway trips to the track. The speed limit out here is 80 and I don't know if I stand going much slower than that. I'm around 4k rpm at that speed. Honestly it's not that bad, and you guys are confirming my why I was planning on keeping the 3.9 in case I didn't like the taller gears...sounds like I wouldn't.
Not entirely sure why, but I never really considerding going shorter than the 3.9. Time to do some research...
Would just have to determine what's more important to you. Yes, the 3.63 will be better on the highway to and from the track, but will significantly negatively affect the car's performance on track.
Considering how far you're driving to the track, I'd say just keep the 3.9. You can go shorter but those are long hours at high RPM.
The path you’re going down KB eventually leads to a tow rig and a small open trailer.
Might as well stop fighting inevitability and bite the bullet now. Then you can swap to a 4.1 or 4.3 rear end and have more fun on track.
If budget for a tow rig is tight...I’d recommending looking into a Kia Borrego. Little known body on frame SUV with a V8 and 7k pound tow rating. Higher mileage ones are dirt cheap. If no budget for a trailer you can rent u-haul trailers in the interim.
I have a 4.3 rear assembly with an OSGiken diff in it for sale, if you are indeed sticking to NA. The gearing and diff would make a huge difference on track.
I’ve run race-valved (I believe by Whitener) bilsteins on DIY coilovers on my NB1 race car and was very happy with how they performed.
Not quite as good as XIDAs or other proper race dampers, but really very good for the money.
Yea I really wanted to pull the trigger on XIDAs but its just not in the budget right now. After hitting 200k miles and with all the stuff I've replaced on the car with new things, I figured rebuilding and using the stock billies would be a nice homage to it.
Originally Posted by Efini~FC3S
Car looks nice, the bump in power with the new engine build should be nice.
Quick question: why the 3.6 rear end? Are you planning for big power/forced induction longer term? If you’re planning on staying N/A around ~150whp, I’d highly recommend a 4.3 rear with the six speed. That sh*t is rowdy. Not great for a highway cruiser but is awesome on track....
Thanks for raising the question on this, it's got me thinking. I'm at least sticking with the 3.9 for now.
The problem is I keep changing my mind on what to do with the car. First bought a Kraken kit and was gonna turbo it. Got the MS3 and played with the tuning. Bought and installed some FlowForce 640s and retuned. Sold the Kraken kit with the plan then being a Rotrex for smooth power delivery and reliability on track.
Then a few months back I saw the "Purest Miata" youtube video from Quinn and nearly orgasmed when I heard to sound of that NA motor scream to 8k. The plan then evolved into what it is now...a semi built motor that is capable of supporting 250-300hp if I ever go back to the turbo or supercharger option in the future, but if nothing else, it will be a solid motor for the next few years and HPDE seasons with a raised redline of 7600. Possibly cams and other headwork in the future.
One thing is for sure is I'm going to take the car on track!
01-13-2020 | 09:20 PM
kb10AE's Kaizen
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