So I Bought This car for $700. Running with 236k miles, but in desperate need of some love.







Maybe More than a "SOME" love.



So I mercilessly love the bodywork with a hammer until the bodywork was straight. Or as straight as it could be with no bodyshop experince, just a mechanical aptitude and some common sense.





So with the loving pretty much complete. It was time for round one of paint, and what does everyone with a crappy car do when they are too cheap for a macco job... Flat black rattle can



But I went over the top and decided to use chalk board paint.











Which is fun for a little while.... until you realize you car constantly looks like a Mens room stall door.

So it was time for a change.



So I went with vinyl.

With the bodywork somewhat squared away. It was time to put it through its paces. So more beating and banging.





The only the car regularly had was cold starting after sitting overnight. Suspecting it was fuel related, I replaced the fuel filter (start with the cheap stuff) and it was perfectly fine for a few weeks. But it started acting up again So I pulled the pump and found a lovely couple of lbs of potting soil crammed into the tank as a gift from the PO

It really is a shame but I dont have pictures from the removal process.

But scooping that out made a remarkable difference.



The baseline was with potting soil. The middle line was with it removed and 14* timing . And the last run was with 22* base timing and an adjusted AFM. I couldn't believe the gains.

But I got bored with that quickly so it was time to mix things up again.



So the vinyl came off.



And the extra gallon I had of kubota orange tractor paint came out.









Then came the fun stuff. Everyone knows the first place you go when you want high quality, durable high performance products is eBay.

Mazda MX 5 Miata Eunos 1 6L Turbo Conversion Kit MX5 B6 | eBay





Somehow everything fit in the engine bay and TURBO NO HIT BLOCK!





And as a cautionary tale to those brave enough to stand near my car.



So that's it in a nut shell. I don't really know about power but I've maxed out my RX8 injectors at 98+% duty cycle.

 

At first I thought the headlight read "I ruined this **** myself"...then I realized it said "tuned". Hell of a lot of work you put into this car. I dig it.
What does it say on your hood in photo number 8? I can't zoom in on my phone for some reason.

 

Entertaining. Would read again. Keep up the good work.

 

Because racecar?

 

LOL

I vote this guy COOLEST NOOB OF THE MONTH.

Keep it up OP, it seriously brought a smile to my face. Perfect example of not taking yourself too seriously, having fun with your car, and providing entertainment.

Props

 

BTW: all the noobs need to take notes.

 

This was the memiest introduction post I have ever read. I must admit...

 

Very well done. So this is still just a stock 1.6 with 240K+ miles? I think I saw a virtual dyno in your thread with the 60-100 run that shows your pushing the stock rods to the limit, I like it.

 

Bone stock 1.6. 250k if it blows. Oh well. I did it for da lulz

It's been around that setup for like 6 months and it pays a visit to the limiter nearly every day. I'm just counting down the days.

 

Looking good. You have certainly put forth a lot of effort here. Where in Raleigh area are you?

 

Currently I live in Charlotte. But Cary NC is my home away from home.

 

I'm not a huge fan of stickers, but I really need one of these.

Nice work man, looks like a helluva bunch of fun!

 

You have no idea how surprising, and entertaining this car has been to build, and romp **** on.

 

at first I was like "**** MYSELF"

and advertize it? danger indeed.

 

and it was explosive

 

Wow. Fun read! Chalkboard paint FTW. I'm really glad it didn't end there though. Some good artwork. Props for "GREAT SCOTT!"

that kit actually looks pretty decent... cast manifold should last alright, chinachargers are coming into their own, their I/Cs and tubing setups have always been fine... What are you running for engine management?

anyway... good job sir. Amazed nothing has blown up. Amazed at how some 1.6 cars seem to be made of glass (rods, rear end, etc) but some, like yours and viperormiata's, seem to just keep taking more and more without complaint.

 

Very nice! Our cars are almost twins:



You got away with a clean front end, mine is really annoying me. Keep up the cheap racing though!

 

Hmmm....the lad has skills. I like.

 

Nice one! Definitely entertaining!

 

you are an inspiration man love your build enjoy it to the fullest man its Miata love