Starting from a clean slate and need advice.

Car: 1995 1.8L
Goal: Improve 0-60 time, fun street use, top speed probably won't exceed 85.
Timeline: No hurry. Waiting around for good deals in the classifieds is fine.
Mechanical Skill: Intermediate

Plan / Rough Budget

Round 1 - $1,000

• Header
• Intake
• Aluminum flywheel

Round 2 - $1,200

• DIY MS
• Upgrade COPs
• Upgrade injectors

Round 3 - $2,000

• Turbo

Feel free to make recommendations on specific parts/brands, adjust budget, alter priority, etc. Just curious what you guys would do if you were starting from stock. I'm open to ALL suggestions, including...

• Just save up and order a crate motor
• Dude, you're going to want to upgrade your suspension before you get past round 1.
• Forget this project and go pick up a WRX STI

Thanks.

 

I guess I'll offer my 2 cents before someone tells you to do some reading...

Round 2 should be 1
DIY MS - Buy from a vendor
Upgrade injectors - easy DIY to EV14 style

Round 3 should be 2
Upgrade clutch (assuming you don't have anything besides stock now)
Turbo - Just buy MKTURBO...

Round 1 should be forgotten because you'll trash it all anyway when you buy turbo.

Now, if you can't find at least a dozen threads that discuss this on this site alone I'd be shocked.

 

^^^^^^ this ( you beat me to it)
Sam
I would recommend a proper intro first, then look over this build section to get a idea of what people have used.. most of all your questions can be found on this site you just got to search for it.. take your time with the search, and trust me you will find what you need and then some lol
that being said I would make round 2 your first move..

 

How I would do it:

stage 0:
sort out ALL mechanical issues, leaks, etc.

stage 1: (have fun on the track or canyon)
- Roll bar. This has saved many peoples lives
- tires and wheels (but mostly good summer tires RS3 or similar)
- brake pads and higher temp fluid (hawk HP+ or similar)
- suspension and maybe poly bushing.
- any chassis stiffening you might want (frame rails are a nice addition)

stage 2: (turbo prep).
-megasquirt ECU
-wideband 02
-radiator upgrade and coolant reroute
-oil cooler would be a good idea
-injectors
-higher rated clutch kit + light fly wheel if you want one
-larger injectors
-maybe some COPS

Stage 3: (Tubro and Run ALLOFIT!)
-too many different options and paths to list. See build threads for examples and ideas.

stage 3.5: (blow up a few 5 spds and finally upgrade to a 6 spd)

stage 4: (build motor and run 2X ALLOFIT)

stage 5: realize running a boosted track car sucks and decide to swap in K-Series)

Stage 6: Realize the miata his heavy and buy a catfish or exotec frame

stage 7: realize you spent way to much on this hoby and sell all toys to buy a house or something.

 

Props awarded for the forum username.

 

I feel like I just answered this in another noob post recently. Ohh wait I did.

 

I wouldn't bother with COPs until you have a problem with your current ignition. It's nice to have on the "to-do" list, but the stock stuff should hold up for a while on a modest turbo setup (assuming they aren't the original plug wires at this point).

A clutch on the other hand is something you really want to address before a turbo goes on.

 

The number one thing I got from reading the previous threads is not to post anything, and go read instead.

But seriously, I appreciate the help so far. I know some of this has been hashed out, but it's nice to have it consolidated into a plan of action.

 

Well first should be making an intro thread in the Meet and Greet section. Then the second step is searching and reading.

 

Thanks. Maybe some day it will be Tinted Windows 95

 

What I did, was buy a car, fix mechanicals with it from brakes to suspension and added small things like roll bar and sway bars.

Instead of maintaining the 1.6L motor, I just bought and built a 1.8L over the course of the year. Buy megasquirt and get used the ins and outs while on a stock motor. It's pretty forgiving. Just change oil and add gas until the motor and parts collecting was complete...

then swapped everything and made new curse words for a month, pulled out all my hair and removed the motor 4 times. After it was all in and working, having a second car is helpful, I ******* loved it. WORTH IT, i'd tell myself. Then it blew up.

Here I am, crying myself to sleep in a mess of parts salvaging a would have been messy divorce from my Miata, and starting over again. New motor, new turbo, experience of the past to push me forward.

I can't wait to blow this one up too.

Cliffnotes: don't do it, but you're going to do it anyways, so just go for a v8

 

Alright, 89 Mustang GT is is!

Actually, I think I'm going to go for the DIYMS + LC-2, learn how to tune, and see how happy I am with the ride at that point. It has a roll bar and tires so from your recommendations that sounds like the logical next step.

 

Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction.

 

 

That one took me a lot longer to get than it should have.

 

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally. It'll help you remember.