Here I am, ready to get my virtual *** handed to me

I've used the forum for quite a bit of info in the past, mainly for the initial build on my 93. I'm now here to start documenting and sharing my experiences moving forward. I've just picked up/ordered some upgrades to change things for the better, depending on how you look at the big picture.
Here's a summary of how things have gone:

• In 2017 traded my POS 94 chevy 2500(leaking oil from every gasket/seal, rusted beyond feasible repair) for a 93 Miata and I wanted to do cool things so of course we had to get boosted right away.
• Did some research, started learning the fundamentals, decided to piece everything together myself instead of shelling out big money all at once (realized real quick that I was just stupid and that I'd be spending more in the long run)
• Had a turbo sitting in the garage off of the truck that I traded, if it worked for a 6.5l diesel surely it would work for a 1.6l gas! To be fair that turbo really was pretty small for the truck to begin with, and it had specs that were good enough for me to justify giving it a shot. It worked out pretty much how I assumed that it would and I had my fair share of fun with it since 2018.
• Picked up a Torsen, Megan coilovers, Koyorad, Supermiata Clutch, replaced some bushings/mounts as needed, installed a rollbar, added a MOMO seat basically on the floor with a 5 point harness, grabbed a hardtop before prices skyrocketed, broke Torsen housing, installed welded 1.8 open diff keeping Torsen for the future, lots of other small improvements/additions/changes.
• After lots of trial and error tuning and dialing in I ended up with 15 psi on the very top end of things although the power curve was increasingly boring the more I drove it. It ended up being very much a highway cruiser that had about 1500rpm of real fun to it, and now I'm looking to have a more responsive ride.

Grabbed a 2860rs, just ordered a Kraken mani+3" exhaust to replace my tacotaco and homemade DP-ISR 2.5" exhaust. A new set of injectors are in order next, followed up with a whole new tune. I will likely have someone tune for me this go around as my life has gotten busier and I'd like this thing to run nicely off the bat. I've also got some more body work to do after an incident a few years ago that I have been neglecting. Cheers to a hopeful rebirth of this poor, poor car!

P.S. I need to know about the cats, I like cats


Our first night together.



It got serious when I asked my landlord for permission to cut a hole in the wall to put up a garage door.



Opened the engine due to lower compression on #3. It was looking pretty nasty, tore the block down, cleaned, and installed new bearings & rings



About to slap it back into the engine bay.



At this point I felt like hot stuff, compression went from 150s (cyl 3 only 120) to just over 200 across the board. All clearances met specs, things were going well.



First year on the road after the operation.



Most recent pic, waiting on the rear body parts to arrive to replace what I had smashed. Most recent mod is the front NB sport brakes. Trying out some new to me Enkeis on the rear. Compression is still healthy, I've checked both hot and cold a few times since the reseal.

 

Post pics of your cats!

 

The most recent pic of the current setup, iwg75 controller was a nice addition paired with EBC. The turbo also had a heat shield on it from the factory, had to trim a corner off to fit around the DP but it kept things cool enough. Wrapped the DP and put heat shield in the trans tunnel to help with cabin temps a bit too. Will also be updating the crankcase ventilation.

The homemade downpipe visible now that the turbo has been removed. Worked just fine, I’m surprised it never failed as the shop made the flange thinner than I had asked for.

A quick shot of the aluminum ducting I made with tin snips and rivets. I’ve never seen temp get over 205°F, the setup seems to be doing its job.

 

Chloe

Orange (the orange one) and Teto

I will begin a build (rebuild?) thread soon to cover my next journey with the car. I’m hopeful to build some sort of track dedicated car in the future as well. I look forward to sharing my experiences, and to learn more from others who like to spend questionable amounts of time and money on 30 year old roadsters!