and, I'm bored, in "car mode", and it is too cold, dark and wet to do anything on my cars right now.

My name is Rich, and I am a confessed Automotive Addict. My stable is currently 3 cars. First is my DD/ primary autocross car, a 2000 Civic Si. It is pretty well prepped for SCCA Solo D Street Prepared and has done well regionally and I even won my class in the GASS divisional series last year, but I want to get back into racing a faster RWD car.



My 2nd car is a 93 300ZX TT, with more go fast goodies than I care to remember. It is my second Z, and I bought it on impulse because it had some nicer parts than my precious 95. However, the love for the car isn't there like it was for my first, and it is a PITA to work on, which has led to the purchase of car #3.

That of course is the miatard, the car that obviously relates me to the rest of you guys. I bought it January 2007 with aspirations of building it into a Spec Miata, but now I am leaning towards building a fun track day car that may see some duty as a time trial car, and something more fun than the Civic to autocross.

Here she is when I got her home to the shop used to work at:







After a few good hours of cleaning, then started stripping her down for the roll cage installation:









Back from the cage guys:









Didn't do much to it during the summer since I spent my weekends traveling around autocrossing the Civic, but I did manage to paint the interior and cage before winter set in. I need to get a windshield still (the original had some chips in it), so that is why there is some dirt and stuff on the floor. Here is what it looks like now:











I also picked this up yesterday, which should make for a better FI setup and more power, especially for the price ($500 for the engine and 5 speed tranny out of a 2000 Miata).







In the garage I have a set of Koni race coilovers, and am researching swaybars - probably going to get the Racing Beat tubular front, then see how the car feels before picking one for the rear. I'm also undecided about wheels/ tires and brakes. I have a set of 1.8L caliper brackets, but I'm not sure if they would clear 13" wheels (looking at the new 255 13" Hoosier A6 tires for autocrossing), so still researching. Next steps will be ordering a Megasquirt and getting it running with the stock 00 motor, then figuring out a turbo setup. I also have some Interlux Brightside gloss white paint that I will be rolling on the car once the temps get warm enough and it stays dry for more than 2 days in a row, and a better condition passenger fender than the one currently on there.

 

Cool. Keep us updated when you paint it. How much that cage run ya?

 

we need underhood shots of both the civic and z

and keep us very informed about the miata

let me be the first to tell you, that cage is nasty

 

The 1.8L brakes will clear some 13's.

 

Cage was $800 from a shop that builds circle track car chassis up in Ohio. I think it was a pretty good price, but then again, I've never had a caged car before.

I'll dig around for engine bay pics of the other cars.

I knew the 1.8 brakes would clear some 13s, I guess I need to find wheels that would work with the tires and then see if the brakes (and my budget) will fit. I have some 15x6.5 rotas that I have been using for autocross wheels on the civic that will fit 225/45/15s decently, so they are always a fallback (as well as the possibility of getting 15x9s from emilio and running the 275/35/15 A6s).

 

I don't have pics of the most recent changes to each car - Z has a new Koyo radiator and holes cut in the timing covers for the new adjustable timing gears, and the Civic has a stainless header with a bigger collector, but these are pretty close:

 

ugh, i love the z

 

Bonus points for the clean Z. I think you're headed in the right direction with the Miata. Word is that a front running SM now cost $30k or build (and they NB is the chassis to have). You'll be able to build a track rocket for a third of that IMO. If you keep your safety stuff in check with the SCCA GCR, then you'd be able to race in SPO AND maybe a Turbo SM class if it comes about in your area. There's been lots of talk about it, and I know some exist in Texas.

 

Since the NB rear upper mounts are now legal for all cars things may change this year.

 

nice cage