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Hey guys, I decided to finally piece together a build thread for my car. I'll start with a little background, my first car was a 98' Integra LS which I is where I began to modify cars. I really enjoyed that car but after my brother got my Mom's NA as his first car I was hooked on Miatas. I would take his car out every chance I got to run the back roads in, it wasn't as quick as the Integra but it was so much more fun to drive. Then my Dad bought a Porsche 914 from one of his friends and I began to feel left out with my front wheel drive Integra, so I decided to take the plunge and began looking for an NA last summer. Fortunately, one of my Dad's friends races Miatas and had an acquaintance who was looking to sell his 96' with a hardtop; it had been sitting in his farm field for a year but I figured it was a worthy project. After checking the car out we realized that there was going to be a bit more work involved than we had initially expected but I decided that it was doable and with the help of my brother and my dad we accomplished most of the work before I went back to school in the fall.
Originally, I wanted to slam this car and ruin the handling but after driving it more I'm becoming more inclined to build it into more of a functional car.
A few pictures to keep everyone entertained:
My 98' Integra LS:
My brother's Miata, the one that got me started:
Track Ready by James Pankiewicz, on Flickr
Another Sunny Afternoon by Spencer P Photos, on Flickr
scan0012 by James Pankiewicz, on Flickr
And finally my Dad's 914:
Porsche 914 by James Pankiewicz, on Flickr
Anyways this is how the Miata looked after I first bought it and had it towed to my house. Unfortunately, I had already washed it off a few times but believe me, a car sitting in a farm field for a year is not a pretty sight. Even after a few months of driving and washing the car there are still spots where mud is caked on too thick to wash off.
DSC_8020 by James Pankiewicz, on Flickr
DSC_8028 by James Pankiewicz, on Flickr
That same day we had the car in the garage and on jackstands, with the suspension completely removed and about ten pounds of junk vacuumed up or thrown away. What is with these old people and sunscreen hidden everywhere?
I had previously purchased a set of BC coilovers from a member on here and was anxious to fit them along with the original Enkei 92's that I had bought locally on a whim and finally decided to refinish. I ended up not being able to find another pair of the originals, so I ordered a pair of the new ones from TireRack along with 205/50/15 Yokohama S Drive's for the 15x8's +25 and 195/50/15 for the 15x7's +20 up front. I know staggered is not the best option but it's what I had on hand and I plan on swapping to wider wheels eventually, so it will work temporarily.
scan0017 by James Pankiewicz, on Flickr
While the car was on jackstands, I replaced all of the brake lines and put on new rotors, rebuilt calipers and Axxis ULT pads all around. I must say I love these brake pads, even if they do dust heavily. A timing belt, water pump job was also completed; along with some other minor mechanical maintenance. Then my brother and I began to do a mild tuck on the bay, which is still under progress. After a few oil changes and no kidding, 20 flushes or so of the coolant system; the engine was running strong and had no valve tick.
After completing all of the mechanical work that we had time for, it was on to the big job, paint. I chose to paint the car in Rootbeer Metallic, from Summit Racing. As a whole we have moderate experience in painting and bodywork but had never sprayed an entire car before. It took three tries but in the end the paint laid down pretty well and, to the casual onlooker, looked pretty damn good.
Finally, at the end of summer, the car was ready to be driven. After a fender rolling session at a friend's house and an alignment, the car was good to go. It passed state inspection and has been on the road with no problems for the past two months. I must say, it is fun to drive but I am starting to get the itch for more power. Anyways I have a few more things waiting to be installed, my BFW rollbar and a Recaro SPG. Then I plan to begin piecing together a turbo kit, which I will hopefully install over winter break or next summer. I'm also hoping to hit the track either in the next few weeks or in the Spring.
Current shot:
Miata [Explored] by James Pankiewicz, on Flickr
I'll update this with a whole list of specs eventually. :icon_cheers:
Originally, I wanted to slam this car and ruin the handling but after driving it more I'm becoming more inclined to build it into more of a functional car.
A few pictures to keep everyone entertained:
My 98' Integra LS:
My brother's Miata, the one that got me started:
Track Ready by James Pankiewicz, on Flickr
Another Sunny Afternoon by Spencer P Photos, on Flickr
scan0012 by James Pankiewicz, on Flickr
And finally my Dad's 914:
Porsche 914 by James Pankiewicz, on Flickr
Anyways this is how the Miata looked after I first bought it and had it towed to my house. Unfortunately, I had already washed it off a few times but believe me, a car sitting in a farm field for a year is not a pretty sight. Even after a few months of driving and washing the car there are still spots where mud is caked on too thick to wash off.
DSC_8020 by James Pankiewicz, on Flickr
DSC_8028 by James Pankiewicz, on Flickr
That same day we had the car in the garage and on jackstands, with the suspension completely removed and about ten pounds of junk vacuumed up or thrown away. What is with these old people and sunscreen hidden everywhere?
I had previously purchased a set of BC coilovers from a member on here and was anxious to fit them along with the original Enkei 92's that I had bought locally on a whim and finally decided to refinish. I ended up not being able to find another pair of the originals, so I ordered a pair of the new ones from TireRack along with 205/50/15 Yokohama S Drive's for the 15x8's +25 and 195/50/15 for the 15x7's +20 up front. I know staggered is not the best option but it's what I had on hand and I plan on swapping to wider wheels eventually, so it will work temporarily.
scan0017 by James Pankiewicz, on Flickr
While the car was on jackstands, I replaced all of the brake lines and put on new rotors, rebuilt calipers and Axxis ULT pads all around. I must say I love these brake pads, even if they do dust heavily. A timing belt, water pump job was also completed; along with some other minor mechanical maintenance. Then my brother and I began to do a mild tuck on the bay, which is still under progress. After a few oil changes and no kidding, 20 flushes or so of the coolant system; the engine was running strong and had no valve tick.
After completing all of the mechanical work that we had time for, it was on to the big job, paint. I chose to paint the car in Rootbeer Metallic, from Summit Racing. As a whole we have moderate experience in painting and bodywork but had never sprayed an entire car before. It took three tries but in the end the paint laid down pretty well and, to the casual onlooker, looked pretty damn good.
Finally, at the end of summer, the car was ready to be driven. After a fender rolling session at a friend's house and an alignment, the car was good to go. It passed state inspection and has been on the road with no problems for the past two months. I must say, it is fun to drive but I am starting to get the itch for more power. Anyways I have a few more things waiting to be installed, my BFW rollbar and a Recaro SPG. Then I plan to begin piecing together a turbo kit, which I will hopefully install over winter break or next summer. I'm also hoping to hit the track either in the next few weeks or in the Spring.
Current shot:
Miata [Explored] by James Pankiewicz, on Flickr
I'll update this with a whole list of specs eventually. :icon_cheers:
