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It's been a little while so I figured it was time for a bit of an update. Right before leaving for MATG I was doing a walk around the car and realized that my rear tires were pretty bald. Since the forecast for the whole weekend was rain I want ahead and got new tires mounted and a fresh alignment. The alignment shop let me give them alignment specs so I went with the specs recommended by flyin' miata and boy did that change the way the car handled!
With the new tires and alignment we had an amazing time at MATG! My dad just bought an 03 so my parents came up for the event as well. This was us lining up for the group photo.
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It was great getting to talk to so many people who share a similar passion and to be around so many different miatas. We had blast driving the mountain roads and it really gave me a new appreciation for the car. I find myself taking the car out on back rounds just to drive much more often.
Up unto this point my build has been mostly ascetic modifications but I am getting the car close to how I want it, so it's time to start thinking about the future for the build. To keep with the vintage theme of the car I plan on going with ITBS. I think they would be right at home in the car and they would help me get to the power figures that I'm looking for. This car is not a track car and I do not feel like I need much more power. I would like to increase the low and mid range torque and be happy around 150hp. To help achieve this NA power goal I plan on moving away from my BP05 and getting a BP6D. I have made this decision for a few reasons, first the the 6D has the highest compression at 10:1, the head is flows better than the 05, and the Variable Valve Timing will help to increase the mid range torque. I do not plan on touching the bottom end as I think I can reach my power goal with some work done to the head. Obviously this plan will not be cheap and as such Im sure that it will take me a few years to reach this end goal. To help reach this goal I have a few different phases in mind to help the build gradually progress.
Phase 1 - Mega Squirt: I feel like the best first step is to go ahead and install a stand alone. This will allow me to start playing the software while the engine is as simple as it is going to be, and get used to it. I can also start deleting thing that I will not need later on like the MAF.
Phase 2 - VVT: At this stage I plan to find a motor and start refreshing it. At this stage I do not plan on doing any head work, just refreshing the motor and getting it ready to swap into the car. The only thing I may do at this point is a coolant reroute since the motor will be out of the car. I have a lightweight FlyinMiata flywheel and stage2 clutch that has been in my car for almost a year so I plan on just swapping that over if everything still looks good. As far as wiring goes I plan on modifying my stock 1.8 harness to accommodate the VVT. To make things a bit simpler I will swap over my current alternator since it is internally regulated and I wont have to mess with regulating it from the ECU. I do plan on keeping AC in the car so I think i will also have to get a NB ac compressor as I do not believe the NA compressor will bolt up.
Phase 3 - Cams: This is a stage that I know the least about but I have some time to do more research on, but my current understanding is to go with something that has higher lift and duration. When swapping in the cam I plan on also swapping out the stock shim over bucket lifters for some shim under bucket lifter that should hold up better at higher RPM.
Phase 4 - ITBS: I have been looking at different options and as much as I would love to go with the 4AGE throttles the techno toy manifold adapters are hard to come by. At this point I plan to go with the Jenvey 45mm kit. As far as installing and setting up the ITBS I have done a lot of research and feel pretty good about the setup. My only unkown at this point is whether or not to use an IACV. There seems to be a pretty even split of people using then and not. At this point I plan to try and go the route of using it but we will see when we get to that stage.
There is a lot covered in those stage and that is the best plan that I have for now. I'm sure that plans will change as the build progresses but I think that it is important to set some goals to start working toward. Hopefully by this time next year I will have the car running on a stand alone and be in the process of refreshing the new motor.
Thinking about the future for the engine bay made we want to take some time and clean mine up. Its not the cleanest thing but I did get a few wires out of the way and hidden and its not looking too bad for a nearly 25 year old bay. The valve cover could do with a bit of love though. I look forward to seeing the progression.
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In other news I decided to do something about my missing sun visors and make some interior lights. I just used some of the spare abs I had laying around. The project only took a few hours and Im very pleased with the results. My only complaint is the LEDs that I used are very blue. I may switch them out in the future.
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I also started working on another exciting DIY project. After seeing a lot of people at MATG with vented quarter windows it made me want some. I don't mind the port hole windows but I don't feel like they would quite look at home on my car. The tuck I learned to drive in had some classic style vented windows that swung all the way out. They were great for just a little bit of ventilation or spin them completely out for some directed wind. I did a lot of looking and I did see that carbon miata made a set but theirs pivot the wrong way and are not really what I am looking for. I did see a few initial mock up designs I believe from KGworks but as far as I know they never made it into production. I also did not see anyone else attempting to make their own DIY set so I guess I am kinda treading in unknown waters here. I picked up an extra door so that I have something to work on as I am sure this will not be an easy and short DIY project. I removed the glass and created a windows black out of foam board.
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After removing the stock glass window I was a little bit nervous because I realized that the glass was curved. I was not sure how it would work with using flat glass but after some intial mock ups I think that I should still be good to proceed. I picked up some MG vent window hardware and started to mock them up with it. After setting this up I realize that I had the hinge for the oposite side of the car on, but even with the correct side the hinge does not quite work for what I need. I think that the handle may be okay but I do need to get a different style top hinge, preferably once that is bolted through the glass.
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Overall I think that the design will work, but I definitely have some more issues to work through. I will need to find a good way to add in windows seals so that the window does not leak or whistle while driving with it closed.
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I was a little bit nervous about the window hitting my hand when flipped all the way around but at this pivot point the window only sticks out about 4in into the car which should not hit my hand on the wheel.
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It does look a little bit close on the tape measure but the window will be sitting further back and should not be an issued.
With the design that I have now there is a little bit of a frame added top of the window. When I find a new top hinge I may be able to make that a bit smaller but even if I can't I think that the smaller window size will be okay. This is about how much of the window will be left with the new frame.
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I'm currently in the process of looking for alternate hardware and I will post some more updates as the project progresses, but I have at least proven to myself that the design will work on the miata. If anyone has any suggestions feel free to let me know!
With the new tires and alignment we had an amazing time at MATG! My dad just bought an 03 so my parents came up for the event as well. This was us lining up for the group photo.
It was great getting to talk to so many people who share a similar passion and to be around so many different miatas. We had blast driving the mountain roads and it really gave me a new appreciation for the car. I find myself taking the car out on back rounds just to drive much more often.
Up unto this point my build has been mostly ascetic modifications but I am getting the car close to how I want it, so it's time to start thinking about the future for the build. To keep with the vintage theme of the car I plan on going with ITBS. I think they would be right at home in the car and they would help me get to the power figures that I'm looking for. This car is not a track car and I do not feel like I need much more power. I would like to increase the low and mid range torque and be happy around 150hp. To help achieve this NA power goal I plan on moving away from my BP05 and getting a BP6D. I have made this decision for a few reasons, first the the 6D has the highest compression at 10:1, the head is flows better than the 05, and the Variable Valve Timing will help to increase the mid range torque. I do not plan on touching the bottom end as I think I can reach my power goal with some work done to the head. Obviously this plan will not be cheap and as such Im sure that it will take me a few years to reach this end goal. To help reach this goal I have a few different phases in mind to help the build gradually progress.
Phase 1 - Mega Squirt: I feel like the best first step is to go ahead and install a stand alone. This will allow me to start playing the software while the engine is as simple as it is going to be, and get used to it. I can also start deleting thing that I will not need later on like the MAF.
Phase 2 - VVT: At this stage I plan to find a motor and start refreshing it. At this stage I do not plan on doing any head work, just refreshing the motor and getting it ready to swap into the car. The only thing I may do at this point is a coolant reroute since the motor will be out of the car. I have a lightweight FlyinMiata flywheel and stage2 clutch that has been in my car for almost a year so I plan on just swapping that over if everything still looks good. As far as wiring goes I plan on modifying my stock 1.8 harness to accommodate the VVT. To make things a bit simpler I will swap over my current alternator since it is internally regulated and I wont have to mess with regulating it from the ECU. I do plan on keeping AC in the car so I think i will also have to get a NB ac compressor as I do not believe the NA compressor will bolt up.
Phase 3 - Cams: This is a stage that I know the least about but I have some time to do more research on, but my current understanding is to go with something that has higher lift and duration. When swapping in the cam I plan on also swapping out the stock shim over bucket lifters for some shim under bucket lifter that should hold up better at higher RPM.
Phase 4 - ITBS: I have been looking at different options and as much as I would love to go with the 4AGE throttles the techno toy manifold adapters are hard to come by. At this point I plan to go with the Jenvey 45mm kit. As far as installing and setting up the ITBS I have done a lot of research and feel pretty good about the setup. My only unkown at this point is whether or not to use an IACV. There seems to be a pretty even split of people using then and not. At this point I plan to try and go the route of using it but we will see when we get to that stage.
There is a lot covered in those stage and that is the best plan that I have for now. I'm sure that plans will change as the build progresses but I think that it is important to set some goals to start working toward. Hopefully by this time next year I will have the car running on a stand alone and be in the process of refreshing the new motor.
Thinking about the future for the engine bay made we want to take some time and clean mine up. Its not the cleanest thing but I did get a few wires out of the way and hidden and its not looking too bad for a nearly 25 year old bay. The valve cover could do with a bit of love though. I look forward to seeing the progression.
In other news I decided to do something about my missing sun visors and make some interior lights. I just used some of the spare abs I had laying around. The project only took a few hours and Im very pleased with the results. My only complaint is the LEDs that I used are very blue. I may switch them out in the future.
I also started working on another exciting DIY project. After seeing a lot of people at MATG with vented quarter windows it made me want some. I don't mind the port hole windows but I don't feel like they would quite look at home on my car. The tuck I learned to drive in had some classic style vented windows that swung all the way out. They were great for just a little bit of ventilation or spin them completely out for some directed wind. I did a lot of looking and I did see that carbon miata made a set but theirs pivot the wrong way and are not really what I am looking for. I did see a few initial mock up designs I believe from KGworks but as far as I know they never made it into production. I also did not see anyone else attempting to make their own DIY set so I guess I am kinda treading in unknown waters here. I picked up an extra door so that I have something to work on as I am sure this will not be an easy and short DIY project. I removed the glass and created a windows black out of foam board.
After removing the stock glass window I was a little bit nervous because I realized that the glass was curved. I was not sure how it would work with using flat glass but after some intial mock ups I think that I should still be good to proceed. I picked up some MG vent window hardware and started to mock them up with it. After setting this up I realize that I had the hinge for the oposite side of the car on, but even with the correct side the hinge does not quite work for what I need. I think that the handle may be okay but I do need to get a different style top hinge, preferably once that is bolted through the glass.
Overall I think that the design will work, but I definitely have some more issues to work through. I will need to find a good way to add in windows seals so that the window does not leak or whistle while driving with it closed.
I was a little bit nervous about the window hitting my hand when flipped all the way around but at this pivot point the window only sticks out about 4in into the car which should not hit my hand on the wheel.
It does look a little bit close on the tape measure but the window will be sitting further back and should not be an issued.
With the design that I have now there is a little bit of a frame added top of the window. When I find a new top hinge I may be able to make that a bit smaller but even if I can't I think that the smaller window size will be okay. This is about how much of the window will be left with the new frame.
I'm currently in the process of looking for alternate hardware and I will post some more updates as the project progresses, but I have at least proven to myself that the design will work on the miata. If anyone has any suggestions feel free to let me know!
