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MBalik's 91 Miata

11K views 29 replies 5 participants last post by  MBalik 
#1 · (Edited)
Apparently I lied to myself....
Welcoming the newest member to the family!




The Plan


I've got quite a but planned for the car, this year however it'll just be all the preventative maintenance parts I can do without pulling the engine, fixing the rust and respraying the car. Yes it'll stay the same color :)



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Year 1: Maintenance & Repair
- Head Gasket Set
- Hoses and Accessory Belts
- Timing Belt
- Rust Repair & Respray (DIY): Driver side quarter panel and rocker panels. Might find some more surprises when I start the repairs tho
- Lip & Side skirts: Depends on how much $$$ I have left over.


Year 2: Let's talk about handling!
- FM V-Maxx XXtreme Stage 2 Sport package kit
- Wheels: Advanti DST Storm S1s look very enticing. Good price and lightweight baby!
- Brake Upgrade: Not really happy with the braking feel or braking power. I'll either go with Wilwoods in the front + NBs in the back or might just do an OEM conversion altogether.
- Roll Bar (DIY): I've got a few friends with custom fab capabilities. Getting it shipped to Canada + with the conversion rate makes it ridiculously expensive.
- Bucket seat: Stock seats do not hold me in at all. For now a foamectomy will do. I'll probably go for a Bride Vios III or something along those lines.
- Steering wheel: Either a Sparco or Nardi deep dish. NRG hub & quick release.
- Underbody bracing (DIY): Because racecar

Year 3: Time to make it go fast
- Turbo kit: I'll either try picking up a used kit or make on myself.
- Supporting mods: Flywheel + Clutch
- Differential swap: LSD time :cool:
- Hard top.... because why not

On-going/DIY projects: Interior "restoration" and more
- Center console respray: Going to be respraying the center console. It has some nicks all in several spots and the color is somewhat faded. Basically any plastic that doesn't look new, will.
- Custom door cards: Quilted tan door covers..... or do I go plaid? :)
- Sound system upgrade: All the speakers are shot besides one. Gonna install some quality ones with an amp when I've got some extra ca$h begging to be spent.
- Side Mirrors: Some of the aftermarket options look so damn sexy
- Interior gauges & hardware: Snooping around Rev9s web and seeing some of the incredible projects or revlimiter make me want to spend a lot of money. Since the cost adds up quite quickly, i'll be trying to DIY as many of them as possible. For what can't be done, i'll gladly hand over my money!:D


I wonder if i'll be able to keep this build under 20k.... :confused::dunno:




Inspiration pics








 
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#5 ·
It is a 1600, right? I agree, as much as you would like to repaint, leave the same color. Love the 1st Gens, but as I get older it is harder to get in and out of them. Your modification options are wide open. Have fun with it.
 
#6 ·
Not enough green NAs out there so might as well keep the color.

Yeah it's a 1.6L, long nose too so extra points there. Won't be doing much performance mods this year. Next year gonna throw on the Vmax xxtreme kit from FM, seems quite reasonably priced compared to everything else.

Wheels I'm leaning towards the advanti dst Storm S1s. Light and cheap...

Also going to be placing an order on FM for a rebuilt kit. Doing pretty much everything u can without pulling the block.

Will update detailed mod list... gonna be starting a build thread on m.net too
 
#11 ·
Looked what I got for the big price of free



Garrett gt17. Pretty small fella. Realistically I don't see it be able to push more than 160-180 bhp. Not sure it it's worth doing the install with it. Was aiming for 230whp so I'd need something closer to a td04/05 or gt25/28.

You guys think it's worth installing and then getting a bigger turbo?

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#19 · (Edited)
yea i gotta agree with Nuse, as someone with a miata over 200whp, trust me 160whp is still plenty quick. the previous owner of my car ran a 13.6 at 104 when the car had 163whp. I should be in the 230-240 range and trust me, the car becomes a different monster and you lose a bit of that essence and joy of driving in the miata. yes the power and acceleration are effortless with 220-240whp but you also cant go blasting on a backroad winding out every gear because well youll be in triple digits quickly doing that... 160-180whp is a good range IMO cause there is enough power its quick in a straight line, but not too much power where you cant go bang gears flogging it on winding mountain/country roads.
 
#20 ·
Engine rebuild has begun... A shit ton of pics will be incoming shortly.

Also the more I drive the car, the more I think having a fast miata is stupid. Maybe a bit faster than stock but flooring the car absolutely everywhere is the funnest thing ever. In the speed as soon as I touch the gas I'm going over the limit.
 
#24 ·
So the 4th cylinder was pretty much submerged in oil and the coolant was full of oil. Despite that the car ran well before I took it apart.

Had the head tested for leaks/cracks and resurfaced as well.

Besides some snapped bolts everyone went together pretty smoothly. Note to self, make sure you put the Cam position sensor on properly before trying to start the car. The damn thing bolted in perfect while upside down.



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#26 ·
Alright time to tackle the hard top. Don't have the before pic of just the crack, but here it is after all the loose crap was cleared out.



After many coats of fiberglass (shortstrand) bondo and glazing putty at the end:



No more crack!

I'll be sanding down the primer and applying a few more coats to fill in any small scratches that may have been missed.

More pics to come, there are other places that were damaged as well

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