'90 Mazdaspeed Miata Rallycross Project

Mission accomplished.

Drove it to work this morning in the snow on 225/45-15 R1Rs that ran the Targa Newfoundland . Heck, I drove it to a Superbowl party yesterday. The car's definitely picked up on power over the same turbo on the 1.6, although some of that is going to be the Hydra. It's got some beans.

The wideband isn't working right for some reason and I'm not 100% sure one of the coolant hoses isn't still leaking - but the car's now a runner. I'll sort the wideband out tonight.

I had to lower the shock tower brace to clear the NA hood. Nothing a welder and a hacksaw couldn't fix.

I assume you left the brace on only because you were retaining the factory catch-can thingy?

My wideband still doesn't work right, either.

That was one reason, yes. It's also a better brace than almost any on the market (other than the upcoming FM unit!). And I had access to it.

My wideband will be working by the end of the day. I think it's a wiring problem for the heater. They don't fix themselves, you know

It's actually a good brace? I haven't really taken mine off and checked it out, but the big bad internet says it sucks pretty bad.

That may just be a bunch of ricers complaining that it doesn't look pimpy, though.

Will the FM unit have a master cylinder stopper?

Which wideband are you using? I have the Innovate MTX-L but i haven't installed it yet. Although I did put on the white gauge face last night to match the FM boost gauge .

EvanB wrote: Which wideband are you using? I have the Innovate MTX-L but i haven't installed it yet. Although I did put on the white gauge face last night to match the FM boost gauge .

He's talking about the wideband that feeds Hydra, i'm pretty sure.

Yup, the specific Hydra wideband. And we've identified the problem, so I'll have that sorted for the drive home tonight.

Yes, the factory 2001-05 brace is very good. Dramatically, HUGELY, enormously better than most of the ones on eBay. You can flex those like a ski. It doesn't brace to the firewall, but there's no structure where those "triangulated" ones are mounted anyhow. The fact that it's not $500 and JDM is probably why it gets pooh-poohed. Although I suppose it IS technically JDM.

The FM unit does not have a master cylinder stopper. Not sure why not, actually...

Wideband is sorted. Good thing, too, it was pretty lean up top. So that should be better on the way in to work tomorrow now.

Keith wrote: The FM unit does not have a master cylinder stopper. Not sure why not, actually...

Where do i send my bill for my consulting services?

Keith, what downpipe did you use? I put the stock MSM one on today and it is pressed pretty tightly against the transmission. The rest of the exhaust fits fine once I got it positioned properly. It is currently hanging on 2 of 4 hangers though.

The downpipe is the FM one for a 1.6 turbo Miata. A MSM downpipe wouldn't fit the Garrett turbo I used.

You should be able to make that downpipe fit. After all, the turbo is in the same place relative to the transmission as it was originally. Loosen off the nuts and see if there's a bit of wiggle room. A degree of movement makes a big difference in an exhaust system.

Ok, I'll give that a try. It is the cat and heatshield that is in the way. I will eventually do a custom exhaust, i don't like how this one hangs down.

Test fitted the intercooler today and looks like it isn't going to work. The bottom is about the same level as the steering rack, which gets a fair amount of abuse during a rallycross. The inlet and outlet were also at fairly strange places. The inlet for the intercooler is under the bottom of the radiator which is why it hangs so low.

This came in the mail today. Sorry for another horrible cell phone picture.

My next paycheck is going to an intercooler and hopefully I will have it running over my spring break in 2 weeks.

Evan, why not just put a beefy skid on to protect the FMIC?

Or space the front springs up to get more clearance?

Looks like an old-school BEGi unit. They're a bit on the chunky side and not very efficient. However, that style is built like a freakin' tank.

irish44j wrote: Evan, why not just put a beefy skid on to protect the FMIC? Or space the front springs up to get more clearance?

I thought about a skidplate. I am already about 1" higher than stock and don't want to raise it much more. I don't really like the way the hoses would be routed with this though. One would go under the radiator and one would go up over the core support and top of the radiator which would necessitate cutting the hood supports for clearance.

CxRacing intercoolers on ebay are so cheap and seem to work well enough that I am just going to go that route and have more clearance and an easier piping setup.

Catless downpipe is on, fits perfectly and much lighter. I'm tempted to leave it with just the downpipe to see how loud it is but it is pointed at the gas tank. Should I be concerned?

In reply to EvanB:

I would at least make sure the exhaust aims out from under the car. You never know when you'll get a serious tech inspector. Not too mention, it probably will be putting out enough heat to make more vapor in the gas tank.

Serious tech inspector at rallycross?

It will eventually exit from the back but for now I want to do it until I can get a proper exhaust hung. I'm just worried about possibly shooting flames at the underside of the car.

EvanB wrote: Serious tech inspector at rallycross?

okay, I'm not sure what I was thinking there. Seriously, though, potential for flames hitting a 22 year old gas tank of indeterminate condition makes me nervous. A flange and a few bucks worth of exhaust bends is cheap insurance. Heck, if you're going to be in Cincy anytime in the near future, let me know and you can dig through my pile of used exhausts.

Our local exhaust shop has a dumpster full of pull-offs. Not too bad ones either, as a lot of them are from brand new turbo diesel trucks...

I've got plenty of piping to bolt up...the problem is the hangers aren't in the right place. Guess I'll have to take it to the exhaust shop with my selection of exhausts and have them weld some hangers to it...or I could buy a flux core welder and attempt to make something myself.

Although a flux-core mig won't weld stainless will it?

You can get bolt-on hangers if that helps. Never tried to weld stainless with flux core, but I know I can do stainless exhaust work with my mig without changing anything