93 Miata, Spec racing here I come!

So I had posted previously about trying to race my 07 mustang GT and the general consensus I got was "bruh, you're stupid, you still gotta get to work, don't risk it". Well I was pleased to have made a fortunate discovery on good ol' Craigslist. I was able to snag a miata for $900! Not exactly perfect, but not a total capper either. I was actually surprised how immaculate the interior and engine bay were for a 25 year old car (I'm the same age and if I were a car, I could only dream I'd look half as good). Have a look your yourselves... 

So I still am trying to get in to the track racing scene, and I'm really wanting to make sure I'm on the right track. I'm very much at the very beginning of the long, long process of getting the car ready for such big action. To all you spec Miata gurus, these are my thoughts... 

 1. Repair the fender and bumper damage, rebuild shift linkage, and generally just make nice and car meet savvy

2. Roll cage now, worry less later 

3. RACING Interior!!!; ie.  Steering wheel, seat, harness (carpet should be out for cage anyway, cool) 

4. 15" wheels? Really? Can't find anywhere. Get tires too.  

5. New (stock) rotors, sexy brake pads, SS lines

6. Racing safety equipment that I don't already have

7. Suspension? Rules are kinda weird but I'll take any edge I can get. 

8.?????

9. Profit. 

*order totally subject to change of price drops, funding, and necessity. Track days most likely sprinkled in after the cage goes in and getting my racing license. 

Like I said, I'm taking my time, but I really do want to plan this whole thing out. I'm fairly disorganized and scatter brained unless I sit down and devise some semblance of a plan. I've also been staring at the rules so much the past couple days the lines are really starting to blur together! 

I'm far from an expert, but my gut says that you'd be much better served buying a car that was already built and ready to race.

In reply to Claff :

I looked in to that, but it seemed that every time I found one for sale it was a "champion" car that "OMG IT WON SO MANY RACES AND PASSED SO MANY PEOPLE. IT WON AT EVERYTHING SO PAY ME 15 GRAND FOR A 1991." type deal and that was getting old fast. This car is surprisingly strong for its age, very clean, just needs a couple panels replaced and light modifications aside from a roll cage. It seems very doable, and I can get all the parts for around 5k from what I have added up right now. Spread that out over a year, and I could easily be in my first race before May 2019. 

In reply to Terrence :

Cool.  Have fun building it.

Kart racing?

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem :

Yeah! I went to the Atlanta Motorsports Park arrive and drive league race. I'll give a few pros and cons.

Pros

1. Great competition 

2. Experience with qualifying and rolling starts

3. Level playing field in terms of weight  

4. After the first round, the last place driver, gets the first place cart for the second round, second gets second slowest cart, so in an so forth. 

Cons

1. Qualifying was not what it should be. The flag man sets his watch for 5 minutes and whoever is closest to him gets pole. The website clearly stated that the practice and qualifying sessions would be separate. There was also no qualifying for the second race. 

2. Safety was not a concern. I was physically forced off the track and in to a wall by another competitor and there was no black flag, even though a flagger was right next to the incident 

3. Weight classes were not in separate races. This is not a big problem but the website stated the races are separate. They just need to edit that. 

I think the first thing you need to figure out is what series you'll be racing in. Check out the GCR document for that sanctioning body and build the car to that. This will determine safety equipment, suspension, tire/wheel sizes, etc. 

If you are looking at spec Miata (presumed from the title) some big ticket items you will need are a hardtop, SM suspension kit, and wheels to fit the spec tire.

treasure coast miata down in FL has tons of spare parts and could probably help you out with a good fender.

Despite having raced much faster and more sophisticated cars I really enjoy Spec. Miata.

For a cage I recommend the kit from mitacage.com.

For wheels most folks run Team Dynamics Pro 1.2 Spec Miata wheels.

You do not need a hardtop for NASA.  The car is a bit slower on faster tracks without one but to start with that's not an issue.

miatacage.com also carries the suspension kit you'll need.

In reply to Terrence :

Heh - 15k for a caged complete car that's been shaken down isn't bad. Keep in mind softtop and door window issues that come with some cages. I'll be happy if you get into it under 5k, but I definitely wouldn't hold my breath if you're saying you're going to build a "full race car" and not just a track focused car. You might do a roll bar using the miatacage.com kit and then you have the option to full cage later? Reading your last thread I'm assuming you're driving this to and from the track - no trailer. I've been there and done that - doing it in a race car is not easy. I would say get track time via HPDEs, etc with the minimum upgrades. A bolt in roll bar, race seat, harness, (pads/rotors/fluid), and OK set of DOT tires and you're good to go. Racing is beyond expensive, even spec miata racing. Just the tire budget alone will be hard to swallow. 

Do you have any race or on track experience? 

Good luck and have fun!

In reply to enginenerd:

Ive actually saved all the literature for SCCA and NASA, and I find myself reading them both almost constantly :P

In reply to stylngle2003:

I'll probably give them a call when. I get back from training. I'm planning on getting it road worthy before I get it track worthy for sure. 

In reply to APEowner:

Thanks for the feedback, now I feel confident to start racing without the top! And I've just bookmarked the wheels for a later purchase. 

In reply to accordionfolder :

I don't have track experience yet, but I do race autocross currently, as well as go karts. And I agree with your suggestion, for sure. I plan to do HPDE as much as I can during the build process. 

I also plan to update everyone as I go through the build. It'll be pretty slow going but I'm really looking forward to getting to know the car inside and out. 

NASA will have you go through their HPDE ladder, then comp school. Get the roll bar that can be upgraded to a full cage, some wheels/tires, and hit the track for the next event! No reason you can't start driving as you're building.

Welcome to SM. You need to buy this book, it will save you many hours and dollars lost from going the wrong direction. Even after 9 years in the class it's a good reference point. Spec Miata Guide

Here's a shop that runs ads in Grassroots and I know the owner quite well.

90 % of his work is SM related.

Check out his website here:  https://www.advanced-autosports.com/

In reply to ManhattanM (fka NY535iManual) :

I actually ordered that same manual the day I got the car! I'm hoping it arrives within the next day or two because I'm going out of town for a while and I want to bring it with me! 

In reply to jimbbski:

That's the same website ManhattanM was talking about , and I've actually been on their site more than any other. I must going in the right direction with them. I plan you get my cage, suspension, miscellaneous repair parts, and my wheels from them. 

I've known Dave W. at Advanced for 20+ years.  We got to know each other when I was his instructor when he went through  school for his Comp. license and he was only a simple mechanic at the time.

I've watched him start that business and grow it over the years.

He's a good guy and as honest as anyone I know.

In reply to jimbbski :

It's always good to see honest people succeed. I look forward to getting to know him and hopefully you can instruct me for my license!