☆☆☆ '97M- Warbird ☆☆☆

[Greasemonkey2000]

After reading several others great intro's to their build threads i decided to give mine a more proper opening.

I got into cars before i could drive at around 14 years old i would say, no paticular influence or source other than i was getting close to driving age(16 in Texas at the time) and knew i didn't want just anything.

Initially i had come to terms that at first i would be driving a full size '88 Chevrolet van with a 4.xL v6, essentially a 5.7 minus two cylinders. I also KNEW this was going to be temporary. I worked full time during the summer for the city water department and the summer('01) before my senior year in high school i bought a '72 Chevrolet Malibu/Chevelle with a 5.7L v8, turbo 350 slushbox and 10 bolt rear end(for $1100), here it is:



Yes it was a four door but you wouldn't have known that if not for a side profile pic...

This is what really got my 'fire stoked' when it came to cars. I never did everything i wanted, which would have been a big block with a 144ci blower and manual transmission etc, but i did learn how to work on cars and had to replace the heads, added a full exhaust, swapped a 12 bolt rear end with a Detroit locker and various other items. In the approximate 1.5 years('01-02) of ownership gas prices went up a fair amount and it seem to break down a lot...mostly because it was a 30yr old car with a 16 yr old constantly flogging the mess out of it! I decided to get something more practical and eventually decided something newer, fwd and 4 cylinder was the way to go, so i bought a '94 Honda Accord Ex with a 2.2L inline 4 and slushbox, here it is stock:



After doing A LOT of 'ricer' mods and doing every bolt on possible for power i realized it wasn't what i wanted, this after doing a full air ride suspension(LOVED IT) and having almost $8k in receipts.

Oh the humanity!!

I decided i wanted a better platform and it HAD to be a manual transmission because after less than 2 months of having the Accord the transmission went out and cost me $1600. I ended up getting a '02 Civic Si EP3 with the K20A3 and 5spd manual, which had one of the coolest shifter setups on the dash, like so:





I had originally went to the dealership to get a '00 Civic Si EM1 (electron blue) but it had sold just hours before i arrived and i was sort of 'talked into' the EP3, which is probably why i can't stand car salesman to date. Unfortunately my research was not thorough enough before buying the EP3 because as any Honda enthusiast knows, the K20A3(base model RSX had the same motor) that was in it was not a true i-vtec like the K20A2 that was in the RSX Type S because the variable valve timing only affected the intake side and not the exhaust side as well as a true vtec car would have. I really liked it but found a reason to move on.

This time was to a '01 Acura Integra GS-R DB8 (aka four door) with the ever loved B18C1 and 5 spd manual transmission. Sadly this was short lived due to a few second oil issue causing a bearing(s) to fail and 'death to come knocking'.

Next i came upon that Electron Blue EM1 Si ('99-'00 Civic Si) that i had wanted.


I bought it and did basic bolt ons and loved the mid to high 20mpgs i got in town and mid 30mpgs i got on the highway but upon considering marriage i decided i needed a four door, honestly just another excuse to try something else.

Next was a four door Integra and i won't continue to bore you so my automotive history went like this from there: '94 Integra GS(sedan), '93 Integra GS-R(hatch), '01 Jetta GLI(sedan), '99 Bmw 540i(4.4L v8 w/ 6spd manual..loved it!!!), '04 SRT-4 (best domestic fwd ever imo), '96 Integra RS hatch, '90 CRX w/B16a swap, '05 Acura TSX (wifes former daily), '92 Civic Si w/ B16a2 swap, '01 Mustang Bullitt with 4.6L v8 and 5spd manual in Highland Green, the only true Bullitt color.





Oddly enough the last one i listed, '01 Bullitt, is what got my started on the path to Miata's, crazy you say...for sure. This was a very well built Mustang because the original owner, i was the third, had built/modified it with the hopes of autox it so it had a fair amount of parts to make it handle and a aftermarket clutch with lightweight flywheel, catback exhaust and a retune via a Diablo handheld tuner which suprisingly made a big difference in terms of torque which i found out by removing on accident. I only did wider rear wheels(9.5") and Nitto NT555 tires at all four corners and i was hooked on grip.

Well i was now looking at buying a house and needed to reduce my debt so i decided to sell the Bullitt. I knew it had to meet the following criteria: rwd, manual transmission, handle decent in oem form, get at least 20+ mpgs, relatively low maintenance and have good aftermarket support and be less than $6k. Well after looking around and seeing that their wasn't too many cars that met that criteria...i stumbled upon a Grassroots Motorsports magazine article about budget track cars and of course what else was praised as one of the cheapest and cost effective, dual purpose option..a Miata, the NA specifically.

So i started looking into all things Miata and quickly concluded this met every criteria perfectly!! After more research i decided that a NB1 was the best $ Miata being the lightest second gen and having the best power to weight ratio. I found a '00 classic red LS near Dallas and bought it but soon realized it was consuming a good amount of oil but not before already doing a full exhaust, DDM Works intake, wheels/tires, etc.


At the time i was in an apartment and i decided to sell it and get a lower mileage(nb1 had 152k miles) NA8 since that is what i originally wanted. So this is where the build thread begins....


09-20-13: Got home from picking up this '97 M Edition w/ 93,387(currently) and must say I really like it. Yes seems to have a LITTLE less get up and go then my NB1 but I still really like it. It has maintenance records and the timing belt was done at 71,620 miles. Will be putting the wheels/tires and Nardi steering wheel from the NB on this one and selling the NB.






The whole Warbird theme(aviation) will be developed in time but the name and theme was pretty much chosen before i had a NA. Of course the name and theme are really thanks to Revlimiter's Warbird gauges, so big shout out and thanks to Adam!!

[Greasemonkey2000]

09-28-13: Had the 15x8 +25 Konig Flatout's (machined finish and weighing in at 12.4lbs) w/ 225/45/15 Hankook Ventus RS3's taken off my NB1 and put on the M.



With this size wheel and offset, its pretty much flush with the body.


Today I corrected Mazdas interior mistake and completed the Nardi theme :toast:




Thanks to Rev9 Autosport for the Royal Clover key. I think it compliments the car nicely.

[Greasemonkey2000]

10-25-13:Got my Flyin Miata frame rail braces installed and changed out the filter while I had her on stands.


The difference in rigidity is impressive and can only imagine the results with the butterfly brace as well. Now it feels ALMOST as rigid as my NB1 but not quit there yet. Cowl shake is reduced, bumps are more evenly distributed and cornering speed is now more stable where else before the rear end would come out some. Love, love, love it!

[Greasemonkey2000]

12-12-13:Did both belts today on my '97 only to discover the adjuster for the alternator was gone!Fortunately they are the same for 1.8's so i pulled it of my '00 LS which i discovered the alternator belt was about to go on it...what are the chances? Thanks William for the assistance on the adjustment for the p/s!

Also got my window switch from Revlimiter installed today.



Next interior mods are the s2000 push button start which i have all the partsd for but just need to get around to installing and will soon have my cluster done with the Warbird gauges from Revlimiter. To anyone looking for nice interior touches look no further than Adam @ revlimiter.net, great guy!

[Greasemonkey2000]

12-23-13: Installed a Mr Gasket Daytona shift ring and boot..hard to argue with it for less than $12 and ALMOST a perfect fit!



I am still gathering parts for my Revlimiter gauge install which stinks having to wait but will be worth the wait!

[Greasemonkey2000]

01-09-14:Took advantage of the sell Adam had during Thanksgiving and ordered the Warbird gauges with a 10 o'clock zero postion, then screwed up installing the oil gauges TWICE and after seeing how popular the Warbird's are I decided to get a custom tachometer done. My advice to all thinking about getting custom gauges: 1) Think out very carefully about EXACTLY what you want and 2)Provide Adam with as much information or pics to get your idea conveyed; otherwise you will be a pain like me.

I also shaved down all the needles and painted the underside of the tips red to match the Westach gauges I'm going to use, which is what the logo on the tach was inspired by.

Still not ready to install in the car. I have a Track Dog Racing oil pressure gauge kit to install(basically a oil psi sending unit), needle caps on the way and will more than likely wait in install so i can get a KG or RS products gauge panel. Have ordered many other goodies so stay tuned!

[Greasemonkey2000]

01-10-14: Received a Runabout type II fuel lid today from Rod (Tetsuya Garage) and it looks great as he said and got it installed, first exterior mod! :toast:

[Greasemonkey2000]

01-17-14:Just some pictures...








Picked up a Flyin Miata butterfly brace yesterday ,locally. Got installed it late tonight, along with a VDO oil pressure sender from Track Dog Racing.

The FM butterfly brace took longer than expected but we also had to run into town for some tools I didn't have to put in the oil sender(24mm deep socket-which as it turns out I didn't need a deep just an extension) and my FM frame rail braces were not perfectly parallel which is key. The passenger side rail was maybe a 1/4'' or so further back but me and my cousin made it work. My cousin drove it back to my apartment and even from the passenger side I could definitely tell the difference. Next up is some Fat Cat Motorsports coilovers!

[Greasemonkey2000]

02-01-14:Told myself I was going to wait to post pictures until I got all this is installed but I couldn't resist.

First, Revlimiter HVAC panels and Zeromotive knobs, button and ring:



and Revlimiter vent rings, Revlimiter custom Warbird Edition key chain and Revlimiter custom Warbird speedometer:



close up of key chain:

[Greasemonkey2000]

02-06-14:More goodies from Tetsuya Garage, thanks Rod!
Zoom cf mirrors


and KG Works gauge panel


Stay tuned to see these beauties installed!

Spoiler Alert! Just ordered a MS3 basic from MS Labs and FCM 2040 Elite coilovers from Shaikh so, wonderful times ahead!

[Greasemonkey2000]

02-10-14: After four months of collecting parts and first having a custom tach and then custom speedometer made, I FINALLY have my gorgeous Revlimiter gauges in and no pictures can do them justice, especially cell phone pics:

[Greasemonkey2000]

02-16-14: Another "gem" from Rod (Tetsuya Garage), Zoom carbon fiber mirrors. Although they have smaller mirror areas, the convex tinted glass really makes for great visibility and they look AMAZING to boot!



Couple "beauty" shots:

[Greasemonkey2000]

02-21-14:Got home from work just in time to meet the UPS man and get this box of goodies!!



Plan is to get my Megasquirt 3 basic(in transit) and get my car tuned in its NA form and then in 3-4 months install the supercharger...plans can change though. ;)

[Greasemonkey2000]

02-22-14:Also got this beauty yesterday from Adam, custom Warbird gauge for my AEM digital wideband gauge. Looks perfectly matched, Adam you are a genius!

[Greasemonkey2000]

02-24-14: One step closer to making some power, thanks Reverant!