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Thread: 91BRG's 91 BRG "91BRG"

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    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! 91BRG's Avatar
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    91BRG's 91 BRG "91BRG"



    Hey everyone Happy New Year for 2016, as part of the new year I'd like to share this build diary with you all. It's either now or never for me as I've been delaying this for so long with so many pics and stories to share...

    My name is Daniel (29) and I'm from Sydney, NSW Australia, but this will be just be entirely focused on my BRG and nothing else.

    There will be a lot of photos and minimal words (a picture says a thousand words), so you can just scroll through without reading too much.

    I will start off with some my recent photos and current mod list / setup as of 3/1/2016...

    Enjoy everyone,
















  2. #2
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! 91BRG's Avatar
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    1991 Mazda MX-5 Limited Edition
    Australian Delivered #042/300

    Current set-up as of 3/1/2016

    intake & exhaust

    cusco intake suction pipe
    3a pod filter
    mazdaspeed 4-1 exhaust manifold
    mazdapseed sports sound muffler
    custom 2' straight mid pipe
    magnaflow 2' hi-flow cat

    engine

    jun lightweight 4.6kg flywheel
    car make corn*s chipped ecu
    advanced cam timing +14 deg
    mazdaspeed competition engine mounts
    mazdaspeed spark plug cables
    ngk iridium max spark plugs
    suzuki capuccino slim washer bottle
    retromodern billet oil cap
    beatrush radiator cooling panel

    gearbox / differential / brakes

    nb8a 5sp gearbox
    std open diff w/ 4.3 final drive
    exedy oem clutch for 1.6l
    nielex joystick shifter
    joyfast 330g super short shift knob
    goodridge ss braided clutch line
    goodridge ss braided brake lines
    brake master cylinder stopper
    brembo discs (f+r)
    brembo pads (f+r)

    chassis / suspension

    beatrush front strut tower bar
    beatrush harness bar
    beatrush rear strut tower bar
    jass performance hardtop brackets (front+side)
    garagestar delrin door bushes
    tein monosport coilovers (f:10kg/r:8kg)
    racing beat adj. swaybar endlinks (f+r)

    wheel / tire

    yokohama c.drive 2 tires 185/60/14
    bbs mahle 14x6.0 et+13 (custom silver)
    bbs centre caps, valve stems, lug nuts


    exterior

    oem hardtop
    oem 2 piece rear mudguards
    oem front lip replica
    zoom engineering fuel cap
    zoom engineering side indicators
    runabout m2 side mirrors
    80's mazda badge
    NB MX-5 badge
    classic chrome washer jets
    eunos oem fog lamps
    raybrig reflector headlamps
    philips 5000k diamond vision bulbs h4
    piaa 6000k led parking lights
    piaa plasma ion yellow bulbs h3
    reflector indicators mod
    front license plate centre bracket

    interior

    eunos v-special nardi wood 360mm steering wheel
    eunos v-special wood handbrake handle
    eunos optional sunglass compartment
    eunos optional sports pedal set
    cocomats sisal floormats
    top gaiters leather gear boot
    top gaiters leather handbrake boot
    oem mazda chrome handbrake button
    revlimiter vent rings
    knobmeister visor plugs
    zoom engineering door rings
    zoom engineering door pockets
    vdo 52mm analogue clock
    il motorsports din pocket
    woodgrain cigarette lighter
    eunos oem fog lamp interior switch
    jdm 180km instrument panel

    audio

    nakamichi cd45z cd player
    nakamichi pl460 4 channel amplifier
    morel maximo coax 6.5' front speakers x 2
    polk audio db351 3.5' headrest speakers x 4
    xtc speaker baffles

    misc

    boot stripped
    baby teeth removed
    charcoal canister removed
    soft top removed
    shifter rebuilt
    replaced window seals
    replaced headlight retractor rods
    replaced power window cables (driver side)
    bosch eco wiper blades
    wiper arms reconditioned
    hi flow thermostat
    hi pressure radiator cap
    reconditioned nb8a thermofan motor

    std/non std features on aus 91 limited edition

    no power steering
    no abs
    no lsd
    power windows
    air conditioning
    'mx5' scuff plates
    tan interior
    headrest speakers
    numbered momo short wood knob (replaced)
    mudguards w/ varnish

    Parts lying around not installed
    frame rails
    adaptronic ecu
    innovate mtxl wideband
    ae101 quad throttle
    Last edited by 91BRG; 01-03-2016 at 01:38 AM.

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  4. #3
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! 91BRG's Avatar
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    These are the photos from the original ad which I found on gumtree. I only made up my mind that day that I was going to buy an MX-5, and this ad happened to put up on that very day so I took it as a sign and called him straight away to make arrangements to see it a few days later on the weekend. My friend and I drove 4 hours north of Sydney to pick the car up That was more than 3 years ago now.

    The previous owner took very good care of the car, so there wasn't much maintenance that needed to be done, I could just enjoy and drive it - lucky me I am the fourth owner now, and I intend to keep the car for as long as I can (I've already made the mistake of selling it once).

    Here it is the day I brought it home.









    I was adamant on finding an example that was as std as possible since my first one was heavily modified and I couldn't use it as a canvas myself, and this one only had Nardi wood steering wheel (which I would have probably fitted anyway), a generic wood gear knob and handbrake lever, and an aftermarket CD player.

    The previous owner gave me all the std parts and plenty of spares. He kept all service records and I even have some documentation from Mazda to the original owner from 1991. The car was in excellent condition overall but it wasn't perfect. The gearbox was loud beacause the bearings were shot, and the front bumper paint had been cracked from light impact. These little things didn't bother me as I knew I'd fix it anyway.
    Last edited by 91BRG; 01-02-2016 at 11:44 PM.

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  6. #4
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power Corifto's Avatar
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    BRGs suck.

  7. #5
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    Glad you are making a build thread Daniel, i can't get enough of them! Can't wait to see what else is to come, great work so far!
    '01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
    '97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
    Instagram: @greasemonkey2000

  8. #6
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! 91BRG's Avatar
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    I think maybe one of the first things I did, was get some vanity plates for the car based on a common nickname for this edition. Sydney is quite good in regards to how you can have your plates styled (as long as you are willing to fork out the $$$), so I chose a color/style that contrasts with the green, matches the tan, and in a size fits the rear garnish perfectly. Looking at it with just plates as a mod, I could've left it like that and been happy (but it wasn't enough for me).



    Because my last MX-5 Was so heavily modified, I couldn't enjoy it in its std form and never got a feel for the car. I was going to take my sweet time with mods this time. I drove it std with no modifications to power, drivetrain, or footwork for a year and got to really appreciate it... until I could bear it no longer and starting modding crazy in the second year.

    It's funny because sometimes I miss my car in std form, it was easier to drive, more forgiving, more playful. Now my car, because of all the mods, has compromises everywhere, feels very serious, and requires more effort to drive (but I do love all those things too).





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  10. #7
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! 91BRG's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Corifto View Post
    BRGs suck.
    It does suck sometimes yknow. It's too classy, sometimes I just wanna rip a burnout in front of everyone, do stupid shit... but my car... too classy for that

    Quote Originally Posted by Greasemonkey2000 View Post
    Glad you are making a build thread Daniel, i can't get enough of them! Can't wait to see what else is to come, great work so far!
    Brother I gotta hand it to you with the effort you've made on yours - this is tough work, one should not procrastinate with build threads...

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  12. #8
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! 91BRG's Avatar
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    BBS wheels

    Ok one thing I do get messaged about a lot on the interweb are my wheels. It's true they're not on many miatas you see on the net, because the PCD it usually comes in is not suited for miatas. This is how I got them when I purchased them from YJA.







    Original prodouction somewhere in the 80s, these wheels were an OEM option for BMW E21s and E30s. If you want to find a set, german ebay will be your best bet.

    Paint wasn't very good but the wheels had no buckles. It also was PCD4x100 which is rare for this model. I already had a set of 13 inch gold mahles I haven't fitted (now sold), but I still couldn't resist when these came up. Once they arrived, they were sandblasted and repainted a custom silver as a present from my bro-in-law.

    BBS MAHLE 14x6.0 et+13











    I reused the center caps that came with my other mahles, but had to get the proper stickers. Luckily I found some replica ones on Ebay that were the exact fit and size.



    To complete the BBS wank-off I also got the oem BBS chrome valves from Mazda (which I do not recommend, they are expensive as shit and leak sometimes), and some BBS black nuts form YJA.





    At one stage, I wanted to fit the 13 inch gold Mahles, but decided against it.




    These wheels are a pain to clean but they look so good because of the offset (this one is +13, std bbs le wheels are around +45 i think). They look oem to the untrained eye and that is what I like about them.
    With this offset, they will clear NA6 brakes but I don't think they will NA8 brakes without a spacer. Also, no rolling of guards or fenders required, but when I lowered it, it did rub on some parts of the inner lining (which I've cut out so it doesn't do that anymore).


    Eunos 185/60/14 club sticker from Jimmy Vee

    I just hate that in Aus we can't find any decent sticky tire for 185/60/14 size, unless you want to get a semi. I wish we had Direzza ZII* here

    So I've been running Yoko C.Drive 2 tires which aren't performance by any std, but are totally adequate for street driving. It's not a bad street tire, very quiet and the grip is comfortably progressive, but since changing to coilovers the tires are now one of the weaker points in the set up.








    Alright that's enough from me today, to be continued...
    Last edited by 91BRG; 01-03-2016 at 01:48 AM.

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  14. #9
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power BRGNA8's Avatar
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    Sick! Was waiting for your build thread man! About 90% of the mods you listed were what I had penciled down in my "to do" list for my NA8!

    Get thomas to organise a day! I wanna see your NA6 up close and personal! haha!

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  16. #10
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! 91BRG's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BRGNA8 View Post
    Sick! Was waiting for your build thread man! About 90% of the mods you listed were what I had penciled down in my "to do" list for my NA8!

    Get thomas to organise a day! I wanna see your NA6 up close and personal! haha!
    Hey Steve I think it's great you bought a BRG NA8 I'm very happy for you. We both may have similar tastes (what do they say about great minds...), so I'm sure your BRG is gonna turn out great too. But please, get the plates '96 BRG', I think in a longer plate to match your rear garnish would look the best. Definitely catch up soon

  17. #11
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! 91BRG's Avatar
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    Intake & Exhaust


    mmmm hot air intake

    How the car sounds is a very big factor for me overall driving pleasure. Mazda already did a great job of 'acoustically' tuning this car but I've gone a step further to enhance it to my liking. For me, intake noise>exhaust noise, so I've done a setup which amplifies intake noise the most, and picked one of the quietest free flowing exhaust/muffler set up. It took me a while to get the sound right, but I think it's spot on now.



    The crossover pipe is a cusco piece. Originally it had a polished finish but I've resprayed it wrinkle black for aesthetics. I've swapped between the stock crossover w/ helmholtz and the cusco one a few times, and although the stock one gives better low end torque, this one feels a lot smoother in the top end. I settled on this one despite the low end torque loss simply because, well... it makes the intake a lot louder



    Had to ditch relocate the hot air intake to a warm air intake using a 3 inch 45deg alu bend. Heatsoak was ridiculous (and its only slightly better). Well the important thing is the sound, and it is louder in the corner



    For the exhaust, I just happen to come by this discontinued Mazdaspeed 4-1 header on ebay for cheap. It's an early generation Mazdaspeed product (made by Maxim Works), that they later changed to a 4-2-1 design for better mid range. The tiny heatshield it comes with.. well ... it looks nice. I sprayed the header in hi temp black then wrapped them.

    The Mazdaspeed muffler I chose, because it's simply one of the quietest available. The manufacture is Yumex, who also make the oem exhaust system. It's aptly named 'sports sound exhaust', it only gives a slight volume increase from std (more bass, less rasp), but is slightly bigger at 2 inch and mandrel bent. The mid section is nothing special, it was done up budget style from a local exhaust shop, 2 inch mild steel with no resonator, and a magnaflow cat in between.







    Last edited by 91BRG; 01-05-2016 at 02:39 AM.

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  19. #12
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power BRGNA8's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 91BRG View Post
    Hey Steve I think it's great you bought a BRG NA8 I'm very happy for you. We both may have similar tastes (what do they say about great minds...), so I'm sure your BRG is gonna turn out great too. But please, get the plates '96 BRG', I think in a longer plate to match your rear garnish would look the best. Definitely catch up soon
    Yeah can't wait! Re: the plates, that's exactly what I've been thinking of getting hahaha! Again, great minds? I do like your one too but in the black background with white writing, but not sure if the plate will fit the rear garnish size wise? Tried looking at the dimensions for yours but when I typed it in, it says "size varies". Probably because the size depends on whether it has 2 or 3 numbers in the beginning. Can you measure yours up and let me know the dimensions?

    also, re: the wheels, for BBS wheels and other mesh wheels which are hard to clean, try a product called "Dodo Juice : Ferrous Dueller". Funny name, I know but It's what I use on all my wheels and basically what it is, it lifts off any iron fallout/brake dust which may have caked on to the wheel spokes. You spray it on the wheel, wait around 5-10 minutes and it changes colour to a purple as it is chemically reacting. How much purple will depend on how much brake dust and iron fallout there is on the wheel. Once that's been done, you can use a wheel brush or similar to get to the harder to reach places of the wheel, then just pressure hose it off and it should all be off! Good thing is, its PH balanced so it wont corrode/eat away at the paint on the wheels.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjVui5F-s38

  20. #13
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! 91BRG's Avatar
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    Chipped JDM ECU




    When the engine bay was 100% original

    Yknow, changing the intake and putting a 4-1 header really hurt my low end torque. This made it harder on the street to drive, and not even a heavier right foot could compensate for that I was lucky enough to acquire one of these chipped JDM ecus from Car Make Corn*s off a local member for cheap (I thought, hey couldn't hurt, at the worst, probably does nothing). Well yknow what this ended up being one of the best things I've put in my car. All that low end torque I lost came back, as well as a more robust mid and top end. The rev limit has changed to 7800rpm too but really there is no need for it.





    I do have a full ecu (adaptronic) and wideband on standby, but it may be a while before that's installed.




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  22. #14
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! 91BRG's Avatar
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    Shifty business

    Because the gearbox bearings were already shot when I got the car, I opted to change out to a low-km NB8A 5-sp box. I also noticed the clutch slipping, so I got that and the flywheel changed at the same time to avoid paying for labor twice later down the track.



    I chose an Exedy oem replacement for 1.6 (didn't want to change out to the bigger/heavier clutch and fly, because my power output too low to justify it), and a JUN 4.3kg flywheel. You can read my full review of the flywheel here. tl:dr Basically that shit is the bomb and if you own a NA 1.6L you are gonna love a lightweight fly.




    I didn't end up installing the beatrush laile metal shift bush, I was recommended not to

    Might aswell overhaul everything relating to shifting and gears while we are at it. This was done at the same too - Nielex short shifter.

    My first impression of the shifter was - OMG WUT HAVE I DONE, why did I ruin that beautiful smooth stock shifter? Why is this shifter so goddamn noisy? How did my life get to this point? The shifts are not even that great, I can feel a shitload of friction and the effort required to shift was immense. It was not enjoyable at all.

    Then it dawned on me... The culprit wasn't the shifter.... it's that goddamn beautiful Nardi wood knob!


    Nardi wood - do not use with a short shift kit.


    You suck at shifting but you are still beautiful Nardi

    Short shift kits amplify the gearbox noise, a hollow wood knob at the end of that stick, is a recipe for buzzing noise and terrible shifting. Why is it so bad, my guess is because the Nardi doesnt actually screw in, its hollow inside and uses 3 small allen keys to tighten it to the shaft. Not only was I suffering from bad shifting but the damned thing had to be retightened all the time.

    In comes my savior....


    Joyfast 330g Super Short

    Now, finally I could appreciate my Nielex shift kit. That weighted knob, it just transformed everything, shifting was a delight, I couldn't get enough of it. My gearbox was quiet again, my shifts smooth and tight, my life restored to balance. Moral of the story: short shift needs a weighted knob.



    Last edited by 91BRG; 01-05-2016 at 07:20 AM.

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  24. #15
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    Ecu: It's interesting how different platforms feel about "chipped ecu's", they are popular among others. Not sure if the coding or whatever on the mazda ecu's are difficult to break or what but look at the "empire" Hondata has built of course i guess thats a little different since most of their stuff is tunable but not all of it.

    So Adaptronic seems popular "down under" so I'm assuming it is well supported by tuners there?

    Clutch/flywheel: Everytime i read some one talking about a lightweight flywheel and or aftermarket clutch i get anxious and can't wait to install mine. I have had a '04 SRT-4 and '01 Bullitt Mustang with a aftermarket clutch and lightweight flywheel and it makes a big difference.

    Shifter: Hum i never had a issue with my Nardi evolution shift knob but mine screwed on...weird. A weighted shift knob really makes a difference, i have the Joyfast tall and love it. Have you considered getting a Miata Roadster short throw shifter kit? Namely the tall?

    Interior is gorgeous Daniel! Keep the updates coming!
    Last edited by Greasemonkey2000; 01-05-2016 at 03:23 AM.
    '01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
    '97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
    Instagram: @greasemonkey2000

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