Page 1 of 6 123456 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 89

Thread: How Fast Can She Go?

  1. #1
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! miata2fast's Avatar
    Drives
    Black 95
    Location
    Plant City, FL
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Posts
    168
    Thanks Given
    36
    Thanked 83 Times in 48 Posts

    How Fast Can She Go?

    I purchased my Miata new in 1995, and as soon as I got it home I was looking for ways to make it faster. First mods were the run of the mill exhaust and intake mods. I was a poor college student at the time, so I knew I could not afford a turbo. Because I was hanging with the wrong crowd back then (Mustang owners) I was influenced to install a dry nitrous kit. Had a great time with the car until I blew the motor up. Got the car fixed, and soon after that the car was involved in a pretty serious wreck. I had full coverage on the car, and the insurance company decided to fix it. I knew the car would never be the same, so I decided I was going to take my mods to another level.

    First thing I did was do some mild weight reduction. I pulled the A/C out of the car, pulled as many unnecessary brackets and what not I could find, pulled the spare and jack, and removed some of the easy to reach sound deadening. The car was already a base model car, so it already had manual steering and roll up windows. Car still appeared to be bone stock to the untrained eye.

    I found a set of tiny 20X8x14 inch slicks that I mounted on a set of junk yard wheels. I also reinstalled the nitrous thinking this time things would be different. I had a great time with the car. I did the local street race scene back then and beat down many unsuspecting Mustang thugs. Back then tuning was some kind of archaic, but I did the best I could. I probably made a few hundred nitrous passes with the car.

    One night I went in the 8.20's with a 1.71 60' time in the 1/8th at Lakeland Drag Strip. That normally would be fast enough to go in the 12's in the 1/4 mile. Just about that time, there was a Nationally recognized import drag racing event coming to Bradenton, and I decided I wanted to compete in one of the lower level classes they offered. I took the car to Bradenton to do some testing and to prepare for the upcoming event, and noticed the car was not quite as fast with the tune I had at Lakeland. I decided to push it a little, and raised the nitrous shot a little higher, and put down a best of 13.16 @ 99 MPH. Then the motor let go again. I should have noticed that something was wrong when the car was a tad off at the beginning of the night. It was some kind of depressing.

    I will add more to the story in an upcoming post.
    Last edited by miata2fast; 11-18-2013 at 10:13 PM.
    95 in pieces, but good pieces.

  2. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to miata2fast For This Useful Post:

    atank (11-18-2013),Hyper (11-18-2013),Phatmiata (11-20-2013),Slampen (03-08-2014),The Driver (11-18-2013)

  3. #2
    4,000 rpm - entering the fun zone Hyper's Avatar
    Drives
    Black NB Miata
    Location
    Miami, FL
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    1,436
    Thanks Given
    172
    Thanked 420 Times in 254 Posts
    i have a similar story to share one day, thanks for sharing yours tough.

  4. #3
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! psulja's Avatar
    Drives
    1999 Twilight Blue/1991 Mariner Blue
    Location
    Windsor, Ontario
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    2,583
    Thanks Given
    62
    Thanked 237 Times in 158 Posts
    Will definitely be following this thread. I've enjoyed your posts in the various drag racing threads that pop up once in a while.
    Paul | IG- @psulja
    Build thread:
    1991 Mariner Blue - Built 1.8 swap, EFR, Fab9Tuning, Tii drivetrain

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to psulja For This Useful Post:

    miata2fast (11-19-2013)

  6. #4
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! miata2fast's Avatar
    Drives
    Black 95
    Location
    Plant City, FL
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Posts
    168
    Thanks Given
    36
    Thanked 83 Times in 48 Posts
    So I am home now and was able to dig up my time slips. The stats from that fateful night on July 17 1996.

    60' 1.767
    1/8 8.308
    MPH 81.42
    1/4 13.166
    MPH 99.66

    Interestingly, that same night I made some passes without the nitrous.

    60' 2.101
    1/8 9.546
    MPH 71.66
    1/4 15.069
    MPH 88.30

    I was so close to getting in the 14's with a stock motor and stock ECU, but it alluded me.

    As soon as I recovered from the depression of blowing the motor, I began thinking of my next move. I was paying attention to what was going on in the world of Miata racing, and at the time most of the E-Prod cars were running carburetors. Also, I had some experience with nitrous systems, particularly with low pressure systems on carbureted motors. So, I began buying parts for my next build. However, I ended up moving on to other projects and ended up shelving the parts I acquired for quite a few years.

    Eventually I pulled the car out of the barn and after digging for all the parts I had purchased a few years earlier, began building the car. It actually took me a couple of years to get the car to run very well. The car was fitted with JE 12:1 pistons, stock polished rods, ported and polished 95 cylinder head with stock valves, SUB lifters, mild Web camshaft, twin 45 mm DCOE Weber carbs, Pierce manifold, welded diff with 4.44:1 gear, Fidanza flywheel, 22X8X15 Mickey Thompson slicks on the back and 22X4X15 Mickey Thompson skinnies on the front all mounted on Bogart Racing wheels. A few parts that I had from my previous build were the Centerforce clutch and full Jackson Racing exhaust and test pipe from when I first got the car.

    On April of 2005 the car went a best of

    60' 1.834
    1/8 8.801
    MPH 77.53
    1/4 13.893
    MPH 96.09

    Stay tuned.
    Last edited by miata2fast; 11-18-2013 at 10:16 PM.
    95 in pieces, but good pieces.

  7. #5
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! miata2fast's Avatar
    Drives
    Black 95
    Location
    Plant City, FL
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Posts
    168
    Thanks Given
    36
    Thanked 83 Times in 48 Posts
    During the time I was having fun with the car, I acquired a 99 cylinder head. I sent it to my local head porter that I have been doing business with for years, and he did his magic to the head. I also went ahead and installed bigger valves and springs this time. Also, I wanted to have something that few people have attempted on a Miata, and that was to build a reverse flow cooling system with an electric water pump. I went to work and built this.





    Also, I figured out that I did not have the right sized choke in my Webers. I went up to a 40mm choke which is the largest choke available for a 45mm DCOE.

    I took the car to the track, and broke an axle on the first pass. That was the 3rd axle I broke, and was convinced it was because I did not have the correct ride height. Over the years of owning the car, I continued to whittle off weight. As the car got lighter, the car got taller. It got to the point that an NFL Center could crawl under the car to do an oil change. It was ridiculous. In a pinch and to get back to the track on the cheap, I chopped the springs on my stock coilovers. It pretty much brought the car back to stock ride height. Here is a pic of the car just before I took it to the track with the new set up.




    So I took it to the track. Date was April 2010

    60' 1.816
    1/8 8.476
    MPH 80.50
    1/4 13.389
    MPH 99.70

    I was just delighted that on the first night out I picked up half a second with just cylinder head, water pump, and chokes. The car really started to feel like a fast car despite the fact that there were no power adders. My next move was to install nitrous on the car, but as I was driving the car one day I had a severe overheating incident and once again hurt the motor. The car never made it back to the track. Disappointment once again.

    Now I am on the move to create the next incarnation of the car. I realized that there were a few issues with the design of my water pump, plus there were a few things that were bugging me about the car. The next posts from here on out will be about how I am building the car and what some of my goals are for the future.
    Last edited by miata2fast; 11-18-2013 at 10:19 PM.
    95 in pieces, but good pieces.

  8. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to miata2fast For This Useful Post:

    Agent☣Orange (11-19-2013),Phatmiata (11-20-2013)

  9. #6
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! miata2fast's Avatar
    Drives
    Black 95
    Location
    Plant City, FL
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Posts
    168
    Thanks Given
    36
    Thanked 83 Times in 48 Posts
    One of the things that has always bothered me is when people think that I have a drag car. In fact, it is not a drag car but a car that I take to the drag strip once in a while to hang out with my drag race friends. Once I get it home and take off the slicks and install my street wheels and tires, the car still drives and handles just like a Miata should. I will never ever compromise on that. I have always gotten so much enjoyment out of the car in the turns, and plan to continue to do so.

    I did come to a cross roads however, as to whether the car is a street car or a track only car. Do I build a sleeper car that appears stock with no real serious safety equipment, or do I go all out and build a track monster? Well, I decided to go with the later, and the very first thing I did was to think about serious weight reduction.

    A friend of mine that has a Miata offered a door for me to do some experimenting with. So I went to work on the door to trim as much weight out as I could. However, because I do spend some time at the drag strip and maybe just a little time on the street, I wanted a window that would still go up and down. First thing I did was gut the door completely. I removed all window components, cut out the outer door support, and also removed the upper door bracing like so.




    Then I took the middle window track and modified it.

    Before



    After



    The middle frame is adequate for supporting the glass. The window is now a slider, you push it up or down into the position you want. The rubber seals seem to hold the window in place, but I plan to have some kind of adjustable stop on the window track to keep it from coming down on a bumpy road.

    Window in the up position.



    Window in middle position.



    Window in down position.



    There you have it, working windows in a completely gutted door. If you are worried that I am not being safe, I did this full well knowing that I was installing a roll cage with door bars.
    Last edited by miata2fast; 11-20-2013 at 02:06 PM.
    95 in pieces, but good pieces.

  10. #7
    4,000 rpm - entering the fun zone Hyper's Avatar
    Drives
    Black NB Miata
    Location
    Miami, FL
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    1,436
    Thanks Given
    172
    Thanked 420 Times in 254 Posts
    why don;t you boost the car with the ITBs? if you should make awesome power.

  11. #8
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! miata2fast's Avatar
    Drives
    Black 95
    Location
    Plant City, FL
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Posts
    168
    Thanks Given
    36
    Thanked 83 Times in 48 Posts
    No turbo for me on this build. Not saying it will never happen, but I have goals I want to achieve, and having a boosted motor will make that impossible. You will see what I mean as I get deeper into the build.
    95 in pieces, but good pieces.

  12. #9
    Admin / Pit Boss / Miataholic Phatmiata's Avatar
    Drives
    Kirin the '93LE Roadster #1073
    Location
    NEW Tampa > OLD Tampa
    Join Date
    Apr 1994
    Posts
    33,605
    Thanks Given
    13,678
    Thanked 9,518 Times in 4,641 Posts
    Wow this is going to be a great build, I did not realize you have had your Miata for so long! Have you considered some lexan windows? Rick from http://roadstertech.net in our local club can make them. probably much lighter, and safer than glass with the door opened up like that.

  13. #10
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! Joker's Avatar
    Drives
    Yellow Turbo Miata
    Location
    Lakeland, FL
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    167
    Thanks Given
    6
    Thanked 28 Times in 22 Posts
    Cool build!
    17 psi - Willwood/Sport - MS3X - 1.9L Built - Rival - 6uL - Cop - Kirkey - AWR 80 - BC Coils - Custom Chassis stiffening - ACT Prolite - ACT Xtreme PP - Custom 3 puck - 3" ARTech

  14. #11
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! miata2fast's Avatar
    Drives
    Black 95
    Location
    Plant City, FL
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Posts
    168
    Thanks Given
    36
    Thanked 83 Times in 48 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Phatmiata View Post
    Wow this is going to be a great build, I did not realize you have had your Miata for so long! Have you considered some lexan windows? Rick from http://roadstertech.net in our local club can make them. probably much lighter, and safer than glass with the door opened up like that.
    I would be very interested in lexan side windows. I already have a lexan window for the hardtop.
    95 in pieces, but good pieces.

  15. #12
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! miata2fast's Avatar
    Drives
    Black 95
    Location
    Plant City, FL
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Posts
    168
    Thanks Given
    36
    Thanked 83 Times in 48 Posts
    My next project was to fix my tired frame rails under the car. Instead of buying the normal frame rail caps, I decided to build my own.

    First thing I did was to make a rip cut the entire length of the thin walled portion of the old rails like so.



    Then I cut slots in the floor that is not quite as wide as the new frame I am installing. You will note that I am taking the slot all the way to the access holes, one towards the front of the floor, and one towards the back of the floor.








    Next, I cut a slot just big enough to fit the new rail on the heavier portions of the frame rail. The heavy portion is both front and rear. You will note that the rear portion has a secondary layer. I cut that back with a die grinder so it was not touching the new rail. I did this to avoid any rattling.



    I cut a piece of 2"X2" square tubing to length. I wanted to be sure that it was just bigger than the overall length of the slot cut into the floor and the two access holes. The whole idea is so you have a place to weld the floor to the new rail.





    Here you can see how the floor overlaps the rail.



    Here you see that the 2"X2" tubing fits just about perfect to the bottom of the heavier portions front and rear of the factory frame rail.



    Here you see the end of the rail is welded to the floor. Along the length of the rail, I have one inch welds spaced about one inch apart. You will also see I just installed two pieces of filler metal to close the gap of the rail and access holes. I later welded them up.



    The last thing I do is stitch weld the remaining portion of the old thin walled section of the rail length wise to the new rail. I also fully weld around the beefy sections of the old rail to the new rail front and rear.



    One of the reasons I decided to do this project is that I have the ability to tie in a roll cage to the rail, and it also gives me the option of installing a cross brace if I choose to try another type of transmission and not use the PPF.
    95 in pieces, but good pieces.

  16. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to miata2fast For This Useful Post:

    charchri4 (12-13-2013),Phatmiata (11-21-2013)

  17. #13
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! miata2fast's Avatar
    Drives
    Black 95
    Location
    Plant City, FL
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Posts
    168
    Thanks Given
    36
    Thanked 83 Times in 48 Posts
    I went to the drag strip one day, and a friend of mine that I have been racing with for years had his car out there. It was absolutely beautiful. The paint was perfect, the motor was spotless, and he had done a complete engine bay smoothing and wire tuck. For some reason, I had to do the same thing. I wish I had never seen that engine bay. LOL

    When the car was wrecked and repaired, there were some issues that bothered me for years. The frame in the engine bay had some wrinkling, and the radiator and bumper support was very poorly repaired. When I removed the bumper, I could not believe how shoddy the work was. I decided I was going to go all out on the engine bay and fix the problems with the frame and sheet metal.



    Shock tower gussets were shaved, welded, and smoothed.



    Most holes in the fire wall were welded, the lip on the fire wall was cut off and welded, and everything was smoothed.





    I then removed the radiator support and bumper support.



    Install new sheet metal.





    I then did a test fit of the bumper, and once I was satisfied I removed it and fully welded the new sheet metal.



    More to come.
    Last edited by miata2fast; 11-23-2013 at 08:13 PM.
    95 in pieces, but good pieces.

  18. The Following User Says Thank You to miata2fast For This Useful Post:

    Phatmiata (11-21-2013)

  19. #14
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! miata2fast's Avatar
    Drives
    Black 95
    Location
    Plant City, FL
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Posts
    168
    Thanks Given
    36
    Thanked 83 Times in 48 Posts
    My next project was to install a new trunk lid. I decided to gut the brand new lid, and attach it with dzus fasteners.

    I removed the latch point and extra gusseting on the lid. I also drilled and slotted for the dzus attachments.




    Welded the tabs.





    Test fit with the fasteners. I will not permanently attach the fasteners to the lid until it is painted.

    95 in pieces, but good pieces.

  20. The Following User Says Thank You to miata2fast For This Useful Post:

    Phatmiata (11-21-2013)

  21. #15
    Admin / Pit Boss / Miataholic Phatmiata's Avatar
    Drives
    Kirin the '93LE Roadster #1073
    Location
    NEW Tampa > OLD Tampa
    Join Date
    Apr 1994
    Posts
    33,605
    Thanks Given
    13,678
    Thanked 9,518 Times in 4,641 Posts
    the level of detail here is insane!!!

Page 1 of 6 123456 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •