Blueiii - the search, the build. . . the miata journal

[Blueiii]

I won't know till I take possession unfortunately.

I know it might have the short nose being a 91. Since my dad also has a '91, I'm going to keep my eyes open for a "spare" motor should either of us ever need it. With the relative ease of the 1.8L swap, and the availability of motors, it can't hurt to have an extra one just in case. Plus, I wasn't about to walk away from it if it does have the short-nose.

[I<3flippyheadlights]

Don't let the short nose worry you. If timing belts have been done right, it will last forever.

[— kung fu jesus —]

Very true.

The Oh Shit moment comes if it wasn't done right. The keyway issue can happen on long nose engines, too.

[Blueiii]

Happened to think of something. I have a bill of sale. Bill of sale has the VIN. VIN is less than the cut-off. I have a short nose crank.

Not really an issue to me, though. It runs, it drives, the engine is smooth. I've got 25k 'till I'm due for the water pump / timing belt replacement.

The first question I'm facing is: What to do with the brakes. In a perfect world, I'd have time to pull apart the calipers, add hawk HP+ pads, and replace the brake lines with stainlesss steel. Since I will have had the car for less than a week, I'm 99% sure I'll be going the route of parts-store ceramic pads, new fluid and stainless lines. Even then, I'm looking at around $200 ish.

[— kung fu jesus —]

Flush, turn rotors (or replace them, they are cheap), lube the guide pins.

If there isn't any pulsing in the pedal, flush the system, lube the pins. $10.

If you are getting pads, you are going to want to replace the rotors.

[Blueiii]

7/5/2011
Total Spent: $200

D'oh! It seems that the format of the bulletin board doesn't match what I normally do, which is to edit my first post regularly. I like to include where I bought any parts, the link to the vendor, and how much I paid. (This way, anyone wanting to replicate something can and will know what it cost.)

I guess its time to come up with a new build format idea. . . New plan: Include the total spent with every "update" post (noted with a date) in red, and include the cost and vendor information in the bottom of the post when a purchase is made.

7/2/2012: $200.00 - Cash Deposit on Vehicle (vendor "undisclosed'"

[Blueiii]

7/6/2012

Total Spent: $330.00

Not a major performance update of any repute, however the PO indicated the brakes were about due. During the test drive I didn't want to hammer on them at all, but they did feel a little soft and the rotors had some very light scoring.

There's a autocross in Toledo on 7/14 & 7/15, followed by the national pro solo tour the weekend of the 21st. The weekend before nationals we usually see some pretty good drivers and it will provide a pretty decent shake down as I learn the car, but with a new car on what can be a fairly fast course, I want to make sure that I can stomp the brakes and stop.

7/5/2012: $130 - Semi metallic front pads, ceramic rear pads, mid-grade rotors (RockAuto.com)

[I<3flippyheadlights]

Why Hawk HP+ for a DD and sometime autocross car? Seems a little much. I would of went with some decent ceramics all around and basic rotors from rock auto. Just my opinion.

[Blueiii]

LOL - see above; that's basically what I did.

I went one step above the "economy" rotors but nothing slotted / drilled / vented / coated. Just what I would consider a "basic" rotor without getting a $4 economy rotor. For pads, I believe (and will likely be corrected) that the OEM combination is ceramic fronts, organic rears. Everyone points to the Hawk as the "way to go," but I'm guessing that there's some bandwagon / marketing hype that plays a factor there. My goal is simply to get good cold bite, since we race until October here and it can be in the 30s/40s, on a combo street / autocross car.

I figure the $100 difference between the Hawk pads and what I bought will be better spent on stainless brake lines, since on pre-'92 cars they are legal.

My primary goal right now will be to spend money on things to keep the car on the road and safe. . . Fluids changes, hoses, etc.

Although, if someone were to protest my 15" aftermarket wheels in the stock "street tire" class, it will give me an excuse to pick up a set of Azenis RT-615s at my local Discount Tire to use on my spare daisies. (I'd prefer to wait on this until next season, though.)

[I<3flippyheadlights]

Organic means brake dust, thats no fun. But I agree on the SS lines. Its something I would like to do sometime just for the bling factor

[Blueiii]

Organic means brake dust, thats no fun. But I agree on the SS lines. Its something I would like to do sometime just for the bling factor

Organic also means that, if you do get them hot enough, they can destroy the rotor. Not a big deal but I want good cold bite.

7/7/2012

Total Spent $323.00

Slight snafu with Rock Auto - they were actually out of one of the pads I chose. I got it straightened out this morning, however need to adjust my total spent down by $7.

[Blueiii]

7/7/2012

As mentioned, stock daisies were included. I'd be outise, getting a sunbur... er, tan right now (105 in Ohio!!!) but my cordless dremmel only has so much power, and wasn't charged. I'm going to scuff them up lightly and either paint or plasti dip them. I want to see how the car will look with a few different colors for the wheels.

How I got them - EWWWWW!


Awwwww, how pretty!


Stacked Uhhhh wait a minute. What's that doing in the picture??? I thought that this was supposed to be things that came with the miata? OH, that's right! It did come with it!

[Blueiii]

7/8/2012

She's home!!




Total Spent: $2,523.00

[— kung fu jesus —]

Congratulations!

[I<3flippyheadlights]

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!