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Thread: Road Star

  1. #166
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power druz's Avatar
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    I can't believe it's been 18 months since I've updated this. That also means it's been that long since I drove the car, which is awful. A little over a year ago my nagging lower back soreness turned into horrible sciatic pain. So much so I couldn't even sit in the Miata, let alone drive it. I went under the knife over the winter and fortunately the pain is gone, but it's been a long recovery process.

    After seeing all the great pics from Miatapolooza, some beautiful Cali roadsters out and about in Jazz's build thread, and Woolery's feature in Automobile mag and One Take, I've really been inspired to get back at it.

    I figured something easy to get me back into the mood was a couple of easy interior bits. I found a m2-1028 tombstone to match the center console I already had so it was time to swap out the Nakamae. It came with the genuine m2 ebrake boot which is still in pretty good shape, like the shifter boot; amazing for 23 year old leather. Revlimiter T56 shift plate on there to mimic the 1028 shift plate. It was also a good time to put in the RS hazard switch I've had laying around.



    Looking at that pic makes me realize I need a RS climate control plate also. I haven't been one for much interior detail, but I think that's going to be necessary. Of course a plate to mount the window switch and some switches for the Stack dash is in order as well.

    I picked up a few other things while i was laid up in recovery for weeks with not much else to do besides shop online so I'll start to get around to those. I also need to make room for some of this new stuff so things like the Nakamae, a Nielex hazard switch and another 1028 carpet center console will be going up in the classifieds shortly.

    There are a few more pressing things that I'd like to get to first, but I'm a wheel whore at heart.

    Last edited by druz; 10-08-2019 at 06:18 AM.

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  3. #167
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    Glad you've recovered and are back at/in your Miata!

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    druz (08-15-2017)

  5. #168
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power druz's Avatar
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    A couple months ago I decided to get back to work on the car and make a few changes. While on injured reserve I managed to pick up some new wheels through my constant auction hunting, so it was time to unbox them.



    4x100 negative offset holy trinity? The mesh obviously need some work. I bought them as a refurb project, as shown at the end of the last post. I'm not really even a big mesh fan. Unfortunately I didn't have the trio for long. Since I had suitable replacements, I sent the Star Sharks off to a new, loving home, as hard as the decision was. When I found them they were the first set mainland (in the US aside from Rod's in HI), but the 14s don't work with the V8 and I'm never going to get around to another build, so I might as well progress and let someone else enjoy them.



    There is also now quite a selection of 245/40/15 tires that I've been patiently waiting for. The widest in this pic are the old Yoko slicks in the back (actually 250/580/15), then the Hoosier R80 slicks, which was to be expected. As for the street tires, the Maxxis VR1 are the widest, then the Hankook RS4 and the BFG Rival-S were the narrowest (but also the fastest).

    Why 3 sets of street tires? I found another set that I always had my eye on, even though I'm really an SSR fanboy.



    Since the FM are going to take a while to finish, I started with these 2 sets. Today I finally had some time so I loaded up my truck and got them mounted by the great guys at Auto Innovations in Milpitas.

    The Mk3 are probably my all time favorite, so I started with those.



    15x9 et 0 up front and x10 -12 out back, thanks to Pine Engineering in NZ. Maybe one day I'll luck upon some original 10J 4x100, but I haven't in the 15 years I've been looking so far. Once I get my new coolant tank installed I'll pull it out for some new beauty shots.

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  7. #169
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power bogaut's Avatar
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    nice updates! i just sent my mk3 off to be refinished, they are original 15x9 -10. gonna run those with n2 flares in my new c spec build! we can be mk3 n2 bros

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  9. #170
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power druz's Avatar
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    9J -10 will fit the N2s pretty nicely

  10. #171
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    Very cool. I'm an SSR fanboy too.

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  12. #172
    Supporting Member fwdtamiya's Avatar
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    Wow!

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  14. #173
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power druz's Avatar
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    Time for that yearly rush to get a few things done before Miatas @ MRLS. The most important is a charging problem I've had from the beginning. I thought it was just hot starts but after enough drain from the huge fans and larger fuel pump it was apparent that there wasnt enough juice. Alternator wiring can be a bit tricky with LSx swaps but my alt checked out to be working fine. I'm using a Westco battery which is a bit small but others have been using similar ~320 cca batteries. So that led me to the cables.



    Now that's a ground cable. Stock size is ~8 AWG and not up to task for the increased loads. I decided to upgrade both postive and ground while I was at it. 1 AWG would probably be sufficient but I found some 2/0 welding cable for a good price, so that's what I went with. Overkill, definitely. This stuff is heavy so i probably gained 15 lbs, luckily I have the power to not worry about it So far it seems to have done the trick. Hot starts are still a bit sluggish but its turned over every time since.

    I originally only had track time for Sunday (woke up late for registration) but just found a Saturday spot so I'll get a full weekend in
    Last edited by druz; 10-02-2017 at 06:08 AM.

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  16. #174
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power druz's Avatar
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    One of the very few pics I got from MRLS 2017. It seems like I'm jinxed when it comes to the track, but racing is due to break things, especially when you build them in your garage.


    This years issue was overheating. During the 2nd session on Saturday my water temp got up to 245F which sends the car into limp mode. When I got back to the paddock I found the cause.



    Not much of a belt left to turn the water pump

    I called around and found a local Autozone that actually had the belt in stock so in an hour I was back in business. Unfortunately it didnt help and I overheated again when I went back out in session 4. I called it a day at that point and would try again in the morning.

    First thing in the morning I went out to get gas and on the way back, it overheated again. Either due to an air pocket that I couldn't burp or damage to the water pump from the belt, I had very little if any output from the pump. After more starring in the engine bay I came across the cause of the belt slip.



    The alternator pulley pushed up into the sway bar. I talked to FM and they said they like to have about 3/8" clearance which is about double what I have. They said they weld in their sway bar brackets to get the necessary clearance, so I'll have to look into that if I there isn't enough play in the bushing brackets. My track time was finished for the weekend. I got in 1 session out of 10.

    But all was not lost. It was still a good weekend. The weather was fantastic and I met up with some of the nicest roadsters and owners in the country. fwdtamiya, oldgrayleather, JonB, speedypenguin, and bogaut just to name a few were all to be found within 50 yards of me in the paddock. That's quite a collection.

    I guess I better get started for next year at the rate I work.


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  18. #175
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift HarryB's Avatar
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    Car looks great! Other than that, wondering if stiffer engine mounts would cure your issue

  19. #176
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    Druz, so great to finally meet you, the missus and that amazing Orange beast!

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  21. #177
    Admin / Pit Boss / Miataholic Phatmiata's Avatar
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    wow it ate through the metal!!

    Wish I could have came out there to meet everyone in person, maybe sometime in the future.

    The car looks amazing all put together now!! Love it all!!

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  23. #178
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power druz's Avatar
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    I managed to get a few laps of video, here's a leisurely stroll around the back half of Laguna Seca. Unfortunately the sound isnt very good.



    I was giving plenty of space to the white NA since this was like lap 3 of the weekend. He was good enough to be paying attention and let me by. I got up to around 110 at the crest of turn 1, which is a bit unnerving without any front aero.

    I tried out my Meister/Rival-S combo for my failed 4th session and decided to keep them on for the ride home. I think I'll keep them as my track wheels, even though they are my narrowest set at 8.5/9 wide. They look so at home at the track, and they are R-disc so lots of brake clearance.


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  25. #179
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power druz's Avatar
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    Where does the time go? I'm my case, slowly trying to figure out my continual overheating ever since MRLS. I swapped out the water pump, tested the tstat, and burped too many times. Fearing a head gasket leak, although it didn't sound like it, I bought an Airlift vacuum coolant refill tool. I would be able to detect a leak while pulling vacuum and if that checked out, then hopefully I could refill without any air pockets. That has finally seemed to cure my problem. I must have had air trapped somewhere that I couldn't burp out. At MRLS I also damaged the lower mount for my fan shroud, probably getting on the trailer, so that's next to repair.

    I also have to rewind a bit to the build up to MRLS. One of the things that needed a little attention was the interior. I had parts boxed away so it was time to get them out.



    M2-1028 tombstone, console, boots; RS Products AC panel and knobs; Nakamae door handles; Nielex door cups; matching passenger RS Ltd kevlar Recaro; Takata belts; diy carbon door and radio panels. They paired up with the Stack gauges, Nardi deep corn, Joyfast knob and driver's Recaro that were already there.

    Finally, as much of a headache MRLS was this year with the problems, it was all made worth it when the latest issue of Roadster Bros. arrived.



    I knew there was going to be a chance, but I didn't really think it could happen.



    I started reading (really looking and drooling) Option, Option 2 and Auto Fashion almost 25 years ago. When I bought a Miata, I studied the Road&Ster and HyperRev bibles. Although this is just a small blurb, it's kind of unbelievable.



    It's interesting that they gave the wing so much attention, over say the interior, but I guess they love big wings over there Too bad I didn't have the YSCC ducktail on, the wing only comes out at the track.

    A big thanks to oldgrayleather for giving me the heads up about the issue, as well as congrats to he and Bogaut for their half page hits. I also spied a pic of speedypenguin's Jazz on pg 22

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  27. #180
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power druz's Avatar
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    It seems like I only update 2 or 3 times a year now. Fortunately there wasn’t much that needed to be done. It’s been running pretty good during the very little time I drive on the street, so everything else is track oriented. Without being to fit any other track days on my calendar this year, that meant the usual scramble just before Miatas @ Laguna Seca. I got a little smarter this year and once September came around, I started to prep. I guess I should have tried to do a few updates then, but I didn’t do a very good job of documenting.

    The problem with the sway bar was easily solved by moving the bar forward a few mm by slotting the bracket holes a bit. Also on the list was a front splitter to balance out the APR wing on the track. Some ½” plywood and aluminum brackets were easy enough to fab up. I’m not entirely happy with how they performed though. Hard turns allowed the ends to rub which apparently caused the mounts to bend a tad, leaving it unlevel and pointing up, so I’ll be revisiting it this winter. The most important thing I wanted to get done before going back to the track was brakes.

    I’ve had a set of radial Wilwood Dynapros in a box for a few years. I bought these before the days where they were available off the shelf, so they’ve waiting for some adapters to be fabbed to convert the brackets that were made for a Mini. It’s simple enough, just a few spacers, but last year I ran out of time and had to stay with my FM Powerlite kit. As you can imagine, not a great idea with 400+hp. During the 1 good session I had last year at Laguna, they were cooked by the last lap. So this year I had to make sure to get the upgrade done, I mean I sold my beloved Star Sharks to be able to fit them. However, my new Mk3s are not exactly known as being big brake friendly. With the extra spacers needed with the kit I had, it was even worse. After messing with every brake kit template I could find, I decided to take the plunge and go with the V8 Roadsters Stoptech 11.75 kit. Fitment was slightly better than I was going to have to deal with but of course not as easy as the 11” kit or lug mount Dynapros, but I figure I might as well. While in there, some Singular 2.5” ducts were in order also.


    I didn’t decide until Labor Day what kit to use. I placed my order with V8R figuring 7-10 days would still give me plently of time to get them installed.

    So I had a week to get a few other things done. I picked up a set of Singular hood vents when I got the brake ducts. As you could imagine, 6 liters creates a lot of heat on track. I whipped out the cutting wheel and rivet gun and got that taken care of. What I found was that after cutting the necessary hood bracing, along with the bracing that was already removed to fit the LS7 air box, is that my hood is a bit floppy now. It’s causing the outside edges to pop up and not be flush with the fenders or lights anymore. That, combined with the track focused look of the vents, has me on the hunt for a hood with a more suitable street look.


    Something else I’ve been meaning to get to but could never find the time was the trunk. I finally scored a Yours Sport ducktail trunk a few years ago and it’s been in storage since. There’s just something about this one that l checks all the right boxes, especially with the flares. Not too big, not too small, not too square, not too round. Perfect.


    I got a package from V8R in a week, but the calipers were being drop shipped from Stoptech and I hadn’t heard anything from them yet. Of course with this build being a comedy of errors and misfortunes, it wasn't going to be easy. If you watch any of the car shows on Velocity or Discovery, there’s always some kind of deadline and then drama because of something, and it all seems so made up. But in my life, it's so real. It’s Wednesday before MRLS and still no word so I figured I better get back on the Dynapros as back up. I start mocking them up again and getting measurements for the spacers. I find the 1” 6061 rod I bought over a year ago and get ready to turn some metal when low and behold, Fedex arrives with a package from Socal. Now that I’ve wasted half the day getting ready for plan B, plan A is back on. It’s a very simple bolt on affair so off come the Dynapros and on the V8R adapters and Stoptech ST42 calipers. And then…


    The mounting screws are too short! This could only happen on this build. And of course, they are M10-1.25 socket cap screws, which are not standard hardware store fare I soon found out. It’s Wednesday night and I’m planning on leaving Friday afternoon, it’s just like on TV! After finding out that the one metric hardware specialist in the Bay Area closed down (Mr. Metric) and the other place that usually has hard to get stuff doesn’t carry these either, I finally came upon some luck and found out that Fastenal should have them and there’s a few stores in the area now. Their handy online catalog and inventory search tool says that the Santa Clara store (~10 miles away) has the 50mm long screws I need and they open at 7:30am. The rest of the night I decided to finish up the spacers for the Dynapros, just in case. I’m cranking away and about half way done when the belt gives out, sigh. Maybe my luck isn’t turning around.

    7:30am Thursday and I’m scouring the racks at Fastenal, which is pretty cool if you’ve never been. For some reason I figured they were a B2B wholesale place, and while they definitely specialize in that, they do retail too. I’m not seeing any metric fine thread though. I ask for the part number I found online and find out they only have 2, I need 4 The employees were extremely helpful though and look through their inventory system and they find 61 of them in San Carlos. That’s about 20 more miles and in morning traffic over an hour away, but I don’t have much choice though so I’m the way. And then …


    I make it about half way and this thing smashes into my family mobile. Fortunately no one is hurt, but now I’m on the side of freeway for over an hour dealing with this. Luckily my wife is able to pick me up but since I’m pretty sure our Honda Pilot is totaled (I got pushed into another car also), we waste more time going to the tow yard to remove what we can from it. Another hour later and we’re finally in San Carlos. Again scouring the racks at Fastenal and not seeing any metric fine thread socket caps. I ask the guy and he goes in the back and pulls out a bag of 61. Praise the lord! Maybe I can get back to work now. Except I have to pick up a rental car and talk to various insurance people. All in all I wasted over 6 hours. I should have been back home by 8 and It’s after 2pm.

    Bolting the calipers on only takes a few minutes since I already assembled the rotors and finally putting on the M-Tuned rear sport rotor kit another 30 minutes. But while waiting for the kit to come in, I decided the Wilwood 1” master cylinder would probably be a good idea also, as well as installing the proportioning valve finally. However I didn’t want to install them until everything was in. Knowing my luck something would be backordered and then I’m trying to run a 1” master on calipers too small. I didn’t plan on doing this Thursday night though and doing a complete brake overhaul the day before leaving to a track event is probably not a good idea. Fast forward and I’ve bled everything twice and still no brake pressure. I find a small leak in the T fitting for the fronts but they’re tight so I pull everything apart. I find that while the LF line was sitting in the engine bay, it ate away at the paint and a small chip stuck to the end of the flare. 1am and it’s time to bed the Hawk DTC-60 pads. Those would have been some good pics with the shower of sparks, but it was way too late and way too long of a day. Finally cleaned up by 330am.

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