EvDog’s Little Red Roadster (build, story, and pictures)

[EvDog]

Prologue
Once upon a time I attended high school and my perspective of automobiles was much more primitive. I was on my second car. One I had purchased for reliability and for the sake of learning to drive stick. That is where my quest to become a better driver began and I caught the bug. I began modifying my ‘01 Civic at the expense of a measly highschool income. Inspired by old Youtube videos of the Gunsai Touge and Tsukuba time trials, I modified the car in the spirit of performance.
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I quickly found Civic based forums and made some new friends.
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They showed me epic roads like Angeles Crest Highway and Glendora Mountain Road. Day trips started my first lessons on how to drive. Then came night trips. The pace increased every time and then I began to lose control. I always considered myself a person of great self control, a generally cautious person, but Glendora always blew that away. What began as a promise to take it easy would always be broken before the end of the first few curves. I learned I was taking a risk whenever I left to visit the road. So I got smarter, and decided to save up some money and do a real track event. My first track day was the ACS Roval under Redline Time Attack, a two day event.
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Even though I was one of the slowest cars out there, my driving knowledge was vastly improved. Redline’s instructors were former ALMS drivers and had much to offer. I further learned I wanted a more rewarding vehicle. The seventh generation Civic was a great daily driver, but the suspension design was pitiful compared to the earlier Civics and the D17 unmod-friendly. So the hunt for the dual-purpose car began. I needed something cheap, reliable, but rewarding. Enter the Miata:
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My original sights led me to either an S2000, a Mazdaspeed Miata, or a K-swaped 4th-6th gen Civic. However, as months of searching passed, I grew wiser. It would be better if I didn’t have a car loan while in college. If I could sell the Civic for five grand, a very nice NA Miata could be had for cash. So I bought the 95’s seen above for $5200. Too high for an NA? With a near perfect body, healthy motor, new soft top, and 58k original miles I didn’t think so.
Chapter One coming soon...

[kung fu jesus]

THE cleanest original NA I have ever seen in California.

Subscribed.

P.S. always remove your license plates at a track event.

[tsingson]

Nice find man. Yeah. Car loans suck.

[cjsafski]

More pics or ban. Your current pic doesn't do it justice.

[EvDog]

Thanks guys. Chapter One should be up tonight. Ya Steve I was a nooby susie that day.

[I<3flippyheadlights]

Wow! That car looks fantastic for 5200 bucks! People may judge you, but you can confidently say its better then most newer cars for 5200 bucks. Nice job and I want more pictures!

[EvDog]

Chapter 1: Entering the Community and Acquiring the Basics
All the fun I had in the prior Civic groups taught me the importance of community. So I quickly made some Miata friends, and entered the early SOCM (South Orange County Meet) scene. At the time, the meet was less than a year old and just gaining momentum. The car sat low from the start via a set of KYB struts and old Flyin’ Miata springs installed by the previous owner.
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So with my intent to track the car, the first modification was the roll bar, a Hard Dog Double Diagonal. (which I showed off at an Irvine KINOD).
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Not even a month later came grip in the form of a set of 15x8 Enkei PF01’s and 225/45 RS3’s.I tested the combo weeks later by visiting Horse Thief Mile at Willow Springs. My first track day with her shocked me. The level of grip was more than anything I had experienced before. I couldn’t approach the new limit nor could I stay in the stock seat. My jaw dropped I bounced about the cabin in awe.
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Impressed with my car, my father decided to join the Miata club and buy a very clean red 2003 with a red hardtop. The hardtop however, was painted NA red and not NB red. Wanting the convenience to drop his top anytime, he has given me his hardtop on long term loan.
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I quickly added little bits including a shift knob, extension, a wheel from my civic, and a better bolstered seat to keep me on the correct side of the car.
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Followed by a Koyorad radiator, K&N air filter, GV style lip, and a heat shield made from a door kick plate.
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My next two mods were sponsored by craigslist. A set of Tein SS coilovers and a Fujitsubo exhaust. Great finds and I was glad to get rid of the bouncy strut/spring combo. The Fujitsubo was a beautiful piece, but too loud for me after I upgraded to a Racing Beat Header. So I traded Matt of SOCM for his newer Racing Beat exhaust. I miss it, but the Racing Beat is a great piece as well.
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Chapter 2 Coming soon...

[kung fu jesus]

I love the build of this car. It's clean, functional and just works great!

I usually don't like red cars, but this one is my favorite.

[EvDog]

Thank you. I didn't particularly want a red Miata, but the condition of this car was too good to pass up.
I should be able to post another update today.

[EvDog]

Chapter 2: Modifications, Phase 2.
After I installed the modifications mentioned in Chapter 1 and an MSM front sway bar with 949 endlinks (not pictured), I left the car alone for a period of several months. I blame the day for being too short. With two part-time jobs, full schedule at Cal-State Fullerton, and many trips to Adam’s Motorsports Park in Riverside, modifications took a back seat. Though I still remain an intensely busy person, I’ve still managed to make some small steps towards creating a more perfect sports car. My next mod was an AEM Series 1 EMS which I have to thanks Craigslist again for. I plugged her in and took her to Bisimoto for tuning.
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Results:
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Bisi was able to squeeze a decent amount of power out of the almost stock engine. I was pleased, for a short time. The car became difficult to start and I did not have a wideband gauge to monitor the air-to-fuel ratio. Also, we could not get the tachometer to function correctly. Not knowing how to tune AEM, I decided to take the ECU out and put the stock one in until I could purchase and install a wideband and get the car re-tuned. I’m still presently working on getting the AEM to be daily-driveable.

You may also notice the stickers on the car in the previous picture. All color matched and many custom, I thought they added character to the car. Some reflected my automotive philosophies. However, as “sticker bombing” started to become a popular trend amongst “hella-flushers,” I decided to take them off as I did not want to be associated with form over function culture.
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After a run-in with the police from a not-so-smart mid-intersection drift, I learned that officers primarily look for shiny parts when they pop your hood. A part can be argued to be factory as long as it is not shiny. The beautiful Racing Beat Headers did not help me here. I received a referee ticket and converted back to stock. I knew I had to get rid of the shiny, so the headers received some black ceramic coating.
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Next I picked up an OEM spoiler from a friend and rattle canned it.
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Now I’m on to obtaining a clean set of daily wheels. I’ve daily driven the RS-3’s now since the beginning and buying a set of tires every six to ten months is eating away at my part-time income. I just installed a used hidden trailer hitch and plan to get a small rack to mount my PF01’s on race days.
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And that is where I stand presently with modifications. The AEM must be tuned, the wheels painted, followed by a head swap and some already purchased Jenvey throttles. My five-speed transmission's synchros are falling apart. It will need to be replaced by a 6-speed with clutch and flywheel before the end of the year. After that, it will likely be maintenance and the replacement of certain suspensions components.
Chapter 3 featuring SOCM coming soon...

[kung fu jesus]

Awesome read, Evan! I like where you are going with the car.

[EvDog]

Chapter 3: Adam’s and the Rise into Miata Challenge

The Horse Thief Mile provided me a warm introduction into what tracking a Miata could offer. As much fun as I had, I spent more money on modifications than track events the following year. What money I could spare went to trips to Adam’s Motorsports Park in Riverside. It is essentially a go-kart track barely wide enough to fit a car. Tuesday night is grip night, and the event is run similar to time attack with free timming. Though the track is small, it offered great bang-for-the-buck seat time.
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The toll road to Adams.
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My father, SOCM bro’s, and myself prepping.
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Turn 2
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After many trips to Adam’s and a Speed Ventures Autocross I still craved the thrill of a real road course. Practicing my driving skills on a road course would be satisfying, but competing in a class would be even better. So I decided to go after Miata Challenge Street class. Luckily my car was right below maximum points for the lowest class. This year I planned to do three events, the first being Big Willow at Willow Springs.
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Big Willow, the fastest road course in the west, is not N/A Miata friendly. A short wheelbase combined with high speed corners, and little power combined with long straights makes the 2.5 mile course challenging when competing against other cars. Despite this, I still managed to hold my own, pass some much faster cars, and have a good time. I thank Speedventures mainly for this. They are well organized without being overly strict. By the end of the day my best lap times were in the mid 1:48’s with an average speed of around 83mph. Not great, but considering my limited experience, I was content.
I look forward to future trips to Miata Challenge events and maybe a few Adam’s trips in between. If you don’t track your Miata, you are truly missing out. I see why these cars can be found swarming almost any track event.
Sorry SOCM stuff got postponed to Chapter 4...which is coming real soon...

[trackstar42]

looking good evan

[JTninja]

We need to do Streets of Willow, I think that would suit our NA's better

[madufaku]

I don't know what kind of idiot traded his Racing Beat for a Fujitsubo or Racing Beat headers for stock ported headers... Dumbass. Real bottom of the food chain sort of guy, I suppose.


Lovin' it, Evan. Keep that shit up.

[EvDog]

We need to do Streets of Willow, I think that would suit our NA's better

For sure. KROPS is supposed to be doing an event at the end of next month. I think I will support.


I don't know what kind of idiot traded his Racing Beat for a Fujitsubo or Racing Beat headers for stock ported headers... Dumbass. Real bottom of the food chain sort of guy, I suppose.


Lovin' it, Evan. Keep that shit up.
Thanks Matt. Hey, Racing Beat for a Fujitsubo is not bad. However...I will never regret the racing beat header trade. =)

[EvDog]

Chapter 4: For the Love of SOCM!
As the car progressed, so did the South Orange County Meet. Our little family has at least tripled in numbers since the beginning. I always have a reason to look forward to Saturday nights and I’m proud to be a contributing member.
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Arriving
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Showing off the goods
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The usual circle business. It surprising how often the conversations a un-Miata related.
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Examining Sonny’s race car at a daytime meet.
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Thuglife...
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The first official SOCM group car picture.
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“Everybody look up at Ted!”
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Official SOCM pictures, courtesy of Ted 7.

Come join us...if you’re lucky you’ll catch us on a Belgian waffle night!
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Waffles also courtesy of Ted 7.

Stay tuned...more of other meets and modifications coming soon. Also, a "special characters of SOCM" feature in progress. It will be posted in SoCal section.