1.6 Turbo NA Drift Build

[urban]

hey guys,
this build thread was done after i was initially done with the car . As alot of us ,im sure, i wanted to take detailed pics along the way, but when i got started , i put my head down , and just went at it. Between work , and kids , and just sneaking over to get some time on it ,the detailed documentation went out the window. So the car started out from this point , turbo'd, drivetrain done, interior stripped , with seats and harness'. many of the large mods already done. but this car was the car i learned on, so some things needed to be fixed. this time im doing it right. i'll pick up from where im at today, and try to rewrite some of the things i did that are worth reading about.
all work is done by myself , alot of it at or with the help of Roadster Tuner. if i didnt do it , he did.

in May 2011 i rebuilt my NA .
this car was first purchased in 2000. i went through 4 more through out the years including my wifes 94R and my 99m NB.
this car sat in my driveway for 4 years while i played with my NB . i only took it around the block and to a drift event once a year to keep it alive.

i learned how to drive in this car,and build miatas . at one point autocrossing/tracking/ drifting it once a month as well as dd'ing.
so ive been driving alot in those years.i ve tried to drift a few times with various miatas, its was always a struggle. this car has answered all my drift dreams. im in love again.
.
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/IMG_0834-1.jpg

it started bone stock. before the rebuild it was already built up , but with out a direction. after my NB i decided it was the perfect drift car , mainly due to the 2way Tomei LSD that i initially purchased for the NB. so i picked up the Knuckles. when i sold the NB , i used the funds to refresh the car.
heres a parts list
1.6l auto motor, i refreshed every gasket ,seal ,o ring, water pump,tb , bearing ,etc evrything but the head gasket.
roadster tuner motor mounts.
it has a Link ecu.i have an AEM WB autotuning it off fm's old ass base map. it hits 15psi in 2nd gear.
og FM manifold w/ 2560r,fresh iwg ,begi dp,8 yr old ebay ic. old pipes and clamps.
2.5" exhaust , no cat.
440 injectors ,obx df fuel rail
RB flywheel,FM Clutch
NB 5 spd ,new gasket /seal kit.
new clutch slave , and straight hose.
new drive shaft.
im using my 4.3 Tomei 2way that was in my NB. love this thing.
ES diff bushings ; key item
ES suspension bushings on all control arms.
rebuilt RB end links for my old ass RB sways. this was the first item i ever bought for the car.
Fresh 8/6 Stance w/ the og front deep upper mounts. Max low on these.
extended oem rucas.
and chelsea's knuckels up front. max angle .
stock brakes with track pads f/r Carbotech
and 6 Rota Grid V in 15x8 +0 . tires are undecided , but RT615's in front 205/50. 195/50 in rear of whatever i find.

http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/2011-08-08233012.jpg

after the first day i took it out, i was so happy with it i called Moti at Blackbird fabworx and had him build me a roll bar with door bars.at this point i had it set in my mind that i could at least compete Top drift or maybe some proam. so he built me a 10 point back half of a cage.its badass ,but not cheap.
ok so i drove the car one day,i already think im a D1 driver, thats how impressed i am, and now im broke ,but i have this sick ass cage.
http://www.blackbirdfabworx.com/IMG_1457w.jpg
thats when i realized how committed i was and ive been getting out ever since.
honestly though, i need as much seat time as i can get,cause this car is easy to drive. as of now im done building the car. its only driving and maintenance.
so i think there are a few key parts to making a car slide right.
of course a diff, power ,stiffer suspension,tire choice/size.
the knuckles . absolutely a must . number one item.
diff mounts. these keep the wheels flat.motor mounts help
clutch.
im still working on aligments, but i know i can dial it in with that alone , the rest of the parts are working.
but the knuckles make the biggest difference.

http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/IMG_0841.jpg
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/IMG_0838.jpg

[urban]

a Summary of the summer of 2011 for me.
including AllStar bash , Adams Drift series, TopGun, and al little Irwindale. since June 2011, to Nov. ive taking the car to about 15 track days. driving the car to and from events.
i love the 1.6l chassis , and motor , for its reliability , and ease of maintenance, cost to run. this car is Beast , and it shows on track by the abuse it takes.
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/normal_allstarbash60045.jpg
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/272356_10150245155833859_741228858_7355806_4586216 _o.jpg
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/278208_228511810516483_100000729968966_758403_3700 511_o-1.jpg
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/198720_203884796337040_167812763277577_575793_7279 35_n.jpg
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/DSC00145.jpg
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/317375_237163026342550_167812763277577_685176_7099 73761_n.jpg
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/282168_236565649717542_189153217792119_745962_5986 658_n.jpg
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/DSC08158.jpg
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/197637_231907713516669_189153217792119_729242_5005 81_n.jpg
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/390453_284336688273771_189153217792119_908886_1222 238500_n.jpg

theres a bunch more , but.

[urban]

so as of this Xmas break .
i recently added power steering back . after 8 years of having my original rack depowered the dirty way ,by looping the lines. i add the pump and lines back , and it works awesome. time to relearn the car again.
so i took it up to the local touge, :3, GMR.
i played with the alignment also ,adding in caster , which i took out for the depowered rack. its also on new front tires at this time. so im up there to test its handling ,and get a feel for the PS.
car corners like crazy, due to the mad amount of camber in front.
something happened though , and now it wont go into gear . i think its the tranny. so this xmas break im dropping the tranny to find.
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/2011-12-23140118.jpg
this is an FM clutch plate stage 2 that i bought used. it was still fresh when i installed it . but i guess the abuse i put on it ,overcame it when i was trying to put power down easy?
i replaced it with a cheapy Gripforce 6puck sprung. i hope it last , ive read the stories. but im not trying to spend alot of money . i just want to burn rubber. lol

i also began an attempt to paint the car . i hate this stuff , and im mashing body panels like crazy. the fake GV front was imploded by a rock in the mountain.the fenders are completely mangled.
so i picked up an oem front / fake GV lip , and two new fenders to start over. i will not document this , cause it will not be pretty. im hoping just to look decent from far . it is my drift car , so its percfectly legal .
heres a pic of a test corner .
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/2011-12-19140002.jpg

[miatasaint]

Holy crap dude. Badass!

[ChrisJuliano]

LOVE UR CAR! When you went over the curb did that do any damage? SO close to destroying your bumper!

[urban]

Thanks guys.
the bumper survived that pic, but the chances of me going off track are high ,so it eventually lost.
i scrape my subframes,framerails,and oil pan alot. no damage yet. im probably going to raise the motor after seeing the oil pan the weekend.
this car is brutal. Sone of you guys would shit knowing the life of a drift car.

[George]

nice! Loved your NB

[Boris]

This is great.
A 1.6L little monster.

[Blackbird]

This car is sweet.
I remember it in it's original red from like 10 years ago or something like that :)
Lenny did a great job putting the thing together and I'm glad to have been a part of this build.

Let me know when you're going out next time, I want to catch a ride with you!

Moti

[urban]

Yeah i wanted to do sow with you guys . im actually looking at the next sv event . But not sure.

[Blackbird]

That'll be awesome!
I'm hoping to be there for both days, but even one day will be nice.

Moti

[Caoboy]

Too sick.

[zoom]

I love a good purpose built drift build!

[XCLR8TN]

:eek::eek::eek:

I LOVE THE PURPLE!!!!!!!

[Itsaparty]

hey leonard, always wanted to ask you... do you still get good forward bite with your amount of power running 195s?

[urban]

sup Royce.
atm. yeah , i chose to run this size from the beginning cause they are available and cheap used. i think its the smallest tire i should run. i went through a pair of 195/45 ,and the diameter is too small for my gearing. (4.3). these sizes in all season tires are pretty slippery, but my skill level isnt ready for real tires.the speed i carry right now is pretty high for me. if i use a good all season tire in back i have plenty of acceleration.
im just putting the 205/50 azenis up front , and having a hell of a time sorting the alignment ever since i added the power steering back , it seems the ps really needs the caster to be there. but i had to lose alot of camber. so im dealing with understeer now even on the azenis.
i do have a spare pair of 205 rt 615's . they are supposed to be fronts when i wear these down, but im tempted to try them in the rear,cause i know the top am's are faster then i am now.
but with local guys, i have plenty of speed .

[Itsaparty]

yeah? i had the understeer issue when ps as well. i think to get 5 degrees of caster i was at -1.5 of camber. i like the autocorrect and the "4 wheel" feeling if you know what i mean. but it just feels like shit initiating with no grip up front.

try it out and post about it. hopefully everything will stay solid when you try to spin something sticky.

pics in this are sick btw, never seen your engine bay before.

[Benbrg]

Good luck with the build. Hopefully ill see you at willow some time. Im liking the new oem front/gv combo :)

[Blackbird]

Yeah i wanted to do sow with you guys . im actually looking at the next sv event . But not sure.

Did you get my email about BW on the 28-29?
I'm signing up for sunday for sure, saturday 80%..

Moti

[HellaRareYellow]

Love it!

Purpose built drift cars are cars built for taking abuse. Nothing wrong with having your cake and eating it too.

[ChrisJuliano]

Thanks guys.
the bumper survived that pic, but the chances of me going off track are high ,so it eventually lost.
i scrape my subframes,framerails,and oil pan alot. no damage yet. im probably going to raise the motor after seeing the oil pan the weekend.
this car is brutal. Sone of you guys would shit knowing the life of a drift car.

Majority of my friends are drifters and I know I wouldnt put my car through that and if I did it wouldnt look nice at all, i respect you for having a nice looking and functioning car and putting it through all of that!

[Meow]

this thing is awesome! definite subscribe. looking forward to more

[ahrut7]

cant wait to c it purple! looks awesome seems like really reliable drift built what im exactly trying to do with my 1.6 hope i can be able to a reliable build like yours. good luck on your build and drifting

[Maikeru]

I never even knew you had an NA. Badass though. And the fact that you maintain it is awesome. I hate it when people drift there cars and just let them get destroyed. I'll be watching this.

[MileHighKeny]

Nice build, Nice Drift Rocket 

[wannafbody]

Sounds like you need a Garage Star skid plate. You could also have Moti weld some steel frame rail covers and weld them to the front and rear subframes.

[urban]

Thanks guys .
my 1st event will be in feb.
till then i tried my hand at painting the rest of the car.
looks horrible. and the first day out i blew the paint off the lip and some of bumper due to poor prep.
all i can say is , painy and body are harder then building a car.
looks like i have to hit it again .thick
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/2012-01-13093217.jpg

[urban]

yeah? i had the understeer issue when ps as well. i think to get 5 degrees of caster i was at -1.5 of camber. i like the autocorrect and the "4 wheel" feeling if you know what i mean. but it just feels like shit initiating with no grip up front.

try it out and post about it. hopefully everything will stay solid when you try to spin something sticky.

pics in this are sick btw, never seen your engine bay before.
its funny you say that , cause , so far the lack of front end grip is pretty annoying. ive already began to wonder if i was better off without the ps.
im trying to think of a way to get the camber back. im considering those ebay ,or tc sportline front uca.
i didnt have any trouble depowered. only when i realised the bump steer with a 200lbs passenger did i get talked into ps by asking people.

do you like it depowered better?

[Caoboy]

Honestly doesn't look too bad bro. Are you hitting it with a spray can?

[urban]

no , but i put it down thin to try and get the whole side, so it dusted , looking like a can. i need another quart.
it will still look satin , its a base coat .im not going to do the clear.
honestly , you need a well ventilated booth. this garage shit sucks. prep sucks, that includes the body work, the primer, the masking, removing parts, and getting a space ready .
fck all that. im considering paying some one . after a couple fenders and the front bumper , i idint give a shit any more. then when i blasted the paint off the front the first night out ,i really gave up.
i'll get a pic of the front in the morning

[SISKO]

i feel you man i tried to do the same on my car and it came out horrible never realized how hard it is to paint a car was lol

awesome car by the way and sick drifting too i was entertained at irwindale when i saw you! hope to one day drift with you when my car is ready!!!!


by the way cant wait to see the new look when its all done..looking good already!!!

[Itsaparty]

depowered is more my style, my hands aren't all over on the wheel like they were with power steering.
with less caster and more camber i can hold shallow angle without it flipping back to center and get more grip up front.

[urban]

I noticed the last time out ,with a large passenger that the ps helps absorb some bump steer .same turn with the same weight passenger that made me add the ps , bump steer was not an issue with it.
i like it , but the tire feel is gone and understeer is now the issue. im blaming that directly on the lack of camber.
im getting aligned at the end of the month. hopefully they can do something , but i have a feeling im going to need to add adjustable fuca's ,or something

[Itsaparty]

take off the front sway bar for now?
good luck with it, that could possibly be the answer for our front camber issues.
let us know

[urban]

Mild update .
alignment is dialed ,no more understeer .suspension is dialed .some preload and ride height adjusments and the car feels solid. Clutch is good ,even has more bite.
i had a random failure again . speedo cable . fixing it , i finally pulled the bulb for my airbag light.
fresh oil. doing plugs today.
I also finished my little paint project. with absolutely no patience ,minimal prep ,and and no clean place to do it. it looks like shit . and ill never do that again . worst time of my life. I gave up at the.hardtop. i wanted to do it ,but fuck that
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/2012-02-09112608.jpg

so with this my car is ready for 2012.
ill be at adams for practice this Sat. then HTm with Extremespeed feb. 18th. then Htm again with Justdrift on the 26th.
hopefully ill have some pics up after that

[SISKO]

i like the color combo you chose! cant wait to see it in person!:P

by the way are saturdays the same as fridays at adams [drift/time attack]? didnt know they had a practice sesh on saturdays?

[Itsaparty]

did you remove the buzzer under the steering column too? this shit will buzz pretty soon with the bulb out.

[El Ryan]

Good shit sir.
http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww142/ryangrigoreas/IMG_3963.jpg

[urban]

Thanks ryan.
no it still buzzes.lol

[urban]

So far this year has sucked major balls.
i had a ball joint failure at htm with just drift.
first comp of the year and it poured rain on me during qualifying.
so i havent been to active on the update.
but a recent pic
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/urbanofsocal/2012-04-04131403.jpg

[urban]

O .
dont you get tired of sqeeks and rattles. i have a ton of vibration. i had been getting sick of the noises and trying to locate them .
wouldnt you know it . with the top off . the car feels and sounds completely solid .
Fckn top is the cause of all evil.

[RyanxStorey]

With my top on the car has a million squeaks. With the gstring on there are no squeaks.

[Caoboy]

I have a rattle that can't be fixed. My frankenstein bolt came loose and it's spinning/rattling in it's hole. But car is looking good man. I want to see your car tandem with kenny's.

[urban]

im so over the ht.
kenny is pretty good. im hoping we get a good amount of practice with each other this year.

[urban]

TD rd 1 qualifying failure.
http://www.ohdamn.co/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/miata.jpg

[WASABI]

Love what your doing to this car, and with this car. Looks great! I hope the rest of your season is trouble free.

[Caoboy]

Love it.

[urban]

Right now im sitting on a broken trans .
it was a 5 spd from an nb. It broke when i went for an RE-11. i guess the grip was too much.
So we sit waiting to pick up a 6 spd.

[Blackbird]

If you haven't picked one up yet, there's one for sale here -
http://www.trackhq.com/forums/f310/1990-miata-autokenxion-widebody-many-parts-sale-5302/

Moti

[Caoboy]

Lenny, updates.

[SISKO]

^this. because i love this build!

[urban]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/461249_580004535351873_414008816_o.jpg

[urban]

unfortunately im not running the 2013 season of TopDrift so far . hopefully i will make round two .

and thanks to Project G for being such bad asses. their sides make me love na's again

[SISKO]

Agreed. saw you recently at adams, and your style definitely makes your drifting spectacular!