Rarity - The build from somthing dilapidated to something fast.

[Big Red]

Hello all,

I had thought of re-posting most of my details & build on my current car (my daily driven Supercharged Na6) I thought that would be a great way to kick off my membership here. I'm feeling that's a lazy way about going about things so I have something new to share.

I was in the market for something that I don't really have to rely on for getting around. Something that I can work on in my own time & restore it and get crafty with it. Also I had another thing on my mind "BECAUSE RACECAR!"

So after a few months of hunting & re-testing the waters of the market place I found a little gem for $3500. Not a bad find considering here you can struggle to find them that cheep here & my DD I picked up for $5500 more than a year & a half ago & she was rougher than this.

One thing I do admit.... She's a little rough around the edges visually but there is a fairly solid machine under the skin. & the engine has bad rod knock on the bottom end :fp: . Although there are some positives.

- Newish tyres good enough to pass inspection.
- Koni Yellow dampers.
- King lowered springs x2 sets.
- A small (unknown size) MOMO wheel.
- A custom catback exhaust.
- No rust apart from the usual lower a-pillar bubbles.

The negatives

- Cooked engine.
- The paint has seen alot better days on the front (bodged front end repair from a minor nose to tail).
- Unknown condition of the drive line as I have not actually taken it for a decent test drive.
- Soft top has seen better days
& a heap of little details :/

The current spec

- 90' Na 1.6 spun bottom end
- No power steer
- Aircon
- 5spd

Oh..... & this :TTIWWP:


http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/304964_10151076356329888_1319391932_n.jpg
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http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/297016_10151076392609888_1756558589_n.jpg

[atank]

Love the bolts on the front spoiler.....Looks like a good Roadster to start on!!

[WASABI]

Nice find. Other than needing a nose job...she looks good!

-Jim

[treeafodo]

Looks good, you'll get the minor problems sorted out and it'll be a great car. Good luck!

[revlimiter]

http://www.chrometheme.net/sites/default/files/imagecache/450/theme/screenshot/rarity3.jpg ?

[Big Red]

Love the bolts on the front spoiler.....Looks like a good Roadster to start on!!
Cheers atank, not really my style of thing but yeah..... I only picked her up last Sunday so its a modification from the previous owner.

Nice find. Other than needing a nose job...she looks good!

-Jim
Thanks Jim.
The nose job looks not too bad in the pics. In real life its pretty much a matte finish & the rear is in brilliant condition.


Looks good, you'll get the minor problems sorted out and it'll be a great car. Good luck!
treeafodo,
It's not as run down as some Miata's I have seen on the internet but here in Australia they usually a well looked after little car across the board.


[img]?

yes Adam....
& there is a huge twist I'll reveal it very soon. http://e.deviantart.net/emoticons/m/mwahaha.gif
P.s i have been following the Sharka build for a verry long time <3

rar·i·ty/ˈre(ə)ritē/
Noun:

1. The state or quality of being rare: "the rarity of the condition".
2. A thing that is rare, esp. one having particular value as a result of this: "to take the morning off was a rarity".


In the meantime I'll just leave a nice pic of my Supercharged Daily Driver here with a partial shot of the "The Blue Turd" from Mighty Car Mods. ^_^
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/419932_10150593020379888_1597419566_n.jpg

[revlimiter]

I ran across this (http://www.redbubble.com/people/dfragrance/works/7755194-raritys-classic-car-wash?p=t-shirt)yesterday. Thought you might enjoy it.

[Big Red]

I ran across this (http://www.redbubble.com/people/dfragrance/works/7755194-raritys-classic-car-wash?p=t-shirt)yesterday. Thought you might enjoy it.

Cheers Adam, I might be able to do something with that...... sorta gives me a idea for a small project :D
(I'm a sign-writer by trade)


I also have to put some $$$ aside..... I'll hit you up for some gauge faces for my daily at one point in the near future *drool*

[Big Red]

I did a few little jobs today.

Removed the amp wiring kit as that its unnecessary because I have no amp nor a need for one, much to my amazement the remote activator wire for the amplifier was Braided :shock: . And some stinky wet underlay. :/
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/418867_10151088041269888_330443097_n.jpg

To my amazement the parcel shelf is in brilliant condition & I was expecting a lot worse. only a little bit of rust & I'll be dealing with that soon enough.
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/574616_10151088041474888_2000158970_n.jpg

Tomorrow I'll be temporarily removing the soft top to clean out the rain rail properly & be cleaning out all the drains & re assembling it all again.
The car will live in the weather for the time being so I want the drains to at least have some function until I can afford to get a hard top.

I'll also be looking into fabricating a aluminum brace plate system (similar to the stock one). The rain rail mounting plates were missing from the car when I got it. It's just for a temporary fix to make the top fit better to the car until I sort a hard top.

[Big Red]

Did some cleaning today, I think I may have got a little carried away....
Basically cleaned the whole rear end out interior wise all the dust & dirt is gone and the drains are done. I also pulled the inspection panels out & they will be off to sandblasters tomorrow maybe & then I'll paint them.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/527896_10151089984724888_712856908_n.jpg
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/551647_10151089984909888_510057592_n.jpg
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/309189_10151089985134888_678795176_n.jpg

Desperate times call for desperate measures..... I pulled the the soft top off & then I realized that the rain rail was fubar so I used the other top i had in the shed.
It looks a lil rough but atleast the rain rail works..... YAY FOR SILICON SEALANT!!!! :D So at least its weather proof for now.
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/417552_10151089985254888_2086835652_n.jpg



I can't wait till I get a Hardtop. -_-

[tsingson]

I am in the eternal debate about getting a hardtop or a new soft top. There are so many arguments for each side.

[etikoner]

Damn, already putting in a lot of work, Very nice!

[I<3flippyheadlights]

Get hard top, delete soft top=profit.

[revlimiter]

Weatherproof ftw!

[Big Red]

Damn, already putting in a lot of work, Very nice!
Cheers Erick, I try not to mess around. I cant wait to get this thing on the road... so i can get the body work done on the other car.


Get hard top, delete soft top=profit.
That's the plan, I'll be Re-Skinning one of the 2 na6 tops and selling that & the other will be turned into the front bow for a G-String. :D


Weatherproof ftw!
Thank god I'm not using that roof for road use. 0_0
I went out into the yard today the roof has been holding up to the rain. It's keeping moisture out but the rear window has decided to fail on the top seam. :/
yay for safety pins....

[Big Red]

Not really much of a update, but more showing what my engine is like."Radical bottom end knock"

:/ Thankfully I have a good condition SN B6 under the bench in the shed, Plans are starting to form on my turbo setup as well. :slayer:
Engine swap is coming very soon. I've just got to collect some parts & then its ON!


http://youtu.be/NVpViK-Xl_4

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/560298_10151110369284888_1878388017_n.jpg

[George]

sucks about the engine... btw. you set the video to private so we can't play it

[Big Red]

sucks about the engine... btw. you set the video to private so we can't play it
Cheers George, it should work now. *facepalm*

[George]

ouch, it's good you have a spare!

[Big Red]

Not a lot has happened lately :(
I'll be getting onto the engine swap within the next month or two, I've just been super busy with work & getting the Girlfriends S13 sorted & road legal.... what alot of fun that has been :fp: Stupid Ca18de.......

Although I do have a small thing to add. I picked up a HT for the right price off a local race car that's vinyl wrapped for the build & I have another one coming for my daily at the end of the year/early next year.
http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/533559_10151189872829888_1156850394_n.jpg

So keen to get started on the engine swap. :P

Cheers Gareth.

[Big Red]

A little bit has been happening since I last updated. Stock springs have been put back into the car along with Koni STR's as that its going for inspection in the next 3 weeks or so if time & money plays nicely.

I have removed the leaky old soft top & I'm just going to leave it as a coupe with the hard top. The original engine & gearbox is now on the floor as of yesterday & the replacement setup (my ex-supercharged engine/gearbox) is going in tomorrow & hopefully I should have her running again by the afternoon if all goes well.

& in other news my daily drive has decided to chew up the front main seal :/ Its due for a major service anyways so I'm pretty happy that its done it now rather than after the major. :fp:

http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/154703_10151248799649888_198450025_n.jpg
http://sphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/196186_10151248625394888_2135338612_n.jpg
http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/551736_10151261759864888_815729320_n.jpg


& just for good measures my Supercharged daily
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8217/8279396593_b7098e9c8b_o.jpg

Thanks for reading.
~Gareth~

[maharaj]

Looks really good and great find....it has come a long way. I especially like the iscrape sticker. :lol:

[Demon I Am]

great wheel choice!

[Big Red]

Looks really good and great find....it has come a long way. I especially like the iscrape sticker. :lol:
She's seen better days but things will change, I have some big plans in place.
The iScrape sticker was from the previous owner.... I got a bit of a laugh about it too when I first saw it. :lol:


great wheel choice!
Cheers, I'm a bit of a sucker for the Mazdaspeed MS03's.... I have two sets of them now in the same specs (that set in the classic red) & another set in the silver. they only came in four color configurations from factory the red, silver, black & there was gold as far as I have seen/known of.


Good news today! The engine is in :D all I have to do is hook up the tail shaft, cooling system, intake & put the exhaust back in.
Solo effort so far :mrgreen: basically done this all on my own except asked my housemates to help lower & guide the engine back into the bay.

http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/307626_10151263664969888_1409900554_n.jpg

& this is Max.... he's my project supervisor
http://sphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/866_10151263910444888_1836649897_n.jpg

[Big Red]

Ok... a little bit of a update.

It runs.... fired the engine up for the first time in a year & a half, well since its been in the old rust bucket donor car that it came out of.
A little noisy with the lifters on initial fire up but then that's normal for a B6 when its been sitting for that extended period of time.
only real issue is it has a missfire under load @ 3.5k+ RPM. But I have a feeling that the OEM leads are at fault here & I'm sure a new set of plugs could be a good idea. :fp:

I have a video I'll post that up on the weekend......

http://sphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/307132_10151272218799888_833628980_n.jpg

Oh I also pulled the vynil off the hardtop.... The roof was pretty hot as it's summer here atm so I thought "WHY NOT!"
Turns out the top is "NB" supreme blue & It flaked the paint off in a few places DOH! :fp:
so yeah she looks a little like a beater.... but i still love it for what it is. :teehee:


http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/184465_10151272218829888_1025076562_n.jpg
http://sphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/284877_10151272218959888_266630617_n.jpg

[GripFTW]

Congrats on getting it running again. Great to see another roadster getting a new lease on life.

Looking forward to seeing what's next!

[Big Red]

Nothing too special but I took it for a bit of a drive down to the car wash to wash the engine off after the swap and give the interior & exterior a bit of a neaten up.
after the next few weeks I should be able to get her off to get it inspected and get the license tags sorted out & then let the daily driving commence so I can get the body work all fixed up on the Supercharged car..... So after that I can get this build into full swing! :frantic:


http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/431330_10151283211824888_175176834_n.jpg
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[Big Red]

Up on the hoist....
http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/554343_10151311757849888_1786049852_n.jpg

To get one of these fitted.....
http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/523267_10151311757874888_2090711405_n.jpg

I'm not happy with the workmanship as far as the the welding on the catalytic converter goes... I could have done way better myself *facepalm* I'm defiantly not going back to that exhaust shop again to get any work done..... one thing that will be replaced down the track is the exhaust anyway :/

Dropped off at the workshop for mechanical inspections for the roadworthy certification for registration.
http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/536919_10151306747969888_1942974599_n.jpg

Bit of news today I heard back from the workshop this morning good news is i only have three things to fix..... & the list is as follows

-Park brake needs adjusting
-Blown stop light globe
-Window washer squirters blocked

I'm pretty happy with the outcome as far as that goes... & now i just have to fix those three things & then she's off for her final inspection to get a set of tags!

[Big Red]

While my car was at getting its final mechanical inspection done a apprentice mechanic backed another customers car into mine... :cry:
I'm very disappointed but the workshop owner said that they would cover the repairs for free.. I'm not happy with their repair job, but then the rest of the car looks a little out of whack anyways. :oops:
The photo below is the damage that they caused before repair, it looks ok & just a little bit of paint had been removed where it creased but the rear section of the guard is rippled to hell. :cry:

http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/72958_10151320998454888_1906149627_n.jpg

I have solved the misfiring under load issue by replacing the plugs & leads shes good as gold now. :D
http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/534860_10151349629079888_317325621_n.jpg < plugz & leadz


http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/544386_10151354692539888_1760962660_n.jpg
In other news I have a set of tags now & my tax is all paid up! Let the daily driving commence. :frantic:

[Big Red]

Gave the car a bit of a mountain shake down today..... I want coilovers & sways now :/

http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/64731_10151372816039888_1127729944_n.jpg