The Rotten Banana- Over a decade in the making

[RustRat]

It would be interestimg to hear your thoughts and impressions going back to (what I assume is) a stock N/A Miata, from having it supercharged, even if it is temporary.

Anything you missed while it was with the SC on? Anything you miss without the SC?

Good luck with the rest of your build, looks promising!

[Titus]

It would be interestimg to hear your thoughts and impressions going back to (what I assume is) a stock N/A Miata, from having it supercharged, even if it is temporary.

Anything you missed while it was with the SC on? Anything you miss without the SC?

Good luck with the rest of your build, looks promising!

I'v been driving a stock 93LE for the last 3 years, so I don't think I even remember what the SC really felt like. I do recall having to consciously remember to go easy pulling out on to the 65mph highway from the light by my house if I didn't want the back-end to kick out. That is not an issue stock. I had forgotten how heavy the ACT HD pressure plate was compared to stock, and glad I never got an ACT extreme. I am curios to find out how the clutch that Minitec provides feels. It included a Honda B series flywheel, pressure plate and throwout bearing, and a Miata 1.8 clutch disc.

[— Phatmiata —]

Excellent! Another 93LE owner, we have a bunch of 93LE owners here!

[jux]

Hey Steve... Real work should be starting in about 3 weeks. Once it does, you should stop by. I am hoping people will stop in from time to time to help out or just keep me company in the shop!

I'd be happy to drop by sometime! Bit of a haul from Grapevine, but I should be able to manage. ;)
Keep me updated on your schedule so I can help swear and throw things. I'm very adept at both.

[WASABI]

I'm glad to see you haven't fallen off the the face of the earth. Your car deserves to be brought back from the dead.

[Titus]

Thanks for the love guys. This car has been with me for 14 years next month and it will rule the road once again.

[Titus]

Update time...

In order to get the engine to fit, the intake manifold must be modified. Minitec has 2 different ways to achieve this:

Option A moves the throttle body to the side of the intake. This is their preferred method, as it allows power steering and EGR to be retained.


Option B is to flip the intake manifold and lower runners 180 degrees, and modify the throttle body mount to angle down to clear the hood.


I decided on option B, as I liked the look better and didn't mind loosing power steering and EGR.

[Titus]

I have removed my intake manifold and sent it off to minitec for modification. Knowing I would be loosing EGR (when you flip the manifold, the everything but the EGR port lines up perfectly), I went ahead and removed the EGR valve and got an EGR blockoff plate.


Once I get the manifold back, I will also have to address blocking off the EGR hole in the manifold, as it is now exposed.

I also have flipped the lower intake runners. In order to re-install the fuel rails, a new mounting hole needs to be drilled in each rail. Below you can see the old empty hole that doesn't line up, with the bolt next to it using the new hole I drilled.


While I had not planned on doing any performance upgrades to the engine initially, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pick up these ported and polished runners I found online. They arrived today, so I will need to swap out the ones on there when I have a chance.

[Titus]

The actual swap kit arrived this evening. This is what is was delivered in:


I am not going to bother taking pictures of everything straight out of the box, as it all looks much like what can be seen in the pic on their website:


As I actually go to install parts, I will add pictures of them then. I am expecting this build to go pretty slow, but will try to update the thread each week. The next update will be around the removal of the old engine and subframe, planned for Sunday.

[— Phatmiata —]

oh my, a heart transplant !!! This build just got crazy!!

[Titus]

Intake and Radiator are out.



Header out.



No more transmission.



Here comes the engine.


Engine out.


Subframe?



We don't need no stock subframe!




How low can we go?




A lot easier to tuck with no subframe in the car!





VIP baby!

[Satisaii]

I would recommend talking to someone who really knows the engine to make sure that oil pan holds enough oil for track use. We are doing a K20A swap and were told that our car won't last 2 laps on a high banked oval road course. Took a major redesign of the oiling system to get it where is would rev to 8800 RPM and survive with a decreased capacity pan.

I hope I get the chance to do a V6 swap someday.

[Titus]

I would recommend talking to someone who really knows the engine to make sure that oil pan holds enough oil for track use. We are doing a K20A swap and were told that our car won't last 2 laps on a high banked oval road course. Took a major redesign of the oiling system to get it where is would rev to 8800 RPM and survive with a decreased capacity pan.

I hope I get the chance to do a V6 swap someday.

The oil pan was designed to maintain the same capacity as the original Honda pan. Some baffling was also added to the pan starting with my kit (I am told I am kit #10). While I may do a misc autocross or fun day at the track, I am not a track rat and am not one to push the car as hard as some. I think in the 14 years I have owned the car, it has seen 5 track days, 5 autocrosses, and 2 trips to the 1/8 mile drag strip.

With that said, there is a guy in Oregon that I am friends with that is building one specifically to campaign in ICSCC ST this season. He will definitely help us find the weak points, and Minitec will be paying attention to how his holds up.

[Stealth97]

The widebody looks absolutely amazing!

[Titus]

First task last night was cleaning up the transmission. The car had a rear main seal leak for the last several years, so the transmission was nasty.




A little degreaser, a wire brush, a power washer, and about 90 minutes, and it was 95% better. There are still some crevices that have build up, but it is good enough for me.





Next on the list was cleaning the engine bay. Frankly I didn't get much cleaning done. I kept getting distracted by trying to move stuff in the way, and then ended up adding some lightness.


(Its not like they served a purpose any more given I ditched the stock steering wheel a few years ago.)