@Bryan: Glad it's neither of those scenarios but you will come out on top. No worries, sir.
'01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
'97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
Instagram: @greasemonkey2000
Bryan (05-25-2020)
05-24-20: I think many of us(myself included) some times take for granted just how great the Miata community is and the essence of it is the individuals that make it up. I can't even begin to be able to count the times someone in the Miata community has helped me in one way or another and for this I am TRULY grateful and words will not do justice to describe how grateful I am.
Once again a fellow Miata enthusiast showed me a kindness that I was really taken back by. Andy aka MSMzer04 had originally reached out to me when I was parting out Warbird and said how much he enjoyed the build, which really made me feel good. Since then we have chatted every now and then.
We recently "caught up" and when discussing photography I had mentioned I really want to hone my skills(which are amateur at best) and wanted to pick up a few items, like a lens and tripod. Andy said he had a few tripods and would give me one if I wanted it...well who am I to turn down such a gesture. I offered to pay for it but he wouldn't hear it. Not only did he gift me the tripod but Andy even covered shipping!
Thanks so much Andy! I will be putting it to good use! In fact I used it for a couple shots of a little project I had been thinking of doing.
As previously mentioned in addition to the F1 racing inspiration, the McLaren F1 has also provided me with many ideas and while making Misfire anything that would ever do the McLaren F1 justice isn't really possible, I hope some of the styling cues will at least pay homage to it.
One of these is the steering wheel in the McLaren F1.
I LOVE Misfire's Sparco 310mm Extreme II steering wheel....
....so changing it to something that more closely resembles the F1's steering wheel isn't going to happen but what about adding some carbon fiber...now that is entirely feasible.
The McLaren F1's steering wheel has a carbon fiber center section on the horn but since Misfire's Sparco doesn't have a center horn(it has one on each side, as seen above) it would have to be changed up a bit and after about two hours or so this is what I came up with.
While I am happy with the idea, the execution could be improved upon, mainly the bolt holes. Working with carbon fiber isn't all that easy and my crude methodology definitely needs improving. None the less I am pretty happy with the results.
This mod should really flow well with the custom Revlimiter F1 Stage 2 gauges I just received but probably won't install till I get Revlimiter's gauge lenses for the Garage5 gauge rings as I don't wont them exposed "to the elements".
'01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
'97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
Instagram: @greasemonkey2000
Bryan (05-25-2020)
BTW...what's the deets on that head unit?
Originally Posted by DazedAndConfused
'01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
'97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
Instagram: @greasemonkey2000
Originally Posted by DazedAndConfused
Its all good Bryan. When it comes to car stuff I typically have a decent memory.
'01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
'97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
Instagram: @greasemonkey2000
08-22-20: I have been trying to figure out what kind of exhaust I wanted to put on Misfire every since I brought him home. Sure there was already a aftermarket header(Jackson Racing I believe) and Racing Beat Power Pulse twin tip muffler(stock midpipe) but since day one I knew I wanted to do a center exit exhaust.
Unfortunately there are no off the shelf options for a center exit exhaust for the NB chassis so I knew it was going to have to be custom. I REALLY wanted Abe with ARTech to do another exhaust for me as the one he did for Warbird was absolutely fantastic in every way. Sadly Abe is not making any exhaust at this time.
I honestly figured this would be a project much further down the road but after recently looking back into options I decided a chambered muffler was the muffler of choice this time around since it has no packing materiel so issues with it getting louder as the packing fails isn't a concern, it manipulates sound waves to produce the desired exhaust sound and due to the design is usually fairly light.
It just so happened that Pat aka patsmx5 was also looking at muffler options and after discussing my findings/conclusions with him, Pat decided to go a similar route. Well that sealed the deal, I was going with a chambered muffler so Pat and I can be muffler buddies!
Some online price matching showed me Summit Racing was the most competitive vendor for the parts required with a few purchased off Amazon, so a few weeks ago I ordered everything I thought I needed. The results of those orders can be seen here.
2.5" Flowmaster Super 44 muffler(offset inlet/outlet), 2.5" inlet/3.5" dual outlet ss double wall/burnt tip exhaust tip, x2 2.5" aluminized J bends, 2.5" 90 degree elbow, 2.5" exhaust flange & gasket, x4 rubber exhaust hangers and x2 0.5" ss exhaust hanger rods
The tip(s) was a hard decision but I knew I wanted dual outlet just didn't know if I wanted to do two separate outlets or a single that split. I decided that a single exhaust outlet going to a single inlet/dual outlet exhaust tip was the easiest and most cost effective route.
I love that burnt metal look but many of the tips I found that had that finish I didn't like but Summit Racing carried a Vibrant single inlet/dual outlet exhaust tip with a burnt finish that I really liked.
The Vibrant exhaust tip was also double walled which further helps to cancel out higher frequencies and produce a deeper exhaust note but also meant it was more expensive...in fact the exhaust tip was almost as much as the muffler but just look at it...
...I think it was worth it.
This endeavor was only made possible by my friend/cousin, Dillon, as the whole setup was around $280-$290 and a muffler shop would have probably charged $150-$200 to weld it all up...that would have been a deal breaker.
We got started about 12:00PM and had it done by 8:00PM, that's right 8hrs! My cousin does a good deal of welding but having to mock up, measure, cut, mock up, repeat numerous times becomes time consuming.
Never mind being a center exit means more care to get the tip(s) just right was needed as well as trying to make it all relatively aesthetically pleasing as possible since it is exposed due to the aggressive bumper cut. Really can't say how much I appreciate having friends/family that is always willing to help me out when they can. On to the pictures/results!
Also went ahead and removed/cleaned the OEM muffler heat shield...
....and installed gold reflective tape to further add to the effectiveness of the heat shield and to see how it holds up as I plan on using it in the transmission tunnel and on the DDM Works air intake box.
Finally installed and tested to ensure there were no exhaust leaks and a before picture for comparison.
As you can this center exit exhaust suits the rear bumper cut much better as the Racing Beat was obviously made with the stock bumper in mind.
When we had it all tacked up and started it up...it was really raspy and even quieter than the Racing Beat which really surprised me but I figured that with all the "exhaust leaks" due to everything only being tack welded that it wasn't a accurate representation of what it would sound like.
Thankfully I was right in that assumption! Once it was all welded up and installed and I started Misfire it sounded much deeper than the Racing Beat muffler and a little bit louder so of course a test drive was in order!
My cousin and I took Misfire on a quick 2 mile or so test drive and the Flowmaster Super 44 muffler was everything I had hoped for! It was much deeper than the Racing Beat muffler, mildly louder and offered more off throttle burble/pops. It still has rasp in the upper RPM range but no more than the Racing Beat, imo.
The results wasn't a blind leap of faith though as I had a 2000 Honda Civic Si that I put the same muffler on and a MKIV turbocharged Jetta(it almost sounded like a diesel), plus there are a few YouTube videos with Miata's(all NA's) with the same muffler.
Now all those videos sound raspier which I suspect that none of them was running a resonator(one video showed the whole exhaust and there was no resonator) which would obviously cause more rasp, in most cases. I will attempt to make a video to share but I have never been able to make a video of a exhaust and it accurately represent the sound of the exhaust in real life.
Something that I would like to point out(reiterate) is this setup cost me $280-$290 just in parts(all aluminized except for the exhaust tip and hanger rod) and as already brought out it would have cost me another $150-$200 to get a shop to do the work. The point is that people should realize that $300 or so for a stainless steel axle back that any enthusiast can install themselves is indeed a great deal when put into perspective but alot of enthusiast never take on such a project themselves and thus have no idea what it cost.
I also plan on removing the exhaust in the next few weeks to paint everything(except for the tips) black(will probably use DEI high temp) so that it kind of disappears since it is all aluminized and will rust in time.
Last edited by Greasemonkey2000; 08-23-2020 at 12:29 AM.
'01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
'97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
Instagram: @greasemonkey2000
Jealous...I've always wanted a center-exit, but I'm already spending too much getting the car on the road as-is, lol
Originally Posted by DazedAndConfused
Greasemonkey2000 (08-24-2020)
Thanks Bryan and I certainly understand that because I'm right there with you.
'01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
'97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
Instagram: @greasemonkey2000
Bryan (08-25-2020)
I had someone on another forum ask about doing/re doing the setup in stainless steel and while I did browse/price it all in stainless steel but my budget was based on getting the majority of my money back by selling the Racing Beat muffler.
I could have bought a full ss 2.5" exhaust piping kit from Summit Racing for around $350 which could probably do two Miata's so with everything(high flow cat, flanges, etc) I would have probably been around $600 in parts which is getting to a OTS option but again no center exit like I wanted. I could have sold the remaining ss piping and probably recouped $100+ so $500 all in.
I considered this but again funds at this time wasn't there plus my cousin doesn't have ss wire to weld it all up with his mig and he has a tig but he says he doesn't have enough experience using it yet to feel confident in the welds.
In reality even aluminized steel in a environment like Texas will last a long time. My cousin already agreed to do a midpipe for Misfire so hopefully in the next few months that will happen.
As far as the coating goes that would be great but again not with in the budget at this time. Originally I was going to paint the axle back black but the more I look at it and see the aluminized steel the more I think I might try shining it up at much as possible(flapper wheels, sandpaper, etc.) and then using a high temperature clear coat instead.
Still only have about 20+ miles on the exhaust and still really happy with the results but the more I drive the more I think it has more rasp at some rpms, less else where and about the same in other rpms vs the Racing Beat so I'm considering coming off the outlet pipe of the muffler and adding a piece of pipe going to a resonator to act as a helmholtz chamber to try and clean up the rasp a bit.
I also think that when I do the mid pipe that using a larger aftermarket resonator will help with rasp too as the factory resonator is rather small. I'm also considering splitting the midpipe to run two resonators offset to one another.
Essentially it would come off the high flow cat, split using a Y pipe go to two different resonators offset one another for maximum results and space conservation then another Y pipe to the pipe that would go over the rear axle. I MAY go ahead and go to vband connections at that time.
I tried making a video clip of the exhaust Sunday by just setting my phone in the passenger seat and while it was a decent representation of the exhaust, it had too many other noises(drivetrain, shifter, etc) interfering to be a good clip. Will try again though.
'01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
'97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
Instagram: @greasemonkey2000
Center exit exhaust looking really nice. The burnt tips too...amazing!
Follow My Build Thread!
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1997 Mazda Miata M-Edition
http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....1997-M-Edition
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On Instagram: @97NA8M
Greasemonkey2000 (08-25-2020)
Now that looks sick! I really dig it.
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1993 Eunos Roadster B-spec by Mazdaspeed
http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....819#post222819
1993 Mazda Miata LE
https://mazdaroadster.net/showthread...233#post244233
Greasemonkey2000 (08-25-2020)
'01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
'97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
Instagram: @greasemonkey2000
Am I seeing things, or is the final pipe welded to the muffler can? I presume that's to keep them from rattling against each other?
Originally Posted by DazedAndConfused