Author Topic: 10secdream's 2003 NB Mazda Miata - Choo Choo Whoosh Time (Read 23288 times)

Ambystom01 · « **Reply #25 on:** July 14, 2018, 12:20:42 pm »

Might be a power thing then. Once you get over a certain power level, going to 245s is faster.

10secdream · « **Reply #26 on:** July 14, 2018, 01:47:59 pm »

245s are faster on a 15x10 wheel.

10secdream · « **Reply #27 on:** July 16, 2018, 09:29:16 am »

What started off as a simple weekend of just getting tires mounted and balanced turned out into much more as usual. First order of business was to use a combination of wood and ramps to get the car off the ground and then on jackstands. Once the car was on stands I removed the tires and took a good look at the suspension and brakes.

LRM_EXPORT_20180715_125851 by Stephen Mitchell, on Flickr

Brakes still have more than 50% pad life left which I was hoping for so I can run the rest of the season. Then in typical 10secdream fashion I cleaned the wheels before they got mounted.

LRM_EXPORT_20180716_090827 by Stephen Mitchell, on Flickr

Since the car is already in the air I guess I might as well change the transmission fluid. Lots of people seem really happy with the Ford Motorcraft Fully Synthetic transmission fluid so I decided to give it a shot. It wasn't too expensive at $22 per litre which made me happy (people online said it was $35 a litre).

LRM_EXPORT_20180716_090914 by Stephen Mitchell, on Flickr

I was also happy to read that the NB 6 speed does not have a closed shifter turret so I can fill the transmission from the turret hole.

LRM_EXPORT_20180716_090855 by Stephen Mitchell, on Flickr

Once the transmission fluid was completed I moved on to investigate some loud pad knockback I was having while cruising around. Sure enough there was excessive gap between the pad and the rotor on the drivers rear. If you know Miatas then you know you need to adjust the ebrake properly to set the piston. I went to adjust the ebrake and sure enough the screw just went around in circles. At first I thought it was the hex that was stripped but I eventually got the adjust out and determined that internally the caliper adjustment splines were uckfayed.

LRM_EXPORT_20180716_090838 by Stephen Mitchell, on Flickr

I quickly jumped onto rockauto and found the replacement rear caliper for $150 before shipping. I then quickly jumped on kijiji and someone happened to be selling used NB sport brakes for $200. This is already an extremely rare find as these larger brakes are a solid upgrade and are not usually too cheap. I talked to the guy and offered him $150 and now I have a full set of front and rear calipers to rebuild/keep as spares. I inspected the rear drivers caliper and everything seemed good (including the piston adjuster) so I mounted it up and got the brakes flushed and bled with the help of my neighbor.

LRM_EXPORT_20180716_090106 by Stephen Mitchell, on Flickr

I also got the tires mounted and balanced by Eddy.

LRM_EXPORT_20180715_125741 by Stephen Mitchell, on Flickr

LRM_EXPORT_20180716_085955 by Stephen Mitchell, on Flickr

I then put the car back together and took it for a shakedown to work this morning.

LRM_EXPORT_20180716_084454 by Stephen Mitchell, on Flickr

So far everything is great. Transmission whine/noise has been calmed down a bit, the shifts are butter smooth and less notchy. Tires were not excessively loud and seem to grip well on the 2 turns I took. Pad knock back is completely gone and the brakes seem to operate perfectly. Overall it was a pretty long and eventful weekend but I managed to indirectly knock a bunch of my maintenance items off the list. Now to just wait for AutoX on Sunday.

jellynuts · « **Reply #28 on:** July 16, 2018, 11:47:52 am »

Quote from: 10secdream on July 16, 2018, 09:29:16 am

Lots of people seem really happy with the Ford Motorcraft Fully Synthetic transmission fluid so I decided to give it a shot...

Ford seems to have good fluids. Beau introduced me to their High Performance DOT3 brake fluid which is also good and cheap.

seat safety switch · « **Reply #29 on:** July 16, 2018, 12:00:22 pm »

Nice find on the Sport brakes. The NB already feels so much better than the NA under braking.

10secdream · « **Reply #30 on:** July 16, 2018, 12:06:23 pm »

Quote from: seat safety switch on July 16, 2018, 12:00:22 pm

Nice find on the Sport brakes. The NB already feels so much better than the NA under braking.

I mean the car already came with sport brakes and the previous owner tracked it for a number of years without brake problems so I see no need to upgrade unless the car gets significantly faster. Brakes do feel excellent though with the carbotech pads.

10secdream · « **Reply #31 on:** July 17, 2018, 08:33:48 am »

Current state of the engine bay.

LRM_EXPORT_20180716_201257 by Stephen Mitchell, on Flickr

LilDrunkenSmurf · « **Reply #32 on:** July 17, 2018, 08:49:49 am »

Looks like it could use some shining up.

10secdream · « **Reply #33 on:** July 17, 2018, 09:01:20 am »

Quote from: LilDrunkenSmurf on July 17, 2018, 08:49:49 am

Looks like it could use some shining up.

Probably. I already cleaned it once but it needs another clean

GrantC · « **Reply #34 on:** July 17, 2018, 09:18:03 am »

winter project:

-paint valve cover.

10secdream · « **Reply #35 on:** July 18, 2018, 09:31:13 am »

I might abandon the air/air intercooler for next year and just stick to methanol injection for simplicity until I decide how I want to proceed with the car (a different FI setup or something entirely different like a K swap).
On a mild supercharger setup methanol injection will go a long ways in keeping the charge temps down and keeping pressure drop at a minimum due to the short piping.

diamondedge · « **Reply #36 on:** July 18, 2018, 09:59:07 am »

LS swap it.

SlowLGT · « **Reply #37 on:** July 18, 2018, 12:13:47 pm »

Quote from: diamondedge on July 18, 2018, 09:59:07 am

LS swap it.

+1 to this. A complete all aluminum 5.3L costs about $1000, and you'll be making 400hp all day long for under $2000.

Ambystom01 · « **Reply #38 on:** July 18, 2018, 12:35:53 pm »

Add a zero to that budget.

jellynuts · « **Reply #39 on:** July 18, 2018, 01:12:57 pm »

Quote from: Ambystom01 on July 18, 2018, 12:35:53 pm

Add a zero to that budget.

2000 + 0 = 2000

Ambystom01 · « **Reply #40 on:** July 18, 2018, 02:48:14 pm »

...God dammit Oracle.

kijho · « **Reply #41 on:** July 18, 2018, 03:25:23 pm »

Quote from: Ambystom01 on July 18, 2018, 02:48:14 pm

...God dammit Oracle.

sameeeeee

LilDrunkenSmurf · « **Reply #42 on:** July 18, 2018, 03:49:45 pm »

Monster miata, 302 swap it.

10secdream · « **Reply #43 on:** July 18, 2018, 03:58:48 pm »

As cool as that would be the more practical part of me would rather K24 swap it or EFR turbokit.

SlowLGT · « **Reply #44 on:** July 18, 2018, 04:00:32 pm »

Quote from: LilDrunkenSmurf on July 18, 2018, 03:49:45 pm

Monster miata, 302 swap it.

Man up, 5.2 VOODOO.

LilDrunkenSmurf · « **Reply #45 on:** July 18, 2018, 04:06:54 pm »

"I want to keep it practical... Better drop in a FWD Honda Motor"

10secdream · « **Reply #46 on:** July 18, 2018, 04:28:58 pm »

Quote from: LilDrunkenSmurf on July 18, 2018, 04:06:54 pm

"I want to keep it practical... Better drop in a FWD Honda Motor"

Hondas are practical no?

Ambystom01 · « **Reply #47 on:** July 18, 2018, 04:51:28 pm »

I like the GM four banger swap, but that's more for a daily driver car.

VTAKLOL · « **Reply #48 on:** July 18, 2018, 04:57:22 pm »

+1 for K swap! *honda fanboy intensifies*

10secdream · « **Reply #49 on:** July 23, 2018, 09:43:45 am »

Autocross #4 happened this weekend and I was a little nervous with the weather being so on and off. Luckily there was a slight shower before the event and then it was dry after. I finally got a chance to test out the new tires and I am very impressed. The car obviously has more grip and capability than me as a driver but I am slowly working on that aspect. I managed to improve a bit compared to my last outing. Pretty happy with my 5th overall for raw time.

ASA #4 - Classes by Stephen Mitchell, on Flickr

ASA #4 - Pax by Stephen Mitchell, on Flickr

ASA #4 - Summary by Stephen Mitchell, on Flickr