Well, I only have about six months of school left and I have finally decided that it is time to finally start a build thread after almost six months of owner ship! (Though expect sweet-F-A until then haha). Why this title you ask? The previous owner began a build thread titled "Have More Fun!"; so that's exactly what I plan to do.

Here's what the car looked like when he purchased it




Here's what it looked like the day I got it home



Then I began to work on it as there were a few things that needed fixing/adjusting/tampering with :P Here's me cleaning the engine of oil residue from the leaking CAS, so I could pass registration that afternoon.



Then of course, as you do, I played with the coil overs a bit and got the front end down quite low.. Okay, stupidly low But you'd be happy to know it sits at about 90mm off the ground now



And then I got my driver's license! Hellz yea



Got sick of the antenna...



Got sick of the engine...



Lol.. Jokes, I wish!

Soooo... What are my plans? I'm going to a track day after I complete my final exams to get to know the car a bit better. Once I'm done there, I plan to begin a really big build (Strip back, seam weld, turbo, etc) which is already written and planned out, just needs the money to back it up

Plans include a NB longnose 1.6, (eventually) GT28/71r, re-spray and extensive body work. It'll be a street registered track car, something that I thought would be difficult to achieve (crap modifying laws in Australia) until I read about a certain mx5..



Charlie Hadfield's Mx5 has inspired the course of my own quite a lot. This isn't going to be any old hair-dresser mobile... I'd like to hope anyway! Up dates soon on some recent mischief...

 

Great looking car, glad the PO got rid of that front bumper for you! I checked Google Maps, looks like you've got some fun roads just outside of Scone.

 

My car is a dual duty street/track car and it can be done here, but our enforcement is pretty slack on street cars.

Suspension upgrades and better brake pads are all you really need to get started on the track. Get some track experience naturally aspirated. The turbo and aftermarket ECU can always be added later, and you will be better prepared to handle the extra speed and power.

I'm looking forward to your updates. Good luck!

 

Yea but there are kangaroos EVERYWHERE!!! haha, spirited driving is limited around here The local highway patrols have to meet a quota, so they are always patrolling the "typical roads" for hoons; including the ones who drive their Mx5's around tight corners faster than most other vehicles can, within the speed limit *facepalm*

So Update: Admittedly, I never really liked the centre console (besides, who uses that locking compartment in the stupid thing anyway) and because race car, I went about removing it and the stereo. It'd be nice to have some carpet cut to fit the turret a bit better, but I like the look of it OVERALL. Surface rust, not so appealing but I'll save that for later.



Also trying a different means of uploading photos, so hopefully this isn't a huge failure, like the plank of wood that you see in the next picture. Been in this car for god knows how long, holding the stereo in place I'm sure it has had many a interesting adventures and many stories to tell. Adios!



Out of interest I weighed the console (for all you hard core racers) to find it tips the scales at approx 1Kg... Dat weight save Everything there is a measly 6.5Kg.



And what did I do with the auto window switches? Made a fully sick custom bracket! ...Using some plumber's weld to jam it on the inside of the tombstone. Temporarily, I swear.

I may be also worth noting that I'm building a custom luggage rack as a school project, so in a few months that should be ready

 

Thanks for your words of wisdom. I figured it was a good idea to just get to the track first and actually drive the car in it's pretty much standard state. I'm concerned about the diff potentially kicking the bucket when I do go though

 

I just realized you were on the stock 1.6 differential. You are correct to be worried. That should be changed before the first track day. They routinely fail at stock power levels with normal road driving.

 

Hmm, should I go for the NB8C unit or just swap in an LSD?

 

Many 1.8 cars from '94 to '05 had Torsen or other types of LSD from the factory. It shouldn't be difficult to find one. In the NA body style a car with tan interior, leather seats, and power mirrors is likely to have one. There are other packages to look for as well but that one is easy to spot. You can take the serial number of the car and call the Mazda dealer and ask them on any prospective donor. You will need the axles, too, because they are larger.

 

Ok, update time...

I actually haven't been driving this for probably a month or two, which has pained me quite a bit. I haven't driven it since I started having issues with the battery randomly running flat, followed by the belt giving up the ghost and finding the oil leak... and crack in the manifold (which would explain the fully sick flamez) at a REALLY inconvenient time That said though, while being frustrated with having to drive my Astra, I began truly appreciate the qualities of the Mx5. That was enough for me to get my a*** back into gear; as a result, new alternator belt and CAS O-ring are on their way.

...and I may have ordered hood spacers (yeah I know, *rolls eyes*) they're part of the big scheme of things for me; and what I say goes!

Something of interest too. I'm sorry that the car's filthy!



I'v only tacked it together and will have a boiler maker do a professional job on it for that awesome, beaded weld look. I'll be putting up a rough write up on producing a similar rack to this, once it's fitted with custom mounts and my exams are out of the way So far this thing has cost me <$70 (that's AUD).

 

The CAS o-ring is common and easy. Remember to set timing with a light when replacing the CAS.

My battery used to die occasionally as well. It was the gravity switch in the trunk lid light. I removed the bulb and solved the problem.

Hood risers will make the radiator not cool as well and your car may overheat when driving at speed. The area at the base of the windshield is at higher pressure than the engine compartment when moving and some of the air will rush in from there instead of through the radiator. It will also raise the underhood pressure generating lift under the front of the car and reducing any downforce created by the factory design.

If you wish to improve the looks and the cooling, add a GV spoiler lip to the bottom of the front bumper, like my friend Eric did with his NA:



(It helps more if you connect or close the duct holes)

They are available on ebay pretty cheap and are functional.