Is it possible that the answer really is Miata... An early $2014 build thread

For once in my life I am not procrastinating, waiting till the last minute or thrashing mindlessly to finish something in the days before it is due. Thats right I am actually starting a challenge build almost a year before the event is schedualed to take place

This year a few things will be different... First of all I am actually starting with a plan. Normally I find a car in the months leading up to the challenge that looks interesting and would perform OK. Not this time, I actually decided on a make and model and then began the search for the right canidate.

Second I will actually have a team mate this time. I invited my buddy and his family to the 2013 challenge and they had a blast. My friend Tom is stepping up for 2014 and will split the labor / cost of the car with me. Score!

This year after much bench racing I decided to bite the bullet and buy a Miata. I think it really is the answer. They autocross well and with some boost can be made decently fast in the drag racing portion of the event. Do I have a chance at the overall win, probably not but I am aiming for a solid top ten finish this year and I feel pretty confident that I can pull it off.

On to the car...

After deciding that a Miata is truely the answer, I began my search. I looked in the usual places craigslist, autotrader, the local auctions etc.. to no avail. I found several car but none that really would work for the price point I am looking to spend. Enter copart.com...

As many of you already know copart is now open to the public for bidding. There is sometimes a deal to be had if you are willing to do a little work and can stomach their ludacris fees. I looked on their site and low and behold there was a perfect canidate in Savannah. I placed a bid online and waited. I watched the price slowly creep up in the days before the auction but in the end I was the high bidder at $725.00 Score!

What did this princely sum buy me you ask...

I am the proud owner, well actually Tom and I are the proud owners of a 1995 M-Edition Miata. It is a stick obviously and has 132K miles on it. It appears to be in good shape from the 10 pictures I have of it. I should get the car this weekend. I have my fingers crossed that there is no major issues other then the obvious slight rear end damage

I will get better pics once I get my greasy little paws on the car. Here are the ones from the auction...

Why is this beautiful car at the copart auction you ask....

It doesn't look to bad to fix... Did I mention that Tom used to work as an insurance adjuster and then a mobile painter / body guy. We should be able to fix this no problem.

I'm sure Tom will like the shifter in that. I can't wait to see the build. You should be aiming for top 5 and at least beat that ef civic you built.

DatsunS130 wrote: I'm sure Tom will like the shifter in that. I can't wait to see the build. You should be aiming for top 5 and at least beat that ef civic you built.

Thats the plan. If he doesn't like the shifter in a Miata he needs to stick with automatics.

How are you guys doing? I expect to see the Volvo in the top ten this year...

Inspect the differential carrier VERY carefully. My NB was hit much lighter than yours and the diff carrier broke. Check the right side of it. There are 1/4" reliefs cast into the right side "wing" and the unit will crack or break right there if hit from the rear. This is a common problem on all 1.8 NAs and all NBs.

What are you going to do for the required cage/roll bar?

Nice. The M editions come with an LSD.

Swank Force One wrote: What are you going to do for the required cage/roll bar?

It only applies if you are running non DOT slicks. I will be running r-comps so it shouldn't be an issue. As far a cage for drag racing is concerned I need to get it in the 12's first...

Lof8 wrote: Nice. The M editions come with an LSD.

They also come with fancy seats, that are rare and some what desirable, I can sell them to recoupe some budget if the need arises.

DeadSkunk wrote: Inspect the differential carrier VERY carefully. My NB was hit much lighter than yours and the diff carrier broke. Check the right side of it. There are 1/4" reliefs cast into the right side "wing" and the unit will crack or break right there if hit from the rear. This is a common problem on all 1.8 NAs and all NBs.

I will definitely check it out. Worse case I get one from a scrap yard. There is one on ebay for 119.00 free shipping.

If the carrier is broken, you can simply reweld the arm. It's not a problem, it's how the car is designed to deal with impacts.

Nice score!

Keith Tanner wrote: If the carrier is broken, you can simply reweld the arm. It's not a problem, it's how the car is designed to deal with impacts. Nice score!

Good to know. My buddy is an artist with a TIG welder he could weld it for me if it comes down to it.