'90 Mazdaspeed Miata Rallycross Project

Okay, hit that cone.

lol!

A look back to before I ruined it.

So I was googling threads about rallycrossing a Miata, because I'm probably going to be buying one for next year. Read a few posts at the end and thought "Son of a bitch, I bet I've met him! That car looks really familiar!"

Went through my 'regional' rally-x pics and found this gem. Who's that I see in the background!

Small world and all that!

Link to folder?

In reply to BRZCory:

Was that picture from this year or a couple years ago? I need to make it up to Michigan more often.

The Miata made it to the new home this weekend. It was a bit chilly at 20f with no heater and the window down to prevent fogging but she ran fine.

I'm going to say this year, because last year your car camped on the fence side of the gravel road.

Oh hey, neat! Didn't know pictures were posted.

There's some interesting shots where you and England Sr. were in just about exactly the same place and attitude in a corner.

Yep, they were posted a couple days ago but I kept forgetting to look at them.

I'm jealous that seemingly everyone else runs all winter except us. We have 3 months of sitting around with no rallycross

irish44j wrote: I'm jealous that seemingly everyone else runs all winter except us. We have 3 months of sitting around with no rallycross

We're in hiatus too... those are pictures from October, from the National Championship.

irish44j wrote: I'm jealous that seemingly everyone else runs all winter except us. We have 3 months of sitting around with no rallycross

You just have to drive a bit. There was an event in PA this weekend and one at VIR at the end of the month.

moxnix wrote:

irish44j wrote: I'm jealous that seemingly everyone else runs all winter except us. We have 3 months of sitting around with no rallycross

You just have to drive a bit. There was an event in PA this weekend and one at VIR at the end of the month.

yeah I know...it's mostly my own fault, working at a ski shop in the winters which takes away my weekends.

Then again, it pays for my racing, so there's that.

In reply to irish44j:

Better than me, somehow I always end up working on a car all winter

I guess the Miata is still alive. I broke the transmission at the last rallycross in May and replaced it before the event yesterday. It was a little muddy after raining the previous day but it eventually dried up and we had a very fast afternoon course.

Zombie thread!

(sarcasm) Since I don't already have enough projects (/sarcasm), I decided that I really need to make this Miata more friendly to drive on the street. 

After ruining it for rallycross and getting in a mild wreck it really hasn't seen the street for more than 100 miles in the past 2-4 (5?) years except for driving to rallycross. I miss driving it and it just sits around all the time, staying just running enough to beat on it for rallycross weekends before being parked again. 

After selling a couple cars in the past two days I shuffled a couple things around and got it out from its spot by the garage. 

One of the reasons I never drive it anymore is the interior. I thought it was a good idea to do a half dash and remove all the hvac and stereo. 

I do have this in the backyard with a full dash and I have also saved all the parts I took off when I cut the dash up. 

The dash in the "most of a Miata" is no good but it has all the brackets I need and heater core/blower motor/ducting/etc that I might need. I will just have to find a complete 1.6 dash. 

The body on the rallycross Miata is still mostly rust free. The only rust is on the damaged right rocker that has been damaged since I bought it. I need to pull it out and get rid of the rust. 

I also need to source an undamaged bumper and right fender and replace the hood with the stock one that has no vents cut out. And reinstall the hood latch. I don't know why I thought hood pins were a good idea. 

Another thing to do is remove the moss and wash it...

This will probably take awhile as I have 4-5 other projects that need to be done along with all the yardwork and house projects but I want to get started on it and collecting parts. Maybe this thread will help me stay motivated (like that has ever helped in the past).

To Do List:

Source dash, fender and bumper.
Clean and replace HVAC components and clean up wiring under dash.
Fix oil leaks on engine.
Replace bushings in rear suspension that I have been putting off because the LCA bolts are seized.
Pull out passenger rocker and coat it to stop rust. 
Do something about the harsh suspension that is annoying on the street.
Replace front sway bar. 
Get another set of wheels with street tires instead of the old, worn out snow tires.
Drive it more so I can fix all the other issues that I have forgotten about. 

Last weekend we were sitting in grid at an event with the AC on. And then after the event we turned it to full cold, turned the radio up and went home. I loaned it to my sister today to take her kid to the taco truck. Rallycross Maitas that are good street cars are the best. 

In reply to EvanB :

So what you are saying is, the month or so that I lived with the Miata when my RX-7 broke was the most regular use it had been seeing, aside from wintry drives through the backyard?

(Still more pleasant to live with than the black RX-7...  Found myself thinking of buying a Miata because of that.)

Note for the gallery:  I installed a Pioneer headunit and a couple speakers before I drove it much.

Random question: what are those wheels you have on it? I mean, I've seen them on your car before, but can't say I've ever seen them on anything else. Are they an OEM, or something else?

Knurled. said:

In reply to EvanB :

So what you are saying is, the month or so that I lived with the Miata when my RX-7 broke was the most regular use it had been seeing, aside from wintry drives through the backyard?

Exactly.

irish44j said:

Random question: what are those wheels you have on it? I mean, I've seen them on your car before, but can't say I've ever seen them on anything else. Are they an OEM, or something else?

They are Escort ZX2 SR wheels. 

ah, interesting. Too bad the USDM ones have such a small centerbore compared to the EU ones. I mean, perfect for Miata, just not for me lol

In reply to irish44j :

Huh?  The ZX2 and Protege-based Escort were US only.

IIRC, the rear disk Escort rear hub is also the Miata front hub and the Escort front hub is the Miata rear hub.  I also have a vague memory that the 323/Protege never has 4x100 as well, but could be wrong.

In reply to Knurled. :

The BG 323/protege was 4x100. Which is why I want to use those parts for the GTX.