Team Stampie 1994 Miata build

We'll be there Thursday. Hopefully I'll have everything ready to drive out once I get off work so 7pm or so.

I was going to leave Jax around 5:00, doesn't look like caravanning will be an option if your leaving at 7:00 ish.

I'm hoping to leave Riverside area around 5. But that's assuming I have my race tires already strapped down in the trunk and everything else loaded up.

So other than the windshield everything is apart and I just need to put it back together. Worked on the rear shocks tonight. The bolt is much smaller on the NA vs the NC so I made a sleeve out of 1/2 inch copper and a cut down Arizona Sweet Tea can. Looks like I'm going to end up using the NB top hats but man I don't want to take the budget hit.

This is my week with my son and I love him helping but it also means I go a little slower. He's loving that he's getting Micky Ds for dinner every night so far. On Sunday we got the rear coil overs together with the NB top hats and got them in the car only to find that the bottom mount is bigger than the old ones and there's a lip that prevents them from going all the way in. We're not set up for good air so an air die grinder was out. Everyone has electric ones if you order them online. Today I found one at Harbor Freight so this evening I spent two hours grinding down the lip. Actually kinda therapeutic as I've been freaking out about getting done in time. Before After

Stampie wrote: I made a sleeve out of 1/2 inch copper and a cut down Arizona Sweet Tea can.

I've made bushings like this out of aluminum and it didn't work. I did however find some really hard RF shielding from an old XBOX that is the same thickness as an aluminum can and used it in a few bushings now and it has worked really well. I did all of the bushings in a Subaru shifter linkage and it has been rock solid for probably 10 years.

In contrast the aluminum bushing hack lasted just weeks.

Yea I'm not happy with it but time, budget, and lack of a lathe prevented anything else right now. Honestly it needs to last 150 miles plus 5 runs each on autox and drag. I'm going to redo it once I can find a smaller lathe within my budget.

Took a semi night off. My friend that's been helping is out of town for a few days and I really need another adult to get the coil overs in. Tonight my son and I painted our wheels. Tires are going on in the morning so I couldn't put it off. As soon as I did the first coat on one wheel I got worried that they'd look to nice and not fit the rest of the car. If anyone knows what kind of wheels they are I'd appreciate an ID.

The rears fit.

The wheels look like Pepboys Proline 333s in black.

Thanks. We got all the coil overs in and buttoned up. What a PITA fitting them in. We also replaced the windshield but destroyed the molding in the process so I'll probably just black silicone the gap. At least I feel a lot better about making it now.

You got this.

Thanks I do feel a lot closer after yesterday. It's official, I've called out of work for Thursday so that I can take care of all the last minute stuff before leaving in the afternoon.

Got the brakes done tonight. Had to buy a caliper for a bleed screw but ordered two bleed screws so I'll just put a new screw back in the caliper and be able to return it. The weird stuff you do when under a deadline.

At this point I could put tires on it and drive it so I'm totally happy with where we stand. Plus pimpm3 came by this evening and didn't say that it sucked but he was probably being polite.

In reply to Stampie:

Lol-It doesn't suck man! I'm looking forward to seeing it compete.

WillrunifChased wrote:

Stampie wrote: Oh you noticed that? Yea little issue. We'll find out in the morning. Nothing that a little sweat and blood can't solve.

The rears on NA/NB miatas are generally shorter bodies. How will that work out? I expect pictures.

You were right and I'm feeling like a dumbass. On the positive side, if you want to rally x a Miata then I have that combo down. At least we got to drive it even if a few inches too high. I'll use the shocks just not this year. Plan is to make custom top hats for next year.

In reply to Stampie:

But where are the pictures? Too bad I sold my bilsteins a couple weeks ago. If you could find a different suspension I could definitely help swap it out Thursday night.

What spring rate do you have up front?

I have 450 front and 250 rear. Front set low as possible I'm 2 inches higher than stock. Rears set with 1 inch travel I'm 4 inches higher than stock. Drove down to the gas station and beat the hell outta the tach pointer leaving. Had fun but gonna work hard tomorrow getting it back down.

Can you weld? If not-Do you have time to take your top hats to a machine shop and get them modified? An appropriate length capped tube welded on top would get your shock travel back. Then you could cut multiple coils off the springs to deal with ride height. High level miatae run up in the 700+ range up front and 450+ in the rear so you have some room for spring rate increase.

Just not enough time to do it. Best I could come up with was building a top hat out of 3 inch PVC but that was after a couple of whiskeys last night. Current plan is to run stock shocks and build a custom top hat as you describe for next year.

When are you coming? If you bring the parts to the hotel parking lot during the day Thursday i'd bet someone there has a welder. Some tube, some plate, a drill, a grinder, and a welder and you are good to go.

Introducing for the 2015 GRM Challenge ... Team Stampie Rally X Miata. I'm going to run it in rally x mode. It came down to this is supposed to be fun and if I swapped the suspension out again then it wouldn't be fun. I'll have a year to build new top hats but only Thursday night to walk around looking at cars and watching crazy people strip down a Lincoln. Took it on a shake down run and I'm good with it. Little loose in the rear so I may disconnect the rear sway bar but you wouldn't know that it's way higher than my other Miata. We did get the side mirrors and turn signal lens mounted after the pic. Tomorrow night will be focused on interior stuff and then the caravan down Thursday.

I love it!

Ya know......The grass parking outside the strip has some really sweet jumps.

I will bring my stockers off the m edition. Worse case we throw them on after half the autocross runs. They are complete and assembled so we can probably swap them over in less then an hour.