Adrian's NA8 resurection
Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 2:35 pm
I'd like to share with you all what is now, and what is to come.
I am currently 18 years old Attending Unviersity and live at home in campbelltown area.
I used to own a red NA6, was my first car as a red P-plater (currently on green p's now), it wasnt perfect by any means but i loved it. This was her:
IMG_0143 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
I didnt have many plans for it being such an old and worthless investment, but i managed to salvage a jap engine with low km's on it to swap for its tired and neglected engine. I got half way through changing all the seals, belts and gaskets on the new engine and sold it.
Why?
Because i saw this:
IMG_0174 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
A 1997 LE MX with less than 125,000 kms.
$4000 was a price that i couldnt refuse
... even in the state it was in. It may not be evident in the photos but there was and is alot of work to be done to this car.
After fulfilling my ever indulgent thirst for uselessly having 2 mx5's on my parents front lawn, i decided it would be best if i sold one of them
The red car was sold as a slightly profitable investment for 4250 (i think slightly profitable due to the fluctuating market for mx5's).
Back to the green machine:
So for $4000 i knew there was going to be issues with the car. When we bought it i knew we were taking a gamble (we = me and my step dad bought it off his friend from work). The previous owner was a female, owned it for the last 7 years. The car got its scheduled mazda services all the way up to 99,000 kms, all good all good.
HOWEVER
After much inspection
We came to the conclusion that this car had barely been dríven over the 7 years that she had owned it. DUN Dun dun...
The car was filfthy,
paint looked horrible (almost looked bluish brownish)
had no oil in the engine
the brake resovoir looked worse than an oil change after 15,000 kms (not really, just exaggeration lol)
the brake pads were down to nothing
rotors felt like they were warped
radiator had a small leak, as did the rear heater hose
overall very neglected little car
clutch was near gone
I had a brand spanking new TODA flywheel and exedy HD clutch combo sitting my gararge which was supposed to be used on my donor engine for the 1.6.
So as you may have already guessed, I decided to use it on the 1.8 as a combo to satisfy the clutch issue. (yes the 1.8 and 1.6 are interchangeable).
IMG_0340 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
The radiator issue was also resolved shortly after picking up an ebay cheapy.
IMG_0167 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
Cheap is cheap but this was definately value for money
IMG_0168 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
I had a used set of Koni/king combos sitting in my garage that i was going to use on my red car, so they were installed almost straight away:
IMG_0126 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
The stereo barely worked, being one with a particular ear for music and sound i had always wanted something ALOT better than all my friends shitty super cheap auto branded speakers and subwoofers in their cars.
I sound deadened the doors myself, not the most professional job out there but it definately works:
IMG_0191 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
I then went and saw a professional audio specialist out near silverwater who directed me to the best speakers for my budget. I ordered a brand called Morrel's, model name Tempo 6, 6 inch splits. You may have heard of them, they truly are one of the most amazing sounding speakers i have ever heard.
If you havent heard of them you can compare them to brands such as focal and rockford fosgate.
I then combined this with a top of the line Kenwood KDC-X8016BT, 2 amps and a Kicker slimline sub for the boot.
1544_800_252[1] by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
The brake pads definately needed a change soon and the rotors were well and truly F***ed lol (don't ask me how but they were).
with some guidance i decided to get new rotors, multi directional slotted DBA to be exact
and mated EBC greenstuff pads to them. They currently suit my needs.
IMG_0211 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
When we bought the car, the no oil part bothered me alot, made me wonder is there was any leaks... searched and searched nope. So i decided to flush the engine with a clean oil change for a few thousand kms and then change again. The car was running fine and didnt develop any leaks what so ever.
2 months later....
One morning i woke up to go somewhere, got in the car, started it, lots of smoke? confusion. From that morning till this day it blows a sh*t load of smoke on cold startup for about 5 minutes, and about half a kilomter down the road then stops blowing smoke. I have been driving it every day since letting it warm up 10 minutes before i go anywhere everytime, filling the street with the sweet sensation of burning oil. im just waiting for it to die - strong little things these are!
For more info please refer to my thread: viewtopic.php?f=29&t=48652
Anyway i have finally had the time to organise an engine rebuild.
It will be getting rebuilt by Daniel Deckers,
from my understanding he usually builds high performance race engines,
but when i gave him a call he was more than happy to do this job for me.
basically we have discussed:
1mm overbore,
10.5 comp pistons (vs standard 9:1)
minor head work,
crank balancing,
new bearings, front and main seals etc.
It will be getting done towards the end of this month so i will be sure to keep you posted! Photos to come!
Other future plans:
Full bare metal respray in either standard BRG or Montego blue (because i really love that colour), the paint is really sh*t at the moment, plenty of bird poo stains, scratches, and a massive indented scratch on the left rear quarter panel
Here is the car as it stands today:
IMG_0174 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
IMG_0177 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
And a link to a video for anyone who wants to see how much smoke this sick little baby actually spits out on startup:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/58442530@N ... hotostream
Thanks! more to come!
I am currently 18 years old Attending Unviersity and live at home in campbelltown area.
I used to own a red NA6, was my first car as a red P-plater (currently on green p's now), it wasnt perfect by any means but i loved it. This was her:
IMG_0143 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
I didnt have many plans for it being such an old and worthless investment, but i managed to salvage a jap engine with low km's on it to swap for its tired and neglected engine. I got half way through changing all the seals, belts and gaskets on the new engine and sold it.
Why?
Because i saw this:
IMG_0174 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
A 1997 LE MX with less than 125,000 kms.
$4000 was a price that i couldnt refuse
... even in the state it was in. It may not be evident in the photos but there was and is alot of work to be done to this car.After fulfilling my ever indulgent thirst for uselessly having 2 mx5's on my parents front lawn, i decided it would be best if i sold one of them
The red car was sold as a slightly profitable investment for 4250 (i think slightly profitable due to the fluctuating market for mx5's).
Back to the green machine:
So for $4000 i knew there was going to be issues with the car. When we bought it i knew we were taking a gamble (we = me and my step dad bought it off his friend from work). The previous owner was a female, owned it for the last 7 years. The car got its scheduled mazda services all the way up to 99,000 kms, all good all good.
HOWEVER
After much inspection
We came to the conclusion that this car had barely been dríven over the 7 years that she had owned it. DUN Dun dun...
The car was filfthy,
paint looked horrible (almost looked bluish brownish)
had no oil in the engine
the brake resovoir looked worse than an oil change after 15,000 kms (not really, just exaggeration lol)
the brake pads were down to nothing
rotors felt like they were warped
radiator had a small leak, as did the rear heater hose
overall very neglected little car
clutch was near gone
I had a brand spanking new TODA flywheel and exedy HD clutch combo sitting my gararge which was supposed to be used on my donor engine for the 1.6.
So as you may have already guessed, I decided to use it on the 1.8 as a combo to satisfy the clutch issue. (yes the 1.8 and 1.6 are interchangeable).
IMG_0340 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
The radiator issue was also resolved shortly after picking up an ebay cheapy.
IMG_0167 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
Cheap is cheap but this was definately value for money
IMG_0168 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
I had a used set of Koni/king combos sitting in my garage that i was going to use on my red car, so they were installed almost straight away:
IMG_0126 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
The stereo barely worked, being one with a particular ear for music and sound i had always wanted something ALOT better than all my friends shitty super cheap auto branded speakers and subwoofers in their cars.
I sound deadened the doors myself, not the most professional job out there but it definately works:
IMG_0191 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
I then went and saw a professional audio specialist out near silverwater who directed me to the best speakers for my budget. I ordered a brand called Morrel's, model name Tempo 6, 6 inch splits. You may have heard of them, they truly are one of the most amazing sounding speakers i have ever heard.
If you havent heard of them you can compare them to brands such as focal and rockford fosgate.
I then combined this with a top of the line Kenwood KDC-X8016BT, 2 amps and a Kicker slimline sub for the boot.
1544_800_252[1] by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
The brake pads definately needed a change soon and the rotors were well and truly F***ed lol (don't ask me how but they were).
with some guidance i decided to get new rotors, multi directional slotted DBA to be exact
and mated EBC greenstuff pads to them. They currently suit my needs.IMG_0211 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
When we bought the car, the no oil part bothered me alot, made me wonder is there was any leaks... searched and searched nope. So i decided to flush the engine with a clean oil change for a few thousand kms and then change again. The car was running fine and didnt develop any leaks what so ever.
2 months later....
One morning i woke up to go somewhere, got in the car, started it, lots of smoke?
confusion. From that morning till this day it blows a sh*t load of smoke on cold startup for about 5 minutes, and about half a kilomter down the road then stops blowing smoke. I have been driving it every day since letting it warm up 10 minutes before i go anywhere everytime, filling the street with the sweet sensation of burning oil. im just waiting for it to die - strong little things these are!For more info please refer to my thread: viewtopic.php?f=29&t=48652
Anyway i have finally had the time to organise an engine rebuild.
It will be getting rebuilt by Daniel Deckers,
from my understanding he usually builds high performance race engines,
but when i gave him a call he was more than happy to do this job for me.
basically we have discussed:
1mm overbore,
10.5 comp pistons (vs standard 9:1)
minor head work,
crank balancing,
new bearings, front and main seals etc.
It will be getting done towards the end of this month so i will be sure to keep you posted! Photos to come!
Other future plans:
Full bare metal respray in either standard BRG or Montego blue (because i really love that colour), the paint is really sh*t at the moment, plenty of bird poo stains, scratches, and a massive indented scratch on the left rear quarter panel
Here is the car as it stands today:
IMG_0174 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
IMG_0177 by 860340af211b2f0e80276d525df3ed97, on Flickr
And a link to a video for anyone who wants to see how much smoke this sick little baby actually spits out on startup:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/58442530@N ... hotostream
Thanks! more to come!
cant wait to get on the track!! 
,
