There is an aesthetic vision at work here as well, which I can only describe as a bizarre combination of So-Cal hot rod culture, JDM tuning culture and classic 1960s sports car influence (the Miata was inspired by the Lotus Elan, after all). You’ll either understand what I’m saying, or you won’t. Either way I won’t bother trying to explain it any more than I just did!
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Down to brass tacks then.
First order of business was to get the car some serious cardiovascular exercise by giving the engine a thorough rebuild. The whole motor was taken apart and the bottom end checked out for sturdiness. Meanwhile, the head was ripped off and sent for porting and polishing and the valvetrain was completely disassembled and checked for clearance, play and overlap with a good amount of leak and compression testing on the menu.
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This first part of the project took quite some time to come together as finding a reliable supplier for all the necessary bits took awhile. But in the end the goodies started arriving – new gaskets for the entire motor, new oil pump, new water pump, new headstands, new plug, ignition wires, air filter, hoses, timing and accessory belts etc. I also decided to chuck out the original radiator and stick in a nice high capacity Mishimito aluminum unit with a new thermostat and hoses to keep things cool.
Three months waiting for the parts to arrive then, and 5 days later the heart of the beast was torn out, pumped up and put back together again by the boys at Evolution Auto Couture and Red Beastie’s heart is now beating stronger than it likely ever has. Might be a few more engine tricks in store down the road but for now it’s running like a swiss clock, with rock solid temperatures regardless of what I’ve been able to throw at the car.
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Meanwhile another juicy bit arrived from the US – an RS*R replica exhaust hand made to order by dp6061 in the US. So that went on too and now the little red beastie has the lungs of a lion. It’s so loud that the neighbors hate me but it’s got great vocals – loud but subtle drone at low revs ranging to a thrilling bark at the top of the rev range. Oh well, neighbours are overrated anyways.
With the basic engine work taken care of then the other key area that’s been getting some attention is the handling package – suspension, wheels and tires. To replace the totally blown OEM shocks and flabby springs I opted for some Stance coilovers based on the feedback of other Miata owners. They’re extremely height adjustable and come with very well judged spring rates for mixed street and track duty right out of the box (8k front, 6k rear).
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The other key part of the deal was the new rims and tires. I wanted a deep dish, retro look for the rims without being too heavy and without having to modify the bodywork of the car so after much research I settled on a set of Drag DR20s in 15×7 inches with a +10 offset – just enough to fill those arches to brushing point. I wrapped these in some 195/50/15 Michelin Pilot Exalto rubber from Motorsports Wheels in Dubai who luckily had just the right size in stock!
Given that this isn’t a serious track car I figured that semi slick rubber would be overkill for the car at this point, besides which the car’s structure will need considerable stiffening to handle any more than what the Michelins can already dish out.
Happily I guessed right. Although there were some major issues with the coilovers in the beginning some creativity and hard wrenching by the boys at a2b garage got everything working properly in the suspension department and the wheels and rubber slipped on just perfectly thanks to a few nights I spent under the car with a heat gun and a rubber mallet rolling the fenders by hand. After a quick alignment came the tricky part – getting the stance of the car juuuuust right.
I originally wanted to ‘slam’ the car to the pavement i.e. run it very very low to the ground in the So-Cal tradition. Although it looked great that idea only lasted about a day before the reality of Dubai’s speedbump situation forced a rethink – banging my frame and scraping my whole exhaust system on every single one of the 18 speedbumps between my house and the office got a little old in a big hurry. So I digressed from a ‘slammed’ approach to a still-somewhat-acceptable-in-so-cal ‘moderately slammed’ ride height. This basically means that the car sits as low as it possibly can with only a minor speedbump scrape here and there, which I can handle.
So after a whole lot of work on the car over the past month I reckon it’s starting to look OK and it runs great. A few thorough shakedown sessions on one of my private test tracks confirms that the handling is spot on as well with enormous grip and nearly perfect balance. It’s possible to toss the car into corners like a go kart, get the power down and catch it just as it wags its tail, but the car seems equally happy when observing a more traditional smooth-is-fast textbook circuit driving approach to cornering as well. However you drive it it revs up happily and zings away once you cross the 4000rpm mark and clings and tiptoes across tarmac like a Ukranian Olympic gymnast named Olga. I’m thinking of naming the car Olga, actually – she moved with superhuman grace and poise in a tight, attractive little package with just enough vexatious temperament thrown in so that you respect her no matter what.
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Anyhow I feel I’ve totally nailed the basics and the car’s come a long long way since I picked it up from that dark and dusty parking garage in JBR where it was sagging away to nothingness while collecting dust and leaking stuff everywhere. But there’s still lots more to come. Next up is some attention to the drivetrain and braking systems to support this newfound athleticism as well as some choice attention to the ergonomics, after which is shall be time for the red beastie to make an appearance at the Autodrome to scare the odd ham-fisted Porsche and BMW driver.
So stay tuned for part 3, by which time there should be some track antics to report on. And, of course, many more little bits and bobs to come. Some of which are already in the mail.
Perfection takes time, but at the moment I’m quite enjoying the journey.
theshadow
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Anonymous
Lovely looking MX5 there chaps, I recently sold my RS Limited version here in the UK. I miss it. I’m still contemplating another one. Looking forward to Part 3!