mx5cartalk.com

Hi everyone,

This is my first build thread, so it may be full of fail, but bear with me.

The car started out life as a JDM NB8C but was shipped over to Australia for "race only" use, so it can never be registered. In other words perfect for a dedicated track pig!

It came with tan interior, BOSE stereo and woodgrain wheel/shifter. It made the car feel like a luxurious cruiser which is funny as that's the last thing it will be used for. More importantly it came with a 6 speed box and TorSen diff.

I've spent evenings over the last few weeks stripping out the interior, removing the sound deadening, removing power steering and A/C:



Here are a few pics of the now minimalistic interior with a test fit of the seat and harness (before you ask; it is a 6 point but other belts are still in box):





The car will be run 100% stock engine-wise until I'm consistent enough to throw in some more power.

Still to do:

• Finish removing sound deadening on floor
• Fit SE swaybars
• Fit SE front brakes
• Install braided brake lines
• Install Carbotech XP10/XP8 pads
• Install TEIN coilovers
• Swap in depowered steering rack
• Install cage
• Install mounting plates for harness
• Change all fluids
• Do skids
• Thrash the life out of it at the track

Yeah Yeah! Subscribed

Looks like fun! How "budget" are we talking?

saboteur wrote:The car will be run 100% stock engine-wise until I'm consistent enough to throw in some more power.

Wow, good to see someone do it in the right order for a change.. Get the handling and driver sorted first, then add power.
Good stuff. Keep the pics coming....

zossy1 wrote:Looks like fun! How "budget" are we talking?

I'm talking "single income family with two kids and a mortgage" budget.

Got a trailer yet?

jerrah wrote:Got a trailer yet?

I've got one lined up, I just need to hand over the green stuff! It's the next purchase.

the SE brakes are the same as the ones on the standard NB8B/c

save some $$ there

Regie wrote:the SE brakes are the same as the ones on the standard NB8B/c

save some $$ there

This is certainly the case on Australian delivered cars AFAIK. It may be the case on JDM cars - it certainly is NOT the case with US-delivered cars - the big brakes were only an option there.

It came with the same brakes we get on the NB8A.

Sorry if it is a bit confusing - the car looks like an NB8A but the Jap build plate says NB8C!

A bit more progress today!

Started fitting MX-5 Plus rollbar, swapping out the rear swaybar and fitting a different rear muffler:



Also changed the oil and coolant.

Today I converted the power steering rack to manual:



The rack was leaking, so it was a good candidate for this conversion. The rack pictured at the top is the original rack from the car which will go to a new home.

zomg winnie the pooh!! LOL

awesome!
I wish I had the patience to build something like this - instead I went out and bought a near completed track one lol

so whats the plan - door to door stuff? supersprintS?

evil_weevil wrote:so whats the plan - door to door stuff? supersprintS?

Just sprints and general stuffing about.

Don't have the time or budget for door to door racing at the moment, but I'm not ruling it out in this car's future!

Hi Saboteur,
This sounds just like my car! Some slight differences in ROPS and shock/springs but in essence the same! I reckon this is the most fun you can have with a flameproof suit on

Fun is the aim of the game!

Not much progress due to lack of time. I cleaned up the SE brakes ready to be fitted, waiting on some braided lines though: