Daffy's SE

[Daffy]

Part 1
I have a few posts scattered here and there about my 05 SE "The Problem Child". I've fielded some questions about it and thought I'd bring the complete (albeit a condensed and some regurgitated) story together in "garage chat" over a few posts rather than 1 big block.

Starting from the mid 80's to the mid 90's after owning (and abusing) a string of v8's and worked 6's, I had bought a fast, heavily modded red 1983 Sigma Scorpion running an ex Race prepped N/A Astron 2.6 that had been made into a convertible. It was a great car and was the birth of my love for the ragtops, and I had promised myself another convertible somewhere down the line after I sold it in 2000.
In 2011, I caught sight of a shiny red 2005 SE turbo sitting in a car yard in Tweed Heads. I learned it was locked away in storage for a few years before the previous owner traded it. It was really clean, all leather interior, Tein suspension upgrade and had just over 40000k's. (I did discover a mouse that had taken residency in the air filter!!). After much haggling down the asking price, I picked it up for 20k, took it to a local mechanic and cleaned up the stale bits under bonnet. My 1st turbo car!! At the time I called it "red frog". A great looking convertible with the solid foundations of a top project car, and in standard form I enjoyed every drive.

In early 2013, I picked up a cold air intake, 450cc injectors, a chiptorque custom chip upgrade and xede piggyback, bigger intercooler and 2.5 inch sports exhaust. After a Chiptorque tune, it ran a healthy 153kw.

https://youtu.be/fgFcYeujLfk

[Daffy]

Part 2
A few of months later (2013), the original SE clutch started to die. I teed up an Exedy replacement. At the same time, although it was running well with some nice grunt, I was looking to notch up the power output.....hindsight flying solo with no experience in turbos was my bad, real bad......with going in head 1st and not thinking it through properly, I discovered that a Garrett Gt2560r is a great choice to use when turbocharging a NON turbo BP 1.8 engine or a 1.6, I spanked myself hard hard HARD after blowing good $$$ on a f***up effort that gained a miserable 7KW increase to 160kw by swapping out the original IHI with the Gt25 and bigger injectors). Pointless, time consuming and burned in the hip pocket big time by around 4k for such a small gain. Owch.
There is not much difference in the 2 turbos in their output- I say that from my experience and point of view of the outcome I had. Not ragging on the Gt25, it is a great solid turbo, Just I would say to SE owners don't swap out the IHI for a Gt25 if theres no problems with it, the IHI is better than what people give it.

[Daffy]

Part 3
my 1st mechanic, Nathan (great guy) who serviced the "red frog" told me that he only done service work, but to see the guys one street over would be worthwhile if I wanted to look at big power outputs, it was early 2014. Enter engineer/engine builder Ben, a fella Im proud to call a mate! The 1st time I met him, he was up front with what he could do for me, & gave an accurate cost. The timeframe would be around 3 months, as Ben was working on his own and not working full time at that time.
Summery of parts and work rundown done by Ben

Parts;
Garrett GT2871R ball bearing turbo. All braided lines.
CP forged pistons and spool rods
acl race main bearings
acl race conrod bearings
Solid billet custom built cams
By Clive Cams Victoria
cam specs;
228 degrees @ 50 thou
271 degree advertised
370 thou lift (9.5mm)
113 degree LSA
Heavy duty valve springs
Clutch - Jim Berry (Race Clutch) custom rebuild (includes machine flywheel and supply new bolts)
full gasket set (for 90's models - not all gaskets are correct for this model)
intake gasket
camshaft plug
full timing belt kit
water pump
thermostat
30mm stainless steel welch plugs x7
35mm stainless steel welch plugs x2
ch2043 radiator hose
ch5106 radiator hose
joiner pipe

Rebuild work summery;
strip and check engine
dummy assemble to check deck heights and calculate compression ratio
hone bores
check and adjust ring gap as required
linish crankshaft
measure all bearing clearances
hone conrod small ends for correct pin clearance
surface grind cylinder block
port cylinder head
recut all valve seats
reface all valves and polish for flow improvement
wet bead blast head
cc chambers and surface grind head as required
measure and correct valve spring installed pressures as required
assemble cylinder head and check/adjust valve clearances (tip valves as required - very time consuming)
surface grind warped exhaust manifold
balance rotating assembly
degree camshafts to specs (modify timing gears to achieve this)
assemble engine and paint
pre-lube oiling system.
Re route the water pump to feed cold from the back of the block.

This was all done by May 2014 at a well reasonable cost. By this time the motor prior to the rebuild had run 77000k's.

[Daffy]

Part 4
With respect to the forum admin gurus and fellow members in what we DON'T talk about, I will not name and shame mechanic number 2 (ASS***E), who assured Ben & myself that he knew what to do to put the rebuild back under the bonnet and rig up a workable engine management set up to realise the full potential of what was built. lets just say he's bull***t big talk is the direct link of all things that went WRONG, regarding time off the road, cost blowouts, WRONG ecu set ups, time off the road, dozens of dodgy excuses and did I say time off the road for the rest of 2014?

The only truth about a con artist is that the con artist actually believes its own lies.

I had to borrow several mates cars, primarily a best mates commodore and engineer Bens beige camira, as well as forking out for rentals to get to and from work, money and hassle to others NOT warranted, $$$ and time absolutely wasted.
There is need for a little clarification at this point, I am NOT a mechanic- I love driving, its my quality downtime thing and how I unwind, and I love a well put together car and driving them, building a quality set up is a means to an end for me, whatever the make or model- the old are you a holden or ford man argument s**ts me no end- a great car is a great car, regardless of make model or power output, simple as that......& I know what is what under a bonnet and how it works, and with mine- with what I wanted to achieve, but I had to put my trust in those who know how to MAKE it work, this fact at the time to mechanic number 2, I had made very clear. Mechanic number 2 DID NOT KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT WORK, then closed up shop and disappeared without a trace...............sore point for me...........nuff said.

[Daffy]

Part 5
Early 2015, Enter mechanic 3, the brilliant Darren, another fella I am also proud to call a mate!! Bit by bit, (with help from his Dad Ian, Ben, Matt & Chris) Darren found the mechanic 2 f*** ups made, and began to "cut out" the cancer that was killing off the project and was starting haemorrhage too much moolah and my (& wife's) patience. I was almost ready to cut my losses and give up on it.

During a typically lengthy late evening chinwag with Darren, I told him how my wife had started likening my "red frog" to a typical family's problematic middle kid- the "red frog" was then baptised in vodka by the "Reverend Dr Dazza" while hymns were sung by AC/DC and the "red frog" was reborn the "THE PROBLEM CHILD"

What was sorted and added by Daz and Ben from early 2015;
Oil blowby issues (solution worked out with Ben, plenum tricked up too)
Flying miata e85 big fuel kit, 1000cc injectors. Tuned for both ulp98 and e85.
64mm solid billet throttle body (skunk2).
(FAB9 brand) cold plug heavy duty ignition system for +16lb boost - platnium plugs gapped @ .60 (microtech ignightor was retained)
NGK (R) pfr7b plugs.
3 inch custom built race exhaust and dump pipe built by Dave at Chinderah Discount Mufflers.
Custom cold air intake also built by Dave
Custom built PWR Intercooler 2.5 inch outlets, (Dave'sCustom piping throughout). Things were looking up!

[Daffy]

Part 6
The brilliant Matt from PITS, Performance injection tuning services stepped in. He was well aware of the previously mentioned failures (and after his meeting mechanic 2, the unspoken disrespect between the two was deafening). Matt is a man straight to the point and is a true master of his craft- he seen the engine management setup mechanic 2 put together was f***ed. His solution.....no more f**k arounds, cut losses, get rid of it, buy a Haltech elite 1500 and get it running right. Now in 2016- tuned by Matt for e85 & ulp98, as well as any mix between, finally......Issues solved and a smooth running 350+ RWHP vision realised. The Problem Child is a beast.

With family care commitments revolving around the bastard cancer taking a lot of my and wife's spare time right now, I'm not in a position to have some track day fun going yet (family is 1st, always will be) but I cant wait until Im sharing track day stories!

Since the start of this year, latest additions are;
"Chimney" hood vents- a much debated subject........I put mine in, & where I placed them was to help let hot air out, and thats what they do (they look good too) as well as a resprayed front end, (thanks Joe and Paul), MX5 plus brand roll twin hoop bar (both for protection and it has made the car more stable). DBA brake rotors all round, metal lines and project mu club race pads. The original Racingheart 17x7's on Potenza Re002's replaced with Hyper silver Advan RZ 16x8 on Neova AD08R's, as traction in 2nd and a fair bit of 3rd was non exsistant with the racinghearts, the new Neova rubber are sticky, wider, and the lighter rims has bolstered the traction massively, and as such, some clutch slip issues when the boost peaks have come to light. I spent some quality one on one time with the great man Jim Berry of Race Clutch, who is reworking a Frankenstein creation for me as its his custom clutch thats slipping- and he loves a challenge. However, regarding my new clutch issues, a very VERY VERY grateful call out to forum member Rorge who, prior to Jim committing to the new rebuild, had the biggest hand up at the ready for me that, for the sake of 48hrs, I would have run with, Your a good man George!!!! (I could not be more grateful for what you had lined up for me mate!)
I have a bit more detail (& spelling mistakes) in my other posts, but here's hoping that this has been a worthwhile read.

[Lokiel]

Love "The Duck"!
(and that you ditched the boat anchors and recognised the difference that the MX5Plus roll bar makes, I still can't believe that's a controversial mod).

It's good to see another hood ventilation solution - any chance of photos of the underside of the bonnet? (Curious to see how much the bracing was cut).

[billybunter]

its good to read you finally have the car sorted out following all the drama you went through. it is a pita even if you have the money to throw at them and the job isn't done right or their talk is long winded or just crap! hope everything words out well for you in all other areas too

I read a few build horror stories here on the forum and decided if I ever jumped to a higher figure on the hp i'd give nitro dann a go. although I have never met him but spoke a couple of times to him on the phone plus a few emails he did have a good rep - thankfully he did deliver what he said he would do so i'd class his word as a100% positive and i'd highly recommend his work to any-one who want a job done right -first time.

[Daffy]

Love "The Duck"!
(and that you ditched the boat anchors and recognised the difference that the MX5Plus roll bar makes, I still can't believe that's a controversial mod).

It's good to see another hood ventilation solution - any chance of photos of the underside of the bonnet? (Curious to see how much the bracing was cut).

As requested- 1 underbonnet shot and 1 pre paint. There was minimal brace cut and Joe the panelbeater used a "black goop" that dry's rock hard. Mate... the duck itself adds at least 50hp

[Daffy]

its good to read you finally have the car sorted out following all the drama you went through. it is a pita even if you have the money to throw at them and the job isn't done right or their talk is long winded or just crap! hope everything words out well for you in all other areas too

I read a few build horror stories here on the forum and decided if I ever jumped to a higher figure on the hp i'd give nitro dann a go. although I have never met him but spoke a couple of times to him on the phone plus a few emails he did have a good rep - thankfully he did deliver what he said he would do so i'd class his word as a100% positive and i'd highly recommend his work to any-one who want a job done right -first time.

Agreed mate, I wasnt on this forum when I kicked off, had I known then what I know now and knew of Nitrodann, he would be 1st port of call for sure. Amazing stuff he done with Dave Moore's BARMY. I remember when I started out I had a read up on line the WA MX5 Club member Simon Corston's SE, I thought his set up was pretty slick and wanted to replicate somethin similar. Always a case of good networking and doing some proper homework I guess!
I could sum up the mechanical pea brain of "mechanic 2" in a picture, see attached!!

[Daffy]

Further to WA MX5 club details I read up on all that time ago that inspired me- and to add, yep I joined the QLD Mx5 club this week.
http://www.mx5club.com.au/index.php?ID=7

[Daffy]

New Autometer gauges going in.

[Daffy]

New Jim Berry race clutch creation to be assembled next week- details of a 3500 to 4000lbs of clamp non ceramic but organic build to follow........ will be an interesting set up- 9kg fly wheel so far confirmed, more details to follow. 3 weeks worth of research and planning buy the great man so far

[Daffy]

Worth the wait

[Daffy]

The "Frankenstein" clutch is alive!! After much research, Jim Berry took a modified stepped mx5/laser full weight fly wheel, an Exedy heavy duty EVO 3 pressure plate (modified to fit), Porsche steel sleeved spigot bearing, a 1600 MX5 bearing (as the 1600 has a larger radial face than the 1800), genuine GTR32 straps and a LUK 225mm organic plate with the spline masterfully modified. The result....... 3800lbs clamp force thats able to take stop start peak hour traffic without raising a sweat and building an Arnold Schwarzenegger sized calf muscle as well as holding together the 350+RWHP!!! Its going in next week- pics to come.