Alex's white NA8 build.

[Alex 2550]

Someone's been busy..... Are you going to install it all at once?


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Hey mate hope you are well yer I'm getting excited about cams as you could probably tell from previous conversations.
I spoke to Phil on the weekend and he showed me some of his ported heads so the plan is at this stage collect all the parts including the cams and gears very similar to patchy, I also need nb collets with the TI retainers. I'll make sure the cams are made for solids rather than HLA's so I get full advantage, I'm going to do mild porting and polishing myself with mild un shrouding of the valves.
Honestly I expect it to be in around 12 months before I get it done as I'll obviously take the head off and I hope to take my time and enjoy the process rather than rush it. Valve cover may go on early but only if timing covers have a hole for our thermostat housing or it will wait.
Also it won't be a cheap process so I need to put the money aside as I can. with the crazy money I spent on the last cars the better half is not to keen on me spending a fortune however we do allocate a very small weekly amount for the mx5 .
When the time comes I hope to:
*rebuild and Shave head, un-shroud valves, port and polish including matching. If I see an absolute need I may go larger valves but at this stage will retain standards.
(I'll get final assembly and clearance done by a race shop)
*fit cams and my other valvetrain gear.
*fit mspnp2.
*fit coolant re-route (starting to get parts already)
*fit moss oil pressure sender kit so my NA8 dash gauge actually works.
*fit all new timing gear, water pump ect while there.
*get it tuned.
So it won't be a quick or cheap process however the journey is half the fun and to be honest I still have heaps of research to do and things to learn so happy to wait so I get exactly what I want in the end as this will be the big power adder on this car and dictate how it behaves so I want to do it right.
Probably pick your brain and hopefully get a run in patchy before then


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[StanTheMan]

My previous journey into this was disastrous.
That's why I'm going about it one thing at a time.

The previous Journey was along the lines of going into it totally Naive. Not realizing exactly what I was up against.
In my case I got the whole lot in a bundle & just installed it with disastrous results. At WOT it was superb but cruising & city traffic just didn't cut the grade. This led to me being totally dissolution's with cars and Patchy was basically parked in the front yard for 6 years.

The way it is running now is 100 times better than the previous time. Its putting a massive smile on my dial. I have to admit its not 100% perfect as Ive surpassed the abilities of the Standard ECU as it is currently. I could just reduce the overlap a little to get it to run within the ECU's capability but the characteristics of it currently just a smile on from ear to ear. My guess is that I'm running about 80- 85rwkw.....but that's just a guess.....whatever the number is, I'm loving it.
It shakes on a lumpy idle which I love but it staggers just a little on deceleration at low RPM. It is barely noticeable but its there.
It is using a ton of petrol but at one stage or another the injectors will come out & get looked at.

Next step is to shave the head & see what that does. If this increases the low rpm staggering it will be an issue for me.
At the same time I'll also get the gasket matched. I'm a little hesitant to attempt porting as I just don't want to muck it up.

If & when the clutch needs replacing a lightened fly wheel will also be added I don't expect this to be any time soon

At least your going into it thinking about it unlike me who went in head first, first time around.

[StanTheMan]

I recently put E85 into patchy for shitz & Giggles. OMG LOL. it was so crap. I'll wait until the stand alone ECU is a reality.
It probably is common knowledge here but the OEM ECU isn't cut out for it.

[Dweezle]

Wouldn't you have just been running really lean??

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[smy0003]

Yeah, like really really lean? I'd be running that tank out with a few full tanks of 98.

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[Alex 2550]

My previous journey into this was disastrous.
That's why I'm going about it one thing at a time.

The previous Journey was along the lines of going into it totally Naive. Not realizing exactly what I was up against.
In my case I got the whole lot in a bundle & just installed it with disastrous results. At WOT it was superb but cruising & city traffic just didn't cut the grade. This led to me being totally dissolution's with cars and Patchy was basically parked in the front yard for 6 years.

The way it is running now is 100 times better than the previous time. Its putting a massive smile on my dial. I have to admit its not 100% perfect as Ive surpassed the abilities of the Standard ECU as it is currently. I could just reduce the overlap a little to get it to run within the ECU's capability but the characteristics of it currently just a smile on from ear to ear. My guess is that I'm running about 80- 85rwkw.....but that's just a guess.....whatever the number is, I'm loving it.
It shakes on a lumpy idle which I love but it staggers just a little on deceleration at low RPM. It is barely noticeable but its there.
It is using a ton of petrol but at one stage or another the injectors will come out & get looked at.

Next step is to shave the head & see what that does. If this increases the low rpm staggering it will be an issue for me.
At the same time I'll also get the gasket matched. I'm a little hesitant to attempt porting as I just don't want to muck it up.

If & when the clutch needs replacing a lightened fly wheel will also be added I don't expect this to be any time soon

At least your going into it thinking about it unlike me who went in head first, first time around.

yer don't worry mate we have all been there my WRX had 4 engine configurations with 4 different turbo's because of going in head first so i think we have all done it.

i think cams around your spec is probably what ill have as i think over that will be pushing it as far as street manners go, in theory i wont be having to dial in to much overlap from the manufactures specs however it is something i will play with when the time comes just out of curiosity and the ease of it with the earlier rocker\timing covers.
This car will always be a fast street focused car but not a daily so ill keep that in mind and let some manners go.

i will look at flywheels when the time comes and possibly go to an NA6 item with a heavy duty NA6 clutch but with the hills around here and lumpy cams a really light flywheel may make it a pig taking off and due to the lack of weight i may find myself working the car a fair bit up hills which may become a chore. a friend Pete has a lightweight in his NB and loves it, he drives similar roads to me so i may look down the road he went.

[StanTheMan]

Wouldn't you have just been running really lean??

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yea possible. I did adjust the AFM as much as I could......but reality is you can only do so much with the AFM spring.Then the O2 sensor getting confused. Below 3000 rpm was real dodgy. Sometimes it would be fine when depressing the accelerator to put some extra petrol, in it. Kind of makes sense now in hindsight.
'I got 250k's out of the whole tank. LOL

[StanTheMan]

Yeah, like really really lean? I'd be running that tank out with a few full tanks of 98.

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indeed, I got it as empy as possible then filled the whole tank to the brink. I'm about to put the 2nd load in today. She;s running sweet now

[speed]

Some good plans there Alex.

Why do you need the timing cover to have the hole for thermostat neck when you will be do a coolant reroute anyways?

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[smy0003]

Speed has a good point, the cleaner and cheaper way to reroute is to freeze plug the front thermostat opening instead of using a blanking plate.

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[Alex 2550]

Some good plans there Alex.

Why do you need the timing cover to have the hole for thermostat neck when you will be do a coolant reroute anyways?

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.

Speed has a good point, the cleaner and cheaper way to reroute is to freeze plug the front thermostat opening instead of using a blanking plate.

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i get where your coming from guys and i will be using the freeze plug to blank it, no question about it. what i mean is if it doesn't have a hole in the timing cover ill wait till i do the reroute before i fit the rocker if it does have the hole ill fit rocker sooner (in the next week or so), i just don't want to run exposed gears that's all.
(i say this now but you know when you have parts sitting there that your not ready to fit but that little voice says "just do it!!" lol)

[smy0003]

Ahhhh yes, I'm very familiar with that feeling.

[Alex 2550]

the worst at the moment is the eunos speaker grills! i really want them in the car and not sitting in a box but i want leather quilted door cards and airstream handles first. (may get alloy door lock assemblies as well ) sigh just need time and money.

[speed]

[/quote]
what i mean is if it doesn't have a hole in the timing cover ill wait till i do the reroute before i fit the rocker if it does have the hole ill fit rocker sooner (in the next week or so), i just don't want to run exposed gears that's all.
(i say this now but you know when you have parts sitting there that your not ready to fit but that little voice says "just do it!!" lol)[/quote]

Ahhhh yes, I'm very familiar with that feeling.

Ah, fair enough.

I don't really get that feeling but am working on another car at the moment.

What I usually do is buy parts, leave them on the coffee table for a day or two to appreciate what I bought, then stash them in a room we are not using.

Probably should have used a smaller room to limit the size of the parts pile. Doh!

Do have a few days off next week, so who knows, maybe my neglected mx5 will get some love



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[Alex 2550]

Probably should have used a smaller room to limit the size of the parts pile. Doh!

Do have a few days off next week, so who knows, maybe my neglected mx5 will get some love

I need one of those rooms!! Lol
Actually saw a black mk3 vr6 today Steve.