Recommended engine builder - Syd

[The Green Goblin]

Hi Guys,

Long story short - i am considering a forged turbo build for my nbc, i would prefer to engage a reliable, non-grubby, non-dodgy, expert mechanic or shop who specialise in building & tuning track orientated engine set up's whether that's mx5 specific or not.

So, can anyone with some first hand experience in Sydney point me in the right direction please?

thanks,
Jas.

[Corey]

I can't really comment from experience, but I've seen some nice looking and sounding engines come out of mx5mania. Worth checking out I guess.

[Nuddy]

I can't really comment from experience, but I've seen some nice looking and sounding engines come out of mx5mania. Worth checking out I guess.

Same here, no personal experience but Mania does have a good reputation.
Where abouts in Sydney are you located? Mania is in Dural - fine for northerners but a bit hard for southerners.

[Luke]

I have never had an engine built but the SE I have now actually does have a forged turbocharged motor and I can't really pick anything wrong with it.
It was built at 183000km in 2013 and now has 193000kms on it and still going strong in what was a pure track car.
So I cannot talk about the experience of the process but what I have does work.
The number 1 thing is the car has been fitted with the right bits which is the main reason I bought it.

To be more specific of who did the bulk of the work.
Car was standard and over time had the typical SE bolts on's and an Adaptronic esel039 ECU. Not sure who did the ECU at this point of time. If I dig through the big book of receipts I could work it out. However something minor did go wrong with the engine at this point from memory due to an over rev.
The engine was rebuilt, reconditioned and assembled by ACDC in Canberra in 2013. Certain jobs were outsourced such as machining, chemical treatments, balancing etc. That was rebuilt with the standard SE turbo thrown back on it, but build to take much more boost than the little IHI could provide.
It then had a 2860RS upgrade with a Flyin Miata manifold fitted by MX5 Mania in 2017. They also tuned it with that setup.
It was then retuned by CGR performance.

PM me if you have any questions about the above as I can provide more details.

You will find people will likely be a bit cagey about this topic and won't want to post anything publicly.

[Roadrunner]

Recently had my SE engine rebuilt by MX5Mania at Dural. Very easy to deal with and work is to a high standard. Workshop is clean and all staff very friendly and happy to chat.
They have been building MX-5's for years so have a "go to" rebuild list which makes it easy. David even runs an MX-5 in the 300 enduros so knows what he's doing, especially with track cars.
Highly recommend.

[The Green Goblin]

I can't really comment from experience, but I've seen some nice looking and sounding engines come out of mx5mania. Worth checking out I guess.

Same here, no personal experience but Mania does have a good reputation.
Where abouts in Sydney are you located? Mania is in Dural - fine for northerners but a bit hard for southerners.

I have been to mania on a number of occasions for minor servicing needs & have considered them for engine build purposes. I'm looking for alternate options. location doesn't bother me so long as theyre in syd.

ta.

[The Green Goblin]

You will find people will likely be a bit cagey about this topic and won't want to post anything publicly.

thanks for the info mate. why is this the case? is it a secretive topic or do they not wish to share workshop experiences? would love to see your parts list &/or recondition work specs if you can PM me.

[The Green Goblin]

Context - i've had some average experiences with workshops (some considered to be very good, professional etc.) but still found their work to be somewhat careless/half arsed (e.g. not bolting my exhuast back properly causing leak) & in some cases taken my car for a test drive with my front lip damaged (car is not super low). then to invoice me after making more problems for me.

I'm in the stages where i want to see if forging it is a viable option from not only a costs perspective, but longevity, performance expectation & servicing perspective. the last thing i want is an unreliable car that potentially keeps breaking or needs high maintenance after dropping 10k plus on it.. will it be able to handle the abuse & for how long.

Im quite particular/like to keep neat & would like the work guaranteed i.e warranty period. these days businesses dont really care about customer needs, they just care about the money coming from your pocket into theirs.

again, welcome any other input or experiences.

cheers,
J.

[track_addict]

You might find it hard to have a business warranty an engine that’s going to be dríven hard, be Dyno tuned etc. It’s the nature of the beast having engine failures when you significantly increase the power of an engine and change the rest of the parts hanging off the side of it etc etc. Of course you do what you can but if the engine is being tuned on a Dyno and fails, it can come to the tuner and engine builder blaming each other for the failure.

It’s the game we play when we modify/track a car. sh*t happens.


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[RS2000]

No personal experience, but here is another builder to consider if you haven't already:
http://gwracing.altervista.org/

[jezman]

Here's another to consider, Dee's Automotive, Rosebery. 9662 4422.
Just rebuilt my SE motor after a previous rebuild that was not satisfactory.
Dee is young and enthusiastic, known him since he was apprentice to my now retired mechanic.
Experienced with turbo work, mainly GTR's, where he's well known.
Has excellent connections with machinists, tuners, fabricators and suppliers, here and overseas.

SE ENGINE.jpg

Note my new catch can and manifold, ceramic coated too.

Currently running in the new engine, going well, final tune next week. Have 175rwkw at 12psi, more after final tune.

[The Green Goblin]

You might find it hard to have a business warranty an engine that’s going to be dríven hard, be Dyno tuned etc. It’s the nature of the beast having engine failures when you significantly increase the power of an engine and change the rest of the parts hanging off the side of it etc etc. Of course you do what you can but if the engine is being tuned on a Dyno and fails, it can come to the tuner and engine builder blaming each other for the failure.

It’s the game we play when we modify/track a car. sh*t happens.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I understand the risks associated, at the end of the day it's moving metal.. so yes things can certainly go wrong, id imagine if theyve done it before repeatedly/have good reputation in that aspect, it wouldnt be something they'd shy away from. So long as there is some sort of reasonable warranty allowance factored in i would be happy.. not like 'okay job done, good luck, see ya later' type thing..

[The Green Goblin]

Here's another to consider, Dee's Automotive, Rosebery. 9662 4422.
Just rebuilt my SE motor after a previous rebuild that was not satisfactory.
Dee is young and enthusiastic, known him since he was apprentice to my now retired mechanic.
Experienced with turbo work, mainly GTR's, where he's well known.
Has excellent connections with machinists, tuners, fabricators and suppliers, here and overseas.SE ENGINE.jpg

Note my new catch can and manifold, ceramic coated too.

Currently running in the new engine, going well, final tune next week. Have 175rwkw at 12psi, more after final tune.

will check it out, thanks mate.

[Custardtart]

Context - i've had some average experiences with workshops (some considered to be very good, professional etc.) but still found their work to be somewhat careless/half arsed (e.g. not bolting my exhuast back properly causing leak) & in some cases taken my car for a test drive with my front lip damaged (car is not super low). then to invoice me after making more problems for me.

I'm in the stages where i want to see if forging it is a viable option from not only a costs perspective, but longevity, performance expectation & servicing perspective. the last thing i want is an unreliable car that potentially keeps breaking or needs high maintenance after dropping 10k plus on it.. will it be able to handle the abuse & for how long.

Im quite particular/like to keep neat & would like the work guaranteed i.e warranty period. these days businesses dont really care about customer needs, they just care about the money coming from your pocket into theirs.

again, welcome any other input or experiences.

cheers,
J.

The best way to ensure longevity of a race engine is to have as light a components as possible and get everything blueprinted and the rotating assembly balanced. If I couldn't afford lighter rods/pistons and blueprinting etc then I would get the assembly balanced and held together with ARP studs as a minimum. Unfortunately race engines tend to have a performance/reliability inverse relationship. An experienced builder should be able to build to tolerances that will see a certain number of race hours between rebuilds so if you can find one then ask them what they recommend for the type of use you're planning on dishing out.