Alex's white NA8 build.

Custardtart · Postby **Custardtart** » Fri Feb 14, 2020 3:35 pm

I know it’s a bit late but that’s an amazing recount of what must’ve been a devastating situation.
The car looks very cool too

Alex 2550 · Postby **Alex 2550** » Fri Feb 14, 2020 10:10 pm

Roadster2 wrote:Loving all the visual mods that are coming along! Watching this thread in anticipation.

Thanks mate, really appreciate it.
got some more goodies from MX5 Mania today, mostly visual but also timing belt and maintenance related so I will do some updates over the weekend

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Alex 2550 · Postby **Alex 2550** » Fri Feb 14, 2020 10:22 pm

Custardtart wrote:I know it’s a bit late but that’s an amazing recount of what must’ve been a devastating situation.
The car looks very cool too

Cheers Custardtart, yer it’s crazy and I hear new stories everyday that highlight how lucky we are.

The car is getting there, thanks for the compliment.
I have never really been one to care for looks and always preferred performance but I must admit It’s a bit of fun.

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Alex 2550 · Postby **Alex 2550** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 3:28 pm

So just a little progress update.

I received all my parts from Mania and the service Ajay and Simone gave was awesome!
Even got a cool gift pack!!

I have fitted most of the items and will snap a few photos when the car is back together.

I started the timing belt job but got called down to the dairy about an hour in and haven’t got back to it.
This is a photo that just screams good times!!!.......or not. (I was a mechanic so I don’t get excited about timing belt jobs, thankfully the BP is as easy as they come)

Everything is cleaned up and I’m at the stage of putting the cams and crank seals in and reassembling.

The water pump had a decent leak which I knew about and why I was doing the job, not dripping but leaving a wet area under the crank and giving the coolant smell. Looks like it was just the gasket, it’s a cheap after market pump.
How’s this for some crud!!

What I didn’t know was the crank seal was also on borrowed time and had started to leak, discovered this as soon as I took the undertray off and I expect it’s from sitting so much, I plan to wear out a set of tyres this year with mileage..... need to get on to that.

I’m also doing the CAS O-ring while the rocker cover is off, I have another wet area there that I want gone.

Anyway while I had parts off the motor I thought I would report back on some things.
Firstly as mentioned way back I did the MX5 unleashed rocker cover catch can mod and I can report that inside my inlet manifold is dry and the throttle body is also dry and clean so it does work.
The photo below doesn’t show much but it’s dry with no oil film.

I also weighed the standard cam gears to compare to the TODA’s I weighed a while back.

As you can see the standard gears are 390g each.
The TODA inlet is 323g
The TODA exhaust is 292g
So combined the TODA’s are 165g lighter.
Probably not noticeable now but when combined with the SUBs and supertech gear on the Stewart head there will be over 500g of valvetrain weight removed.
Will get some pics up shortly.
Oh and CarbonMiata parts are hopefully getting shipped within a week so that’s all getting closer!!

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StanTheMan · Postby **StanTheMan** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 4:19 pm

yea quality cam sprockets and lighter as well.

Camgear is toast.jpg

93_Clubman · Postby **93_Clubman** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 4:34 pm

Alex 2550 wrote:it’s a cheap after market pump.

Good stuff Alex - btw, if it's a genuine Gates WP, then they at least used to supply Mazda with OEM WPs.

StanTheMan · Postby **StanTheMan** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 4:36 pm

I’ve never had a problem with the aftermarket one. As long as the OEM seal gets used I think

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Alex 2550 · Postby **Alex 2550** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:03 pm

StanTheMan wrote:yea quality cam sprockets and lighter as well.
Camgear is toast.jpg

Yer mate hopefully a little better than those fellas.

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Alex 2550 · Postby **Alex 2550** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:08 pm

93_Clubman wrote:
Alex 2550 wrote:it’s a cheap after market pump.

Good stuff Alex - btw, if it's a genuine Gates WP, then they at least used to supply Mazda with OEM WPs.

Evening Mr Clubman,
That was my thinking as well.
The one I took off was some cheap no name one that had pressed metal with spot welds, the one I am putting on is the Gates to get the cast impeller that is generally agreed to be the go to.
Mazda genuine is now cheap pressed tin as well and why I went the Gates, hopefully they don’t cheap out in the future.

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manga_blue · Postby **manga_blue** » Fri Mar 06, 2020 7:36 pm

StanTheMan wrote:yea quality cam sprockets and lighter as well.
Camgear is toast.jpg

Just wow, STM!

What's happening, Alex? Are you doing the belt with the old BP05 head? Or is the new head on already?

Alex 2550 · Postby **Alex 2550** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 8:39 am

manga_blue wrote:
StanTheMan wrote:yea quality cam sprockets and lighter as well.
Camgear is toast.jpg

Just wow, STM!

What's happening, Alex? Are you doing the belt with the old BP05 head? Or is the new head on already?

Hey mate unfortunately it’s on the BP05.
I am focusing on getting the body sorted and just waiting on a few bits from CarbonMiata then it’s off to paint, hopefully by the end of April.

I then plan to grab an ECU, the front runner at the minute is MSLABS MS3 Basic by reverant of MiataTurbo fame, would like to see the dollar improve before purchasing that if possible.

I have had a quote to set the head up and install the bronze valve guides at Anthony’s head centre down here, I spoke to a few mates in the trade and they said his machinist is very good but a little pricey.

This week has been busy with work but the motor is back together, I just need to put the radiator back in bleed the cooling system.
I’ll whack some oil flush in and swap out the oil and filter after I bleed the system.
I did heaps of cleaning of timing covers and the motor in general which probably took more time than the actual belt job.

I grabbed a magnetic drain plug off Brendan so will fit that, I’m running Penrite 10 tenths 0-40 (can be used in 0-30 applications) for oil like last time and the longer Z148 filter.

So by the end of the year I want most if not all of the body issues sorted, the head on and ECU in but my biggest goal is to wear out the new tyres by the end of the year and rack up some K’s.

Not pictures I was planning to put up but a couple from this week.

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RS2000 · Postby **RS2000** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 9:06 am

Why does the inlet cam gear need 50% more adjustment locking bolts than the exhaust gear?

Alex 2550 · Postby **Alex 2550** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:44 am

RS2000 wrote:Why does the inlet cam gear need 50% more adjustment locking bolts than the exhaust gear?

Not entirely sure but.....
The entire gear is completely different because it has the sensor pick ups for NB8A style cam angle sensor, the bolts are also closer to the centre to not interfere with it, It is quite a bit heavier.
Also interesting is the bolts are a smaller diameter on the inlet gear than the exhaust gear.
In short I figure TODA thought it was a good idea lol.

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RS2000 · Postby **RS2000** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 9:36 am

Cheers.
I hadn't noticed that the inlet bolts were on a smaller pcd, which is probably why they had to use smaller bolts. Then 6 off to equal 4 larger bolts.

lonesailor · Postby **lonesailor** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 12:26 pm

Just came to this thread today, I have been having computer problems, and haven't time to read all you have done today, so excuse me if it has already been done. Don't forget to replace all of the water hoses, especially the heater hoses, I bought a nice NA8 a few years ago and neglected to. Cost me a new cylinder head and a heap of grief!