The JDMbits NA Miata!

The JDMbits Miata 

Part #1: The early years

(Past to Present: Scroll down to see the changes on the car from the first day up to its current state)

So 1st day I bought the Miata was dirty and... stock!

Its the 1.6 model claimed by Mazda to make only 90 PS.

(Edit: All dynos prove the engine has 102. Not a big difference but its something)

German Import to Greece, 96k kms, one airbag, no ABS, no AC.

Ugly Artec 14'' wheels, crappy stock suspension, broken roof tensioners.

Extras: Oris windblocker, Miata sideplates, Sony Radio, rear baggage rack.

Just look how clean the tan roof was!

Next few days I bought an anti-theft system 
and a cover to... cover it.

................................................................................

1st mod: Bought a set of aftermarket mats from a friends store

(Edit: they are in my closet now)

Another mod, a set of thick leather grey stitched gear and handbrake gaters.

Costed me 30 euros back then.

Now they go for around 15 on ebay!

(Edit: Replaced later, sold to Sambas, who then gave the hb gaitor to Ksadelfos)

Started toying with the idea of changing wheels.

Had some issues when I owned the 86 but havent realized

how bad my situation was. I now know I a fuckin wheel whore!

Photo-chops:

The Miata is made for lightweight rims.

And since the OZ Superlegera is a bit expensive
(edit 20/4/12: and nothing special designwise), 
I only had one chance, the Miata Mk2 oem rims in 15'' 
(edit 20/4/12: they are now on my car)

They weight only 5,1kg each (the TSW above around 8+)

A quick p.s chop was convincing enough:

................................................................................

But then against all odds, came my first wheel change.

The 14x5,5 Artec rims were traded for

some 17x7 Advanti Racing (for no extra cash!!!)

I m not a fan of large wheels and 17'' are overdose for

the Miata which makes you very clear it doesnt like heavy wheels.

Although car was not as bad as internet users say,

absolutely no reason to keep them.

................................................................................

Soon enought the Advantis were sold for 300 euros,

cheap for 17'' but very expensive for 14'', if you know what I mean...

Bought a set of 15'' I ve spotted a year ago:

Kosei Hexa 15x6,5 with 35 offset and a niiiice polished lip!

Weight 6,3 kg instead of 5,9 of the stock rim and an inch wider.

So I thought the wheel saga would end here.

(I was also swearing I wont lower it...) 

The poverty spec German model I drive had the

facelifted interior, all black.

Too dark for my taste, so I custom painted the

center console silver. Should ve been made a couple

of tones darker though, towards gunmetal.

You can also see some "strange" stuff

like oem seats and oem momo wheel lol

Aluminium ball gear knob and Patrick also fitted.

A factory front lip spoiler also purchased

from Miataman in Salonika, who also

gave me a pair of JDM folding sunvisors.

It was painted in BRG as I got it in red and 

could not keep the oem unpainted matte black look.

Please notice the 4x4 "stance".

I quote myself  back from the days:

"Car is at stock height and thats how its gona stay"

Guys at the aeu86 made fun of me...

................................................................................

Next addition was a so called style bar.

Bought the strongest one, 60 mm pipe

and a bar connecting seatbelt towers

and thus act like a cabin brace.

It's important to understand that even this one that

has some practical usage is not an actual rollbar.

Chances are that if you roll, it will probably bend 

and take your head. Its never late to spend that 500 euros 

needed to protect yourself.

One of the many items I ve bought, was that headlight lid

with NACA duct. Those are supposed to drop

the temp 13 degrees Celcius 
right behind the opening inside the engine bay.

Never got around to fit that one, cant remember why,

I just sold it... Strange!

(Edit: Remembered: I didnt like the fitment, most copies fit like shit)

................................................................................

The next purchase though, was the most important one.

Having an AE86 -which are equipped with a

clutch type 1,5 way LSD from the factory- right

before the Mx5, I knew I had to have an LSD immediately.

This is how my Type2 Torsen looks

It wasnt fitted immediately, but it was found, purchased and

kept inside the drawer till I manage to get a shorter

ring and pinion and then again collect money for fitting.

Its a shame to open the housing

to fit a Torsen without fitting a shorter FGR

(stock is 4,1 and gives a theoretical top speed of 225 km/h...)

Keep in mind you ll need an experienced mechanic to do this

and you ll also have to change the diff bearings (cost around 70 euros)

(Edit 20/4/12: Bearing were found from NK for 24 euros both)

and of course use brand new diff oil.

................................................................................

Adding some strength to the body is quite an issue,

especially on the Mk1 and it turns out to be a

never ending saga, battling with money and weight as well.

First additions were the lower IL-motorsport braces

front and rear... (and yes, I did paint em silver!)

................................................................................

Next step was a custom cat-back exhaust,

specifically asked for it not to be very loud.

Now I have changed my mind...

(as I did for the fake titanium tip)

You can see the rear bar fitted as well.

And some comments from back then:

"Well in the begging I though I d wanted it even shorter,

than the 4,3, then I realized I just need a GReddy Turbo kit...  

Car is now a perfect small car. It's what it should be from the beginning!

Sound is perfect, response with the shorter FGR is good,
and the LSD should be standard in all Miatas

In the beginning you get impressed by how much fun the car is,
but then, driving fast you realize
 the amount of grip with the Torsen is AWESOME!! 
I kept on thinking my brakes are now poor. 
Car needs now more attention of course but it sticks like a gum
(when not forcing it to over-steer, of course)"

After 5 months of owning the car I gave it a good clean. 
Results were interesting, especially on the tan hood.

Used Autoglym Vinyl/Rubber care shit and Renovo shit for the rear screen.

Drift Charm...

................................................................................

Then began the Steering Wheel Saga.

I ve changed like 12-14 wheels the last 4 years.

It all started with this

Along came a boss, cup holder, a oem rear lip spoiler 

and a huge Ms Induction kit from Japan.

None of these stayed in the end and non is on the car today. 

Wheel were too small, boss was chromed, induction

wouldn't fit my new setup and sold.

Also bought a pair of Watanabes from ebay but never received them...

................................................................................

Then it was time to fix that induction.

"Fix" is not the right word thouh...

Oem parts removed

And M's Induction fitted

Huuuge filter and most importantly badly placed

as its next to the exhaust manifold.

Major issue on most Miatas, especially Left Hand Drive ones,

that have the servo and clutch master cylinder

at this very side of the firewall.

I had to change the water tank to fit this Raceland Strut Bar

and also changed the plug wires with ebay ones.

Raceland windblocker fitted with tie-wraps

and rear oem spoiler from Japan test fitted

................................................................................

I like to consider this the begging of a Later Period

for the Miata, as my relationships with Japan and JDM

started getting stronger and stronger.

Still stock ride height, clear repeaters and reflectors

and a new Dquatro Headlight Cover to bring some

fresh air to the induction.

Which by the way was moved right behind the opening.

NOT the best way, as induction length is now too much.

I had a wing fixed and some more parts arrived.

Aluminum handbrake sleeve to match the gearknob.

Aluminum Rare JDM Carbing cooling panel

with the all important JDM stickers on!

Fixed the damaged wing 

Installed some new speakers and a pair of tweeters,

they are a must for decent sound when topless.

Installed and painted the rare rear

oem lower spoiler, painted the bumper and mud guards as well.

It was back in the days I still paid for painting

instead of doing it myself...

................................................................................

And that is how the Rota thing began.

Contacted Julian and he found me

some Rota RB 15x8 et25.

I was convinced by the AEU86 guys that

wheels are about style, not what you like.

Classic style with aggressive offset and width.

 

And off they went under the car!

Cool fitment and nice stretch, but no idea

what Stance is obviously...

Check out the ride height!

You can also see one silver mirror...

They are the JDM electric type folding mirrors.

They look much much better than the stock ones imo!

And another funny statement of mine, back from those days...

"I aint lowering the car. I could lower it 2,5 cms if 

I was going track racing each weekend, but now,

in Greek roads, its just foolish to lower a Miata. 

Believe me, its low enough..."

LOL!!!!

................................................................................

Then came the stupid part:

Airbag removed. Nardi 330mm in.

White dials in. Clear Raybrig Lamps in. What a difference!

Beautiful steering wheel but 330 mm is too

small for me to have eye contact with the dials.

Raybrigs in!

Mirrors also painted and installed!

................................................................................

Then bought some seats I never used

DO NOT sell any Sparco Rev seat that falls into your hands.

Keep it, its great seat!

Some artistic pics.

Notice that the car is so high I can take it offroad... LOL!



................................................................................

And then came the rare HKS Turbo Kit

Got it, had it on the trunk waiting

and then they stopped paying us
and was wise (or stupid enough) to sell it. 

Just for the record, the first week

I bought the car mate called about a complete turbo kit
he found for for sale for 500 euros. 
I had sworn I wont buy bits to fit "later"

I was totally out of cash and passed.

It turned out it was a
BRAND NEW BBR turbo kit...

Ooops, I did it again!

Also had some extra nice turbo stuff...



Edit: The kit was sold and fitted to another NA and worked fine

for years and years. Gauges and bov sold separately.

................................................................................

With the turbo stuff gone, I was decided to stayed NA

and moved in at a slow tempo.

I let the Rota RBs go, as a mate wanted them.

I ve found a set of Genuine JDM 15x7 et23

Panasport Formula Wheels from UK.

They were very expensive used and about 1.200 euros

to buy new from Moss. I still have them...
(Edit 20/4/12: No I dont...)

OBX header traveled all the way from US.

Nice sound, no dyno done, it needs a spiral thing to

fit it and as most OBX stuff wont go right in.

Also used a high flow cat from HJS.

Bargain Low-Pros found locally

so I had to grab them and install to the car.

Its the early version and lighting is crap.

Keep that i mind before purchasing.

Very expensive!

The wheel saga continued...
It looks like I have a thing for round items! lol
Nardi Classico (now on Apolans car)

Personal Neo Grinda

(pics lost)

Ebay short shift kit also installed.

Utter Crap, buyers be aware!

You need to make the two pieces stick together,

and most importantly use the STOCK plastic parts!

Amazingly enough, it does a great job

even if the Miata has a fantastic gearbox from stock.

NA tuning was the way to go then.
Had the header heat wrapped

And fitted the rare JDM ARC Magic

induction chamber I bought from Japan.

Astonishing sound, great throttle responce.

Magnecor 8 mm Spark Plugs is the way to go

Dont forget to change them often as the miata burns them.

M's induction was too big too fit, so a cheap egay filter was in.

................................................................................

I then fitted some Momo recliner bucket seats.
Original pics deleted but I m sure you ll notice em in some pics.
Seats on a Miata is a big issue, especially if you are tall.
Email me for info I cant bother to write it down...

I then got a Suede/Red stitch dial cowl.
Nice part, but please notice
Caution: LHD and RHD cowls are different!!!!!
Edit 20/4/12: Early and later NA cowls are also different.
 

And that led me to some

Black Sued/Red stitch gear and handbrake gaitor

You see the pattern right?

Black dash, with silver center console

brushed aluminum parts (practically silver)

and red details. See the whole picture?

Added matching armrest

Then I got this nice 10 cmcustom made black resin Gear Knob
Only one available in Greece. Mine.

Then came some more serious shit. Brakes!
Really filthy on the NA version, lame feeling...

fyi, Mk1s had the small 230 brakes
Mk1,5s and Mk2s had the 251 mm brakes
and Mk2,5s and Sport Editions had the 271 mm brakes.

Bull! Mine as well as many other Mk1,5
had the small 231 mm brakes.
One of the best mods I ve done, 
I fitted Sport front brakes (271 mm disks)
with stock sport pads and 1.8 rear brakes (251 mm disks) 
with EBC ultimax, with braided lines all around.


271 mm disk next to my 231 mm ones

Fronts fitted

Snug fit under some 15'' wheels for the Sport brakes

(Edit: They fit the OEM, Panasports and Grid-V fine)

(Edit 20/4/12: And Zero Plus)

Also in there was a set of

KYB AGXs adjustable shocks

with Vogtlanf lowering springs

And I quote myself :

"Along with my AGXs I eventually fitted a set of lowering Vogtland springs. They lower the car about 3,5 cm, making it look more like a car, as mine was too high in the front and low at the rear.

This springs are nice and not very hard and seem to match the KYB well. I m running now 4 in front and 3 rear and eventually will harden the car to a 5/4 setup.
Thats how the car seats now. I m very happy with it"
(Edit: I m not anymore. lol)

................................................................................

Then I asked a mate to make me some
suede leather/red stitched door handles
to replace the horrible plastic oem ones.

And then took some semi decent pics of the interior setup

with all the Black/Silver/Red bits.

Edit 20/4/12: That Personal Neo Grinta went back in 

as I found this rare red stitched edition. One of the best 

wheels i ever had on, even though it doesnt look

very interesting. Right dish, right size (340) and nice thick grip.

And then took some pics of the car while clean (that is a rare site...)

OMG, its amazing how the car has changed since the beginning

and even more amazing how its changed till today...

Then someone (godam Apolan) mentioned the following:

"the car sounds about right from all speakers: JDM car, rwd, torsen diff., bucket seats, Personal, Nardi, Panasport.. so where is the style no no? Well the car is roaming in the no-mans-land.

The British racing green, the tactile golden rims and fancy roll-arcs try to push the car into the "POSH RACING ARISTOCRAT" direction, whilst suede Personal wheel, torsen diff, bucket seats and all the red stiching try to push it onto the path of "DAIHARUDU JDM WORIARU". 

So the first deed toward salvation is: decide what you are. Are you a racing gentleman, or ar you a crazy motherfucker who is not afraid to live to the fullest!"

Hmmmm...

................................................................................

Then I found and ordered from a mate in UK
a Cusco/Safety 21 roll bar.
It was about time I change those style bars
and a real JDM roll bar was the best way to go.
(TRLane were not introduced yet back then)

First came the test fit

Then I started restoring the Cusco, as it had some
small points of rust. All happened to my balcony
in the center of Athens and it was very good times i must confess.

The JDM Black Racing 14'' wheels were sold
as when I bought them I forgot my brakes wont clear on 14s...

 

Several other DIY projects started running at the same time.

A lamp broke on my BSP low pros and it was a nightmare

to find a replacement so I improvised.

Bought a set of chinese round fog lights,

made custom brackets to fit them on the original 

low pro system with adjustable base.

Also had another crazy idea for a spare pair
of skid wheels. Was able to buy a bargain pair of
Rota Flashback 15x7 et40
and started working on them.

Masking

Sanding

Ready to paint

First coat of paint

Second coat

Unmasking for the final result

At the same time I painted the

flush rear panel I bought off ebay.

It needed a hell of an effort to fit though.

With the new panel and the new wheels fitted

I always consider this period a good one for the car.
It has character and is different and I think the flush
panel goes well with the rear lower lip and NO ducktail.

The night pictures make it look even better...

  

................................................................................

Then came on of my greatest ideas.

In order to improve the lighting of the BSP

but without adding visible headlights,

I decided to trick the OEM Mx5 sidelights.

Got a set of rectangular Chinese fogs,

opened a spare set of oem sidelights,

and found a way to fit the fogs inside.

 

 

The final result was exactly what i wanted lightwise 

and lookwise, but there was one thing I havent thought off...

Sadly, the heat from the fogs was so intense,

that the plastic lenses melted a bit on top

allowing moisture to get inside the sidelights.

................................................................................

Then it was the turn of Iasonas Anadiotis due his bit

on the JDMbits.com Miata: Fitting the roll bar.

We started that DIY with big expectations, as we

hoped we will custom fit the rear legs in order to 

be able to fit a hood with glass rear window later on.

Then, it started raining...

Fitted. Vastly improved rigidity 

 of the rear section of the car.

No need to say how important

 the roll bar is in case of roll or crash... 

................................................................................

The JDMbits Miata 

Part #2: DIY Frenjy

(Past to Present: Scroll down to see the changes on the car from the first day up to its current state)

Some more changes happened after that 

Removed: -Airfuel gauge removed -momo aluminum mats sold 

-silver wheel boss sold -used deep corn and Personal sold 

-orange stickers removed -Aizawa copy vented lid sold

Installed:
-brand new deep corn -chequered mats from Rossi replaced my black ones
-clubroadster stickers -Carbon/Kevlar vented lid from Lanks 

Purchased: -Goodridge clutch braided line -Offset number plate bracket
-Cusco front strut brace -Zoom aluminum fuel lid -Vindi's ducktail spoiler

And now some pictures of new interior and test fitting the Zero Plus 15x8''

................................................................................

I was working at some more projects at the same time.

The rear/middle lower Π brace purchases,

refurbished and fitted

 

The custom made side hardtop latches to fit 

with the "demanding" Cusco roll bar

 

Hooligan sent me his old KG Works gauges plates.

Mk1 speedo gear fitted to match my 4,3 ring and pinion.

Mk1 oil pressure sender and gauge fitted. You need these,

to make the on/off fake NAFL gauge a proper working one.

................................................................................

 

Extra rocket cover purchased and refurbished

................................................................................

Zoom fuel lid purchased and polished

Some general pics

................................................................................

 

Pair of German heavy 15x8 et18 purchased and test fitted.

Cusco strut brace arrived and refurbished

................................................................................

  

With the help o Aga from Underground fabrications,

we repainted the flush rear panel

and also painted and fitted Vindi's ducktail spoiler

Nuts and Spacers fitted

Vindi's Ducktail spoiler!

................................................................................

 

Then the Carbon Kevlar Recaro SPG was found

Then went to Nekos house, with the help of Ksadelfos and Option-D

to remove the Momos and fit the Recaro

................................................................................

Just so we remember the Monkey

Then the KG Work gauges was off,

as I oredered a custom set from Revlimiter.net 

which I cut myself to save some cash.
Based on the GT scheme he has on his site,

I asked him to add my nickname and a
"You re going too slow" red area from 0 to 60 km/h...

What can I say, I m a funny guy 

Fitted with the help of Obelix.

Also changed the induction, as the JDM whoring continued.

Removed the very long previous one and resisted 

some of my crazy ideas as the brake servo was on the way 

and I didnt want to cut the ARC

Filter placed directly on the afm with a heatshield

I bought from Samulis to protect it (yeah right...)from the heat 

and an duct to bring fresh air from Lanks kevlar vented lid.
 

................................................................................

Then fitted the first painted non illuminated non converted

Skuzzle Motorsport TSI set in the world!

Thanks to Bobylook and Stelios we also gave the car

a good wash. And of course it rained after that...

................................................................................

Thanks to Boblook, cleaner as it will ever be...

................................................................................

Blue highlights. Tenzo-R oil cap, Cusco strut brace, ARC with Samco hoses

 

Rattle-zebra toy hanging from the roll bar

 

Carbon kevlar Lanks lid painted inside and polished

D1 Long aluminum nuts fitted. Utter crap.

Prefer the heavier Steel nuts that dont bend.

 

Meeting with my mate Mark, 260bhp supercharged 1.8

And a chopped pic for desktop background.

................................................................................

The Super loud RSR GT2 Exmag arrived...

And was refurbished by hand

 

................................................................................

Some artistic pictures by Liakos from a meeting

 

................................................................................

The RSR was fitted to the car for like 10 minutes...

Very very loud, especially on NA with no mid-silencer.

The video dont do it justice.

It was sold back to the UK and I fitted a custom made

backbox with a very similar to the RSR look.

Aint got any pics, but you see some later.

Summer vacations for the first time with the Miata 

in Andros Island and some light offroading

................................................................................

  On the vacation time above, there was a problem with the car.

Rev dropping, black smoke etc. Do not blame your AFM from the begining

as most people tend to do. I made the custom Diagnosis systme found on Miata.net

and it was neither AFM, neither lamda sensor as initially thought.

It was a 20 euro, cold start sensor or something like that. 

Servicing the car, rear offset mount was improved,

and a Goodridge braided clutch line fitted.

Problem fixed. New Black 2005 original Mazda hardtop acquired.

Meeting with old pal Neko.

................................................................................

The JDMbits Miata 

Part #3: JDM sick

(Past to Present: Scroll down to see the changes on the car from the first day up to its current state)

 Another wheel change.

One of the very first sets of

Rota Grid-V 15x7 et20

One of the best wheel I had, excellence 

combination of fitment and road handling.

Some will notice the black flushed rear panel.

I sold the crappy fiberglass one I got and 

bought a new one from Rob of Mx5nutz.

Its a Jap rear panel with a Moss clear plate cover,

trimmed and painted. Expensive shit, but offers 

factory standard fitment.

 

................................................................................

Some work done to the car with friends

Some LED daylights fitted inside the OEM sidelights,

and soon removed as they were too modern for my car

And since it was summer again, several meeting!

With SteliosSant and Boblook

With Tsanakas

 With Neko

And with Option-D

 

Couple of wallpapers

 

................................................................................

Small subtle flares test fitted, then fitted then painted on the car

DIY Rules (even if you screw things up)

  

................................................................................

Silver spoked Nardi Deep Corn replaced the black spoked one

 

Strange Mk1 passenger seat added.

  

Flares and rear panel painted BRG

Antonis aka Saldale did the windscreen panel black to match with the hardtop

RS Aizawa Vented headlight lid added

 

And time went by, winter came, even in Athens...

................................................................................

Time to change. Few more DIY done.

Since I got the very rare chequered mats,

I thought of doing the door cards in a similar style

Bought some fabric and did it myself.

One of the first things I did to the Miata was to paint

the center console silver as the interior was too dark.

Years ago i had a change of mood and decided to make black again.

1 DIN panel carbon look

 

................................................................................

I bought my second turbo kit, from the UK, but never fitted either.

Also found and bought a perfect used Tein Flex which I sold to buy...

...a brand spanking new Meister-R Zeta S.

Very glad I did this choice.

................................................................................

 Thanx to Option-D we rolled the fenders

And thanx to Emilix we fitted a new tan hood

 

I also stickerbombed the rear roll bar legs!

................................................................................

The Meister-R Zeta S were fitted in a day of DIY
thanks to my mate DRAKO.
Dead easy to fit, fantastic kit for road and track.
Its my recommendation.

 

................................................................................


Finally the car the car was properly lowered

So lowered I broke the flare on the day I fitted the Meister-R

So lowered I had to raise the exhaust

 But it looks so good...
 

................................................................................




Did bought the JDM metal speaker covers after all,

one more of the items I hated when I first saw them

and finally ended up owing...

Center console was covered in chequered pattern to much

Summer was back, took some more pictures...

And after a while, I removed the chequered stickers and added

some more sticker bombing inside and out.

Also fitted the Dildo knob Option D gave me.

................................................................................

 It was then the Stickebombing mania happened!

I bought a special Manga fabric and re-did the door cards.

I also fitted the custom made dark oem sidelights

................................................................................

And then, there was another wheel change.

I fitted the Rota Zero Plus 15x8 et10

and got my mate Mythos to do his magic!

Again thanks to Saldale, the rear bumper was cut.

 

All photos taken by: Kostas Sidiras, http://500px.com/ksidiras

................................................................................

The JDMbits Miata 

Part #4: The dark side

(Past to Present: Scroll down to see the changes on the car from the first day up to its current state)

Serviced the car at Lefkaditis Motorsport.

OEM Sport brakes and pads, might be a huge improvement

over the small oem Mk1 ones, but they still are crap

Together with Nitroking, and following the idea of Mauske from Holland,

I used the BSP low pro "buckets" to custom make brackets and fit

on the the Rectangular Hella H4 Projectors.

Brilliant idea, perfect look, perfect lighting.

 Jass Performance took over to make the kit into production!

 

Then came the Side Stripes from Bizzare Stickers

And finally it was the Garage Vary lip spoiler that followed.

I bought the deeper GV style US version, made of ABS plastic

its almost unbreakable even though very very low.

GV lips I also hated when I first saw them...

Its Manos Option-D doing all the work again

 Fantastic Mobile phone picture

And another one a bit chopped

................................................................................

This was quite a turning point, as the car started to

how can I say it, beeing a bit boring.

The NA setup, with the manifold, ARC, exhaust system,

even with the Emanage I fitted in Precission Tunning

(and did quite a difference) was not enough.

Too much money and too much effort for too little gain.

I found a buyer for the Rotas and also sold some other

rare stuff like the Cusco brace, carbon panel and the ARC.

Car looks pathetic...

 

  

Only the interior took shape. All black, with brushed aluminum and red details.

The alcantara cowl and custom door pulls were sold.

The door cards were made with black carbon sticker.

Chequeres mats, Nardi Deep Corn, Custom Delrin knob,

brushed aluminum gauge trim, RevLimiter gauges,

aluminum vent rings, Dave-M custom Oldschool switches,

red bolts and red stitching, KFC leather pulls

(I replaced them with the superior Jass Performance set)

and Jass stainless window switch.

Jass performance AC SS panel also fitted

and the roll bar was made in camo ductape.

 

 

 

 

................................................................................

Car as it stands with the OEM NBFL 15 wheels

And with the new carbon rear panel I fitted.

 More carbon to come soon

The rare OZ Vegas were after all sold

The Miata now sits at LEFKADITIS MOTORSPORT

with its new Jass Performance tow hooks and side tooth

And as usual its dirty as fuck!

 

But there are some bits awaiting...

Why?

................................................................................

Visited Lefkaditis Motorsport yesterday to do some

more work on the car and follow the progress.

We test fitted the intercooler and tried to figure out 

if my new APEXi filter would fit the car.

Dimitris has already moved the radiator,

lower and back, so the i/c pipes can go on top.

He cut and bended the metal front of the car 

and fabricated new mounts for both the rad and the i/c. 

Some more parts are waiting their turn


In other news, I did fitted the other side of the Arrow Brace
as well as a set of H&R 15 mm hubcentric spacers.

While the GReddy manifold and turbo already sitting in place.
The Garrett is a bit longer than the TD04 the GReddy kit uses,
so its gonna be a real struggle to make that down-pipe fit. 

 And some artistic pics of the new
Vented Carbon Headlight Cover fitted.

 

................................................................................

Bought a set of Dunlop SP bought with 500 km on. 

Intake side pipe polished

Intercooler fitted and exhaust being polished

 Intake side fitted

Setup is almost complete now

And a couple with the new exhaust

................................................................................

New rear strut brace

And one more from the rear

................................................................................

Putting the car back together after one month

Dimitris Lefkaditis of Lefkaditis Motorsport, was the one
I could trust the car to. Exceptional skills and craftsmanship! 
Intercooler is also invisible.


A view of the engine bay. We managed to keep all the hoses,
apart one for luck, in blue color so the engine bay has a decent look.
Carbon vented lid fitted as well. To match we fitted a hood vent
from a cut RX7 carbon hood. Hood was cut and drilled, vent bolted.

Intake side view.

Air filter wouldnt fit behind the headlight, hence the hood vent.

And some later pics of the interior. Zeitronix and
Jass Performance Stainless Steel interior parts fitted.

Still undecided on the exhaust...

................................................................................

Car was taken from the mechanic three days before I leave for my hols.

It was understood that such extensive modifications 

such is turboing a naturally aspirated car,

will for sure present a series of needs and problems.

So although everything seemed to work fine the car

remained locked for the hot greek summer.

After all we had several days above 40 degrees this year.

Before I leave though, I managed to meet with the 

Precision Tuning people to arrange a meeting 

for programming the Emanage Blue.

We did not have much luck, as after getting to 0,3 bar

the clutch started to slip with 3rd and 4th gear.

It is a good thing my car only has 111.000 kms,

but looks like the clutch kit it has is still the oem...

So we kept the pressure at 0,3 and got back home.

After parking the car I noticed water boiling sounds,

and opening the hood I saw a mess.

It was a rusted oem metal hose that didnt cope with

the pressure and had a hole, slowly leaking all coolant.

Next day, Bax arrived with the service parts from

Lefkaditis Motorsport and we (Bax actually) did all

the hard work replacing the broken part.

Since then, I took the car again on the road for 

only very few kms and its obvious I need to change 

the clutch and also improve the cooling system.

................................................................................

It is proving to be mandatory to make 

a good service to the car before turboing the engine.

I didnt. Immediately the car needed a new clutch,

and also as well an new full service on the belts,

water pump and bearings. So the car went back to

Lefkaditis Motorsport.

We fitted a 6-pack XTD clutch disk

and also a second radiator fan.

We do need to fit a water temp gauge immediately though.

I also raised the front of the car by 7 mm

and fitted the new Rota RK-R 15x8 et10

in Steel Grey color with 195/50 Dunlop SP.

................................................................................

Some more picies!

................................................................................

Coming back from Lefkaditis Motorsport again.

We fitted a water temp gauge and a new exhaust.

More subtle in look and quitter than stock actually.

Stealth mod revisited Mr.Option-D...

I can still high temps in the Athens traffic,

so might need to fit an ally rad as well.

Also, with the big meeting coming on Sunday,

and with the car being decorated with spiders (!!!)

I took it for a wash, to my mate's Leo working place.

And the new exhaust. Quitter than  stock...

................................................................................

Not many news here, some plans will have to wait,

as there is no time to deal with the car these days.

The new aluminum 52 mm core radiator is ordered

and that is the most important to make the car work safely,

and give us the opportunity to map the car properly.

By the way, now with the XTD clutch fitted, 

the slipping has stopped and I can see up to 0,6 bar

on the Zeitronix but with a 9,9 AFR as the mapping

was stopped due to the rotten clutch, at 0,3 bar...

Some pics from today's morning, really early up

for work at the Drift Academy facilities.

................................................................................

Some more picies Gakis took

from the Elliniko Airway.

................................................................................

On the news side, the car was driven very easy,

cause of the new clutch kit and the water temp problem.

The clutch now has some kms on it and the 

temperature problem was treated with twin fans, 

a low temp thermostat (92 on - 87 off) and 

a new aluminum 52 mm core (60 mm wide) radiator.

I also fitted a digital temp-gauge but got no pics.

Anyway, I was running 96 to 101 Celcious before

and I m rarely going over 96 now.

Lets wait for the summer though, as reroute might be needed.

Due to the fact we had the intercooler pipes over the rad

with the new thicker radiator we had to lower it 

quite a bit to fit under. That would make it sit lower

than the engine's higher point and thus make it

impossible to do a proper vaporization of the system.

So we took the rad to a specialist, to make some 

welding, creating a special champer for the coolant.

................................................................................

I also had a chance to remove the rear carbon panel

and had a go with my new Garage Vary rear and the custom lights.

And yesterday, also fitted the hardtop back. Winter is here...

................................................................................

Mobile pictures makes me happy.

You, not so much as they aint great.

Here are some of the new Wheel Vents fitted.

And one of the engine bay as it stands now.

................................................................................

After a "fellow" citizen broke my oem sidelights

it was time to replace them with some of the

Jass Performance Mesh TSIs, with hidden driving lights.

Then, with the help of Bax, we did fitted an HID kit
to the Jass Performance Low Pro Hella headlights!

And the finished look -with some PS...

And today I toyed with my new
Feed Style sideskirt kit, which I primered,
painted and also added a black edge strip.
Now they are ready to go on the car.

Also did some work on the GV panel

And took a more recent pic!

And some pics of the interior in its almost final form.

Off we go with the sticker carbon door cards and on

we go with the perforated leather door cards!

................................................................................

Ok, sorry for the bad pics lads.

Will try to make it up at some point.

The LSD went off, with the 4,3 FGR and T2 Torsen

An open diff with 4,1 was down on the operating tample

of Lefkaditis Motorsport

 

So this T1 Torsen goes in and then back in the car.

Chinese Bi-Xenon fitted on the Jass Performance Low Pros

And extensive trial fitting of the Garage Vary rear

Αnd the work went on and on and on...

Since I m going retro with the GV rear panel

and since the Jass Performance TSIs dont come 

with clear lenses, I went tangoed again, 

using the oem orange reflectors and side markers

The Garage Vary rear lights still I m trying to fit right
and they need a lot of effort I must admit.

The kit itself is a piece of crap, overestimated as hell,
and needs a lot of work to fit right. Imagine my case
that I didnt choose the proper Porter Cab lights...

A picture to remember: Off goes the Cusco roll bar
and the T2 Torsen with the 4,3 FGR.

Also another major change. Off went the tan hood finally.
Instead of arguing with myself about the tan or black,
I found and bought a Green Mohair Hood. Goes great with the BRG.
(The... elf pictured is Master Mitsos of Lefkaditis Motorsport)

 

Also, since turboed, i had a bit of a problem with idle.
It was a bit strange as i had all sensor changed and even
the diagnostics wouldnt show any fault codes.

The car had a problem with cold start, it could not keep idle
until it get a bit warm and also it had a bit high idle afterwards.
It was a pretty simple solution, but we were so messed up
with it after thinking and thinking and thinking again,
we could spot the obvious mistake. Thankfully Bax saved the day.

Where you see the blue hose on the left, there was a small filter,
sucking air after the AFM and messing up cold start.

The Cusco Safety 21 roll bar was sold in order to fit
a new CCR Double diagonal roll bar.
It was quite a tight fit and not because I got it in candy red...
Anyhow, its in, its red and its lovely.
The double diagonals do get in the way
when looking on a rear view mirror.

 While the Recaro was out for fitting the rollbar,
I did spayed a nice varnish to the back. I should
have done this when I bought it...
 

 And the final article. Sorry for tha bed pics, it was dark.

And at the end of the day, wehn I got back home

after 45 minutes searching for a parking spot...

 

................................................................................

Finally, thanks to Option-D, here are some decent pics

of the always dirty Miata I drive.

................................................................................

After the last photoshoot some things have changed.

I decided against the GV rear panel. Too much hassle 

to put with the custom lights and still expensive.

So I sold it and replaced it with a new Jap rear panel.

But anyway, I went forward on putting 

some more bracing under the car.

I removed the I.L. front brace and replace it

with the Chaseroad  4 Point Chassis brace

This one was specially made for the JDMbits Miata

as it is too low and I needed a very slim adition

of the original design Chaseroad offers.

We also fitted the Chaseroad Frame Rails.
It is unbelievable the difference these puppies do.
I was told but couldnt believe it will be so importan,
at lease at my car that has many many bracing now.


 

This is the end result

Bonus pic:

................................................................................

After fitting all these new stuff the Miata is at it's best.

We had our annual myMx5 meet from where our 

visitors from Speednation.tv took these nice pics 

of the member's vehicles and the JDMbits Miata.

You will find more pictures of the meeting HERE!

After that the car remained parked and to be honest

it needs some more work like example, some fine tuning,

which I m rather bored to do. It of course had its little treat

but thats because it was ordered long time ago.

New anodized aluminum gear knob and handbrake knob.

Still now, in my mind the future aint the brightest for the car.

................................................................................

It took me six months to update this...

Sad times, bck in May, the car got attacked one night,

roof torn and some interior parts stollen. That was the end of it.

You saw the parts on sale here...

Some last pics we took with my mate Konstantinos Sidiras. 

That is before it's broken to pieces. 

I need to thanks many, but its sure to forget many.

I 'm sorry if I do.

Thanks to Rota Wheels, Jass Performance, Meister-R, Lefkaditis Tuning,

Precision Tuning, ChaseRoad, Creative Flow, CCR, www.mymx5.gr

Special thanks to Manos Option D, Bax and Neko.