View Single Post
Old 12-19-2016, 09:03 PM   #68 (permalink)
Merlyn2220
Deep Lurker
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 53

Creepy Van - '95 Ford E150 Cargo
90 day: 14.45 mpg (US)
Thanks: 5
Thanked 31 Times in 22 Posts
As the owner of 3 Miatas and a forum member, I can't imagine why you wouldn't be welcome over there. Many (but not all) drive Miatas for a combination of good (if not great) fuel economy and fun to drive. Some people might think you a heretic for modifying the body, but that's their problem...not yours!

A couple of things that I've found out:
1) If you *do* get the dreaded pulley wobble, you can loctite it (and never be able to remove it again) and you can also weld it. I welded the nose on my wife's 99, since the non-loaded side of the keyway was still in perfect shape. So I carefully MIG welded the loaded side back, and used a narrow die grinder and a file to shape it back square. All while in the car. I'm sure this weakened the front, but it's held from ~135k to 200k miles!

2) The front fender flares will pay you big dividends if you widen them in front of the front wheels. IIRC it was worth several mph of top speed in track testing. The undercarriage (at least in the later cars) is already reasonably flat, so I haven't bothered to modify any of mine.

3) It's good you replaced the radiator, those are notorious for breaking the plastic top/bottom caps. If it starts turning greenish, replace it asap. You can probably safely use a smaller radiator, since that one is designed to handle track racing all day.

4) Make sure you replace the hoses, ALL of them. In the 99 and later NB Miatas, there are several small hoses that go from the rear of the block, around under the intake manifold and to the oil heater/cooler, then up to the throttle body, over to the thermostat housing, and down the right front of the engine. They are hard to see, hard to replace, and will explode without warning. So consider yourself warned!
  Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Merlyn2220 For This Useful Post:
MetroMPG (12-19-2016)