1996 Mazda Mx5 with ITBs - p16 video clip :)

[wheelspinner]

Nice job.........

If anyone else wants to try this might i recommend one of these from Claire at Crapengineering.



Also good for v6 and v8 got one on my Itb build.

Steve

[meltdown]

* spits sandwich all over keyboard *

Fulvia for sale!!!!



Admittedly loving this thread too though.

[deanflowers]

Have you thought about going to FD rx7 spec? or maybe a large single turbo?

[goldnrust]

Wheelspinner, those subframes look great don't they, I'm almost tempted to upgrade my chopped standard one at some stage. When I built this car in 2010 the only option for tubular subframe was from the US and it was £700 before postage and taxes

Meltdown, needs must I'm afraid. Hopefully she'll goto a good home

Deanflowers, one of the big challenges with fitting a rotary engine to a RHD mx5 is the clearance for the steering column and exhaust. While 13b turbos have been fitted, it's a really tight squeeze and the twin turbo set-up from the FD is never ever gonna fit. If there's no twin turbo, and you wanted to go turbo, then an FC engine would be a better bet, because they have the same potential for power and the FC engines are a lot cheaper to buy! A good condition FD engine demands a high price nowadays, but the FC engines can still be had pretty cheap. This N/a 13b set me back £200. I'll get used to the 175hp first, gonna be near enough double what the Fulvia puts down! If I want more power from there, then I think there's ways to optimise this N/A set-up yet, and there's always superchargers….

[wheelspinner]

Quick pic of it in situ




Claire does them for just over £300 and they are better quality than the Flying. Miata ones.She used to build and ride her own drag bikes so she knows her her onions,and the stainless manifold and exhaust she build for her v6 build is a work of art.

crapengineering.weebly.com

Drop her a line on Mx5 Nutz if you fancy one give her a bit of time as she does it as a cottage industry.

Steve

[luckyseven]

Jun 23, 2014 19:27:54 GMT goldnrust said:

Deanflowers, one of the big challenges with fitting a rotary engine to a RHD mx5 is the clearance for the steering column and exhaust. While 13b turbos have been fitted, it's a really tight squeeze and the twin turbo set-up from the FD is never ever gonna fit. If there's no twin turbo, and you wanted to go turbo, then an FC engine would be a better bet, because they have the same potential for power and the FC engines are a lot cheaper to buy!

Also the FC setup is single turbo to begin with and not only do you not have to find room for the massive structure of FD twin turbos, you don't have to swap in the fearsomely complicated "rat's nest" control system of about twenty-four miles of vacuum hose, several kilos of wiring, twelve actuators and fifty solenoids*, any one tiny part of which going west will knacker the entire job up. The FD twin turbo system is one of the automotive marvels of the world... when it's working as God and Mazda intended. But to be honest, very few do



*some of this might have been exaggerated for comedic effect. But there's a lot of stuff in there, trust me

[goldnrust]

Ah the FD rats nest! The FB rats nest was bad enough

And after all that, there's always the option of sticking n/a with some porting and ITBs. I was thinking today… with the car already running Megasquirt and fuel injection, I could run Suzuki TL100r 52mm throttle bodies, just like I did on the Rx7, and that could free up some nice top end power ….. excited!

Edit: In other news, found out delivery should be within the first few days of July

[duncanmartin]

Very cool car (though it's such a shame - I don't understand why people buy nice cars, screw them up and then break them instead of fixing them). I still think the Lancia is cooler, but then I sold my Lancia too, so who am I to judge?!
I'd love to see either at the Gathering.

[meltdown]

I have a 1uzfe if you're interested

[Dez]

i do wonder why mazda never built this in the first place- would have harmed rex sales too much i guess. its a pretty 'natural' conversion, just seems right.

[deanflowers]

I used to own an FD so was just curious, it does look very tight with the steering column. Single turbo would be awesome in this.

[Speedle]

MX5 + a Rotary engine.... Match made in heaven if you ask me! Can't wait to see it finished!!

[goldnrust]

Duncan, I think the Lancia probably is cooler, but there's something about tho car and it being mine that just feels right.

v8s are the enemy of the rotor fan, Meltdown.

Dez, it does just seem right yeah I believe Mazda decided against the rotary in mx5 for two reasons, firstly the mx5 was an homage to the british sports cars of the 60s and 70s which are mostly powered by 4 cylinder piston engines and secondly the mx5 was always meant to be cheap fun and the rotary engine didn't really fit that category I'm the same way a 4 cylinder piston engine does.

Dean, I think a single turbo would be pretty wild. But I an drawn to the response and slivery of a good n/a set-up.

Cheers Speedle, waiting to see if finished could take a while though

There is a proper update tonight, out of the blue I got an phone call this morning to say there's been a cancelation so they can deliver the car today, is that ok? Of course it was!



The delivery guy arrived about 2pm with the car and paper work. We soon got it unloaded and all was ok, and he left. Then i tried to push the car onto the drive. It didn't go well.



I got about half way then got stuck, the rear brakes were just binding too much. Seized rear brake callipers, classic mx5 issue. I got them freed off enough to move the car and with help of a neighbour got it on the drive.

With the unexpected early delivery, the seller hadn't had chance to clean the car which showed in it all its green algae and bird poo covered state. Add to that some really back paint peel on the bonet where a cheap respray was doing off in big chunks….



…and she's looking pretty sorry for herself. The interior is all disassembled (with lots of the screw missing).



And the engine bay is a state, looking at the corrosion and it's locations I'm pretty sure it's spent some considerable time with the bonnet up.



So just for morals sake, my first job was to clean her!




The next job on the list was to check the engine condition. With a rotary that has sat for a long period the normal routine is to pull the plugs, pour some 2 stroke oil in the plug holes and turn the engine by hand, which should help lubricate all the internals and you find any problems before the big speeds of actually starting engine makes it all worse. Puling the from rotor plugs revealed a problem



About a pint of coolant in the front rotor. Lots of coolant missing from cooling system too, pretty conclusive that a water seal is shot then, rebuild time here we come

After that a couple of friends came round and we stood about chatting about the car for ages. They were really pleased to see it home to me too




So a few hours after getting my hands on it, it seems the pros are:

• Rust isn't too bad, bit of the rear arches and sills but really nothing much not just by Lancia standards but normal Mx5 standards.
• All the interior parts (bar the window mechanism) are there.
• The fire damage seems very limited onto to some of the loom.
• Since I sold it it's gained; grooved larger diameter from brake discs with uprated pads, some fancy sticky Federal track day tires and a limited slip diff.
• The roof is in good usable condition.

The cons are:

• The engine needs a rebuild.
• The brakes need an overhaul and brake lines replacing
• Some suspension bushes need replacing
• It needs more reassembly than I thought.

[georgeb]

Jun 24, 2014 23:57:15 GMT goldnrust said:

About a pint of coolant in the front rotor. Lots of coolant missing from cooling system too, pretty conclusive that a whiter seal is shot then, rebuild time here we come

Just to look on the brighter side, you'll know it's right when its finished. I'm not overfamiliar with the rotary but with the stories you guys put on here, a rebuild probably wouldn't go amiss anyway.

[adam73bgt]

Sounds like a bit of a task but I'm sure you'll get stuck in, also engine needs a rebuild just sounds like an opportunity to get more power to me

[luckyseven]

Full bridge

[metroman]

Great to see it saved! If you do half as good a job as you did withe the Lancia you are onto a real winner there.

With regards to forced induction have you considered supercharging? I've not seen many rotary engines blown but I would imagine that you would get a fair increase without the lag.

James

[qwerty]

Jun 25, 2014 10:23:19 GMT luckyseven said:

Full bridge

+1.......you are taking it apart anyway afterall!

[goldnrust]

Metroman, yes I have considered supercharging There's lots of ideas floating about!

Full bridge was pretty much my first thought as I saw the water pouring out. With throttle bodies it would be pretty wild. With a bit more of a clear mind this morning, I'm not really sure I'm man enough to rock a full bridge as my only car and daily transport…. Need to get my head back in rotary mode and do some reading as to what gains I'm gonna get with what porting and at what cost to drivability and fuel costs.

[meltdown]

metroman's suggestion of supercharging sounds like a cool idea.

Amazing what a good clean can do for morale