What will you be doing to your car this winter? Mostly repairs or improvements? Just parking it until spring?

Although I swore to myself I would just park my car and forget it for the winter (to avoid spending any money on it) I have to do something about my gearing... the LS/RS ratios are all wrong for a vtec engine. I'll either put in a 4.9 final drive or change gears 2-3-4-5 for the Si/ITR ratios (if anyone has these parts lying around and wants to sell cheap, let me know). Other than that, I'm going to strip the sound deadening from the floor, change the brake lines for braided steel and fix the overheating problem (probably change the head gasket). The car is basically new, so there's not really that much to do after only running one event this year.

Also, I need to save up for a new helmet and belts since both are expiring this year. I'll probably go with OMP for both since my sponsor Trac Racing gets great deals on OMP stuff.

I don't think i'll win the contest of who can spend the least in the offseason. At least there will not be the expense of winter solo this year.

 

New seat and steering wheel (momo)
New alternator and battery
Straighten dent in LF and buff out donut on passenger door
Leakdown and Compression test.
sandblast and coat header
new rear brake calipers
new LR wheel bearing
new pads and rotors all 4 corners

Talk to anyone that will listen trying to find over 1 second out of an almost completely sorted ITA miata.

Anyone on here got any ideas?

 

To the question: hopefully roll out one badassed ITA/H4 CRX Si.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RacerBowie &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">New seat and steering wheel (momo)</TD></TR></TABLE>
Cup GT is the seat I have that you sat in (think the wheel is a MOD2x?? LTB would know which one it is), hell, just call Louis for anything Momo (888-346-7266)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RacerBowie &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Talk to anyone that will listen trying to find over 1 second out of an almost completely sorted ITA miata.

Anyone on here got any ideas?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Haha, you'll find a second on the field instantly by racing at RRR

 

Improvements - making my **** last another year. Timing belt/tensioner, water pump, clutch, transmission bearings (rattlerattlerattlewhiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrclack), wheel bearings/studs (front), the usual maintenance assortment of fluids, cap/rotor, filters, pads, rotors, etc...

 

Must do...
Rollbar ($400 or so)
Timing belt (price depends if I do it or take to shop)
New rear window (plastic is cracking, $275)
Wheels and tire (99+OEM Miata + Kumhos, $800 or so)

If funds allow...
Koni shocks
Tubular front swaybar

 

Depending on how my job and/or any possible internships play out, as well as if I get student loans, I may:

-Replace stock muffler with straight pipe, or lightweight muffler.
-Buy a used set of Circle Racing wheels.
-New set of R-comps

If I can't afford to do that, well, I'll just get new brake pads, and keep running on the same Victoracers I've had for the past two seasons. They only saw 4 events in '04, so they should still have some life in them.

Of course, this also depends heavily on if I'll actually have somewhere to autocross in '05.

 

Assuming the car doesn't go away and I keep it for a while, it needs...

- New ITS sticker package
- Fuel sample port
- About 100lb of ballast
- Remove ITR rear wing, replace with stock
- Remove rear adjustable upper control arm, replace with stock
- Motor mounts, brake calipers, wheel bearings, just because
- Current harnesses
- New helmet

Cripes. I leave the thing alone for over a year and it *still* costs me money to own and maintain.

 

Oh yeah, forgot completely ...

Paint my phone dials, pick up some used r-comps for Porchey.
Paint my AR24s.
Get rid of D15 sitting in my garage (hopefully someone's picking up soon)
Get rid of Sunroof for CRX Si in garage (someone was supposed to take to someone at RA and someone forgot :doh: - anyone heading by Shultzy's house?)
Have an open house for the 7 sets of OE CRX suspensions in the garage

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Civic44 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What will you be doing to your car this winter? Mostly repairs or improvements? Just parking it until spring?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Make it go through turns faster, brake better, go down the straights quicker and be the first car to finish each race. That's about it really.

 

let's see:
- put engine in
- install fire system
- mount seat
- install gauges
- install exhaust
- fuel sample port
- get new TPS
- put oil cooling system together
- get tires mounted
- wash and sticker
- get tech'ed
- alignment
- dyno tune (if $$$)
- corner weigh (if $$$)
- get trailer
- register for February double school at Roebling
- get in touch with uncle Catch to see if he still can/want to crew for me
- try to find a way to shake out the car BEFORE the school

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by phat-S &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Haha, you'll find a second on the field instantly by racing at RRR </TD></TR></TABLE>

Alas, they do not hold the national championship at RRR. I also (thank God) don't live 45 minutes from RRR.

I have gotten pretty good at "polishing the turd" as Shultz likes to remind me, but I apparently have to get much much better.

The aero on the car is maximized except for some sort of splitter/undertray.

The suspension can be upgraded to something better that shortened and revalved Konis. I will be chatting with Lee after I powwow with Fowler to figure out what the suspension goals should be, as well as how many cubic yards of cash I should pour into that part of the car.

Power is an unknown quantity right now. I obviously need more.

Driver is getting better, I hope to find more time from me next year. (Data Aquisition maybe?) I will put at least one "Pro level" driver in the car next year, but I have been cautioned not to expect them to find more than .5ish seconds, so who knows. Frankly, I can't decide if I want them to find more...might be too big of a kick to the nuts to handle.

 

short list...

-Drill hole in trunk to drain standing water..... $0
-Caulk driver-side interior leak, to stop water from collecting in foot well. $0
-Buy M3 in may when I graduate from college! w00t! $14,000-16,000


-as you can tell old bimmers that have been royally fawked in an accident are not fun sometimes.

-nate



Modified by Nate at 11:10 AM 11/18/2004

 

holy crap do i have a lot to do. 14 races + 3 test days will wear on a car.


1) blueprinted front hubs/wheel bearings
2) harnesses
3) torsen LSD (open diff sucks)
4) foam mold for seat
5) test water temp guage for accuracy
6) thermostat
7) suspension bushings (i know i won't get around to this one)
8) new balanced driveshaft (still not sure about legality of this)
9) 3'' aluminum radiator
10) new Hoosier tires (stupid open tire rule)
11) new Hoosier rain tires (i really don't like open tires)
12) alignment
13) dyno test intakes
14) plug wires
15) fix heater/defroster
16) fuel filter
17) wiper blades
18) figure out why check engine light comes on under around 40 degree atmospheric temp
19) change oil
20) rebuild 2 motors; one built reliably, one built "in the gray area."
21) get SS brake lines
22) rebuild/get 4 new calipers
23) lathe/get 4 new brake rotors
24) install new front pads
25) buy and install new rear pads

i need 3 jobs.

 

Not improvements overall but just repairing the car from this season.

1) New passenger door
2) New roof
3) New windshield
4) bang out rear quarterpanel
5) New seat (improvement)
6) Rebuild tranny
7) Fuel Cell (improvement)
8) Paint the car for new sponsors
9) Repair two bent wheels


God I am getting depressed..........think I'll quit now !!!!!

Regards,

Jon Kofod

 

Nothing major, life is good.

Bushings, bearings, tires, and maybe some gauges.

 

Finish the darned thing:
-Wiring
-Assemble and install the new race engine (everything sits patiently waiting here)
-Aluminum fuel cell cover
-Tidy up final odds & ends (mount headlight blanks, route fire system tubes and heads, install last lexan quarter window, etc.)

March 26th, 2005 is my first track day for it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Civic44 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I need to save up for a new helmet </TD></TR></TABLE>

I read in the last FastTrack that SA95 helmets were OK until Jan 2006. Have you seen otherwise?


My List:

Install LSD
Lower ride height/re corner-weight
Fix sheet-metal damage
Relocate kill switch so I can reach it
Install Wink Mirror

All in all not too bad of a list.

Diane

 

For my street (under 3k miles/yr)/lapping car:

front brake pads
rotors?
change all fluids
replace destroyed front bumper and fender liner
build some sort of front lip/splitter/undertray
buff out cone marks
remove passenger airbag and make block off plate
finish other minor cosmetic (bling) do dads

For my 230k mile daily bomber Volvo 240 DL wagon:

keep adding tranny fluid and praying she lasts for a few more miles

 

-new IT-spec motor
-replace axles
-upgrade to seat with head restraints(Sparco Circuit)
-charge fire system
-go through brakes( bleed and new rear pads)
-possibly upgrade to 15" wheels and tires
-get car painted and stickered
-completely sort through the car so it is ready for 05' schools and races

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by r2x &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Lower ride height/re corner-weight

Diane
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Don't go too low....

Remember the zip tie trick!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SJR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">let's see:
- put engine in
- install fire system
- mount seat
- install gauges
- install exhaust
- fuel sample port
- get new TPS
- put oil cooling system together
- get tires mounted
- wash and sticker
- get tech'ed
- alignment
- dyno tune (if $$$)
- corner weigh (if $$$)
- get trailer
- register for February double school at Roebling
- get in touch with uncle Catch to see if he still can/want to crew for me
- try to find a way to shake out the car BEFORE the school </TD></TR></TABLE>

im glad to see im not the only idiot on this site . but mine needs paint and a cage also

best of luck to both of us man

 

oh yeah! I AM an idiot, no doubt about it - but then again, we have a lot of company in the world!
Good luck to you in the build.

 

"try to find a way to shake out the car BEFORE the school " - SJR

This might sound silly but it works. Attend an open drag racing event to shake the car down.

 

Or an AutoX. You really should do this. The sessions at the RRR double school are non-stop. You WILL NOT have time to be working on your car without loosing track time.

Tom Fowler from OPM is usualy there with the rig and crew, you might want to get frendly with him (and bring your check book) if you think your car will need to be worked on in a paddock.

 

On the list in anticipation of next year:

- replace my poorly notched trailing arms with unmodified arms (except for the Mugen bushings)
- have nascar bars added to the driver's side of the cage
- possibly extend the cage through the firewall to the shock towers
- install the fire suppresion system
- install baffled oil pan
- install cam gears
- extended wheel studs f&b

Without a doubt I'll think of more ways to spend my retirement savings before I have a chance to retire