1992 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Convertible

4 - Cyl.

Manual

JM1NA3518N1302921

Gasoline

Thanks for looking at this extremely fast, extremely fun, very unique Miata! See video of the car in action here!: This car currently has 103,220 miles and has been a turbocharged since 97,350 miles. It is rust-free, wreck-free, and has a clear title. It has always been well-maintained and driven with mechanical empathy. (No clutch dumps, flat-shifts, boost before the engine is warm, etc.) It has been completely reliable since the turbo install. It hurts to sell my labor of love, but I'm moving abroad for an extended period and it would be a waste to let it sit for two more years. This car is accident-free, rust-free and garage-kept. It has been in the family since 1999 but has been sitting in the garage for most of the past two years as I have been living overseas. If you have questions, feel free to ask! I have more pictures available if requested. I started this build with the Flyin’ Miata turbo kit in mind. I liked FM’s kit, but being the do-it-yourself type, I figured I could build a turbo system that was as reliable as FM’s, but a little more powerful and responsive. Unlike many DIY turbocharged cars, this Miata was not done on a tight budget. I did not try to cut corners. I knew from the beginning that in order for this car to be fun, it would have to be reliable. As a result, there is not a single off-brand part in the car. I have used only high-quality, respected name-brand aftermarket or OEM parts in this build. As a result, the car has been extremely reliable and free of quirks. It starts, idles and drives very much like stock – until you press the gas pedal. During its one and only trip to the drag strip, it ran a 9.2 sec ET at 88mph in the 1/8th mile. The slow ET is my fault, but the 88mph trap speed suggests the car is making 220-240hp at the wheels at 14 pounds of boost. In other words, with 260+HP at the crankshaft and weighing about 2200lbs, this Miata has a power-to weight ratio of less than 9lb/hp. That’s about the same as the new, 426HP Camaro SS. This car is fast. The last time I checked, the car got 24mpg, all stop-and-go city or ‘spirited’ backroads driving. I expect it would get about 30mpg highway. Below is a full breakdown of every part used on the car and why it was chosen. Drivetrain: ACT XT clutch with street-friendly disc. No need to worry about a grabby puck-type clutch here. Rated to 277ft/lbs of torque, but feels nearly the same as stock. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ACL-ZM2-XTSS/ Replaced fragile stock 6” differential with much stronger 7” unit from ‘94+ 1.8 liter Miata. (swap included 1.8 Miata driveshaft and axles) Clutch-type limited-slip differential from ‘88 RX-7. I used the LSD unit only - still uses 1.8 Miata 4.10 ring and pinion. Recently rebuilt with about 80ft/lbs of preload – not too extreme for getting groceries, but with enough lockup to really put down power and make the car more controllable. A turbo Miata without a good LSD is not much fun. Exhaust: Custom 3” stainless steel downpipe. A master welder put 17 hours of labor into this piece – it turned out to be the biggest expense of the build at nearly $1000. It is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, made from 3” stainless steel mandrel-bent tubing. Overkill without a doubt, but this downpipe will likely support over 600 horsepower before it becomes a restriction, should you have the desire to take it that far. Custom 3” exhaust – mandrel bends, straight-through Magnaflow muffler. Nice, mellow sound without any raspiness or ‘ricey’-ness. The car is not loud. Electronics: Megasquirt 1 v3.0 professionally assembled by Diyautotune.com. This is the heart of the car. The Megasquirt is firmly established as a reliable, expandable, high-quality standalone ECU. It is especially well-known in the turbo Miata community as the best choice for a DIY turbo setup, as it is far superior to the ‘band-aid’ engine management systems used on many turbo Miatas. ‘Band-aid’ engine management refers to systems that use high pressure fuel-pumps to emulate larger fuel injectors, and boost-related spark-retard boxes that blindly retard timing under boost. This car uses none of those band-aids and is much more powerful and reliable as a result. Also, because the Megasquirt uses a Manifold Air Pressure sensor (MAP) it allowed me to remove the restrictive and inaccurate stock air flow meter. Beware of any turbo Miata that still uses the stock air flow meter as this is a giveaway that the builder has taken the cheap route for engine management. In this car, the Megasquirt has full control of fuel, spark, idle, and boost. http://www.diyautotune.com/catalog/megasquirti-programmable-efi-system-pcb30-assembled-unit-p-56.html The Megasquirt has proven to be so popular for Miatas that DIYAutoTune now offers a Plug ‘n Play version specifically made for the Miata. Aside from the external wiring, this is identical to the Megasquirt in this car. http://www.diyautotune.com/catalog/megasquirtpnp-mm9093-for-the-199093-mazda-miata-manual-tranny-p-154.html Innovate LC-1 wideband O2 sensor. A wideband O2 sensor allows the Megasquirt to monitor the exact Air/Fuel ratio from 11:1 to 20:1. It is an essential component to any modified car. The car is safely rich under boost (11.5:1) and efficiently lean at cruise (15.5-16:1). http://www.diyautotune.com/catalog/innovate-lc1-digital-wideband-controller-with-sensor-3769-p-41.html 450cc injectors from Mitsubishi Eclipse. Cleaned and flow-tested by Witchhunter Performance. NGK 2975 spark plugs Turbo System: HKS cast-iron exhaust manifold. HKS is a well-respected Japanese tuning company. Unlike the crack-prone welded steel manifolds common on modified turbo cars, this is a quality piece that should last the life of the car. Comparable to the cast-iron manifolds used in Flyin’ Miata turbo kits. Garrett GT2560R (GT28R) turbo. Ball-bearing, water cooled, just the right size. This is the turbo Flyin Miata uses in their turbo kits. Electronic boost control solenoid from GMC Syclone. Controlled by the Megasquirt ECU, this is far more precise and adjustable than a manual ball-and-spring type boost controller. All turbo oil/water lines and fittings are from Flyin’ Miata. 19”x11” intercooler from Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. Big, OEM quality. 2.5” mandrel-bent intercooler piping. I spent hours with cardboard mock-ups to figure out the shortest way to run these pipes in order to give the best throttle response. Blow-off valve from Mitsubishi Eclipse. Vented to atmosphere - not too loud, not too quiet. ATP silicone connectors with stainless-steel V-band hose clamps. Many people try to save money on these parts by buying low-quality connectors and worm-type hose clamps. These parts will last. Once again, comparable to a Flyin’ Miata kit. Miscellaneous: Duetto vinyl top with glass window – no tears, no leaks, in excellent condition as the car is garage-kept. Koni Yellow adjustable shocks Panasport wheels Falken Azenis RT-615 tires. Very grippy, nearly new. Hard Dog roll bar Solid urethane differential mounts Front strut tower brace Slotted brake rotors and high-performance pads AutoMeter boost guage – mounted in driver’s side A/C vent. Looks stock. Flyin’ Miata shift knob Flyin’ Miata front sway-bar reinforcement kit The Bad: Although the car is wreck-and-rust-free, it does have a noticeable scrape on the front driver’s side fender where it scraped the garage door frame while backing out. It took off a few layers of paint but did not damage the metal. The hood has some creases and small bumps from where I accidentally ran over it while it was lying in the front yard. They are visible from some angles but almost unnoticeable from other angles. The hood still fits and closes normally. There are a few small chips in the paint on the trunk, and some on the passenger side door. There is also a small bump on the left rear fender where it was dented from inside. The Pioneer radio/CD player only works about half the time. It turns on, but no sound comes from the speakers. I figure there are better things to pay attention to than the radio while driving a car like this, so I haven’t gotten around to fixing it. The air-bag warning light flashes occasionally. For early Miatas, this is an extremely common but pretty harmless problem. On Jan-16-12 at 23:23:05 PST, seller added the following information: *I forgot to include above: The only option the car came with was A/C, which I removed to make room for the intercooler. I do still have the parts and they come with the car if the buyer wants them. Also, this is a no power-steering car. It does, however, have the R package front lip and rear spoiler. Good trade if you ask me!