Well...Thanks to Kevin KCBHIW...I own a turbo-charged Miata.
Here's the definitive "How I got my feet into the mud puddle, that is Miatadom." Miata story.
PREFACE
I saw Kev's Miata for the first time at an Auto-X in Atlanta, GA.
Ever since then, I just wanted one.
After months of bitching & moaning about not having one, a canidate was found! I purchased my car while deployed in the Middle East on the GrassRoots Motorsports site. The car was located in Wisconsin & I was residing in Montgomery, Alabama. It was already ready to go with a few bolt-on modifications and everything.
Against better judgement, but encouragement from everyone around, I decided to take the plunge. For a turbo'd Miata with a sub $2006 price tag, everything was fair game. Or was it? The next few months that played out drove me to nearly selling the car. But yet again, the wise words & encouragement from fellow members and other outside sources urged me on.
Come, take a ride with me.
ACT1/SCENE 1
While still in Doha, Qatar I tried to keep up to terms with the ins & outs of the Mazda Community...the second family if you will. Even though I was working 12-14 hour days, I still put in the 1-2 hour "computer-time" to talk with the GACC and troll the GRM $200x thread. Then finally, there she was.
A pretty good GRM car...apart from needing a paint job and some other misc things, a good buy IMHO. The asking price was negotiated and it was decided that I would put half the money up front & pay the rest on delivery/pick up. So, $900 invested into my new baby. Excitement was building and I was bursting at the seams. I couldn't wait to leave the desert!
ACT1/SCENE 2
Back in 'Bama. It felt great to be home. Great to drive the P5 again, but something was missing. Boost....and a 5-speed (Autotragic FTL *thx GACCers*). After some discussion about flying there & driving back, the plan evolved into driving 14 hours with a Jeep & trailer to pick the car up & tow it back. After rethinking the whole operation once again, it was agreeded upon to just save time & ship the car. Good deal...think smart...drink more.
That faithful day...I don't remember the date...I'd have to search the forums (lol) to find it, the turboyata arrived to it's foster parent. Joy on Earth, it's gonna be a great Christmas.
ACT1/SCENE 3
Pleasure to Pain. That's the best way I can put the next 2 months & a half into words. Before the now infamous tradegy on the way to the GRM Challenge...there was the "...I think you over boosted..." incident. Let me harp on this subject for a minute. Over boosting, when you get a little crazy with the right foot & pedal. While your turbo & engine can only handle so much abuse, because you go over your boost range for your turbo setup.
I was on the highway on a cool night, top down and just minding my own business (it ALWAYS starts like that...does it not?)when an Acura decided to spar with me (or vice versa) can't remember exactly how it went down. I dropped from 5th to 4th to 3rd and we both gunned it. The machine that Mazda created & the GReddy turbocharger did their jobs, however the craptastic Autometer boost dial on the inside didn't (not to place blame on the thing...I was the one driving fast).
The only problem I had with that gauge was that it was not backlit or anything...so I couldn't see where the needle was at when I reached peak. Meh. What happened next...sucked. Bogging...and lots of it. Great. Limping the car back to the house is so cool these days. Turns out a fitting was loose. But was that it?
That brings me into the "...dude, it's spitting oil all over the place under the hood...". And "...WTF is up with all this bloody smoke!!?..." Just a few of the things I'd call & pester Kevin about on almost a weekly, sometimes daily...even hourly basis....sorry Kev.
A good friend of mine in town also has a turbo'd Miata. He was having the same problem...smoke. Diagnosis: Piston Rings...yikes! After discussing color, smell, texture etc with Kevin, we figured it was just old age. 
Time for a compression test & a tune up. The test came up with good numbers. Time to replace all the vacuum lines, new intake filter installed, exhaust tweaked. Cool. Lets run it at the track since The Challenge includes a drag competition. A few runs & smoke....and alot of me popping my pipes out (heavy, crappy pipping from previous owner). Screw it. Let's just go big. Race rubber, check. Gutted interior, check. Engine good to go, it runs...so check! Time for suspension upgrading...coilovers from Troy for free! Sweet. Not. Blown rear shock. None to replace it readliy available in my area. I had to call Kev & beg for him to fedex his stock one to me. Then, my right rear shock assembly did not want to come off the car. I had to remove the ENTIRE rear right suspension set. YAY. Fun, fun, fun....if you were my room mate...who would just sit there and drink beers (& anything else alcohol-based), wallow in the blowing of his motor in his built WRX & throw in an occasional hand while pointing & laughing (thanks Shawn)...heh heh.
After all was said & done. I had a pretty spiffy looking car. I even painted the valve cover & the wheels. Panasport wannabe's FTW! things are looking up.
ACT1/SCENE 4
A thorn in my side. A date that will live in infamy. More commonly known as the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec 7 1941. That historic day was remarkably similiar to this day. Peaceful at first then disaster when you least expect it. I departed for my 4 day adventure to G-ville, Fl early in the morning. It was a little damp out, so I left the top up and just turned up the stereo because the car was so loud. Everything was going well, till somewhere on I-10 just around Tallahassee, Fl. Then I noticed something wrong. A slight pinging noise, barely audible...I attributed this to the crappy cat that had been making noise since I got the car. Then, I noticed my oil gauge was going beserk. 30-0, 0-30...wtf? So I pulled off at the next exit....and then I heard it. The knock. Death was knocking on my door.
s***, I'm in bumf**k, Florida...WTH am I going to do? First person I called was Kev of course...he says...dude, check the oil. The oil looked ok, but low (I had checked it the night before)...so I bought some more. I was instructed to add a quart and drive around the service station in first & see if the knocking would go away. For a moment, it sounded ok, but the higher the RPMs, the worst the knock got. s****! My options were to continue pushing on, turn back or call a tow truck. Being the balls to walls kind of person...I said I'm going to forge ahead...you don't get anywhere if you just sit...lol...figures I'd screw myself with that assumption. So, again, I'm on my way...1st gear...brrrraaaaaap, 2nd gear....braaaaap...3rd gear....brrap-braaap-braaaaap, 4th gear....brap-brap-brap-braaaap....5th gear.....braaaaaaaaaaap, smoke, kapow! That was it. Muthaf**ker! The car stopped right next to a FDOT call box...thank goodness. I had always wondered how exactly those things worked. Well, I got to try it first hand.
So, I popped the hood to check the damage.
ACT1/SCENE 5
Beejeebus!! That's a huge hole!
After sitting there in complete disallusion that I just blew a rod out of my baby & that I am sitting in no man's land, I picked up the phone & started dialing people at random:
Me - Yeeeeeah...uhhhh...I just blew the motor....
Kevin - Dude that sucks....
Me - Think you can uhhhh...come get me on Sunday?
My boss - What!?
Me - ....blew the motor, now it's you & I both....
Room mate - F**kin' Mazda's....
Me - Dad, so uhhh...remember that Miata I bought? (I go on to tell him the situation)
My Dad - Laughter...then says, you need forged internals...
Me - Thanks for the heads up....
So somewhere between 45-60mins, the FLHP shows up. He immediately thinks I'm up to no good & asks for my license, registration etc. I inform him that I'm a mil member. He then decides to look on the inside & he sees the race rubber, jack etc. So I start telling him about The Challenge...he says that's neat & goes back to his car to run my plates etc. I ask him if it's ok for me to take some pics or whatever & he says sure. So I proceed to take my pics and wait for my paperwork & tow truck.
After about another hour, the truck arrives & I meet 'Bubba'. Your typical country-bumpkin tow guy...except he had 3 of those Taco Bell dogs in the cab. Dare I say they were cute, in an annoying way. It was a long 2 hour drive. So, I slept..in between looking in the sideview mirror at my baby & getting play bites from the pups.
Here's the definitive "How I got my feet into the mud puddle, that is Miatadom." Miata story.
PREFACE
I saw Kev's Miata for the first time at an Auto-X in Atlanta, GA.
Ever since then, I just wanted one.
After months of bitching & moaning about not having one, a canidate was found! I purchased my car while deployed in the Middle East on the GrassRoots Motorsports site. The car was located in Wisconsin & I was residing in Montgomery, Alabama. It was already ready to go with a few bolt-on modifications and everything.
Against better judgement, but encouragement from everyone around, I decided to take the plunge. For a turbo'd Miata with a sub $2006 price tag, everything was fair game. Or was it? The next few months that played out drove me to nearly selling the car. But yet again, the wise words & encouragement from fellow members and other outside sources urged me on.
Come, take a ride with me.
ACT1/SCENE 1
While still in Doha, Qatar I tried to keep up to terms with the ins & outs of the Mazda Community...the second family if you will. Even though I was working 12-14 hour days, I still put in the 1-2 hour "computer-time" to talk with the GACC and troll the GRM $200x thread. Then finally, there she was.
A pretty good GRM car...apart from needing a paint job and some other misc things, a good buy IMHO. The asking price was negotiated and it was decided that I would put half the money up front & pay the rest on delivery/pick up. So, $900 invested into my new baby. Excitement was building and I was bursting at the seams. I couldn't wait to leave the desert!
ACT1/SCENE 2
Back in 'Bama. It felt great to be home. Great to drive the P5 again, but something was missing. Boost....and a 5-speed (Autotragic FTL *thx GACCers*). After some discussion about flying there & driving back, the plan evolved into driving 14 hours with a Jeep & trailer to pick the car up & tow it back. After rethinking the whole operation once again, it was agreeded upon to just save time & ship the car. Good deal...think smart...drink more.
That faithful day...I don't remember the date...I'd have to search the forums (lol) to find it, the turboyata arrived to it's foster parent. Joy on Earth, it's gonna be a great Christmas.
ACT1/SCENE 3
Pleasure to Pain. That's the best way I can put the next 2 months & a half into words. Before the now infamous tradegy on the way to the GRM Challenge...there was the "...I think you over boosted..." incident. Let me harp on this subject for a minute. Over boosting, when you get a little crazy with the right foot & pedal. While your turbo & engine can only handle so much abuse, because you go over your boost range for your turbo setup.
I was on the highway on a cool night, top down and just minding my own business (it ALWAYS starts like that...does it not?)when an Acura decided to spar with me (or vice versa) can't remember exactly how it went down. I dropped from 5th to 4th to 3rd and we both gunned it. The machine that Mazda created & the GReddy turbocharger did their jobs, however the craptastic Autometer boost dial on the inside didn't (not to place blame on the thing...I was the one driving fast).
The only problem I had with that gauge was that it was not backlit or anything...so I couldn't see where the needle was at when I reached peak. Meh. What happened next...sucked. Bogging...and lots of it. Great. Limping the car back to the house is so cool these days. Turns out a fitting was loose. But was that it?
That brings me into the "...dude, it's spitting oil all over the place under the hood...". And "...WTF is up with all this bloody smoke!!?..." Just a few of the things I'd call & pester Kevin about on almost a weekly, sometimes daily...even hourly basis....sorry Kev.
A good friend of mine in town also has a turbo'd Miata. He was having the same problem...smoke. Diagnosis: Piston Rings...yikes! After discussing color, smell, texture etc with Kevin, we figured it was just old age. Time for a compression test & a tune up. The test came up with good numbers. Time to replace all the vacuum lines, new intake filter installed, exhaust tweaked. Cool. Lets run it at the track since The Challenge includes a drag competition. A few runs & smoke....and alot of me popping my pipes out (heavy, crappy pipping from previous owner). Screw it. Let's just go big. Race rubber, check. Gutted interior, check. Engine good to go, it runs...so check! Time for suspension upgrading...coilovers from Troy for free! Sweet. Not. Blown rear shock. None to replace it readliy available in my area. I had to call Kev & beg for him to fedex his stock one to me. Then, my right rear shock assembly did not want to come off the car. I had to remove the ENTIRE rear right suspension set. YAY. Fun, fun, fun....if you were my room mate...who would just sit there and drink beers (& anything else alcohol-based), wallow in the blowing of his motor in his built WRX & throw in an occasional hand while pointing & laughing (thanks Shawn)...heh heh.After all was said & done. I had a pretty spiffy looking car. I even painted the valve cover & the wheels. Panasport wannabe's FTW! things are looking up.
ACT1/SCENE 4
A thorn in my side. A date that will live in infamy. More commonly known as the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec 7 1941. That historic day was remarkably similiar to this day. Peaceful at first then disaster when you least expect it. I departed for my 4 day adventure to G-ville, Fl early in the morning. It was a little damp out, so I left the top up and just turned up the stereo because the car was so loud. Everything was going well, till somewhere on I-10 just around Tallahassee, Fl. Then I noticed something wrong. A slight pinging noise, barely audible...I attributed this to the crappy cat that had been making noise since I got the car. Then, I noticed my oil gauge was going beserk. 30-0, 0-30...wtf? So I pulled off at the next exit....and then I heard it. The knock. Death was knocking on my door.
s***, I'm in bumf**k, Florida...WTH am I going to do? First person I called was Kev of course...he says...dude, check the oil. The oil looked ok, but low (I had checked it the night before)...so I bought some more. I was instructed to add a quart and drive around the service station in first & see if the knocking would go away. For a moment, it sounded ok, but the higher the RPMs, the worst the knock got. s****! My options were to continue pushing on, turn back or call a tow truck. Being the balls to walls kind of person...I said I'm going to forge ahead...you don't get anywhere if you just sit...lol...figures I'd screw myself with that assumption. So, again, I'm on my way...1st gear...brrrraaaaaap, 2nd gear....braaaaap...3rd gear....brrap-braaap-braaaaap, 4th gear....brap-brap-brap-braaaap....5th gear.....braaaaaaaaaaap, smoke, kapow! That was it. Muthaf**ker! The car stopped right next to a FDOT call box...thank goodness. I had always wondered how exactly those things worked. Well, I got to try it first hand.
So, I popped the hood to check the damage.
ACT1/SCENE 5
Beejeebus!! That's a huge hole!
After sitting there in complete disallusion that I just blew a rod out of my baby & that I am sitting in no man's land, I picked up the phone & started dialing people at random:
Me - Yeeeeeah...uhhhh...I just blew the motor....
Kevin - Dude that sucks....
Me - Think you can uhhhh...come get me on Sunday?
My boss - What!?
Me - ....blew the motor, now it's you & I both....
Room mate - F**kin' Mazda's....
Me - Dad, so uhhh...remember that Miata I bought? (I go on to tell him the situation)
My Dad - Laughter...then says, you need forged internals...
Me - Thanks for the heads up....
So somewhere between 45-60mins, the FLHP shows up. He immediately thinks I'm up to no good & asks for my license, registration etc. I inform him that I'm a mil member. He then decides to look on the inside & he sees the race rubber, jack etc. So I start telling him about The Challenge...he says that's neat & goes back to his car to run my plates etc. I ask him if it's ok for me to take some pics or whatever & he says sure. So I proceed to take my pics and wait for my paperwork & tow truck.
After about another hour, the truck arrives & I meet 'Bubba'. Your typical country-bumpkin tow guy...except he had 3 of those Taco Bell dogs in the cab. Dare I say they were cute, in an annoying way. It was a long 2 hour drive. So, I slept..in between looking in the sideview mirror at my baby & getting play bites from the pups.
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