MRM331

I’ve decided to its time for my 1994 Laguna and I to part ways. I purchased the car in 2009 as a well set up autox car with 165K on it. Shortly thereafter I built it into a 5.4 liter track day car but kept all the amenities that would allow it to be a pleasant drive to and from the track and occasionally to work. Over the last five years I’ve continued to improve it to the point where now it can reliably handle 8+ hour endurance track days. I’m asking $18,500.

Specs:
Chassis:
1994 Laguna Miata with 187K on the odometer, 22k awesomely fun miles as a V8.
Hard Dog double diagonal bar
New Color-matched Project G rear corner flares
Mazda mud guards
RSpeed side skirts
TougeRun GV style front lip spoiler
Planet Miata dual hood lift kit
Custom Turn Signal Intakes using 1996 Mercury Sable turn signals
Trailer Hitch
Modified Miata “R Package” rear lip
Wings West deck Spoiler
AeroCatch locking hood latches
New Robbins Glass Window top

Engine/Exhaust:
331 (5.4l) stroked Ford Windsor, 11:1 CR, 284 rwhp, 324 rwt
Lincoln MkVII “YYY” block
Scat 28oz balanced rotating assembly, forged crank, H beam rods, -6.8cc forged dome pistons
Professional Products light weight balancer
Ford E303 camshaft
Billet timing set
Melling High-Volume oil pump
Ported GT40 iron heads
333 lb Comp Cams valve springs
Crane Cams 1.6 aluminum stud rockers
GT40 Explorer lower intake, ported
GT40 Upper intake, polished
Custom cold air box
New BBK 75 mm throttle body and port-matched EGR spacer
BBK high flow fuel rails upgraded to -6AN plumbing (All PTFE Super Flex SS hose)
BBK adjustable fuel pressure regulator with gauge
Megasquirt 2 stand alone ECU built by DIYAutotune with Bluetooth adapter
GM style open element Air temp sensor located at filter
GM style coolant temp sensor relocated to lower manifold
Innovate LC2 Wideband o2 sensor and controller
G3 alternator (1996 Mustang v6)
Ford Mustang AC compressor integrated to Mazda system with custom lines
Mazda Miata power steering pump powered via modified crank pulley and 4-rib belt
Wrapped and heat painted Monster Miata headers
2.25 aluminized true dual system with H-pipe, Magnaflow hi-flow cats and Borla ProXS mufflers

Cooling:
New Howe racing 342AFNF aluminum radiator with larger diameter hoses
Custom rear shroud with dual Tri-Pac puller fans and relief flaps
Evans waterless coolant
New nose-mounted oil cooler with thermatic sandwich adapter and -8AN lines

Drive Line:
Billet steel flywheel
Center Force clutch
Reinforced clutch slave cylinder mount
Stainless clutch line
Monster Miata trans cross member with added anti-flex bolt
1991 Mustang GT T5 transmission
Billet shifter assembly with 2” extension
Custom aluminum driveshaft with serviceable universals
New Professionally built Ford 7.5 differential with new 3.08 gears and Eaton True Track carrier
New CV joints/boots (all freshly packed with RedLine CV2 grease)
New custom steel replacements for the original aluminum Monster Miata axle spacers

Suspension/Wheels/Brakes:
New front hubs, repacked with Redline CV2
New rear wheel bearings, repacked with Redline CV2
New rear 2003 Miata “sport” brake calipers/pads/rotors
Freshly rebuilt front Wilwood Dynalite calipers
New front VW Corrado rotors
New 1993 Mazda 929 1” Master cylinder
-3AN stainless flex lines
Wilwood adjustable proportioning valve
New Hawk HPS compound pads on all four corners
’93 LE Miata tie rod ends
Flyin’ Miata VMAXX track pack coil overs with NB mounts
SuperPro Blue Bushings
Racing Beat hollow front sway with reinforcement blocks
TRMotorsport C1 wheels – 15x8 20mm offset
225/45R15 Hankook RS3 tires

Instrumentation/Interior:
Custom GT-40 inspired gauge faces by RevLimiter with rescaled tachometer markings (100% accurate)
Autometer SportComp coolant temp, vacuum and oil temp gauges
Innovate G5 Wide band gauge
Custom toggle switches and guards for windows, hazard lights, head light motors (includes sleepy mod)
’93 LE speaker surrounds
Radio delete, amp in with audio input jack
HVAC controls moved down one slot to keep gauges visible
New Optima Yellow Top Battery

It has a current PA inspection and is ready to go. Everything listed above as “New” was added as part of the car’s last round of upgrades less than 800 miles ago. Appearance wise I give the car an eight out of ten although everyone who sees it thinks it looks great as is. I always intended to get it repainted as a final “last step” as the paint shows the signs of having been well cared for but driven for the last 22 years. The interior is in decent shape although the driver’s seat is showing the customary wear along the outer side bolster that all cars this age show. Again, I always figured I’d reskin them in leather at some point but never got around to it. Over all the car is fantastic and ironically exactly where I’ve always wanted it to be as far as its tune, comfort and strength. If interested please email me at:

mccullyracingmotors@gmail.com

-Jason McCully

MRM331

Pics:

MRM331

More Pics:

MRM331

And More Pics:

MRM331

Video on track:

MRM331

Fast forward this video to 15:30 to see the car performing on the track form someone else's car:

stng_96

Beautiful car bud, good luck with your sale!

MRM331

Thanks. Its been few years since building this one and the itch to start something new is starting to set in (V6 maybe????).


BTW, here is the build thread for the car:

https://www.v8miata.net/ford-v8-miat...onversion-162/


Unfortunately the other three builds were hosted at CarDomain which has totally screwed them up by changing the site around.

At some point I'll add the modifications made over the last two years to that thread.

-Jason

ToySnakePMC

Jason - I've long admired your builds, attention to detail, and continuos improvements. There's no way anyone could duplicate THIS car for the amount you're asking. Somebody will soon be a lucky owner!

Sell it, and entertain us with another V8/6 Miata build soon!

MRM331

Thanks Patrick,
Unlike my other three builds I didn't build this one with resale in mind so I'm not actually "making" money on it. That said, I'm very comfortable with what it has cost me to have a Corvette slayer for the last five years and the dollars:smiles ratio of that experience. The next one will be built with the goal of coming out slightly ahead when sold while still having a blast at the track for three or so years.

If I were to sell it with the intention of making the same profit margin I did on the other three I'd have to ask about $30K for it. That may be possible but not without a respray, leather seats and a set of better breathing heads to get it up to the magic 300 whp number. All of that would cost me about $7K-$10K and a lot of extra time which then forces me to try for the $35K+ level, which is FM-built LSx territory. While I feel the car would be comparable to a LSx at that point in pretty much every area the V8 buying public does not. It would have to be an original Monster Motorsports built Mega Monster with under 20K miles that was featured in a motoring publication or personally owned by the guy off'ed his wife and ended up in that Lifetime movie (another story for another time) to get to that level.

I actually think that if I was willing to wait 9 months to a year I could probably get another $2K to $4K out of it. I kind of want to move things ahead a little faster which is why I have it priced where I do.

I have a serious sounding interested party looking at it on Saturday so I may be starting a "my V6 build" thread sooner than I thought I would...I'll let every one know at that point if I'm going "It's got VTEC Yo!" or...um...(gulp)...chevy


-Jason

Oldgrayfrog

This is my fantasy v8 miata. A Laguna with a stroked engine making right at 300 whp..,for once someone started with the nicest car they could find! I just need to sell a kidney or something...

MRM331

And its SOLD for $18K this morning.

I'm sad to see it go but I'm really looking forward to the planning, building and enjoying of another one shortly. Thanks everyone who had left good thoughts here and advice.

I'll start another thread shortly about where I'm leaning for my next one. I'm about 90% sure of the actual donor Miata I'm going to use and about 99% sure of the engine/drive line upgrade it will be receiving. Jim and I are going to have to find a place to squeeze a "V6" section in here somewhere...

-Jason

ToySnakePMC

That was quick. Congrats and on with the J swap in its new forum section!

RYNO

It's on eBay now

https://www.ebay.com/itm/331918902908

OSULemon

Odd. Did he get bored of it that fast, get buyers remorse, or scare the beejeezus out of himself?

Maybe he bit off more than he could chew with a custom built car.

stng_96

I sent him the following message:

Hello,

I saw this car for sale just a short time ago on a internet forum, and I know it sold then. Why are you selling it so quickly? Not what you expected?


His response:

Not at all, in fact a bit too much. My bright idea was to use this car to introduce a couple of young folks to autocross and SCCA at Lime Rock. Way, way too much car for an inexperienced driver, it appears five years in fast Go-karts is not enough prep even after all the work of toning the car down a little. We are going back to an AH Sprite and a Formula Ford. Thanks

MRM331

I don't know exactly what happened although he told me when he picked it up that he had no desire to track the car. It looks like he removed the ground effects, raised it on stock suspention and posibly purchased a new right rear wheel for it.
I tried explaining to him and anyone who asked about it that nothing on the car was done for purely cosmetic reasons or to make it look "ricer". Even the stripes were there to hide the hood loovers which were there to help vent the engine bay at speed. The parts he removed were added specificly to help keep the car stable at over 110mph, which they did up until 140 or so. Without those parts and it lowered as much as possible any Miata will become a wing at 110 and try to take off. If he took those components off, raised it up and then tried to track it without track seats and proper harnesses it does not surprise me that it seemed to be a bit hard to control. It was designed as a system.

If he had told me he wanted to "tone the car down" and use it to instruct first time track learners I would have happily emailed him a new .msq with a much more conservative ignition map that would have accomplished exactly that. I could have even pulled the rev limiter down or changed any number of things if it was expressed to me that those were his needs. I would never have recomened anyone inexperienced take that car on the track even WITH all the equipment that was removed.

-Jason

OSULemon

Hmm. One would think a track instructor would know all this, and other factors are in play here. I suspected it was not an issue with the car itself.

Regardless, I'm curious to see how much it sells for on Ebay. Historically it doesn't seem like v8 Miatas do very well on there, at least from what I've seen.

MRM331

I actually just spoke to him via email about what the situation is. He was actually taking out the children of some veterans (he does an amaizing amount of work with veterans groups) with it which it seemed to be a bit too much of a car for. He took the ground effects and suspention off to clear his driveway.
I think he's selling it more because he realized he does not really have the time for it more than anything else. He's planning on trying it again on ebay at some point soon (I'm encouraging him to try it back on here as well) with the hope of getting the money out of it as is.
If anyone is interested please IM me here and I'll pass your info on to him.
-Jason

V8MiataMike

The seller's feedback indicates a lot of car selling so maybe he thought he could sell it for more than what he paid for...

MRM331

I think he could but I don't think eBay is where its going to happen. I'm pretty sure that I could have held out and got maybe a few more grand for it if I had the time to do so.
I think he'd have some luck here since I did actually have a few other interested parties here. I was also told of sites like Bring a Trailer that seemed maybe a good venue.
We'll see how it goes. I wish him luck and would actually like to see him make a little on it. As I said before if anyone is interested please send me a PM with your info in it and I'll pass it on to Ron (current owner).
-Jason

spfldil62701

Might be interested in this car. How much work is it going to take to put it back right? It sounds like some of the conversation here makes it sound like he's done some messing with it that might have caused some serious problems in the handling and maybe punted a curb with it?

MRM331

From what he has told me it sounds like he still has the ground effects and even if he does not all together the two sides and the front are only worth less than $300. The original suspention is being sold with it it looks like so that could just be slapped on and the height adjusted to whatever you like. Other than that the only thing missing is the amp I had in it but I'm sure there are many options out there for that if its needed.

While its strange that the red lip (which was only a sticker) is missing from the right rear it does not mean it spun out at any point. The pictures of the underside show no damage and the body work is not scarred in any way. The pin striping could have literally came off in the rain on the way home.
Ron is a very honest guy from what I have gleened from my dealings with him. He was very honest during the sale and even stepped up to help out when my wife got into an accident WHILE we were transfering the title.

If you're not already in contact with him and want to be PM me your contact info and I'll pass it on to him.

BTW, anyone who is interested in picking this up, I still have the color matched hardtop for it which I'd be willing to sell to whoever ends up owning it. I kept it with the intention of repainting it whatever color my next Miata would be. Now that that color is black I've decided the more cost effective option is just to pick up a black one when one comes up on CL and then sell this one for the same amount. I also have a 75% complete MS2 stand alone harness for it that I'd actually finish and trade for the converted harness in it.
-Jason

ozerinx

did he ever put up for resale?

mrmustang

He did:
Ebay-8/01-$10,300
Ebay-8/09-$12,000
Ebay-8/18-$10,700
Ebay-8/29-$15,000 (no reserve, sold, positive feedback for buyer and seller left)