SupaDupaSteve

After scheming about building an LS miata for a while I finally am going through with it. Picked up this 95 for a very good price yesterday. It's got a jackson racing supercharger currently which I plan on selling. I'll warn you all now, progress will likely be slow as I collect parts and such.

Here's the plan. (lol this is pretty far from the actual path I'm on)
L33 aluminium block 5.3
-mild cam w/ associated valvetrain upgrades(undecided)
-all new gaskets
-v8r Long tube headers
T56 trans
BF swap kit w/ trans mount (NOW USING V8R KIT, DUE TO LONG TUBE HEADERS)
8.8 ford IRS rear end
-driveshaft shop 500hp axles
-I'll fab the diff mounts up

basically the unlisted parts are either undecided or not researched yet.

Budget so far

Car & sales of stock parts
-$1500 Car
-$52 Cheap front brakes
-$20 Supercharger belt
+$950 Sold supercharger
+$225 Sold wire wheels
+$500 Sold Differential/axle swap
+$700 Sold engine, trans, ecu, maf
Total= +$803 (Free car)

Drivetrain
-$1400 BF engine and transmission swap kit
+$1200 SOLD BF swap kit
-$2157 V8R LSX swap kit with motor mount heat shields
-$26 V8R frame rail reinforcements
-$175 Stage 2 8.8 V8R axles
-$200 99 Cobra aluminium 8.8 IRS
-$60 Energy diff bushings
-$100 Steel for rear subframe fabrication
-$285 T56 Bellhousing
-$1,724 T56 Transmission w/ Pro 5.0 SS (used, 60k from camaro)
-$145 AC Delco starter
-$8 Starter bolts
-$37 Axle boots
-$160 Rear hubs
-$14 axle boot clamps
-$12 axle nuts
-$245 wilwood clutch master cylinder, bleeder, etc
-$225 ls7 clutch kit with LS3 flywheel
-$35 slave cylinder
-$12 pilot bearing
-$50 used driveshafts (need to shorten)
-$20 cobra t56 reverse light sensor
-$165 shorten & balance camaro drive shaft and replace ujoints
-$10 t56 output shaft seal
Total= -$6,065

Steering, Suspension & Brakes
-$130 manual steering rack
-$65 Wheel Bearings and seals
-$38 super pro steering rack bushings
-$780 15x9 6ul wheels w/ tires (used)
-$1,015 V8R DSD coilovers
-$490 V8R 11.750 4 piston/2piece rotors front brake kit(used w/new rotors & pads)
Total =-$2,518

Subsystems
-$391 Griffin Radiator and Universal mounts
-$700 Custom LS1 engine harness
-$81 Dakota Digital Speedometer transformer
-$20 5/16 -6AN adapters for fuel tank
-$25 3/8 SS hard fuel line
-$30 Walbro 255lph fuel pump
-$107 fuel line fittings (quick disconnects, tube nuts & sleeves)
-$35 2000 Corvette fuel filter
-$20 AN -6 90* elbow
-$50 LS3 water pump
-$75 411 pcm
-$136 Derale rad fan
-$20 2006 ls2 corvette radiator upper hose
-$32 LS3 thermostat
-$80 AN fittings for expansion tank
-$100 Fabrication labor for expansion tank
-$1350 Gearhead Fabrications 3" stainless single exit exhaust
-$1202 V8roadsters long tube headers

Total= -$4,444

Engine
-$825 L33 engine from salvage yard
-$222 Rod and main bearings
-$225 Sealed power Hypereutectic flat top pistons
-$45 Dura-Bond Cam bearings
-$110 Total Seal Piston rings
-$210 Block Machine work (Hot tanked, decked .005", and install cam bearings)
-$374 Comp Cams XR281HR Camshaft
-$160 Cloyes Hex-a-just timing chain kit
-$15 Ls2 timing chain dampener
-$80 GM performance oil pump
-$75 C6 Z06 Intake bridge w/ air filter
-$31 GM timing gasket set
-$35 GM performance head gaskets
-$24 LS2 Windage tray
-$32 GM oil pan gasket
-$60 GM rear main seal plate w/ gasket
-$352 Holley 302-2 oil pan
-$212 Holley 302-11 road race baffle
-$109 ARP Headbolts
-$1050 PRC (Texas Speed) Stage 1 CNC head porting w/ .650 PRC Dual valve spring kit w/ titanium retainers
-$200 Morel 5315 lifters
-$31 4x LS2 lifter trays
-$175 Straub technologies bronze trunion bushing kit
-$13 Autometer oil pressure adapter
-$13 NGK TR55 Spark plugs
-$450 Complete ls6 intake (injectors, rails, ported TB)
-$100 texas speed hardened Pushrods
-$14 Mazda water temp sensor
-$35 Knock sensor
-$84 Corvette harmonic balancer
-$54 Belt tensioner
-$10 Belt idler
-$32 knock sensor harness
-$60 break in oil
-$62 Taylor plug wires
-$116 CBM alternator bracket
-$200 ls9 injectors and spacers
Total = -$5,895

Misc Supplies
-$6 Steel for fusebox bracket
-$20 Steel for radiator mounting
-$50 Misc wiring supplies (shrink wrap, etc)
-$15 Busbar
-$30 bolts
-$100 heatshielding
-$20 misc hardware
Total= -$241

Interior
-$15 Protege 5 steering wheel
-$50 NB2 gauge cluster
-$free homemade shifter lever
-$26 shifter boot/seal
-$143 Beltline trim
Total= -$234

Paint & body
-$40 POR-15
-$73 Aerocatch hood latches
-$100 GV replica front lip
-$85 GT500 hood vent
-$500 Carbon Miata Quad LED tailights
-$140 replacement body parts (f. Bumper, headlights, dash,)
-$1200 paint materials
-$2050 paint labor
-$25 Garagestar Radiator panel
-$275 Lizard Skin Ceramic & Sound Control coating
-$20 3m undercoating
Total= -$4,508

Total so far -$23,102 spent out of pocket

Need to buy list to get car on road (Brakes and suspension may be put off to get car on road for Miatapalooza in April of 2017)
If you have any of these items, let me know! Thanks
-Brakes(?)
-Sway bar (?)


here's the car. and yes, I know the badge is upside down lol

jrmotorsports55

Nice. Best of luck!

Jason

charchri4

Oh I'm going to love this one for sure! Since you titled this budget build could I ask what the budget is?

SupaDupaSteve

Well, I don't have a specific dollar amount but I'll save money where I can and it makes sense to. I don't want to skimp on important parts that will affect reliability or safety. I am looking forward to fabricating some parts myself though.

SupaDupaSteve

Started to address the front brakes tonight. The r/f caliper was hanging from the sway bar and rotor was gouged from metal to metal. Put new rotors and pads on and found the l/f caliper was not retracting all the way. I'll put more effort into it tomorrow, it was getting late.
I went with the cheapest stuff I could get. I plan on upgrading the brakes but not just yet and I want to be able to move the car around safely.

SupaDupaSteve

well, I'll need to pick up some new calipers. the r/f bleeder snapped off and the l/f caliper is seized solid. not moving at all.

SupaDupaSteve

Still haven't got a chance to go get brake calipers yet. I did scour through the local yard and looked through a number of cougars and T-birds to find not a single one was LSD. Kinda bummed about that after all that effort I spend jacking them up LOL.

Also found a set of diamond racing steel wheels that I bought but after I got them home I realized that there aren't any street friendly tires wide enough. So I'll return those

ItsAllRigged

A little time saver. Look on the door jamb code sticker under "AX". If it reads 'Z' or 'XE' its a trac loc. XE is the more desireable 3.27 locker.

Good luck with the build. I just started mine a few months ago.

SupaDupaSteve

Thanks! wish I would have known that earlier lol
after more reading and some thinking. I got the 1.6 calipers that came with the car to work. I just needed to switch the brackets from side to side due to bolt size difference. So I should be able to drive the car tomorrow and let the guy that wants to buy it drive it so he can decide if he wants it.

charchri4

Pretty good post on the door tag thing here that might help.

SupaDupaSteve

Finally made some progress.
Got the super charger pulled out and sold. I'll get the engine pulled during christmas vacation. I also bought a mig welder, a Forney 130FI I'm certainly going to need it. haha

SupaDupaSteve

Found a deal on a BF swap kit with the trans mount & rails. $1275 +shipping!
Woo, I'm excited for progress

charchri4

Nice! Congrats on the great find!!

ItsAllRigged

Way to "recycle" that supercharger. Progress is good!

SupaDupaSteve

yup! won't be here till january sometime though. He's on vacation till after christmas

SupaDupaSteve

Early Delivery!!

SupaDupaSteve

got the rest of the kit today.

charchri4

I have not seen a kit up close before and that BF stuff looks very nice. Are you using their diff mount to or making your own?

SupaDupaSteve

despite the negativity that I've read from others this kit looks to be quality! Not having to buy a custom oil pan reallly is a huge relief too.
I plan on fabricating my own diff mount.

SupaDupaSteve

Went the the local scrap yard today and found a thunderbird with "E" under the axle code in the door. Now to check and see if it's a 7.5" or an 8.8". Hopefully it's an 8.8", they only want $75 and they will pull(cut it out) for me

also, ordered the frame rail reinforcements from V8R.

523-LSX-NB

Great find. Hope it end up an 8.8. Any chance you'll finish the build before "The Mitty" meet in April?

tbone heller

Be sure to get the drive shaft bolts & the vent tube.

SupaDupaSteve

Yeah, fingers crossed. And I'd like to, but I seriously doubt it unless I win the lotto. I want to do this right the first time around and as you all know that involves expensive parts lol.

SupaDupaSteve

well it turned out to be a 7.5" out of the other 4 diffs that I checked today 3 were 3.08 open and one was a 3.27 open.

Gator Bait

those high jacks are dangerous. I don't even like using them on trail. I'd rather winch up a tree rather than use mine!