Tag: mx5

NA MX5 overhaul

Dan has already had his garage featured here, so it was only fitting that I follow up with what he actually puts in it. Enter the NA MX5, loved the world over and enjoying a second wind of popularity in the current millennium. Dan gives his turbo terror an appearance overhaul DIY style, and it’s great to see that garage being put to use with all the work being done in-house. It looks like some professional photos were being taken for a magazine feature at the time of the last update, so hopefully the thread get’s updated soon with the results of the shoot.

UPDATE: Photoshoot images have been added, check after the jump to view.

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MX520

Here’s a build thread I’ve been reading for quite a long time, and I’ve got a slight suspicion that a lot of you are going to enjoy it. It’s another build based on the “X-chassis underneath Y-body” formula, and this time the culprits are Mazda MX5 subframes/driveline/shock towers being attached to the body of a Datsun 520 pickup.

When it all comes together after a long and creative build process, Bob takes his DIY hybrid creation to the track and shows up some much more expensive machinery. Here’s a small snippet from one of his race outing results to give you an idea:

Position 3 – 1:08.886 – 1966 Datsun MX520
Position 4 – 1:10.366 – 2003 Corvette Z06

You can’t help but sit back and smile when that happens. Check after the jump to see how this track day sleeper was built…

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13B Turbo Rotor NA MX5/Miata

I found this build in a post on Racer86, so firstly thanks to Rob for putting it out there. I’ve seen pictures of this particular car before in full drift flight, it looks so cool slammed on Work Equip 03’s (one of my favourite wheels). It’s just one of the many MX5/Miata’s built on the west coast of America that are making these little car’s appealing to a whole new generation. They used to be synonymous with balance, poise & pure driving enjoyment (among other less-positive analogies). Nowadays, though, people are slamming/stretching/drifting them, earning a level of respect and lust from a new, younger crowd.

This particular build thread focuses on the engine & drivetrain swap, showing the ITB’d 1.8L 4cyl being thrown out in favour of a 13B Turbo rotary. Along with the engine, it also receives S5 RX7 transmission & diff amongst other upgrades.

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English Garage

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a garage build, so here’s one that is a bit more realistic for the majority of us. Dan emailed me his photo-documented garage build not long ago, and you can tell he’s proud as punch of the outcome, and wouldn’t he be? Every car nut dreams of having their own space to work on their project(s), and Dan has achieved that with a house-quality multiple car dwelling located at the rear of his block for maximum privacy. It’s just begging for a ground-up rebuild to take place inside.

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Racer86, project car extraordinaire

I’ve been following the Racer86 blog for a while now, ever since I first saw pictures of his KP30 Starlet which gave me the inspiration to fit a MK1 Rabbit front lip to my Datsun.

Rob is a prominent figure in the retro car scene in the UK due to his multiple project cars and his affiliation with the team at Retro Cars Magazine. Not content with one ballin’ old school ride, he also owns a dumped & flush NA MX5 and recently acquired a Vauxhall Chevette which he wasted no time in modifying. To check out his 3 projects and get a fix of general automotive shenanigans head over to Racer86.com

UPDATE! Since this post was first published, Rob has since moved on to even more projects, buying and modding an assortment of oldschool rides such as; a MK1 Cavalier, W123 Benz, Triumph Herald, an E28 BMW, a 924 Porsche, an E30 BMW, and another Mazda Roadster! Does anyone else live the retro car lifestyle as much as this guy? I doubt it!

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