Well, at least I consider it good advice . I just PMed this to a curious potential buyer, and thought I'd toss it out there for others new to the ways of the FD.

My intent was to give advice on the "minimal mods" to make a bone stock 3rd Gen relatively reliable and streetworthy.

Here it is, short and sweet.

Boost Gauge ~$100

Water Temp Gauge (stock one is junk) ~$150

Turbo Timer ~$100

downpipe (exhaust component between turbos and main cat). Replaces the pre cat, which can clog and hurt your engine. ~$250.

Aluminum AST (coolant burp tank, replaces stock plastic tank which can burst and lead to overheating) ~$150.

Silicone hoses to control operation of the Sequential Twin Turbos (stock are rubber and crack/break/pop off, leading to boost problems). ~$100.

It's also a good idea to replace the stock radiator with an all aluminum one (stock plastic end tanks can crack) ~$500.

That's about all I can think of as a minimum. $1350 in parts, with labor not included. Basically, don't overheat (~240 deg F) the car, and don't overboost it (~10 psi). Change the oil every 1500-2k miles. Use 93 octane religiously. Warm her up, cool her down. Drive and enjoy .

 

amen

 

The only thing I'd throw in there would be a fan mod, or Miata thermoswitch.

Fan Mod for president.

 

agreed. Fan Mod is so cheap and great, especialy for this summer heat.

also, you can save money and linearize the Water Temp gauge

 

Forgot about the Fan Mod. I've had the damn thing for so long I thought it came stock

As far as linearizing the temp gauge, it's definitely an option. Kan has it done on his CYM and I don't like it. My Greddy 60mm with Peak/Hold and Warning flasher seems a better choice to me.

Good input guys, keep it coming .

Rich

 

How about:

Synthetics in the diff and tranny. $30

5th gear selector spring upgrade ($15? OE part) to lessen the chance of that oh so costly missed 2-3 upshift and subsequent synchro destruction.

Turbo coolant hoses $40

I'd nix the turbo timer as non essential but nice to have. With proper cool down driving I don't think it's needed. Some may argue but that's just my opinion.

Temp gauges can be had for less than $150. You "top of the line" guys maybe need that $150 gauge but a $40 digital gauge is equally as effective...just not as pretty.

My 2 cents,
Crispy

 

More info on this please. Internal tranny part? How hard to replace? Ok, ok, I'll go search..

 

I've not done this myself <ulp> but I understand it to be a stiffer shift select spring. This is a new Mazda part. They no longer sell the "old" weak spring. If you do a tranny rebuild or have the tranny out for a clutch job from what I undertand it's a 15 minute swap. Some even say it can be done with the tranny in the car. Is all I know. But it certainly might save a new owner a tranny rebuild before they ham fist a shift while still getting accustomed to their new car.
Regards,
Crispy