Steve-A

Hi guys.

Firstly I'm Steve, I'm 23 and live in the semi-rural town of Malvern, Worcestershire England. In a way its probably one of the areas of england that would fit the stereo-typical view of England people have! There's red phone boxes, black and white timber framed thatched roof cottages about the place and Malvern is one of the last places in the country to still have some old fashioned gas lamps for street lighting!

I don't live in the 1800's though, I'm a man of the 21st century! I produce video for a living, mostly on the post production side of editing and video graphics but I'm often out on shoots as well.

I've spent most of the spring/summer fitting an s4 6 port 13b to my mx5/miata. Now its pretty much finished (need a speeod drive and to replace my rusty drivers door) and I've been driving ti for a couple of months I'm loving it!

I'd never been in a rotary car before I did this, I'd just read lots and watched lots of videos and was sure the engines characteristics would be exactly what I was looking for. They are just as good as I'd hoped! I love how it revs and feels like it wants to scream rather than being thrashed.

This car is both my daily drive and toy, and I think that needs to change. I'm considering selling up and buying a 1st gen rx7 to restore and toy with and getting a fairly standard mx5 to daily drive.

I'd like to keep my 13b mx5 as I've put so much time into it, but its costing me too much on fuel (20mpg and 5-600miles per week, ouch!) and I don't think I could handle driving a FWD tin-top eurobox everyday. I'd miss my soft top too much for one. Missing the soft top is the only reason I didn't sell the mx5 for an FD a year back.

The UK rotary scene is wonderful and all the guys on the mazdarotary club have helped lots with my conversion but there are very few 1st gens on the road in the UK. I'm considering an S2 in gold that my friend has. There are less than 20 S2s on the road in the UK and only 2 in gold.

So simply there is a much broader and deeper knowledge of these cars on here, and I've come to soak up as much information as I can so I make sure I'm making the right choice!

Pictures time!

2 and a bit years ago I started here:



Then I got into the mx5 scene, and ended up here:



Turboed to ~230hp on megasquirt with roll bar and Lotus Elise seats its was getting very fun to drive. I almost sold it for an FD last winter but then decided I couldn't live without my soft top but that I really wanted the rotary engine.

Old engine out...









Much drama, subframes in and out of the car back and forth and a very expensive complicated exhaust build later.....





At rotorstock show at Santa Pod :



And a small (very homemade) video. Since this video was taken I've spent lots of time on both my leading and trailing spark advance maps, and it pulls stronger and cleaner than ever!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDK7GF5rgP4

Thats a fairly a-bridged version of the build. There's a full right up here: http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=44328

Heres the gold s2 me friend bought on ebay for £280 as a total non runner. A couple of weekend work and its looking good. Needs welding in the usual places and some bushed and brake lines. He's loosing interest in it.....



So yeh super long post but 'hi'!

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

This is one of the better intros I've seen. welcome.

Steve-A

Cheers

I've been lurking the forums for a little while but thought it was time to say hello, I've been having a good search in the 1 gen section this afternoon and think I've found the info I'm after. 90% sure I'll make my friend an offer on his FB now.

Looks like if I do I'll be getting him to make a big re-speed order for me when hes comes to visit the states later in the year!

Steve-A

Cheers

Well I've agreed a sale on the rx7 today, its mine!!!

Just gotta make some room for it over the next few weeks then pick it up from my friend's aunt's range.

TRWeiss1

iTrader: (20)

One hell of a project you have there! Congrats and welcome aboard! There's a wealth of information here...God knows this place has saved my *** a time or 2!!

tuscanidream

iTrader: (6)

Keep the mx!! That is hella sweet! Get a beater truck for work travels.

That gold sa/fb is pretty sweet as well. I'm a fan!

th3dorkscyd3

Welcome. I like the "boot" on your Mx-5. I think you guys call it that. I would keep the mx-5 and just pick up a standard non rotary miata for daily driving.

Savanna712t

iTrader: (2)

Its awesome to see a completed "RX5" I looked at doing that swap when my miata engine bit the dust, but I didnt have the time or equipment to remake the subframe to fit the oil pan. I did find out how easy it is to put a s4 na bell housing(front transmission case half) onto the stock miata transmission. That trunk looks awesome too.

Steve-A

Cheers guys

I've thought long and hard about this, and considered all the options but I think having a daily drive stock (well stock ish :P) miata and the s2 to play with is gonna work out best for me. I couldn't live with having something that wasn't fun and a soft top to drive most of the week, it would drive me mad! and I don't really want 2 miatas so this makes most sense.

Savanna, I'm very lucky that one of my fathers friends is a very experienced fabricator. Without his skills I'd have never afforded the build. The sump he made for me was a work of art! Sorting out the gearbox took about an hour, the fun part was getting the engine mounted properly! I ended up with a completely custom sump and oil pickup along with a heavily modifed subframe and quite a cut up transmission tunnel.

I think realistically if I'd know the time and effort required I'm not sure I'd have started it! I did jump in at the deep end a little.