STX Build Thread
- Thread starter 122 Vega
- Start date
Damn, the car looks freaking ridiculous! I love it, and I love the fact that it's an all out STREET touring build that is still a DD. People trailering ST cars to local region events just irks me lol. The black Mazda decals w/ the silver numbers looks great!
most times, a really good ST car isn't a very good street car, esp if you have an aggressive alignment (and if, like here, a local event can be 2+ hours away). that said, i won't be towing for a while.aMaff said:
btw, that manifold is PURTY. and the team dynamics wheels are sweet, too.
Last edited:
I will be trailering the car to National events, or any events over a few hundred miles. Not because the car is uncomfortable (hell, I drove my ITA legal Cosworth Vega to L.A. round trip three times with open exhaust and no speedometer) but because I know that one of these days the thing is going to go boom! Either the engine, or more likely, and hopefully the LSD. Then it will be Quaife time. But I think I am a bit past my allowance this year! Plus if I take the kids and wife, then we can pop in a DVD and hit the cruise control and relax a bit. I usually drive to local events, and my wife will drive out with the kids and lunch and stuff, that way she can leave whenever she gets bored with me.
Britt
Britt
aMaff said:Yeah, I realize that, but my take on it is that it is meant for cars that can be / are street driven. I know why, but at least to me, that takes half the fun out of it
yes. all of that
To add, most National Tour events are like 1000+ miles away from me.
I love my Team Dynamics, but they won't make a 16"x8" so I'll be running the Rotas if they ever get here...
Seems that all of the rest of my parts will be here the week of or the week after National Tour in Washington.
I forget that this started out as a project for next year's Tour! lol. This year will just be for fun since I'll probably still be on my Toyos. But oh well, National Tours are fun anyways, watching some of the best drivers around.
The MAM Manifold is definitely sweet, but now my wife is insisting that she is able to "be creative" with it before it is installed because she likes the shape. Sometimes I don't know when it's better to have her as the Lawyer, the Writer, or the Photographer. Hopefully she will think the coilovers are ugly so I can install them right away!
Britt
AWR coilovers are in, SS brakelines are in, just need to put in the longer wheel studs and I can bolt it all back together.
manifold and turbo are out, ready to install the MAM manifold, desperately need a downpipe!
the AWR coilovers are so nice! The stance is perfect. pics soon.
Britt
manifold and turbo are out, ready to install the MAM manifold, desperately need a downpipe!
the AWR coilovers are so nice! The stance is perfect. pics soon.
Britt
Ran up to Corksport today and even though they were closed for the weekend for inventory, Travis saved me a big headache by selling me thier MSP S/J combo. It is a really nice piece, just like thier exhausts. If I decide to still upgrade to a 3" downpipe, I don't think that I will have to take the turbo out to do it, the CS pipes are so much thinner OD than the OEM parts that there is a bunch of room around them. The difference in ID is amazing! The OEM s has a 1 3/4" outlet and the CS piece is 2.4". should make a nice gain and I won't loose the great sound of the CS exhaust with the Vibrant cat. Car will go back on the dyno after the DSM AFCII gets here. Engine mods since my last dyno of 158/178 are: MAM manifold, CS downpipe, Nology wires, AFC and custom CAI through the facotry airbox. Mods with that dyno were just K&N panel filter and the CS exhaust with cat and NGK 6097 plugs. I'm hoping to see 170/190. I'll be at the dyno in about three weeks, hopefully before the SCCA National Tour Aug 12th.
Bad notes from today: two broken turbo studs and two stripped nuts for the top of the front camber plates. AWR sent grade 8 bolts, grade 5 washers and regular silver Grade 3 nylon lock nuts. Hmm? Replaced everything with Grade 10.9. Interestingly it looks like the installation of the coilovers moved the front wheels out by about 10mm. I don't know why, but also even with the camber plates all the way negative, I still seem to have lost some negative camber. If the wheels are further out, then this makes sence that I would gain positive camber. I'll align it Monday or Tuesday and find out. I do likt the flush look of the wheels at all four corners though, before it was just the rears that were flush.
Time to go bleed the brakes and flush the whole system with Castrol SRF brake fluid.
BTW, the entire turbo removal/install was done without removing the radiator or DG carbon engine cover. I just unbolted the left fan to make a little room.
Britt
Bad notes from today: two broken turbo studs and two stripped nuts for the top of the front camber plates. AWR sent grade 8 bolts, grade 5 washers and regular silver Grade 3 nylon lock nuts. Hmm? Replaced everything with Grade 10.9. Interestingly it looks like the installation of the coilovers moved the front wheels out by about 10mm. I don't know why, but also even with the camber plates all the way negative, I still seem to have lost some negative camber. If the wheels are further out, then this makes sence that I would gain positive camber. I'll align it Monday or Tuesday and find out. I do likt the flush look of the wheels at all four corners though, before it was just the rears that were flush.
Time to go bleed the brakes and flush the whole system with Castrol SRF brake fluid.
BTW, the entire turbo removal/install was done without removing the radiator or DG carbon engine cover. I just unbolted the left fan to make a little room.
Britt
Well, after 109 "working days" the MAM Manifold does not fit. Looking at other pics, my runners come away from the block about two inches further, and the bends are not as tight. The turbo sits in the right spot and everything else bolts up just fine, but the runners actuall come out over the turbo outlet preventing and intercooler piping to be attached. I wondered why I thought it strange that I could easily tighten all the manifold bolts from the top, when with Pirhana's How-To, you can't even see them. Needless to say, I'm extremely disappointed. further examination of the manifold reveals some pretty poor welds, it looks like this was thrown together in just a few hours. Some of the tack welds are visible through the final welds. Apparently fittment wasn't even checked before it was sent to the coater.
I am going to take a day to decide what to do, my only practice day before National Tour is next weekend and I really needed it since the entire car is basically new. I guess I really have no choice but to put the factory manifold back on.
10 hours of busted knuckles down the drain.
Britt
I am going to take a day to decide what to do, my only practice day before National Tour is next weekend and I really needed it since the entire car is basically new. I guess I really have no choice but to put the factory manifold back on.
10 hours of busted knuckles down the drain.
Britt
Note Pirana's fewer welds and better weld quality.
Mine is pieced together in almost twice as many parts. You can put your fingernail under the edge of some of the welds.
Note how you can see and access all ten manifold bolts easily.
My runners stick out past the bend in the water hose, I'll post pics of how they block the turbo outlet later. 505 and Pirana don't seem to have that problem.
Plenty of room on 505's car
Plenty of roon on Pirana's car. Pirana's manifold is obviously coiled tighter at least on the #4 cylinder, but I believe on all of them since the OEM intercooler pipe doesn't fit.
Loose and gappy
Tight
The piece looked great on my coffee table, but I guess I should have looked a little closer at it before wasting so long on the install only to have to revert back to stock. I was just so stoked to actually have it after so long, that I didn't notice that it was made so differently than everyone elses.
Still awaiting a response from MAM, I have set aside nearly $3000 just for MAM parts, but now I am not so sure. I really hope things change, and soon. I am not putting this up here to bash MAM, but something needs to be done. I have been very patient and supportive, but I am now waiting to see what will be done about this. I am very disappointed, seven months of anticipation and then a major let down.
if you are waiting for your manifold, I would look at it closely before spending the time to install it to find out that it doesn't fit.
Britt
See how the manifold covers the turbo outlet?
Easy access to all bolts
You can put your fingernail under the edges of this weld
don't know what to say about this one
Bird splatter?
Another light penetration weld
And again
this is my favorite, I would have noticed this when I was installing it, but it was at night. this is an actual hole, you can stick a toothpick through it. Actually there are four holes. No comment on the coating, not Beau's fault.
This just does not look like the manifold that everyone else got. I don't even know if Beau welded this one, we all have seen his welds, and know he can weld.
Anyways, waiting to hear from him, until then, off to buy new studs for the factory manifold to go back in.
Britt
