Hi All,
i am currently going through a rebuild on a 1.6 '03 motor for my NB MX5.
the one in the car now is just tired out, low compression on C3, so i figured i would build a new one while that one slowly dies.
started off like this:
i have currently got the engine completely stipped down.
Pretty much the current state of play. yes my little shed is rather full with all these engines parts everywhere!
i am getting my crank polished next week at a local machine shop, however i was cleaning up my head yesterday, and noticed this under the head gasket crap:
A nice gouge! right from the factory.
i have contacted the machine shop i am using to polish my crank to ask how much they would charge for a skim, but i am honestly just considering using the head from my original engine…
The gasket surface on that was near perfect, and I’m pretty sure the cam journals in the head were in better condition, and i did a minor port job on that one as well…
might pop the valve cover off, and take of a cam cap and look at it… what do you guys think? just take off one from the middle?
will that cause an issue, as it wont be in the “correct” sequence of torquing?
cheers,
Alex
It’ll be fine, I’d just make sure that there is no tension from the valve springs onto the cam lobes either side of the cap you remove.
On another note.
I am trying to decide what Rods to buy. i dont mind a decent amount of money being spent on these
I was looking at “MaxSpeedingRods” from eBay, as I have heard they are decent, well lasting and dont require any machine work before being installed.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Connecting-Rod-Conrod-Con-Rod-for-Mazda-MX5-1-6-16v-Miata-1-8-Performance-TCB-/162060536916?hash=item25bb8f8c54:g:ao8AAOSw~oFXKxK8
http://www.maxspeedingrods.co.uk/high-performance-mazda-miata-mx5-323-gtx-ford-escort-4340-en24-chrome-moly-forged-h-beam-connecting-rods-conrod-with-arp-bolts-x4pcs.html
Obviously being chinese they may not be the greatest quality. however, I have heard some good things and read a few threads where people have said they are running them longish term with no issues.
i was looking at some manley rods:
http://949racing.com/Manley-forged-connecting-rods-miata.aspx
but i have read that they do not come with the best finish and may need honing and balancing before installation.
EDIT: just been doing some more digging actually and found some Eagle rods (which i have heard are good?) for £370.
https://h-tune.co.uk/eagle-h-beam-rods-full-set/
I’m not looking for mega power, but will probably end up pushing it past 230 which is the danger zone for stock rods. I dont mind spending a bit more on rods, but I dont need anything rated for tons and tons of power or high RPM.
My end goal is not mega power, maybe 260-300 maximum in the future, but will probably be starting way below that! (will actually be stock for a while before turbo)
prolly a max of 7500RPM.
Basically I’m in here anyway, so i might as well throw some rods in!
I’m a bit divided now between the Eagle rods and the MaxSpeeding ones. for an extra £170 is it worth it for what i intend to throw at this engine?
probably…
Cheers guys,
Alex