choneofakind's 1990 Miata 10AE flood rebuild
10AE flooded track car
Photo: 10AE flooded track carA flood-damaged 1990 10AE Miata rebuilt into a track project
After a hurricane flooded a friend's garage, the owner took in a 10th Anniversary Edition Miata (chassis #5383/7000) to turn into a dedicated SCCA Time Attack track car. The thread documents stripping out flood damage, deciding what to keep from the stock car, and early planning on cooling, heater, brake and ABS systems for the rebuild.
Specs
As stated in the original write-up.
- Model
- 1990 Mazda Miata 10th Anniversary Edition, #5383/7000
- Condition at acquisition
- Flood damaged, stripped interior, stock mechanically and cosmetically, straight and rust free
- Heating system
- Factory HVAC removed; replaced with a water-based heater core plumbed into the coolant bypass loop, with custom 3D-printed mounts
- ABS/brake sensors
- Happy Cactus ABS conditioner with stock NB rear wheel speed sensors; MR2 Spyder hubs for a Keisler front hub setup with built-in speed sensors
- Front bumper structure
- Plastic bumper beam replaced with a Doriyoku crash bar, factory crash structure retained
Parts used
Parts named as used in the original write-up, grouped the way the Parts page groups them. Where one of the shops we index lists the same thing for this car, it is shown underneath with a link to the shop.
Cooling 1
- Water-based heater coreSummit
Replaces deleted factory HVAC system, plumbed into coolant bypass loop for windshield defrost only
In the shops
Heater Core ↗
Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $199.87 USD
Heater Core (Later Type) ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $172.81 USD
Heater Core, Midget 71-79 ↗
bpnorthwest.com· $129.95 USD
Suspension & Steering 1
- MR2 Spyder front hubs
Used for the Keisler hub setup, with built-in front wheel speed sensors
In the shops
T3 Front Sway Bar (MR2 Spyder ZZW30) ↗
Techno Toy Tuning· $275.00 USD
Front Camber Plates (ZZW30 MR2 Spyder) ↗Techno Toy Tuning· $325.00 USD
Front Micro Big Brake Kit (ZZW30 MR2 Spyder) ↗Techno Toy Tuning· $1,295.00 USD
Brakes 1
- Happy Cactus ABS conditionerHappy Cactus
Used with stock NB rear wheel speed sensors as part of the ABS setup
Body & Trim 1
- Doriyoku crash barDoriyoku
Replaced the plastic front bumper beam while retaining the factory crash structure
In the shops
Door Assembly, with crash bar, RH ↗Moss Europe (UK)· £572.85 GBP
Door Assembly, with crash bar, LH ↗Moss Europe (UK)· £572.85 GBP
Other 1
- 3D-printed heater core mounts
Printed in ASA plastic to fit the factory HVAC plenum space, mounting the replacement heater core
In the shopsHeater Core ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $199.87 USDHeater Core (Later Type) ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $172.81 USDHeater Core, Midget 71-79 ↗bpnorthwest.com· $129.95 USD
Photos
69 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from 10AE flooded track car. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.
10AE flooded track car - Miata Turbo Forum - Boost cars, acquire cats. 37this post at 10AE flooded track car ↗
10AE flooded track car - Miata Turbo Forum - Boost cars, acquire cats. 10this post at 10AE flooded track car ↗
10AE flooded track car - Miata Turbo Forum - Boost cars, acquire cats. 22this post at 10AE flooded track car ↗
How it was done
Starting condition
The 10AE came from a friend whose garage flooded in a hurricane. The owner found dead rodents and rodent damage, mud in two cylinders, and a transmission that had overflowed gear oil into the interior. Despite this the car was straight, square, and otherwise in good stock condition with no major rust.
Cleanup and strip down
The interior was stripped and cleaned to remove the smell of flood water, with the original 10AE blue carpets coming out in good shape. The flood-damaged engine and body wiring harnesses were removed due to rodent damage and replaced with used units sourced from a local reseller.
HVAC deletion
To cut weight and remove the rodent-infested factory HVAC box, the owner deleted the whole HVAC system, keeping only enough function to defrost the windshield. A Summit water-based heater core was sourced and will be plumbed into the coolant bypass loop like the factory heater, mounted using 3D-printed brackets scanned to fit the stock plenum space.
Planning ABS and brakes
The owner is working through an ABS and brake hardline plan, intending to keep the Happy Cactus ABS conditioner with stock NB rear speed sensors and MR2 Spyder front hubs for a Keisler brake setup that have built-in sensors. Sourcing factory NB rear brake and fuel hardline, and converting the fuel system from returnless to return style, is still unresolved.
Front structure changes
The plastic front bumper beam was replaced with a Doriyoku crash bar while the factory crash structure was retained, as part of ongoing front-end modification discussions including radiator mounting and cooling duct layout.
A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at 10AE flooded track car ↗