Project Drifter Rescue: $500 NA Miata Rebuild

1990 Mazda Miata (NA)

Mazda MX-5 (Miata)

Project Drifter Rescue!

Read the full write-up at Project Drifter Rescue! ↗

A $500 NA Miata drift car gets a front-clip repair and lift kit rebuild

Friedom bought a crash-damaged, drift-prepped 1990 Mazda Miata for $500 and has been sorting its mechanical and body issues in a home garage. Work so far covers a front clip swap to fix accident damage, LED headlight conversion, engine diagnosis and repair, and fitting a 3 inch lift kit for off-road use. The thread documents ongoing troubleshooting rather than a finished build.

Specs

As stated in the original write-up.

Engine: 1.6 engine, stock, compression uneven across cylinders, valve cover gasket replaced
Clutch: Stage I clutch (as acquired)
Rear axle: 1.8 differential with welded spider gears (locked rear)
Wheels: 15 inch aftermarket rims, 195/50R15 tyres
Lighting: LED light bars mounted to stock low-beam headlight wiring, pop-up headlights not used
Interior: Stripped, AC deleted (as acquired)

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.

Engine 1

Valve cover gasket
Replaced alongside timing belt work after finding oil-fouled plugs

Cooling 1

Water pump and timing belt kit
Replaced leaking water pump and timing belt; later required removal of timing chain and cam gears to fix a coolant leak at the thermostat housing O-ring
In the shops
Timing belt kit (1994-97 engine) ↗Flyin' Miata· $192.00 USD
Timing belt kit (1991-93 big nose) ↗Flyin' Miata· $179.00 USD
Timing belt kit (1990-91 short nose) ↗Flyin' Miata· $179.00 USD

Suspension & Steering 2

Yonaka Stage II coiloversYonaka
Lowering coilovers already fitted when car was purchased, later adjusted for the lift
In the shops
Yonaka Coilovers Spec 2 (Miata NB, 1999-2005) ↗Roadster360· $465.00 USD
Yonaka Coilovers Spec 2 (Miata NA, 1989-1998) ↗Roadster360· $465.00 USD
Yonaka Aluminum Radiator with Fan Shroud (Miata NB, 1999-2005) ↗Roadster360· $225.00 USD
Tie rod end and ball joint boots
New boots ordered and fitted to address torn originals
In the shops
Knuckle Joint Boot with Tie Rod Ends ↗bpnorthwest.com· $2.10 USD
R-Package Tie Rod End ↗Flyin' Miata· $125.00 USD
Rubber Boot for Tie Rod Ends ↗Flyin' Miata· $15.99 USD

Body & Trim 1

Used front clip / radiator support
Sourced locally and welded in to replace the crash-damaged front structure so body lines would line up
In the shops
Quarter Light Control Support Bracket (Used) ↗James Paddock Ltd· £1.95 GBP
Radiator Support Panel - Rubber Bumper Models ↗James Paddock Ltd· £49.50 GBP
Radiator Support Panel - Chrome Bumper Models ↗James Paddock Ltd· £49.50 GBP

Electrical 1

LED headlight bars
Mounted to stock low-beam wiring in place of missing pop-up headlight components
In the shops
Morimoto Sealed7 2.0 LED Headlights, 7-inch Round ↗Flyin' Miata· $875.00 USD
Holley RetroBright LED Headlights, 7" Round ↗Flyin' Miata· $578.00 USD
GTR Lighting Ultra 2.0 LED Headlights (9006) ↗Flyin' Miata· $238.00 USD

Photos

24 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from Project Drifter Rescue!. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.

Friedom · 2018-09-08T12:38:11-0400 1this post at Project Drifter Rescue! ↗

Friedom · 2018-09-08T12:44:51-0400 9this post at Project Drifter Rescue! ↗

Friedom · 2018-09-08T12:49:55-0400 4this post at Project Drifter Rescue! ↗

Friedom · 2018-09-13T14:35:18-0400 2this post at Project Drifter Rescue! ↗

Friedom · 2018-09-13T15:13:12-0400 1this post at Project Drifter Rescue! ↗

Friedom · 2018-09-14T13:43:25-0400 2this post at Project Drifter Rescue! ↗

Friedom · 2018-10-07T16:20:46-0400 1this post at Project Drifter Rescue! ↗

Friedom · 2018-10-11T22:05:19-0400 4this post at Project Drifter Rescue! ↗

How it was done

Starting condition

The car was bought for $500 as a drift-prepped NA Miata with a mangled front end, missing headlight hardware, a locked rear diff with welded spider gears, cheap coilovers, stripped interior, AC delete, and a half roll bar. It had 170k miles and a reportedly fresh timing belt.

Front clip and lighting repair

Friedom sourced a used front clip locally to restore proper panel alignment after the crash damage, cutting and welding it into place despite a bent frame rail. Stock headlight parts were missing, so LED light bars were wired into the low-beam circuit instead, giving a sleeper look.

Engine and cooling work

Compression testing revealed a weak cylinder and oil-fouled plugs, traced partly to a leaking water pump, missing timing belt covers, and a leaking PS pump and CV boot. A water pump and timing belt kit were fitted, followed by further repair of a coolant leak caused by a loose thermostat housing O-ring, which required removing the timing chain and cam gears.

Lift kit and alignment

A Paco 3 inch lift kit from Flyin' Miata was installed, adjusting coilover length and preload to balance droop and clearance for off-road use. Friedom then performed a DIY string alignment, finding the toe far out and discovering mismatched wheel offsets between sides.

A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at Project Drifter Rescue! ↗

Worth knowing

Check compression and for fouled plugs before ordering a batch of repair parts
When fitting a lift kit, release spring preload first to ease installing the rear shock bolts
A bent frame rail behind the strut tower can throw off alignment of body panels and brackets after a front clip swap