Ethan Castille's Mazda Miata drift build "Amelia"

Ethan Castille · Mazda Miata

Mazda MX-5 (Miata)

Amelia - Little Drift Lady

Read the full write-up at Amelia - Little Drift Lady ↗

Mazda Miata drift build "Amelia" nursed through a wire tuck and no-start gremlin

Ethan Castille is building a Mazda Miata, nicknamed Amelia, as a simple drift car after an earlier 13B project stalled on fabrication. The thread follows reused suspension and drivetrain parts from that old car, a clutch and seal job, an engine bay wire tuck and repaint, and a stubborn no-start fault traced toward the timing belt.

Specs

As stated in the original write-up.

Engine: OEM 1.6 long nose
Rear axle: 1.8 welded diff and axles with delrin bushings
Suspension: Tokico shocks with mismatched springs
Chassis: Hard Dog bolt-in roll cage
Steering: Modified knuckles
Clutch: Replacement clutch with new master and slave cylinders
Clutch line: Braided clutch line
Gauges: Temperature and oil pressure gauges
Paint: Factory match single stage paint in engine bay

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.

Gearbox & Drivetrain 3

Welded 1.8 differential and axles with delrin bushings
Fitted for drift use
In the shops
Cobalt Delrin Replacement Door Bushings ↗Moss Miata· $25.99 USD
Bush Set, door bushings, Delrin, Cobalt ↗Moss Europe (UK)· £32.26 GBP
Cobalt Delrin Window Bushings (Set of 2) ↗Moss Miata· $29.99 USD
Replacement clutch kit
Installed along with new master and slave cylinders
Braided clutch line
Fitted as part of the clutch hydraulics
In the shops
HEL Performance Braided Clutch Line – Mazda MX-5 NA/NB (CCK045) ↗MazSpec MX-5 Spares & Accessories· £34.95 GBP
HEL Performance Braided Flexible Clutch Line – Mazda MX-5 NC (CCK059) ↗MazSpec MX-5 Spares & Accessories· £29.95 GBP
HEL Performance Braided Flexible Clutch Line – Mazda MX-5 NA/NB (CCK034) ↗MazSpec MX-5 Spares & Accessories· £29.95 GBP

Suspension & Steering 2

Tokico shocks
Fitted with mismatched springs on the car
Modified knuckles
Fitted to the car

Body & Trim 2

Hard Dog bolt-in roll cage
Installed in the car
In the shops
Hard Dog Deuce Roll Bar ↗Flyin' Miata· $970.00 USD
ND Hard Dog RF roll bar ↗Flyin' Miata· $1,245.00 USD
Hard Dog Deuce Roll Bar ↗Moss Miata· $675.00 USD
Factory match single stage paint
Used to repaint the engine bay after rust prep
In the shops
Gas Cap - Primer (Paint to Match) ↗Auto Metal Direct - 1967-69 Camaro· $24.99 USD
Dash Pad - Vinyl Wrapped, Black/Paint to Match (67-72 Ford Truck) ↗Auto Metal Direct - 1967-69 Camaro· $529.99 USD
Dash Pad - Vinyl Wrapped, Black/Paint to Match (73-79 Ford Truck) ↗Auto Metal Direct - 1967-69 Camaro· $399.99 USD

Electrical 1

Oil pressure gauge
Added to monitor oil pressure
In the shops
Autometer Tire Pressure Gauge ↗Flyin' Miata· $49.99 USD
Oil Pressure Gauge Pipe Adaptor ↗bpnorthwest.com· $25.59 USD
Nylon Pipe for Oil Pressure Gauge ↗bpnorthwest.com· $33.02 USD

Photos

24 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from Amelia - Little Drift Lady. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.

Ethaniscool · 2018-09-15T00:14:21-0400 1this post at Amelia - Little Drift Lady ↗

Ethaniscool · 2018-09-15T00:24:56-0400 8this post at Amelia - Little Drift Lady ↗

Ethaniscool · 2018-10-06T01:21:23-0400 3this post at Amelia - Little Drift Lady ↗

Ethaniscool · 2019-03-05T14:59:26-0500 8this post at Amelia - Little Drift Lady ↗

Ethaniscool · 2019-03-05T20:01:56-0500 4this post at Amelia - Little Drift Lady ↗

How it was done

Starting condition

The car began as a reused shell built up largely from parts salvaged off Ethan's earlier 13B drift project, which had stalled due to fabrication difficulties. It arrived with an OEM 1.6 long nose engine, welded 1.8 diff with delrin bushings, modified knuckles, a bolt-in cage, and Tokico shocks on mismatched springs, plus a freshly acquired clutch setup and gauges.

First drift and plans

The car was driven at a drift event and performed well, though front grip needed improvement with new tyres. Ethan then pulled the engine to replace seals and the clutch, and decided to tuck the wiring harness for a cleaner engine bay, inspired by Project Binky, using a spare donor harness so the original remained a fallback.

Engine bay refresh

Rust in the engine bay was addressed with prep work and a repaint using factory match single stage paint, noticeably improving its appearance.

Troubleshooting a no-start

After reinstalling the engine following the clutch job, the fuel pump would not prime with the key on, though it worked when jumped directly. Ethan methodically tested the throttle position sensor, EFI and main relays, and traced continuity across the wiring using the OEM wiring diagram, eventually confirming the pump itself was fine. The no-start was then linked to a timing belt that was too tight to fit properly, and this issue was unresolved at the end of the thread.

A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at Amelia - Little Drift Lady ↗