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tshea113's 1993 Miata street/fun car build

tshea113 · 1993 Mazda Miata

Mazda MX-5 (Miata)

Simple '93 street/fun car build

Read the full write-up at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

A 1993 Mazda Miata turned Megasquirt-tuned turbo autocross car

Owner tshea113 documents several years of ownership of his first car, moving from basic fixes on a neglected, oil-burning daily into an engine refresh, a Megasquirt EFI conversion, a self-built CAN-bus digital gauge, and finally a Kraken low-mount turbo kit fitted in a tiny apartment garage. The thread is notable for the detailed DIY turbo plumbing troubleshooting and the custom open-source gauge project built alongside the car.

Specs

As stated in the original write-up.

Engine
1.6 litre Mazda engine (low-mileage replacement, later found to be a crate motor), Megasquirt MS3x ECU, Toyota coil-on-plug conversion, GT500 injectors, M-tuned coolant reroute
Forced induction
Kraken low mount turbo kit with Garrett 2554R and intercooler kit
Gearbox/Drivetrain
Supermiata 1.8 sport clutch and flywheel, 4.1 Torsen LSD with poly bushings
Exhaust
Yonaka 2.5 inch catback exhaust
Suspension
Powertrix SS coilovers 9k/7k front/rear, stock sway bars, power steering later removed
Brakes
Stock front brakes with Hawk HPS pads; 1.8 rear brakes with Hawk HP+ pads
Wheels
Konig Hypergram 15x7.5 wheels
Tyres
Dunlop Direzza DZ102 205/50R15, later replaced with Falken RT660 tyres
Chassis/Body
Hard Dog M1 Hard Core roll bar with harness bar, V8roadsters frame rails, R package front lip, cut rear bumper
Interior
NB Nardi steering wheel, LRB door cards, DDMWorks radio gauge mount, Auber gauge for coolant temp, rev limiter gauge and A/C panels
Electrical
Custom open-source Teensy-based CAN bus gauge displaying Megasquirt data

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

  • Low-mileage 1.6 replacement engineTreasure Coast Miatas

    Fitted to replace original oil-burning engine, fully refreshed with new seals and gaskets

Fuel & Ignition 6

Cooling 2

Gearbox & Drivetrain 2

Suspension & Steering 3

Brakes 2

Wheels & Tyres 3

Body & Trim 3

Interior 4

Electrical 2

Photos

90 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from Simple '93 street/fun car build. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.

tshea113 · Jan 16, 2022 | 11:42 PM 4this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Jan 17, 2022 | 12:12 AM 7this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
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Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Jan 18, 2022 | 10:07 PM 4this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Jan 27, 2022 | 12:36 AM 3this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Feb 6, 2022 | 01:57 PM 1this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

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tshea113 · Mar 1, 2022 | 08:44 PM 4this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Mar 5, 2022 | 07:42 PM 1this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Mar 19, 2022 | 07:54 PM 5this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
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Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Apr 24, 2022 | 04:19 PM 2this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · May 19, 2022 | 01:45 AM 4this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · May 23, 2022 | 01:01 PM 1this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · May 28, 2022 | 10:47 PM 4this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · May 29, 2022 | 10:43 PM 5this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · May 30, 2022 | 10:38 PM 6this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Jun 1, 2022 | 02:21 PM 1this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Jun 2, 2022 | 12:21 PM 1this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Jun 5, 2022 | 07:37 PM 6this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Jun 7, 2022 | 10:02 PM 5this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Jun 14, 2022 | 12:04 AM 3this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Jun 18, 2022 | 08:22 PM 4this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Jun 19, 2022 | 08:58 PM 1this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Jul 5, 2022 | 12:30 AM 7this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
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Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Feb 25, 2023 | 09:17 PM 4this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

tshea113 · Mar 30, 2023 | 11:15 PM 7this post at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build
Photo: Simple '93 street/fun car build

How it was done

Starting condition

Bought in 2016 as an eighth-hand car for $1500, the Miata died the day it was bought and needed immediate repairs. The owner spent the first year fixing neglected and hack-job work left by previous owners, including a bent fuse connection and old fluids.

Engine refresh

The original engine burned a quart of oil every 100-200 miles. After saving money, the owner sourced a lower-mileage 1.6 from Treasure Coast Miatas and did a full refresh with new seals and gaskets, his first major project on the car.

Electronics and Megasquirt

The car was converted to a Megasquirt MS3x ECU with coil-on-plug ignition and supporting sensors. The owner then designed an open-source Teensy-based CAN bus gauge from scratch, including custom PCB and 3D printed housing, to display engine data in the dash.

Suspension and alignment

The owner fitted Powertrix coilovers and later performed a DIY string alignment, discovering his caster had been miscalculated. New Falken RT660 tyres were fitted, improving grip and feel ahead of autocross events.

Turbo installation

After months of waiting, a Kraken low mount turbo kit with a Garrett 2554R arrived. Fitting it in a small apartment garage proved difficult, with clearance issues around the power steering rack and intercooler piping, eventually resolved by deleting power steering and rerouting lines. The car was first started and driven with boost in June 2022.

Ongoing refinement

After initial running, the owner chased coolant and oil leaks, fitted a larger compressor housing for better intercooler pipe routing, and continued refining the gauge project, running it successfully in the car for several months.

Progress so far

By mid-2023 the turbocharged car had been taken to autocross events and was running well, with the owner continuing to tune and plan further cooling upgrades such as a Supermiata crossflow radiator.

A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

Worth knowing

  • Test fit the turbo and intercooler piping before drilling the oil pan to get the right drain placement
  • A tap and die vise clamped straight makes AN line cutting far easier than freehand cutting
  • Depowering the steering rack early can save repeated disassembly when fighting for engine bay clearance

Simple '93 street/fun car build

forum thread: 3 of 3 pages and 41 of 41 posts inspected; 32 unquoted updates by tshea113 used; 9 replies excluded on 7 November 2026. The original write-up and photographs remain with their creators. This page is a catalogue in our own words, and a signpost to the source.

Read the full write-up at Simple '93 street/fun car build ↗

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