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While the head is off should I?

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    While the head is off should I?

    So was bring the gtx into my shop to prep it for the race today that i am missing, and a coolant line from the turbo popped and all the coolant drained out and by the time i was able to get to a safe point off the road the head gasket popped on cylinder 2.

    So i am at a point where i am not sure what to do. Sell it and cut my losses (thou its a awesome race car its just 20 years old and everything under the hood is breaking anymore), just slap a head gasket off ebay for 50 bucks on it if the head and block are ok. Or go ahead and pulled the head have the check it, pull the oil pan and knock the pistons out of their homes and swap over to miata pistons rering them, put new rod bearings on, have a minor port and polish done, put her all back together and see how well she runs? Note this car is a daily of sorts prolly two days a week, and i race it at rallyx's once a month or more. so i want to keep it driveable but 9.0-1 CR on say 12psi (opposed to 16 on a reich ecu) would prolly show a nice pick up in power i would assume, along with quicker spool and much better throttle response and mid range power

    what would you people do! any luck on such hybrids? and anyone knows a cheap place to pick up miata pistons not too worried about mileage and pistons dont tend to age unless severely abused.

    #2
    i'd rebuild. Check www.car-part.com for the pistions. Also you can keep tabbs on ebay for some miata pistons. You can find some good deals on aftermarket ones if you have time to wait
    I live my life a quarter pounder at a time. And for those 500 calories or more, I'm free. I need FRIES! Two of them. The big ones. Oh, and I need them tonight. You're lucky the double shot of BBQ sauce didn't blow the seam on your nugget box. There she is, 2 pounds of pure beef. My dad ate it in 9.0 seconds flat. Check it out, it's like this. If I lose, winner takes my happy meal. But if I win, I take the burger and the toy. To some people, that's more important.

    ._________________________
    |.....Overnight....................| ||
    |.....Japan Parts.................| |'|";,___.
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    "(@)'(@)""'''''''''''''"'''"**|(@)(@)*****"(@)
    Oh and by the way that shot in your banner with Vin Diesel's car getting shot, thats a civic not an altezza.

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      #3
      Personally, if your going to rebuild anything, Stay away from no named brands on such as ebay, etc. If its a personal auction and the person has a nice name brand item, then go for it. You get what you pay for. But yes, do the rebuild. You will be much happier if you do.
      Mazda
      1988 Black 323 GT
      DOHC 16 VALVE TURBO

      2013 Velocity Red Mica Mazdaspeed3

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        #4
        i am positive the rebuild will happen and i will just get a mazda head gasket, unless they have a cheap gasket set through my dealer, however i am interested in peoples ideas about the miata pistons.

        Anyone really built this frankenstien before? any advice on what boost to run and what not. My idea is to go ahead and do it back the boost down to 12 from 16 on a reich racing ecu, and see how it does possibly swap my rx-7 fuel pump into the tank inturn saturating the injectors alittle bit more in the midrange to handle that boost peak.

        really i am looking for ideas on what will be safe ish without going crazy

        Comment


          #5
          on 9.0:1... i'd start at stock boost and go up from there... 12 should be ok, but i'd play it safe. i know of a few people that have run miata pistons in the gt/x/r2's

          1988 White GTX - #1 parts
          1988 Black GTX - #2 reliably broken touge monstar (294,000 miles no rebuilds) - dead
          1988 Blue GTX - #3 in progress (view here)
          1988 Blue GTX - #4 BPT swapped weekend warrior.
          1988 White GTX - #5 Rally car

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            #6
            What rings should i run with these miata pistons. are the ring lands the same on both pistons?

            Figured i would be getting some more feed back. How did the people that have run thse pistons feel about the setup? I will be using it for mostly rallycross and daily driving so it seems fine to me since the throttle response and torque will be better even with lower boost.

            opinions people! i feel like the silence is kind of a "good luck"

            Comment


              #7
              No it's just there aren't many gtx guys on here is the problem. I know of people that loved the miata piston set up mitch in the mid west for one before he rolled his car. Trust me, I wouldn't steer a fellow gtx'er wrong. I'm super excited for my raised compression turbo motor to go in. come on 300 hp!

              1988 White GTX - #1 parts
              1988 Black GTX - #2 reliably broken touge monstar (294,000 miles no rebuilds) - dead
              1988 Blue GTX - #3 in progress (view here)
              1988 Blue GTX - #4 BPT swapped weekend warrior.
              1988 White GTX - #5 Rally car

              Comment


                #8
                i was just running into alot of mixed opinions saying that the miata pistons arent forged and wont handle any real boost? and the onther option of just shaving the head .10 to bump the compression to about 8.5

                Comment


                  #9
                  12psi through the vj14 isn't a whole lot of boost.

                  1988 White GTX - #1 parts
                  1988 Black GTX - #2 reliably broken touge monstar (294,000 miles no rebuilds) - dead
                  1988 Blue GTX - #3 in progress (view here)
                  1988 Blue GTX - #4 BPT swapped weekend warrior.
                  1988 White GTX - #5 Rally car

                  Comment


                    #10
                    All the GTX gurus are here:



                    Another vote to do the rebuild. I think the value on these cars is gonna start going up, maybe a lot. Rare, '80's hot hatch, pretty soon old enough to do vintage racing, I'd fix her up nice if I were you. If someone woulda told me in the late '80's that a late 60's-early ;70's Goat or Chevelle SS would pull 6 figures at auction after Y2km I'da laughed in their face.
                    '90 AWD Protege, full GTR drivetrain swap, ~320 whp daily driver, RIP, and
                    '90 AWD Protege, yet another GTR swap, Open class rallycar with a Toyota GT4 gearbox swap, thus crossing the line between hobby and mental illness. And a Brabus E55 K8, removing all doubt.
                    http://www.wihandyman.com/forum/vbpi...?do=view&g=110
                    http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2599486

                    Comment


                      #11
                      yeah no kidding. I'm with jay which is why i'm trying to start giving my car a racing pedigree.. There's been much discussion on the yahoo list jay mentioned about what's the kind of stuff people will be looking for.. I'm pissed too because I had full receipts and the window sticker for my car until someone decided to relieve me of it along with my stereo.

                      1988 White GTX - #1 parts
                      1988 Black GTX - #2 reliably broken touge monstar (294,000 miles no rebuilds) - dead
                      1988 Blue GTX - #3 in progress (view here)
                      1988 Blue GTX - #4 BPT swapped weekend warrior.
                      1988 White GTX - #5 Rally car

                      Comment


                        #12
                        hmmm i have the window sitck for my 1990 rx-7 but doubtful it will make it to auction due to excessive use. however it only got 63k on the clock!

                        Alright so i made a decision. I will not be able to run miata pistons due to the head being a bit knackered up. It seems that when i ran my compression test before and came up with near stock compression figures except for cylinder 2 which was about 125psi compared to 152 in all other cylinders, that i had already had a leaking head gasket. The edge of the combustion surface is dented in slightly showing that the pressure from the water was enough to wear away at the head ever so slightly. which makes me wonder if the head gasket blew then busted that old coolant return line or the other way around?

                        anyways i will be milling the head up to .020" which should raise compression about a point so putting me roughly at 8.8cr. Seems like what i am going for. As for the rebuild its something that can be done down the road if i do restore the car but since compression numbers were all surprisingly close to stock i am gonna leave it alone. Other projects need the money, and i have a national rallyx that i would like to show up to and throw down.

                        stop me if you think i am crazy thou

                        Comment


                          #13
                          when's your national rallyx event?

                          1988 White GTX - #1 parts
                          1988 Black GTX - #2 reliably broken touge monstar (294,000 miles no rebuilds) - dead
                          1988 Blue GTX - #3 in progress (view here)
                          1988 Blue GTX - #4 BPT swapped weekend warrior.
                          1988 White GTX - #5 Rally car

                          Comment


                            #14
                            ha i thought it was in two weeks....however it was last sunday. i was pissed this morning when i checked. there is one in tennesee in a couple months i will stop around at.

                            bad news. 3 cracks in cylinder three and one crack in 1 and 3. all starting at the spark plug and working out to the exhaust valves. going to have a shop look at welding it if it will hold up. or if there is any heads anyone knows of point me in that direction

                            Comment


                              #15
                              rebuild her ... rebuild rebuild rebuild....
                              gentlemen this is a gtx er, a engine barley alive, we have the technology to rebuild him, make it stronger.... better ..... faster
                              sigpicfor the want of a horshoe, a horse was lost, for the want of a steed , a calvary was lost, for the loss of a cavarly a messenger was loss, for the loss of a messenger .... a war was lost

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