28Jan2013
Proportioning Valve
Finally got around to installing the brake proportioning valve on the #62 MX5. It will allow for fine tuning of the rear brakes in relationship to the fronts. The kit allowed the adjustments to take place in the engine bay which wasn’t ideal. If you have the transmission out, it is easy to mount it to the side of the trans tunnel and run a new brake line. For me, I got the Wilwood remote kit and worked with that. …
27Jan2013
Cleaned up and Upgraded Cooling
When I was setting the timing for the dyno, I found I could only get 10 degrees BTDC. My research showed that meant my exhaust cam was off one tooth. I also had an odd noise and suspected an idler pulley. What a perfect opportunity to investigate and set the timing! What I discovered was that in fact my exhaust cam was off one tooth. I decided since my timing covers were off the car I should clean them up. …
23Jan2013
#62 MX-5 Baseline Dyno Video
We took several videos, but honestly… not many turned out that well. I guess we’re a little rusty from the winter temperatures! Either way, this baseline dyno was very helpful in detecting not only the current state of our 1.8’s health, but also that the factory tach unit is about 500RPM off. Enjoy this for now and hopefully later this season we’ll have a much more exciting dyno video to share.
17Jan2013
Winter Updates Completed
In preparation for a new NASA-X season and to prepare the MX-5 for more road course action, it was decided a few things would need some attention. First off, maintenance was the general theme amongst both the MX-5 and RX8 this winter. After multiple track events and races, the cars needed some much required TLC. The MX-5 had a failing rear wheel bearing. Upon trying to replace and repair it, it was discovered that the entire hub assembly in the …
04Jan2013
First Impression of the 2014 Mazda 6
I swung by Brown’s Mazda in Chantilly and was greeted by a new 2014 Mazda 6 Grand Touring in soul red metallic. I personally won’t buy one until they come out with the diesel this summer, but it is a great looking car with a ton of standard features. I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.