[Chainringtattoo]

I figured since things are slow around here I'll start a build thread. I've actually been modding the car since August so I'll catch this thread up in short order.

I've done several things already. There are more things to do in the coming weeks. I've made some mistakes which I've mostly been able to overcome. Maybe this thread will help someone avoid some of the mistakes I made along the way. In spite of the things that have gone wrong I'm happy with the car and the direction I'm going.

We'll start with April 12, 2018. That's the day I flew into Houston, TX to pick up the car from Northside Imports and drove it 1400 miles back to Grand Junction, CO. I had my first bit of bad luck on the drive through West Texas as I hit a sand storm that lasted about two hours at least. Visibility was so bad at one point I had to stop and wait it out. Fortunately, the paint didn't suffer too badly.

Here it is at the dealer.

And here it is two days later all cleaned up from the sand storm.

 

[Chainringtattoo]

July 20, 2018 - 3,933 Miles

Thanks to my good friend @depotdan, I got a sweet deal on a GFB GV+, my very first mod. I highly recommend this as a cheap and easy first mod. It's not a power mod but does make the car run smoother. This is about 20 minutes to install. Put a towel or something underneath just in case you get clumsy and drop a screw. This can be installed without removing the coolant tank but I take off the two bolts holding the coolant tank and shift it to the side just so I can get better purchase on the hex screws holding the diverter valve on.

I've since moved on to a different blow off valve so if someone wants the same sweet deal I got on this GFB send me a PM so we can let this live on in someone else's car.

 

[Chainringtattoo]

June 16, 2018 - Grand Junction Motor Speedway

So my bad, I got out of chronological order right off the bat and missed my first track day in the Spider. After all, this is what the build is all about. If you don't know where Grand Junction is, well it's a long way from everywhere. We don't have a real road course here so we make do on a .9 mile kart track. It's a lot of fun and it's a fairly safe place to drive. It's not as good as a real road course but much better than an autocross course in my opinion. And you get multiple laps in a session instead of one 40-60 second run. You're going to work your tires and brakes on this course.

My best time this day was a 70.71. To give some perspective, on this day a course record by car was set at 59.502. That's an insanely fast time. The guy who set it is a great driver and set it in a 300 HP Mazda Miata NA with full aero package. My car was bone stock this day. Not even the GFB was on it.

You can see how many tight turns the GJMS has.

 

[MiniDreamCar]

Fun looking track!

 

[Chainringtattoo]

June 22, 2018 - Infotainment tweaks

This was actually my "first"mod to the car and the one that still has the biggest bang for the buck. A big shout out to @ameridan for his fantastic blog. Dan has spent a ton of time adding content on our 124s and I refer to his blog constantly. If you haven't done the infotainment tweaks yet I highly recommend it.

 

[Spoolin32]

So my bad, I got out of chronological order right off the bat and missed my first track day in the Spider. After all, this is what the build is all about. If you don't know where Grand Junction is, well it's a long way from everywhere. We don't have a real road course here so we make do on a .9 mile kart track. It's a lot of fun and it's a fairly safe place to drive. It's not as good as a real road course but much better than an autocross course in my opinion. And you get multiple laps in a session instead of one 40-60 second run. You're going to work your tires and brakes on this course.

My best time this day was a 70.71. To give some perspective, on this day a course record by car was set at 59.502. That's an insanely fast time. The guy who set it is a great driver and set it in a 300 HP Mazda Miata NA with full aero package. My car was bone stock this day. Not even the GFB was on it.

You can see how many tight turns the GJMS has.

This looks like a really fun track !!!
For a stock car to be that close from the track record speaks volumes of its
Capabilities and your driving , well done !!! Hopefully I can join you one day next year . You’re not too far ? haha .
Oh and from my experience you’ll go faster with the top up , just slightly less fun

 

[Chainringtattoo]

This looks like a really fun track !!!
For a stock car to be that close from the track record speaks volumes of its
Capabilities and your driving , well done !!! Hopefully I can join you one day next year . You’re not too far ? haha .
Oh and from my experience you’ll go faster with the top up , just slightly less fun

Well you didn't see how poorly I drove the car that day. I was very clearly driving it at 12/10ths and sliding all over the place. I've since cut that time down a lot and I'll be getting to that in future posts. And yeah, I had the top up.

This track is an equalizing track because it takes horsepower out of the equation. That 300 HP Miata that took the record did so from a 700 HP Mustang. You need power, but proper tires and suspension go further than power. And all those turns make it about the driver. I still have much to learn and much to improve upon. And c'mon out. It's only a 12 hour drive.

 

[Spoolin32]

Well you didn't see how poorly I drove the car that day. I was very clearly driving it at 12/10ths and sliding all over the place. I've since cut that time down a lot and I'll be getting to that in future posts. And yeah, I had the top up.

This track is an equalizing track because it takes horsepower out of the equation. That 300 HP Miata that took the record did so from a 700 HP Mustang. You need power, but proper tires and suspension go further than power. And all those turns make it about the driver. I still have much to learn and much to improve upon. And c'mon out. It's only a 12 hour drive.

Haha send the video over I’ll be happy to review and provide my dose of constructive feedback . On a smaller tighter track The 124 eats up everything . My first day out on phase 1 the only car that beat me was a decked out viper on streets of willow because of the longer straights . Crazy that corner speeds were matched on semi slick tires . As you get more confident and dial suspension and alignment in the speed you can push these cars through corners is just amazing . I still haven’t learned the cars full limit in certain sections and it’s mind blowing that it can go faster

 

[Chainringtattoo]

July 27, 2018 - 4,095 miles

Took the car to the Western Colorado Dragway. My best run was a 15.349 @ 87.38 MPH. All part of the testing process. I think that time is a bit generous because a storm was blowing in and I got a bit of a tail wind. The correction factor is also generous because of the altitude and desert heat.

@Spoolin32 stay tuned. Track videos coming.

 

[Chainringtattoo]

August 25, 2018 - 4,843 miles

Installed Tork Stage 1 tune.

August 31, 2018 - 4,960 miles

Dynoed the stock and Tork tune at Flyin' Miata. Dyno numbers are uncorrected and were done on a Dynocom 5000 series 2 wheel dyno. Dyno numbers are wheel horse power.

4th Gear Pull
Stock - 150whp/179.2 ft lbs torque
Tork Stage 1 - 179.7 whp/207.4 ft lbs torque

A 5th gear pull with Stage 1 yielded 177.5whp/228.6 ft lbs torque. The yellow line is the Tork tune. The green line is Flyin' Miata dyno test of an EC ED+Lite.

For giggles I asked for a comparison of the Tork Tune against Flyin' Miata's 2019 Miata ND2. Remember these are uncorrected numbers.

The Tork tune is better everywhere but where the stock tune feels more linear, except for that weird dip at 4700 RPMs, the Tork tune definitely has a peak at 4,500 RPMs before it starts tailing off. I was expecting about a 20% WHP gain and that's what I got. The torque bump is massive and definitely made the car more fun to drive.

 

[Chainringtattoo]

September 7, 2018 - 5,026 miles

Took car to Western Colorado Dragway to verify dyno results. Car is stock at this point with the exception of the Tork Stage 1 and the GFB DV+ diverter valve.

Best run was a 15.031 @ 91.62 MPH. Once the correction was figured in the horse power numbers matched the dyno numbers from the previous week. This seems to be a very good way to back up your dyno results and if you can't get to a dyno, to figure out how much horse power you have.

September 8, 2018 - 5,070 miles

Track day at Grand Junction Motor Speedway. I missed the July track day and there wasn't one in August. It was brutally hot this day and no one was posting very good times, still I managed to set a personal best of 69.995, about 7/10ths faster than my previous time. The Tork power helped and gave me another gear I did not have on one section of the track. Counter clockwise on this track is a bit more challenging as you get into a four wheel drift coming into the long sweeper. You need to straighten the car up here before you brake hard or the rear end will pass you up.

 

[Chainringtattoo]

September 19, 2018 - 5,276 miles

Not a mod but important to what happens to the car later. I took the car in to the dealer for the U76 recall. In preparation I flashed back to the stock tune. The dealer botched the install and the next day the car died in the middle of the road while I was out for a drive. It had to be towed 60 miles back to the dealer for a brand new powertrain control module (PCM) to be installed. That took a week while the dealer waited on parts.

Lesson learned here: IF YOUR CAR IS RUNNING WELL DON'T LET THE DEALER TOUCH IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO.

 

[Spoolin32]

Took car to Western Colorado Dragway to verify dyno results. Car is stock at this point with the exception of the Tork Stage 1 and the GFB DV+ diverter valve.

Best run was a 15.031 @ 91.62 MPH. Once the correction was figured in the horse power numbers matched the dyno numbers from the previous week. This seems to be a very good way to back up your dyno results and if you can't get to a dyno, to figure out how much horse power you have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hNJuHB7H5M

September 8, 2018 - 5,070 miles

Track day at Grand Junction Motor Speedway. I missed the July track day and there wasn't one in August. It was brutally hot this day and no one was posting very good times, still I managed to set a personal best of 69.995, about 7/10ths faster than my previous time. The Tork power helped and gave me another gear I did not have on one section of the track. Counter clockwise on this track is a bit more challenging as you get into a four wheel drift coming into the long sweeper. You need to straighten the car up here before you brake hard or the rear end will pass you up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHJhK_D2A-0

Seriously great driving !!! Thanks for the share

 

[Chainringtattoo]

I picked up the car from the dealer today and all seems well with the new PCM, in stock form at least.

I also installed a set of Enkei TS-10 wheels that I bought from Auto Ricambi and shoed them with a set of Dunlop Direzza ZIIIs in 235/40R-17. This is a really nice wheel/tire combo that I'm very happy with. The wheels are lighter than stock wheels but unfortunately the tires are heavier so I actually had a slight net gain at each corner. I originally ordered a set of Bridgestone RE71Rs but was afraid I'd get some rubbing when I lower the car. The Dunlops looked like the best second choice but were a bit more expensive than the Bridgestones.

The Enkei TS-10 are beautiful high quality wheels. I did not remove the TPMS from the stock wheels and instead bought 2 sets of TPMS from Amazon that are working well. I Just wish they came in black. I used McGard wheel lugs I bought from Good-Win Racing. These are very nice and highly recommend.

Side by side view of stock 205/45R-17 vs Dunlop 235/40R-17

This wheel tire combination fills out the wheel well nicely and doesn't rub. I haven't lowered the car yet but others are running this same combination with no issues on lowered cars.

My one gripe. Pay attention to where your installer mounts the balancing weight when you pick them up. I didn't and I still haven't gotten around to having them move it to a less visible spot.

Oh yeah, look whose car is on the cover of the 2019 Fiat Club of America calendar.

 

[depotdan]

Good looking combo, Steve. Brush on some Rustoleum gloss black on the weights after you have them moved. Also, if you haven’t already, ceramic coat the wheels.

Dan

 

[depotdan]

I Just wish they came in black.

Steve this is where I bought mine. Just for future reference.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4x-ITM-TPM...861108&hash=item4d7ad7f3b5:g:M48AAOSw~X1be0Yb

Dan

 

[Chainringtattoo]

Steve this is where I bought mine. Just for future reference.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4x-ITM-TPM...861108&hash=item4d7ad7f3b5:g:M48AAOSw~X1be0Yb

Dan

Oooooh, those look much better! Wish I had known before. Maybe I'll swap them out when I need new tires. Thanks Dan!

 

[Chainringtattoo]

October 2, 2018 - 5,863 miles

Installed the Eurocompulsion front mount intercooler. I did this by myself and took my time. I think it was at least 11 hours total for me. So far, no issues whatsoever with the intercooler. My only concern is longevity of the hoses as no matter how you route them, you will have slight rubbing against something.

Stock vs EC intercooler

The stock IC piping chokes down to 1.5" (38mm) in places.

So don't do what I did at the end. After 11 hours I wasn't thinking straight and wanted it to be over with. I carelessly banged down my negative battery terminal cable with butt end of a screwdriver and broke the sensor. I didn't even see that sensor until I broke it. If you do this you'll get a warning that your battery is no longer charging and you need to pull over immediately. I was able to repair the sensor with some glue but my dealer kindly gave me a new one under warranty. It's a good thing because this part is $500!

 

[Chainringtattoo]

October 6, 2018 - 5,886 miles

Back to the point of the build. Track day at Grand Junction Motor Speedway. Car is on stock tune as I still haven't gotten a new tune from Tork after having the PCM replaced after the recall debacle. Mods for this session are the new wheels and tires and the EC intercooler. Oh yeah, the stubby antenna probably helped knock off .5 second as well.

My best lap of the day was a 67.171. I've been grouped in with these people for the last couple of track days and now I'm pushing past them. Today's time is 2.824 seconds faster than my previous outing. I'm down 30 HP today but the tires and cooler weather more than make up for the lack of horsepower. I'm really pleased with the Dunlops. Once I got them scrubbed in they started hooking up really well.

 

[Chainringtattoo]

October 7, 2018 - 5,925 miles

Installed the Good-Win Racing SportCat and Roadster Sport resonated exhaust. This installation would have been fairly easy if it weren't for the cheap bolts used on the stock catalytic converter. More often than not they snap off when trying to remove. That's what happened to me and I ended up having to go get new ones. Save yourself some trouble and have spare grade 8 x 1.25 x 35 (or 40) on hand. Total install time was about 12 hours because I spent four hours looking for parts.

I had to tap out the bolt holes in order to get the new ones to screw in.

This is everything you have to remove for the SportCat and exhaust install.

The stock heat shield goes back on the SportCat. Brian Goodwin says they have moved the position of the O2 sensor for future versions. That's a good thing.

While I was at it, I threw on the PTP Turbo blanket. This is a nice mod. I can tell a difference in under hood temps just using this blanket. Plus I think it looks kind of cool.

And this is what the final product sounds like.