I have been lurking on here for awhile now and I figured it's time to start an intro/build thread. This car is owned by myself and 3 buddies, who own a few "fun" cars together. Building as a group has been rad, since it spreads out some of the costs and labor across more folks. Most of our background is in building and tracking Miata's, so an engine swapped Spyder seemed like a great way to branch out into a new chassis and have some fun. Here's where we are at now:
Since we knew from the get go the idea was to get the car completely legal, we started by buying a donor first. We were able to grab a higher mileage 2001 GTS that ran well and shifted well for $2900. It had some body damage. We harvested the engine bits and MAF, then sold the shell for $400. We specifically wanted an early GTS for the higher rev limit on the factory ECU.
Once we had the motor and trans covered we went shopping for a Spyder. Found this 2000 for $6400 with higher mileage and a clean interior owned by an older couple. Did a little detail magic on it and away we went.
I'll post a mod list up tomorrow. Need to get an alignment done so I can start to enjoy this thing in the fall.
This is the most stockish looking 2zz I've ever seen. I mean that in a good way. Did you just cut and weld the rear subframe or did you end up having to lower it and remount?
Thanks! Stock looking exactly what we were going for. We went a little overboard based on the fear of the smog police. Tried to wrap the harness similar to factory. The BAR Ref's were actually awesome guys though. Real enthusiasts that knew their stuff. They even helped us locate a 2.5" cat with an EO number. I do really hate the stupid looking intake that i'm sure heatsoaks terribly, but we may address that soon.
For the subframe, it was cut, welded, and reinforced. No spacers. I built a removable tube section that bolts to the top of the subframe with 3 M10 bolts per side to try and help support it, but still gives us access to the exhaust if needed. .
This is the most stockish looking 2zz I've ever seen. I mean that in a good way. Did you just cut and weld the rear subframe or did you end up having to lower it and remount?
Thanks for the response. The fab work is what is holding a lot of people back from doing this. The exhaust routing is sort of silly but at least it can be bolted on/off once it's made.
Agreed, although the notch wasn't very difficult. if there was a demand for it, I could probably make some one offs and sell them. The exhaust was not simple though. We tried to use one of the widely marketed OTS parts that's "bolt on" to pass BAR, and while it might have worked, the customer experience with that particular vendor left a lot to be desired. Not to mention the part itself was subpar in quality. It would be fine if you're just using it to get through your smog checks though. I wanted something that I don't have to pull for my smog checks.
Would have been nice to get a PPE set up, but for the money is think a standalone is probably more HP per $. Wondering if there is a Link in this car's future.
Nice dude, i'm over in River Park. These are 15x8 + 35 Konig Hypergrams, with 225/40s Falken RT660s. We run these wheels on our track miata, so we have lots of take off tires floating around. They are entirely too grippy for a street car, but you can't beat free! You can check out the fit in person if you ever want. Just shoot me a PM.
Thanks man! It’s getting there. We went with Shaftworks Bilanx coils 6k/8k to start out, with a whiteline front bar and stock rear bar. I’ll drop some feedback here once I get the alignment done.
I have a feeling it’s going to see some limited track time. I’ll be on the hunt for a roll bar next. Had a great time at Sonoma on Friday in the Miata. Passing cars that cost 6x as much with 3x the power never gets old.
1zz pan's better than the stock 2zz pan for this and can probably do autocross, but the moroso or similar pan is going to have better baffles for if you go harder on a track.
I heard something about the oil pump gears needing upgrading as well since they are sintered metal instead of billet (and so can't withstand a lot of accidental oil cavitation or starve before breaking), but ive never done a 2zz swap so take what i say with some salt.
I have seen more 2zzs blow up on the track with a 1zz pan than any other. Don't cheap out with a hacked up 1zz pan. Proper pan if you want to track the 2zz.
Sounds like we have some decisions to make! LOL. I had my eye on the BOE pan when we started this build, maybe it's time to revisit. Or maybe we'll sell it in a few months and buy the Lotus we wanted. Haha.
Ordered an MW components front strut brace and cleaned up the frunk plastics/windshield trim. Just need to trim the spare cover now. Looks pretty clean for 22 years old.
Do you have any recent information to share on the BAR process?
I'm curious about two things:
1. What did they check?
2. Where did you get your ECU verified? My local dealerships don't seem to understand what I'm asking for.
The first thing the ref did was flag both the donor Celica and the Mr2 VINs. Once we had the swap completed they requested all the paperwork we had.
Celica pink slip
Receipts for parts purchases, such as the intake and cat
Photos of cat placement, o2 placements and heights, and exhaust
CARB sticker for intake
Proof of ECU verification - the dealer basically confirmed the part number. I’ll find my receipt and reply back.
confirmed all readiness monitors set
Once we got the appointment set, the Ref just verified everything. They plug into the OBD2 port and verify everything works as it should. Double check all the measurements, etc.
I love the thoroughness of this swap. It can be hard to do things the 100% "right" way when 90% will suffice for most - but it often pays off in the long run.
After having our fun with this build, it looks like she’ll be going up for sale to fund the next project. If you’re interested in the car shoot me a PM! For sale thread will go up soon.
Hello,
I am also located in Sacramento and I am working on a K Swap. I was thinking about also trying to make this BAR legal and was wondering if you can help guide me through this process and/or give me some of your contacts from the BAR. Thank you
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