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CAR OF THE WEEK
@MISS_13B

Hi there, my name is Amelia and this is my 13b swapped Mazda MX-5. I was brought up around cars, rotaries in particular, my whole life. When I was a little girl I remember always being in a loud rotary, most commonly FB Rx7s, which mum or dad would pick me up in from Day Care. Growing up, my dad would take me to do skids or drift roundabouts and I wanted to do it too, I remember saying to my parents "when I grow up I want to speed like dad", having no idea that it was completely illegal, I just knew it was fun and I enjoyed the thrill. Fast forward 14 or so years later and you get a born and raised "Dorito Chick".

THE VISION

The inspiration and vision for my build was never anything amazing as the journey with my car became a whole learning experience I never once thought would happen when I first got it and I certainly never thought that it would be anywhere near where it is now.  Every single set back and idiotic mistake I've made as a young teenager has resulted in a "well shit how do I fix it" moment but also made me what to know how do I not just fix it but make it better. My main inspiration behind the build would be my Mums Fd rx7 my car is basically is a mini me version.

THE JOURNEY

The car first came as a surprise to me when I returned from New Zealand in 2019, and so my journey began. In 2021 I encountered my first major learning curve and first stage of the build when I was in a car accident which left the driver side door completely caved in, rear and front guards also with major damage. The car had sustained damage in multiple areas in the past and it was time to get out the bog and paint, for weeks in between school and work me and my dad sourced a new door. He taught me how to bog, sand and hammer my panels back into shape. We then painted it a primmer black which is how it remained for months. In August 2021 my car said hi to a curb and bye to my old wheels and I was forced to get a new set but didn't have the money to get genuine wheels. In November 2021 we painted the mx5 and the wheels went on and flares were also added. In the beginning of 2022 the plan to build a rotary mx5 began. Slowly I was sourcing parts, researching and trying to create as much of a plan as possible to build the car. I rebuilt the engine myself in April of 2022 as I was wanting to give myself the motivation to start the process however we still had no idea what gearbox to use. In October of 2022, after lots and lots or research, we finally discovered that a Series 1/2 bell housing would bolt straight to the NB 5 speed gearbox. The mx5 had a significant oil leak at that time too so in the beginning of November the engine came out and the build began. By the end of January we had custom fabricated the subframe and mounts and by the end of February the engine was in and it was on to custom fabricating the exhaust which was a very long process. Finally, on March 17th, liquids went in and I had finished the electrical work. After a long journey for my dad and I we finally started the car up for the first time and I cried so hard, it was such a relief. However then came a very stressful time where we were having issues with the clutch and getting it driving. It did not look possible without removing the whole engine, subframe and exhaust, undoing all our hard work just to get to the gearbox. Luckily after a few weeks and eliminating everything we decided to check the master cylinder which was new and shouldn't have had any issues. We replaced the master cylinder and instead of using the rx7 one we had, we got the stock mx5 one and it worked. There we had it, by April I had a running and driving 13b full Bridgeport mx5.

THE MOD LIST

ENGINE + DRIVETRAIN:

  • 13b Full Cut Bridge Port Rotary

  • Series 1/2 Rx7 bellhousing to Mx5 box

  • Button clutch

  • Welded differential

 

INDUCTION/ EXHAUST:

  • N/A (Carb)

  • Custom fabricated twin straight pipe exhaust

 

COOLING:

  • Alloy radiator

  • Oil cooler with custom fabricated fan brackets

  • Electric fans. 

 

FUELING:

  • Aero Flow - Low Pressure, High Flow external fuel pump

  • 51mm IDA Carburetor

 

INTERIOR:

  • Quick release steering wheel

  • RPM gauge to rev to 10,000Rpm

  • Oil Pressure gauge

  • Water Temp gauge

  • Complete removal of air conditioning system

  • Custom switch panel

  • Likewise shift knob

 

EXTERIOR:

  • Custom paint job

 

SUSPENSION/HANDLING/BRAKES:

  • BC Extreme Low Coil-overs

  • Adjusted knuckles and spacers to steering rack for more angle

  • Camber bolts 

 

WHEELS & TYRES:

  • Reps for now  

 

EXTRAS:

  • Complete customised engine bay to fit rotary

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MEMORY LANE

My greatest memories with this car all came from the lowest memories. I had been told my car was a right write off in the end of 2020 to which the insurance claim was removed as it was only insured for 4K and the market price for my car had then risen to 10k. Then in 2021 I was faced with the thought my car would be written off again. Luckily due to the major damages I was forced into fixing my car. After all the negatives there is nothing more rewarding and unforgettable than looking at your car for the first time after finishing a major transformation. There's a ridiculous amount of lows and a ridiculous amount of highs but nothing compared to being able to stand back look at my car and be truly proud of how far I've come.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

My vision for the car now is turbo and further modifications to make it into a good drift car and send this thing on a track. Because I'm focusing on this car being a track only build I'm hoping some day no where near in the near future I will have the opportunity to build a 3 or 4 rotor and put it into my car. However, for now the miata project will be coming to a stand still as I have another project in mind and I'm very exited for it. Keep an eye out as it is potentially coming at the end of the year.

WATCH THE SHORT VIDEO

THE GALLERY

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