13 replies to this topic

[Ethomas]

I took my brand new 1999 sm for its first race this past weekend. I built it myself in my garage over the last year. It had a 170,000 mile motor that seemed healthy enough to run for the moment. Unfortunately it seized on the formation lap. I haven't opened it up yet but minimal inspection I'm guessing I lost a ring in cylinder 1. Anyway my questions are
1. Who does the best head work for a reasonable price and what all do they do?
Ie. New valves, springs etc...(keep in mind I am in vegas so shipping will apply)
2. Is there anything to really pay special attention to during rebuild beyond normal rebuild processes.
3. I see minimum weights in the gcr for cranks, rods, etc so can they be lightened to these numbers or is that all done by parts binning?

[Johnny D]

All depends what your definition of reasonable is.
Drago’s got some nice engines and heads in the classified up top. Some have some backup engines for sale.
The guys running up front have the whole engine optimized but. It not cheap imo.

A few here can chim in or PM you on best bang for your buck.
If your just starting out you don’t need much just reliable.
J~

[Ron Alan]

If the motor "seized"...in other words froze and very difficult to turn over...I wouldn't be worrying about head work! You will need a bottom end at a minimum. More than likely it is a rod bearing...and hopefully because you were ideling the motor just stopped and the rod didnt find it's way out of your block! 

 

Do you have a Mazdaspeed account yet?

[Alberto]

I like to tinker and learn things so built my own motor and had the machine work done locally.  I only race regionally - not nationals or majors - so I didn't need a big HP, big $ motor.  I wrote up some tips on my blog.  Hope it helps.

http://blog.miataracer.com/

[Johnny D]

 

Do you have a Mazdaspeed account yet?

 

https://www.mazdamot...eam-membership/

 

J~

[Ethomas]

Yes I am current with Mazda. Thank you for checking
I am not new, I previously ran a 1.6l for a few years and sold it to build the current car. I built a 99 and did everything except motor in hopes to run this year and then rebuild for next year, but that didn't happen. Now that it is coming out I want to build a solid competitive motor as I believe I have built everything else to be proper and competitive. I need seat time to be a front runner and intend to put that in, but I can/want to build a front runner car. I dont need more excuses to be slow lol.
Head and bottom end will be rebuilt. I want an sm oriented shop to do the head and I will do everything else except machine work.

I will look into the classifieds to see if something makes sense to get me back on track while I build this oone in the background thanks for the idea.

[LarryKing]

Unsolicited, no compensation plug - just a happy customer. Mike Rossini builds a hell of a motor at a fair price. Spent the money once and get it right. Shipping tip: call the contents "auto parts", not "engine".

[Ethomas]

That's an interesting idea, is it really cheaper to ship "parts" instead of "motor"? Any idea what that kind of shipping costs across the country?

[LarryKing]

Yes, cheaper to ship 'parts', at least that's what a freight company told me. I shipped a motor from California to Ohio a few years ago for about $150. I worked with a trucking company to ship it LTL, less than truckload.

[Ron Alan]

Yes, cheaper to ship 'parts', at least that's what a freight company told me. I shipped a motor from California to Ohio a few years ago for about $150. I worked with a trucking company to ship it LTL, less than truckload.

That is great! I hear average prices closer to $300 each way cross country?

[Tom Sager]

That's an interesting idea, is it really cheaper to ship "parts" instead of "motor"? Any idea what that kind of shipping costs across the country?

 

Shipping rates are somewhat based on "class" which is a function of the dimensions, weight and type of commodity.  If you ship an engine it's best to crate it or pack on a pallet and make the crate or pallet as small as possible.  If you can ship it from a business location or drop it at a freight terminal that will be less expensive than having the shipper pick it up from a home.  It's not always easy to navigate through the hoops the shipping companies throw at you.  If you decide to ship an engine you can send me a private message and I can help you through the process and get a good rate.  We ship a lot of stuff at work and can steer you in the right direction.  It's tough to get a good rate without a shipping contract with carriers. 

 

Also, an engine builder might have a shipping solution.

[Ethomas]

Well, all of that sounds good... I assumed 400 - 500 so if there is a possibility of less that would be great. If I go that route I will definitely be bugging you Tom. Thank you all for the input and help. I think I will be in good shape also as I can have stuff come and go from my work. I can skip lift gate and residential.

On the flip side I have built motors before and do enjoy it to some extent, sounds like I just need to figure out $ and time so I can make some decisions.

Anyone have any sm specific build tips for if I decide to go that route?

[av8tor]

FedEx offers a Freight Box. It is a fold up pallet and box all in one. An engine will fit in the small box. I use them fairly often, you will have to go to the Freight terminal to get it and call ahead as they don't always have them in stock.

[luvin_the_rings]

just buy a built race engine, try to find a lightly used one.  I got a great deal on a Haag engine that only had 2 races on it.  

 

http://www.haagperformance.com/

 

if you wanna build an engine, build your spare. get out there on track!