Yesterday I said goodbye to my Miata I had for 15 years which I took from bone stock street car to full full blown caged race car. About an hour after my old project car was driven away on a trailer, I submitted my order for a Type 65 Coupe complete kit. Something about that money burning a hole in my pocket and the current FFR sale ending led me to pulling the trigger quickly.

I've been lurking in the forums and reading/watching other people's builds and now I'm taking the plunge. I've made a lot of notes but I'm still figuring out a lot of the details and I'll definitely have some new challenges along the way.

Order Placed:
  • Base Kit
  • Coyote Mounts
  • Hydraulic Clutch Master Kit
  • Coyote Headers
  • Side Exhaust
  • 2015 IRS - (Free!)
  • driveshaft for Coyote and T-56 Magnum
  • Manual Rack
  • AC kit for Coyote
  • Coyote Installation Kit
  • Deleted Brakes, Seats, Gauges, Diff/Spindles, Wheels


Still waiting on the initial invoice with completion date but it will be delivered via Cunningham to my home near Denver, CO.

Plan:
Engine = Coyote Gen 3 pulled from salvage yard or 4x crate motor with Ford control pack
Transmission = T-56 Magnum
Diff = Mustang 3.55 Torsen
Brakes = Cadillac XTS Brembo 14" Fronts, Mustang GT 13" Rears, BMW MK60 ABS
Steering = ePowerSteering setup on manual rack
Dash = ECUMaster ADU7 7" Dash with CAN Keyboard
Power Distribution = ECUMaster PMU-16 solid state power distribution, ECUMaster Battery Isolator, all chassis wiring from scratch.
Wheels = Maybe Forgestar F14 (TBD)
Paint = Current Idea is Ford Hot Pepper Red with Dark Grey stripes inspired by this Shelby Pickup:
pickup.jpg

Realistically, I know this is going to be a slow path and many of these details with shift. I'm giving myself 3 years to get to the point where I am ready for paint. I have a toddler so this project will fit in around family and work obligations.

I have a lot more notes on specifics on all the pieces in-between, but this covers the broad strokes. I'm building more of a streetable performance car rather than a show car. I intent to do some track days and autocross events along with cars and coffee and I plan to do as much of the work myself as possible. Body work and paint is intimidating but we'll see. Hopefully my racecar experience will bring some new perspectives to some of the details of the build.

Thanks for following along.