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So, cams are not getting installed......yet 

Had a good chat with MX5 Mania about intakes, they recommend not to get ITB's, they recommend a plenum style for the NC

So, one of these puppies is being ordered, with a larger TB to suit, when it arrives from the US the car will go in for the cams and intake

I'm also getting a fancy rear box bit for the air filter box which will suit the new TB size

Screenshot_20250331_063315_Chrome.thumb.jpg.ccb1ffc0992db88403ce0ced21bac264.jpgScreenshot_20250331_063210_Chrome.thumb.jpg.bdf08676e74a198b001f0636b8ed3058.jpg

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1 hour ago, Kinkstaah said:

Some sense has prevailed!

What kind of idiot spends money on intake, heads, and cams for a N/A motor in 2025? Lol. What maroons.
Source:I am King Maroon.

He's still joining you, he's just delayed it and won't have the fulleh sick ITBs...

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6 hours ago, Kinkstaah said:

Some sense has prevailed!

What kind of idiot spends money on intake, heads, and cams for a N/A motor in 2025? Lol. What maroons.
Source:I am King Maroon.

Meh, At 60 years old, I have been doing dumb stuff for much longer than you mate, I am the true King

And unfortunately I cannot be a maroon, as I am not brownish red

As for not getting ITB's, the plenum intake will apparently show typical gains across the board and increase induction noise a bit, but, have all over less dort than ITB's

Cost difference for the extra ITB dorts was significant though, the total parts for the plenum set up is "around" $2kAUD plus shipping, the ITB's were $4kAUD plus shipping, I was contemplating really hard about paying the extra $2k for all of the dorts, but weirdly, some form of common sense, from listening to the platform experts prevailed 

As for the NA mod hate by some, I've had a few boosted cars, with all their inherent issues, I'm now looking at simplicity and legalities for a street car, maybe I'm just getting old, and I'm quite happy to spend some of the kids inheritance, 5kw at a time 🤣

And think of all the money I'll be saving on consumables that something with boost needs, like engines, gearboxes, diffs, clutches,  tilt trays... etc. etc. etc. 🤪

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4 hours ago, The Bogan said:

Meh, At 60 years old, I have been doing dumb stuff for much longer than you mate, I am the true King

And unfortunately I cannot be a maroon, as I am not brownish red

As for not getting ITB's, the plenum intake will apparently show typical gains across the board and increase induction noise a bit, but, have all over less dort than ITB's

Cost difference for the extra ITB dorts was significant though, the total parts for the plenum set up is "around" $2kAUD plus shipping, the ITB's were $4kAUD plus shipping, I was contemplating really hard about paying the extra $2k for all of the dorts, but weirdly, some form of common sense, from listening to the platform experts prevailed 

As for the NA mod hate by some, I've had a few boosted cars, with all their inherent issues, I'm now looking at simplicity and legalities for a street car, maybe I'm just getting old, and I'm quite happy to spend some of the kids inheritance, 5kw at a time 🤣

And think of all the money I'll be saving on consumables that something with boost needs, like engines, gearboxes, diffs, clutches,  tilt trays... etc. etc. etc. 🤪

I'm glad to hear you've joined the SKI club.

Spend the Kids Inheritance.

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I'd just like to restate that I don't think anyone here is actually hating :D

I recently sold a car part to a guy who was building a forged auto R34, with MV stall and aiming at ~450kw. I told him that I'm him, from the future and to stop after it explodes once.

I told him I knew he won't listen the first time, and that's fine. But if my predictions do come true - Change direction faster than I did.

I also said it's probably no coincidence that the dyno plot of a reliable turbo engine starts to look a lot like a N/A motor. :p

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2 hours ago, Kinkstaah said:

I'd just like to restate that I don't think anyone here is actually hating :D

I recently sold a car part to a guy who was building a forged auto R34, with MV stall and aiming at ~450kw. I told him that I'm him, from the future and to stop after it explodes once.

I told him I knew he won't listen the first time, and that's fine. But if my predictions do come true - Change direction faster than I did.

I also said it's probably no coincidence that the dyno plot of a reliable turbo engine starts to look a lot like a N/A motor. 😛

There's a huge reason manufacturers are tuning in dead flat torque curves... Make them reliable (and more drive able)

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One thing that I will miss when I retire from full time is my access to the laboratory ovens at work we use for soils testing 

Jackie has forbade me from using the oven at home for curing paint...LOL

The paint on the NC's OEM "strut" brace thingo was a little off, so some prep and some gloss black "Raptor" wheel paint I had left over made them all pretty again, the parts will sit in there overnight at 30°c and be ready to reinstall  tomorrow 20250407_161538.thumb.jpg.41b282ec588973816058d2f6273b3db1.jpg

17440070284431037264485399451452.thumb.jpg.3454c32b448687bc0d3c339f6a79c302.jpg

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2 hours ago, MBS206 said:

You'll need to put your acquisitions hat on Mark, especially on your last day.

Acquisitions really is a great talent of defence personnel ;)

Relocation of stores?

Stock .....take?

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11 hours ago, The Bogan said:

Relocation of stores?

Stock .....take?

One hundred percent! Stock.... Take!

It's your final parting gift from them! 😛

How warm can those ovens go? Can you get to 250c? If it can, please acquire two. I'll take one for powder coating... 😛

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So, good news and bad news

Bad news first: The intake plenum is lost in the mail apparently, I haven't paid for it yet, and MX5 Mania are still chasing it up, farking 'Merica postal service 

Good news: Any retune will be free if and when it turns up,  I'm still keen for them to throw it on

The car goes noticeably better, with only the typical initial take off thingie from a choppy cam and manual transmission, but giving it just a little more RPM than before gives it a smooth take off (and hour or so of peak hour traffic sorted that little skill out)

Car made around 145kwatw & 225Nm (Intake may get me to 150kw, maybe....🤣)

Weirdly, 145kwatw is the same max power that my standard 2015 WRX STI made a few years ago

The cam really comes alive from around 3.5k and keeps making power and holds it flatish all the way to 7k, whereas before torque would drop hard around at 4.5k

Drive home was sadly in peak hour, although I did get a little clean air here and there to wind out 1st and 2nd a little bit, and whilst the gains aren't anything for the "boosted boys" to be impressed at, the thing is a blast to drive

The sound in the vid is poor, as it is in a undercover yard at work, but, outside, in the wild, it sounds awesomeballs to my ears with all the choppyness

I consider it money very well spent for the outcome 

Cam specs for reference (Basically the biggest you can fit with stock pistons)

20250417_172429.thumb.jpg.db8aa2b030c7f5e4c4e8d19c2348bc89.jpg

 

LOL, I don't think I will ever grow up

 

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2 hours ago, Dose Pipe Sutututu said:

LOL.... fk...

 

there goes 25K to make 200kW

I've got cash, it's the NA LOLS I'm after now

Plus, I've had a few boosted cars, and it is soooo easy to turn a reliable car into a unreliable drivetrain eating money pit monster by just paging up and chasing more

My power goal for the NC is to try for a reliable naturally aspirated 150kw or 200hp atw (I'm old, and the old naturally aspirated cherry of 100hp per litre is a goal that I would like to hit), no more is really needed for what I use the car for,  so a additional 5kw is what I'm chasing now,  that 5kw is about $3k away, I think....

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3 minutes ago, Dose Pipe Sutututu said:

Would it not be cheaper to just spray nitrous?

Yes, but 2 things of the top of my head, 1. Legalities of nitrous on a street car. 2. No chop chop.

I fully understand that there's much cheaper ways to make power, and whilst a wet 50 shot is fairly cheap to install, bottle fills are expensive, and bottles always need to be refilled, and nitrous also has its own inherent issues with reliability, and tuning, from my experience of others using nitrous, it doesn't take alot to lunch a engine real quick if something goes slightly wrong when spraying, if I wanted a big chunk of additional powers, a spooly boy would make alot more sense, disregarding the additional engineering, supporting mods and other logistical issues of sticking a spooly boy on a car that came naturally aspirated from factory 

In the end I'm not racing for sheep stations, and I don't really care if people make more power, or are faster than me, or spend less, or more than me, the only thing the car needs to do is drive around and make me smile, which it is doing now

Really, I just want a shiny new intake to look at when I'm cleaning the engine bay, and of course, some more induction doorts, and maybe even that 5kw for that elusive 200hp cherry on top that I might get

If the FAB9 intake plenum, TB and air filter box thing doesn't eventuate for whatever reason, Plasmaman do one, not as fancy looking, and a fair chunk of more cash is required when including the TB and other bits and pieces that are required to install it, but, it is another option that is available to me if FAB9 one does fall down (but I really, really.....really, want the FAB9 one though)

TL;DR. You want what you want

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