We also used some Race Engineering custom timing pulleys to get the timing just right.” “We are using ARP studs for the head to keep it all bolted together. “We were very precise in those measurements to make sure we didn’t blow it up,” Graham says. As the tune goes further, Graham expects it to put out more than 275 hp in this current configuration. Spec Miatas are a little bit better than that with the restrictor plate. “It’s got plenty of horsepower to get some air moving through there, because the Miata platform has a very small air opening for cooling.”Ī standard Miata normally aspirated makes about 100 to 115 hp at the rear wheels as a street car. “We settled on a triple core radiator that is doing very well,” he says. Graham and the Race Engineering team went through several iterations of cooling reroutes and large radiators. We increased by almost 55 percent based off the smaller supercharger when we upgraded the supercharger and put the new engine in play.”Ĭooling the BP4W engine turned out to be the only challenge.

“We’re running 14 pounds of boost with the current pulleys that are on the system now and we were able to more than double the horsepower in the drive train to the rear wheels than where it was at factory.

“We got the compression ratio exactly where we wanted it,” he says. To top things off, Race Engineering had custom piston rings done for this application. The shop also used forged Manley rods and all Cometic gaskets to get tolerances and the compression numbers exactly where Graham wanted them to be. Grude Performance was called on to grind the cams to Race Engineering’s specifications.

040˝ valves for the intake and exhaust and did five-angle cuts on both. Race Engineering worked closely with Diamond Racing to put custom, one-off, forged pistons in the BP4W engine. The crank was polished by Race Engineering machinist David Snider, who does spectacular work, according to Graham. The block is a BP2 block that was bored 40 over. The shop also verified the clearance for the valve guides. The head is a Mazda BP4W head that was machined in-house and was decked about 15 to take off any imperfections from it being a little tired. “That also required that we put on high tension double springs from Supertech with titanium retainers and keepers.” “We machined the head for a five-angle cut on the valve seats to accept 40-over valves intake and exhaust,” he says. Race Engineering started the build by machining the head for all the seats with a Serdi 100. We maxed out what he was going to be using for something that was streetable and could run on pump gas.” “And as soon as I told him that it was capable, he went ahead and upgraded the supercharger to one of the largest superchargers Track Dog Racing has for that application. “I said absolutely we can do that,” Graham says. In that process, the client wanted to build something that could take more boost than the current engine. “We took that motor and as we progressed, we were discussing options, and as an engine builder it’s my job to educate the clients on all the options so they can make good decisions based on their applications.” “He wanted to take the tired engine out of his car and refresh it and make it bigger and better so he could continue to beat his buddy on track days,” Graham says. Clint’s buddy was driving a WRX with an upgraded turbo system and was threatening to beat him at the track, which any racer can’t sit by and let happen! The engine is known as Lucky 13.Ĭlint originally brought Graham the car a little while back, and at the time it had a small supercharger on it, but he wanted more power.

Chris Graham, owner of Race Engineering in Salisbury, NC, recently finished building that Mazda BP4W engine for Clint’s Spec Miata.

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