MK Sportscars RX5-140 Build

[MK Sportscars USA]

I promised i would do this, so here I am!  

I received my first container from MK back in October.  (PS - I'm the distributor for MK Sportscars in the US)  

Most of the kits were sold to other DIY guys in the US , I still have 1 in stock if anyone is looking. 

Next container full is on order.  Feels good to spread a few of these kits out in the US!

 

I just started building an RX5-140, with a few small upgrades. 

Donor miata was a 6 speed, with LSD and sport brakes.  Engine is a relatively low mileage VVT engine.      

 

Pics below of the staged parts for the build.  

 

  

[MK Sportscars USA]

I bring these kits in with the floor panels installed, as well as the hard fuel lines and brake lines, pedal box and master cylinders.  MK does a very nice job on this, for a very fair price. 

  

Rear suspension and diff mounting.  Fuel tank assembled with miata pump and sender, installed and plumbed. The fuel assembly from the miata gets tweaked a good bit to fit in the tank, and align with the sump at the bottom.  The sender also gets adjusted to operate properly in the new tank.  This was further modified to be a return style fuel system - removing the FPR from the OEM assembly and moving it up front to the engine.  

 

Notice the OEM miata fuel filter mounted on the bulkhead as well. 

 

Axles, hubs, brakes and diff are all from the donor car.  We supply a shortened driveshaft in the kit to accommodate the chassis.  No need to modify an existing one.      

 

Edited December 18, 2024 by MK Sportscars USA

[MK Sportscars USA]

Steering installed.  

Don't worry, that's not the wheel that will be on the car - it's what the donor had - and even came with a nice NRG quick release hub.  

The lower steering shaft is also supplied with the kit - as it is modified from a miata and requires welding - easy just to have MK do it for us. 

The upper steering column is from the donor vehicle.  

Steering rack and rod ends are included with the kit as well.  

 

Radiator is a 55MM core with a 12" fan.  

 

The front brakes are upgraded to wilwoods, and went with some nice EBC coated rotors to finish off the front brakes.  A keen eye will see some Flying miata brake adapters - as I only had the brackets for the smaller miata brake rotors, was nice to have a source stateside to solve the issue.  

 

Edited December 18, 2024 by MK Sportscars USA

[MK Sportscars USA]

Put some tires (tyres) on and gently dropped her on the ground.  

Went with 15x7 wheels, 195 tires all around.  

Did a little prep work on the engine, and slid her into place. Between a forlift, and being able to move the car with one finger, it was really quite simple. Much easier than an "actual" car. 

 

 

I'll update further as the project comes along.  Thanks for reading!  

 

 

Edited December 18, 2024 by MK Sportscars USA

[JohnCh]

Thanks for starting the thread.  I'm looking forward to following your progress!

[MV8]

Nice kit! Thanks for sharing the build.

[S1Steve]

Welcome to the Forum. We like a good build story. The chassis looks very similar to my Superformance S1 . Is the body fiberglass or aluminum panels. It’s going to be fun for the new owner or will this be a demonstration car… Nice build keep us entertained…

[MK Sportscars USA]

Thanks for the interactions, appreciate it.  

 

Body is fiberglass.  Pretty good gel coat finish.  

This car will be traffic blue with a white stripe.  Black front fenders.  

 

This one is for a customer.  

I have my car available as a demo car (K24 honda power, same chassis, though a little stiffer sprung)  

I also have a second build in progress simultaneously - similar car with a turbo added.  This will be sold after it's built and sorted.  

 

I'm setup with the NHTSA as a low volume replica manufacturer - so both of these cars will leave with 17 digit vin numbers and MSO.  Should help the future owners greatly. It was a nightmare getting a Vin for my personal car here in Louisiana.

 

Back to work....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MN7Fan]

Thanks for posting, MK Sportscars has been on my radar. Excited to see they have a formal distribution party in the US.

[MK Sportscars USA]

Not a whole lot to report over the past few days, darn holidays.. LOL

I did get to take my 14 year old nephew out in my car though, I think it may have changed his life.  "The sounds!!"  I think his legs were a little shaky too.  

 

Pics of the fender mounts attached.  These arrive "flat" and are bent to fit the tire /wheel you'll be running.   These are done to the build book specs and fit a 195 tire perfectly.  

But, on a 205 they get uncomfortably close to the tire - so the second car was done slightly differently - just adjusting the bend axis by a few MM. The front fenders will cover a 205 tire, but just barely.  Looks awesome too.  

 

 

 

 

 

[MK Sportscars USA]

Sending these off to be powder coated. 

The holes are drilled in the flats of the uprights to help bond them to the fenders with adhesive. 

The lower ball joint mounting holes did have to be resized a bit, as they were a little too small to fit over the miata stud. 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2024 by MK Sportscars USA