I'd rather go with the "best" cams if I can, I figured it out, and both cams plus lifters, are going to be over 600 bones. Then I need a Valve cover gasket, and should probably replace the disributor and cam seals too.
Hmm, I wonder what else I'll need.........
Also, when I have the MONEY to srping for better cams then I will also have the money to get my engine rebuilt and some headwork done to take better advantage of the aftermarket ones, and assuming i've got enough money to do all that then I'll be more than happy to do the extra work of swapping out the other cams for the aftermarket ones.
Now that I think of it, I just had my timing belt replaced in december or January and its only got like 15000 km at the most, probably less, I know that the safe thing to do would be to replace it for the extra 30 bucks, but is it really that necessary??

so does this sound like a wise move with a 1.8L

take the head, get it ported & polished... and a 3 angle valve job...
then the 99 Miata lifters and 99 Miata aftermarket cams...
maybe even a set of valvle springs if there is an option....

does that sounds good?
how much horse and torque do you think that would generate?

i would say port and polish the intake manifold...
but i remember that the 1.8 has a different type of intake manifold.... with different runners for low rpm and high rpm....
or something like that

so im not sure what one would do to that to increase power....

OH, one more question....

does changing over to solid lifters from HLA mean that every 90,000 km's we have to get our valve lash adjusted?
like in the 1.5L's??

i know the 97 1.8L BP doesent need to have that done....

how much horse at the wheels do u think the 1.8L would make with the modifications i listed above?

Without a programmable ECU, you won't push more than 150-155hp at the crank (that's probably something close to 125 at the wheels). Oh, assuming a good exhaust also. That's just my guess.

With an ECU and changing the stock low meter (to a larger unit or a MAF), add 15-25hp to that. Again, just my guess.

Otherwise the stock ECU won't know what to do with the cams and port work and you'll just run lean and rough.

could somebody paste a link or two of technical articles on this topic. thanks

Check out Randy Stocker's page at www.solomiata.com
Most of what he writes about on his "Cheap HP" page applies to the BP engined Proteges.