Not dead...

Should have updated this a few months ago but, well, didn't. I'll try to get some better pics this weekend. Please ignore the bad images, bad lighting and that the car is dirty.

Paint was completed around the end of August. Wasn't easy but it was worth the time. I think I've gone into it before but, to recap: All dings/scratches worked out Removed everything we could unbolt except the engine, paint goes under all trim work Everything above the main body line was heavily primed and then block sanded (by my own two little hands) All chrome pieces were removed and painted (rattle-can rubberized) Antenna shaved Replaced the drivers and passenger side windows Replaced the seal around the windshield (so we could paint under it)

Total mods for the car round out at: Lowered (VMAXX coilovers) Harddog rollbar Custom paint listed above Tint New head unit, custom cut dash kit to allow the head unit to fit flush New taillights (eBay specials tinted with Nightshades) All lights blacked out Custom painted the stock rims, left off the center caps and used enclosed lugnuts to give it a more old school feel New tires (not really a mod but it ate into the budget) Rolled all four fenders and did a mild pull on rear fenders Removed inner-fender liners up front, was rubbing badly eBay strut bar that's been under the hood for a couple of years

Cars not done yet but it has to be the most fun you can have for less then $2000. :)




I'm not done but I am changing the projects direction. The car is a blast to drive with just the 1.6L in it. But it needs a new engine (and transmission and rear end and, well, you get the idea) so I still plan to do the 1.8L upgrade but, for now, I'm dropping the plans to install a turbo system (unless I find a wrecked MazdaSpeed for cheap).

There are a few other mods I'd like to do and dropping the FI plans will free up a large piece of my budget to do other things.

Painting begins

We're working on paint this week.

With luck we'll have it done by Friday but might be Saturday. There's a lot more work here then we thought.

The car isn't in horrible shape but it's been painted before and whoever painted it was lazy about it.

So we're having to sand a lot of places by hand (corners, edges, etc) to try and remove the flaking paint. We also had to tear down more of the car then we wanted to (freeing up the back of the top, removing some trim, etc) because of paint flaking, chipping and, because we're changing the color, to ensure none of the original silver shows through.

Windows Have Arrived

Managed to find a set of not-scratched windows on eBay for less then $80, shipped.

But...Well, it's just been to damn hot to work on the car this weekend.

I'm running out of time though so the car has to come apart by the end of next weekend (to have it ready to paint).

So everything but the dash will need to be out of the car, and in the garage, by a week from today.

Hoping for a break in the weather. It's been either damn hot or monsoon.

Alignment done

Got the alignment done last week. Just in time for another band of thunderstorms.

It's safely drivable now and it's a blast to drive (though the roads around here are kinda boring).

It's a bit bouncy right now but I think I can limit that with a set of NB top hats in the front and some aftermarket top hats in there rear. Only thing is, I'd have to tear the suspension out again and realign it.

It isn't bad enough to warrant that so, maybe, sometime next year or when I replace the VMAXX with something more track worthy.

If the the weather (and my motivation) holds I'll be pulling the interior out of the car and adding some eDead to the floorpan. This should remove some of the roadnoise I'm getting.

I'll also add it to the doors. Might help the speakers a little bit.

Last thing, I managed to find a seller on eBay who had both of the windows I needed for $77 shipped. So I spent some money I didn't have to get them. Was the best price (by at least 40%) I've seen.

Once they're here I'll tear the doors apart, find out why the original windows are getting scratched (I think it's former life at the end of a dirt road is to blame), clean/lube everything in the door and then slap in the new windows.

Then I'll finally be able to get the damn thing tinted. Mid-day sun down here is friggin' murder.

Time to align

Okay, okay, no more rhymes, promise.

Anyway, spent some time working on it yesterday and managed to get the back end done.

Took out the helper springs and the spacers. This allowed me to lower the back end down where I wanted it but keeps the spring perches away from the driveshafts.

Next up is an alignment, tint and paint.

Then I'll be mostly done for the year.

Next spring will be rims and go-fast parts.

A little more progress

Weather has been horrible lately (well, for working on cars at any rate). Weeks of rain.

Anyway, we had a break in the rain for most of the day and I took advantage of it to finish up one of the outstanding projects.

I've had the new radio for a while but wasn't sure how I was going to install it. In most Miata's they end up hanging out of the dashboard and it's just not attractive. Problem is, my car already had the generic kit for this kind of setup, I'm low on project funds and didn't feel the need to spend $80 for a DDMWorks kit when I know I'm going to make a custom plate, later, when I install the amp/sub/gauges.


So what I did was shave the back of the console cover and then trim back the dash kit. This allowed me to put the radio, with it's trim plate, behind the console.

This gives a cleaner, more factory, look while giving me a nice head unit with both IPod controls built in (USB cable comes out the back of the radio, just plug IPod cable into it and it's all set, no adaptors) and BlueTooth (haven't set that up yet).

Also, the install was easier then I thought it would be. After shaving the back of the console so it was level (there are two screw holes for a blanking plate that have to be ground down) I only had to notch about 1/4 of an inch out of the actual kit.

So, end result is a not horrible looking generic Metra-type kit saving me a few dollars (short term). Time to move back to the rear of the car and re-do the rear coilovers. Shouldn't take long but I'm leary of starting today, the weather already looks like it's turning.

Maybe next weekend.

Much progress!

As you can see it's been a busy week (well, mostly the weekend).

Roll bar, installed.
Suspension, installed.
Wheels, painted.
Tires, mounted/balanced.

Even vacuumed the floorboards.

So what's next? First up is finishing the suspension. I need to adjust the back end up about another .5 to .75 inches. After that it's off to the alignment shop (all four wheels and the steering wheel currently disagree as to which direction the car should be moving).



After that it's on to stereo (ordered a Kenwood KDC-MP642U) that needs to be installed.

Then it's back to ordering/finding parts. I need new windows for the doors (mine are scratched, badly), some more speakers and various other parts. Oh, and paint.

Yup, it's a project. And projects like this never end. It's part of the charm.

Parts on the way

Today was expensive but most of the major financial damage should be done now.

Ordered the VMAXX system for the NB (second gen) Miata today from Stratmosphere. Ended up calling them twice today (once for info, once for ordering) both times the guys answering the phone were polite and very helpful.

Next up was the NB shock mounts for the front (I'm hoping I'll be okay in the back). Got them from Med Center Mazda for a pretty good deal. Never used them before so we'll see how it goes.

Last expense today was tires. Ryan was supposed to order them today.

Only big things left on the list is the rollbar and a head unit. Probably way a couple of weeks on the radio but the rollbar I'll be ordering this weekend.

Sometimes it IS that easy...

So it turns out the problem with the e-brake was just an adjustment.

A quick look at the Haynes manual (well worth the money) shows the problem is pretty common and easy to fix. Pop the center console off, pull back one small bit of carpet and then take off the e-brake cover to expose an adjuster.

Simply turn it clockwise (like tightening a screw) until the e-brake handle will only pull up 5 to 7 clicks (for a '89-'93) and the e-brake problem went away.

Next up...Time to clean/paint the stock rims before ordering tires.

Forward Motion

Spent some time with the car today and got some, small, things accomplished.

First thing was to get the old tires split off of the stock rims (the tires are in horrible shape but the rims just need to be cleaned/painted). Took some time to find a place that was open on a Saturday but ended up coming home with just the rims. I'd been worried I'd have to find a way to dispose of the tires but the shop said they'd do it for me.

Once I get the rims cleaned/painted I'll wrap them in 195/60 14 rubber. I'd like to order some XXR 16x8's (rear, 16x7 for the front) but I'm having to split the build into phases. So first up is reliability, safety and handling.

Next mission was to replace the upper, and lower, shift boots. I have a short shift kit I was going to install at the same time but it looks like it's for a 93+ car (mines a '91) so I put the stock one back in. Topping off the turret, and replacing the boots, got rid of almost all of the "notchy" feeling when shifting (is still a bit of a grind going into 3rd but it's been like that for years).

Last mission of the day was to get the stock airbox back in. I've got some ideas for getting some colder air into the box but I'll worry about them later. For now I'm more interested in getting it to run reliably (and safely).

Best laid plans..

Turns out the intake won't work so well. Will be putting the stock back on and work on re-routing cold air to it.

Also decided to run the stock rims (cleaned up and painted) for now. Need to replace some wheel studs though.

Next up will be the suspension. Right now I'm looking at the VMAXX coilovers.

Been a while....

Been working a lot but still plotting this build.

I've got the short shift kit, new seals, knob and an intake in route. Hoping to get a little bit of work done this weekend (need to fix the parking brake, car is kinda unsafe right now).

Also might have changed my mind on the engine swap. Turns out the 6spd will bolt up to the 1.6 and the 1.6 is cheaper to turbo charge.

Since I'm only shooting for 200whp, the 1.6 might be a better option.

Either way I'm going to need a new rear end. The gears in my stock rear end are probably the wrong ratio for the 6spd.

Engine/Tranny Source?

Planet Miata seems to have the long block and transmission I'm looking for.

They're listing 1.8 longblocks for $750 to $1500, 5spd transmissions for $300 to $375 and 6psd transmissions for $750.

Not the best prices I've seen but they seem to be the most specific (breaking out engines/transmissions by year).

They also seem to have the windows I need for $35 each. Seems like a really good price, will need to call and confirm.

Also starting to think I'm going to need a new rear end, and driveshaft, for the engine swap.

Windows!

Looks like I'll be putting some new windows in the car as well.

Both door windows have deep scratches in them. Looks like some sand might have gotten in the tracks and then the windows were run up and down.

And it seems the internet is lacking in sites that sell autoglass.

These might have to go lower on the list.

Flares? Yes, but where?

List of sites selling flares for NA (first gen) Miatas:

• Racing Lifestyle (bad reputation?)
  
• Tuckin99 N2 flares
  
• BRS Auto Design
• AWR (Also has vented headlight covers)
• Jubiride
  

Is all I could find for now. Will update when I find more.

More money, it always takes more money

Okay, list of upgrades (wish list?):

• New steering wheel (stock one falling apart)
• New carpet (stock carpet worn)
• Fender flares (allows for wider then stock rims
• New rims tires, 15X10 (0 offset) rear, 15X8 up front (it's riding on old Scion rims with hubcaps, this is a no-go)
• New gauge hood (stock one is dry rotted)
• CF spoiler (just because)
• Moss Motors low profile headlight kit (air brakes must go)
• Roll bar (Hard Dog, Autopower?), harness bar (safety)
• Seats (stock seats worn)
• Suspension (mentioned in previous post)
• Stereo/I.C.E. (head unit missing, all remaining stock parts need to be junked, complete A/V system installed)
• Turbo System (probably a Flyin' Miata kit after the 1.8 swap)
• Paint (I've picked colors, should be interesting)
  

Okay, added in with the previous post this is a complete rebuild of the car. The only moving part I haven't decided to replace yet is the rear end.

The car came with a a rare combination of packages, one of them included a LSD rear end. It seems to be in good shape so, for now, I'm planning on using it. If it turns out to be weak, I'll get it rebuilt or replaced.

So, if I manage to get through both lists the car should be a blast.

Looks like the only things left is parts sourcing and, well, putting them on.

And it begins

Finally drove the car home last night (spent the weekend at a friends shop to keep it out of the rain) and think I have a good, initial, list of work to be done.

• Engine/Transmission: Lower mileage combo from a 1.8L car will make all the difference.
• Exhaust: Old, sounds bad, restrictive
• No A/C: The A/C is pretty much shot, should get a new compressor with a new engine though.
  
• Rims/Tires: The ones on the car are the stockers from an xB. Need to go.
• Suspension: All of it. Shocks/springs/bushings all need to be replaced
• Interior: Is worn, faded
• Stereo: There isn't one.
  

So the list seems to be just about everything and it is most of the moving parts. Upside is the body is in really good shape, rear end seems to be solid, the top is brand new and has a glass top and so on.

So the above is what we need to do to turn the car back into a safe, fun, streetable car.

Once that's done we can start looking at flares, paint, go-fast parts and more.

And the work continues...

So it looks like it won't send pictures over to other sites.

Isn't an issue, just something to remember.

Okay, off to see what else I can connect this to.

Okay, looks like communication with other sites is going pretty well.

Let's see how pictures translate.

Gotta start somewhere

Wanted a spot to track the work up doing on my project car.

For now, I'm just working on getting the site set up and cross-linked with the other sites I frequent.