Vash's 1991 Classic Red "Sanada Yukimura"

[Vash]

After chatting with Mr.MR2(R2limited) today, I've decided that this is yet my favorite miata forum and it's about time to move all my build related post here, brick by brick. Some of those are my individual replies to other threads, so they may lack immediate connection to the rest of thread, sorry about that beforehand.

Meet Sanada Yukimura- the most respected samurai of the 17th century Warring era in Japan, Known for his formidable "no turning back lance charge" combat style, bright red shining armor and outstanding ability to organize his man in the heat of battle. Bearing a family crest of 6 coins (meant to cover the ferry expense across the river which borders the material ans spiritual world , in case deceased in battlefield), and last , but not least, come within inches of defeating his sworn enemy, the mighty warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu, whose family will then rule over Japan for nearly over 300 years after the conclusion of the war, all while overwhelmingly outnumbered and surrounded.

Despite being a living legend, some giant 7 feet towering behemoth he wasn't- while not wielding his lances, a mild, refined, and handsome gentleman would describe him a lot better.

Unrelated? perhaps, but that was the first thing to come to my mind when I met with my 1991 classic red MX-5 Miata- classic and elegant in appearance yet under her shining body panels beats the heart of a true warrior.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Prologue:

They say.. every thousand mile journey starts with one step, and to me, it was a 2011 Genesis Coupe R-spec.

Some of you have seem me with that car and your praises are much appreciated. However. The car was bought more or less against my wills and was pretty much exclusively driven by my younger brother, due to one reason over another that I won't get into here. On the other side, the car had substantial mid-high rev power, but was prong to understeer. after some investigation I realized that the factory front suspension travel was too short(1 1/4 inches before hitting bumpstop. Seriously, I've seem some lowered cars with more free travel than that!), coupled with brake proportioning that is way too front biased, perhaps to please the lawyers, make the car "pushy" around the corners. But what sealed the deal to me was the awkard clutch pedal/hydrolics, being heavy and none-linear, was the worst of all stick shifts that I've driven. Not the most practical when it comes to daily driving.Please understand I am not bashing the GCoupe here-it's a great power horse which offered excellent power and styling that rivals the Nissan Z and Infinity G series, with a fraction of the cost-but it's just not for me.

To be continued...

[Vash]

Addendum: Current mod list-

1.Mazdaspeed Bilstein shocks/H&R springs
215x7.Konig "Feather" wheels/Yokohama S-drive tires
3.Flyin' Miata unibody longitudinal brace(also called frame rails)/skid plates
4.ebay(I am a cheap ass and it worked well enough while matching the rest of interior scene) 3 spoke replacement steering wheel/Works Bell adaptor hub
5.Red leather handbrake cover/ shifter boot(also did a shifter rebuild while everything is apart)
6.Corbeau A4 racing seats
7.Hard Dog Sport single diagonal roll bar(my S2000 friends got me into it and while it is somewhat blocks the rear view, for the amount of protection and chassis stiffening it offers, I can't complain)
8.Wilwood 4 piston front brake kit+carbotech AX6 pads
9.Rear sport brake swap
10.Bosch H4 headlight upgrade
11.Eqqus mechanical water temp, volt meter.
12.Cobalt front and rear subframe brace
13.Red Line Transmission, differential fluid
14.Factory Hard top( finally, someone I know was selling his and he made an offer that I can't refuse)
15.(new!)Revlimiter custom, Roadster turbo(JDM MSM) inspired gauge face set

[Vash]

Updated with pictures!

Outside first..
http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/4985/sany1201.jpg
http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/9496/sany1202.jpg
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5175/sany1204j.jpg
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/1738/sany12031.jpg
For those who might be interested, the current ride height is 12 1/10 in front, 12 1/4 in rear, "lowered but functional" as I call it, I might raise it very slightly to 12.25F/12.50R when I get Xidas(gonna be a long wait..lol)
For comparison, the stock ride height was 14.50F/14.80R, almost monster truck like.

[Vash]

Interior:
http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/4115/sany1207.jpg
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/104/sany1209.jpg
Adam's master work, photo really don't do it justice:
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/2002/sany1211j.jpg
Center console mounted gauges, they are fairly out of the line of sight, I am thinking about relocating them to the factory gauge hood using the Garege vary gauge pod:
http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/2584/sany1214.jpg
And this is the pod in question:
http://rev9auto.rev9autosport.netdna-cdn.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/600x600/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/m/e/meters.jpg
The oil pressure gauge on the console is not hooked up with a oil line. It's only function is to hold the gauge panel in place. Given that Yukimura came with a functional oil gauge on dash, I don't think it will be necessary anyway. It's however backlit/dimmed along with the other 2 for uniformity sake.
A general view from the driver's seat:
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/6016/sany1213r.jpg

[psulja]

Nice looking NA you've got there; looking forward to updates!

[The Platypus]

Nice. The black and red theme seems to work perfectly for you.

[Vash]

thank you psulja! I shall get off my lazy ass and move more post over, here comes another one:

Being dismayed by the G-coupe, I begin my search for something more suitable to my needs.With the goal being something 1. low initial cost, 2. stylish/classic 3. mechanically reliable 4. easy to work on 5. have tons of aftermarket mods readily available 6. handles well. Looked over a Focus SVT, couple of ZX-2 sports, a old Impreza WRX, couple integra (2nd Gens) and a RX-7 Turbo II(FC3S), but none fit all the criteria. Most of them within my price range have various degrees of drive ability problem that need addressed, thus, defeating the purpose since I needed a reliable daily driver. the impreza was the most problem free of them all, however if ever needed, tearing into it's 4WD drivetrain isn't for the feint of heart..

It's about by that time that I saw this red miata being put up for sale. God knows I've wanted one since I was a tidy bidy asian kid, one of my neighbors had one which alongside my dad's red eclipse was what inspired me to the world of sport cars. How could I have forgotten this gem, that pretty much fit all my criteria? I went to see it the next day and was very happy to see such a well preserved example, no mods, all stock, reasonably well taken care of, with no obvious oxidation of paint, nor a spec of rust. some slight dents here and there but those can always be punched out my paintless dent removal guys.. only one problem..it has a early motor which is *more* prone to crank pulley loosening itself overtime and destroy the crank nose( read as: $$ engine rebuild /new engine $$ time) However, this car showed no symptom of pulley wobble and by the virtue of being a early NA, weights quite a bit less than later NAs'. Knowing that miata engines are't rare in case a replacement is needed( which, I will eventurally be purchasing one to set aside, so I can rebuild it for my turbo project anyway), I bit the bullet and bought her on the spot. I then changed all the fluids( which it needed!) then drove it for maiden voyage to a nice victory dinner with some friends.

To be continued..I will also put up some pics of Yukimura's stock form as I find them,

[Vash]

Thank you too, platypus! Yes, I am going for a subtle Mazdaspeed- general sporty interior scene with a bit of retro twist. and I like the contrast of the red stitching against black a lot. Given that I am pretty good at sewing, I may cover the OEM storage box/arm rest with a functional cushion with red stitching atop black pleather as well. At the same time, I am also looking for I.L motorsport's revised console for it's relocated cup holder...

Decisions, decisions...

[Benbrg]

I like the factory+ look you're going for. like the NA mazdaspeed miata that never was. The turbo will complete it.

[Vash]

Benbrg: Thank you, and good eyes! If there are 3 cars that I am taking design cues from, those would be MS miata/Roadster turbo, RX-7(FD), and perhaps unorthodoxly( if such a term exist, lol) the Fiat 500 Abarth, being that it's also a small adorable car that packs a punch. MY ultimate goal with Yukimura, at least in appearance, is indeed going to be my interpretation of "what if Mazda was to release a mazdaspeed version of the NA back in the 90s'..."

[Vash]

It's been a busy year between me and Yukimura. The above mod list is now very outdated, below is a up-to date version:

The interior of the car also looks very different, I will try to take some photos later, as well as getting my lazy ass off the chair and start moving my build thread posts over, they are from another forum that I visit frequently so please expect the posts to contain descriptions that seems common sense to us Road-Sters' those were often there to help illustrate some stuff to my non-roadster oriented friends there.

1.Tein-SS Coilover, 396lb/7k front, 334lb/6k rear
215x7.Konig "Feather" wheels/Yokohama S-drive tires
3.Flyin' Miata unibody longitudinal brace(also called frame rails)/skid plates
4.Works Bell steering wheel adaptor hub
5.Red leather handbrake cover/ shifter boot(also did a shifter rebuild while everything is apart)
6.Corbeau A4 racing seats
7.Hard Dog Sport single diagonal roll bar(my S2000 friends got me into it and while it is somewhat blocks the rear view, for the amount of protection and chassis stiffening it offers, I can't complain)
8.Wilwood 4 piston front brake kit+carbotech AX6 pads
9.Rear Mazdaspeed 11.2inch brake swap
10.Bosch H4 headlight upgrade
11.OEM R-package front lip
12.Cobalt front and rear subframe brace
13.Red Line Transmission, differential fluid
14.Factory Hard top( finally, someone I know was selling his and he made an offer that I can't refuse)
15.Revlimiter's custom replica Roadster turbo(JDM Mazdaspeed Miata) gauge face set,
16.VDO mechanical vacuum, water temp,volt gauges custom integrated into dash in KG Works style
17.2001 Protege CD player retrofit(For free!)
18.NGK plug wire upgrade
19.Momo Mod.78 steering wheel
20.949Racing Stainless Braided Clutch Line/clutch slave cylinder
21.Mazda Protege-5 CD player retrofit
22.Original JDM Eunos Roadster badges swap
23.R2-Limited Eunos 10th anniversary edition wheel center caps
24.Original Eunos Roadster V-special sill plates
25.Racing beat 4-2-1 header
26.Flyin' Miata High flow cat
27.Mazdaspeed 75 durometer Engine mounts
28.USDM 01-05 Sport Package Shock tower brace swap
29.05 Mazdaspeed Miata 4.1 Bosch LSD, driveshaft, halfshafts swap.
30.FM full Butterfly brace

Planned for near future:
purchase of 1.6 liter long nose core motor, full high compression rebuild, megasquirt 2.

Maintainance performed to date( excluding overlaps from the mod list)

All fluids refreshed in strict intervals, Valvoline Maxlife 5W30 for engine, Motorcraft full Syn MTF for tranny, Redline 75W90 for diff, Motul Mo-cool+ prestone for coolant ,and finally Prestone DOT4 for brake and clutch systems.

All coolant hoses are refreshed with Mazda OEM parts, to include the cursed water plug.

Timing belt/Water pump/aux. belts did right at 121000 mi. associated oil seals are refreshed at the same time.

Radiator was replaced with a Koyo automatic unit along with a Koyo 1.3 bar cap.

Replaced both Radiator fan and a/c fan with low mileage unit after Radiator fan failure.

Plug/wires done with NGK.

Replaced the Ac compressor with low mileage used unit as old one was showing low operational efficiency(very high low pressure side reading)

Replaced various vacuum hoses that were leaking.

Cleaned up engine bay. replaced fuse box sticker.

Planned for near future:

full steering/suspension overhaul.-replace all bushings, tie rods,ball joints with Mazda parts, perhaps driver side upper lower control arms due to suspected damage. Install new sway bars around the same time.

Bodywork and full re-spray- will have to wait until finance allows since I am incapable of tackling this myself.

That just about wraps it up, I will try to keep up with updates!

[etikoner]

Sweet car.

That opening paragraph was awesome! lol

[atank]

Very clean Roadster that you have there!! Looks great....

[maharaj]

Awesome looking car. It is getting harder to find clean NA's that haven't been beat to hell or neglected.

[roy obanion]

Updated with pictures!
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5175/sany1204j.jpg


Looks great, can't wait to see more images of it! :)

[tsingson]

Looking good!

[Vash]

Thanks for all your positive comments, I will be occupied during the next few days so hopefully this meager update will hold until I have access to this site again:

Being dismayed by the G-coupe, I begin my search for something more suitable to my needs.With the goal being something 1. low initial cost, 2. stylish/classic 3. mechanically reliable 4. easy to work on 5. have tons of aftermarket mods readily available 6. handles well. Looked over a Focus SVT, couple of ZX-2 sports, a old Impreza WRX, couple integra (2nd Gens) and a RX-7 Turbo II(FC3S), but none fit all the criteria. Most of them within my price range have various degrees of drive ability problem that need addressed, thus, defeating the purpose since I needed a reliable daily driver. the impreza was the most problem free of them all, however if ever needed, tearing into it's 4WD drivetrain isn't for the feint of heart..

It's about by that time that I saw this red miata being put up for sale. God knows I've wanted one since I was a tidy bidy asian kid, one of my neighbors had one which alongside my dad's red eclipse was what inspired me to the world of sport cars. How could I have forgotten this gem, that pretty much fit all my criteria? I went to see it the next day and was very happy to see such a well preserved example, no mods, all stock, reasonably well taken care of, with no obvious oxidation of paint, nor a spec of rust. some slight dents here and there but those can always be punched out my paintless dent removal guys.. only one problem..it has a early motor which is *more* prone to crank pulley loosening itself overtime and destroy the crank nose( read as: $$ engine rebuild /new engine $$ time) However, this car showed no symptom of pulley wobble and by the virtue of being a early NA, weights nearly 200 lbs less than later NAs'. Knowing that miata engines are't rare in case a replacement is needed( which, I will eventually be purchasing one to set aside, so I can rebuild it for my turbo project anyway), I bit the bullet and bought her on the spot. Me and my friend then changed all the fluids( which it needed!) then drove it for maiden voyage to a nice victory dinner.

[Vash]

Disclaimer to above post: It was written a long time ago, several days after I bought the car, before I become familiar with miatas in general, so some misconceptions did occur....I apologize in advance for sounding like a dumbass, lol!

Anyhow, here is a photo of my current interior, courtesy of R2-Limited , I will try to take some detailed photos soon:
The only difference between then and now are NB footrest and a TWM shift knob( one shown in the photo weights less than 200 grams and doesn't do much to aid in shift quality)
http://www.r2-limited.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/andy-interior.jpg

Oh, I also finally did speedometer cable, reverse light switch, and fuel filter last week. The car was in need of all 3 and I had the parts, just never had a long enough occasion.

[Blueiii]

Very nice looking Miata! Our paths are quite similar, yet so very different at the same time. Keep up the good work, as it makes those of us who live in the north (and don't have a garage big enough to work in) quite jealous of everyone who is able to tinker over the winter!

[Vash]

Thank you Blueiii! I would be really interested in seeing the path the you take with camber, as well.

Anyways, photo time! I decided to take Yukimura Christmas shopping in hopes of snapping some interesting photos, however the unexpected crowding made photography next to impossible in some locations, so below's what I've got:

http://imageshack.us/a/img534/4862/sany1372w.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img90/3153/sany1397.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img853/2728/sany1385.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img443/6013/sany1398.jpg

Resting with a FR-S
http://imageshack.us/a/img208/4828/sany1382.jpg
My favorite shot of the day
http://imageshack.us/a/img809/7177/sany1400.jpg

Engine bay and interior photos on the next post.

[I<3flippyheadlights]

I really love your interior....

[Heyitsryan]

What seats do you have? ( Not all the pictures show up for me).