NA6CE 1992 Form vs Function Build and History

[kung fu jesus]

I bought this car in October of 2000.

This will be a sort of stream of conscience mixed with memories of the car through my ownership and I will post pictures I might find from the past years. Some are embarrassing, some are pretty neat. It may seem disjointed times, but this thread and subsequent posts will try to just show the events that influenced my reasons for what have done to my car.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of pics from a computer crash back in '05. Some will be photos given to me from friends. I know I have them, but I don't know their location at the moment. I started looking for my Miata around April of '00. I was originally looking for a RWD coupe. I considered a 240sx, BMW 3 series, and a Subaru 2.5RS. I even looked at other classics, like a Datsun Fairlady for the 60’s. It was to be a second car; something I would put away in the winter months had recently relocated back to west Michigan. The Miata sort of popped into my head from a soon-to-be good friend met through a car club. He had a white '94 r-pack. I knew I wanted a LNC, mariner and I looked for months. Fortunately, one finally popped up in early October, owned by a young professional couple. He was a marketing executive, she was a surgeon, so I had a good feeling it was well cared for. It was sitting in the garage, collecting dust. He was about 6'8" and couldn't kit in the car. She couldn't take both boys with her in the Miata. It had 38,xxx miles on it, B-package with Mazdaspeed stripes. He had bought her a Porsche cabriolet "so the kids could fit in the back seat" as replacement. I nodded in agreement, but rolled my mind’s eye.

I took it home the next day and installed a Borla exhaust.

I drove to the beach the first day I owned it in October 2000:

http://i.imgur.com/1Br0MPk.jpg

[kung fu jesus]

Unfortunately, my daily driver broke and I was going to have to drive the Miata through the winter. I was commuting about 50 miles a day, so I had to prep the car for winter.

This would later become something I would regret a few years later.

Fortunately, my daily had the same PCD as the Miata, so I took a set of wheels I had mounted r-comps on and mounted snow tires.

The long winter of '00-01:

http://i.imgur.com/GtX1xg3.png
http://i.imgur.com/55ZHY6Y.png
http://i.imgur.com/utjElU4.png
http://i.imgur.com/2DgY8mQ.png

[kung fu jesus]

Wistful musing content:

Looking back over the years, I can honestly say that my vision for this car sort of matured parallel to my career. I am an industrial designer, so my aesthetic "voice" became more refined as my career progressed. I am a HUGE fan of subtlety. I look at design holistically. I like the overall design to appeal, but to draw you in and make you look for details that delight and make you look for more. I don't like fussy or extravagant features, so yes, form does follow function. It's not a popular or easy design path. It takes a LOT of restraint and vision to see it through. More importantly, it takes a sort of graceful execution to pull it off right. It sometimes becomes more about what you HAVEN'T done that makes the design work.

The Miata, to me, speaks of simplicity and character. Two of my favorite, sought after traits. I think it is too easy to buy stuff and start adding it to these cars. There are a lot of beautifully crafted pieces, some not so much, especially for the interior. I like looking at them in OTHER people's cars, but not mine. I have been influenced by ergonomics and anthropometrics, so I do not like my car, especially the interior, to be distracting and bright. It detracts from the driving enjoyment physically and emotionally. The interior is the interaction between the car and driver, so the experience of driving a Miata doesn't need to be distracted by bright metal pieces and bits. It's more about the interior performing in the background intuitively. I don't hate decorated interiors, it's just I don't like unnecessary aesthetics.

[kung fu jesus]

The spring of '01, I got back into autocross with a local, non-marque car club. This was the first event of the year and I ran it top down in the rain:

http://i.imgur.com/bd3CCSe.png
http://i.imgur.com/ZGRBK0g.png



The nice part about owning a Miata is I already had deep experience with Mazda b-series engine and platforms from racing a few Escort GTs ('91 and '94). That was also the spring I met a girl in a local Miata club. She had a customized '99 sport with ghost flames and wore Doc Martens. She would later become my wife.

http://i.imgur.com/iqCkLx8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JUslsq3.jpg


The most vivid memory I have from this period, though, is on September 11, 2001. I was on a plane that day, flying to Milwaukee to catch my connection to NYC. I was preparing to be a part of a large presentation that afternoon in Manhattan, a few blocks from the trade center. I never made that connection. It was a blur of a day. The two coworkers I was with rented one of the last cars remaining and drove back around the south end of Lake Michigan, through Chicago, back to west Michigan. I remember watching the Chicago skyline as we drove through, expecting to see a plane fly into the
Sears Tower.

We eventually made the long drive back to work that afternoon. It was a nice, sunny, late summer day. I remember slipping into the Miata, dropping the top and spending the next two hours driving the lakeshore roads thinking about what had happened that day, how circumstances lead us to take an unusual flight over the normal direct flight we normally took to meet that client. It sounds corny, but the longer I drove with the top down and the sun covering me, putting mile after mile of scenic water front views behind me, the more the stress melted away. It was probably THE most connecting moment I've had with any car and probably what endured me most to this Miata from that point on.

[kung fu jesus]

In the summer of '02, my stripes were getting faded and cracking so I removed them. It was something I wavered on, but I never liked the visual bulk they added to the form. It was also about this time I started modding the car more and looking into adding power. It was also about the time I was banned from M.N, for the first time. I found another site that was composed of other M.N refugees. It was a small, eclectic group of people that would later become my closest friends to this day.

The suspension saw the first upgrade with the addition of KYB AGXs. you have to keep in mind at this time, coilovers were pretty rare and expensive. I liked the stock height at the time. I recall reading around this time that '92s sat lower than most stock Miatas, possibly from a design or supplier change.

I also admit that I had a Racing Beat style bar on the car for a few months at this time. It would be replaced soon after with a hardcore DD M1.

By the end of '02 I was looking into adding a turbo. This was during the infancy of
miataturbo.net. I placed the order for a Greddy turbo and started looking for the additional items needed.

Annnnnnd I waited what seemed like an eternity for the kit to arrive.

Unfortunately, I lost a LOT of these pics. 2002 also marked the first time I visited Deal's Gap. I drove with Roadster Girlie and another Miata owner in tow from west Michigan to western NC. It was one long day of driving. I shared a rented house with other Miata owners I knew only from yourmiata.com (Team Pointless).

Having met a lot of these people for the first time was amazing! I spent a week there and had the time of my life! We spent the days driving all over the countryside in four different states, drinking and partying at night.

This is John Palazzolo, a.k.a John Hammer.

http://i.imgur.com/RVJFKOP.jpg

(this is a pic of his shunt at waterford hills raceway)

He and his '94 r-pack inspired me to buy a Miata.

I have now known john and his wife Julie for over 10 years now. He's been HUGE to rei-nterest me back into motor sports. When Tina and I moved to Charlotte, we met them when they came out to deal's gap in '04. It was part of the catalyst that inspired them to move there and they have been extremely happy ever since!

John is probably the most passionate person I’ve met about racing. So much so, he left his career in radio in Kalamazoo to follow his passion. He worked freelance for online racing websites, the Speed channel and eventually moving into PR for Richard Petty Racing. He is also an instructor for the Richard Petty Driving Experience and the SRT Track Experience. He is still an active Spec Miata driver and competes in Lemons in a 320i (Hammer's Heros). His passion still keeps my dream to race more alive.

[kung fu jesus]

I’m going to back up a little:

2001 and 2002 also marked my experience with Miata Clubs.

I belonged to Miata Owners of Mid Michigan (MOMMies )

This experience was "interesting". John, Tina (my g/f at the time) and a few others were decidedly more interested in performance and motor sports. We would go on the "drives" with the other members, but we stuck out like sore thumbs. It was really pissing off the wine and cheese crowd in the club. The club had a yahoo email message system (remember those?). One of the club officers decided to lambaste me on there as a "gearhead" and for conceived profanities that I didn't make. This LITERALLY split the club in two.

The gearheads and "fun" minded people left the club and affiliated ourselves with the Kalamazoo-based club (KAZOOM). MOMM went from a healthy membership and decent coffers to 1/3 the size.

KAZOOM flourished.

I take responsibility for being the target that destroyed that club. John and other
KAZOOM members would host tech days at their homes and I would learn and help people I didn't even know. I always looked forward to them.

Being west Michigan is nice...5 months out of the year. Fortunately, there are two VERY good tracks nearby; Gingerman Raceway and Grattan Raceway. Gingerman had an open track policy Tu-Th. you would pay $60 and run the road course from 5pm until dusk. Because west Michigan is up against the western edge of the Eastern time zone, there were nights you could get almost four hours of track time in one night! Because of this, I used to bring my helmet with me to work and leave right after for the track.

My office was only 1/2 hour away. There were a few times I would go all three nights in one week. That was about 10-15 hours of track time in one week! This is where I started looking for functional performance pieces for the car.

I added the r-pack front and rear spoilers that summer. i didn't know I was buying one of the last rear R-pack rear lips sold by Mazda at that time.

By the winter of '02, I was prepping the car to go turbo. Because I was storing it in the winter, it was easy to do and take my time. The Greddy I ran up to 10 psi. It was a clusterfuck of zipties and cludges and I learned a lot of lessons from it.

My involvement with KAZOOM also introduced me to Chris Lee at the Gilmore Car Museum Roadster meet sometime in 02, IIRC.

I remember when this shot was taken, I was standing to the left of the photographer:

http://i.imgur.com/4RP5shM.jpg

Chris' car really started to open my eyes to what was possible.

[kung fu jesus]

2003

This year was really exciting for a number of reasons. First of all, I was now running my clapped together Greddy turbo. I was running more events with the Miata. Tina (roadstergirlie) moved in with me and we were now a two-Miata household with my DC2 Integra as the mule. I loved this mule! I rally crossed, even sheared the brake lines doing so and put into a swamp. The car went up and over a banked turn and landed up to its rockers in mud.


http://i.imgur.com/LQs2bQ4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PgLUB20.jpg


I was frustrated with my current job and with the long Michigan winters. I needed to make a move and looked into moving to the Southeast. We were making plans to drive our Miatas to Deal's gap that July when I received a job interview in Charlotte. I interviewed over the phone and it went well. It was a position to work at a firm and grow my skills exponentially, again. I sweetened the interview process by telling the firm I would drive down there "just to interview" when really I was going to be there for DG2K3.

I had recently bought a brand new 2003 Civic Si, so I decided I would load our gear in that car and follow Tina down in hers. I didn't want to worry about the Miata breaking down or showing up in a suit, all sweaty from driving in the humidity without A/C.

http://i.imgur.com/MJEyNoI.jpg
(my old EP3…I loved this car. I regret selling it.)

We shared the same house with our friends from Team pointless and I drove the EP3 to the interview. I would eventually land the job! I spent the remainder of that vacation at DG chasing Miatas off the mountain in the EP3. I had bought a set of wheels and r-comps from 91eunos at Deals Gap. Everyone we were staying with had a blast driving that car there. I was tag-teaming with a buddy from ATL who brought his WRX wagon scaring the crap out of the whine and cheese crowd attempting to drive the roads in the area.

http://i.imgur.com/HvGHycJ.jpg

(91eunos – aka Colonel Rob and moxnix/gunny – aka Gunny Chris at the Eagle’s Nest, DG ’05)


Killboy got a lot of great shots of the EP3 doing 3 wheeled stands around corners and breathing down the backs of a lot of Miatas. GOOD TIMES.

It was through Team Pointless that I met Woolery, Marty (Jon Martin), Joe Alphonso, Peter Brusa, Stevan (Rogue), Chris (Sharpie) and whole others even before this site was created.

http://i.imgur.com/ZMcEEJA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pEqsOBg.jpg

In August of ‘02, I was driving to Grattan Raceway and centered a little mouse crossing the highway. The moment I passed over the top of the ball of fur, BAM! a hawk, diving from above, slammed straight into the hood! Fortunately, my cousin owned a really nice body shop. He made the repairs to the hood and convinced the adjuster my whole front clip had to be painted to blend the color properly. So, now my paint was "mostly original".

Tina and I moved to Charlotte later that year, arriving on Dec 31,2003. The company couldn't pay to move the Miata, so we drove the EP3 and Tina's NB down. I left my Miata at my cousin's shop to have a lightened flywheel and ACT clutch installed.

To get the Miata down to Charlotte, I had to network a group of friends to drive it down:
John picked it up at my cousin's shop and drove it to Lansing, MI. From there, another friend drove it from Lansing to Detroit. Another friend drove it from Detroit to Knoxville,
TN. I had another friend who had recently moved to Knoxville, TN, so I was going to pick it up there, 3 hours from Charlotte. So, after 3 months of waiting, I was reunited with my car by driving it home through Deal's Gap.

[I<3flippyheadlights]

KFJ I love reading anything you post. You are a great story teller... please post more

[kung fu jesus]

I have a lot more. I just need to edit and update the timeline.

[I<3flippyheadlights]

Please do, but please add more miata :P

[kung fu jesus]

I will, but it is hard to just do a build thread without remembering those people and events that influenced me along the way.

[I<3flippyheadlights]

Very true, your story telling makes it awesome anyway.

[kung fu jesus]

In Charlotte, I enjoyed the Miata much more. I could drive it year round and I was 2-3 hours from Deal’s Gap. At this point, we had my ’92 and Tina’s ’99. The ’03 Civic was the third car.

I had upgraded the Greddy and was quickly experiencing the limitations of the system. I added a Link ECU and started the painful learning curve on that. I soon removed the kit, leaving the Link in the car to run NA. I was tired of not being able to rely on the car to run without some sort of hiccup occurring.

I also tried some different wheels. I was riding on KYB AGXs with gen 1 FM springs.

I picked up set of Compomotive 8 spoke wheels. 15x7, +35. Nice, but waaay too heavy! I think they were 17# each.

http://i.imgur.com/KLGuKE2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/oGDDn9M.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/a7YRqB2.jpg

I didn’t like the way the weight of the wheels made the car feel and it seemed to crash over irregularities in the road.

Fortunately, a good friend of ours was parting out his NB and I bought his SSR Type C with diamond cut lips and anthracite centers. They were 15x7.5 +43. Weighing in at a little over 10# each, it was a HUGE improvement!

He also sold me his M2 HDHCDD with harness tabs. I needed a new top and had recently converted to a like-new ’03 black soft top. I loved the glass window! The tailoring on the NB tops is far nicer and the swap over was easy! The rollbar fit in the exact same holes as my M1 HDHCDD, so I was able to install it myself in a couple of hours.

http://i.imgur.com/jXT5rk4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/dkchAs2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/EKIXoa8.jpg


I also added the fog lights so I could run them while I was driving. I was tired of other cars moving over on me while driving on the freeway. I wired them to shut off with the car if I accidentally left them on. A few times draining the battery was enough and I figured out how to wire them this way.


http://i.imgur.com/8YEcM8a.jpg

[kung fu jesus]

By this time, I had already added a 7-8# Fidanza flywheel and ACT xt00 clutch. The car had about 80k on it in 04 when we moved to Charlotte.

A year later or so, I was at 98xxx miles. I wanted to eek out some more power from the engine, so I bought an extra head for rebuilding and porting and polishing.

http://i.imgur.com/3Dg8GbK.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QF21ocp.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HnFvkcK.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/TOaNsZn.jpg

I had the spare head ported and polished, tanked, shaved, and gasket matched. The effective compression was now about 10:1. I wish I had upgraded the valves, but had the extra OEM set cleaned and angled. I also tested the valve springs and tanked the lifters. All was to spec. I got it back and reassembled the head on my kitchen table. My wife has an unusual patience when it comes to my automotive hobbies. :lol:

http://i.imgur.com/w9XyuPx.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/kjRaAtt.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/acfdSTL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/N0cM0MF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JhiOGqN.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/osYJDzp.jpg

Some buddies from Atlanta drove up to help me install it. I refreshed all the seals on top and added ARP head studs. I think the studs are a must. I also had the manifold and valve cover powdercoated to match.


I had removed the Greddy by this point and sold it off, but now wanted to add a proper turbo system. I started gathering pieces to make an upgraded FM/BEGi system. I ran an FM 3 manifold, GT2554r turbo, 550cc RC engineering injectors, custom 2.5” downpipe, no cat, custom 2.5” exhaust, uprated fuel pump, BEGi 18” intercooler system. The system made 240 at the wheels on 15 psi. The turbo was maxed out, at this level, so I normally ran 10-12 PSI for daily use. I was also still on the stock VLSD, so I used a LOT of mechanical empathy to keep it from blowing up.

I have to admit, the power was intoxicating! Taking down S2000s was too much of a temptation.

This is where I lost my hardrive. :( I have no more pictures of this setup.

[kung fu jesus]

In ’06, I picked up a set of Watanabes from Chris. They were originally on Joe Alphonso’s car (R*speed owner). Chris was in Iraq for one of his many tours. He lent them to me rather than letting them sit in storage. I was happy to oblige! They were wrapped in 195/60-14 Advan 042 Rs. The wheels are 14x6.5, +14.5, magnesium. EXTREMELY light!

http://i.imgur.com/6HK1OuJ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/n4M1bft.jpg

In the autumn of ’06, I received a job offer. It was in southern California and I accepted!

We had already sold Tina’s ’99, so it was just the Miata and the Si. The company offered an extensive relocation package, so we put the house in Charlotte up for sale. A moving company packed up the house, loaded up the Miata, and shipped our stuff west. They offered to fly us out, but we had adopted a retired racing greyhound and didn’t want to fly her in cargo on the plane.

http://i.imgur.com/y6VYVPq.jpg

We decided to drive out in the EP3 and make a little vacation out of it. Awesome road trip!

http://i.imgur.com/tipfB7b.jpg

We loaded the luggage on the roof, folded the rear seats and put the dog in the hatch.

[kung fu jesus]

California brought a lot of things together. It gave me more time and money to start refreshing the Miata. It also introduced me to KINOD. I believe my first KINOD meet was in November or December of ’06.

The turbo was no longer legal and I had pulled it off before the move and sold it off. With some of that money, I bought a used JRSC. I sent the inlet manifold to the company in Charlotte that powdercoated the VC and intake manifold and had them match the SC’s manifold. It looked great!
I also got a pair of slashed M seats from Chris("Moxnix"). He was now stationed at Camp Pendelton. He was soon being reassigned to Germany, so he really gave me no choice. He had picked up a BRG hardtop for me while on vacation on his drive from Atlanta to California. He also coerced me into buying the Watanabes off him too. I relented. :)

The seats were in terrible shape, but I work with upholstery a lot and worked with a sample maker at my last job to remake these. As a huge fan of customs, these seats were done with great materials and modified a little to sit a tad lower in the car. Modifying the foam and altering the patterns was pretty easy for me, but I wanted a nice, clean top stitch and crisp tailoring, so I let my coworker handle that.

I was asked a LOT about these seats, and they really had to be seen (and in Sean Jay's opinion,
SMELLED) to be appreciated. People would look at them, stop, sort of recognize them, then look again, and finally ask about them. They are out of a '95 M edition, and were only tan. They are also the only OEM Miata seats with an adjustable headrest. Scott (slevin) bought these from me. I was sad to see them go, but I wanted something that made the car easier to track AND daily drive. I'm a little too tall with a helmet on.

I also had bought a set of turn signal intakes. I had those, the hardtop and a cleaner rear bumper painted to match the car. My rear bumper was a bit rubbed up from track days.

http://i.imgur.com/CfPigFL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SGdfMQn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/IsKL06w.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8znd1EG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Rwl1CoK.jpg


So, right off the bat, I was starting to modify the Miata more. I was inspired by KINOD and the cars I was seeing weekly. This is how the car looked at that time:

http://i.imgur.com/AjVGqTz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/aMhVS5x.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/aiGfQ1i.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ipFf46b.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/IMv9Bv1.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/N837HwF.jpg

[kung fu jesus]

Suspension project:

I am strong believer that the Miata is a platform you should enjoy in stock form before your start modifying it. This is especially true if you are a novice driver. However, slam culture being what it is, it's rare to find someone actually doing that.

I’ve read quite a lot about suspension tuning and geometry many years ago. I used to compete in a Macpherson strut car. It truly is a black art with many, many variables going on. It’s a study of physics, energy transfer, geometry, trigonometry and a little calculus. I think it also involves a good amount of understanding spatial relationships and a healthy dose of voodoo. :)

I started looking into addressing my needs both in performance and maintenance. The car, at that time, being 14-15 years old needed some serious freshening. I was bottoming out in the rear going over train tracks and given what i was doing to the car in past years, these shocks were toast. The only addition since was a Racing Beat solid front sway I bought soon after moving here (thanks, Sean!). I added the frame blocks/braces and the adjustable endlinks with that purchase.

I was researching coilovers and consulting with other owners about Teins and spring rates. I had long, very
informative conversations with Steve at Gearhead’s Garage and Emilio at 949Racing. Both these guys are THE guys to talk to about giving you the straight dope about chassis tuning a Miata.

I researched the HELL out of coilovers. Spherical bearings vs Pillow ball, monotube vs dual tube, spring rates, adjustable bodies, shock dynos, etc. I read through a LOT of posts by Sheikh(?) on m.n about learning the nuances and deciphering dyno results. It hurt my head, but I re-read a lot of it until I grasped it. I have forgotten most of it now, probably subconsciously.

I was looking originally for a set of Tein Flex. It seems to be the coilover of choice here in SOCAL and I was pleased with the cars I tested riding on them.

Fortunately, Sideshow popped an ad on here for a brand new set of JIC FLT-A2s for $1000. I pulled the trigger.

http://i.imgur.com/xdDYcWp.jpg

The JIC's ARE beautiful, though, aesthetically and mechanically. They are 18 way single adjustable, aluminum bodies, monotube, pillowball mounts with an extended travel design in the rear, perfect for a Miata. They come with 9kg in the front 8kg in the rear. 8 is a bit stiffer than I wanted to run, so I sourced a set of 350# 7" long springs from Eibach. This effectively put me at 9kg F/ 6.5ish kg R.

So, in they went, probably around 2008. The car took a back burner soon after and I didn't get the car aligned OR corner balanced for quite some time after. Despite the jacked alignment and unbalanced corners, I still did a few track events.

http://i.imgur.com/GmK8E6S.jpg

That winter, I scored another rare bargain. I found a set of BRAND NEW control arms off an NB racer who had installed Superpro bushings in them. When he learned he couldn't use them on his spec Miata, he cut his loses. The part number stickers were STILL on the arms! I quickly picked these up for around 700-800. Unfortunately, they sat in a container in my garage for the next 18 months or so.

http://i.imgur.com/Sk6Ff1j.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/sZO85H6.jpg


The following spring, Emmi tried to align it, or get it close to spec. He noticed the front subframe was tweaked and couldn't get the adjustment right on the front right. I think I probably damaged the subframe on an "off" I had a track event a few years before. The stockish setup I ran before was aligned close to where I wanted, but now the coilovers were allowing more adjustment and the alignment couldn't handle it in it's current form.

Lucky for me, living in SOCAL has some great advantages. One of them being Emilio's swap meets at his shop near my home. I bought a clean and straight front subframe from a gentleman who pulled it off his wife's '93.
I was gathering the parts to COMPLETELY refurb the suspension. Using the NB control arms, I wanted to do this right, so I sourced a set of NB front knuckles from Planet Miata.

Not having the desire or the means to raise the engine for the subframe replacement, I talked to a shop have the whole shebang done and the car aligned.

Here's what was done at:
Straight front subframe installed
NB control arms (all 8), new (means new upper ball jonts, too!)
Superpro P/U bushings with offset steel inserts
Inner tie rods
Outer tie rods
Lower ball joints
Front NB knuckles (uprights)
Superpro steering rack bushings
Energy Suspension P/U dust boots on the upper & lower ball joints
Energy Suspension P/U dust boots on the outer tie rod ends
New control arm mounting bolts
New camber bolts
Install stock NB rear swaybar
Steering rack rebuilt and P/S system flushed
Alignment

Some gaffs I had done to the wiring were also fixed.

Words can't explain how the car feels. I really didn't notice how much play I had become accustomed to in the aging components. I was literally turning too soon now because I was so used to the slop and play in the suspension. I have enjoyed this upgrade more than any power upgrade. The car is TRANSFORMED. By far, one of the most satisfying upgrades I have done to date

I really believe the glory of this upgrade is in the details. If you are doing this, I REALLY suggest spending the extra money on the new OEM hardware and P/U boots.

Here is a mantra I like to live by on car builds, "DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE."

[kung fu jesus]

I was regularly attending KINOD during my time in California. I was enjoying the car culture there. As a gearhead and enthusiast, I was in car heaven! :)

I am always sheepish about compliments. There are so_many clean cars in SOCAL, it is kind of embarrassing to me to receive praise for my car.

I made a lot great friends and had a LOT of fun!

My car was getting a lot of attention from other enthusaists at the meets. My car always seemed to get a few shots taken. I also attended extracurricular KINOD-associated meets, too. Social events, tech days, dyno days, track days. Here are some shots of those over the years I am honored to have been a part of:

http://i.imgur.com/3cb0PdU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/3VGwc9d.jpg


(OC KINOD at Shabu Shabu)

http://i.imgur.com/a3kSKkW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/F0ysRYk.jpg

Dyno day photos:
http://i.imgur.com/wbDABt9.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/51I0xlh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZGOEhhZ.jpg

Super Autobacs meet:

http://i.imgur.com/P4ODzdE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/nAcgxzD.jpg

NOPI drift LA (07) with Jon Martin’s R*Speed drift Miata:

http://i.imgur.com/XowGTfm.jpg

Assorted other pics from KINOD meets:

http://i.imgur.com/BECb0rm.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/MFTiRlJ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Go8TG1Z.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/n6iZEbj.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/MAQKFF0.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/iFd0DQZ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JwnoXAb.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/x5z6vQs.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Wt6PBBK.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZO05xIj.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1J3oNiG.jpg

[jerjozwik]

awesome.

[kung fu jesus]

2010 was an interesting year.

I had driven to Miatas at Laguna Seca as a spectator, not comfortable with how my car was set up to run the track. I vowed to return the next year to drive.

In grand KINOD style, we gathered at the Krispy Kreme at an hour WAAAY too early to be deemed humane to drive up the 101 to the Pacific Coastal Highway into Monterrey. It was probably THE best Miata-based event I have ever been a part of.

The drive up was epic! There are sooo many stories and funny anecdotes. I wouldn’t know where to begin! That said, I’ll just try to show some pictures to illustrate the awesomeness:

Preparation!

http://i.imgur.com/csyXTRw.jpg

O' dark thirty at Krispy Kreme:

http://i.imgur.com/ddMB6Dl.jpg


The drive up:http://i.imgur.com/ijJnyG8.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/3T6P0WG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/b42bsYX.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/yuZ0NIj.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/C2Wf4sT.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xwLmiEU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/dvJNJxH.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/bExQRlC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/MHIbqI3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lKAuOON.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/BtE13g6.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/kXQkBAp.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/G4UQk8l.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lOawdKM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/3WSq8vt.jpg

[kung fu jesus]

Arriving at the host hotel, KINOD crashed what seemed to be a nice, quiet BBQ and wine tasting party. We fllled the center section in minutes:

http://i.imgur.com/LCOTCIp.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GPiRVTy.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2MBbwKf.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/q9EF2xD.jpg

The next day, serious business:

http://i.imgur.com/ha8nzbB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/3fwZs83.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/FwEL5tG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LPvzQXc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/b7LEm5D.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LZcJ571.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pAJQvxr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/f0BJYLb.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/bYbOtvX.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/YACV1Le.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/acpFY4m.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/nhRmMVQ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/WOUkelj.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/jSZf7L9.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1zUPuEF.jpg

[jerjozwik]

christ... im going there next year even if it costs me my job...
keep this thread going. im loving reading all this.

[uni]

Amazing read, hope to shake your hand at MATG this year

[kung fu jesus]

So, not only do we drive hard, we play hard too:

http://i.imgur.com/ha8nzbB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/3fwZs83.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/FwEL5tG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LPvzQXc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/b7LEm5D.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LZcJ571.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pAJQvxr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/f0BJYLb.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/bYbOtvX.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/YACV1Le.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/acpFY4m.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/nhRmMVQ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/WOUkelj.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/jSZf7L9.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1zUPuEF.jpg

Unfortunately, our fun claimed an innocent victim. Leon’s car (SinTec) was hit in the parking lot. Hit and run. :(

http://i.imgur.com/5I1F9qK.jpg

I shared a room with Scott (slevin) and Tam (exhondaman). We all had a bit too much to drink. Scott demonstrated to us his “ITRB” drinking style. Most impressive. Tam didn’t think so later:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9ONLmqNAIQ

The next day was the looong drive back, it rained pretty hard, but everyone made it home safe. Awesome weekend!

[etikoner]

Awesome! I Wish I could go to KINOD some day lol..

I will forever miss those Watanabe's on your car.

14's look so perfect on it

[tsingson]

Great story man. Now I really feel that I know you. Don't worry man. We have our R.A.M.M. aka KINOD East.

[kung fu jesus]

A few months later, Mazda wanted to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Miata. They had a big party/open house at their R&D center in Irvine. It was an interesting mix of M.N and KINOD styles. Hugely entertaining and very, very cool! The R&D center showed the design progress of all three MX-5 generations, clay models, concept vehicles, rare and unusual builds, and the team that pushed the original Miata to be built. This included Tom Matano, the chief designer and Bob Hall. There was a BBQ with beverages and it was great, picnic/festival atmosphere.
http://i.imgur.com/k873Nsw.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/p0z95Rk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KjjLWcW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/rKI0eKb.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JNd7tay.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/bjHvUN7.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7UphVXU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/MJzMPyB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Kzfyzdu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Ba4c0x3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZD6RuwR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gofVnbZ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KguHQcN.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/phaWQnj.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/WVHSJXG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QvcYzQ6.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/u5iLnXc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/kv1hYpH.jpg


(Thanks to Daniel Lim and Tim Scribbles for the pictures!)

[kung fu jesus]

Miatafest 2010 continued….


As an industrial designer, I was more excited to meet Mr. Matano. I had brought a silver marker to M@LSR in hopes I would meet him and ask him to sign my car. As big an impact KINOD had on the event, I was on the track when he came through our paddock…guh! :( I knew Tom’s health has been failing, so it really meant a lot to me to meet him and thank him for the great design I thoroughly enjoyed.

http://i.imgur.com/Dk89hFS.jpg

Mr. Matano was at Miatafest! I didn’t know this, so I went back to my car, frantically looking for the silver marker I brought to Laguna Seca. Thankfully it was still in my tool kit I keep in the trunk! So, I saw him walking down the rows of cars and I walked up to him, introduced myself and asked him to sign my Miata. He was happy to accommodate me! I spoke with him briefly and told him what I do for a living and he was genuinely interested and glad to hear about my enjoyment of his work. He sat in the passenger seat and gave me the best interior mod I could ever conceive:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/45248_1569470366895_4202693_n.jpg

:) :) :) :)


I was tapped to participate in a focus group. I have been on the other side of many of these, so it was fun to be on the consumer side. It was interesting to listen to the answers of the other participants. I got a TON of free schwag for doing that…collector’s edition books (coffee table books), Mazda items, about $100 in gift cards, wearable’s and a wristwatch. Probably close to $300 in stuff! Awesome.

I also entered the car contest. It was $10, I think, and the proceeds went to a reputable charity. “Cool!” I thought, “I have no chance to win, but what the hell.” I had parked my car next to Chris Lee and Cody Chan, so I figured everyone that walked by was looking at those.

http://i.imgur.com/e6YaI3u.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/iXkkJWC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/uvAft9u.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1kwVN3q.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/kgWPB9h.jpg


The awards ceremony began and I wandered around inside the design exhibit, listening to the ceremony. Those who won deserved it; Cody, Chris, Brian Goodwin, Woolery. Others won for interiors, ICE, etc.

http://i.imgur.com/kZfGon9.jpg

The last award was given to “Mazda’s Choice”, the entrant that the Mazda employees and guests of honor voted best represented the true spirit of the Miata. The MC called “#19”. I sort stopped what I was doing and froze. I couldn’t remember my entry number. Other guys from KINOD were telling me I won, but I didn’t believe it. I was waiting for someone else to walk up there. I had to walk out to my car to check. :lol: I actually DID win! I was in disbelief. It was such a humbling experience and honor!

In typical fashion, KINOD rolled deep and represented well at the event. We hall had a great time! Rob brought a popup, thankfully! It was sunny and a bit hot that day!

http://i.imgur.com/Ddw9QJ3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JfUIpAU.jpg

[tsingson]

Kinda reminds me of Miatapalooza that was held at PR Motorsports in Hayward. Rick Weldon was the founder of PR Motorsports and was one of the first test drivers of the Miata in 88 or 89. He was a great resource to have but I believe he has since retired and moved to New Zealand.

[kung fu jesus]

Rick was the catalyst behind Miatas @ Laguna Seca. I heard something similar about his retirement.

[tsingson]

Yeah. He had eased my concerns about the 99-00 NBs and the thrust bearing failure.

[Tabasco]

Hi Jesus!

I personnaly love the way you tuned your Miata.

These Watanabes fits just perfectly to this car! It looks lika a sportclassic car, it feels balanced...

[kung fu jesus]

Much appreciated! I sold this car to close friend of mine. It now resides in Atlanta and the new owner is making it even better and absolutely loves it. High praise coming from him, he has owned a few of these over the years and this one is his favorite.

[etikoner]

Hope to see you in another na soon. This car was too awesome on 14s man.

How did U like the jics?

[kung fu jesus]

Not likely. I have an NB and and the e30 is coming soon. I do have an NA chumpcar in the works, though.


the JICs are amazing at the track. A little stiff for everyday, but I liked them very much!

[cbaylis77]

Great read. I love stories about how someone's car affected their life. Much more entertaining then just a build thread.You are now one of my favorite people I've never met.

[Martin]

Owning one (of more) of these little cars has changed a lot of our lives. I've "met" a lot of good people.

[kung fu jesus]

Just an update... I sold this car to a close friend of mine in Atlanta. He absolutely loves the car and tracks it as often as he can. Here are the last few pictures I have before it traded hands, they are taken from Deal's Gap, 2013:

http://i.imgur.com/ihkEWsn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gIedjpg.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/r51hpIB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/yW5cfAe.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/cA8jO1J.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7yP2mEa.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DTb0y6r.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/oVnkUUL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Oy37t5m.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/sXxEkcL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Vk2tocs.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/hoIOENz.jpg


It is quite possible I may be reunited with this car in the future. I am glad it went to a good home and the owner loves it as much if not more than I did. :)

[WASABI]

Just an update...
It is quite possible I may be reunited with this car in the future.

Awesome news!!! I hope you have more chapters to write about this car!

[riefdaddy]

Did I miss something regarding the seats? Are those Lotus seats in the sold pics?

[kung fu jesus]

Yup.

[etikoner]

I miss seeing this car on the Mag Watts.

[kung fu jesus]

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/80119/flatline-o.gif


Stuff is happening...

[kung fu jesus]

It happened. :)

I bought the car back this week. I am grateful to my friend for buying it off me not only to enjoy for himself, but for having the foresight to know I would regret letting it go. :) :) :)

For now, I am just happy to look at it and enjoy it. The time away has helped and I see where I can still enjoy it. I have also started a small running list of things to accomplish, most are small, but some are large and will happen soon!

http://mazdaroadster.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=14390&stc=1
Soon.

[Grip Driver]

Fantastic, can't wait to see what you have planned! Congrats on buying her back.

[TNRooster3]

Oh wow, concrats man. Just read this whole story- cool stuff, sometimes I want my 1st miata back, it was a '91 Mariner Blue.

[RustRat]

You can't valuate enough something, until you lose it, a saying says. Not sure if that's the case here, but it's nice to see you got your car back. Just read the full thread, too! Seems like you've been through a lot together :)

[kung fu jesus]

Thanks everyone! It feels right having it back. :)

I just have a few items locked in to address. The previous owner and I are building a short block from his horde of parts. A freshly honed block, clean internals that we will weigh and group together, new rings, gaskets, seals, and front work (oil and h20 pump, TB, etc.). We will mate it with a low-mileage transmission and ACT clutch. I am not a fan of the F1 OE style clutch I put in just before leaving Cali.

I am adding a little more foam to the Lotus seats, adding heat insulation under the carpet, add some LED interior lighting, address the slow power windows, maybe improve the infotainment, and just go through the car to take inventory of any minor issues.

Long term, I would love to go back to 14" wheels for daily driving, RPF1s or maybe Watanabes. If I fall into a 4.3 LSD, I wouldn't mind swapping out my 4.1 for it. I also may be looking at a different coilovers. I also would like to have some PDR work completed and eventually a respray.

[friday]

All of that sounds good. Will we see it out at track days this year?

[kung fu jesus]

I don't know. I have a lot on my plate. Trying to secure some steadier work, buy a home, so if I do it may not be until next year.

[kung fu jesus]

I had a bad rattle from my hardtop so I looked at the rear feet. All the gaskets are intact, but I had about 3-4mm of vertical slop. I want to remove the Frankenstein bolts, but I know there is thread lock on there. Not wanting to break off the weldnuts, I left them alone and fiddled with the landing plates under the caps of the feet on the back of the hardtop. I loosened the bolts and flipped the plates over. I also added a washer to each bolt under the landing plate to take up some of the vertical slop. It worked! No more low RPM buzzing around that area.

I am waiting for the previous owner to complete his move to get the rest of the car's stuff back and start rebuilding the spare engine. Should begin soon. I would like to send out the MSPnP to get it checked over so I can convert to the COPs I built a couple years back. :)

[Stealth97]

I wanted 14's so badly, picked up a nice set of 93LE BBS, but the tire prices and lack of tire choices forced my hand into 15s... Good luck.

[kung fu jesus]

Yeah, it's a love-hate thing for me. I love the feel of the extra side wall and narrower tire on the 14" wheels. The car feels lively and slippery when pushed hard. The extra side wall is a bit more forgiving, too. I wish I could land a set of 15" Watanabes in similar offsets as the 14" type B.

[kung fu jesus]

Started a few small projects.

I ordered some self-adhesive LED strips to add to the cabin. Tired of not seeing anything at night. I also found my OE interior lights needed some attention. The contacts were corroded and the bulbs were dead. The driver's side had a lead broken off. So, a little time disassembling, cleaning, and re-soldering, it is ready for the new bulbs.

14408

14410

14411

I plan to use this switch to power the strips, so I need to attach some leads for them.

I will put one strip in each foot well, then one under each seat. Why the seats? I need to flood the floor with light so I can see anything under them, like my sub belts or anything that has fallen down there. ;)

I also ordered some foam sheets. It is FIA approved for fire resistance. I will use it to add some comfort to the back area of the seats.

I also added the floor mats back. The passenger side needed some trimming to fit with the FSS bolted to the floor. Looks decent, now:

14412

I will be reinstalling the tubing off the FSS so it will run under the carpet and secure them better to the chassis. I have a small mandrel tool for this kind of work, so although hidden, it will be cleaner.

[kung fu jesus]

I found a great write up by Adam to help me wire the LED strips to the OE lighting here:

http://revlimiter.net/blog/2013/03/let-there-be-light/

Thank you, good sir!

So, I tied in the leads to the driver's side light switch. It's a 3-way, meaning the LEDs will either be off, switched on, or turn on when the doors open. Exactly how I was hoping these to work. Now, I just need to lay in the strips and wire them to the leads I added. :)

14413
The green wire is connected to the switch.

14414
The red wire is 12v. This is for an illuminated mirror, if I retrofit one. I will cap this off until then.

[kung fu jesus]

I started modifying the Lotus seats in the car. I am adding some foam to the backs for comfort. This is SunMate orthopedic foam (medium, 3/4" thick) from Dynamic Systems in North Carolina. This is foam used in airlplanes, racecars, even in NASA applications. ( http://www.sunmatecushions.com/collections/sunmate-orthopedic-cushions ), it is also FIA-approved (bonus!). I bought one 16" x 37" foam for around $25 shipped.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/17418D4A-F30E-4743-A0C0-AE1F0E5804AD_zpsgmgtivfr.jpg


The seats are pretty easy to modify for this. There are two Christmas tree-style fasteners, one in the corner of the the inserts.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/BCEC4803-AB71-43D2-BFC6-DBE2C4970AA5_zpspxp441kt.jpg


You can carefully peel the insert back after that. Mine only had a thin, definition layer for the covering, to pop the stitching/quilting. My goal here is to add comfort and a passive lumbar instead of relying on the shell and the inflatable, pneumatic lumbar.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/7B36CFD0-DF02-407F-87FC-F8DEC5A8C7BA_zps8piggqfk.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/3B9508EB-FF7A-462A-86D8-8976DE364E93_zpsumh0bt1k.jpg


I started conservative, using bigger pieces I can cut down after I determine the comfort I like. This allows me to shift the foam around, try layers, then stick them in place and shape/contour it after I am satisfied with the placement.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/47EF6E93-BCFA-4C57-9B7D-97EB1F2F7080_zpsoeb02jxl.jpg


The insert is a little more than 12" wide, so I am working with 12" widths so I won't need to modify the seat covers to hide the foam. I am also trying to maximize the sheet so I can do both seats.


http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/8BD343C8-CD29-4A57-BFE2-3DF031224836_zpsaywgcyqk.jpg


In the picture above, I have a 12x16 piece in the back, and a 12x6 piece in front. When I lay the cover back over this, the loose pieces of foam will sort of stick to each other from pressure, but still allow me to reach under to position the lumber. When I am satisfied, I will remove the cover again, mark the spot the lumbar is in relation to the larger piece in the back, then adhere it to one another. I will then flip it around to see if the largerpiece can buffer the blocky ends of the lumbar or if I need to shape and contour them.

[tsingson]

I am actually liking my seats without cushion now. Now that doesn't mean when I get the redone that I won't add a tiny bit but you are right. There isn't much to the upholstery.

[kung fu jesus]

Some cars need it, some don't. Honestly, when I sold the car, I had a LOT more natural cushion on me. Now it feels a bit like my spine is slamming into the seat. The car is also stiffly sprung, which probably isn't helping. If anyone is trying this from home, maybe start with the 1/2" thick foam and a longer piece to build up the layers. I've designed seating for a long time, so my familiarity with the process is pretty deep.

For comparison, I suggest adjusting the position of the lumbar compared to a car whose seats you find firm, but ergonomically correct/comfortable (IOW, a car whose seats you have sat in for long periods without issue). Park the cars next to each other, so your memory is fresh when you go back and forth.

[ScratchNSniff]

I started modifying the Lotus seats in the car. I am adding some foam to the backs for comfort. This is SunMate orthopedic foam (medium, 3/4" thick) from Dynamic Systems in North Carolina. This is foam used in airlplanes, racecars, even in NASA applications. ( http://www.sunmatecushions.com/collections/sunmate-orthopedic-cushions ), it is also FIA-approved (bonus!). I bought one 16" x 37" foam for around $25 shipped.


Very, very interesting...definitely need to look into picking up a sheet of this to try, that price is not bad at all...


Yeah, it's a love-hate thing for me. I love the feel of the extra side wall and narrower tire on the 14" wheels. The car feels lively and slippery when pushed hard. The extra side wall is a bit more forgiving, too. I wish I could land a set of 15" Watanabes in similar offsets as the 14" type B.

15" Wats w/ a +34??? Know it isn't the +14, but also know you are very detail oriented lol...

[kung fu jesus]

I would only buy the 2-3 piece if I could re-barrel them for custom offsets and width. I hear the Wat bolt pattern on their multipiece wheels is unusual and difficult to re-barrel.

[ScratchNSniff]

Yea, I honestly don't know enough about the re-barrel and such...haha...I have that spare set of 8" barrels, but then again, that is only a pair and wouldn't change the offset I do not believe...I unfortunately am a rookie when it comes to the wheel stuff haha...

[kung fu jesus]

For comparison, I suggest adjusting the position of the lumbar compared to a car whose seats you find firm, but ergonomically correct/comfortable (IOW, a car whose seats you have sat in for long periods without issue). Park the cars next to each other, so your memory is fresh when you go back and forth.

FWIW, some of the best OE seats, in terms of ergonomics, are in Hondas and Lexus, IMPO. Recaro seats are as well. I generally prefer cloth seats for comparison because OE leather can dry out and actually harden, destroying the shape and how you are supposed to sink into it a little. For instance, my Integra seats, the seats on my EP3, and the seats in my wife's IS300 are all some of the best sport-type seats I have sat in. Generally, most non-leather Honda seats are a good reference.

[kung fu jesus]

Yea, I honestly don't know enough about the re-barrel and such...haha...I have that spare set of 8" barrels, but then again, that is only a pair and wouldn't change the offset I do not believe...I unfortunately am a rookie when it comes to the wheel stuff haha...

I would rather do a rebarrel to a 14" Rs8, if possible. I could use a stepped barrel, which I think would look killer.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-98PHd24c0fY/UJxPz9a5DcI/AAAAAAABE4U/z2LZfZOFCj4/s400/B_2262.JPG

[kung fu jesus]

So, I had to run around a little bit this afternoon. I just had a single .75" layer in my seat, I removed the extra lumbar because I'm not sure if I need it yet. BIG difference. The foam is firm, but absorbs all the little vibrations and small, jarring hits going over bumps. It is night and day, to me. I positioned the foam so there is about a 2.5-3" gap at the bottom and it comes up to the bottom of my shoulder blades. Where before I could feel my lumbar vertebrae and shoulder blades hitting hard FRP, I only feel the foam. It's very nice!

[tsingson]

Did you just put it under the original padding? Or did you actually cover the padding in fabric?

[kung fu jesus]

Just under the cover. It is between the shell and the existing padding (which is maybe 3-4mm th). When I am satisfied, I'll wrap the existing cover over it. There is enough to do so.

[tsingson]

Ok. I may have to try this then.

[kung fu jesus]

I would use the 1/2" medium. I just fixed my inflatable lumbar, placing the bulb remotely. It's quite nice!

[kung fu jesus]

14480


I might mount the lumbar bulb under the front edge on the seat. The doorbar and belts interfere with it in the stock location, so under the front 'waterfall' of the seat is a bit of a recess that I think might work nicely.

[ScratchNSniff]

I would rather do a rebarrel to a 14" Rs8, if possible. I could use a stepped barrel, which I think would look killer.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-98PHd24c0fY/UJxPz9a5DcI/AAAAAAABE4U/z2LZfZOFCj4/s400/B_2262.JPG

God those would look GREAT!!!

[friday]

I need a sheet of that foam, I went too deep on my foamectomy and now my seats are terribly uncomfortable. Thanks for the link


http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/17418D4A-F30E-4743-A0C0-AE1F0E5804AD_zpsgmgtivfr.jpg

Also, the table and chairs in this picture look awesome.

[kung fu jesus]

The table is 8/4 beech salvaged from a barn in Vermont built 100+ years ago.

[tsingson]

I have mine on the center console side on both seats? Right next to the seat belt receiver.

[kung fu jesus]

Mine are outside the seats.

[tsingson]

I haven't used mine since I have had the seats. They work well for me without using them.

[kung fu jesus]

Measure the width on your seats. I thought I read the passenger seat was a little narrower for the Lotus seats.

[kung fu jesus]

I changed my instrumentation to red. I have a spare cluster with an Odo that is within 200 miles of my own, except this one has a working trip meter reset button. I really enjoy the work Adam (RevLimiter) does, but it doesn't suit my needs at the moment. I ordered Lockwood gauge faces and HVAC panel from MX5nuts in Ireland. I also ordered red bulb covers from Adam. Altogether, about $88. The faces arrived in 6 business days, which I consider pretty good!

Because I had a spare cluster, it sort of made the swap easier.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/FC4D3A27-0CA1-49B7-9068-DE9F86D4D5FE_zpssyf2mqbu.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/7CC7FDE8-0CC8-4BF3-918E-6B7E61C0E0F0_zpsjefibkrx.jpg

I installed the gauges, new bulbs, and covers, then went to remove the old cluster. Just before I removed it, I snapped pictures of the needle positions so I knew where the new ones should be.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/3C2B9749-E3D2-43FD-B251-CC14DD43625E_zpsmp9pocyr.jpg

At this point, swapping the clusters takes less than 5 minutes.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/D6CD3BD5-0184-4567-B1FE-83772E092B9D_zpseheiilxu.jpg

My stereo has some pretty unique color-matching settings, so after I adjusted that, it matched the new instrumentation very well!

All left to do now is to replace the hazard and headlight button lights on the center stack.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/D4C65C01-F90F-46C8-AAB3-CA0582ECF1EC_zpsuknlbfok.jpg


The photos don't really do the color justice. The illumination is blood red, very rich, I like it very much!

[Phatmiata]

can I send my Recaros to reupholster ? :slayer:


Digging the red lights i need to change out my HVAC and Hazard yet

[Phatmiata]

I changed my instrumentation to red...........................

...................Because I had a spare cluster, it sort of made the swap easier.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/FC4D3A27-0CA1-49B7-9068-DE9F86D4D5FE_zpssyf2mqbu.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/7CC7FDE8-0CC8-4BF3-918E-6B7E61C0E0F0_zpsjefibkrx.jpg


The photos don't really do the color justice. The illumination is blood red, very rich, I like it very much!



would be cool if you could wire your security light up in the new gauge face and make it blink when armed

[kung fu jesus]

The LED and reset for the WbO2 is mounted in a blank on the lower left. Most people think it's an alarm indicator.

Adam's research to find red bulb covers resulted in a fantastic effect when paired with red gauges. The incandescent lights really give the gauges a softer, glowing light versus the LED replacements.

I ordered the red bulbs for the center combo switch plus an extra for the A/C button, should I find myself wanting to do that one. :)

[kung fu jesus]

Installed red LEDs in the center switch, changed the grab for safety pin in the FSS....

14531

14532

14533

[tsingson]

Is the AC button hard to change to red?

[kung fu jesus]

It is a little harder to get at because the HVAC unit needs to released from the cables at the sides. Not difficult, just a bit more time consuming.

[kung fu jesus]

Had the bumper cover off tonight to replace the air diverter panel. The original one was notched years ago to accommodate an intercooler on one of the turbo configurations I ran. It had taken a few hits over the years since and was no longer structural. It literally dropped out in 3 pieces. No bueno, especially for cooling.

With the bumper off, I also took the heat gun to press out the sag in the cover right in the middle. Just a few minutes and some upward pressure took care of that.

14547
14548

Everything is buttoned up, the bumper is solid and no longer flopping around.

[kung fu jesus]

Started to dust off the MSPnP and associated accouterments. It has been a while since I used it and the last time I did, it wouldn't connect. I reached out to Matt at DIY, he told me to try reinstalling the firmware, so I am going to do that. In the meantime, the laptop I used is no bueno, so I dusted off my Macbook Pro. I updated the OS on it and DL'd the Tunerstudio software on it, which was awesome because my old Window reg key is still good! :) I didn't have the connection cable, so I ordered one that is known to work.

I found the COPs I built in the bin of parts the PO gave me, which is awesome, because I loved the way the car ran with them. I also found the 1.6 automatic TB I gave him. If the MS is good after the firmware reinstall, I will try to run it on the base map, then begin to go back to COPs, a TB with a true VTPS, then remove the AFM. I replaced the O@ sensor on the wideband O2 last week. Fortunately, the sensor is an off-the-shelf part for an Audi/VW and the local autoparts chain 2 miles away had them for $50. That alone solved all kinds of weirdness I was having. :)

No updates on the short block rebuild at this time.

[kung fu jesus]

Short block rebuild begins this weekend. I should have it and another rebuilt motor waiting in the wings that I will seal up.

[kung fu jesus]

14670

14671

14672

14673

14674

14675

So it begins.

[Greasemonkey2000]

Kudos on the short block rebuild, I've always wanted to rebuild a motor. :drinkto:

[kung fu jesus]

It's been pretty easy, but that is just disassembly. :)

[kung fu jesus]

A little progress today. I removed the old rings and cleaned the pistons. Afterward, I weighed out the reciprocating assemblies. They are all +\- 2 grams of each other. I will zero them out now that I know where the min an max are. For stock parts, this is really pretty good, but I have the means, so I will.

I am putting together a coolant reroute. Reverend Greg is local to me, and is building a spacer for the back of the head and a front block off plate. I will use a Kia neck and Escalade hose with a CSF aluminum radiator.

I *might* shave my built head when we pull it. On a stock block, I am around 10:1, based on compression tests. A little more would be nice, just depends on time.. The other option is to clean the stock head and chuck it on there and do the extra work to the built head later.

Anyways, pictures:

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/80CBD277-9063-4A52-9C7C-EAAA35A09F61_zpsrrbeodag.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/17A27BBC-8C1E-475A-B20B-1DA953818E8A_zpsuasmohcg.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/D01D4934-20A5-4071-8AD3-D87C40D47944_zpsnmtgoaot.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/4A12F660-6092-45FB-9948-9212DF857498_zpsspjw8mel.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/862D2AEA-0FB7-4A64-B6AB-B0F9CE102E07_zpszgil1dlx.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/6D5745BB-16EE-4356-84C5-C66A6FDBFDBF_zpswqctdmjl.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/force_mccocken/Miata%20Pics/19D0E44C-F1AB-4B65-933A-C355FB307944_zpswypeorit.jpg

[kung fu jesus]

Well, shit just got real.

Started the car to head home from work, idle was crazy high. Figured the IAC was flaking out. Got about a 1/2 mile away and the car drops two cylinders, bucking, the AFR pegs pig rich. So, I pull into a parking lot and the car stalls.

I get towed home, look for obvious issues, broken wires, etc. I get it fired again and it is dumping fuel. Pull the plugs to let them dry, all are wet except #3. I call it a night.

In the morning, I give another once over, check the ECU, no corrosion or moisture. I fire it up, it runs right away and is starting to smooth out, then it gets up to temp...


http://youtu.be/mQN7QOWGWQM

Steam out the pipe, oil smoke under load. Head gasket appears to be toast.

Already assembled the ATL Miata super team. Engine build happens Friday. Putting a known, stock head on the rebuilt block, putting it in Saturday/Sunday with new clutch, fresher transmission. Gonna throw down on her til she runs good. I will tear down the current lump, including the built head and see what happened. Maybe I will part it out and get a bp4/5.

How many licks to get to the center of this tootsie pop? A little over 180k hard-driven, thrice force inducted, countless hours of track time, and 23 years. :)

[Phatmiata]

NOooooooooooooooo not the infamous white smokes!!!!

in other news, at least she looks great!

[kung fu jesus]

This arrived last night, too. Local guy made it (Reverend G). It's beautiful. New engine gets the coolant reroute!

14771

14772

14773

[Phatmiata]

Wow nice looking piece for sure!!

[kung fu jesus]

$70

[Stealth97]

The Reverend does crazy good work

[kung fu jesus]

^true that. I was really surprised when I saw it.

[kung fu jesus]

We are underway! A few issues, nothing major. We have an engine build and a removal working simultaneously. Cleaning up some sins and quick fixes from years past as we go. Quit last night around 11. Back at it by 8 this morning.

Towing it to a friends house.
14797

The mullet approach; business in the front, party in the back.
14798

14799

14800

14801

14802

14803

14804

[kung fu jesus]

Getting surgical with the parts cleaning...

14805

[mx54life]

Looks like it just came from factory KGJ. What did you us to clean?

[Rogue]

What did you use to clean?
OCD! ;)

[mx54life]

OCD! ;)

I tried buying some of those some time ago but they won't sell to lazy people like me lol.

[HarryB]

Parts look in great condition! My OCD also kicks in in situations like these... :P

[kung fu jesus]

Motor is together! It is cleeeeeaaan. Taking a break for dinner. Just buttoned up the front of the engine. Had a problem with the block off plate, the reroute will be shelved for a later time. In the mean time, the engine and tranny are about to be mated, got to put in the ACT.

14808

14809

14810

14811

14812

14813

14814

14815

[kung fu jesus]

Found and repaired a crack in the JR header where the 1 &4 runners meet. Local shop welded it up.

Oh, clean parts are a thing. This car has leaked a little from someplace or another since I bought it in '00. I clean them with Teutonic zeal and unicorn tears.

14816

[kung fu jesus]

Chillin'

14817

[HarryB]

Looking awesome! Oh you people, you make me wanna pull my motor for no reason other than cleaning it/tidying up!

[Agent☣Orange]

I encourage that plus if you're married, make sure to park it on the kitchen table. Chicks dig that.

[mx54life]

I am digging this a lot. Kudos that seemed be just a lot of brushing time, no sand blasting?

[kung fu jesus]

Car is on the ground. New motor, trans, and clutch are in.

Brief overview. Today we built a complete engine, pulled the old motor and trans. Installed the new stuff.

Tomorrow I will button it up, I think it will be done around noon.

14819

14818

14820

[kung fu jesus]

This is what I used to clean parts...

14821

[Sharpie]

Awesome work. I love those days with friends where you all just jump in and kick some ass on a car. It's been 13 years since I've seen you or Yancey and the others.

[Martin]

I assume nozzey was there to retrieve items dropped into tight spots.

[kung fu jesus]

The job is complete. The results were the same as the last. I suspect a stuck injector and or bad ECU. I have sourced the ECU, hoping to secure a set of injectors soon. :)

I'm exhausted. More later.

[kung fu jesus]

I assume nozzey was there to retrieve items dropped into tight spots.

Heh! Yeah, Bryan was there. He transported the lift for me across town in his $250 Subaru.

Funny, too, I asked Bryan to remove the center console and shifter so we could prep to remove the engine/trans. It's a Nakamae console. When I looked in after he left, I found the console COMPLETELY disassembled; screws, individual switches, trim, etc. I had to laugh, because all I needed was just that console removed and placed on the floor. :). Yancey is a MACHINE when it comes to this heavy Miata work.

[kung fu jesus]

Alright, update time.

I was pretty beat when I made it to work this morning. That was a vicious Miata thrashing without the expected results.

The good news is the engine is VERY healthy. Oil pressure is strong. The transmission is a beauty. The cooling system is tits, even if the reroute wasn't installed.

The bad news is I have a fueling issue. I suspect bad/stuck injectors. By my reasoning, this was the cause of the failure in the first place. I believe one or more injectors stuck open, flooding the engine. It sort of hydro locked and lifted the head.

I ordered injectors tonight, with new seals, FPR, and they should be here Wednesday, maybe Thursday.

The job so far has included a rebuilt motor, all new seals, belt, water pump, etc., fresher low-mileage transmission, new ACT clutch, pressure plate, TO bearing and FW bearing. New aluminum Koyo race radiator, new t-stat, coolant, hoses, coolant. New injectors, plugs, FPR, injection harness, new-used sealed ECU, newer CAS, O2 sensor, fluids, filters, fuel hoses, newer IAC, repaired previous wiring patches, and assorted bits.

It will run soon, just need to be careful. It will be good. :)

[etikoner]

Time for some Megasquirt action !

[HarryB]

Ouch... If it actually hydrolocked, you might wanna take a look at your bottom end as well, make sure that everything is in order down there...

[kung fu jesus]

Yes in the MS. Gotta work some stuff out first. Crawl before I run, etc.

As for the old lump, yeah I am interested to tear it down in the near future. I will either go full-retard on it or part it out and build a Bp6d.

[kung fu jesus]

I have borrowed a good friend's car, a stock, low mileage '91. I have eliminated all the sensors and ECU by swapping them into his car. I believe there is a broken or shorted wire between the ECU and engine. The car is dumping in a ton of fuel and the timing is way wrong (timing belt alignment is perfect).

I may be staring at a harness swap.

[friday]

That sounds like no fun. Sucks to hear man. I hope the new motor sings once you figure out you issue.

[kung fu jesus]

I am running into trouble finding time to find and repair the issue, so I am dropping the car at R Speed soon.

[Slampen]

Well known time and money problem.
:)

[kung fu jesus]

Finally got it to R Speed this afternoon. The first tow truck couldn't do it. The second one got it. Now, I just hold my breath and hope Hector finds the issue. That is Taylor's car next to it. His ITBs on my fresh rebuild would be pretty cool.
14853

[Rogue]

His ITBs on my fresh rebuild would be pretty cool.
He won't miss them. ;)

[kung fu jesus]

Shit is going nuclear.

Towing the car back to my house. Time for a harness replacement.

[kung fu jesus]

Wiring harness secured.

[Slipstreem]

Wiring harness secured.

Survey says??

[tsingson]

Secured as in "installed" or secured as "I bought one".

[Martin]

Secured as in "installed" or secured as "I bought one".

http://images.sodahead.com/profiles/0/0/3/2/2/1/8/8/7/the-world-may-never-know-128467127719.jpeg#the%20world%20may%20never%20know %20%20325x407

[Demon I Am]

Harness replacement sucks. Good luck with it!

[kung fu jesus]

I think I found one local. There are a few variations, need to verify. The part numbers on looms I am seeing match nothing currently listed.

[kung fu jesus]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Between 90-93, there are 15 different front harnesses. Fifteen.

The exact one I need is located 8 miles away.

Everything's coming up Milhouse!

[kung fu jesus]

Taking this full-retard.

While I am in there, I am going to replace the heater core, insulate the tunnel, fire wall, and floor. I will power wash the carpet, add sound deadening to the rear bulkhead, and re-route the aftermarket stereo wiring. I will also re-do the aluminum tubing for the fire suppression system.

[JamieH]

http://i.imgur.com/ra0KHA4.jpg

[kung fu jesus]

In my circle of friends, the level of work done for most of my "repairs" is called "full Steve". What I consider repairs, most would consider as restorations. :)

[kung fu jesus]

Towed the car back home.

14867

Ate dinner, relaxed a little, then got after it. Two hours later, working solo, I got this far.

14868

[kung fu jesus]

Posted my progress on fidgety book. A good friend responded with this:

14869

Still laughing.

[kung fu jesus]

Carpet and HVAC are out. So is the wide band O2, and a few extra auxiliary wiring bits.

14871

14872

Borrowed a power washer to clean the carpets and HVAC bits for the first time since the factory installed it. It was pretty bad.

14873

14874

14875

14876

14877

[kung fu jesus]

14878

Painting the crash bar. I will clean the HVAC ducts and behind the dash, too.

14879

[HarryB]

What a rewarding thing to do, I am OCD-level obsessed with clean interiors!

[kung fu jesus]

You will love this, then. Disassembled the ducts and washed them with hot, soapy water. I was shocked how dirty these were.

14880

14881

[friday]

This repair escalated quickly.

[HarryB]

This. I wanna do this sooo badly.

[Martin]

KFJ, you need to take "ownership" of my car for a while. Then give it back after the full Steve is done.

[Demon I Am]

Cleaning Martin's car: Remove 6 grains of sand tracked in from shoe... Done

Great progress on the interior!

[kung fu jesus]

Still waiting for the harness. New heater core arrived today. Carpets are dry. Finished painting the crash bar that bolts behind the dash.

I will begin reassembling dash soon.

I will also be adding heat insulation on the tunnel and floor.

[kung fu jesus]

Began reassembly of the dash.

Reattaching the dash harness to the crash bar.
14885

Fitting the crash bar to the dash shell.
14886

Starting to return the HVAC tubing.
14887


Then it became too dark.

[Demon I Am]

Had you thought about using any padding on the AC tubes, to quiet potential vibrations? With the spare dash that I had purchased, I had added bits of weatherstripping to any potential points of contact (frame to shell, ducts to shell, etc). This was done mostly to counter the noise created by the delrin mounts . Unfortunately, I sold the car before ever doing the swap; so I don't know what kids of effect it would have made.

[kung fu jesus]

I have a few tiles of sound deadener I have thought about placing about the underside. I have a bit of time, I may still do it.

I used strips of Gorilla tape to re enforce the plastic cable ties for the dash harness.

Thanks for the suggestion!

[kung fu jesus]

Fortunately, I was taking a break when I read Tony's suggestion.

I took a little time and placed patches of sound deadener on broader sections on the underside of the dash. I used a heat gun and a stiff spatula to help adhere it to the surfaces.

14893

Some are hidden by pieces already assembled.

14894

14895

I found hollow spots and such by shaking the assembly by the crash bar and knocking around the top of the dash. The noises began changing from a "tonk!" to a "thud". Time and trial will tell if it really works, but I think it will help a noticeable amount.

It occurred to me where the biggest echo chamber was on the dash and nipped it in the bud. The sound change after putting deadener here was drastic:

14896

(That is the underside of the instrument cluster hood.)

[Demon I Am]

Good stuff!

[RustRat]

Nice! I am (well, actually was) in the same process of restoring an NA dash, painting the metal frame etc. I put a narrow piece of a foamy material, kinda thick, along the back side of the dash, just below the windshield to help with squeaks.

What sound deadener did you use?

[kung fu jesus]

Thanks.

I bought the deadener on Amazon a while ago. I had 3 tiles (3sq ft), used almost 2. I am planning on more, but still mulling it over.

The tasks now are primarily replacing the aged foam strips used as insulation and such. I will wash and dry the floor pans and bulk heads. The harness should be available this weekend.

I will install that, place the dash in the car and do a dry run to test the harness install before anything else.

When the harness checks out, I will insulate the interior sheet metal and begin to put the interior together.

I am thinking about removing the rear humps on the seat mounts for more rake and low.

[kung fu jesus]

Harness acquired!!!

Super-nice local guy, extremely clean harness. Only damage is the driver's side headlight connector. No big deal.

I compared the ECU harness wires immediately upon returning home...EXACT match!

14920

Now the hard work begins!

[RuckkehrMiata]

I have shuddered the shudder of a thousand shudders looking at that picture. Wiring harness is in the top 10 of things I wont do myself, at least not without a very skilled person guiding me.

[kung fu jesus]

It's not so bad. I recognize over half of the connectors. I will take pics for my own reference. 1/2 of it hangs on the firewall. Just need to be methodical and patient. :)

[kung fu jesus]

Started a little tonight. The driver's side interior harness is disconnected. Just using a set of electronics screwdrivers to depress release tabs. Taking pics of connector clusters for reference. It really isn't too bad so far. The only mistake so far is pulling the driver's side firewall grommet into the engine bay instead of pushing it into the cabin. I should be able to lube it and push it back the other way.

When you lay out the harness, it's easy to see that the modular configuration makes the connections easy to understand.

[kung fu jesus]

Old harness is out, new one is in. Took me about 3.5 hours to swap out the harnesses. I have about another 2 hours, estimated, to button up the harness 100%.

Of course, the coil pack plugs are different. :| Not a big deal, but annoying. If you didn't know, there are 2 or 3 different coil pack plugs among the 90-93 builds. The coil pack wiring is transferable on the packs themselves, so I am trying to see if the person I bought the harness from still has the coil pack from the same car.

14922

[Rogue]

Coil pack wiring bolt to coil pack…..under the white and black cap.

[kung fu jesus]

Yeah, I can transfer the wiring, I just need the plug.

[kung fu jesus]

Waiting for parts and buttoning up odds and ends in the engine bay, I wanted to prep the cabin for insulation. First step? Clean it.

Driver's side washed, passenger side untouched.
14924

Both sides scrubbed and toweled, I can see discoloration on the driver's side tunnel where the header heats the metal. On the passenger side, there is a bracket mounted in the footwell that the ECU partially mounts to. The bracket is removed. I wore brushed the area and payed down heavy coats of spray insulation to protect the pan. There was light surface rust here. Not a big deal. I also sprayed some on the aforementioned dis colored area on the tunnel. The bracket itself is also getting painted.

The floor pans were filthy.

14925

14926

14927

[Demon I Am]

Nice progress!

[kung fu jesus]

Laid in new carpet insulation tonight.

14933

14934

I also removed the weather stripping on the leading edge on the dashboard. New heavy duty stripping replaced the deteriorated OE foam stripping:

14935

Installed new heater core, the fixed hard pipe is too short. Sad trombone.

14936

14937

I also added bits of insulation between the dash and ends of the crash bar to eliminate more rattles and squeaks.

I will clean and reinstall the old heater core tomorrow, reseal the HVAC with new weatherstripping, install the carpet.

I also have a DEI self adhesive insulation blanket for the exterior of the tunnel, near the header collector to further eliminate hot cabin temps.

[kung fu jesus]

Second wind tonight. ECU, cover and main carpet are in.

14938

Old amp on the bottom, new one above. MUCH smaller, lighter, easier to mount. Similar output.

14939

[kung fu jesus]

Third wind tonight. Replaced the "A/C" light with a red LED. :). Since the panel is already out, now is the time to do it.

14944

14940

14941

14942

14943

[Demon I Am]

Sucks about not being able to drop in that new heater core.

Everything else is making fantastic progress though.

[HarryB]

Awesome progress Steve, making the car better in every possible way. These might seem like details to most, but make heaps of difference! Keep up the great work!

[kung fu jesus]

Test fire no bueno. Still runs the same. Need to look at the fueling system and rear harness.

Still, I got the HVAC in. New foam tape sealed everything very, very well. The new foam on the latching clamps lock down with a satisfying 'snap'. Dash will go back in soon.

14946

[kung fu jesus]

I f-u-c-k-i-n-g LOVE Amazon Prime. Free one day shipping on a Denso fuel pump kit. Pump, all the fittings, hose, duck foot, connectors. Ordered it at 11:30pm last night, it arrived around 10am this morning.

I have ordered something else in the past for the car that I bought in the morning, it arrived that afternoon. Mind blown.

[kung fu jesus]

New fuel pump didn't resolve the issue.

It did improve some other things, so I suspect the old one may have been weakening a little. The only items left are the rear harness. To that end, I am going to swap in a known working MAF and CAS. The latest suspicion is that the patched harness may have damaged the ones we tried previously. With the new harness n, there is still something wrong with the timing. Recent rains have slowed progress to a crawl. Still, any progress is good.

14969

14970

14971

14972

[kung fu jesus]

It Runnnnnnnnnnnns!

Time to get thrashing, track day at Road Atlanta FRIDAY! Woof.

[Demon I Am]

Woowoooooo

[kung fu jesus]

Dash is in. Gauges work. Will bolt it down in the AM. Lots of work left, but I believe I will make the HPDE Friday morning.

These offshore client accounts I am freelancing for leave me with odd hours for work. Glad the contract is almost complete.

[kung fu jesus]

Dash is back out.

Popping the main fuel injection fuse (30A). Had to isolate the issue. Essentially, we solved the engine issue, but not the original cause that took the old motor out.

Pouring over the wiring diagrams, previous experience, mitigating circumstances, we narrowed the issue to the circuit controlling relay. It's a bit of a complicated circuit array, nearly impossible to test, but it triggers fuel and timing while related to charging and SRS.

Deductive reasoning is the heavy rains that day the car went south caused the alternator's voltage regulator to spike. No belly tray didn't help. 180k on the original alternator, it just spiked a bit and took down the relay. That messed up the car's ability to fuel and ignite properly.

The new motor runs, but load on the engine while in gear pops the fuel injection fuse and kills the motor. The injectors, ISCV, CAS, fuel pump, even the coils, all trigger from the white/red wire in the harness through this relay.

So, I will order one, after replacing the alternator yesterday. $85 part. Hoping this finally solves it.

[Demon I Am]

Wow, man. This has to be a frustrating witch-hunt for you. Hopefully this will be the last needed replacement for a long while.

[kung fu jesus]

Appreciate the sympathy. It has been rough.

On the positive side, the car *should* need very little for a long time. :)

I had a suspicion initially back in August about an electrical issue. If you look at the diagrams on the 90-93, there is a wire (white with red stripe) that is common for the injector harness, CAS, ISCV, alternator, fuel pump, ECU, and ignition. I know on my original harness, I had tapped into it various times for various electronics; Link ECUs, Bipes ACU, J&S knock sensor, etc. I didn't realize the full interconnection of that wire or how it worked in the car. I am not good with electrical issues.

The repairs just snowballed into a lot of people wanting to help and it was a highly complex shotgun approach, in hindsight. I am not complaining, because a lot of people sacrificed time and money to help me and I appreciate every bit of that. It was just the wrong approach and should have been handled differently on my part. This was such an unexpected catastrophic failure, that in all my years owning the car, I never experienced or expected the car to do this. :)

[mx54life]

KFJ you have one awesome patience and knowledge to be able to hang with this. You shall be rewarded.

"Why let it go if you really love it in the first place" ;-)

[kung fu jesus]

Oh, man. I think my friends are tired of my 'f-it, I'm just going to part it out' rhetoric at this point. :). I credit their patience and my wife's, too, for helping me stay on target.

[kung fu jesus]

Relay arrived and I installed it. Car runs. I drove around the neighborhood to test and load the systems. It is in a state of disassembly, so I started putting stuff back together. Dash is in, most of the centerstack, rear carpet.

I blew the meter fuse, so I stopped to diagnose. I think I solved it. It sort of startled me because on the test drive, I looked down and the oil gauge, among others, were not working.

In this whole process, I also replaced the amp. The new one is much smaller in size, but not power. Because I only run the front speakers at the moment, I bridged the amp, so I have about 150w running to each speaker. It is excellent and I am very pleased. The passenger seat also now has full travel.

Hope to button up the car tomorrow or Wednesday.

:)

[Martin]

Fingers crossed that Blu treats you well from now on :)

[kung fu jesus]

Nope. Still blowing fuses.

[Demon I Am]

Dammit!

[Martin]

Update please!

[kung fu jesus]

I am pretty disgusted by the car, so it is sitting. I start it and let it run to recharge the battery and such, but I haven't touched it.

I will most likely have to pull the dash for a fourth time and figure out which circuits are fucked. I have considered parting it out and moving on a few times. I cannot find a recommended shop to work electrical stuff and I'm pretty tired of dealing with it. The motor has probably 10 miles on it and I haven't really broken it in yet.

[Martin]

Sell it back to teh Sqwid

[Greasemonkey2000]

That really sucks Steve but i say persevere and figure it out and you will value the car and experience that much more. :drinkto:

I must admit most, including myself, would feel your frustration and have similar thoughts and feelings if they were in the same situation. :(

[Demon I Am]

Electric gremlins are the worst. Sorry you can't enjoy your car :(

[theothersawyer]

Keep it! I love this car!

[Rogue]

You need better friends……….or better Beer and Pizza. :P

[kung fu jesus]

Beer and pizza,..the ATL gang would wire my car as a vibrator, or a self-immolation device.

[kung fu jesus]

Potentially found the issue.

There is a tab at the top of the clutch pedal that was rubbing through the main harness. I will pull the dash to get at it and inspect/repair.

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[HarryB]

Sometimes it is funny and frustrating what can cock up your days.

[Grumpy]

keeping fingers crossed that you found the issue!

[kung fu jesus]

Pulled the dash solo in 45 minutes, I'm getting really good at it.

Detached some of the front harness from the body to look at the chafing...bingo. That white w/red wire is part of the fuel injection/Controling circuit relay. Now I just gotta figure out how to repair it.

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Might have to pull the harness partially back into the cabin from the firewall grommet to get room.

[kung fu jesus]

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Motherfuckers.

[Demon I Am]

Dammit!

[kung fu jesus]

Fixed.

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[etikoner]

Glad you were able to find that short and fix it up... My own car is giving me electrical problems and my technician is still trying to solve it...

[NCGreasemonkey]

Fixed.

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Glad you went weather-pac repair! Seen too many that use regular butt connectors or worse yet household wire nuts. Hope that was the end to your ghost electricals. :cheers:

[kung fu jesus]

I learned about those while helping to assemble race cars with 949 Racing. John Wing (satisaii) is the Man.

[kung fu jesus]

Put the interior together, about 98% done. Changed the oil, wrapped up a few odds and ends on the motor, put the hardtop back on.

She runs! I actually drove it out of the neighborhood. I did a couple of 5-6k pulls and parked it. I have some HLA noise under load, I think that will go away after I drive a little more.

3 of the 4 headlights are dim, not sure why.

I have to install the knee panel, then put a wrench on everything to make sure it is all tight and safe.

I have to wash it, but it made it's first successful, although short, road test in nearly 5 months.

[tsingson]

I know how that feels man. I brought mine out after 2 weeks of sitting. Granted, mine didn't have internal surgery done but I still know the feeling. Glad to hear she's back.

[kung fu jesus]

Heh...major surgery. So many items replaced, I think the only system left untouched is the evap.

[kung fu jesus]

Put 20 miles on the car.

Fixed the headlights.
Fixed the secondary cooling fan.
Fixed the blower motor issue.
A/C works.

I might put my reworked head back on this motor before the next track day. The new engine DEFINITELY feels stronger, adding that head would be a huge plus.

I haven't reinstalled the FSS system yet, I want to run the lines and nozzles cleaner than before.

I might need to clean the IACV or find the another.

I would like to find a belly tray and maybe add new outer tie rods. I want to install the new heat shielding under the car too.

I forgot how rowdy this car can be. ;)

[Demon I Am]

I have a belly tray, but getting it to you would be the shitty part

[theothersawyer]

At least you found the issue!!

[kung fu jesus]

Thanks, Tony. I found one local. Fuel gauge is acting up, might be the sending unit hung up inside the tank.

[Demon I Am]

My fuel gauge was always off. Ended up resetting the tripmeter at every fill-up. As long as I found a station by 250 or so miles, I was good to go for 10 more gallons

[kung fu jesus]

I have a spare sending unit. I tested it against an extra gauge cluster.

[Greasemonkey2000]

Really great to see you got it sorted! :drinkto: Was afraid you were about ready to "throw in the towel". :(

[kung fu jesus]

It was close.

[theothersawyer]

I would have been sad!

[kung fu jesus]

I have a few things to sort out, but I'm hoping to have her at AMP next month.

[theothersawyer]

I'll make sure to get plenty of pictures of her! I need to get my car running in time...it's currently in pieces!

[kung fu jesus]

Get on it!

[theothersawyer]

Been working on it! The damn car is always a PITA! Easy things never end up being easy!

[kung fu jesus]

You realize you are complaining to the dude who virtually rebuilt his entire car, yes?

[theothersawyer]

HAHAHA! Didn't even think about it! Guess you know all about that! There is a tiny burr that cut the front main seal as soon as we went to replace it! Now we need to shave that down! Stupid stuff like that makes me so angry! WHY?!?!?!

[kung fu jesus]

Yeah. I had a crank seal I *thought* was seated flush walk it's way out and dumped a ton of oil on the garage floor. I noticed it when I backed out to go to work. This was a long time ago. Seems like a pleasant repair compared to the last few months.

Muster a little motivation, and soon you will find yourself almost complete with the repair. :)

[theothersawyer]

That's definitely an odd and frustrating thing!! I'm about to be cutting it close for the track day! May end up taking the BMW...

[NCGreasemonkey]

Take it from a mechanic of 30 years. Working on customer's cars you will get aggravated but you have to make it work right. On your own you have to step away. Or you will spend more! :whistle:

[kung fu jesus]

The project sort of kicked back up after my wife was in an accident about 3 weeks ago. Her car was written off as a total loss, not her fault, so I suggested she try my car while we considered options. She liked driving mine more than I thought, because she hasn't daily driven a manual in about three years. So the 325iT is now hers. I had to accelerate some maintenance to the Bimmer for my peace of mind while nailing down remaining issues on the Miata. Her car needed new belts and tensioner pulleys, which was easy enough. She also 'needed' an upgrade for music and phone calls, so I am addressing that as well.

A reman alternator should be here Monday. I am going to try to address the fuel pump sender this weekend. Hopefully that solves the fuel gauge issue. I forgot ro plug in a few things under the dash like cruise control, 12v lighter/charger, and I need to get an alignment.

There is a weird tick or resonance that *could* be HLA noise, but after pulling 150 miles on the engine, I think it might be a bracket not tightened 100%. If it is HLA, I'll just swap in the built head off my original motor. I may also try to replace the clutch master and slave this weekend too.

[kung fu jesus]

12v outlet works, swapped fuel sending units, the fuel gauge works. Cruise control not working, switch in the dashboard doesn't seem to be operating.

I even washed it today! First time since August!

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[Rogue]

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Looks as good as it did at the eagles nest over 10 years ago! :encouragement:

[theothersawyer]

Love this car!

[kung fu jesus]

I may have to switch over the built head sooner than I anticipated. I have a collapsed lifter that doesn't seem to want to cooperate. Such is life.

[tsingson]

Better to have peace of mind though.

[theothersawyer]

Aways something!

[kung fu jesus]

I am not convinced the sound I hear is a collapsed HLA because of when I hear it and the RPMs it occurs. I did the infamous "2Twisty" flush:

Drain oil, remove filter.

Add 3 qts of ATF, 1 qt 20w50 motor oil. Install new oil filter.

Let the car idle for 1-2 hours. In my case, I did 2 hours, just because.

Drain, allow to drip-drain about 20 minutes, remove oil filter.

Install new filter, fresh motor oil.

Mine came out pretty clean, as I expected, I have heard others had their mixture come out black. My engine only has about 300 miles on it.

I am going to look to see if there is a part or bolt outside the engine that may be causing the sound I hear. It may be something resonating at that engine speed. I had a similar experience with an intake manifold support I forgot to tighten down.

I also installed a new o ring on the base of my dip stick tube (#012, .5"OD, .375" ID, .0625" TH). It was the only leak I have located since the rebuild. The old one was as flat and hard as Agent Orange's ass.

[kung fu jesus]

Added heat shielding to the tranny tunnel to prevent the hot foot. I have been running a JR header for years and noticed the extra heat near my right calf and ankle. The area apparently gets so hot, it discolored the inside of the tunnel in the cabin and was oxidizing the exterior. This should help immensely.

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I also threw in the 5Xracing steering rack risers for help with bumpsteer:

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Getting an alignment, then just a few small things.

[theothersawyer]

Looks like you're ready for the track!

[kung fu jesus]

Nope. On the rack, we found the FL lower control arm is bent severely. Probably from one of the tow trucks. Need to find an NB arm, swap over the bushings.

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[theothersawyer]

Damn, sorry I spoke too soon!

[Martin]

Crap!

[kung fu jesus]

It was a *great* time driving in heavy rain through ATL traffic with considerable toe out. :| Despite the control arm, the shop corrected the toe for free so I could get it home. I am tracking down an extra arm tonight.

[kung fu jesus]

Never give up, right?

Got a clean LCA from R*Speed yesterday, removed the bent one.

Today, I pressed out the PU bushes from the bent arm, the rubber ones from the new-used arm and set out to correct the situation.

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I degreased the new arm and laid some engine paint on it, using a heat gun to accelerate the curing.

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Pressed in the PU bushes, installed, replaced the tie rod end, reassembled the corner. ~2 hours today.

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Hosting a couple of friends tomorrow to prep for a HPDE next weekend. Just some minor stuff to finish off, and get an alignment too.

[Slampen]

You get stuff done!

[kung fu jesus]

About the only thing keeping me from completing the car is engine failure. Should we find something in the upper motor not right today will force me to swap heads this week.

[kung fu jesus]

Had friends over, flushed the brakes, bled the clutch, changed the diff oil. Consensus says a stuck lifter on #3 or #4, intake side.

This isn't terrible news, but I don't feel comfortable pushing it. So I will go retrieve four HLAs from my spare head, the JUN cam gear and swap them in my current head.

Not too bad. I will have to pull the valve cover, front engine cover, water pump belt, alternator (because I have a new one to install anyways), slacken the timing belt, remove intake can gear, cam bearings, CAS, intake cam, 4 HLAs, then reverse the disassembly.

I also have to get an alignment.

[kung fu jesus]

Got an alignment at Gran Turismo East. I highly recommend them if you are in Atlanta.

They will align your car to your specs and with you in the car. That last bit is a rarity.

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They are quick and extremely experienced with Miatas.

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Perfect.

The rack risers reduced bumpsteer considerably! The car feels far less nervous under mid-corner irregularities in the tarmac. I am pleased. :)

[kung fu jesus]

After work, I got more stuff done. Alignment above was done during lunch.

I swapped HLAs from my built head into my current head, installed my JUN cam gear, installed my new alternator. 2.5 hours later, it was done.

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Do work, bitches.

[tsingson]

Did it solve the issue?

[kung fu jesus]

Yes and no.

The second part is checking the transmission bell housing bolts. We were pretty spent when we mated it to the engine. I'm not the only one who recalls getting the bolts mixed, as they are not all the same. This has been a reasonable estimation among a few of us. I will look up the bolts and placement in the FSM and confirm them tomorrow.

[tsingson]

Good luck man.

[Greasemonkey2000]

Great work sir, really! I always "take my time" and that always turns into "where did the time go". Keep up the great work! :drinkto:

[kung fu jesus]

I was just in the zone last night. Definitely not my first rodeo, it went smoothly.

[kung fu jesus]

And...motor is fucked. It's internal. Probably time to part out and crush.

[tsingson]

Ouch man.

[oldgrayleather]

Crap, sorry man. That is literally the worst news I've heard all day!