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Andy
01-07-2012, 10:36 AM
Well this is my official build thread for my car. Right now due to known miata primer problems i have paint falling off when i wash the car. However soon it will be repainted and look very nice.

http://gallery.me.com/xbeatles4x/100100/DSC_0154v2/web.jpg?ver=13237162020001

Alright my dad got the car about at least six years ago and since day one i have been working on it. When we first got it it had mass amount of sand like the previous owner was smuggling south beach. So I had to replace the trunk carpet. I have been doing little things here and there until I turned 16. Then i started to buy the some bigger important things. Recently I took it to motion motorsport down behind lexus of west kendall. They are great people to work with. I had them check out my ac and get my soft top checked out due to leaks.

before the car was officially mine my dad and I installed the turn signal intake lights and we installed the radio in there a crude way. The car did not come with a radio to begin with and we had absolutely no idea on what we were doing. It was a mess. I did not do it right until a few months ago. For my 16th birth day I bought myself some upgrades for the car.
1. I purchased some floor mats. The ones that were in the car were weather tech that looked ugly.
2. I replaced the pedals with some better ones since the rubber ones were completely worn and almost off completely. Here is what I put in. 979
3. I replaced the visors with visor blanking plates.
4. I bought a very nice leather wrap for the steering wheel.

I had the clutch replaced about 3 years ago. I did some nice things to the interior to spruce it up.

The first real upgrade I did to my car was to buy a hardtop from someone local. I got one hell of a deal and liked it. Only problem is i want to drive with the roof down from time to time so i got him to throw in the cart for the hardtop.
978

After that came the nicer 95 M bbs rims from etikoner.
977


well i have some photos of what i did recently

http://i.imgur.com/T8rqF.jpg

this is what my car looked like with the wiring before i started. Nothing wrong just wanted to make the wiring correct. It was wired straight to the fuse box under the steering wheel and did not give me confidence.

http://i.imgur.com/vQO6F.jpg

this is the factory pigtail that was in the car. Apparently the car came wired from the factory for a radio, even though mine did not have one.

http://i.imgur.com/aCO8A.jpg

wires going to the speakers.

http://i.imgur.com/vtU6m.jpg

found out that i had to poke these out to get the speaker wire to go through.

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

this is how the wire went to the door initially not really a pretty site.

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

this is my attempt at soldering the aftermarket stereo harness to a harness i bought online for the factory pig tail.

http://i.imgur.com/wp1nF.jpg

there it is finally found the factory speaker wiring. It only took me a few years to find it. Boy would it have made life easier if i would have found it years back when i first installed the radio.

http://i.imgur.com/KV3rI.jpg

car being taken apart. Not a pretty sight.

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

made a quick break for some green tea. Can not get enough Arizona green tea.

http://i.imgur.com/84D0S.jpg

put the car back together.

http://i.imgur.com/xIt62.jpg

here is my awesome power antenna that i got from a forum member. Thanks by the way works great.

http://i.imgur.com/Y7pQ1.jpg

here is more photos of the car taken apart

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

last here is my nice leather steering wheel skin that i got. It is perforated and is really nice. I highly recommend it.

Andy
01-07-2012, 10:37 AM
Here are the door sills from clutch dust. Thanks

Here is how they look installed

http://img.tapatalk.com/62cb4549-4b40-1b80.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/62cb4549-4b4c-3821.jpg

Andy
01-07-2012, 10:39 AM
Got this from a friend SFL Miata. Some nice fm swaybars and some racing beat endlinks. Thanks again.
http://img.tapatalk.com/62cb4549-5bb9-652d.jpg

Andy
01-07-2012, 10:40 AM
I removed the factory metal bracing from the rear of the car near the differential and thought it looked hideous.

http://img.tapatalk.com/62cb4549-92df-5e58.jpg

Then I sanded it and painted it up.

http://img.tapatalk.com/62cb4549-c2f5-72be.jpg

Andy
01-07-2012, 10:53 AM
As for future things. I plan on doing small things here and there. Maybe replacing the speakers since there are kind of messed up from being in the car with some mold when it use to leak 4 years ago, but the big things are

1. Get a bossfrog double hoop rollbar like in this photo "Sorry who ever this photo belongs to I just found it on google"
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/9879/20070714ar.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/512/20070714ar.jpg/)

2. Get a better shock and spring combo. I am running 143,000 miles on stock. I am thinking of either buying a package like the FM stage 1 or buying parts separately like the koni yellows on fm springs with fat cat bump stops and maybe some isc rear top hats.

3. replace all the suspension bushings. I have read that it is a good idea to do from quite a few different sources. I just dont know which ones to get yet. Ill probably do this the same time that I do the shocks for ease.

4. Get some new tires. Right now on my bbs rims I have some wanli chinese tires in the front that are not that great in the rain and are very noisy. In the meantime Ill be running my other rims until I can afford better tires. The tires of choice for me will probably be the 195-50-15 Yokahama s drives.

5. The last thing i would like to do would get the car painted. Not just taking it to mako or some other not so great place but getting a real quality paint job. Someone that actually takes pride in their work and that will actually take off the bumper and what not. Not just masking off areas. Only problem is that I know this will be expensive but I think well worth it.

That should be it, but I am sure there will be lots of other things ill do here and there.

Andy
01-07-2012, 01:32 PM
Any input or advise from anyone would be nice. If you did something that you would recommend ...
hell I am interested in you recommendation for suspension or even bushings

Andy
01-29-2012, 12:15 PM
Well today i went online to advanced auto parts and bought new ngk spark plugs and wires. if you look online there are all sorts of coupons for online. i think i used the one if you spend $50 Then take $25 off. The total came to $52 before the coupons so i ended up spending $30 total. Not bad for new plugs and wires.

Anyway the car feels much better now. It feels smoother through its revs. I like it and would recommend it if it has not been done in a long while.

Andy
02-26-2012, 10:11 AM
On thursday I found out that my economics teacher is a miata enthusiast. We were talking for a while, and he ended up giving me his old shift knob that was a pistol type. It is pretty nice. Ill post up some pics tomorrow. I just have to drive with it and see how it is.

Andy
02-27-2012, 12:00 AM
They other day my mom drove my car and destroyed my front lip. She parked to meet us for lunch and when we switch cars so I can go home I realize what my mom did. She parked a drive the front lip into a parking space and stayed parked there for an hour. The lip cracked and bent. I ha to get some super glue an glue it, then let it dry and then tried to sand it down. I also bolted up through more holes on the lip so it would maintain a batter shape. Here is a pic. The super glue and sand method made it look quite all right now.



Now it is fine and you have to look very hard to notice it.

http://img.tapatalk.com/62f2f26a-dc86-6401.jpg

Andy
02-28-2012, 08:21 PM
Alright it is official I purchased a bossfrog double hoop rollbar. Now all I have to do is wait for it to get here and then install it. Ill make a great build thread.

Andy
03-02-2012, 08:48 PM
Oh I almost forgot about the shift knob that my economics teacher gave me. Here are some pics of it. I weighed it compared to stock and it was just a few grams lighter. Not much at all. Feels great.
http://gallery.me.com/xbeatles4x/100100/DSC_0146/web.jpg?ver=13307390580001
http://gallery.me.com/xbeatles4x/100100/DSC_0145/web.jpg?ver=13307390630001

Andy
03-05-2012, 10:59 PM
Install of pads was harder than anticipated but I got it done. I like my braking now.

Andy
03-21-2012, 01:33 PM
I just signed up for my firstautocross this coming weekend on saturday march,25. I chose number 2112. So far I know I will see SFL_MIATA out there. hope to see some more people. Can not wait to try out my rollbar that is almost done and an autocross.

Andy
03-22-2012, 08:16 PM
My rollbar is installed. Pics are to come. One of the best upgrades so far.

morr
03-22-2012, 08:45 PM
Nice progress so far! How do you like the Axxis pads overall? That's pretty cool that your teacher's a roadster enthusiast too :)

Andy
03-25-2012, 04:16 PM
I like them a lot. They were pretty nice today at the auto cross.

WASABI
03-29-2012, 05:10 AM
Nice job so far Beatles4. I am looking forward to updates.

Andy
03-29-2012, 09:50 PM
OK well I went autocrossing at homestead speedway kart track. It was really fun. I ran in Estock and had the fastest time in the class. The company that was doing the autocross could not get their act together and did not put my time in but displayed it on the little monitor at the end. What ever I had fun and am not one of those guys that gets worked up over it. I know I won, had fun, and did not crash. Sounds like a fantastic day to me.

here is a pic right before my 4th run.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6232/7016328087_19f759c71c_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/7016328087/)
autocross (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/7016328087/) by xbeatles4x (http://www.flickr.com/people/30761791@N08/), on Flickr

Andy
12-30-2012, 04:54 PM
Wow I forgot to update this post. Ill try to copy over from my other forum I frequent.

I had the rollbar installed. Here is a pic of that installed.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/560080_10150717498339558_296110024557_9196835_7938 14474_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/540690_10150717499009558_296110024557_9196841_1586 961356_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/555907_10150717496449558_296110024557_9196817_9946 36258_n.jpg

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/560737_10150717499159558_296110024557_9196842_7086 5604_n.jpg

I trimmed the tonneau to fit

http://img.tapatalk.com/62f2f26a-07ea-32a5.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/62f2f26a-07f4-9969.jpg

I really like them.

Over the summer I installed rubber bushing from flyin miata. I dont want a debate of poly over rubber but I wanted rubber.


here is the process of doing the bushings. I think I might have lost a few photos. This was done in preparation for miatas at the gap.

http://img.tapatalk.com/62f2f26a-d280-ded9.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/62f2f26a-d289-87d6.jpg

These are my oem shocks that appear to not be blown.

http://img.tapatalk.com/62f2f26a-d2ab-f41c.jpg


http://img.tapatalk.com/62f2f26a-d2e8-aa56.jpg

My oem shocks I think at some point were replaced with new oem ones because they ride perfectly fine and do not feel blown at all.

I replaced my radiator and belts with the help of my friend David.

http://img.tapatalk.com/62f2f26a-f70d-6556.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/62f2f26a-f716-235e.jpg

How I removed the bushings. I used a bolt with on one end a washer that was bigger than the hole. on the other a washer slightly smaller than the bushing to pull it through. http://img.tapatalk.com/62f2f26a-f75c-afca.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/62f2f26a-f76c-ba33.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/62f2f26a-f779-dc10.jpg

Andy
12-30-2012, 04:55 PM
I made it to miatas at the gap and met some cool people and had fun.

Well i took a few photos while at the gap of my car. Here they are.

This is me going to road atlanta. Awesome feeling since I play forza motorsport all the time and have an exact replica of my car made in the game. I finally got to see the track in real life, only I could not get on the track but seeing it was enough.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7253/7695344358_f1d9d553fe_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/7695344358/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/7695344358/) by xbeatles4x (http://www.flickr.com/people/30761791@N08/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/7695355322_cc943afd23_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/7695355322/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/7695355322/) by xbeatles4x (http://www.flickr.com/people/30761791@N08/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7118/7695360338_3fa295e2da_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/7695360338/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/7695360338/) by xbeatles4x (http://www.flickr.com/people/30761791@N08/), on Flickr

It was just so beautiful. I need to go back again.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8281/7695348040_5337158d58_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/7695348040/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/7695348040/) by xbeatles4x (http://www.flickr.com/people/30761791@N08/), on Flickr

Andy
12-30-2012, 05:00 PM
A few days ago I had a problem with my car. the timing was way off. By way off I mean it was advanced by 90 degrees. I could not believe it so I took out spark plug one and put the dip stick in to see where top dead center was. It was about 120 degrees off the mark on the pulley. I made a mark with white out and tried to time it but that did not work at all. i had to order a new pulley to be able to time the car. The car was making a terrible pinging noise when accelerating.

Well i ordered the new pulley and it came in so I installed that friday night with the help of my dad.
We got the job done in a shade under 4 hours from start to end. I also fixed my power antenna so I have a working antenna again.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/12/29/4y9ugeha.jpg

Here is the broken part. Over time the rubber that holds the two pulleys together fails and has the problem that I described.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/12/29/8upynazu.jpg

here is my power antenna.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/12/29/zerybu9u.jpg

After installing the proper crank pulley the car drives perfectly. I cant believe how bad it was before. Now I can actually time it and put it to 10 degrees. I love driving the car now.

Andy
12-30-2012, 05:05 PM
More photos of miatas at the gap.
Here is me and my dad.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8425/7695774380_c93a3bf05b_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/7695774380/)
Killboy Photo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/7695774380/) by xbeatles4x (http://www.flickr.com/people/30761791@N08/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8326652229_3b60eec4c7_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/8326652229/)
Group Photo 2012 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/8326652229/) by xbeatles4x (http://www.flickr.com/people/30761791@N08/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8327711704_cfc6375e1c_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/8327711704/)
208095 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30761791@N08/8327711704/) by xbeatles4x (http://www.flickr.com/people/30761791@N08/), on Flickr

Andy
12-30-2012, 05:08 PM
My plans right now are to save up for the FM stage 1.5 suspension package for the next miatas at the gap.
I have also been eyeing the nardi miata shift knob that is wood with the 5 speed emblem at the top

http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo328/71gearhead/gauge%20pod%20build/teardroptorino2.jpg

http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo328/71gearhead/gauge%20pod%20build/teardroptorino1.jpg

Andy
12-30-2012, 05:09 PM
Oh I almost forgot I sold my merlot hardtop for $1,000. I didnt use it as much as intended so I sold it and am saving that money for a different car. Right now I am planning on buying a different car for daily driving to college and I am going to store this car in the garage to use on weekends and have fun with.

Right now I am eyeing a 2004 Saab 9-3.

something sort of like this.

http://images.exchangeandmart.co.uk/images/mmo/trade/SHW/28018/SHW560025654/image1_400.jpg

Blueiii
12-30-2012, 05:32 PM
On thursday I found out that my economics teacher is a miata enthusiast.

Just saw this and got a chuckle, since I also teach economics. (Part-time, in addition to a full time job. The little bit of extra money I make from teaching helps to fund the Miata habit. I also autocross! (As a small side note, your car is not legal for E-stock. The TSIs take you out of the class. I'm not 100% on the wheels, but I believe that the 14x6 BBS wasn't an option for your car, which would also render it illegal.)

Andy
12-30-2012, 05:41 PM
Yah I have done things that no longer make me legal for e stock. Flyin miata frame rails take me out already. Upgraded front and rear sways. I didn't know about the tsi's and the rims are 15x6 which is off of the 95m so It was not an option. However the 14's were an option because the black and tan from 92 had them.

I do not take economics anymore this year but I still run into the teacher from time to time. He is a really nice guy.

I just autocross for fun.

Blueiii
12-30-2012, 06:09 PM
Well, you are allowed 1 sway. You could disconnect the rear, but the frame rails are another story. The black and tan was an LE, so you would need to have every option carried over to run LE wheels. But, if you only do it for fun, I doubt anyone will ever protest you!

Andy
12-30-2012, 09:50 PM
I have also been working on making a respectable tool area for myself. Pics of that will be up soon.

Phatmiata
12-30-2012, 09:55 PM
That MATG photo is GREAT! You seem to have lost some photos from the first page though. :(

Andy
12-30-2012, 10:27 PM
Yah. I can not edit the first page. if a mod could just delete the broken link and the post all together.

Andy
01-01-2013, 03:24 PM
Alright so I picked up a racing beat header off of Craigslist for the 1.6. I'm finally going to get rid of some exhaust rattle and make a little power doing it.
6075

Andy
01-01-2013, 11:04 PM
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/01/02/8u2uzeta.jpg

here it is installed. Wow I feel more power at 5k and above and there is no more crappy heat shield rattling anymore. So far the best $299 i have ever spent next to my new crank pulley that finally let me know my timing and get it adjusted.

Sadly while installed the header I broke the dipstick twice. Before today I had a mint dipstick and felt awesome about it. No more will I have that feeling. I guess I have one more thing to buy off of rosenthall when i parts.

Andy
02-19-2013, 05:35 PM
Check it out.

I bought a Jackson racing intake for the 1.6 and it looks great.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/20/ymu9e5u5.jpg

maharaj
02-19-2013, 07:11 PM
Wow! This car has definately come a long way! Pretty sure you aren't letting your mom drive it anymore. :)

Andy
02-19-2013, 07:33 PM
Lol. Yah my mom has not driven it since.

Right now I have saved up just enough money to buy a decent suspension for the car. I might order the flyin miata stage 1.5 kit tomorrow.

Andy
02-19-2013, 07:35 PM
Also forgot to mention that I picked up a daily. I now have a miata in the garage and a 06 volvo s60 t5.

Andy
02-20-2013, 07:41 PM
I just went for a ride in the new intake. All I can say is wow. I know intake mods usually make the car sound like a civic but this made the car sound beefier. Like I dropped in a bigger engine.

I also felt a significant pull at 5k. It felt fantastic

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/21/uvy4yqyp.jpg

I also gave my engine bay a good cleaning.


Sent from my iPhone

Andy
09-30-2013, 05:54 PM
AlAlright let me do a major update here.

The guy that sold me the suitcase also had an old samsonite suitcase that looked cool. I told him what I was doing with the suitcase that I bought form him and he just gave me the samsonite one. It is now the one I prefer to use. It has/had old stickers form all sorts of places.

Now updates for the car. I decided I really did not like the front lip. It was more trouble than it was worth so I am sticking with just the oem front bumper and no lip.

I purchased 2 oem radios with oem cd players and neither of them work. One of these days when i have more time and money I will send them to Jeff Anderson to get them fixed and have him install his aux in mod.

MATG Time

I took the car to get painted locally and told the guy I had a time frame of 3 weeks before miatas at the gap. Days before my day to leave for matg he tells me it wont be done. So I go with my dad to see what the deal is. We try to brainstorm and figure out what to do. One the verge of calling the trip of we decide to go to miatas at the gap in primer. So that is what we did. I figured I have gone with a lot of paint missing before why should this be any different.
http://i.imgur.com/3jC4ELT.jpg

We extended the matg trip a little and decided to go backpacking in the mountains for 4 days. We had to pack all of our clothes in that vintage suitcase on my luggage rack. We put the sleeping bags, food, ponchos, tent, hiking clothes, sleeping mattresses... A lot of crap in the trunk of the miata. I was able to figure out a way to bring the external frame backpacks with us. I bungeed them to the rollbar. Amazingly the roof was still able to go up and down.

http://i.imgur.com/WQApKwb.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JucBbCK.jpg

This pic is right before we set of to go back packing.
http://i.imgur.com/sX3cdCr.jpg

Well on the matg trip in a miata run of about 40 people me of all people gets into an accident. Apparently a bear ran down the hill to our left, jumped over the guard rail and rain into the street to hit me. I acted quickly and made sure I was ok to swerve and dodged a head on collision. He managed to head butt my passenger fender spin re head butt my door and run off. (For those worried about the bear he seemed fine and ran off into the woods).

I was not the only person involved in an accident. There was one guy who just bought his miata and clear flew off one section of the mountain. He was ok but his car was totaled. Then on a spirited drive the second day the roads were damp and mini_fd spun. I was maybe 3 cars behind and thankfully a local passing by in his truck pulled him out.
http://i.imgur.com/QIhjI9D.jpg

So here is a picture that Bryan took and in the photo you can see where the bear hit me.
It is very hard to tell that there was damage in this photo, but the damage was severe enough where I needed a new fender.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5520/9399179559_06495aa334_b.jpg


Well I did not let the whole bear thing bring me down so the next day i hung out with some cool people from the forum.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5546/9401942766_0081be2826_b.jpg
I am the one all the way to the left and my dad is next to me.

Believe it or not but the hiking trip had to be cut short. We strung up the backpacks with the anti bear stuff and everything should have been fine; well apparently the anti bear hook things are not anti chipmunk. One night the chipmunks climbed up and ate a hole through one of the back packs and ate quite a bit of our food. We took precautions for the next night but the same thing happened again. So we gave in and called the trip short.

On the way home the car hit 155,555 miles and also the speedo cable went on my so I had terrible high pitched screaming going on for the 16 hour drive back.

http://i.imgur.com/8Um3hBY.jpg


Once I got home I went and purchased a new fender from treasure coast miata and I stripped the car again to go in for paint.

And now I am here. I am waiting for a nice day to take a really good photo of my freshly painted miata.


Here is a pic from today as a teaser.
Yay no more paint falling off when I drive or wash my car.

http://i.imgur.com/kAzL1C8.jpg

New r speed door belt line molding.
http://i.imgur.com/dddUFYj.jpg

See I have paint on my trunk.

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

atank
09-30-2013, 06:05 PM
That fresh white paint looks very NICE!!!! I have heard the fried Chipmunk tastes just like chicken......:domo::domo:

WASABI
10-01-2013, 07:16 AM
Hit by a Bear?!? Really? Come on, that's a great story! The car looks nice with the new paint, and your trip sounds like quite an adventure. But man, hitting a bear/bear hitting you, is the icing on the cake! Keep up the good work.

Martin
10-01-2013, 09:09 AM
Did he steal your picnic basket?

Andy
10-01-2013, 02:49 PM
I can only imagine what the miata behind me was thinking. When we got to the end of the road I talked to him and his wife and he said it was the weirdest thing he was even seen ever. He offered to give me his contact info in case I never need someone to back up my story.

You guys are going to laugh but I kept the old fender and I am planning on mounting it on the wall in my garage. When that happens ill post up a photo here. I kept it in its un washed bear snot stage.

When I hit/ he hit me the bear's snout hit the car and left a bit of brown snot.

Martin
10-01-2013, 04:16 PM
Cool and gross at the same time

WASABI
10-01-2013, 09:54 PM
I'd suggest you get a custom license plate that says "BEAR HTR" or "BEAR KLR", but that could be misconstrued as love for certain hairy men. :fab:

Andy
10-02-2013, 08:54 AM
Well I guess I failed to mention that bear are up there with being my favorite animals along with moose. So after the accident I was pretty sad and it didnt help that I was going to go camping for 4 days in the mountains with bears. I was a afraid word might get out and they would attack me.