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HarryB's Strato blue NB2
Hello everyone, time to introduce both myself and my little toy. My name is Harry and I am a Mechanical Engineer from Greece, with a huge passion for cars. I got my Strato Blue NB2 1.6 this March and been loving it since! Actually I have been loving Miatas for a long time, just waiting till I found the right one... I was seriously after a "high edition" 1.6 NB2 for at least 4 months, have seen literally hundreds of ads and about 10 cars up close, and started being desperate. Until I found my current one!
2004, 1.6 EUDM model, beige leather interior with wooden Nardi wheel/shifter knob/handbrake, 128k kms, and really well maintained. Mods list this far:
Toyota COPS
IL Motorsport alloy rad
OEM LSD
1.8 Sport "big brake" kit
1.8 Sport OEM braces
Mohair hood
Scangauge
And a photo a week or so after buying it!
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...pslpc36zul.jpg
Then started taking it apart, cleaning and "fixing" minor issues (normal for an 11-year car)
Bought the "Interior Shampoo" from Autoglym and definitely recommend it! Just a before/after picture of the glovebox opening (please note that the car was relatively clean when I bought it).
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...pswicseiwy.jpg
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...psaoeftvpo.jpg
Needless to say that almost the whole interior was taken apart and taken the Autoglym treatment.
Shifter boots were shot, so they were replaced with brand new ones. Turret oil was replaced as well (has not been changed since Mazda built it I guess :P)
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...psbpsuy4c3.jpg
Nasty old oil.
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...pstornw1om.jpg
Hood latches were not locking (the passenger one at least), so they were removed, drilled, tapped and a headless screw was installed, allowing the locking mechanism to be adjusted as well.
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...psukgsicn6.jpg
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...psuxf8m7pu.jpg
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps9gezcjv8.jpg
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...psfihahmxs.jpg
The paint on these was not great, so they were repainted.
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...pskt19kpgc.jpg
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Engine was a bit leaky, so I changed crank and cam oil seals and rocker cover seal. Since lots of stuff was out, belts were also changed and oil replaced with Mobil 0W-40 New Life. Rocker cover was also painted flat black and engine bay cleaned up a bit (pending a REALLY good clean and re-wrapping of the engine loom; hate the old brittle corrugated plastic that covers the OEM loom)
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...psh2jgpomq.jpg
The Mohair top on the car has proved completely leak-free, but thought that it would be nice to have a hardtop for the winter, so I got one! Test fitted:
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...pscmd2yenq.jpg
Not quite a trouble-free experience, as it was leaking past windows seals (on the rear). Looking into fixing that before October, a proper adjustment of hardtop window seals will most likely solve this.
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I had a small rattle every time I hit a pothole, which was rather annoying. When I took the OEM quarter trim panels off to fit the hardtop side strikers, I found the source of it. The OEM spacers/shims for the harness upper mounts were replaced by shims, that were rattling. The passenger side still had the OEM shims, but was rattling as well since those were hitting each other. Simple solution, spent 10' and built those derlin ones!
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...psakqxs248.jpg
Day and night in terms of NVH, these made a greater difference even compared to the HT install!
Also my dipstick tip was broken...so I built an aluminum replacement!
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...psbruyi3dw.jpg
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...psnmvzj3ey.jpg
A few more random photos...
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...pslvog0j26.jpg
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps0e4nrywx.jpg
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps7zlpjpq8.jpg
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...pswzdcym3e.jpg
And what will most probably be the next update!
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...psgx5ojqjk.jpg
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HarryB's Strato blue NB2
Welcome! Such a lovely color combination, very nice detailed work you are doing. Please enjoy your time here!
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Thanks for the warm welcome! I have tons of plans (with even more DIY projects), but not enough time, so progress will be slow. Will keep you updated though!
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Almost no free time lately, but got a chance to DIY polish my headlights, quick before/after pic:
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...psithrm5pp.jpg
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Always great to see inputs from a dedicated Miata owner.
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So today, this happened!
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...psgagsuldg.jpg
Had bought these a couple of months back, but did not had the chance and clarity of mind to go on with the install. To be honest, I have been drooling over a set of Warbirds long before even owning a Miata, so this was one of the very first orders I did for the car. After some rather long conversations with Adam, he turned up with this AMAZING design, which far exceeded my expectations; and those were extremely high to begin with! :D
Really a pleasure doing business with him, definitely recommended to anyone! Thanks Adam!
And because my pictures just don't do justice to those, here are some taken from Adam for your viewing pleasure:
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps4lnzcq4x.jpg
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...pshumpysjl.jpg
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...pslg2os43t.jpg
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...psyxvpigwq.jpg
I am in love!
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Welcome Harry! :drinkto: Probably my favorite NB color! Great work so far and those custom Revlimiter gauges look fantastic! :bow:
So you are still in Greece? If so you need to get with Reverant for a megasquirt for a little more power! I have a ms3 basic from him that has been hibernating for over a year. :cry2: Need to get it installed and tuned.
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Thanks everybody for your kind words! Truth is that Adam did an excellent job on those, photos hide the half story, they look even better up close! Adam, thanks again!
Greasemonkey, yes, still in Greece! I was thinking of building my own MS, but considering that Reverant is here and his work quality is at the highest standards, I will most probably go his way..not soon though! At the moment I am doing my so-called "power-supporting" mods, so next comes a rollbar, chassis stiffening, brake components, suspension and tires! And of course a million other small DIY projects, to keep me busy...
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At some point I faced some issues with a clogged a/c drain, which in Greek heat and humidity turned the passenger footwell into an aquarium... I removed the glovebox, cleared up the clogged drain using compressed air and cleaned the evaporator as well. Since I was in there, I decided to give the whole system a good clean-up and a small DIY update. The main cause of the issue is the lack of a cabin filter in Miatas, which allows small leaves to insert the HVAC system, so eventually it would become clogged again. The solution was straightforward, add some sort of "filter" to keep small leaves and debris out. This is what I faced when removed the air "inlet" on the cowl.
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...psuxrg0jwf.jpg
Mind you, I had already blew it with compressed air before removing the plastic cover... Seems like the OEM mesh is really coarse, so I installed a ghetto mod filter (actually a plastic window mesh held in place with zip ties)
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...pswoqsboc3.jpg
It is f*ugly, but not visible, so OK for now! I also removed the HVAC fan once more and cleaned up the mess, cleaning the "snorkel" leading to the cowl with a wet towel as well, I believe it will be good for a long time now!
In other news, I installed a pair of custom sill inserts to match my Revlimiter gauge faces; really wanted proper Revlimiter one, but the cash was not available at the time. Well, I can live with those for a while I guess...
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps0yqscsxs.jpg
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You made a wise choice in doing/planning power supporting mods first. Imho, after any needed maintenance is done the performance mods should go as follows: tires/wheels, suspension, clutch/flywheel and finally power mods with a standalone ecu at the top of the list.
These are cars are really fun but again, imho, should have came with similar power to that of the honda b series vtec motors, 160-180hp(the ND has already proven this to be true at a meager 155hp), that would have made a big difference.
You can never go wrong with Revlimiter's products and saving up only takes time and patience! :drinkto:
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Thanks! Serious maintenance items are off the list since the first month, the only ones left are change of diff and gearbox oil; however I was lucky enough, since the PO was a fellow Miata enthusiast, used one of the best miata workshops in Greece, kept a detailed maintenance record and used high quality products. However, I am a troubled guy myself, cannot keep my hands off DIYing on the car, so I am convinced that I will keep doing small silly mods for eternity! :P
Your comment about power is spot on, 1.8 Sport NB's are OK, but still no fast. I have immerse fun with my underpowered 1.6, but it is slow. It does not bother me so far, however it will be addressed at some point down the road. Rollbar is the no1 update IMO, the reason that it is not done yet is that the guy who builds it in my specs is delaying. Agree with everything else though, albeit wheels will be the last item on the list because a) I like my OEM ones and they are not that heavy and b) I want to save up for a proper set of 15" watanabes... ;)