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Thread: Cars, Coffee and California...

  1. #181
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by artcentermiata View Post
    All three cars look amazing- all the rares!


    Quote Originally Posted by artcentermiata View Post
    Ditch the stripes, you know what I think- Im disappointed
    I started with vinyl stripes so I could figure it out - I have to see this through with the wider navy stripes, the new front end and covering the hardtop/ A pillar and rest of the rear bumper. I'm not 100% sold but its fun for a change and it differentiates Benny from JonB's doppleganger smurf ;)

  2. #182
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    Yesterday would have been Dan's 53rd birthday which among other milestones serves as a poignant reminder of how much I miss him. It's also the three year anniversary of our incredible car fueled So Cal adventure celebrating his half-century.

    When he first called to tell me about his diagnosis he was almost immediately admitted to hospital so we sent him a care package with some favorite movies and things he'd like until I could get up there to see him. He saved the Big Lebowski so we could watch it together on one of my trips. Will never forget my wife and another great friend Reid all crammed into his hospital room laughing our asses off. I also made a photo book for him of our celebration and titled it "Cars, Coffee and California".

    I'm so thankful he was the inspiration for me to get a Miata especially when I reflect on what I've gotten out of this experience, the people I'm met and the things I've done. I know he would have loved Benny and KINOD and MRLS and Palooza and Mazda R&D and this community. I always think there's a part of him that's co-piloting with me on this journey.

    I don't think I'd seen this fantastic photo that my nephew posted yesterday.


    He really was the greatest.


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  4. #183
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    Really fantastic updates on the trio of Roadsters, Pete! It is so much 'easier to forget' those that have inspired us and touched our lives but no longer with us to share in the joys of life so it is always heart warming to see people that constantly remind themselves of those unforgettable individuals.
    '01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
    '97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
    Instagram: @greasemonkey2000

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  6. #184
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    Have been holding off on this post for a little while so Adam could properly announce and showcase the exceptional results of his Gen 3 gauges. RevLimiter gauges were both the first mod I did to Benny (or any car for that matter) as well as probably my favorite. Needle position change is subtle but I love the sweep of the tach particularly and they’re something you enjoy on every single drive. For the BRG, the Fighter gauges were the perfect choice so the order went in the moment I knew I could get the latest version.

    Opening a UPS package from Adam is like opening the best presents under the Christmas tree.


    Since I let my eldest drive the BRG I couldn’t think of a better project for him to tackle. I was on standby for any advice but let him do it on his own…


    And out!


    Old gauges off.


    Fighters at the ready…


    Wasn’t surprised again when the hood fasteners snapped so just looking at it as a great excuse to order a new one since the original was also in pretty rough shape.


    And voila.. before and after:


    I am beyond thrilled. They are perfect! I’m going to repeat myself but Adam is the best when it comes to his relentless pursuit of perfection for product quality and as many of you know first-hand, has an unrivaled approach to customer service. With Gen3, RevLimiter knocks it out of the park. Again.

    While we were at it, got the BRG up on stands to finally get the self-tapping screws in for the R lip…


    And the trio reassembled.



    Right now I’m just waiting on all the other new parts to be made or arrive from Japan to get Benny moved on to the next stage. Pretty happy just enjoying the hell out of the fantastic weather, the chance for long drives and these awesome little cars…

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  8. #185
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    The first Gen3 gauges in the wild! They look fantastic, great choice Pete! Need some night pics of the gauges.....
    '01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
    '97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
    Instagram: @greasemonkey2000

  9. #186
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    Since I’ve been dailying Benny I swung by the car wash on Friday to get a week’s worth of grime off before heading out to another great KINOD meet and then home again by 1-ish. I’m sorry my potato and its operator can’t take night shots as I’ve missed out on too many great KINOD photo ops but will be upgrading my phone this fall so expect a remedy then.

    Saturday morning and he was still respectable with another 100miles under his belt. I received the additional red vinyl so I could stripe the hardtop, A pillar, spoiler and rest of the bumper but just didn't have the time to get around to it. Also got another set of the blue stripes but in Navy and a wider width. I have to see this through to really decide if its everything I imagined it could be or just not the greatest idea.



    The best thing about having this trio is being able to experiment a bit more, well atleast between the BRG and Benny. Mrs. R is still adamant that we can’t mess with her minty Sunburst. I do appreciate having a 100% stock car to compare against both in looks and driveability. The stock cars are still a blast to drive even before any enhancements.


    Managed to get out with my eldest and Frodo for a spin in between a weekend of hosting family that had come for a visit…


    And no better way to wind down a weekend than a late Sunday night washup for the other two that were in need of some TLC.





    In other news, Bo’s container from Japan has finally arrived so fingers tightly crossed that my parts will be wrapped up and shipped to SoCal very soon...

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  11. #187
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    Put in a big order for bits from Priority.. new gauge hood for the BRG, replacement OEM seatbelt connectors for Benny, replacement shifter insulation for both the BRG and Sunburst plus lots of miscellaneous OEM clips, fasteners, etc.



    And then some other parts started showing up... better wiper blades to replace the awful looking Rain-X ones and a couple sets of GS delrin door bushings for BRG and the SB. Still impressed by how much these seem to tighten things up.



    I also got a set of LED bulbs from RevLimiter to enhance the lighting of the Gen 3 Fighter gauges (sorry my photo skills don't do Adam's exceptional craftsmanship justice but trust me, they look spectacular!)


    Crested 69k miles on Benny yesterday so coming up on 20k miles in the last couple years. Funny, I'm putting on way more miles than on my "daily driver" which has seen less than 10k over the same amount of time.

    And then more boxes just keep showing up.. got to get busy so I can share some bigger updates soon.


    For now though, its a great time to get out and drive...

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  13. #188
    4,000 rpm - entering the fun zone TNRooster3's Avatar
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    Cool stuff happening there- keep the updates coming! - LeatherlyOldMan

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  15. #189
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    The UpGarage box had part of the Car Make Corns Version 3 dual tip exhaust that arrived in a container from Japan courtesy of Bo.



    This weekend my eldest and I finally had time planned to install the CMC onto Benny and use his old exhaust to swap onto the BRG. Despite both looking OEM, the Smurf has always sounded significantly better so seemed like a good idea.

    Was very thankful to have a fan in the garage as it was a particularly warm one for crawling under the cars.



    We started on Saturday and the first removal took significantly longer as it always does but after probably close to two hours we had taken the stock exhaust off. Unfortunately we had a massive issue with one of the bolts from the Catalytic convertor which ultimately came completely out (instead of just the nut). Despite many, many attempts we actually couldn’t get it back in or the nut off. The local Pep Boys didn’t have a replacement in stock so go it snugged in as far as possible but certainly not good enough.



    Probably needed a pick-me-up at this stage so was great timing when a Tire Rack delivery showed up with a new set of Toyo Proxes R888 in 225/50/14!! More on that in a later update but it was great to see them stacked next to the tower of Daisies…


    So the CMC was finally in despite the bolt issue but certainly good enough for a test drive. For me the tone is absolutely perfect – deeper, throatier but not excessively loud. I need to figure out how to post a video here once I get 35MB of it off my phone.

    We started again on Sunday and the swap on the BRG went very quickly despite the exact same bolt on the Catalytic convertor snapping this time. It’s the one in the picture on the left. Well, just before the head snapped off..



    We used penetrating spray but I’d recommend heavy doses of it and probably starting days in advance. Of course I learned this is a known challenge after I failed at getting it out. For the second time around, I think the complete removal and install was about 45 minutes start to finish and now the BRG sounds like Benny did as I hear him heading up the hill away from our home.

    The original plan was to target completing the next phase of Benny’s development by MRLS but as I flagged elsewhere, JCCS 2017 has invited Miata’s as special guests so I’ve registered the Sunburst and Benny which only means I really need to get the big remaining work underway. I can think of much worse problems to have…

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  17. #190
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    Oh my, can't wait to hear the Car Make Corns exhaust! Really excited to see the R888's installed...i hope they get installed on the rpf1's but I suspect they are getting put on the Star's. Either way eager to hear your feedback....i want a set of them.
    '01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
    '97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
    Instagram: @greasemonkey2000

  18. #191
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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  20. #192
    4,000 rpm - entering the fun zone Roadster7's Avatar
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    Hot damn that sounds good...nice and mellow, but it's got a growl as well.

  21. #193
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift JamieH's Avatar
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    I foresee great things to come.

  22. #194
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Roadster7 View Post
    Hot damn that sounds good...nice and mellow, but it's got a growl as well.
    thanks. I hadn't been able to find an audio clip on it but took a "risk" given Corn's track record. To me it sounds perfect. Will try to get some video clips of it under load where it really sings.

  23. #195
    4,000 rpm - entering the fun zone Roadster7's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by oldgrayleather View Post
    thanks. I hadn't been able to find an audio clip on it but took a "risk" given Corn's track record. To me it sounds perfect. Will try to get some video clips of it under load where it really sings.
    Ha! I've been planning on doing the same for months now... It's really hard to capture true exhaust tone without an external mic.

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