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Thread: Poorman's Mr. Miato

  1. #1
    Idling - Listen to it purr...
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    Poorman's Mr. Miato

    From my new member welcome post:

    Quote Originally Posted by poormansporsche View Post
    ...I have a 91LE BRG. Picked it up a couple years ago when my Mini Cooper S was down (as it tends to do). It was a cheap car and always wanted one. Such an incredibly slow and amazing driving experience. Very different than my 400hp first gen impreza. Different but great.

    Had a bit of bumpy start with her. Someone stole the hardtop the first month I brought her home. Paint on the rear bumper flaked off and a couple people backed into the front of her. She's very loud and has some miles.

    But hopefully the luck will change.



    Have some immediate plans for her. Hope to be sharing soon.

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  3. #2
    Supporting Member Hammerhead's Avatar
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    Looking forward to it.

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    Super Moderator tsingson's Avatar
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    Love RPF1s.

  5. #4
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift NCGreasemonkey's Avatar
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    Ok, I'm watching...
    ... Rick

    Quote Originally Posted by Hammerhead View Post
    ...and don't be like an NCGreasemonkey.
    For the thread on Noir click below
    http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....e-light-Slowly

  6. #5
    Idling - Listen to it purr...
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    I am sad to say the luck has not changed... yet.

    This missus and I were literally on our way to Tokyo. I just had to drop the car off at the garage to store it, when my neighbor says "you're not gonna like this." And I come out this mess.





    This is probably the worst place to have a low impact accident on an MX5. Sadly, expectedly, there was no note left. It was definitely a very large car. It look to be a very low speed impact by something of significant weight. As if someone didn't see it because their car was too large. Like a big white Ford E series van. Like the one that someone parks in front of our flat days at time, that now has a bend in the rear bumper... (I've since installed CCTV)

    Had a great time in Japan. Rented this little devil for a few days and drove around the island. Been there before but such a great experience driving around.



    The noises it makes. Awful to live with. But the noises. Very inspired. Would love independent throttles on my BRG some day.

    Upon return, I take it to my mate at Ultimate Coachworks in Culver City. Not sure if it's acceptable to plug. They do the best work in town. The owner used to work for Ferrari of Beverly Hills and his attention to detail is fierce.

    She spends a couple weeks in West LA and I get a call "I got two Ferraris coming in tomorrow, I'll give you a good deal as long as you get it out today!" So I got a killer price on a major body repair.



    Then she was back on the street. One very shiny corner... and three ugly ones.

    (@revlimiter I emailed you about a bunch of parts and never followed up. Apologies for that, if you're reading) I almost dumped the car after insurance provided no assistance with my claim. In the end I'm grateful for having friends looking out and willing to lend a hand when you've been dealt a poor hand.

    cheers

    poorman

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  8. #6
    Idling - Listen to it purr...
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    Stereo: Part 1

    Waaaaiiiit!


    Wait wait wait wait wait... I'm getting ahead of myself.

    So I bought the car and just drove it. Such a good time in stock form. Stock minus an uprated antiroll bar in the front. And RPF1s. And RE11a tires. And tint... It was mostly stock. I had been driving, at the time a 2002 Mini Cooper S which, like it or not is a pretty well mannered car in the corners. Just not altogether fun and people often asked if I was "driving the missus' car today?".

    So the first order of business was the stereo. The speakers were shot. There was actually zero speaker surround left on any of the speakers. Door and headrest. And since the were they factory speakers there was no tweeter leaving a very narrow band of frequencies, most of which no one wants to hear.

    Got in touch with a car audio shop I've been using for some time and they sent me home with a pair of Hertz speakers. They aren't the tippy top of the line but they do a good job considering my only desire is to power them with the HU amp.






    Disconnect the headrest speakers and we're good.

    Err. Well it'd be nice to have Bluetooth and maybe a CD player. (hold comments about age thanks much)



    100 dollars sure goes far these days. I can say with much certainty, you can't go wrong with any head unit these days. I really just wanted something quick and this fit the bill.

    If one has access to a nice microphone and a spectrum analyzer (or a phone with an app....) you can dial in a good deal of sound.

    cheers

    poorman

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  10. #7
    Idling - Listen to it purr...
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    About that hardtop

    So I walked out of the house, pulled my keys from my pocket, looked at my car, and literally said to myself "Excellent going to work with the top down today!"

    Then it hit me. Someone already did me a kindness and relieved me of it. And then broke my window. Probably not in that order.



    How furious was I. Quite. Turns out someone has been knocking off hardtops and truck tailgates in my neighborhood.

    So I immediately looked on craigslist to buy my hardtop back. I found, not mine, but a BRG top with a roof liner and better paint only 2 hours away. Based on a lot of other for sale ads I determine it's about 30% below market and I call the fella and say I have cash I'll be there tonight. He hesitates as someone offered him money at the end of the week. But I explain my sob story and we make a deal that same day. Very nice young Japanese kid that just moved here. Always wanted an MX5 and bought one with a hardtop. But he didn't want it to get stolen so he preempted the loss and sold it.





    This time I was a little bit smarter. Picking up a set of Beatrush latches and a set of master locks, then invested in a decent but smart install of a car alarm.






    Since I was making the effort of having locks shipped all the way from Japan I also took the opportunity to have some new keys sent over.

    Two Clover Pole Position keys and a Queenie.





    Love these keys to death. Particularly the Queen. Shame it doesn't work so well on the boot though. It's wee bit too thick. Works in a pinch, but tight.

    cheers

    poorman

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  12. #8
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift Demon I Am's Avatar
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    Wow, that blows. If you need a new piece of glass, PM me your address, I'll send it to you for the cost of shipping. I fucking hate that someone would do this.

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  14. #9
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    Further damage control: More maintenance

    You're a ledge Demon! I've actually sorted it out with a set of Project-G poly windows with pop-out vents, which I truly love.

    The second car I've ever owned was a 1988 Mazda 323. It had what I can only refer to as Wind Wings 2.0. The side HVAC vents also doubled as a vent from the windshield cowl pressures. It was like having your windows down only you can point the breeze someplace that made a difference. Plus you could use them in the rain. The old 323 was fantastic. It just felt like it wanted to be setup as a rally car. But I'm digressing.

    Pop-out vents good. I'm struggling to find a photo of it. For now I've just installed the one. It looks more or less like this. Less black more green tho.






    While I was there I also picked up a replacement upper shifter gasket, which was just utterly destroyed and held together with zipties.






    So thought it prudent to replace it. My right hand is considerably cooler these days.





    Project-G just has some really nice stuff. I couldn't help myself and also bought their dipstick handle as well. Mine was fully broken off. It's got a great solid feel to it.





    I believe it was also around this time I ordered OEM replacement gauge cluster hood and tombstone.

    I don't think I've seen an MX5 with an uncracked gauge cluster hood yet. Mine was also pretty banged up in addition to being a bit rattly.





    And I thought about how tired I was of getting black smudge on my hands from the deteriorating steering wheel. So I bought a replacement Nardi 330 Deep Corn wheel (an authentic one). Is this maintenance? Well that's what I told the missus.





    Then I installed that.


    If I recall I used a short hub from Bell Works, I believe. Then I had to get an adapter because the hub is for Momo patterned wheels. So I picked up the adapter and it's a little far from the steering wheel now, but I've actually started to really enjoy it's placement.





    It just feels right. I'm not a giant, so moving it back wasn't really the worst idea. I do find myself fumbling for the turn indicator in other cars now.


    Dirty mother... The shift knob is got this weird tar around it. It's the OEM Nardi knob and someone tried to fix it by putting silicon around the rubber bit. However, in the heat it looks to have started to sag and really, the clear coat on it is pulling away from the wood. That'll never do. Unfortunately, I did't really want to pay for a replacement at the time. (See username)

    I bought a cue ball and had it drilled and tapped for M10x1.25 it's got a great vintage race car look but also fits well in the hand and has a bit more weight. Gear throws feel a tad smoother than before.





    I think I also did the plugs and and plug wires about this point as well. Though, I was sad to find out my valve cover gasket appeared to be failing. Cylinder 4 had a ton of oil around the plug. So that'll be replaced soon. Then it sounds like a hamster has taken up residence in my dash and started a workout regimen on his wheel. So I think the speedo cable is due for replacement. A bit nervous to take out the gauge hood again. They're about as reliable as moving Ikea furniture. They can only be assembled once.

    Overall, it's nicely coming together. I can't say that it has changed all that much. It was already a great driving experience. But the upcoming installs should make it a bit more exciting.

    cheers

    poorman

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