Roadster NA

[Roadster7]

I'll be at MATG this year for some spirited runs

[Roadster7]

Got around to installing the FM frame rails with a friend today. What a mess the garage quickly turned into. Easy install though, and a great chance to clean up the crud under the seats.

[Greasemonkey2000]

Frame rails are one of the must have na/NB braces, imo, those and fender braces. Moby is looking great, keep up the great work!

[Roadster7]

Thanks Chad. I only drove for a mile or so with the frame rails, but I definitely felt a difference going over bumps and cracks in the road.

Started working on the motor mounts before work today. Got everything unbolted, engine jacked up, and the passenger mount removed, but the drivers side is a PITA. Began removing the exhaust manifold, that's the only way out from what I can see. The interior heat shield is in the way and I can't seem to massage the mount out of there.

[JamieH]

The driver's side will come out with the exhaust manifold in place, and the new one will go in as well. Before pulling the manifold, install the new passenger side mount, bolt it up then jack the engine up to get clearance for the driver's side.

That way the engine will also rotate towards the passenger side a bit. You should end up with just enough room to rotate the mount just right to get it out and in.

[Roadster7]

That's a good idea, I will give it a shot tonight! Thanks Jamie.

[Roadster7]

Jamie's tip definitely helped, thank you again.

I was able to finish the installation that night, didn't need to remove the exhaust manifold although it was still a very tight fit. This was by far the most frustrating part that I've ever installed on a car.
Here's what the driver's side mount looked like, not broken completely but pretty close to it:






Passenger side wasn't cracked or broken, but was compressed to a point that it was metal-on-metal when under the weight of the motor.
New vs old:





I also went out for another drive this morning. The FM frame rails are something else; and at a $170 price point, there is no reason why they shouldn't top the list of parts in any build. I am actually mad at myself for not getting them sooner. It is pleasantly surprising how many creaks, rattles, and squeaks have now disappeared. Just blown away.

[oldgrayleather]

I also went out for another drive this morning. The FM frame rails are something else; and at a $170 price point, there is no reason why they shouldn't top the list of parts in any build. I am actually mad at myself for not getting them sooner. It is pleasantly surprising how many creaks, rattles, and squeaks have now disappeared. Just blown away.

Thanks for the encouragement, that's the kick in the ass I needed (I've had a set of GarageStar frame rails sitting in my garage since some time last year ).

[NCGreasemonkey]

Thanks for the encouragement, that's the kick in the ass I needed (I've had a set of GarageStar frame rails sitting in my garage since some time last year ).

Do I need to ride out west and kick you in the arse to install those?!?

Sorry. Back to are regularly scheduled programming...

Love that you got the mounts fixed Roadster7. Mine were a little less mounts and more rests when removed.



Peace Nut! And love the thread!

[oldgrayleather]

Do I need to ride out west and kick you in the arse to install those?!?

You know you're always welcomed but besides the kickin you could help with the install of both the rails and mounts (Yep, needin those too!).

[Roadster7]

I have so little left to do on the dash that I've been slacking. Remaining tasklist:


- Clean and fit vents.
- Clean frame of rust and paint.


Worked on the passenger side vent today. For some reason Mazda decided to lather these nice plastic pieces in the same garbage that went onto the top of tan dashes so 25 years later they are just as sticky and nasty. Had a go at it with drake fluid, paper towels, q-tips, and SEM paint prep (to remove the brake fluid).


Before and after - I think there is a bit of a difference.







I tried fitting the vents earlier, after the leather was down, but the thickness of the leather made the opening too small. After trimming the upper corner of the vent with a razor, it went right in.

[Paul B]

Such incredible work.


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[RustRat]

And the grain is almost the same. Incredible!


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[Roadster7]

Thanks fellas.

While driving around this weekend, I started hearing a metallic rattle around 3200-3000 RPM, only while RPMs are dropping and the car is warm. It got worse yesterday so I decided to climb under and check. The rattle was coming from the middle of the car, and after checking the cat bolts, I found one was loose. Easy fix right? Wrong. 1/4 turn is all it took to snap the bolt clean off. Tried to remove the others, and was left with this:




I drive the car daily so I had to do something temporary, which came in the form of the TopSpeed resonator SFLMiata sent with the exhaust. I won't even post a sound clip of this setup - very raspy and loud. Probably an acceptable noise level for track or autocross, but I'm glad this isn't a permanent solution.

Drilling out the cat bolts and threads right now, will be replacing with a bolt and locking nut solution, as well as new donut gaskets all around.

[Roadster7]

Alright boys and girls, please make sure to wear ear protection. I didn't, at least not for the first two bolts, and ended up with temporary (I hope) tinnitus. Got some ear muffs for the last two. Please wear eye and ear protection. Anyway, cat back in place with new gaskets and bolts.




Something else that has been bothering me is the GarageStar radiator cooling panel fitment. The hood loop rubs on the panel when closed, and so does the latch lever itself. I don't think this is an issue with the panel itself, but maybe with Moby specifically. CarFax pulls up a small accident in 1995, so this might be a result of that. Anyway, I tried adjusting the latch higher so the hood loop doesn't rub against the panel but it wouldn't go any higher than it is now. I just dealt with it since then, but it has started to rattle lately and I needed to deal with it.

You can see where the loop rubbed away at the metal:



Cut with a grinder.



Much better fitment now, and no rubbing.