I did a thing.

[HarryB]

Some NB2s had chrome (interior) handles, some satin silver, some black, depending on the trim/year.

[—Bryan—]

I noticed at the junkyard that there were a few Mazda, chrome interior door handles that were Miata compatible.

Those could be a nice touch...

[— kung fu jesus —]

I broke one of the handles, or maybe it was already broken, so I had to get another from my breaker. In the mean time, I looked up titanium paint to match the center stack pieces in case I wanted to paint the handles to match or touch up/add more titanium-colored pieces later. SEM appears to have a really close match for interior paint:

https://www.semproducts.com/product/...roduct-details

Also because the handle was broken, I experimented with a "brushed chrome" finish by sanding the finish with a few different sandpaper grits in one direction. You can see the results in the side-by-side comparison in the post above. I tested how thick the chrome finish was by continuing to sand until the color changed. It's actually pretty forgiving as long as you aren't pressing with a lot of pressure.

Yes, there are black, satin titanium, and chrome NB2 handles, just like the gauge rings on the NB clusters. I may try the brushed chrome finish in the future, or paint them with the SEM paint. I want to give them a bit of time and just mull it over.

The satin ones are painted, and are prone to chipping.

[— kung fu jesus —]

Just a cool little detail from Adam @ Revlimiter. The unboxing, even of something so small, is really great. Don’t ever change, Adam!





Nardi badges and JIS bits!



One for my NB1 airbag:





One for my NB2 steering wheel:


(Picture taken with authentic potato)



And a sticker for the tool chest:

[— Agent☣Orange —]

I noticed at the junkyard that there were a few Mazda, chrome interior door handles that were Miata compatible.

Oops, I meant Mazda Protégé.

[— kung fu jesus —]

OCD and inner ricer abated. Powder coated valve cover and hood lifts!

Courtesy of Joe @ R*Speed and Jzilla Track Days.

Good news, I found a set of chrome acorn valve cover bolts in storage! Bad news, I snapped the ball bolt for the left lift (my fault 100%, too many ugga duggas).

[—Bryan—]

Always dig gold/bronze with white. Hot topic.

[—tsingson—]

That looks awesome. I need to see if I can find a Beatrush bar like that. Gold would go nicely in my engine bay.

[— kung fu jesus —]

Fairly certain it’s the same as the Mazdaspeed bar.

This one has some history. It was on one of the R Speed shop cars, then my friend’s NOPI Drift series Miata, I had it on my NA for years and years, now this car.

FWIW, the R Speed powder coated valve cover is very, very nice. Consistent coating, nipples and holes properly masked, the underside appears to have been tanked and blasted, it was very clean like a fresh casting. I just removed the baffles and grommet from mine, a thin film of RTV on the mating edges to seal the baffle plates, swap over the oil cap, install.

[oldgrayleather]

Looks very nice!

[— kung fu jesus —]

That looks awesome. I need to see if I can find a Beatrush bar like that. Gold would go nicely in my engine bay.

Grimmspeed sells a replica BBS gold metallic paint in aerosol cans. They are a Subaru aftermarket tuner. The paint is $~20/can. I considered painting my S1 wheels in that color.

It’s surprisingly difficult to find a good metallic gold paint for automotive applications.

It would be great for underhood accents like the mounts on that Beatrush STB.

https://www.grimmspeed.com/grimmspee...SABEgKtpPD_BwE

[— kung fu jesus —]

Broken ball stud



I stripped the 6x1.0 hole it went into, so I found a replacement down the road at NAPA. I went with a 5/16x18 thread, an m8x1.0 would have worked too. Drilled the hole out 17/64”, tapped and



Result!



Installed the struts, but in the wrong orientation. They worked fine but the bodies would lay on the cowl weatherstripping, raising the back of the hood a little.

Easily flipped them around like so





Which makes sense additionally because this orientation protects the shaft from nicks and scratches which could wear/damage the pneumatic cylinder seals, I suppose.



I removed the OE hood prop and job completed.

I have missed these. I had similar ones on my NA and it made routine under-hood work so much easier.



(Gratuitous rice content)

[chiefmg]

I busted one of the ball supports on my RSpeed hood lifts, and they replaced it at no charge. Then, when the first one went missing on the way (package was ripped when I got it) they sent me a second one. It's great finding a vendor who provides such support.

[— kung fu jesus —]

That’s really awesome! Joe and his crew are good people.

[—tsingson—]

I am surprised that this wasn't already done. I have the Tein ones so I probably overpaid for the Tein green but I absolutely love them. No drilling and the only thing I had to do was add a washer on the car side of the strut because it was rubbing slightly on the inside fender. But the hood actually goes higher than when I had the OEM hood prop.