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Thread: Sharka

  1. #811
    Forum Sponsor revlimiter's Avatar
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    I did a huge blog post on attending the Miatas at MRLS event. Check it out for details. I'll post some highlights here.


    I got a visor signed by Tom Matano! Or rather, Corey got it signed for me. I had track time during the signing.

    I did get to meet him during the banquet. I accosted Tom at dinner. Such a nice guy. He didn't seem to be bothered that I was interrupting his meal one bit. I quickly thanked him and shook his hand.



    Saturday parade laps.




    Corey and Bucky


    Happy parade lap selfie


    They tried to do something special for the parade laps at Saturdya’s lunch and get a solid track worth of Miatas going on. 354 cars packed the track for a Mobius Strip of Miatas. There were GoPro cameras here and there on the track to capture the cars rolling past. This was preparation for something they’d do at next year’s (2018) event.

    Sharka and Bucky were in the pack flying together.

    Speeds were profoundly slow. Super slow. But I took advantage and snapped a lot of photos.


    Camera in hand on the corkscrew!


    and Gotbluemilk took the money shot.



    Sharka, Bucky, and Benny all on the corkscrew together. Perfection!

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  3. #812
    Forum Sponsor revlimiter's Avatar
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    Next blog post - actually driving on Laguna Seca in anger.

    I dreamed about it for half of my life. Driving on the track? It blew away anything I ever dreamed. Read the post for more babbling and something like 33 shots. I'll post highlight pix here.




    That's Sharka's garage for the event.



    I was originally invited to show off Sharka in Garage Star's garage for the event. I was super excited to have a nice spot to park and G* thought Sharka might bring in a crowd. Then a few months passed.

    Garage Star could not make the event. They had issues getting parts made and were not going to be able to make a good showing. Cars were also being painted and prepped, but they would not be done in time either. They decided to not come out to the event at all.

    So they gave me their garage. Just like that.







    Driving on the track was magic. I didn't break and neither did Sharka. We had a blast! And the gotbluemilk pix blew me away. Something to treasure for a lifetime.

    This was one of my highest bucket list items. To cross it off? So satisfying.



    On Sunday, Sharka hit 60,000 miles while driving on the track, just past the corkscrew. I pulled into the pit road to take pix.

    Hitting 60k on Laguna blew away all of my previous milestone pix (mostly 100,000 miles at 100 mph). I still can't believe that happened.



    I wanna go back right now.

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  5. #813
    Supporting Member John J's Avatar
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    How do you spell ENVIOUS! Congraduations, Adam.

  6. #814
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! marlonthegreat's Avatar
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    great blog post as always Adam
    MIATA...incredibly fun to drive - as that is its only purpose for being.

  7. #815
    Forum Sponsor revlimiter's Avatar
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    I’ve had a project in the back of my mind for a few years – doing a rollbar cover for Sharka’s Blackbird Fabworx bar. But then… life got in the way and I never managed to set aside the weekend or two to do it.

    Fast forward a couple years.



    I had a stick of Hard Dog’s pre-formed SFI rollbar padding on Sharka’s bar. It’s basically suicide to run a bar without this stuff, and Hard Dog’s padding fits the Blackbird shape perfectly. But I’d never covered it with anything and the padding was starting to get a bit brown on the edges. Sharka always has the hardtop on, so it’s not a huge deal but… yeah. It was getting ugly.





    Last year when I visited Benny and Pete in California, I noticed his GORGEOUS rollbar cover. Benny was rocking a single diagonal Blackbird bar and I asked about it immediately since I knew there wasn’t a ready source for the covers. Pete explained that he’d commissioned Hard Dog to make up a cover for his Blackbird rollbar after sending in measurements.

    And they did it! And it was PERFECT.

    I thought back about my rollbar cover project idea and decided I couldn’t possibly ask Hard Dog to make one for Sharka. Nope. I’d just make one myself. Someday.

    Then the Fedex truck dropped off a box.



    Pete, my very dear friend, decided to take matters into his own hands and have Hard Dog make up a rollbar cover for Sharka. Just out of the blue. Just to send Sharka a very kind gift. He contacted Moti (owner of Blackbird Fabworx) and got the measurements he needed. And then Hard Dog made the magic happen.

    I’m just stunned. It’s such a wonderful and thoughtful gift.

    Thank you Pete.

    Now for some pix.


    Fresh SFI stick installed


    Rollbar covered!


    Perfect fitment

    It’s just… perfect. The whole thing is held on by velcro and fitment is spot on. There’s a tiny bit of fiddling needed to get wrinkles smoothed and seams laying flat, but it’s all of 10 minutes work.

    The cover is nice and thin too, just the thickness of the vinyl. So if your hardtop is a tight fit, it’s likely that this cover won’t get in the way of anything.

    I love it.







    By a strange coincidence, I pulled the hardtop off and put on Sharka’s bikini top just a few days prior to the rollbar cover arriving. The weather’s been punishing at 105*F highs, but I missed the bikini and thought it was about time.

    I even scowled about that faded SFI padding a few days ago… such a happy coincidence.

    THANK YOU SO MUCH PETER!!! Sharka and I are extremely lucky to have you and the rest of the Miata tribe in our lives.

    Now for a summer evening cruise.

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  9. #816
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    To Pete and everyone else like him who makes this community the best!
    '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
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  11. #817
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power Corifto's Avatar
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    So beautiful!

    Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

  12. #818
    Forum Sponsor revlimiter's Avatar
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    Wow. Almost a year since Sharka had any change at all. Man...

    So. I have side skirts now.




    RS Limited side skirts!!! Huge thanks to Chris Horne for making this possible.

    Sharka’s set of RS side skirts have seen some miles. They came with no mounting rail or hardware, as it was rusted out and useless. They’re in decent shape, but there’s a few little breaks and scratches here and there.

    But they’re gonna be super shiny very very soon.


    At the paint shop! This is Sharka's third visit. Once for a full respray, once for the BBFW rollbar to get sprayed, and now for the side skirts.


    The lower lip scrapes on something nearly every drive. Four years of punishment has the paint cracking a bit. That small splitter helps a lot, but impact after impact with low pavement has taken the toll. Getting that stripped and re-shot while painting the side skirts won’t be an issue.


    Last time in the light without skirts.


    Home for the next week.


    On the little lift. I removed the ~83 bolts holding the lower skirt on myself as I didn't want to wish that on anyone else.


    I stole some hardware from around the paint shop and grabbed a piece of aluminum bar stock from Lowe's. This will let the skirts hang from the body like Mazda intended.

    thanks for the mounting instructions John!!







    Figuring out the mounts went like this:
    1) Hold the skirt up to the car and mark the top edge with tape.
    2) Install the metal bracket (36″ x 1/8″ aluminum) inside the skirt and figure out where to drill four holes.
    3) Measure those holes.
    4) Measure the body to figure out exactly where to drill two of the four holes.
    5) Drill two inner holes.
    6) Mount the metal bracket on the car with the newly drilled holes. Then mark the two outer holes.
    7) Drill outer holes, apply hardware, test fit the side skirt.

    I got the extreme pleasure of doing this myself BTW. (insert eye roll emoji here) Ken and Jerry were busy with other projects in the shop and said “Yeah, you can do it. Here’s a drill.” and then I got to figure out the mounting system…

    and it worked!!!

    (ps, yes, I originally wanted the trained body shop experts to do this.)






    The metal bar worked great. It has to be spaced away from the body juuuust enough to allow the side skirt to slide in and make strong contact. I got lucky and found some washers that were just the right thickness.

    The only issue was the bolt heads themselves. They stuck out too much in the front two holes and you could see them through the side skirt. A die grinder took care of that. So… yeah, I won’t be unbolting that mounting bar any time soon.


    This was my very first time seeing a set of RS Limited side skirts mounted on a Miata in person. I was, and still am, super super pleased with my choice.

    They’re subtle and beautiful. Hard to believe these weren’t made as option parts from day 1.

    Fast forward a few days….










    I randomly stopped at the shop on my way to get more printer ink and… boom! A pile of freshly painted parts. As in being carried out of the paint booth at that moment.

    Still warm from the booth cooker.

    SO HAPPY!

    There’s nothing like fresh paint. Just nothing. I didn’t even want to touch it. Everything was just so flawless.

    Also FLAWLESS. Every scrape and scratch was filled. Every broken mounting tab was fixed with a metal backing and fiberglass front. And even the front air dam ducts were carefully disassembled and sprayed inside.



    This is what makes up Sharka’s paint. I didn’t post this when I got the car repainted… because I didn’t know! I never knew the Toyota color that went over the Crystal white stripe.

    Paint: Sikkens
    Body: M8 Montego Blue (his original color)
    Stripe: 34K Crystal White (3 layers)
    Stripe top coat: Toyota 062 Crystal White pearl (3 layers).
    And of course gloss clear (5 layers) on top of that.

    The Toyota pearl topcoat is really interesting. It’s super thin, not very white, and has the same green flake in it that Montego blue uses. The flake is incredible in person and something I’ve never been able to get a good photo of.

    Anyways, after about an hour of standing around and drooling over the fresh paint, I got up the courage to start shoving the parts onto the car.







    So beautiful. So perfect.

    Like I said, I was on my way to get more gauge printer ink and just happened to stop by Carmer’s. I then left, got the ink, and drove home by myself… late in the afternoon.

    I picked up a freshly washed and beautiful Sharka that next morning.







    I'm beyond happy. It's a subtle change, but the extra curve down low just helps so much. The RS skirts have such a great 90s quality to them. I love it.

    I hope to not have another year between Sharka mods...

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  14. #819
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift Demon I Am's Avatar
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    2:10. I came here for the toys

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  16. #820
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! turboedpickup's Avatar
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    As always...super clean.

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  18. #821
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    Looks so fantastic. Always expected that if I ever found a set that I’d keep them black but body color especially with Motego looks so perfect. Not sure on a lighter colored car but has certainly got me thinking. Congrats on yet again your own industriousness as well as the end result!!!

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  20. #822
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift JamieH's Avatar
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    I need to find me a body shop as skilled and friendly as that.

    Best Montego on the planet. And it just gets better with every update. Still a source of inspiration.

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  22. #823
    Super Moderator Bryan's Avatar
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    Very subtle!
    Quote Originally Posted by DazedAndConfused
    I dont know a word you just said, but that **** sounded COOL.

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  24. #824
    Individual-1 ☚ ☻ ☛ Agent☣Orange's Avatar
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    If I ever win the lottery, I’m going to give Adam an offer he can’t refuse.


    No todo que es oro brilla.

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  26. #825
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift JamieH's Avatar
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    He'll refuse it.

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