What did you do to your NB 2015?

[tsingson]

Alright guys, it has been a while. Let's see what you guys have done lately!

[Hyper]

Saving money to buy a GTX dual ball bearing turbo. I wish I could have it my hands so I can put pictures of all the parts I plan to install.

[Demon I Am]

It's amazing how few active NB users there are on this board. This weekend, if the rain holds off, I'll be installing a soft top on the NA, and putting the hard top on my future NB. May take off the MSM wheels and install the RAYS as well. I'll take photos if it happens

[Sean5294]

I will have to dig mine out of the snow. I just installed a Flyin Miata muffler that I got from Planet Miatas garages sale. I also installed a JVC digital media head unit.

[tsingson]

Hopefully you guys can get pics up. It all sounds sweet! I have to do something to mine to get some pictures here as well.

[Sean5294]

Here are a couple pics
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g95/kain99_2006/IMAG0550_zpspacokble.jpg
JVC unit, I liked it so much I got one for my truck as well

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g95/kain99_2006/IMAG0553_zps8sisnko7.jpg
Flyin Miata muffler $150.00 :mrgreen:

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g95/kain99_2006/IMAG0552_zpskn2mqu3j.jpg
Shift knob I got from Phat

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g95/kain99_2006/IMAG0557_zpszfrvzz2f.jpg
Before it snowed

[Demon I Am]

150 seems like a steal on the muffler

[Sean5294]

It was, all I had to do was clean it up a little.

[ravestation]

Purchased new ECU for my MSM
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10384685_1017503401608648_4302965304269016786_n.jp g?oh=aae63e3071bfe812208c1a22406a4417&oe=55465802&__gda__=1430433896_9532fba37ccc0942369d39592b1b44f b

now waiting for new injectros, bigger FMIC, etc.

[Demon I Am]

rays ms01-r wheels. soft top deleted. hard top on.
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8580/16095252384_97349f527c_s.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/qwhnMs)IMG_20150304_105042159 (https://flic.kr/p/qwhnMs) by demon1am (https://www.flickr.com/people/13981880@N07/), on Flickr

Wheels were a little flat from sitting, no worries now.

[Demon I Am]

Mazda comp motor mounts are in

[PioneerMX5]

Here are a couple pics
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g95/kain99_2006/IMAG0550_zpspacokble.jpg
JVC unit, I liked it so much I got one for my truck as well


I have that same exact JVC unit coming to replace the Bose. ;)

[Martin]

Mazda comp motor mounts are in

Did you take pics so you can post a nice write-up? I want to install these in my car.

[Demon I Am]

They were easy, but time consuming. I had to work mostly by flashlight, so no good pics. Here are some tips though:

Use this, John did a thorough job with the pics http://www.themazdaforum.com/showthread.php/7566-How-to-MX-5-Motor-Mount-Swap
This one is also a good guide: http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=414218

Recommended special tools:
Extendable flex head ratchet: 13743
This little bugger was great for getting just the right angle or ratchet length for leverage.
Be sure to have a few different sizes of extensions 3", 6", 12"
A swivel joint for the ratchet was pretty helpful, especially on the passenger side.
Block of wood: putting a jack foot through the oil pan is not the best thing to do


Driver's side:
*Easiest side to work on.
*On the NB, I had to remove the airbox, and the heat shields from the exhaust. Not sure if the NA is the same. jack up the engine a little bit before loosening anything, to take pressure off the bolts.
*With enough extensions, you can get most of the bolts out from underneath, but don't be afraid to tackle them from up high.Sometimes better clearance is better :D
*Remove the nut in the a-arm hole first, then attack the 3 that hold the cup to the frame.
*When putting the boltss back in, you will have to raise the engine a little more to get the bolt holes aligned. it's a game of "raise it up-check the alignment"

Passenger side:
This side is more difficult. there's a lot more in the way (AC lines, starter, etc)
*Disconnect the battery before doing any work near the starter.
*I removed the a-arm nut first, then the bolts. I think for me, it was easiest to take out the bolts from up top, with the extendable ratchet.
*Once you break tension on these they should be easy to remove by hand from underneath.
to get the mount out of that space, i had to reach in from up top/front, and pull it out towards the front, just watch your belts and hoses.
*You may want to re-position the jack closer to the passenger side, so that it's lifting that side of the motor out of the way.

That's about it. It wasn't a hard job, just tedious. Took about 1.5 hours to do each side, in the dark. I imagine next time it will be quicker.

[Martin]

Thanks!

[ScratchNSniff]

Drove it for the first time in 2015!!! Had to make sure it started back up for this weekend...plan to bleed the brakes, and went ahead and got tires mounted on the 10AE and 6UL's...also picked up a smurf blue hardtop for it...

[PioneerMX5]

Fitted a nice new head unit.

13749

[George]

bought it a gasket set for everything on the head, TODA flywheel, new clutch, LSD... and will try to install all of this within about two days of free time I'll have next week

[Demon I Am]

Finally received the title yesterday, so today I'll make things official.
Test-fit the Voodoo ebrake handle. It's too shiny for the rest of the interior. I may have to brush it out.
Test-fit the revlimiter gauge vent rings. Not sure if I'm keeping them, though. Something about the mostly black interior just looks gorgeous, though. Wonder how much it would cost to get them (and the ebrake handle) re-coated in black chrome?

[tsingson]

Removed the hardtop and threw on the bikini top. Have the hardtop hanging in the garage. A little chilly in the morning but nothing that the heater can't fix.

[The Thaw]

tested my rain drain holes, they're drainin fine....cleaned the engine more....

[Demon I Am]

Hardtop is in storage. Black softtop with zip-out glass installed. First top down drive in almost a year... feels good, man

[Demon I Am]

Installed an arm intake that I was given, just for shiggles. Mean little snort the car has now

[Demon I Am]

Today I finally got the eyeball vents out on the dash, and installed Revlimiter brushed finish vent rings. NA owners have no idea how easy they have things, compared to the suck that is NB eyeball removal. After looking it over, I may sell these and get the shiny black ones instead, still undecided.

Heading to Tsingson's house tonight to install a SE front lip.

Still waiting on My hub to get here from ProjectG. They were out of stock and are waiting for more to clear customs, last I heard.

[Phatmiata]

I remember trying to remove the eyeball vents from a buddies NB and was like WTH !!! Impossible to remove!!

[Sean5294]

I used a hard piece of plastic to get mine out. It was a PITA.

[Demon I Am]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7643/16974850390_9ebdd792be_s.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/rS1xCj)IMG_20150415_190952482 (https://flic.kr/p/rS1xCj) by demon1am (https://www.flickr.com/people/13981880@N07/), on Flickr

[tsingson]

Looks good Tony!

Maybe this will be a bit bigger.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7643/16974850390_9ebdd792be_b.jpg

[Sean5294]

I put an antenna switch in my center console the other day. Works great and cost about 3 dollars. :)

[The Thaw]

finished engine bay...towerbrace installed, yellow wires on,...cleaned, detailed:8):
I know ...the radiators color....keepin an eye on it...

[The Thaw]

Tony, Randy....in that case I'm very happy my vents came fixed with card inserts in the perimeters...no droopy....:violinsmash:

[kitster]

I've been focusing on my interior this past winter and throughout the start of 2015. Like all projects, it's still going 😊
Here's my interior thus far.
13982

[kitster]

Here are a few more pics of my interior
1398313984

[kitster]

As for the exterior, I recently purchased Volks TE37V SL as well the v2 of the RS3.
They were recently put on the Miata within the past 2 weeks.
1398513986

[Bernerz]

14110
Took a bit longer than most folks took but I could not have done it without the help of all the pics and descriptions people have posted in these forums.

[tsingson]

Nice! How do they ride?

[Bernerz]

I got the HDs, they ride pretty solidly. Pretty much no body lean at all. Also put on a RB front sway and 949 end links per the recommendations of the forums. So far I've found the rear end doesn't break loose as easy now.

[Demon I Am]

New gauge cluster installed. AWD all the things!


https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8762/17062749774_959bd7895c_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/rZM43W)IMG_20150515_113853558_HDR (https://flic.kr/p/rZM43W) by Tony Driver (https://www.flickr.com/photos/demoniam/), on Flickr

Thanks Phat!

Now I need to look for a shift knob that'll match that ebrake handle.

[Demon I Am]

Scored a set of brand new black floor mats and brand new soft top boot cover.
I think I can mood the top cover to fit with the roll bar pretty easily

[tsingson]

It's actually really easy. You just open a few of the seams and you can lock the cover around the bar like normal.

[Jammers]

14207
Attached this on my roll bar recently. Playoff season bound! ^_^

[Sean5294]

I changed my oil today. I am pretty sure Thor himself changed it last time judging by how much force I had to use to get both the filter and the drain plug to loosen.

[JamieH]

Spent the weekend buffing, polishing, waxing and just generally cleaning a friend's NB she bought Thurs. Her husband pulled the front lip and plastidipped it and had a friend help pulling the tupperware.

http://i.imgur.com/zmxoWyw.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/CmcTBGC.jpg

2000 SE, 6 spd, 110k miles, was a CA car, so it's got the crappy CA manifold. Needs some minor maintenance TLC and a new softtop, but it is a great car otherwise.

[Packrat456]

New top, and and a new paint job. 1422014221

[tsingson]

I take it the top picture is the new color. Nice color if it is!

[Demon I Am]

Lime green is a bold choice. At least they will see you coming.

[tsingson]

Is it any different than the burnt orange of the MSM? I think anything that isn't white, silver/gray, black, dark blue, or some form of brown stands out in a crowd. Saw it in Norcal all the time.

[Demon I Am]

I wasn't meaning it in a snarky way. Moreso, commenting on going from the hardest to see color on the road (black/grey) to something so eye catching is a big change.

[Packrat456]

I take it the top picture is the new color. Nice color if it is!
No, that was the old color. It is originally the mica purple, then someone painted it the green. It was orange peeled everywhere and even had runs in several places.
It's my son's car, so we painted it the color he wanted. We are also going to airbrush a tribal tattoo with an R in the middle of it.

[tsingson]

I wasn't meaning it in a snarky way. Moreso, commenting on going from the hardest to see color on the road (black/grey) to something so eye catching is a big change.

Oh I know, Tony. I was just saying that I feel that other than the colors mentioned, I think they all stand out.

[Demon I Am]

Purchased Ignition coil, plugs, wires, replacement cam cap, valve cover gasket. Hopefully it will be delivered and installed tomorrow.

Borrowing a friend's Honda Ridgeline; what an absolute gas guzzler!

[tsingson]

No tracking numbers?

[ravestation]

replaced OEM FMIC with aftermarket one:

https://scontent-ams3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/11159995_1126626390696348_21272791033474357_n.jpg? oh=b4ce907386a7111b0e84cca3fa26d12a&oe=55C3DCA7

put rx8 injectors into my msm:

https://scontent-ams3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/11078213_1116243985067922_696914094613297981_n.jpg ?oh=22e661fc9ff443c1d546b7ac3a9997cd&oe=55C01471

[Sean5294]

New APR carbon fiber mirrors Yo (you have to say "Yo" when it's carbon fiber) with Slick Auto mounting kit.
Crappy cell phone pics.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g95/kain99_2006/58052fa1-375c-42a2-a65e-8eda7e337961_zps6g1lmrib.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g95/kain99_2006/WP_20150602_19_36_18_Pro_zpstuna0mv3.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g95/kain99_2006/WP_20150602_19_36_42_Pro_zpsqohzaffp.jpg

[Demon I Am]

Today I burned the ever loving hell out of my arm whilst changing the oil. There is a lot less clearance for grabbing the filter from up top on the NB, than the NA. Also I have at least 20 mosquito bites on my legs.

I also bought the Turtle Wax Black Box. Tomorrow morning I'm going to give the paint a little loving.

[chiefmg]

New APR carbon fiber mirrors Yo (you have to say "Yo" when it's carbon fiber) with Slick Auto mounting kit.
Crappy cell phone pics.

Do you ever go to Fuel on Saturdays? If so I'll likely see you there once I get home end of July.

All I am able to do at present is dream about her. I did buy a new coolant reservoir from FrankB on MT.net to replace my Canton one with (Frank's has a sight glass) and I have ordered something special from revlimiter that I won't share until I get it installed. No, it isn't gauges (not yet at least).

[Sean5294]

I have not been to Cars and Coffee for a while. I may have to stop by some time.

[chiefmg]

Look forward to meeting you there.

For everyone having trouble with the eyeball vents, what worked great for me was cutting a couple of pieces out of a cone of shame. You know, the one the vet puts on your pet when they have to be kept from licking/biting an incision. I used triangular pieces that were 3/4-1" wide on the small end. The cone has a nearly-perfect shape, just slip them into the sides of the vent at 3 and 9 o'clock, push in gently until you release the clips and voila!

[Demon I Am]

I tried this with a store rewards card, and could only get 1 side to unclip. The passenger seat vent clips can be reached if you remove the glove box, and use a screwdriver on one side. All the others were nightmares

[Demon I Am]

I will NEVER change the starter on an NB again. 8_hours of harbor freight runs, rounded bolts, impossible to reach locations. I may have possibly torn something in my arm.

Found a rotting mouse in my under tray, too. It smelled wonderful.
Mazda's hired gorillas to torque down the 2 uper bolts. I had to use a 2 ft breaker, and pull with both arms trim the side of the car.

I could have done this so much easier if I had an impact wrench and had put the car on the air higher. All I had to use were Rhino Ramps. The access to the upper inside bolt is a joke. You need a combo of extensions, which I now have, and a rounded bolt extractor set for when you destroy that bolt head, which I now own.

[Martin]

That doesn't sound like fun at all, Demon. But it starts now, right?

[Demon I Am]

yeah, no more push-starts! I still need to source a replacement bolt for the stripped one, then get the under tray back in place.

Saturday I noticed that my car has fog lights, mounted under a non-fog light bumper. That was an interesting find.

And Why did Mazda put a cut-out in the splash guard for fog-light access on the passenger side, but not on the driver side?

[tsingson]

Remember we had that discussion already. I believe your car had the front bumper replaced and they just did not do the cutouts in the bumper. If you need help with it, let me know. You just need to get the bezels. I did it on mine.

[Demon I Am]

My memory has been shit lately. I was surprised that the body shop didn't remove the housings, I guess.

[tsingson]

I love the way the NB1s look with the bezels.

[Demon I Am]

I need a non-leaky motor. Probably going to buy a OE-spec fresh rebuild, eventually. I think doing it all myself would take more downtime than I can afford.

[Demon I Am]

Previous owner gave me a Raceland luggage rack that he found in his attic... Cha-ching. Has the mounting plates for NA and NB fitment. Should be great for camping trips, when I get to that point.

I've also been driving around with a hitch-mounted bike rack for the last 2 weeks, hoping to find a decent deal on Craigslist. Sure does look goofy!

[HarryB]

For some reason I like the way luggage racks look on Miatas; most probably has sth to do with my unhealthy obsession with station wagons as well! :P

Got delivery of my el cheapo front lip as well as some more Autoglym products (aircon sanitizer and vinyl & rubber care) today, gonna install the lip and remove baby teeth on Saturday.

[Demon I Am]

Over a month and a half with no updates from the NB crowd. Slackers are we!

So, over the last 2 days I've been in the process of JB Welding all of my top header latches for the car. My side latches are still locking properly, as they are the least used. Thought about using the screw-in procedure, but went with the free and easy. If you are smart with the application, you hardly notice the little grey bit on the latch, so it does not really stand out, unless you are trying to find it. It's much more comforting to ride without the latches dropping open on every hard bump, or having to wedge a screw into it to stop the latch from opening. Since removing latches usually means destroying the OEM hardware (soft metal bolts + Loctite = Bad idea from Mazda) I've replaced the hardware with stainless.

During a lull in the mostly non-stop rain we have been having the last week, I finally installed my soft top boot. This was a brand-new unit, still in the Mazda plastic. I was so nervous about popping the stitches (to fit around the rollbar), but the guide on Adam's site (http://revlimiter.net/blog/2010/04/soft-top-boot-mods-for-rollbar/) held my hand nicely. After a few minutes of fighting and stretching, I was able to get the damn thing snapped into place. Once it stretches out to shape, and some of the wrinkles flatten out, it should look very nice back there.

My next job, if I get another lull in the rain, will be to do a complete re-fitting of the Hard top. I think the Frankenstein catches are too far back. The latches close and lock (now), but they are fully tightened, and do not snug the top down at all. I read about the proper procedure, and will probably take some pics of the process to help out new-owners in the future.

Maybe I'll try to snag some pics of these updates later today.

[HarryB]

We are doing pretty much the same things. Cleaned up and treated my top boot so that I can use it under the hardtop to protect the top from UV during winter. Also took out, treated, adjusted and reinstalled my hardtop seals. Wanna refurbish all latches (cleaning, sanding, painting and lubricating them) over the week, and change all hardware as well. Also thinking of plasti-dipping my hardtop, since its' in a rough shape and budget does not allow for a proper respray till next summer.

[Demon I Am]

I tried plasti-dipping once, it was terrible.

Just make sure you take off your latches, and fully tape up the rear foot brackets. Hell, I'd probably try to get tape in your rear window gasket. I tried using white, and still have places where that stuff settled in.

[HarryB]

Thanks! Yes, I'll mask everything, if it looks crap, I'll remove it. I plan a full respray next summer, but for the time being, and since the HT is black, I was thinking of re-doing it in matte black (plastidip). Will look a bit more like my top I assume, so not terribly out of place.

[tsingson]

Installed some sound deadening into the car. Got it cheap but it was thin so I doubled up on it. Just did part of the rear parcel shelf and down the back behind the seats. Took it out for a drive. At 70-75mph, it is pretty quiet. I still need to add some to the hardtop. I will do that another time. Thinking of doing a red vinyl headliner to match the seats but still leaning towards black suede. No pictures because I just wanted to get it done.

[HarryB]

Black suede, please do it! Add some req quilted stitch if you like red accents. Installed my HT, fiddling around with settings (latches, striker plates, seals) to get it to seal properly, but rainy weather and no garage does not help. Had it up to a decent point, we'll see how it behaves as I have a 300km trip this evening.

[Demon I Am]

Took a lot of parts off the black car. It fell off of the jack stands. Great times were had.

[Demon I Am]

Installed my hard top side strikers, and threw on the hard top for funsies. Man, it will look so sweet whenever it finally gets painted.

[Airbrush1]

I watched it sit in the driveway for the 3rd week in a row. It's not broken, I'm just bored with it at the moment

[Demon I Am]

I bought something large today

[NCGreasemonkey]

Hey Homey. Wrong year. LOL! :drinkto: DIA we need to have a Friday on the deck with steaks and mucho cerrvesa!