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AntiochOG
06-29-2012, 01:26 AM
It started with a text message from a friend, "I just got offered a miata for free. It doesnt run and the owner doesnt know whats wrong. Should I take a look at it? owner is a good friend of mine and was like i will sign it over to you if you want it or want to take it."

So we went and took a look. The car was owned by this girl's older brother. At just a hair over 100,000 miles something happened; he parked it and never drove it again. It's been sitting for three years with the back window unzipped and the driver's window half down. The car is in rough shape, faded paint, leaves all over the interior and a puddle in the driver's footwell, a man-eating spider under the hood, and a few good sized dents.

Still the opportunity was too good to pass up, so we came back a few days later to get it. Right now I'm not sure what the plan is. We are currently tossing around these three options in no particular order:
1. Fix it and sell it
2. Part it out
3. Fix it and rally cross it

Once we figure out if we'll be able to get it started or how nicely it will clean up we'll figure out what we're going to do. For now we're just happy to have a fun project to work on.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1124.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1126.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1127.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1130.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1129.jpg

AntiochOG
06-29-2012, 01:26 AM
The tow truck arrived to take the car to my house. As he started pulling it onto the flatbed we realized that the front driver's side wheel doesn't want to turn. He was still able to drag it up onto the truck and we headed to my house.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1136.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_0992.jpg

The tow truck was unable to back down my driveway due to the median in the road, so he had to drop it on the street, pick it up with another truck and then back it into my carport.

The first order of business was to get rid of all the bugs that were living in the car, including that man-eating spider I mentioned earlier. It was literally the biggest spider I have ever seen. I have no interest in coming face to face with something like that while I am digging around under the hood or the dash. We covered the car with some plastic sheeting and put a Raid fogger under the hood and in the cabin. Each one is good for 20,000 cubic feet, so two should work nicely in a Miata.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1139.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1138.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_0989.jpg

We're keeping the car covered over night, and come morning we'll start to really dig in and see what we have to work with. As of right now the trunk won't open so if anyone has any tricks for that feel free to share.

WASABI
06-29-2012, 05:42 AM
Wow, very cool project! Sucks about the missing window, but it doesn't look that bad... and free is free!

tsingson
06-29-2012, 07:10 AM
You gotta take pics of the aftermath of the fogger if any....

I<3flippyheadlights
06-29-2012, 09:28 AM
You gotta take pics of the aftermath of the fogger if any....

yes yes yes yes yes yes


Anyway, free is awesome. I look forward to seeing updates on here!

blenderblast
06-29-2012, 09:30 AM
agreed with the aftermath fogger pics. I should have taken some pics of when I did mine, it was horrid!

moerdogg
06-29-2012, 09:35 AM
Whew, that thing has seen better days! Good luck with the work.

Agent☣Orange
06-29-2012, 09:47 AM
Gotta love a project thread that starts with Raid foggers!

AntiochOG
06-29-2012, 10:26 AM
Wow, very cool project! Sucks about the missing window, but it doesn't look that bad... and free is free!

I don't think the window is missing. It looks like it just never got zipped up and is under a pile of leaves.

WASABI
06-29-2012, 11:19 AM
I don't think the window is missing. It looks like it just never got zipped up and is under a pile of leaves.

What?!? Sheez, these people don't deserve the car, if they couldn't put up the window! Glad that your saving it...subscribed.

JonnyD
06-29-2012, 12:19 PM
Nice deal, looks like it could use some work but should be a good project.

iamdallas
06-29-2012, 12:49 PM
I wish I could get a free Miata! Awesome.

psulja
06-29-2012, 01:29 PM
This looks like it could be a great build! I vote for option 3: "Fix it and rallycross it"

LunchboX
06-29-2012, 03:26 PM
This looks like it could be a great build! I vote for option 3: "Fix it and rallycross it"

This, definitely.

iRoadster
06-29-2012, 09:27 PM
Shit just got real.

:popcorn:

AntiochOG
06-30-2012, 01:55 AM
After letting the Raid foggers do their thing all night, we went out and took the tarps off so we could let the car air out and then see what we had to work with.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1140.jpg

The odor from the foggers was still pretty strong as we started working. The interior was gross. Most of the carpet was soggy, and there was standing water in the driver's footwell. There were a lot of leaves, spiderwebs, dirt, and random trash left by the previous owner. There was also some money and an iPod that we found next to the passenger seat.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1142.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1143.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1156.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1164.jpg

Always thought owning a Miata made in '89 would be cool.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1159.jpg

Even though it's old, with 100k on the clock it's still just a baby.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1160.jpg

Under the hood was basically the same story; thick cobwebs everywhere and lots of leaves and surface rust.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1144.jpg

This is where the giant spider was spotted, but no sign of it today.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1145.jpg

The clutch fluid reservoir was basically dry. Could something this simple be the reason the car was abandoned?

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1147.jpg

The first order of business was to remove the bra.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1149.jpg

Unfortunately under the bra we found a really bad repaint, and a bumper with the characteristic license plate dimple.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1151.jpg

Poor bumper.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1150.jpg

Then we started to pull apart the interior. The plan is to strip out everything, then determine what will clean up, and what will need to be replaced. Reuben has a strange fascination with head rest speakers, so the first thing he did was unzip the headrests. I was surprised to find these after market speakers in there.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1157.jpg

Next I pulled off the speaker covers from the door, and was even more surprised to see the top notch install job they had done on these speakers that were too small for the openings.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1162.jpg

After that I removed the rear plastics, carpet, and package tray panel. After seeing all the moisture and rust elsewhere in the car I expected this area to be pretty bad. I was surprised to see it was relatively clean and rust free.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1166.jpg

Reuben sprayed some WD-40 in the lock and after wiggling the key back and forth for a few seconds I got the trunk open. Found all kinds of goodies here. Antifreeze, which I put into the radiator, an old shirt, a CD changer, a mouse nest, some CDs, a wireless keyboard, and a soggy Haynes manual (I could have used one of those). Under all that was an inch or so of standing water. I pulled the carpet out to try and clean up.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1170.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1171.jpg

I ended up rounding off a couple bolts trying to get the seats out. Went to Napa and picked up a set of these and the last 2 bolts came right out.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1173.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1175.jpg

I took all the carpets that I had removed, all of them but the main one, and hosed them off real good in the driveway. I was surprised to see how well they cleaned up just from that. With a good shampooing I think they'll be salvageable. Gave the car a quick wash too. Then I dropped the battery off at Vatozone to get charged and tested. Turns out it was toast, but they gave me a $5 gift card for recycling it. #winning Came back home and pulled the battery out my daily Miata and put it in the project. The engine turned over but wouldn't fire up. I noticed the gas gauge was on E, so I had Reuben swing by and get some gas for the car. We put the gas in and tried to start it again, and it fired right up! So much win! All it needed was a battery and some gas.

kb19ntp762o

hippari
06-30-2012, 05:16 AM
Nice.

Aww, I tried to emphasize that with caps and it uncaps'd it. So uhh, SERIOUSLY NICE. lol

revlimiter
06-30-2012, 03:13 PM
Awesome project!!! I love stuff like this. There's nothing better than rebuilding.

iRoadster
06-30-2012, 03:56 PM
I had the feeling that it would be something as simple as a dead battery that was keeping this off the road.
Well, that and the previous owners who are obviously pretty thick.

JonnyD
06-30-2012, 04:41 PM
That's awesome it started up. Looks like that should be a good starter for a rally car.

I<3flippyheadlights
06-30-2012, 04:59 PM
MIATA POWER! (said in caps)

It needs some love, but at least it has love to give back.

theothersawyer
06-30-2012, 06:38 PM
That is awesome!!! Congrats and this is an awesome build so far!

blenderblast
06-30-2012, 09:49 PM
That's awesome! I may have to bug bomb one of my Miatas.

friday
07-01-2012, 12:16 PM
You guys might have something great on your hands. Keep us updated!

atlnb
07-01-2012, 12:56 PM
good deal, this should be good

AntiochOG
07-16-2012, 10:56 PM
Sometimes something has to die so a Miata can live. That time had come for this poor mouse who had taken up residence in the car.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1181.jpg

I started to pull the driver's seat apart so I could throw the covers in the washing machine. Because the driver's seat had been sitting in a puddle for long time there is a lot of rust on the seat pan. Structurally it still seems fine, I tried punching through the metal with a screwdriver and couldn't. I think I'll clean off what I can with a wire wheel on the drill and then treat and paint it.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1194.jpg

The seat foam was pretty securely fused to the seat pan. After a quite a while I was able to remove it almost in one piece. The foam was so soggy and gross feeling.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1199.jpg

I put the covers through the wash twice and they came out looking really good, especially considering there had been a pile of decomposing leaves sitting on them and moss starting to grow in the fabric. The plan is to dye them back to black from the charcoal color they are now.

The Platypus
07-17-2012, 02:17 AM
I think that shot of the mouse taking the bait is actually pretty cool. Those seats look gross. This is one of those cars I would completely gut the interior and not put anything back that wasn't brand new. I'd just be scared of all the disgusting shit that used to be there.

George
07-17-2012, 02:46 AM
nice progress! I'm still hoping for a shot of the man eating spider lol

tsingson
07-17-2012, 07:24 AM
What kind of mouse trap is that? Is that one of the humane ones?

AntiochOG
07-17-2012, 05:07 PM
What kind of mouse trap is that? Is that one of the humane ones?

It's just a standard trap that snaps shut and kills the mouse. It does have a nice little plastic handle that flips up so you don't have to touch the mouse though. Not very humane I'm however.

AntiochOG
07-17-2012, 05:08 PM
Had some more time to work on the car yesterday. I got started on pulling out the dash and carpet.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1200.jpg

The gauge hood came out without too much drama, and almost in one piece. Should be fairly simple to glue the tabs back on that broke off. When people say these are brittle they aren't joking.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1201.jpg

Figuring out what needed to be disconnected to out the HVAC controls took a bit of time, but I got it eventually.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1202.jpg

With everything disconnected I pulled the dash out. Not a tough job at all. Didn't even really seem to take too long.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1203.jpg

With the dash out I could get the rest of the carpet out without having to cut it.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1206.jpg

I was very happy to see that the water hadn't caused much damage below the carpet.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1204.jpg

The only real problem is here on the ECU cover.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1207.jpg

AntiochOG
07-19-2012, 12:39 AM
Reuben came over to help with the car. He went to work scrubbing stuff down in the bay.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1209.jpg

I also got to work in the bay. I pulled the airbox out and ran it through the dishwasher.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1212.jpg

Once it was clean I went over it with some tire shine gel, and it looks great now.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1226.jpg

I also removed the charcoal canister, cleaned it, and put it back in.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1217.jpg

I threw my old exhaust manifold heat shield on since it was in better shape. Although there is still a lot of work to do, it's amazing how much of an improvement some elbow grease can make.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1219.jpg

We also pulled the soft top out to make it easier to vacuum out and scrub down the interior of the car.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1215.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1216.jpg

While Reuben was working on that, I found my wire brush attachment for the drill and started cleaning up the seat pans. Still not done, but it's working really well. I ordered some POR-15 and will paint them with that once all the flaky rust stuff is gone.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1224.jpg

AHHthatsJDMyo
07-19-2012, 04:47 AM
ohh man i spy a track miata!!!

I<3flippyheadlights
07-19-2012, 12:45 PM
This car is gonna be awesome. Keep at it!

JonnyD
07-19-2012, 03:10 PM
It's just a standard trap that snaps shut and kills the mouse. It does have a nice little plastic handle that flips up so you don't have to touch the mouse though. Not very humane I'm however.

Nice :slayer:

diabeetus
07-22-2012, 06:54 PM
hell. yes.

AntiochOG
08-10-2012, 11:39 PM
I pulled off the front left wheel so I could remove the fender. Now I see why that corner was sitting so low. Anyone seen this before? Could it be caused by the rust alone, or would it take a collision or something to break the spring like that.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1230.jpg

Finally got the fender off. Broke four of the bolts holding it on in the process because they were rusted in place.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1234.jpg

A couple spider updates cause I know everyone loves that. Saw a big live one hiding behind the back left wheel.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1238.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1239.jpg

Got to work with the POR-15. These stuff seems pretty great. I'm anxious to see how it turns out.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1245.jpg

Picked up some carpet padding for $5 from a local floor shop. It has a rubber backing and seems similar to the stock padding, but is more dense. Had just enough to do the whole floor. The stock padding is still in pretty good shape in the area over the tunnel.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1247.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1246.jpg

Got the main piece of carpet back in.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1248.jpg

I notice the neighbor's cat sleeping in the car the other morning, so I threw my hardtop on to prevent that. Gets it out of my living room too, which is nice.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1251.jpg

I<3flippyheadlights
08-10-2012, 11:49 PM
I've seen a few springs shatter due to rust. It seems like a common sort of thing. Car is looking good man.

iKhanh
08-11-2012, 01:10 AM
this is a fantastic project. i wish i got one. i have a spare engine that probably needs to be rebuilt and tested to see if it works or not. how come it took three years for them to give it to you for free? lol

WASABI
08-11-2012, 06:40 AM
I pulled off the front left wheel so I could remove the fender. Now I see why that corner was sitting so low. Anyone seen this before? Could it be caused by the rust alone, or would it take a collision or something to break the spring like that.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1230.jpg


I've seen a few springs shatter due to rust. It seems like a common sort of thing.

More common than you'd think! Both of my rear springs were broken on a car that was sitting for 4 years. This one was broke in two spots.

http://www.fagerquist.com/miata/build/was-2.jpg

Keep up the good work, you are doing a great job!

-Jim

AntiochOG
08-11-2012, 12:14 PM
Glad to know it's somewhat common. I knew I kept my stock suspension for a reason.

samulis
08-11-2012, 04:53 PM
This is great project. Make it street worth and sell it on, it deserves it.

AntiochOG
09-05-2012, 07:03 PM
I finally got around to bleeding the clutch system. Apparently a non working clutch was the reason the car was abandoned in the first place. When we first got the car the fluid reservoir was bone dry. The slave cylinder looks a bit greasy so I wouldn't be surprised if it has a small leak. I didn't have anyone working on the car with me so I took this video to make sure the slave cylinder was indeed working and there weren't any major leaks.

EAdRsMaKU1U

psulja
09-05-2012, 07:39 PM
Great progress so far, have you decided what you want to do with the car in the end yet?

AntiochOG
09-05-2012, 10:53 PM
Great progress so far, have you decided what you want to do with the car in the end yet?
Most likely going to get prettied up and sold.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1268.jpg

AntiochOG
09-06-2012, 06:38 PM
Picked up some supplies from the Dollar Tree and Home Depot and got to work.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1274.jpg

Today I was painting the inside of the driver's seat pan with POR-15. POR-15 works great on rusted surfaces like this. Take a look at the pictures of the seat pan posted earlier if you don't remember how bad it was. I only did one coat because it's going to be inside the car, and hopefully will never see significant amounts of moisture again.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1275.jpg

Unfortunately the POR-15 did not work so well on these other surfaces that were in much better shape. So I had to sand off the old POR-15 so I could prime and paint them with some spray paint I had lying around. About halfway through the sanding I realized that scraping the POR-15 off with a razor blade worked pretty well.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1277.jpg

I ordered a battery last night, so I'm hoping to have the car put back together enough to drive by the time it gets here.

atank
09-06-2012, 07:42 PM
Man what a wonderful gift, keep up the good work!!!!!!!!

AntiochOG
09-14-2012, 12:11 AM
Finally got the seat pan finished and was able to put the driver's seat back together. It's not perfect, the fabric on the seat is a little lumpy, but it's so much better than when we found the car.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1281.jpg

Went ahead and got it installed with the goal of having the car be drive-able when the new battery arrived. I painted this bracket, and then put the everything in the engine bay back together.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1283.jpg

There is still some more cleanup that needs to take place in the bay, but it's looking a lot better. Then today the FedEx lady came.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1284.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1295.jpg

Sorry for the Instagram. It was the only picture I had of the battery before I installed it. I got some used front brake rotors too from silly_goosse. Thanks! The car started right up with the new battery, then I changed the 3+ year old oil.
A few hours later the UPS man showed up and brought more goodies; upper and lower shift boots, a new hood release cable, and some other stuff for my DD.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1287.jpg

I'll probably take the car on a short drive around the block tomorrow, and then get back to making it look pretty.

iKhanh
09-14-2012, 02:39 AM
whoo! progress!

AntiochOG
09-24-2012, 09:45 PM
The rubber shift boots were looking rather worn.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1292.jpg

I ordered these sexy new pieces.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1293.jpg

All the old stuff removed.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1294.jpg

The turret was totally empty. Good thing I had some Red Line lying around.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_129a5.jpg

Put everything back in. Car shifts great now. It's smoother than my daily with a rebuilt shifter.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1324.jpg


Next on the agenda was installing a new hood release cable. The handle had ripped off the old one leaving a frayed cable inside the cockpit. Threading the new wire through the grommet in the firewall was a truly frustrating experience. I hope I never have to do that again. When I pulled out the hood latch to attach the new cable I noticed it was pretty nasty. I degreased it, sanded it, painted it, and relubed it. It's not perfect, but it's a lot better.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1326.jpg

After that it was time for an obligatory ricer sticker bomb. Car runs great now and I've been driving it to work for a week and a half.

I<3flippyheadlights
09-25-2012, 04:15 PM
Looking good man.

psulja
09-25-2012, 08:46 PM
I like the attention to all the little details... Keep the updates coming!

AntiochOG
03-18-2013, 12:04 PM
After months of neglect, a package arrived for Project Free.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1810_zpse1a3a309.jpg

A new Robbins XT Series top.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1808_zps6945c77e.jpg

After reading a few how-to-install-a-Miata-top write-ups I was feeling quite intimidated with the task that lay before me. A couple of the write-ups said to take it to a shop because it wasn't worth the trouble. I found the top install to be painless, and did it in about 5 hours. I was working with a semi-stripped interior which no doubt simplified the process, but I really don't see why people think it's so tough. I even got to buy a rivet tool and play with that, pretty cool!
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1813_zps73aad412.jpg

AntiochOG
03-18-2013, 06:31 PM
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1814_zps7a4b7dd1.jpg

Went out for a nice drive with the new top.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1841_zps326892c5.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1845_zpsbd0463b8.jpg

I<3flippyheadlights
03-18-2013, 11:07 PM
I'm glad you are back at it! The car looks good with its snazy new top.

AntiochOG
04-18-2013, 03:44 PM
New leather shift boot.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1909_zpsb70ba57f.jpg (http://s1160.photobucket.com/user/ProjectFreeMiata/media/IMG_1909_zpsb70ba57f.jpg.html)

Two seats! and a new seatbelt reciever for the driver's side.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1914_zpsda77d791.jpg (http://s1160.photobucket.com/user/ProjectFreeMiata/media/IMG_1914_zpsda77d791.jpg.html)

New door is mounted up with the old lock and mirror. Fits great, opens and closes like it should. This meant I could put the finder back on too. I got it pretty close to straight just by bending it with my hand.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1919_zpsc28060a6.jpg (http://s1160.photobucket.com/user/ProjectFreeMiata/media/IMG_1919_zpsc28060a6.jpg.html)

I might be selling this car soon because I'm in school and not working and could use the money. :(

ozzie84
04-18-2013, 04:07 PM
holy crap dude...good job restoring it so far

AntiochOG
05-03-2013, 03:25 PM
Removed the old broken finish panel to put on the new (used) one I bought.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1972_zpsb5867177.jpg (http://s1160.photobucket.com/user/ProjectFreeMiata/media/IMG_1972_zpsb5867177.jpg.html)

While I had that off I had to clean the 23 years of built up dirt that was hanging out back there.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_1978_zps3f82282f.jpg (http://s1160.photobucket.com/user/ProjectFreeMiata/media/IMG_1978_zps3f82282f.jpg.html)

I also put on the rack-less trunk I picked up from a junk yard the other day. The rack was kind of growing on my, but this looks much better IMHO.
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ProjectFreeMiata/IMG_2000_zps6b74eb6b.jpg (http://s1160.photobucket.com/user/ProjectFreeMiata/media/IMG_2000_zps6b74eb6b.jpg.html)

Phatmiata
05-03-2013, 03:28 PM
coming along really nicely!!

RuckkehrMiata
05-03-2013, 03:48 PM
I am seriously impressed, this gives me hope for the shape my body is in ;)

AntiochOG
05-03-2013, 04:16 PM
Thanks guys!

It's amazing to me how well single stage paint will clean up. I haven't posted any good pictures of the paint yet, but the back bumper was pink and felt like sandpaper before. I wet sanded it with 2000 grit, then used some rubbing compound and waxed it and it is shiny again. I couldn't believe it.