Antioch's OG Roadster Build

[AntiochOG]

I guess it's time I make a build thread.

On April 18th 2009, after searching Craigslist everyday for about 6 months, I found an ad for a classic red, 1990 Miata. It was being sold by the original owner, an older gentleman, who had always garaged it, kept every service record, and somehow managed to only put 84,000 miles on in last 18 years. The car was completely stock and included a factory hardtop. Fortunately I was the first person to see the ad, because by the time I had made the 25 minute drive to his house he had already received 3 other calls from people offering his full $2500 asking price. I hadn't really been looking for a red car, in fact it was somewhere near the bottom of my list; a red Miata just seemed a little too cliche. Being very familiar with the local Miata market however, I knew this was too good a deal to pass up. I pulled up to his house and saw the car sitting outside. It was immediately apparent that the car was in excellent condition. I knew barring a horrible test drive I was going to buy the car that day.
I did the normal walk around, pop the hood, kick the tires thing. There were a few small dings, but nothing unexpected for a car that was almost 20 years old. We took it for a test drive and everything seemed fine so when we got back to his house I offered him his full asking price. I bought the car that day, and this is where the love story begins.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3413/3454670246_6dfb632a1b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3454670246/)

Photography is a hobby of mine, so the first order of business was to go out and take some pictures (after a good waxing of course).
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3584/3465230036_3be053832a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3465230036/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3371/3472990603_1d4b3936c2_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3472990603/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3638/3473841574_9e13e8ab08_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3473841574/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3617/3472961751_776eb32f34_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3472961751/)

[AntiochOG]

It only took me about 2 weeks for me to realize that the front plate and visors need to go. Not only did that make the car look much cleaner, but it shed a few pounds too!
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3551/3492074269_198427daa1_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3492074269/)

I think I also unplugged that stupid buzzing thing that goes off when you open door. I had actually totally forgot those things were there until a friend recently bought a Miata that had it still hooked up. I unplugged his too.
After another week or so it was time for another wax job. I pulled off the rear finish panel and cleaned out the dirt that had been accumulating there for the last 20 years.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3571/3517366798_8bf0aa8603_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3517366798/)

By June I was doing my first autocross. I had no idea what I was doing, but I had a ton of fun. I was amazed at what this totally stock car on 185 all-season tires could do.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2460/3630273640_f980544a1d_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3630273640/)

I knew eventually I would start modifying the car, but for now it was perfect. I spent the summer driving around and enjoying it.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2435/3661372521_a148b03ddb_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3661372521/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3661/3658665637_ae6409f55e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3658665637/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3256/3658630067_c7f6972032_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3658630067/)

Later that summer I went to my first mini Miata meet and drive. It's always fun to talk to people who love these cars as much as I do. We ended up having several meet-ups that summer, and I'm still friends with a few of the guys I bet back then.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3352/3669551271_db8c63afe4_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3669551271/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2629/3696248783_2d2eb69b90_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3696248783/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2529/3695313034_222cf8e231_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3695313034/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3642/3691069340_e65f2be776_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3691069340/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2461/3753513529_b6dd4bc7b2_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3753513529/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2454/3753532443_3a5f0ae7c1_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3753532443/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2599/3766570644_6be48c1f28_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3766570644/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2477/3763875928_b66841fdf8_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3763875928/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3580/3763031831_4d56465716_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3763031831/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2631/3781886513_7a3082c4a1_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3781886513/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2474/3853423438_909e40fd15_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3853423438/)

[AntiochOG]

I'd been saving up to buy a roll bar, when my mechanical engineering friend mentioned we should just build one. He had all the stuff we needed, tubing bender, welder, band saw, etc. I took some rough measurements off a friends hard dog sport, and we got to work.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2584/3793507994_514f7bab7a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3793507994/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3447/3793498436_395b0f94de_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3793498436/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3516/3793494612_909ebe322b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3793494612/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2641/3792686153_abb7834cd7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3792686153/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3427/3816416564_ef0c8ec4ff_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3816416564/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3465/3815745833_11148451af_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3815745833/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2673/3816354576_79c872fd4d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3816354576/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3551/3815553961_ce40f447cf_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3815553961/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2442/3816455162_ddd1c14241_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3816455162/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3461/3815649401_07305b0b10_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3815649401/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2479/3816501460_dc10717c9a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3816501460/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3540/3815762325_1c835a440c_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3815762325/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3534/3838749804_50f5bd2f1b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3838749804/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2643/3833551983_b012130915_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3833551983/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2662/3838129427_d90c73c81c_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3838129427/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2498/3838934888_ab941654ee_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3838934888/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2596/3842062466_b92e430a62_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3842062466/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3654/3838975194_ee6a389e03_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3838975194/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3560/3961925128_775d7a7490_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3961925128/)

When it was all said and done it ended up costing about $150 and took 2 of us about 3 days to build. As with most things it would be faster now that we know what we are doing, but it was a lot of work. Honestly if I were going to do it again I would probably just buy one. It was a good experience however, and not many people can say they made their own rollbars.

[AntiochOG]

At this point progress slowed for a while. Fall was becoming Winter, so I paid off my student loans, got a girlfriend, and did some maintenance stuff.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2498/3964583440_c85b5e7941_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3964583440/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2494/3965852685_10e5b83c94_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/3965852685/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4016/4444566954_d1cdf5b264_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4444566954/)

Eventually the quality of the stock sealed beams really started to get to me. For my birthday my parents got me some Cibies.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2754/4461495118_14092412b8_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4461495118/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4058/4493998681_cb7bc2f720_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4493998681/)

I rented a Canon 10-22 for an upcoming trip down to Monterrey for Miatas at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and had some fun playing around with it.
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4006/4495875760_287cd60248_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4495875760/)

[AntiochOG]

My dad had gone down to the first Miatas at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca the year before, and I knew I wanted to this year. I was originally planning on driving all the way from Oregon to LA meeting up with the KINOD caravan and making the trip up to Laguna Seca with them. Unfortunately the guy who was going to drive down with me wasn't able to make it, and I didn't feel like making that whole drive down alone. I ended up driving down to my parents' house in Sacramento and making the trip to Laguna Seca with my parents who took my dad's lightly modded 2001 SE.
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4046/4516571040_41bdac155e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4516571040/)

Miatas @ MRLS was a awesome. I got to meet some other Miata owners, see their cars, and do my first track day. I also got to ride in a couple of Flyin' Miata's shop cars, which was super fun. Unfortunately it rained on Sunday so my track day was cut short, but it was still and amazing experience. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4056/4516062289_9605fc4f3d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4516062289/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4068/4516001445_28fd660749_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4516001445/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4044/4516241719_b0dd59cb45_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4516241719/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2702/4516185361_38dd122492_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4516185361/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4010/4522424350_155cfaa934_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4522424350/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2700/4520344039_05df6ff59f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4520344039/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4071/4518279690_78b52ea9e1_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4518279690/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4028/4522422328_8658063c91_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4522422328/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4054/4527266466_4208b7988b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4527266466/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4042/4524908662_e6f1b7d4fe_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4524908662/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2765/4522003868_fc39ee0cb7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4522003868/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2702/4521371809_e47966f418_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4521371809/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4035/4524910518_abc9b70b20_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4524910518/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4049/4521541491_f81339f301_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4521541491/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2773/4521540611_28dd09f17e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4521540611/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2686/4522172236_c325dd9f57_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4522172236/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4041/4522169282_8ce5d8eb05_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4522169282/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2698/4536456092_6c20a134fb_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4536456092/)

Hit some snow on the way back home, but after Laguna Seca in the rain it was no big deal.
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4039/4535825277_17cb30f971_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4535825277/)

[AntiochOG]

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4035/4712796577_13d90ce17f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4712796577/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4077/4755930177_8a7bb9fb82_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4755930177/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4073/4759359410_3ddbc58cb8_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4759359410/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4134/4825471358_0689beb1ef_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4825471358/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4100/4772804636_c27e38597e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4772804636/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4099/4772158235_165025b771_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4772158235/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4097/4772791950_3c37ee4350_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4772791950/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4095/4772160925_d37dec30af_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4772160925/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4093/4775085965_7c6e6e6df3_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4775085965/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4123/4780850277_8726b2b611_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4780850277/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4142/4944478226_0f5a5dfb23_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4944478226/)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5045/5208248680_0b3db6979f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5208248680/)

[AntiochOG]

A neighbor of mine was upgrading from his NA to an NC. He came by to ask if I was interested in buying his front R lip and Randall carbon fiber intake. At $200 for the pair I couldn't say no.
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4102/4816344209_a1f5f61f3b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4816344209/)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5130/5224488647_632979d37b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5224488647/)

[AntiochOG]

Progress continued to remain slow. Although there are so many things I want to do to the Miata, it doesn't need anything to be fun. I just continued to enjoy it as it was.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5281/5344899369_c7d0a1a95e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5344899369/)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5295/5473516875_8fc9180387_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5473516875/)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5092/5504347791_cfe5ec6e60_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5504347791/)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5264/5615360370_f33fc806d4_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5615360370/)

I made a few small changes too. New speakers and an amp so I don't a head unit. !n-joy visor blanking plates, and new rubber shift boots were installed.
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4140/4914794518_5cbd7706fd_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4914794518/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4094/4914795940_e79948261e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4914795940/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4102/4944441862_10ca2f1273_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/4944441862/)

After many miles including a track day and several autocross events my 480 treadwear, all-season tires were finally starting to wear out! After going back and forth between Star Specs and Azenis I found a good deal on a set of 195/60R14 Falken Azenis RT515ks.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5229/5667054857_566b3f15fe_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5667054857/)

The plan was to throw the Azenis on my stock daisies with some 949 valve stems and call it good.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5223/5680114983_91047e8391_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5680114983/)

Then 14x7 RPF1s went on sale right as my tax return came in. The temptation was too great to resist. I ordered a set in +28 and never looked back. I knew at 8.6 pounds they were light, but it wasn't until I held them that I realized how light they really were.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2397/5700282755_6f93d050de_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5700282755/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2501/5717180430_a5765ceff6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5717180430/)

I picked up a set of tow hooks from Ryoku Rob too.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5224/5680118195_2e46f1579b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5680118195/)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5270/5737914021_9e68d7be3f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5737914021/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2044/5735519072_e349d124ee_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5735519072/)

Eventually my 949 lug nuts came in so I threw those on. These are amazingly light too. I highly recommend them.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6005/5941683856_f2eb6171dc_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5941683856/)

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6139/5941151943_0edb7bce58_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5941151943/)

After seeing a couple others paint the lettering on their tires white I decided to give it a try. I started out using a paint pen, but only got halfway done with one tire before it ran out. I switched to using some acrylic craft paint which worked pretty well. I'm really happy with how it looked when I was done. Unfortunately it took forever to do, probably about 3 hours, and started flaking within a few days.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6165/6173827578_20ef9b7e86_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6173827578/)

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6163/6174182994_ae8b3c77d0_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6174182994/)

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6161/6175922105_cd64f15a5d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6175922105/)

With Fall and Winter coming I bought some Falken 912s for my daisies so I don't wear out my Azenis driving in the rain.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6222/6278571604_f474dc6011_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6278571604/)

[AntiochOG]

Currently I've begun to stockpile some parts that need to be installed including some Ground Control coilovers, Raceland header, shifter rebuild kit, aluminum shifter bushing, stainless clutch line, rear R lip, and silicone radiator hoses. Hopefully it won't be too long until I can get those installed.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7163/6523778185_7d760901cd_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6523778185/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7160/6591268905_c93928cf0e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6591268905/)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5082/5224121227_d3dc03d336_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5224121227/)

[AntiochOG]

Here are some random pictures from the last 6 months or so:
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6189/6083962835_6c402bbdeb_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6083962835/)

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6020/5913702395_abc14b2fc6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5913702395/)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5039/5913723679_01d28e387b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/5913723679/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7151/6433141761_5956eb1da7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6433141761/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6433145729_976c683be9_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6433145729/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6433148947_9e10ef3820_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6433148947/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6421079591_1d7455e538_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6421079591/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7032/6411754901_acc0049c16_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6411754901/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6403578889_be649f2d18_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6403578889/)

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6091/6336875697_4ccab9e730_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6336875697/)

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6166/6185650737_134fde484f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6185650737/)

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6168/6185648751_81899d2809_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6185648751/)

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6160/6185644511_5b40012b95_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6185644511/)

[ChrisJuliano]

Love your build! Once you get rid of that wheel gap or most of it the car will def look absolutely stunning!

[stormin'norman]

So clean! You need to share photos of your car more often. Glad you started a thread.

[etikoner]

Yeah, so far so good! I wonder if you can build me a roll bar :P

[morr]

I mentioned it in my build thread, but I love the simplicity of your car. Love your pictures as well... you could honestly just post pictures of your progress, because your photos tell the story just as well. Keep it up, man!

[sss1987]

thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread! keep up the good work buddy!

[simpl]

Clean car with beautiful Pacific North-West backdrops! Glad I came in here, keep up the good work

[jaredef]

i thoroughly enjoyed this thread.

[AntiochOG]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. We got a little snow here in the past 12 hours.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7035/6703665017_ca1ebec4a2_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6703665017/)

[Flyin 92]

Loving the build so far. Thanks to you I didn't feel so..... stock... when I used to go to meets lol

I still have a ton of stuff I need to install on my car as well, so feel to rushed to get it all done.

[stormin'norman]

Phil just dropped by to pick up one of my rear Bilstein shocks as he was left in a pinch before MRLS next week. Best of luck to you my friend getting the Billy/GC suspension dialed in before the big trip and some tracking!

[AntiochOG]

I'm slacking, Nial had to update my build thread for me. I'll get pictures and the story of my suspension set up posted in here soon.

[Flyin 92]

I know you have updates, so no more excuses lol

[AntiochOG]

But I'm in the car driving to LA so I can caravan to Laguna Seca with KINOD. Surely that is a valid excuse.

[Flyin 92]

Ugh I'm so jealous you get to do that..................................... again.

[AntiochOG]

You should have come with me last time

[AntiochOG]

It's been a while since I've updated this. We got a little more snow here...on the first day of Spring! Since snow is rare here I always like capturing some photos of it.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6038/6856842188_f57a9bf352.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6856842188/)

[AntiochOG]

Finally gathered everything I needed to upgrade my suspension. Ground Control coilovers with the standard 375f 250r rates, NB sport Bilsteins, and ISC top hats.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7077/7343360650_633b6edbb1_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7343360650/)

With the help of Stormin' Norman, I got the coils assembled and the old setup uninstalled. Out with the old, in with the new!
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8165/7343373126_f67da338be_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7343373126/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7079/7158176599_ffcb039ab4_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7158176599/)

[AntiochOG]

After adjusting the perch heights several times I was able to get the suspension dialed in at about the right height.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7158196615_541e74a9b4_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7158196615/)

The car was looking much better now, and after an alignment it was driving much better too. In fact I was blown away at how the car had been transformed. The ride was smoother and not harsh at all. I could swear even the engine was running smoother and the transmission was shifting better too. It was amazing. Mazda should have build the car this way from the factory. As good as everything was I knew that getting the car back onto proper wheels and tire would take it too the next level.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7235/7023169267_74ee3317a2_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7023169267/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7023180439_5404c09564_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7023180439/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7023145673_ac9e9c8a67_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7023145673/)

I think I ultimately ended up being just slightly lower in the back then the front. It changes a bit based on what's in the trunk and how much gas I have. I'll get it sorted out eventually, when I'm ready to do another alignment.

[friday]

You can drop the front down a tad without throwing off the alignment too much, but I can't say it wont change a little.

Looks good though, nice setup.

[AntiochOG]

I'm probably more likely going to raise the rear slightly. I talked to Eddie at AR Auto Service who did my alignment about how doing that would change things. He recommended against it without doing another alignment, as it would affect the toe too much. I'm fine with how it sits now, it isn't too noticeable.

[psulja]

Great thread! Looking forward to more updates. The front being higher seems really noticeable in that last pic.

Really jealous of how clean your car looks!

[xcoldricex]

great build thread! $2500 and a bunch of stories later... all the pictures really bring out your relationship with the car - i wish i took more pictures of my build along the way!

[iRoadster]

I'd like to feel the differance between these Bilsteins and my Basics which have just slightly stiffer springs.

[AntiochOG]

I'd like to feel the differance between these Bilsteins and my Basics which have just slightly stiffer springs.

I'd also be curious to feel the difference. I rode in Nial's car once and it felt a little underdamped to me but idk. A back to back comparison would be nice.

[iRoadster]

I'd like to compare Nial's ride as well. Both Basics, but with 8/6 springs on NA hats vs. 7/5 springs with NB hats.

[AntiochOG]

And now some photos from Miatas @ MRLS 2012. I drove down to LA with a friend, then caravaned up the Pacific Coast Highway with KINOD. Had a blast and got to hang out with really fun people.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/7066432369_05c5b4e763_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7066432369/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/6925492662_664109627b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6925492662/)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5325/7092349525_b2d8158206_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7092349525/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7256/6948839148_d5782a718c_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/6948839148/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7260/7094908671_b3beeb197a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7094908671/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/7001029548_46736366d5_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7001029548/)

[AntiochOG]

My brother bought this riced out civic, so I took a picture next to it.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7077/7321524334_2c7f20834c_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7321524334/)

[AntiochOG]

Flyin' Miata was having a sale for anything ordered at MRLS and I could resist. These showed up at my house shortly after:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8021/7451992474_7df3735598_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7451992474/)

I went to an OSU car club meet. It was pretty small but I talked with some cool dudes who loved cars for a few hours. Can't really beat that.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7113/7452011402_3f97f44f5d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7452011402/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/7452014068_9da176eaca_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7452014068/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/7452014196_4636a2615b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7452014196/)

[AntiochOG]

Since I'm getting a free Miata, that is going to need a lot of work, and will potentially be occupying my carport for the next little while, I should get any work I needed to do on my car soon. I started off my installing my FM frame rails.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7452120914_2d691563af_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7452120914/)

My stock rails weren't too bad, but they were worse than I expected for a car that spent most of it's life at stock height. I spent a good amount of time with a hammer massaging them to get the FM rails to fit over them.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/7452117040_2abb97becc_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7452117040/)

Anytime the seats are out is always a good time to vacuum.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8148/7452119540_c1577e8b7f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7452119540/)

Once I got my stock rails in order, the rest of the install was a breeze. I can't say I'm blown away by how the car drives now, but it is noticeably more solid.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/7452125622_4be895ce1d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7452125622/)

[AntiochOG]

After finishing up the rails I started installing the Raceland header I've had sitting around for quite a while. I was afraid that instillation would be tricky with possible fitment issues, or broken studs. It went surprisingly smooth though. After hitting all the bolts with PB Blaster the night before none of them gave me any trouble. The fitment was great too. I did have to de-loom the wiring just a bit to get my O2 sensor to reach the new hole.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7251/7452122490_7906be52d3_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7452122490/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8025/7452126946_5e31657a4d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/7452126946/)

I threw a new radiator hose on too, while I had easy access. The difference isn't huge, but the car feels a bit more peppy in the midrange. The sound is nice too a little bit louder, but still has a classy stock-like tone, not raspy or high pitch.

[iRoadster]

I need to properly sort my car and do a Kinod run someday, just for an excuse to drive along the PCH.

[AntiochOG]

^Do it! I had a ton of fun with those guys.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8528/8513366715_75099ab3eb_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/8513366715/)

[Caoboy]

Good to see you're not dead.

[tsingson]

Yeah, this thread came out of nowhere.

[I<3flippyheadlights]

Yeah, this thread came out of nowhere.

+1

[AntiochOG]

Summer wheels and tires are cleaned and ready to go back on.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8116/8657807599_54f9a75fcb_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/8657807599/)

[Demon I Am]

Those look great!

[tsingson]

Love the white lettering! Especially on the Azenis!

[treeafodo]

Love the white lettering! Especially on the Azenis!

X2

[AntiochOG]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8114/8658424825_1f6d136737_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/8658424825/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8116/8659485428_31d9e784e6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/8659485428/)

Still need to sort out my rear height.

[AntiochOG]

It was a good weekend for Cinco the Miata.
What I assume were the original motor mounts were finally upgraded to Mazda comps.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8415/8706021134_7e5c4113b9_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/8706021134/)

While I had things apart I also removed about 45 lbs. of air conditioning and power steering equipment.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8560/8706018398_48b66230f0_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/8706018398/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8269/8706014610_8bf776644b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/8706014610/)

The car also got waxed, but sadly this picture was taken before that.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8264/8706031754_c7499772b8_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/8706031754/)

[greddygalant]

looking good phil, did you take the steering rack apart and mod it accordingly?

[AntiochOG]

I looped the lines like this:
http://www.flyinmiata.com/tech/depower/OTC_steering_rack.jpg
I didn't feel like taking the rack out. From what I've read it should work fine, and I don't think it takes too much steering effort.

[I<3flippyheadlights]

I bet the car feels much better with the proper wheels on and all that weight reduction. Man, I just discovered the glory of AC and I couldn't give it up. Then again, I'm in Florida and would die. Do you have plans to properly de-power the rack, or are you keeping it that way?

[atank]

Very nice build Phil!!!!

[Flyin 92]

Man, I just discovered the glory of AC and I couldn't give it up.

Once I get a nice DD I'm removing the A/C on my miata. I've used it a handful of times and when I do it rapes what little power the B6 puts out.

[AntiochOG]

I bet the car feels much better with the proper wheels on and all that weight reduction. Man, I just discovered the glory of AC and I couldn't give it up. Then again, I'm in Florida and would die. Do you have plans to properly de-power the rack, or are you keeping it that way?

I love the way it feels without the PS. So much more feedback from the tires. I might properly depower it someday, but not anytime soon.


Once I get a nice DD I'm removing the A/C on my miata. I've used it a handful of times and when I do it rapes what little power the B6 puts out.

I use my AC so rarely it didn't seem worth it to keep it.

I decided to delete my passenger mirror since I usually have it folded in anyway. I cut a block off plate from a piece of carbon fiber I had. I'm not 100% happy with how it looks, but it is kind of growing on me. Someday I'd like to get the holes welded up, but that will probably have to wait until the car gets painted.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2874/8883866128_a5db37effe_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/8883866128/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3806/8883250177_840d704763_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/8883250177/)

[AntiochOG]

The other day while driving around I thought I noticed my revs climbing without the car accelerating right after a shift. I put it in 5th stepped on the gas and popped the clutch in and out real quick. Sure enough the revs stayed up. I knew after 126,000 miles on my clutch it was going to need to be replaced before too long anyway so now seemed like as good a time as ever. I ordered a 1.8 OEM clutch from Rosenthal along with transmission seals, a new rear main seal, CAS o-ring, a few other odds and ends, and a 1.8 ACT streetlite flywheel from Goodwin Racing. I had a few weeks off from school coming up and I wanted to make sure everything was here and ready for me when I had time to work on the car. When my flywheel showed up it seemed a little bit heavy to me, so I threw it on my bathroom scale. It weighed 14 pounds. I checked the part number on ACT's site and they listed it at 13.9, but on Goodwin's site it was listed as weighing 12 pounds. I had decided on the ACT from Goodwin because 12 lbs. seemed like a good compromise between drive-ability and performance. I didn't feel like 14 lbs. would be quite light enough. I contact Brian at Goodwin Racing and he agreed to let me trade for 12 lb. Exedy flywheel if I paid the difference in price, and promptly updated his site to show the correct weight. He also said if I was that concerned about the weight difference maybe I should get the ACT Prolite which weighs 9.4 lbs. I asked around and everyone told me to go as light as possible so I went with the 9.4. Unfortunately, I had send the old flywheel back, wait for Goodwin to receive it, and then weight for the new one to arrive. The flywheel was scheduled to arrive Thursday, and school started back up on the next Monday, so I started working on it Monday so I'd have a full week to get it done.

I pulled the transmission off, and the clutch was indeed looking pretty worn.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3735/9108799191_7bf71d006a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/9108799191/)

Because I had a few days until my flywheel showed up I spent some time cleaning up the transmission.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2831/9108816659_596cc10899_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/9108816659/)

I also replaced the CAS o-ring. The old one had been leaking and it was pretty hard and fragile when I pulled it off.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2824/9111031102_61124882fb_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/9111031102/)

I'd had a new clutch slave cylinder and a braided clutch line from 949 Racing lying around for at least a year so I threw those on too. No more curly hard line!
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3717/9111053752_5dae063a5e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/9111053752/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7433/9108822975_254e32ca65_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/9108822975/)

I also decided to wrap my header while I had it out. I had bought the wrap at the same time as I bought the header, but had been too lazy to install it at the time. It was kind of a hassle to wrap it, but I was concerned about under-hood temps. I also had some time to kill while waiting for the flywheel to arrive.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2834/9108837163_d43af353b1_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/9108837163/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7406/9111069422_b9da6f642d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/9111069422/)

I put it back on before the wrap had time to dry so I got a nice steam show.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3702/9111073602_da33333fa5_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/9111073602/)

Thursday my flywheel showed up. 9.4 lbs. as promised. I got that bolted up and put my car all back together.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3795/9111078190_32fa623023_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philwalter/9111078190/)

I bled the new clutch line and advanced my timing to around 12 degrees. Then I went out for a drive. My first impressions were great. The new flywheel feels so much sportier. I'm not sure how else to describe it, but I really like it. It makes driving the car a lot more fun. I'm glad I listed to people's advice and went light. It isn't hard to drive or noisy at all. The car certainly feels faster, but it's hard to say if that is due to the header wrap, lightweight flywheel, or advanced timing. It's probably some combination of the 3. I usually drive pretty conservatively around town, but for the last few days I can't help but drive it hard. It's just too fun!

[Flyin 92]

Between my light flywheel and 14* timing advance I noticed a decent increase in peppiness. Rev-matching is a lot easier too.

[Ihatecars]

This build is very awesome. I absolutely love your photography.
Makes me have some sort of emotional connection with you and your car.

[AntiochOG]

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3879/14303033440_b0d37c27d0_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/nMUMwQ)
At a small local meet yesterday.

[AntiochOG]

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2932/14475956708_c84ed42c5c_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/o4c4Au)

[atank]

Cinco is looking nice & clean Phil.........!!!!!!!

[mini_fd]

Looking good real good. Especially the wheels