My name is Zico, and this is my Chaste White NA8 build
Hi everyone, my name is Zico, I am from Australia, and this is my daijuku build, Daijuku meaning, 'The 19th' in Japanese, being the 19th car I've owned, but also my 1st non Honda car!
Apologies in advance, but this post will drag on a bit, but I think this first post will give some context as to the path I've chosen to go down with my build.
Going back to July 2018, I started looking for a NA8 MX5/Miata. I tried to take my time in finding the right one, trying to take the approach of doing it right the first time. I searched every few hours, yes, multiple times a day, across multiple sites and channels, for every single day for a few months. I wanted a white NA8, and only a white one. It had to be low mileage, and as close to original condition as possible. No irreversible modifications.
After what felt like an eternity, I woke up one morning to an alert for an NA8 advertised on Gumtree. It was interstate, over 11 hours away. A 1994 Chaste White Mazda MX5 Clubman Edition, or as you guys might call it, the R Package. Manual steering, Bilstein PSS9 suspension, BBS wheels, aftermarket sway bars and roll bar, and optional Air Conditioning.
I gave the seller a call, and had a detailed discussion about the car. According to the seller, the car was straight as can be, no accident history, all panel gaps lined up well, original paint, and had approx. 224k kms (140k miles) on it. I initially wanted a car with low mileage, but I got desperate after waiting for so long to find one. I settled with the fact that the car had high mileage and that I was able to fix any mechanical issues that came with it.
Fast forward to a week later, being October 31st 2018, exactly one year ago from today, I fly interstate and meet up with the seller, and this is what I'm presented with.
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The car had been parked outside for a few days, and had a layer of dust and dirt on it. Apart from that, it seemed pretty clean, paint seemed to be in fairly decent condition. The seller had some old vintage cars that he was restoring and seemed quite trustworthy. I was so excited, I didn't even check over the car properly, handed over the cash and made my journey back home, a long 1100 kms away.
Almost 11 hours later, I arrive home and eagerly gave the car a wash, and of course, notice all of its faults. So... this is where the story goes south.
The first thing i noticed was my shirt and face felt very greasy with a strong gasoline odour. I didn't think much of it, but after spending some time outside the car washing it, when I had re-entered the cabin, I realised the car stunk of gasoline. Thoughts began to run through my head as to how I was going to remove this odour from the carpet and seats, and all of its interior trim.
Paint. I'm not a fan of repainting cars, I was after a car with original paint. Paint wise, majority of the car was pretty good.
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However, some grazes in the paint work were found next to the two chrome footings of the hard top. Seemed like removal/reinstallation of the hard top had caused it. The rear mudguards had been removed, and left some deep grooves in the rear quarter panel. Hardtop was painted from red, to Crystal white instead of Chaste white, and thats when i realised, this hardtop didn't originally come with the car.
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A huge patch about 10x5" of paint had come off on the front bumper, with a DIY home paint job to cover it up. Might be a bit hard to see it..
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Having put so much emphasis on wanting a car with decent paint work, I don't know why I was so foolish not to look closely. Amongst the fuel odour and paint issues, some other problems i also found include:
-Loose shifter
-Speakers didn't work properly
-Centre caps didn't come with the car
-Leaking rocker cover gasket and oil leaks around the front and rear of the engine.
-Noisy rear wheel bearings
-Leaking aftermarket muffler
-Alarm system doesn't work properly.
-Slow power windows
-Leaking turn signal indicators
-Broken dipstick
-Bubbling rear tint
The closer to the car I got, the more issues I found. The sum of all the issues was just simply too overwhelming for me. I went from being super excited about this car, to frustrated and annoyed (at my self more than anything) and I go to bed unsure of whether I had just made a massive mistake or not. Most likely, yes.
The next morning, I take a closer look at the car's service history. The seller told me the timing belt was changed at 200k kms. It had all the service receipts from new until about 190k kms, and then some hand written notes about its service history after that. I became skeptical of whether or not the timing belt was actually done, so decided that I would have to eventually book the car into the workshop to have it all changed, sooner rather than later.
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After owning the car for a few weeks, I quickly realised that owning a high mileage car not only had its own issues with the mechanicals, but also other components I previously overlooked, being interior wear and tear, rubber seals and mouldings on the car that may have aged and weathered, paint work that has been exposed to the elements more often. All my previous cars have had less than half the mileage of this car, so I never paid attention to these things.
Being motivated by the fact that this car was full of issues, both internal and external, mechanical and non mechanical, and also seeing the Mazda Japan restoration program, I decided that this car needed a full restoration. A complete tear down style rebuild.
I pushed on with owning the car, and committed myself to fixing it. I booked the car in to have its timing belt service completed, got new OEM rear wheel bearings replaced, fixed the slow power windows and replaced a whole bunch of weather seals and gaskets, trying to freshen the car up.
Throughout the next few months, I ordered a plethora of OEM parts to freshen up the vehicle. Taking advantage of the fact that the Miata was the most produced sports car, I knew there would be a tonne of New Old Stock lying around in Japan, including the reproduction of discontinued parts from the restoration program. I found myself not only searching for parts online, but also randomly looking at other Miata's for sale. I never realised it until my partner questioned why I was browsing for another Miata. Yes, I do sometimes browse for fun, even at cars I cant afford, or cars I dream of owning, but why was I still looking at Miata's for sale? I was lying to myself that I was actually happy with my purchase of this vehicle, and was too proud to admit that I had made a huge mistake. Deep down inside, I was unhappy.
I decided to put a hold on installing any more parts, but still continued to browse online for parts, knowing that one day, a mint condition example will come up, and i would get my hands on one.
April 2019, I see a post on a facebook group from a user that owns a pretty minty Chaste White NA8. He mentions he was considering selling his car in the coming months as he is expecting a second child. I strike up a conversation with him and take note of when their child is due (August 2019). I assure him that I'm committed to a purchase if he was committed to a sale. July 2019 comes around, a month before his wife gives birth, and I receive a message from him, wanting to sell his car. We come to an agreed price, and I arrange a meeting time with him in a week's time. Clash of our schedules meant that we couldn't meet up any earlier, but for that entire week, I was a nervous wreck, hoping he doesnt sell the car to someone else. A mutual friend of ours, Stephen (IG: 96BRG), actually helped convince the seller that he wasn't just selling the car to some young kid that was just going to destroy it. I guess it put him at ease for the next few days.
The day of purchase comes around, I bring my cousin Tony along (IG: tonesgarage), who's a lot more level headed than I am, to help inspect the car. Everything checks out. It's a 1995 Chaste White NA8, 87k kms (54k miles), 2 mature aged owners (1 being his dad), paint work is mint, and the car drives so tight and firm. The car comes with an original Crystal White hardtop, 14x6.5 Type B RS Watanabe wheels, 60mm RS Factory Stage exhaust, Tein Flex Z coilovers, and a CAMS approved Roll bar.
Safe to say, the start of something amazing was about to happen. Here is a photo of the new car (right), with the old (left).
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After owning the car for a few weeks, I still found myself smiling every time I drove it, or even walked past it. Having purchased what I think is an absolute gem of a car (compared to other examples that are floating around in the Sydney car scene), I needed the final confirmation from a fella by the name of Mick, the owner of a well respected paint/workshop. Mick has had his fair share in painting Miata's over the years. I brought the car down for him to run his eyes over it, along with a paint gauge and we found that all panels had paint thickness between 32 - 38 microns. According to Mick, 'A complete virgin of a car'. He mentioned that i should clear out the fender linings from dirt and debris that had accumulated over the ears, and to give the car a nice polish and wax. Something I will look into getting done shortly.
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It's been a rollercoaster of emotions over the past year owning a Miata (or two), but safe to say, its definitely been an enjoyable journey so far. I have since sold off the Tein Flex Z coilovers to Stephen, along with the Watanbe's that were on the car, since i already have my own Tein Monoracing coilovers and a brand new set of Watanabes!
Here's a photo from yesterday! I barely get the chance to drive this car so it was awesome to take it out yesterday.
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Remember how I was collecting parts since the first Miata? Well here is a sneak peak.
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I look forward to posting more about my journey over the coming months with all these parts I've got lying around :D:D
Thank you to those online that have reached out for your kind comments on instagram already, you know who you are! If you would like to follow my progress on IG, feel free to find more pics IG: daijuku :)
Fixing the old Miata part 2
Continuing on from the previous post with fixing the old Miata, the only things left to do were to address the fuel issues, and have it's timing belt / water pump service completed.
I did the fuel system overhaul myself. All new OEM hoses, gaskets, and valves were used.
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And that was the last of the fuel odour issues!
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I booked the car with the workshop to have the rear wheel bearings replaced, and a timing belt service completed.
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The car was now problem free, and ready for it's new owner. All I needed to do was wait for a low mileage Miata to come along, and then find someone to buy the car.
I eventually sold off the hardtop, BBS wheels, the Bilstein PSS9 coilovers and returned the car to, or as close to, original as possible.
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It served its purpose as my delivery car for a few weeks as well haha
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But the day finally came, I found a buyer, a father was looking for a 1st car for his son. I ran him through all the issues I had with the car, and pointed out all the paint issues.
We exchanged details and this was the last day I had with it. I was a little sad letting it go as I really enjoyed driving it in stock form. It was comfortable, no strange smells or noises anymore, the car's body roll and front end lift upon acceleration made it so fun to drive. Nevertheless, I knew there were much more enjoyable times to be had with the new Miata.
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I guess that wraps up everything about the Old Miata :)
A visit to Car Make Corn's
I was in Japan earlier this year and had a chance to drop into the Corn's workshop. I had already been chatting to Tomoyo (she's such a pleasure to deal with) regarding some orders so it was pretty cool to arrive and see my name already written on a box, with parts ready to ship home! I couldn't exactly carry a huge box with me for the rest of the holiday and then onto the plane lol. In the box were some plain Nakamae pocket less door cards. They're leather and a little more plump than the OEM ones. I wanted a clean and simple interior so these were a good choice. My car being a first generation NA8, has the same tombstone as the NA6, so I also picked up a second gen NA8 tombstone, allowing aftermarket stereos to sit flush with the fascia/tombstone.
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Of course, I had to test pilot the seats. The fabric was soft and seemed quite delicate. The back and lumbar support were sufficient, although, I don’t know how they'd fair on extended drives. Thigh supports were low making it easy to get in and out of the car, would be great for a street car. I did find that my rear lats dug into the seat and made it a little uncomfortable, but that didn't happen when I used the optional cushion, which raised my seating position ever so slightly. Corn's have the regular and slimline cushions, and it actually made all the difference to my comfort. I guess we all have different shaped and size bodies, so you may not have the same issues, but if you do, give the cushion a try, it might help! Here's a photo of me in deep thought about the seats, trying to decide if I was comfortable or not haha
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A few weeks later, the seats arrived. Charcoal suede + punching centre fabric. I also bought the slimline cushion and some seat belt holders. Tomoyo also sent me some Corn's seat covers from their first batch run as well, they were still being finalised when I dropped into the workshop so I didn’t get a photo of them.
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I managed to get my hands on a Brand new KG Works Panel from Tomoyo as well, and I found a set of Brand new OEM meter gauges to go along with it, check out the mileage!
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To be honest, I don’t even know why I bought the KG panel. It was definitely an impulse buy. You don’t see them come up for sale often, let alone a brand new one so I just thought…. well, I wasn’t thinking LOL They’re pretty cool panels, well built, tough, and definitely a sexy addition to any retro themed car. The clarity of your cluster is second to none, but I think it was one of those parts that every nice car has, and I felt like I needed to have one as well. Anyway, I worked with Adam from REVlimiter customising a full gauge and HVAC set. Turnaround time was amazing, and quality of gauges turned out pretty good too.. but the joy of owning it quickly wore off.
The entire Corn’s seat setup along with the KG Works panel were all sold off to Kevin, a friend of mine who I met through owning a Miata. I’ve been asked countless times why I sold the seats.. they’re seats most people have on their wish list, and they’re pretty perfect for the Miata. Not many seats fit in the Miata without modification to the transmission tunnel, and/or hit the door trims with doors closed, so they’re the ideal seat to have. It was another case of settling for second preference because I couldn’t find the seats I really wanted, I wasn’t honest with myself and eventually, let them go. As for the KG panel, that was just me getting carried away haha But after installation, it just looked too busy for my liking so back to the OEM setup I went.
October 2018 - Cooling system
I spent the majority of last month stressing about the car’s cooling system. Here’s a little read for you guys..
I randomly decided to check on my fluids one day and noticed some rust particles floating around in the radiator, I'm guessing one of the previous owners used tap water instead of coolant. I disconnected the two heater core hoses and out comes some brown, nasty, rusty looking water :( I start stressing about the amount of rust particles / gunk that is floating around the coolant system. I fitted a hose joiner to the two heater core hoses together and bypass the heater core temporarily as I didn’t want the heater core to clog and leak in the cabin. I guess I could have just removed one of the hoses and looped the existing one, but I didn't want to kink the lines. If you want to join the two hoses, this is what I used.
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I start researching how to get rid of the rust and came across an American product called Evaporust Thermocure (https://evapo-rust.com/thermocure), a non-toxic, non-corrosive, and eco-friendly rust converter. Safe to pour on your plants after you're done with it.. however, costs $60USD/Litre delivered to Australia :fp: There were cheaper alternatives available locally for $10-$15 but they are all corrosive, acidic or harmful to engine seals and gaskets, so I figured I'd just be safe and just pay the price of the Thermocure. The instructions were pretty simple, flush out your existing coolant as much as possible, pour the Evaporust into your radiator and fill with distilled water, run the engine for a few hours, flush the Thermocure out, refill with coolant and that's it. It's safe to leave in your car for a few days as well if you dont drive it much, which is what I ended up doing. I figured I'd clean the existing system out of all it's gunk first, and then change out all the coolant hoses, radiator and NB aluminium heater core when I do the timing belt service.
Fast forward to 3 days later, I decide to flush the Thermocure out of my car. I pack all my tools, and make my way to a mates place to work on the car. I hit the highway and 5 minutes in, I notice a little steam coming out of my hood. As I'm trying to assess the situation, I notice the water temp guage is sitting higher than usual, about 2/3rds of the way to full and climbing. By the time I find a safe spot to pull over, the needle is pointing to the maximum temp on the guage :( I switch the engine off, let the car cool down, and tried to figure out which hose had popped off. Whilst I've got my head stuck under the hood, the emergency highway patrol unit stops by and offers a helping hand. Just by sheer luck, they were attending to another break down a few hundred meters down the road, and happened to see my car on the side of the road. The patrol guy starts pouring water into my radiator, and I notice steam coming out the back of the motor. Of course, my mind jumps straight to the worst possible conclusion of a warped head or leaking head gasket haha, but as he continues to pour more water in, I notice the steam coming out of a split heater core hose.. the same hose I had looped the other day with the adaptor when I bypassed the heater core. I must have kinked the hose or something? But it split at the end where coolant flows back into the head, not where the adaptor was fitted. I got to work replacing the hose (luckily I had a spare hose in the boot), topped the system up with water, expressed my gratitude and off I went :lol: I'll have to do a compression test soon to make sure everything is fine, wouldn't want to do a timing belt service on a shot motor
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Having been through that little hiccup, I decided I wasn’t going to take any second chances with another coolant leak / overheating issue. I decided to do a complete overhaul of the cooling system, a new radiator, OEM water passages in case the existing ones have corroded, upgrade to the NB aluminium heater core, new thermostat and etc. I spent the next few days searching and ordering parts, including a used NB heater box for $50 - I thought this was a bargain, but it arrives damaged. The heater core box is cracked in multiple places as it was inadequately packed. At the same time, if some due care was taken during handling/delivery, it would have been okay with it's current packaging. Regardless, even if the heater box arrived undamaged, I wasn't really happy with it. Over time, the seals on it had worn down, all the foam on the inside had deteriorated and turned mouldy, I guess it's just wear and tear from the last 20+ years of use. I dont think its fair to ask for a refund from the seller as I am partly to blame for not asking for clearer pictures of the heater box, I should have known that the foam bits would be old and worn.
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I decide to make do with what I've got, so I stripped the aluminium core from the damaged housing, and I'll just swap out my copper core for it, reusing my NA heater core housing. A few mins with a pair of pliers and a screw driver and out it came.
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Here are the rest of the parts that will be going in my car during the cooling system overhaul.
Koyo 36mm core Hyper V radiator. This will replace the no name aluminium 44mm radiator that’s currently on the car. I chose the 36mm because I didn’t want to run a thick radiator, trying to minimise any additional weight gain. Thinner radiator + less coolant.. every bit counts!
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Ordered a Maruha stainless steel radiator pipe as the OEM one tends to rust out, OEM radiator hoses and bypass hoses, heater core hoses + grommets - one of the heater core hoses was used to when I got stranded on the highway.
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Maruha 78deg c thermostat, some hose clamps, OEM gaskets, coolant passage ways (thermostat top housing still in the mail), and an OEM thermoswitch
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And probably the most exciting piece I've found on yahoo (besides some green Mazda speed sway bars I found for Stephen), a brand new NB Heater core unit on yahoo japan. Perfect timing with this one, it showed up on yahoo the day the used/broken one arrived! It might not be anything exciting for you guys, but this meant that I could complete entire coolant overhaul with all new items, no more used parts! Everything will be brand new, and hopefully last another 20 years. It wasn’t cheap though, ended up at about $365 USD landed lol
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I also picked up a blower box refresh kit from Maruha
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Since the dash is coming out, the thought of deleting AC has crossed my mind. Apparently, I will have to degas the system of refrigerant to remove the AirCon box, before the heater box can come out. My old EK K20A had no PS or AC, and it definitely wasn’t fun driving around drenched in sweat.. but my silly, inner street-racer wants to delete it (the amount of weight removed won't even change the power to weight ratio by that much lol).
I haven't decided yet, so I bought the OEM HVAC control unit anyway, just in case I ever decide to remove it. I didn’t have to buy this to delete AC from the car, I could just leave everything as is, or just buy a control knob from a Non AC car, but my OCD got the better of me. The Non-AC fan control knob is discontinued, and so are the three sliding adjusting knobs, so I guess it’s another reason to have a brand new spare unit lying around.
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Along with the HVAC control unit, I also picked up an AC delete kit, with firewall grommets as well. There’s also a shorter bolt that’s on its way, for when the AC bracket is removed and a replacement shorter bolt is required to seal the oil pump housing back in place.
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I’m sure that takes care of all the HVAC components, let me know if I’ve missed anything!
I've seen the way you drive, you've got a heavy foot!!
Since I’ll be pulling the dash out, it's also the perfect opportunity to upgrade to the NB brake/accelerator pedal assembly. If you’ve got a heavy foot, the NA assembly is prone to splitting/snapping just like the image below (crack seen just above the return spring for the accelerator pedal).
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An upgrade to the NB assembly is ideal as the metal is thicker than the NA assembly. You could weld some reinforcement plates on the back of your NA assembly, but this is just easier. There are some things I’m willing to pay a pretty penny for, but $250 USD for a brand new OEM NB brake pedal assembly isn’t one of them, so a used one it is.
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Of course, I didn’t want to install it in its current condition, so I got to work with refreshing it. I unassembled the unit, and soaked it in some vinegar overnight to remove the surface rust. A light rub with a dishwashing scourer removed it all, cheap and easy!
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I headed down to a mates workshop and gave it a quick sand, a few coats of primer and finished off with some satin black paint. After it dried, I reassembled the unit using all the old hardware, just to see what it looks like (I did order some new bolts and washers and etc, just waiting for them to arrive).
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It turned out quite well I think? I would have preferred to zinc coat it, but it wasn’t worth sending away just to coat one item.
Before
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I can’t wait to rip the dash out now! It will probably be the next post. I need to swap out all the under dash components before the car heads into the workshop for its timing belt service. Im still about 10,000km shy of the 100k kms milestone, but the car is 25 years old, so better to do it now before something else breaks!
Under the dashboard - Blower box refurb
Whilst the dash was out, I got to work removing the fan blower box as I wanted to restore it.
Notice how brown and greasy the foaming is? I dont know why, but everytime I use the fan, my girlfriend would always comment that my face smelt like grease/oil/petrol. I thought it was the fuel odour leaking from the fuel system, but I replaced everything already (as per previous post in this thread). I have a feeling its grease/oil/fuel vapour thats lingering in the foam/filter inside the blower box. Anyway, the brown foam pretty much disintegrated as soon as I touched it. If you've ever seen fine dust/sand like particles on your dashboard, or small chunks of foam blowing out of your vents, it's because the foam in your blower box has deteriorated.
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Got to work removing a few screws and unassembled the entire unit. Cylindrical fan was cleaned, brown diverter flap foam was removed and re-foamed with new grey foam.
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And all put back together
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I managed to reinstall everything, put the dash back in and made sure everything worked. I was mainly worried about the HVAC selector knobs not being configured properly for each setting, but it all worked out well. No more odours from the ventilation/cooling system! I threw the floormats on as well to finish off the flooring. *excuse the hanging horn button lol
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I didn't refit the stereo in, because the tombstone and some other interior bits and pieces are about to come out again. I just needed to piece the car back together so I had a car to drive to work.
I'll be sure to upload more pics when I finish off the interior, most likely on Monday. Nothing major, just minor touches that would put a smile on my face
Thanks for reading everyone, if I ramble on too much, let me know :D
Dashboard work - completed
Hello all, me again. Had a bit of time the other day to get my hands dirty again.
After driving the car for a few days, no new rattles or issues came about from pulling the dash out and reinstalling it. All HVAC components that were removed and reinstalled are operating as per normal. The air coming out of the vents is vastly different and fresh compared to before. Safe to say, a successful job done :D
I finished off the dashboard side of things by changing all the major components I didnt want to scratch with repeat removal/installations, so I saved them until I knew the dashboard reinstall was problem free.
New OEM HVAC panel, 96/97 radio din pocket, 96/97 tombstone, 96/97 hazard/headlight button, and a new cigarette lighter (which was probably the hardest item to install, took me a good 15 minutes to work out how to fit it LOL)
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On the driver side of things, a new 96/97 cluster cover and 96/97 meter hood (matte finish). I''m not a fan of the silver rings around the tacho/speedo. I also replaced the steering column cover as the previous owner installed a flashing LED on top for the alarm.
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Finished off the driver side with a new black MOMO Prototipo, replacing my old Silver Prototipo. I also got a new Works Bell hub to replace the MOMO hub, as the shrouding on it was slightly warped.
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Lastly, some new ventilation louvres, I installed them all, and then had to remove the tombstone again, so ended up damaging two of the louvres as they were soooo tight (new locking tabs on the tombstone hadn't settled/softened yet). Re-ordered another 2 vents this morning :fp: LOL
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The last piece is the centre console. I don't know if any of you guys have this issue as well, but my shifting arm (left in Australia, right for you guys) is in an awkward shrugging position because the OEM centre console sits too high. I've had some shoulder/neck pain and I thought it was related, so I got my hands on a new JetStream centre console. I also picked up a new shiftboot and 96/97 AUTO window switch.
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Practically, its awesome. It allows my elbow to sit at a lower height, my entire left side of my body is relaxed more than the OEM console, but it just doesn't look right. Texturally, it doesnt flow with the OEM panels which bothers me. It's been approximately 2 months now since using the shorty console and I did go and see a physiotherapist a few times as well, he suggested it may be related to how I sit at work, so I have been more mindful and readjusted my posture at work. After treatment, my neck issues have subsided. I am not sure if it was work related or centre console related, so I might throw on the OEM console again to see if the issue reoccurs. I sold off the Jet Stream centre console today.
Here are some photos of the brand new OEM centre console I ordered over a year ago, sitting in storage at the moment.
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The interior refresh is almost complete. I need to pull my door trims off to replace the window rollers, and change the door lock springs. While the door is pulled apart, I was looking to install my new external door handles (since the current ones have some dried up wax/polish around the black rubber seals), but I don't want pull the door handles off again (along with the plastic protector and the messy glue that comes with it) when I get the paintwork corrected/coated. It really grinds my gears when I see dried up polish/wax on rubber seals and mouldings, so I want to remove all the lights, mouldings, and door handles first, the paintwork corrected, then install all new replacements for them.
I really wanted to get all the interior sorted at the same time, but looks like the doors will have to wait until I'm ready to do paint correction.
I've got 60 hours of work lined up this week, so probably wont have time to do much to the car. Until next time..
8 hours of work on the doors
Just like the badge removal, I had the door trims removed and doors cleaned prior to the detailers getting their hands on my car. I did this because I wanted easy/clean/quick access to removing the exterior door handles on the day of paint correction. Thanks to Steve for his help tackling the driver door. It is definitely one of my least favourite things to do on the car.
Door trim removed, vapour barrier removed, and butyl glue cleaned up.
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Along with the new exterior door handle, there were some other items I wanted to get to as well. One of those was the door seals that surround the perimeter of the door, up over the quarter window trims, and forms part of the vertical seal that the window runs along. To replace this seal, the window needed to come out.
A crucial step when removing the window is to not remove the window stoppers mounted on the door (10mm bolts at top of door), as this will assist in retaining the factory alignment of your windows' stopping point. Instead, I chose to remove the stoppers on the window instead, which allows the window to slide out of the door. Undo the 14mm nuts to remove the tracks, along with 3x 10mm nuts holding the power window motor in place.
Windows out
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This now presents an opportunity to change the window roller bushings. It currently operates fine, but I dont want to pull apart the door again when the 25 year old roller bushing breaks. Old window roller is still in one piece and in fairly decent condition. Remove the bushing, give the window a clean and reinstall a new bushing.
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Good it a good spray of Windex
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Power window unit and tracks out for a clean, and to re-grease the cables.
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Clean tracks as best you can with some degreaser. Try to use a degreaser with a pleasant smell as the smell tends to linger in your vehicle. The sides of the track is crucial to the smooth operation of your windows, so get them clean before you re apply grease.
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Based off many recommendations, Shinetsu grease was used. You really dont need that much, apply some grease to the centre of the track, and under both side edges as well. I put some grease onto the new window bushing and mimicked the motion of the regulator, sliding the roller up and down by hand until there was an even distribution of grease. Clean up the excess grease or dirt will stick to it and will eventually clog your tracks again. This is all the grease that was needed for a smooth glide of the roller by hand, up and down the track several times.
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Once both tracks were cleaned, I wiped off old grease on the cables and applied some cable grease I had lying around as I wasn't sure if shinetsu grease was appropriate for cables.
Before refitting the window and power unit, one recommended item that should be changed is the door lock spring. This is known to snap in our cars, and in doing so, will leave you locked out of your car. Our cars are quite old so for the sake of a few dollars, save your future self the hassle and replace it. The spring is on the top left of the lock mechanism on your door, easily attended to with a pair of long nose pliers.
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Referencing the picture above, that new rod on the right is indeed my new exterior door handles. You can see the difference in colour from the door handle cups. I just needed to transfer the lock over to the new handle.
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New handle fitted, with a scratched up lock :( Will tackle it soon as my door trims are still not installed.
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Along with new external door handles, I also got some new interior handles. The springs on the old handles were ever so slightly lighter than the new ones, loss of tension over the last 25 years. Old handles were also scratched and the spring mechanism had some caked up dirt on it as well.
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Removed the quarter window and surrounding door seal, gave it a clean, fitted back the power window regulator and tracks,
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Fitted new Door seals that seal the perimeter of the door, including the vertical seal that the window follows.
Old seal was filthy and damaged upon removal.
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New seal is nice and soft / supple, all clips included and they just clip right in
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Moving to the outside of the door, the new horizontal window seals that comes from Mazda only has 5 clips. Try to retain 2 of your old clips for each side to reinstall. The below picture shows where there are missing clips
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This is the window stoppage alignment after the windows and door seal was refitted. No damage to seals, no need for further adjustments :)
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And this is how it looked when it was all done. Happy days!
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The A frame seal was also replaced. My old seal was dry and hard, and the vibrations from the Mazdaspeed comp mounts made my rear view mirror shake.
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A Frame cleaned up, old butyl residue removed as the new seal comes with butyl adhesive tape.
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New Seal installed.
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The difference in vibrations transferred to through my windscreen seems to have decreased since installing this seal. I am guessing the added thickness and plushness has given the A frame some cushioning.
My name is Zico, and this is my Chaste White NA8 build
Awesome! We stage open track events that are only limited to advanced and licensed competition drivers. Basically 8 hours of track time with a full compliment of safety and corner workers. One of these will be on Friday and I’m thinking of spinning a few laps in an endurance-prepped Mazda 3 hatch.
I used to chase times, but now I experiment with advanced techniques while driving mine in the same prep as street driving (sans damper settings), it’s been helpful diagnosing flaws in my technique and style and very 1:1 track to street and vice versa.
Exploring the Southern Highlands, New South Wales, Australia
Wakefield Park First trackday.
I attended my first day at Wakefield Park in the MX5 last Saturday, it's been about 6 years since I went there in my Honda Civic. It's a 2.2km/1.36mile clockwise circuit, with speeds ranging from 40-100mph. Avg corner speed is approx. 55mph for a Miata/MX5.
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The day was split into 4 groups, with 15minute sessions each. I was allocated to the noob group, which seemed fine at the time, but 3 laps into session 1, I knew it was going to be a long day. For an entire day at the track, I managed to only fit in 23 laps, 7 of those being hot laps. Couldn't create enough space in between cars to really stretch my legs. I sat in with a friend for a session to watch him drive and picked up a few pointers about which lines to take, but didn't really have an opportunity to utilise those tips due to traffic.
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I came home with a 1:16.2, and it was actually my first hot lap of the day, 1.2 seconds slower than what I as hoping for. Nonetheless, plenty of key takings from the track day which is what I was there for.
Key takings from the most recent track day.
-Need an Oil cooler ASAP, but wont have any time to get one sorted before the next track day
-Need to order some frame rails for the added protection.
-4.3FD gearing would suit better for Wakefield
-Black wheels are a PITA to inspect for cracks
-A little more power wouldn't hurt
-Car oversteers too much: spring rates on rear might be too high, maybe need a larger front sway bar, or have to toe the rear in.
I guess the first iteration of my car is now over. I've cleaned it inside and out, replaced nearly all wear and tear items, shake down test at two track days completed without any major issues identified. Daijuku v1.0 completed :slayer:
I've got another track day booked for tomorrow at the same circuit, I want to to set a bench mark before my car goes off road for a few weeks for a revision, call it Daijuku v2.0. As I've always intended, the car will remain a street car, with an unopened stock motor. The idea of a simple setup, with understated looks is highly appealing to me (thanks to TurboTom!).
Anyway, prep work also done for tomorrow's track day. I will be heading out with a mate of mine, Thanh. We're hoping to crack +100 laps between us so we thought we should do a spanner check to make sure everything runs right tomorrow.
-Torque'd all brake line banjo bolts
-Brake pad and rotor inspection
-Re-greased brake caliper slider pins
-Gave the wheels a wash and visual inspection for cracks, all good! Gotta love quality Japanese made wheels.
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Headed to the local tyre shop for a wheel alignment, nothing too different from previously.
-Height: 4.5" from pinch welds
-Rake: 0"
-Castor: 3.8 degrees
-F/R Camber: -2.4/-2.1 degrees
-F/R Toe: 0
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Will post again after tomorrows track day. Hopefully a drama free day.
My name is Zico, and this is my Chaste White NA8 build
I have a 1” (25mm) front bar, MSM rear bar (14mm IIRC). Toe in will give you a little more stability, toe out will help with direction change. This is on my NB.
On my previous NA, I started with 12kg F, 9kg R. I moved to 9kg F, 6kg R. That car had a 1.125” (28.5mm) F, stock NB rear sway. The coilovers were JIC FLT-A2s and I always felt they were overdamped and too stiff for the street tires I generally used.
A larger front sway and adjustable endlinks would be helpful. If you wish, you can try disconnecting the endlinks on the rear bar and see how it feels.
I do not like the 4.1 gearing on the NA8s. I ran one on my NA and switched to a 4.3 and found it more lively and better suited to stock-ish power on the street and track. That slightly shorter gearing is really beneficial digging out of a corner and acceleration.
As for track days, over-population is a real concern. I organize them here and we limit entries to avoid what you experienced.
Sometimes though, conga lines form and can be tough to break up. Passing through the pits is the best way to get out of them, or ask to be cleared to advance to the next group where drivers are more aware of their surroundings. The usual gesture to control is to make a “stretching” gesture, like you are stretching bread dough. Slowing down is not a good way to get space. Falling off the pace is a concern for safety and marshals will do as you experienced to make sure you or the car are ok.
If you want to do hot lapping, look for Time Attack or limited HPDE events where there are caps on entries so there is space to get a clean lap.
My name is Zico, and this is my Chaste White NA8 build
I think the 1.125” hollow bar is too stiff. Consider the solid bar.
Driver experience makes sense. Adjusting from heavy FWD experience to RWD takes a little more practice. The Skidpad practice will be helpful. It may help you feel more comfortable how the car reacts when it steps out and how to gather it up.
The chassis is very communicative, particularly with coilovers and a good alignment. I can usually feel what the rear of the car is doing through the seat before it gets ‘interesting’.
I suggest leaving the swaybars alone until you get some more seat time in that environment. Too many, or too drastic, changes may surprise you in unfortunate ways. You are wise to hold off.
Wet track days are my jam. They are my absolute favorite. :)
My name is Zico, and this is my Chaste White NA8 build
Honestly, I wouldn’t put a lot of effort into timing your laps. Work on your technique first. Find another experienced driver to ride with you, then with him/her. Note entry/exit speeds at key points. Lead/follow a more experienced driver to see how they move, brake, corner.
I find students become too obsessed with time data and they start to push too hard when they see they are off the pace. It forces errors and distracts them. I can see it just following them or riding with them. When they get anxious or flustered I can tell they are going to spin, put wheels off, etc. the next lap. I will try to calm them down by asking them to tell me what they see and what come next (brief corner description), and I will respond by asking them where they should be for that. It takes their mind off time and gets them to see the track ahead and where to position the car. The speed will come as they start driving future tense in their minds and it gives them the forethought to utilize proper technique.
Otherwise, I’ll make them laugh to get them to relax for a moment. :)
I will ask students with timing apps or AIM to stow them out of sight. They can look at the times after the session is over.
More track day preparations
Got three track days booked, figured I should make things a little more practical.
Got some new Ohlins DFV's to try out. Custom spring rates at F 10kg / R 7kg.
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Installed shocks before mounting springs to check for clearances and max travel. Recommended settings are OK, but leaves your car at pretty much stock height.
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Used my friends Enkei RPF1 with 225/45 RS4's to check clearances.
Full droop at recommended settings
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Full compression at recommended settings
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Took the shocks back out, fitted the springs on, and pulled out the kitchen scale.
Rear Tein's
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Rear Ohlins'
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Front Tein's
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Front Ohlins'
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Roughly 5.2kgs / 11.5lbs saved thanks to aluminium components. Anyway, installed them, put my Watanabes back on, and dropped it on the floor. Took the car for a quick spin to let the springs settle.
What it looks like at recommended settings hahah
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My ideal ride height was 4.5" at pinch weld, but that basically left the rear riding on bump stops.
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So I came to a compromise and raised it a little. Probably wont be enough travel for the track, but we'll see how it pans out on the day.
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Onto the wheels / tyres. Having black wheels made it difficult to inspect for cracks / damage. I sold my black RPF1's off for a new silver set, and took the opportunity to wrap them in some A052's via Australia's distributor for motorsport tyres Gordon Levin Motorsport. They were also bringing in RE71RS, and the first batch to land on our shores is due in a few weeks time. I managed to secure 1 of only 3 sets (205/50R15) landing in October, and none scheduled for November. Fairly excited on that one.. They'll be wrapped on a set of new wheels I've got coming in early November :)
Anyway, these are now sold
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..and here are how 205/50 A052's sit on the new silver RPF1's
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On the topic of selling wheels, I actually sold my Watanabe's off as well. There are a few reasons I decided to sell these off. One reason being, the RE71R is discontinued and no tyre shop had any stock of 185/60R14 RE71R. It didn't make sense to keep them anymore, as I'd be struggling to find a decent set of tyres for them after my current set wears out. Found a local guy that had just picked up an NA8 so he was on the hunt for some Watanabes. Another reason being, I can't fit a stoptech big brake kit under it LOL, and I'd want to run those in the future if I decided to do a K Swap or Turbo my car. I'm also running short on storage space as well, having another set of wheels arrive in November meant i'd be in trouble in a few weeks time. I really dont think there are any other wheels that suit NA Miata's better than Watanabes! Bye bye Watanabes :(
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Trackday prep continues..
Swapped out the tow strap for a set of Mazda Competition ones
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Setrab oil cooler parts, didn't go for anything too big, figured 10rows was enough for now. Setrab thermostatic sandwich plate, Setrab -10AN fittings, and some some black nylon braided lines.
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While the bumper was off, I remove my AC condensor as well, it was the last component of the AC system I had left on the car. Also fitted on new front badge on the bumper while the bumper was off (had it removed prior to paint correction), OEM cooling panel, and new bumper retainer / seals (old one was looking a tad worn. I still want to look pretty whilst trying to go fast :P)
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All fitted
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Next up was Frame rails. I put this off because I didn't want to drill holes in my car. However, having come off the track and getting beached on a ripple strip, I figured it'd probably be best to install these to prevent any further undercarriage damage.
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Here's a copy + paste review I previously wrote on instagram:
With the increased track use of the car, I bought these purely to protect the underbody from any further damage.
Online reviews say the frame rails stiffen up the car, and I always correlated that to a harsher and more jarring ride, but it was the complete opposite. The car is now dramatically quieter, 80% reduction in rattles / knocks. It feels so comfortable over bumps and turns, and it seems like a much more responsive car. I assume the suspension is working more effectively / efficiently than before.
I wasn’t very impressed with the comfort levels of the Ohlins, but it seems like these rails are allowing me to take the full benefit of them now. The rails are easily in the top 3 mods I’ve done to the car (6spd swap, and Recaros are the other two).
Cost wise, they were almost double the price of some other brands found locally. More than happy to support a company if it allows them to continue to research and develop parts like this.
And that brings me up to date for end of September. My trackdays are booked for October 6th, 19th, and November 4th, so i'll be spending this weekend doing a last minute spanner check, torque wrenching all the bolts, bleeding the brakes and I should be good to go.
Looking forward to updating you guys with some trackday results!
My name is Zico, and this is my Chaste White NA8 build
Great update! I always take lessons at track when it’s offered since we there’s always so much to learn. My favourite was at Laguna Seca with a larger Australian gentleman that couldn’t quite fit IN my seats so sat ON them and said “no biggie”. I’ll never forget him shouting “keep your foot down! The brakes will sort you out when you need em”.
Thanks for taking the time to keep posting updates! These make for a fantastic read.
My name is Zico, and this is my Chaste White NA8 build
I like your rallycross style in the last one.
My name is Zico, and this is my Chaste White NA8 build
Yes, when you start to feel more comfortable (with seat time and experience) the act of driving the car at limit feels more natural and less of a bombastic assault on your senses. :)
Things don’t actually slow down, you just process the information better.
Weight transfer is how braking techniques for directional adjustment comes into play.
If threshold braking is still something you aren’t comfortable with, consider dedicating some time to that. Threshold braking, smooth release and finding the tip-in points are crucial.
After that, I think learning how to ‘read’ the chassis through the steering wheel and the seat are key. That is around the point when you should begin to start experiment with LFB and more aggressive trail-braking.
My name is Zico, and this is my Chaste White NA8 build
Gloves. Definitely gloves.
I recommend a clean set of mechanics gloves for those that don’t want to spend money on racing gloves. Gloves help with perspiration and heat and can be crucial should you shunt and find yourself trying to extricate from twisted metal and broken glass.
If you have blisters, try to remember to relax your hands. It’s really common with my students to have a death grip on the wheel. I remind them to take a breath on the straights and roll their fingers on the wheel to remind them to relax, like this:
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If I’m using comms with them, I listen to their breathing and voice for stress.
Congrats on the recent purchases! You really cranked the mods to 11.
