Midori

I guess I should make a build thread. I don't know if this will be a particularly exciting or interesting story, but here goes.

This is my first car, Midori.

First, I didn't want to give my car a name. It seemed sappy. Other people kept bringing it up, though, so it lingered in my mind. When I didn't make a name on my own, my friends started to create ones for me. 'Misty', 'Mary', 'Margaret' came up; one buddy of mine decided to give my car a stripper name, 'Cinna-buns' (He still calls it that).

I started to think of names myself. One that kept coming back to me was 'Midori'. That's a pretty name. In Japanese (studying it in university), it means 'green' (Kind of ironic; my car is blue and people always call it green in person. I don't like when they call it green!). So, I thought about the name, and then kind of forgot. The name wasn't so important to me back then. Lately, though, I've caught myself calling her 'Midori' more often. Although, it still feels weird to say 'her'.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7...363ca27e_b.jpg
The second picture I took of Midori, sitting in the car lot in Houston's summer-like autumn

Okay. That was kind of in medias res, so here's the start.

I didn't want a driving license. I was in high school, the campus was about a mile and a half away, and I was riding my dad's bicycle. It worked. It was fun biking in the morning to classes. Just listening to music and riding to school. The only downside was that it would occasionally rain and I'd be shivering in class. That, and that one morning I ran into a trashcan and fell over because I was only half-awake. That sucked too.

Still, it was simple and enjoyable. Despite my protests, my parents signed me up for driver's ed. It wasn't long or difficult, but it was tedious. Eventually, though, I got my license to drive. For the following year, I mostly used it doing errands or picking up take-out for my parents. Now it's so clear.

Soon, I got an itch for a car of my own. I don't remember what sparked it. I'd always loved cars; when I was a kid, my dad would take me with him whenever he went shopping and he would let me pick out a few Hot Wheels. I grew up playing racing games on the Gamecube (old Need for Speeds, R:Racing Evolution) and, later, Xbox 360 (my N64 was void of racing :/). I started renting Initial D VHS tapes at the local Hollywood Video in elementary or middle school. I just really liked cars.



So, the search started. I'd emailed people, gotten pictures, compared, and searched and searched. I wasn't set on having one specific model. I just knew that I wanted rear wheel drive and relatively light weight. I was mainly searching for FD RX7s, Miatas, MR2s (I'm the only one of my friends that likes the way the 3rd gen looks), 240SXs, and S2000s.

It wasn't so obvious back then, but most of those are very expensive (especially for a first car). A 240SX would have been pretty cheap, I suppose, but I'm glad I didn't get one; I like them, but they aren't for me. The S2000 was a long shot. I wasn't fawning over them, but I knew they were fast, FR, and light, so they were in the list. Keep in mind that I had never driven any of these, or any sports car for that matter. The MR2s were always in poor shape unless they were 3rd gens, in which case they were expensive. The FD was the target, though. I still think that's one of the prettiest cars ever made (among some other 1960's cars). My uncle had a silver twin-turbo when I was a kid and I still remember sitting in it, holding the shift knob as it idled. The amber glow of the gauges.

The problem with that plan was that the FD has reliably maintained a high resale value. That's good for FD owners, but bad for those wanting to purchase. Not only that, but they were (and still kind of are) rare around San Antonio. Plus, I now realize, that is a very high performance machine for a first car. Still, not discouraged, I looked elsewhere.

Elsewhere = Japan (yeah, very... hopeful).

Now I had started browsing import websites, where FD RX7s were 6k dollars, with high hopes. I found a silver FD that was missing a radio for some reason! I emailed the guy using a very rudimentary knowledge of Japanese and a translator, confirming that it ran.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8223/8...ac307762_c.jpg
Still have the pictures of it.

Shipping costs turned out to be relatively cheap. However, I soon found out about DOT safety standards and 'conforming'. I learned about the Skyline and Motorex and why I'd basically never get an FD imported. Mazda US wouldn't give me 'substantially similar' affirmation to give to the NHTSA and I didn't know the next step, so that kind of died.



Now, elsewhere = different cars. I was a little discouraged by then; I had been doing a ton of research and hit a dead end. The domestic search had been fruitless for over a year. For a while, I was looking on Yahoo! Autos at drab FF sedans in poor condition. My parents weren't sold on importing or buying local, expensive Japanese sports cars, but they didn't warm up to those bland cars either (of which, I am now thankful).

Miatas climbed their way to the top of my list. They were nice looking, rear wheel drive, very lightweight, and reliable. I still had never driven or even ridden in any of these cars. There were a few I was looking at. My favorite color is blue, though, so that's what I was leaning towards. I had my eye on two in Houston: One was cheaper and had some bumper damage and the other came with terrible wheels, but no body damage (well, it sort of did, but that's for later).

I showed the latter to my parents, expecting them to wave it off. Instead, they organized a trip to Houston a week or two later. I was surprised, but I still just expected this to be a test drive, similar to an NB we looked at previously.



In late October 2009, We drove the 300 miles or so to Houston, where we pulled up to a small car dealership called Roadster Auto. The entire place was just a parking lot for the inventory. There was no lobby, it was just a small office and a garage on a slab of concrete surrounded by a barred fence. It was kind of cool, though. The men who ran the shop were super nice. Soon, a small blue car drove up through the gate and turned around. It had a hard top and through it you could see a roll bar. It was very pretty. I was beside myself with excitement. Although I appreciate performance and engineering, sometimes I feel like I just like certain cars because of the aesthetics. Or, maybe that's what separates a good car from a great car. It's defining.

I didn't know how to drive manual, so my dad got in the driver seat, and I got in the passenger seat. This was my first time sitting in a Miata. Although my dad drove the NB, I never got to drive or ride in it; Carmax required that one of their reps sit in the car while it was on the test drive, so I couldn't go along.

Damn, it felt low. We pulled out of the lot. It felt like my dad was driving like a madman, but the speedometer only read 30mph. Damn, it felt fast! Any speed felt fast! And it was manual! And blue! It was rear wheel drive too! I can't explain how amazing this felt, in the passenger seat. Just remembering this is exciting! I couldn't have ever imagined a car feeling this sporty and raw. My dad, while a good driver, isn't the smoothest when it comes to manual transmissions, which I think contributed to the sensation.

I was sinking fast. Very excited. I just sat in the back of my parents' car, watching Midori rest there in the lot, while my dad talked to the salesman in the office. Still, I wasn't going to take it home that day. That wasn't how it worked. You went one day for a test drive and came back if you decided to. That's how it happened with the NB, the only car buying experience I'd ever had, except we didn't buy it. Well, that's how I thought it worked. Nope. By some crazy alignment of the stars, I suddenly had a car when my dad came back outside. Even in memory, it feels surreal.



We drove it home to San Antonio. Nearly half way back, though, my dad decided that I should drive. Not nervous. Okay, a little nervous. I really liked this car, and I didn't want to destroy it. I'd never driven manual and I thought the clutch worked through witchcraft, or something. I really wasn't sure what anything did. Still, I managed to get it home. I don't remember how many times I stalled. Probably a bunch.

Now I had a car, but didn't drive it for a while. I wasn't insured on it yet and, although I'd driven it, I wasn't ready to drive it up and down hills to school and close to other cars.

Eventually, the time finally came when I got to stall my way to school for the first time.

I went out driving whenever the chance arose (nearly every day). I didn't go anywhere; I just drove around. I washed it by hand every single weekend, even through December, when the temperature dropped into the 40's. I started practicing heel-toe for fun. It was fun!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8374/8...d435db43_o.jpg
December.



I did have an interest in racing, but that's not exactly the reason I started autocross. For Christmas, my parents promised to buy me a set of wheels I'd been looking at: Mazda Motorsports' 5Zigen FN01R-C for Spec Miata. They were inexpensive, lightweight (compared to these 20lbs per-corner anchors), and I thought they looked good. The thing was that they only sold them to registered racers. So, I decided to start autocross. In the Spring of 2010, I started with the Spokes Austin club. I was slow. I made the numbers wrong and they looked cut up. Mostly because they were cut up.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8501/8...354e3550_b.jpg
Aww, man

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8221/8...d11ce214_c.jpg
April 18th

I saved up and bought my first modification: E-code Bosch reflectors and halogen bulbs! Not spectacular, but I was very, very happy. It instantly made my week when the package arrived.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8230/8...5b590b7c_c.jpg

I also replaced my radiator after someone at autocross pointed out that it was brown. It was such an even brown that I thought that it was the proper color. :|
This was also the time I started buying some tools. I got a jack and some jack stands from Harbor Freight.



Midori was and still is my daily driver, though, not just a fun car. Even though it has to deal with pedestrian situations and common dangers daily, I wanted to keep my car nice.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8334/8...8593754e_c.jpg
The parking lot at my high school; perilous

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8513/8...e8d16120_c.jpg
Small cars rule.

Also, random, but more usefulness on rainy days:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8371/8...8d36559e_c.jpg
Miata, clothesline.

Racing continued throughout the year. I never got the wheels; instead, I found a type-1 Torsen for a low price on Craigslist, which was much better. That sort of became my gift. The differential sat around in the garage for a while.

I made some car friends at school
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8076/8...ef947b11_c.jpg
The white Lexus was owned by my good friend Andrew.



Now, some actual 'building'. The Torsen swap. I had never done anything like this previously. The only work prior was the radiator replacement and that was really simple compared to this. The first wall was the exhaust. The O2 sensor was, relative to my strength with the tools I had, welded on. Removing the O2 sensor took a couple days and a lot of WD40. I put a cheater bar on my breaker bar and braced myself against something solid and pulled until it popped. The differential was kind of tricky to balance and it was difficult to remove the half shafts from the differential and place them back in. Otherwise, it went pretty smoothly. Much obliged, internet.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8048/8...c3607fc2_c.jpg
My friend George helping me out.



Time went by and I just kept racing and daily driving. The next major purchase was a set of half-worn Dunlop Star Specs, wheels, and a set of used KYB AGXs from a friend I met at autocross. I was originally interested in only the shocks, but he convinced me on the tires. He essentially gave me the wheels because he didn't want to separate them. He sold me everything at a very low price. He also let me borrow his spring compressor, which I still need to return. It's been about a year and a half now. :|
If you're reading this, sorry; I swear I'll return it next time I see you.

Ironically, I still have the shocks in my closet. I haven't installed them yet. The tires have gotten good use, though.



High school ended for me in 2011. I spent the Summer working and racing. With the stock diameter wheels, I could finally compete in E stock instead of STS or CSP.
I enrolled in the University of Texas San Antonio. My major is technically Pre-Engineering, but that's likely to change.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8098/8...6cac666d_c.jpg
Old habits

To be honest, at this point, my car wasn't so close to me. I rarely washed it, there weren't plans, and it wasn't very exciting most of the time. I never thought of selling it (and probably never will), but it just wasn't as significant as it once was. My commute to college was much further than it was in high school and it was much, much more frustrating. At first, I tried to drive my car carefully and slow so as to keep it safe from damage, but people were tailgating me/cutting me off constantly. The driving I was doing was less fun and university was becoming important. Psychological associations, etc, I was looking forward less and less to driving.

Aside from racing, nothing really happened in the rest of 2011.



2012, though, was eventful. I really started buying parts in 2012. I was entering my second year of autocross and I was in a class I could sort of compete in. In university, I was becoming more accustomed to how things worked. I was retaking a couple classes already, but, you know: learn through experience. I was also continuing my favorite subjects: Japanese (foreign languages) and psychology. Things were going well.

At this point, my Mi-chan's mileage was approaching 90,000. Although it had ran fine and was perfectly reliable, I had no previous service records. The thing that came to mind was timing belt and water pump. It was the most expensive order I'd ever placed at the time. I bought a lot through MMD, but it was still upwards of $500.
I got a box from Mazda Motorsports Development, a box from Rosenthal, and a box from 949 Racing toward the end of January.
-Gates Racing Blue timing belt
-OEM water pump
-front seal
-cam seals
-CAS seal
-assortment of gaskets (water pump, valve cover, etc)
-heater hoses
-tensioner and idler pulleys
-both accessory belts
-probably more I'm forgetting
And, because I hadn't bought anything for my car just for its own sake in a while, a set of MMD/AWR tow hooks. They weren't expensive and they were solid.

I installed the tow hooks right away, the day before an autocross!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7161/6...741ecc6d_z.jpg
It looked good!

I was loving the tow hooks. Haha, the set was only $40 and they weren't going to be used, but they got me excited about my car again. However, that only lasted a couple weeks.



A couple weeks later:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8475/8...39d90163_c.jpg
Well, that was a nice 2 weeks :/

It wasn't particularly serious damage, the tow hooks bending. Still...
The clutch master cylinder failed while my car was parked at the university, which is about a 30 minute drive away from my house. Actually, funny, I got a ride to my car from a guy driving a pickup truck. Parking at the university is terrible, so it's common for people to offer rides to others to ensure parking spots for themselves.

I pointed in the direction I was parked, and, when we got to the general area, he asked me which car was mine. I didn't think he would know what a Miata was (you'd be surprised how many people don't know the make or model). I guess that had something to do with him driving a pickup. Unintentional prejudice... : P

I told him that it was the small blue car.
'That Miata?', he asked, which surprised me.
He explained that he had a Miata that he was rebuilding at the time. I usually don't do this, but I gave him my phone number and told him I'd help him out if he needed a hand. I'm usually less outgoing and I really didn't/don't have that much mechanical experience, so I can't really explain...

'That's cool, though,' I thought, as I walked to my car, 'he's an enthusiast.'

He sat in his truck behind me, watching and waiting to park. Clutch pedal in, I turned the key and the car jumped off! It was parallel parking, so I'm glad I turned the wheel in time. I blew through a stop sign out of confusion, then turned on my hazards and shut off the engine. I never did get a call from him...



My friend from high school, Barrett, who also attends UTSA, helped me out. First, he gave me some gas. Then, he drove me home to pick up some tools. I bought an overpriced slave cylinder from the local Mazda dealership. Barrett and I replaced the slave cylinder and bled the system in a parking lot near the university. It wasn't successful, though. The clutch still wouldn't disengage.

It was now evening, and my dad drove to the campus to tow my car and I home. That was probably the scariest experience of my driving life. I never want to do that again. The tow car, a Suburban, weighed much more than my small Miata and it was obvious. The jolting from slack in the tow line caused what felt like a string of wrecks anytime there was a change in speed or direction. My brakes were cooked before we got halfway home (I'd never felt overheated brakes before). I was really frightened. I didn't want my car to be damaged. I didn't want the frame to tweak or the hook to snap off. Worse, it was night and I couldn't see anything.

We made it home, though, the tow hook being the only casualty. That was well beyond what it was designed for, and it bent well around the bumper without touching it. So, good job, tow hook.



Okay, that was more in-depth than I thought it would be... :shock:

tl;dr? Understandable.

-didn't want license, got license
-Cars from Japanland are difficult to get stateside
-Parents are lovingly gracious, got Miata
-Started autocross
-Swapped in Torsen
-More maintenance

I didn't really have goals for the car (even now, they're murky at best). I just knew that I never wanted to sell it and that I wanted to treat this car well; I wanted this car to be better off because I owned it, not coincidentally fine despite my ownership.

Though lacking solid goals, I do have some inspiration. The main one is M2's 1028 Roadster. I have a couple folders on my computer called 'Inspiration', or alike, and there are disproportionate numbers of 1028 photos in each. I love that model; I never thought the interior of any car to be special until I saw a photo of the 1028's Recaros, simple dash, and carpet console.

If you can split the distinction between 'Cafe', 'Clubman', and 'Race prepared', then Midori is aiming for 'Clubman'. Lightly tuned IRTBs, lighter weight than stock, fully streetable, and able to participate in racing or skilled driving events. That's the rough idea I have right now.

Cool story! Glad you're enjoying your car even with all the ups and downs!

Spring Break came along, and it seemed like a good time to replace the timing belt and water pump. The clutch system was working fine, George was back in town from Pittsburgh, and I was off of work.

Most of my projects (maintenance, or otherwise) usually take longer than expected. The project agenda goes something like:
-Look up project on internet
-Start
-Realize that I'm missing a lot of things
-Buy said things
-Continue
-Refer to internet
-Continue
-Buy more things I'm missing
etc...

This was no different. I went to the Mazda dealership several times over a week, or so. Still, it was easier than I was expecting.

George really liked helping. In fact, he kind of did the first half of the job nearly by himself. I was just standing around, handing him tools. I think I took off the valve cover, at least...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8512/8...a6675a06_c.jpg
George working

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/6...93ef10ee_c.jpg
Long nights

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8043/8...1e0c0b69_c.jpg
George let me hold the Flyin' Miata cam tool while he broke the bolt loose lol

With delays from missing parts and similar, we got literally halfway through the project during the break. George had to fly back to Pittsburgh for college, so I had to reassemble the assembly alone.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6...cfc9b73b_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8328/8...c9dda138_c.jpg
The new timing belt, water pump, and pulleys

Besides a mishap where I tightened down the valve cover with no valve cover gasket, everything came together nicely! The timing was pretty far off, though because I forgot to mark the CAS before we removed it. That was fixed easily enough! There was another problem, too: I tightened the timing belt too tight and it was whining.

So, I took the valve cover off, loosed the belt, put the cover back on and started it. SLAP, SLAP, SLAP! :fp:
Nooooooo! I loosened it too much! I was afraid that it had jumped teeth and I'd have to take everything apart again...

Luckily, when I retightened it, everything turned out to be fine. Now it's only a tiny bit too tight. :roll:

I got back out to the new season of autocross, to defend my honor as one of two E stock competitors!
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5034/7...500ddd01_c.jpg

Thanks, etikoner! It's a lot of fun so far!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8164/7...ec8dfc21_c.jpg

Racing continued and the semester came to an end.



Soon, however...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8188/8...892012ef_c.jpg
ouch :(

My dad tried to move my car further up into the driveway. He isn't very used to driving manual, though, and he was in a lazy position (right foot on the clutch, left foot out of the door). He popped the clutch without thinking, and the car lunged forward into the rear bumper of a Silverado. Driver side indicator popped. Bumper slightly cut. Paint rippled, chipped. :(
I made it worse a couple months later when I took it through an automated car wash for the first time.

Oh well. Things happen. The front bumper has never been perfect, so no big deal. A repaint is likely in the future...

I pulled out my dad's 35mm Nikon at some point and loaded up some film.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7...3c0433ac_c.jpg
It had been a while since I used the camera. The Kodak 800ISO came out underexposed and grainy.


To cheer myself up about the turn signal/bumper, I decided to get something for Midori. Soon, a box arrived...
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8470/8...bd0e22a9_c.jpg

Eunos Roadster yellow fog lights purchased through Tetsuya Garage! Thanks Rod!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8189/8...c8114d5f_c.jpg
The housings were in poor condition, though...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8192/8...c55c2e39_c.jpg
Masking them off...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8218/8...f136dd6c_c.jpg
The label said 'satin'... >_>

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8169/8...c32ea88d_c.jpg
Fitted!

The kit came with no wiring harness (not that it would help much on an OBD2 car), so I had to source some wire and a relay. I left the lamps installed in the mouth for a few weeks while I researched how to do wire the fog lights and bought the materials.

I started by installing the switch. From the factory, the 1996 Miata has a sub-harness under the dashboard for a dual fog/defroster switch. My switch was an early, fog-light-only switch, though. I had to tap the wires from the harness and crimp connectors onto the wires to wire the switch in. In the picture, you can see I also tapped into the cruise control sub-harness for power. That way, the fog lights can be turned on anytime, as long as the key is in 'Ignition'. I don't ever plan on retro-fitting cruise control, so it should work fine.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8502/8...e6e08ace_c.jpg
Right side is the fog light/defroster, left is the cruise control

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8097/8...ddca3837_c.jpg
Switch installed :D

Now, there was the actual wiring. The main issue I ran into was where to draw power from for the lights. Some people ran through the blue connector used for diagnostics and timing lights. It was convenient, but I tend to over-build. So, I bought some red and black 12 gauge wire, a Bosch relay, some connectors, and got to work.

I decided to draw power through the fuse box. I had an empty slot that had one connector with power, but no connector on the other end. Serendipity! I ran the fog light wire through the empty side. It didn't exactly fit, though, so I made the hole a little bigger with a Dremel.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8472/8...0fe3c1f4_c.jpg
Dremelled fuse location

And I ran the wire down through the box, then over the engine to the relay. The relay is mounted on a bolt that holds an accessory fuse box cover attached on the driver's fender. It's almost completely hidden.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8225/8...206d421d_c.jpg
Relay over yonder...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8517/8...3b5d12fc_c.jpg
Mmm, inconspicuous...

With the dedicated fog light fuse installed, it was finished! The fuse box closes and looks completely stock, the circuit is protected by the main fuse and the dedicated fuse, the black wire is almost invisible running over the engine, and it works! I was genuinely proud; I'd never done any wiring before. This car is teaching me so much.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8073/8...909cdd04_c.jpg

After the fog lights, I bought some turn signals from cww180 in Japan. Thanks again!
I also got some Yokohama S-Drives fitted to a set of stock wheels I had. I could finally take off those heavy wheels!

Summer was coming to an end by now. More racing. I took some more 35mm photos on a drive with my friend, Andrew. He's now driving a Honda Civic instead of his GS300.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8172/8...4a622107_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8296/8...993020b1_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8320/8...a614cc5e_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8173/8...801fc5cb_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8181/8...62e07099_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8449/8...d302ae7d_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8030/8...b271fd5b_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8037/8...5741f16e_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8464/8...067e9301_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8463/8...23559f56_c.jpg
Oil change

I was given a 1.4 50mm Nikkor with which I haven't used to take pictures of my car yet. I will soon, though. It's a very nice lens with very pretty bokeh.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8361/8...16c15c3b_c.jpg
Multi-coated goodness

good stuff !!! I love the parking lot where you parked all the way up to the curb to avoid door dings, I do that will all of my cars, hahahha

Thanks Phat! haha, yeah, the end spots are the best.

Great build thread man! If you're still missing that turn signal, I just took mine off ( replaced them with tsis) and will gladly sell you my stock one for $20 if you're interested. Lmk!



ps. I thought you were in sts now haha!

Great story so far man! Can't wait to keep reading.

Thanks tsingson! It's fun writing it, too. I still have to catch up to the present, so more in the works!

Thanks Ryan! Nah, I'm in E stock; John in the white Miata just wanted more competition (read: victims) that event, so he 'convinced' me to run STS... :roll:

He's been trying to get me in STS for a long time lol. I appreciate the offer (that's a badass price, too), but I already have some fresh turn signals that have been sitting in my room for about 5 months :P I'll install them someday...

lol i know I was just messing you man!

That's cool, get on it!

I read 95% of everything here... good story!

Check out the new RTR class that is indexed off the stock classes. I'll be racing in the class again next season. I like it a LOT more than ES, since I'm indexed up against other stock cars that are limited on their choice of tires (basically just now slicks.) Its a fun class, and I highly recommend it! (Especially since I would prefer a 95 with a torsen in that class. Sadly, I have the STS car, not the RTR car...)

The fall semester started. For my car, that meant daily driver duty. It wasn't all work, though.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8237/8...54e0719e_b.jpg
Another drive

And, still, more racing. I was stacking up points in E stock for great justice.

Sometime during the Fall of 2012, one of the fog light bulbs went out. Not too big a deal; when I bought them, the seller in Japan didn't know if the bulbs included would even light up at all. I guess I was lucky they worked for a while.

There are several things I've been planning to purchase:

-New brake rotors and pads

-New wheel bearings, front and rear.

-Get an alignment

-Paint/body work

-Um, fog light bulbs

I'd also really like to get some new, performance shocks to replace these decade-old OEM ones and a Racing Beat exhaust.
I spent a lot of time deciding which exhaust I'd like to buy. Searching far and wide, based on sound, I finally narrowed it down to two:
Racing Beat and Roadstersport 3.

This video, though, ultimately convinced me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyZHuL67R3g
Skip to 2:30 for aural pleasure

I want to buy an exhaust soon!
That video also had me searching for ULTRA tachometers for a while lol.



I also began a little parts-hording in the Autumn. None of these have been installed yet...

(These are all thanks to JK. He's a genuinely awesome guy! I seriously can't thank you enough! I'll take good care of everything.)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8086/8...012bf3de_c.jpg
An M2-type carpet center console

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8352/8...f298b605_c.jpg
Matching shifter ring

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8046/8...d85743d9_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8506/8...8bd40b11_c.jpg
M2 / Eunos optional rear 1/4 mud guards/protectors

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8215/8...6284c39a_c.jpg
M2 1028 door pulls

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8222/8...6443b7a8_c.jpg
Leather insert

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8238/8...17655c5e_c.jpg
RS Factory Stage front tow hook (it was too big for my makeshift lightbox lol)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8090/8...7b75def8_c.jpg
M2 1028 shift knob

http://auctions.c.yimg.jp/img351.auc...sfop564462.jpg
On the way...

+ A Zoom Engineering fuel lid soon!

Also, not so rare, but still exciting:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8094/8...62343a7f_c.jpg
An NA6 dash that I picked 'n pulled one cold, December day. It's only missing the gauge hood. Thanks for the heads-up about the Pick 'n Pull, Ryan!

And an R-package replica front lip that I have no pictures of.

It will all be installed soon, hopefully. Likely, though, I'm going to wait until after paint to install anything.

The dashboard will need to be washed and I may wrap it in something (there's an almost invisible crack on the top shelf). I'm also on the search for some early-gen, loop-type carpet; my carpet doesn't fit well and it's in poor shape. Holes in the foot wells, and all...

The autocross season came to a close. I think I have my foot in the door for a trophy in E stock; the other two regulars are faster (a Miata on R-compounds and a non-turbo MR2 driven by a national level driver), but they haven't raced enough events to qualify. Yay, default! I'll take what I can get... :P

We're now pretty up-to-date. I spent this winter break working a ton. Classes start next week, and, out of ignorance, I sort of missed the registration deadline for a couple classes I need. :(
With late registration coming up soon, though, it'll work out...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8083/8...69a330a1_c.jpg
Washed last Wednesday for the first time in a long time

So, for 2013, I'm going to update the maintenance some more, install some parts I have laying around, probably paint and body, more autocross, maybe different kinds of racing too (?), exhaust, brakes, autocross alignment, and I'll start looking at suspension. Oh, and, if I can afford to, I'll pick up some new Z2 Star Specs. My Z1 Star Specs are almost bald and really sketchy in the rain...

Thanks Blueiii! Haha, that's an accomplishment if you read that much. I think I got a little carried away with the writing. :P

I've heard about RTR, but I don't know if the local club has any of the newer classes yet. We do have an active street tire (>140 treadwear) PAX group, though. I might move into Tire E Stock next season, just to have more competition. I've really been thinking about which class I'd like to move into in the future. With the Torsen, I can't run STS. I was thinking either STR or CSP. With the NA6 dash swap coming at some point, though, I guess I'll have to move into CSP eventually...

Not much of an update. (well, not as much as there will be in a couple weeks)

I got a box from Japan and a box from Joel (thanks again!) recently.

Unfortunately, I've had no time to install or fix anything lately; my friend (Mike) asked me to help him take some parts off his car, so we've been busy with that on odd nights the last few weeks. We're not professionals by any means, but we managed the diffuser, exhaust, header, supercharger/manifold, clamshell hinge modification, oil catch can, fuel surge tank, front sway bar and end links, rear tow links, and a surprisingly difficult air/fuel ratio gauge.

We thought it'd be put onto an Exige, but he's decided on another, very nice Elise. So, some parts will be sold (supercharger, diffuser), and some are currently being installed (surge tank, oil catch can, etc) on the new Elise.

It's going pretty well (put the clam hinge on last night):
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8383/8...b079a08e_c.jpg


Last Sunday, I got to go to a road course for the first time! I didn't drive quite as well as I wanted, but it was really fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBsDTGslZ-k

I got some parts in recently, too:

Zoom fuel lid
(still have no pictures of it)

M2 1028 mirrors :D

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8524/8...df8356c1_c.jpg

Eunos Roadster turn signal harness w/ corner parking lights

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8391/8...e574da3a_c.jpg

A cool M2 Paper catalogue about the 1028 Clubman-II.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8215/8...37285922_c.jpg

and, finally, a KG Works rear spoiler (free shipping ftw!)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8086/8...1569edb6_c.jpg

I decided to mount the spoiler on with bolts rather than the double sided tape it comes with. It's not a pretty process and it's irreversible, but it's now safely mounted. Plus, I like the way the bolts look.

I'm not sure I want to post the pictures (again, not pretty), but if someone wants to know how to bolt the KG Works onto the trunk, maybe this will be helpful. This was my first time using a hand-held saw, so, not perfect.

What I used:
Angle grinder w/ metal cutting wheel
Cordless 19v drill (craftsman C3?)
1/4" drill bit
Some bigger drill bit
6 1/4" diameter bolts/6 nuts
sharpie
KG Works Spoiler

First, I taped up and marked where I'd be drilling into the spoiler. I drilled a small hole first, then worked up to the correct size. I just chose the smallest bit and skipped up.

Pilot hole
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8508/8...bb55bdf9_c.jpg

Originally, I was planning to use button-head style metric hex bolts in chrome, but with 6 bolts (no nuts) coming to a total of $25, I bravely decided not to go that route. Locally, the only thing available that was somewhat close to what I wanted was some carriage bolts. Still, only $1 for ten including nuts. So, carriage bolts:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8530/8...f32a2e90_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8108/8...8f6e864f_c.jpg

Because carriage bolts have nothing on the face, they have a small indention on the underside of the head to sit in a slot. This allows them to be tightened down. I didn't have a square seat for the bolt, though. To get around this, I counter-sunk the bolt. The spoiler is drilled through first with the 1/4" bit, then partway through with the larger bit to accommodate this square. The correct size bit took some testing.

Drilled spoiler:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8532/8...620f59b3_c.jpg

Next is to prepare the trunk for the spoiler. To reach the nuts you'll need to screw in, some of the bracing needs to be cut. Place the spoiler on and draw a vertical line down on the brace inline with the holes in the spoiler. Then, draw a square over that line. The square should be large enough to fit a few fingers in.

Measure and mark carefully and...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8375/8...d82b82c8_c.jpg

whoops. Didn't come out as clean as the lines suggested. :/

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8382/8...cd3f5371_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8106/8...46483ea5_c.jpg

Also, be careful with the angle grinder. It will shoot sparks downwards and sideways when working. I removed the carpet and everything from my trunk, then placed a wet towel over the rear deck. Afterwards, check around and make sure nothing is smoldering.

Next, place the spoiler on and mark the hole locations with the sharpie. Take it off, and drill through the skin with the 1/4" bit. You may have to enlarge outside holes due to the angle at which they go in.

With my 1 1/2" long bolts, the inside two bolts closest to the 3rd brake light are shrouded by the 3rd brake light bracket. This isn't really a problem; it will still fit, you just have to remove the 3rd brake light to screw in the bolts. I would recommend either getting 1 1/2", 1 1/4", or something much longer (2 1/2"). I'm afraid now that 2" (what I originally wanted) would end up somewhere inside the 3rd brake light mount and not be able to accept a nut.

Final results:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8386/8...fa232f71_c.jpg

In a couple weeks, the car will go into paint and body. When it comes out, it will have a new OEM front bumper and paint on the trunk (spoiler is staying black), windshield frame, and rear quarter panel to fix some sun damage/clearcoat failure. Finally, after that, I can fit the mirrors, R-package front lip, and some other stuff.

Then will come more maintenance. After co-driving at autocross with Mike a few weeks ago and watching my car take corners from outside the cabin, I've decided that I need new shocks (at least). The nose-dive on braking was violent. :S
So, wheel bearings, brakes, and suspension. In that order.

My car just went into paint 30 minutes ago, but I got my LED bulbs in the mail this morning and I managed to test them out beforehand.

New housings (top, Eunos) vs old housings (bottom, USDM Miata):
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8103/8...59cfbafc_c.jpg

They work in the Japanese wiring harnesses! Thanks for everything Chuck (ccw180, great seller)!
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8523/8...ecc40d40_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8528/8...6a462e2d_c.jpg

Old setup:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8516/8...c491a1e1_c.jpg

Meanwhile, the Vitaloni bases are drying
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8109/8...9076ff33_c.jpg

Can't wait for the end of the week!

Midori is coming along well.....GREAT build thread, details and photos!

Thanks maharaj! I have thousands of photos, but they're all blah cellphone pics. Mainly just archival.

I'll feel better once some more wear parts are up-to-date and perhaps some performance parts are installed. I had the privilege of driving an STS prepped NA6 (700lb/500lb springs) at autocross last weekend, and the difference was eye opening. Between that and the Elise, my car feels a little soft. :P

After two weeks, I finally got my car back from the paint & body shop Friday night! New OEM front bumper, paint on the trunk, windshield frame, driver quarter panel, and deck lid. I installed and re-installed some parts yesterday.

So, photos:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8088/8...edf6fa92_c.jpg
Yesterday morning, nothing installed

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8100/8...2c3a6043_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8521/8...9f64224c_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8525/8...58787176_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8371/8...27ae9a86_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8388/8...a9115057_c.jpg
Those LEDs are bright!

I fit the 1028 mirrors half an hour ago, too:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8385/8...73b31d43_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8091/8...cac6f60e_c.jpg

I love the way these mirrors look. As usable mirrors, though, they're... um...
I'm not looking behind so much as I am just looking at the mirrors themselves. Oh well lol.

I'll try to fit the R-pkg front lip later today, as well. Then, after a wash, I'll try to get some actual pictures :P

Those mirrors look awesome color matched!

Your car is looking clean, you should look into some BLUE HD mirrors to fit into those side view mirrors, you'll love them so much more.

Good stuff

Thanks man! For the first time, I'm loving having a car that doesn't look like it has been bumped into. I still need to massage the passenger headlight, but I'm so pleased with how it looks.

I'm getting used to the mirrors, but the passenger side keeps drooping at speed (>70mph) or over bumps. When actually aimed, they're not bad at all...

Also, I just bolted the R-package lip on half an hour ago; I'll get some pics tomorrow when it's a bit brighter.

You Probably didn't need to cut all those holes and use those bolts... A simple pilot hole and using a big rivet probably would've worked better, No access holes needed

Very true :/

I can't really say I didn't have access to a rivet gun or rivets; I had just bought those for the Lotus before I did this. I thought that I'd be able to remove it easily for autocross (in stock class), but no one in my class seems to mind the spoiler. Otherwise, I can't explain why I decided bolts over rivets.

If I were to do it all again, I might use rivets instead... I hate those access holes...

Rivnuts

:(

I should have looked into this more. I was rushing to get the holes drilled before it got painted, I guess.


On a less-regrettable note, I got the front lip attached:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8242/8...f85167b8_c.jpg

I might have better photos, but I have to shoot the rest of the roll and have them developed before I can tell for sure...

Have a little free time, so...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8...4fe84135_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8537/8...bb07a03c_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8121/8...c601ae91_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8123/8...2329587e_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8524/8...cba60ef6_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8112/8...977e673d_c.jpg

Just saving up for parts, enjoying my car. I just bought some NA6 carpet and I really want to complete my interior, but suspension comes first. It'll probably be quite a while before I can afford to make any drastic changes.

Nice build so far. I love builds with a story.

thanks!

I got back from a short (2 week) study abroad in Japan a couple months ago. I don't want to derail my own thread, but here are a few pictures. Honestly, the best time of my life. Counting the days until I can go back. :P

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2850/9...1c6b9390_c.jpg
fuji 200 superia
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3814/9...49c384cd_c.jpg
redscale kodak gold 800
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7360/9...20c833ca_c.jpg
fuji 200 superia, I think
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7309/9...4b4780e6_c.jpg
xpro E6 fuji provia 100
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8399/8...e9972327_c.jpg
lomography 100 or 400, probably

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ueru

...I really want to complete my interior, but suspension comes first.

---

I know I said the interior of my car would have to wait, but...
While I was in Kyoto, I picked up something for myself at a Super Autobacs...

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3673/9...9dfa1918_c.jpg

350mm used, but perfect condition Prototipo. I first saw it sitting on the rack while carrying one of my host family's sons around on my back, buying gifts for my friends. I nearly bought it, but decided against it.

While we were touring around Kiyomizudera the next day, I decided I had to buy it; this was the exact wheel I wanted. I was planning on buying it in the States later down the road anyway. Buying it in Japan, though, and the memories of the trip/absurdity of carrying around with me from that point on was something I couldn't pass up.

After a walk back home from the train station at sunset, my friend and I borrowed (after asking if it was really alright 20 times or so, throwing in some 'sumimasen's) our host family's bikes and rode to Autobacs. Also, side note, some bikes (ie. our bikes) are powered and it freaked me out when we first set off. Wasn't ready for that lol. They have about the same top speed, but the electric motor assists you on acceleration, so it launches from a stop. Anyway, brought the wheel home, carried it on the bullet train, around Kyushu for the next 4 days, then on the plane back to Texas.

To compliment that, I had to buy more...
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2805/9...2b56914e_c.jpg

Seriously, NOW I'm going to save up for suspension. It'll be around September by the time I can afford it. Hopefully. Then, seats, so I can finally install this Miata interior I have set up in my room into my car.



I shot off the rest of a roll I had loaded at an autocross a month or so ago, too...

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5444/9...8f227c1a_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7320/9...5cfbb329_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/9...b1974140_c.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5533/9...d49c8994_c.jpg
these all are lomo 800, if you're curious
I wish I had functioning light metering; all overexposed...

Very Nice Read and Build!!!!!!

Thanks atank!

So, some progress over the last ~3 weeks...

I installed the Works Bell QR, Daikei hub, and Prototipo:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3741/9...69ca7fca_c.jpg

Which actually happened tangentially while installing this RS Products Vintage gauge panel:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5446/9...15d2b909_c.jpg

Which was really installed to get some relative measurements for these:

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2816/9...85f9f906_c.jpg

Revlimiter 1028 gauges! Adam is as amazing as people say he is; He treated these gauges like they were going on his car throughout the design. He stretched the tick marks inwards for me to accommodate the smaller windows on the panel. Really, really happy with how they came out. Thanks Adam! :D

Someone might have noticed that the needles are a bit different. To match the gauges and smaller windows, I dremelled them down a bit. Then completely ground off the opposite pointer to have only one 'needle' on each needle.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2826/9...71a1098d_c.jpg

To look like this (actual 1028):

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7385/9...aae6b5c6_o.jpg

Here are mine (with replica level of gas lol):

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2837/9...23796c20_c.jpg


A few days ago, I took off the Eunos fog lights. I'm going to leave them off for a while. I think I like the way the front looks without them better. I'll take my time refinishing the fog housings and make some covers, then see how they look...

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2830/9...39959625_c.jpg



And, a couple days ago, I started my NA6 dash swap. This leads up to today (I'm taking a break right now).

Taking off panels...
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7293/9...c8290641_c.jpg

Center console, you are NEVER going back on! muahaha!
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7364/9...849d730d_c.jpg

After a little cleaning... Oh, right, I'm also swapping in some good-condition loop-type carpet...
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3724/9...343d1460_c.jpg

$0.80! Although, some of it is too gnarly to spend...
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3685/9...830e630e_c.jpg

My helper being particularly unhelpful
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7342/9...38646af7_c.jpg

Just lay it on top...
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2846/9...62b1914e_c.jpg

And there we go
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2814/9...978730a3_c.jpg


Now, time to swap over the dash wiring and throw it in. I'm going to get this finished in the next 4 or 5 hours. Hopefully. Because the new college semester starts tomorrow lol.

DAMN! That cluster is stupid fly! Seriously... pretty amazing stuff.

Thanks man! It seems like I'm driving quicker now just to see the needle sweep across lol. Adam does amazing work.

Okay, sort of finished tonight. Dash is in, but radio/cubby are not. Neither is the glove box. Nor the passenger seat. But, I can drive it, so it's done for now.

Busy working, so I didn't take many pics.

I stapled these white guides back onto the carpet. It seems like these are always torn off.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7437/9...3dc5e796_c.jpg

And, the last shot. It was getting dark quick, so this is as good as it gets. I tried running in and putting the shift knob on, but when I came back out, it was pitch black.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2892/9...bc9c2d08_c.jpg

Picked up a box from the post office a week or so ago.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3725/1...cda91456_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7428/1...c0946646_c.jpg

Not perfect condition, but still fine. Any suggestions on how to get dirt stains out without damaging the mats? I've used a bit of carpet/upholstery cleaner, but it mostly just made them softer.

Today, I'm going to reinforce and repaint the HVAC console panel and try to finish off my gauge needles (they still leak a bit of light out of the dremmelled side). If the weather clears up, I might give her a wash and wax too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ueru

Picked up a box from the post office a week or so ago.
Not perfect condition, but still fine. Any suggestions on how to get dirt stains out without damaging the mats? I've used a bit of carpet/upholstery cleaner, but it mostly just made them softer.

Today, I'm going to reinforce and repaint the HVAC console panel and try to finish off my gauge needles (they still leak a bit of light out of the dremmelled side). If the weather clears up, I might give her a wash and wax too.

---

A big scoop of Oxy-Clean and a cap full of Tide. I'd let them soak in that solution for at least an hour, maybe longer. Here's my mat restoration thread for reference: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....ll=1#post89127

An alternative to what Dandy suggested is those "rug-cleaning" cleaners/machines you can rent from supermarkets/etc...or are they steam cleaners? I don't remember exactly what they're specificaly called...but I was made aware of this via this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNMAmhGrxR8

Thanks guys! Sweet write-up, btw. Any idea if the Oxy-clean would oxidize or damage the metal 'Roadster' plates on the mats?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ueru

Thanks guys! Sweet write-up, btw. Any idea if the Oxy-clean would oxidize or damage the metal 'Roadster' plates on the mats?

---

That's a good point. I'd search the interwebs to get a good range of opinions. If you can remove the metal and reattach, that would be ideal. Protect the metal as best you can and limit soaking time to an hour or less and you should be ok. Don't trust me though. Search and get some more advice. I know the metal pieces are an important part of your mats and you wouldn't want them to get damaged.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ueru

Any suggestions on how to get dirt stains out without damaging the mats? I've used a bit of carpet/upholstery cleaner, but it mostly just made them softer.

---

pour some liquid detergent (I use arm&hammer brand) on the stains and then use a nail scrub brush with medium force on the stains in straight stokes, NOT circles, and too heavy a hand will cause the brush strokes to be permanent. Let them sit about an hour and then wash them in a washing machine, together or as a single, then pop'em in the dryer. A BIG FYI - No matter how much you have vacuumed them, THEY WILL LEAVE JDM DIRT IN YOUR DRYER, which can be a pita to clean out.
If you have the white fuzz sticking out on the black trim edges, use a black sharpie on the white fuzz. Makes the mats look much better, after they have been washed. If you are super anal with details, you can thin out some black enamel paint in a cup and re-paint the Roadster logos.


Awesome progress being made here.:mrgreen:

I'm going back to Harris Hill circuit this Saturday, so I decided to beef up my brake system with the 949racing stage 1 upgrade. Carbotech XP8's all around, new blank rotors, SS brake lines, Motul RBF600 fluid, and I added on a Wilwood proportioning valve to the order. Probably most excited about the brake proportioning lol.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3714/1...541b1921_c.jpg
And a Tetsuya Garage sticker lol

The only real hiccup was the rear end: the discs were sealed to the hubs with rust. The passenger-side rear broke off part and flattened the threads on two bolts, trying to use the threaded hole thing. A sledgehammer and some PB blaster made quick work of that. Otherwise, it went smoothly. Brake pressure feels just as tight as it did before, to my relief. I didn't have time to rebuild the calipers, but I'm going to try my hand at it in a few months.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7302/1...50974249_c.jpg

I also did some repair on my HVAC panel. It's a custom job, and the bottom and top were separating. So, some reinforcements were epoxied onto the backside, then the front was bondo'd. I used some black paint I had sitting around from my fog light project, but I'll probably repaint again it when I find some time; the previous wrinkle finish is showing through and the new paint is a little too glossy.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2806/1...b4b56f64_c.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3787/1...9e051b6b_c.jpg
4th coat out of 6 in.

I painted the dremmelled ends of my needles, too, to stop light leaking from them at night. It's better now than it was.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3713/1...9b2edcc5_c.jpg
This is what it looks like right now, after painting. Still not perfect...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7308/1...533cc302_c.jpg
...but it's still barely noticeable from the passenger's view...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/1...6fc8c24e_c.jpg
...and it's invisible from the driver's view.

I think I'll return to it later, after dialing in the brake bias and some other, important stuff...

Kind of unexpected, but I bought an old Momo Start seat for $148 yesterday. The cover is torn, but the shell is fine. It's bottom mount, so onto the stock rails it goes! Until I can make some custom bracket to mount it to the floor, at least...

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3788/1...fd6c3a6a_c.jpg
Needs some new upholstery...

Haven't updated in a while (still saving my pennies), so here are a few photos from this winter:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3793/1...49758f78_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7417/1...c1790eaa_c.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5512/1...2973857b_c.jpg

I'm working on getting some audio back in my car soon, as well. Just a small amp + aux input. Currently waiting on components to arrive, but hopefully it'll be done in a couple weeks.

Absolutely love the photos! They look stupid great.
:teehee:

So, I repainted my tombstone again a couple weeks ago.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5528/1...aa9f2629_c.jpg

I just finished my stereo project last night, too. Instead of a rusty hole with wires laying everywhere, now I've got an IL cubby w/ clock, a RoadsterTech blanking plate accommodating controls for the amplifier, and some Revlimiter hazard switches! I don't have the vents in yet because I want to repaint the tombstone once more... This is a nice finish, but I want to redo it to fix some spots, then apply a matte clearcoat to prevent scratches, etc.

The only input now is an auxiliary cable sitting in the cubby. No radio, no cassette, no CD... just an amp. I still need to label the knobs.

Really pleased, overall :D

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2884/1...5cc092bf_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7375/1...90cc8f96_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7362/1...987f9dce_c.jpg

Tombstone looks really good . . . so good, that the HVAC panel is in need of a spruce up to go along with the good looking gauges as well.

Thanks! Yeah, the HVAC panel needs to be replaced; it's blistering. It's on my list, along with shift/handbrake boots, and a handbrake handle. Someday lol.

Your interior looks exquisite. I definitely agree with Dandy. You need a new HVAC panel.

That center console looks exactly the way I want mine. Very nice!

Not a big update:
Sewed a shift boot for myself. It's not really perfect, but I'm happy I made it myself and it was only ~$3 in total. Learned to sew, too.

First, I bought some scrap leather from a store called Tandy's (in case you're in or around San Antonio). Kinda waxy, but really cheap.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7381/...41cce399_c.jpg

It cleaned up nicely with some 320 grit sandpaper and leather cleaner. Sanded very lightly, then rubbed the cleaner in with my hands very firmly, removing the top-most layer of wax and grime. Repeat until clean or hands hurt.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7064/...286ac3bd_c.jpg

The stock boot is made of 4 sections; 2 slightly wider sections and 2 slightly narrower sections. This is to accommodate the rectangular trim the shifter sticks out of. I'm using a circular shift ring, so I mathematized a little and made each section equal size.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3737/...5fac78f8_c.jpg

After sewing the boot together, the set ring is glued in. This holds the boot in place on the tapered part of the shifter. I'm using a shift knob from an M2 1028 and it sits higher than the stock knob. The stock ring sat too low (inside diameter was too wide) and left a gap between the bottom of the shifter and the boot, so I bought some nylon washers from Lowe's that were roughly the right size. I used a dremel to trim some material from the inside to fit well when the leather was wrapped around and glued to the ring.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/...12faaab2_c.jpg

Finished, except for the shifter ring bolt holes. I'll punch those in a day or two.

^^ueru I love the hand made shift boot!!!!!!!!!!!!

Impressed with your craftsmanship or should I say craftwomanship Jk... I'm impressed.

lol, thanks guys. Next up: handbrake boot!

Dreamy :3:

I haven't updated in a while, so I thought I'd catch up.

The GV tail light panel arrived from Rev9 back in March and I installed it for a test fit...

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5573/...a414202b_c.jpg

...then test fit it for a couple more days.

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2901/...3bcd8357_c.jpg

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5557/...84442ea1_c.jpg

Now it's back off, awaiting paint.

It'll be a while before it's installed, though; some of you might have already guessed, but I'm abroad in Kyoto right now. I'll be here studying at university for a year.

Before I left, I rolled myself some film...

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3878/...04e42856_c.jpg

...removed and packed up some car parts...

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5578/...03c24337_c.jpg

...and took a final, crappy phone picture of my car for a while.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5583/...0d4dd6c9_c.jpg


I miss her already, but don't feel bad for me lol. Japan's awesome!

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3845/...e2bb26ea_c.jpg

And I've already experienced some great Roadster culture.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3900/...ffbe8ae3_c.jpg

It's not like my build will completely stop either. I can at least grab some parts while I'm over here. After all, the Super Autobacs in Kyoto (where I bought my Prototipo last year) is a 5 minute walk from my apartment...

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3860/...39a597b5_c.jpg

I hope I'll be able to do the same :3: Are you taking Japanese? If so, how far along are you?

awesome, SuperAutoBacs is like a huge candystore for gearheads, I remember seeing the 4wd dyno they had set up for the Skylines, Evos, and Subaru's, too much cool stuff !!

It's an exchange program, so all I'm allowed to take here is Japanese language and culture. I've been studying Japanese for 3 years at university back in Texas (and a tiny bit before that), so I can get by alright with the language (as long as it's spoken); my goals are to expand my vocabulary (I had to ask for some 'fluffy' envelopes at the post office yesterday since I didn't know the word for padded/bubblewrap lol), generally polish my speaking/grammar, and some serious kanji practice. Hiragana/katakana are no problem at all, but I suck at kanji. You should definitely go abroad!

And Super Autobacs is awesome! I'm going to try to make a trip to UpGarage next...

I don't know if my school offers Japan, I know they offer one or two places in Europe, I need to look into it more. This is my first year though and I just started Japanese.

It's been over a year since I last updated! Not a big update, just catching up.

So, I was in Japan for a while.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/441/18...876db174_b.jpg
said Japan

Found myself at UpGarage often, understandably...

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5651/2...5935d3ec_z.jpg
Hardtop for ~$180

Ended up buying something not quite so big:

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5733/2...71910a27_z.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5787/2...a913a1a1_z.jpg
A 17-year old Recaro!

Which was really fun to pack, ship, and bring back. First from Tokyo to Kyoto, then from Japan to the US. It got here safe and sound in the end though. Hopefully soon, the Momo will come out and a pair of SPGs will go in, with 5 and 6 point harnesses.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/769/23...12a3f576_z.jpg
Karuizawa

Also some smaller things, like an Okuyama (Carbing) tow hook from the Car Make Corn's shop, an RS Factory knob, and a used 360mm Nardi from UpGarage to use as a daily wheel.

Since coming back, I've found time to refresh my tombstone setup with a better paint job (used hi-temp clear this time, should resist the Sun's wrath), blow up my amp, replace it and possibly ruin that one as well, and install a Racing Beat catback+intake.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5787/2...bdd33547_z.jpg

I also picked up a KG Works license plate mount at Karuizawa, so I finally mounted my front plate:

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5742/2...8d5470c6_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5747/2...e7afeb65_c.jpg



And last, a box came from Japan not too long ago:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/632/23...00500189_z.jpg
And it was all selective yellow

There's a bit more, but I'll wait until it's all installed to post. My goal is to have it all (ALL of it, all this, everything; maybe even the GV panel) on before the next autocross in about a month's time.

Great posts, if you have more great shots from Japan, I'm sure everyone, including me would love to see!

Subd. This is gonna be a good build... I can feel it. Hehe.

Thanks! I ended up taking hundreds over the year, but here are a few in mostly chronological order...

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8588/1...18e4f101_b.jpg
fire festival
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3946/1...93213564_b.jpg
first time to upgarage, sunset on the 5 hour bike ride back
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7519/1...a2aec406_b.jpg
biking around katsuragawa
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7321/1...3093feda_b.jpg
snowfall in kyoto
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7298/1...eb4c02f7_b.jpg
walking back to the capsule hotel from daikoku PA, new year's at midnight in yokohama
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7414/1...4a53a21c_b.jpg
visiting a temple in kyoto
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8654/1...5781efa8_b.jpg
walking back home from kyoto station through the snow
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8595/1...3394612e_b.jpg
more snowfall
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8671/1...2aaff5cb_b.jpg
skiing/roadtrip through hokkaido with my friends
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7652/1...1ed398e8_b.jpg
wandering around somewhere near where tokyo, yokohama, and kawasaki meet
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7627/1...e82ed191_b.jpg
kurazushi on nijodori, near residence A
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7723/1...6aac1768_b.jpg
spring at university
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7753/1...8bb3b2fb_b.jpg
local summer festival in kobe
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7726/1...12998804_b.jpg
late night grocery shopping on shijodori
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7755/1...01947e31_b.jpg
cool, old village up highway 162, north of kyoto
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8806/1...6952da32_b.jpg
same place, in spring around when the sakura were blooming
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5340/1...96602ccb_b.jpg
there was still snow up in the mountains
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8832/1...cc808131_b.jpg
summer trip to tottori with all the other exchange students, 1am, after main party ended
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5447/1...4a9c237c_b.jpg
bbq with the ski club at katsuragawa, drying off around the fire after getting pulled into the water
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/273/19...ac45ab3d_b.jpg
women wearing yukata during tsuyu, the rainy season (which unusually lasted for 2~3 months)
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/329/19...5026a3ec_b.jpg
stargazing up between takahama and oi, 3:30am, even further up highway 162.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3723/2...12d49b3e_b.jpg
around the corner from my apartment, yokoduna ramen on shijodori (went there a lot)

Can't wait to go back!

I must visit Japan...

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1627/2...6ca30dff_c.jpg

Washed my car for the first time in a long while, just in time for cars and coffee.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1648/2...d1f594a6_c.jpg

My friend Ryan and I finished cutting/drilling/sanding the aluminum mounts. It was less than $20 total for the aluminum and hardware (and I still have about 2 feet of aluminum angle left over).

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1546/2...dd22da98_c.jpg

And they're on! Cibie Iode 45, driving light on driver's side, fog light on passenger side. Same model lights as the ones on a rally-styled BRG Roadster in Japan I admire (there are some photos of his car in the minkara photo gallery thread). The wiring is basic on/off right now, but I'm going to try to wire in a DIY high/low function for the driving light since it has no cut-off.

So, we finished the mounts... even more. One of the arms started drooping/began pointing downwards, so we added some turnbuckles. They work great!

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1603/2...ddda7abb_o.jpg


There's been a crack growing across the top of my NA6 dash the last couple years sadly, so I bought some leather to lay on top of it. Going on as soon as I can find time to get the dash out and repair the crack.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1529/2...00378a53_b.jpg


And I must suck at painting or something (I've been fighting blistering paint jobs on the tombstone for 3 years now), so the center console is taking a different route now...

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1652/2...cab0fafc_b.jpg


A couple friends helped swap in my header and suspension too. Went smoothly except when faced with the O2 sensors. The 5-sided socket most tool places sell just wanted to strip the head. The first sensor (from the car we were swapping the header off of), I tried torching it, waxing it, soaking it in PB blaster... until we just cut it off with an angle grinder, which let us remove the header from the car and wrench it off with a 6-point socket and a very long bar. The second O2 sensor (on my 20 year old stock header), we had the same problems. I decided quickly to just slice it off with a dremel and use an extension and a long bar to get it out.

Later, when we went to screw in a new O2 sensor to the old stock header (after it was already torqued down to the car), we found residual metal in the bung from the old O2 sensor. The threads must have tore off from the body. RRRRR. Everything else was a piece of cake. It really surprised me how easy the suspension is to swap. I was ready for a headache lol.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1452/2...967723d6_b.jpg

Finally, after 6 years of autocrossing, I can use something stiffer than a stock setup.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1525/2...5ac25be7_b.jpg


I also got kind of tired of using blue tape for numbers after all these years, so I finally ordered some vinyl. Plus, I kinda wanted roundels. For a long time.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1634/2...4ce800b8_b.jpg

I layed out the design on Forza 4, inspired by the old Alpine A110 rally cars. I used some arbitrary measurements to maintain scale and managed to keep pretty close to what I had in mind. These are 19.5" diameter roundels, if you're curious. I've seen all sorts of sizes on Miatas, so I guess there's no common size. My goal was to avoid a too small size when viewed straight-on (smaller roundels look better at 3/4 view, but look smaller when viewing the car's side profile) and have it slightly cut off at the bottom door sill.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1468/2...048dba98_b.jpg

Applying kind-of-large vinyl was a learning process. The driver side, the first one we tried, didn't turn out nearly as clean as the passenger side or the hood. Up close, it's easy to tell which we learned on lol. The easiest way was to wet the body with soapy water and then lay on the vinyl gently. We tried dry the first time and it was nearly impossible to lay it down bubble-free/we kept stretching and deforming it. Soapy water was 10x faster and 100x easier.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1497/2...6802ab37_b.jpg


Still have some seat mounts to make, a rear bumper to mess with, and an amp to wire up. Projects projects projects...

Got around to cutting into my fenders to install the side winkers.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7731/2...ca912938_c.jpg

Wasn't so bad. Just took some time, went slow, and it went smoothly. But the sounds of cutting are enough to bring tears to your eyes; the dremel was bad, but the metal file was the worst.



Got around to selling my 2nd Miata as well...

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7090/2...1c680e1a_c.jpg

I had a second Miata for about 6 months. It was a 1994 M edition, relatively high miles, good mechanical condition, and a terrible respray job over the standard Montego Blue. The actual hue was fine (close to Starlight Mica, but a tad brighter?), but there was over-spray everywhere. The M Edition badges on the car were completely blue when I got it. I bought it because it was cheap and had some parts on it I wanted (RB header, Bilsteins, sway bar, etc).

Fixed some maintenance things like the CAS O-ring, aftermarket alarm, cleaned off the M edition badges, and then sold it to a good friend of mine. He's big into itashas (drives a pink/white Nico Yazawa MS3 usually), so he said he doesn't mind the spotty paintwork. He's still laying out his itasha plans for the car...



Then we took our cars drifting! We've been autocrossing for years, but this was a first for both of us. Pretty fun time, and great value. I got 25 runs in for the day, and the entry fee was the same as an autocross.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7493/2...bbe3d093_c.jpg



Enjoyed the last bit of not-summer after putting the vinyl on. I've since got the numbers/class lettering as well, but haven't been to an event yet to test them out.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7339/2...a5e3d7e8_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7100/2...f781e38b_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7476/2...225284b8_c.jpg



With the help of a Jeep friend, got some seat mounts sized, cut, and welded. Matching SPGs now!

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7412/2...feff86ac_c.jpg

lol


And now the car's apart to update/fix a few things.
-Harness sub belts have been installed (and a harness bar was welded in at the same time we made the seat mounts for the shoulder straps).
-The broken gauge hood came out to be replaced with a new Rspeed piece.
-The RS gauge panel had some bolts coming loose, so that came apart to get some nylon insert nuts, replace a piece of that indicator light panel that keeps the high beam indicator from blinding me, and a nice cleaning for everything.
-Seat mounts came out to get a coat of paint.
-Bosch reflectors have been replaced with some Cibie E-Codes and new, uncoated bulbs.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7402/2...bc74be65_c.jpg



And I've been working inside with getting tombstone ver.2 finished. Along with cutting up some amplifiers to get working audio again, I had some trouble with painting the plastic these last few years, so I made a template and cut out some aluminum sheet. The shaping is mostly complete. All that's left is painting it black, cutting out the side plates, trimming some leather, and mounting it.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7317/2...3703b65f_c.jpg

The old plastic knobs that came with the amplifier are leaving in favor of some aluminum ones I found at an electronics store in Kyoto. I wish they were a bit smaller, but the better quality is worth it.

Hopefully soon, the dash will be out for repairs/leather as well...

I absolutely love your build, Weldon.

The mix of cool Japanese and handmade parts really makes your car special.

Can't wait to see the finished tombstone, looks great so far! :drinkto: Want to do something similar.....

It's been a while, dang.

Got kind of side tracked from my interior and decided to piece together a new exhaust. Replaced the RB power pulse w/ sport connecting pipe with an RB resonated connecting pipe and 6" x 14" muffler. It's only a bit louder. It was bordering on 'obnoxiously loud' at first, but it's quieted down since then. It's about perfect now; quiet enough to drive under bridges and underpasses and blend in with the traffic, but it yelps and burbles when I give it some boot lol.


https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/522/31...0e28f219_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/655/31...e2c9a76c_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5828/3...c351c94b_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5696/3...5a448e5b_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5490/2...ac7661fc_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8569/2...79bede9a_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5675/2...c572fcf9_b.jpg

I don't plan on leaving the pipe so long, but I don't know exactly where to cut until I finish the rear bumper, so it'll be like that for a while longer.


Also added a Miataroadster short shifter and an RS Factory STAGE hand brake handle + button to match the Jimmy shift knob.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8410/3...0aa8a9a1_b.jpg

Then I (mostly) finished my tombstone/dash project. I love my 1028 style tombstone. It's exactly the style I wanted for my car. But time had not been kind to it and the finish was wearing down quick. Plus, it was handmade by someone else and the joined areas were slightly... unjoining when it flexed, which made it hard for paint to stick well. So, after living with the results of my apparently horrible painting skills more than thrice, I decided to just skip paint altogether and go straight to aluminum. (I hope you'll forgive me for drilling into the tombstone, Joel!)

First, I cut the tombstone shape out of some aluminum sheet...

*1, 2, skip a few*

and here it is:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/769/31...b8c3093c_b.jpg

And then painted it black and bolted it onto the tombstone...

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/758/31...eeaeacd6_b.jpg

Then I started cutting out the side pieces from aluminum and riveting them onto the tombstone...

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/638/31...fbc24567_b.jpg

And what goes well with aluminum? Leather. Leather does.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/410/31...3b6bb6bd_b.jpg

Cut out some pieces and stitched some unnecessary ornamental stitching, then began cementing them onto the aluminum side pieces.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/349/31...92bfb8d9_b.jpg

Then the paint failed and I went back to raw aluminum for a while...

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/283/32...d04103f4_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/444/31...a1c754f0_b.jpg

This bottom aluminum/leather piece is removable so I can slide the face piece in and out underneath the leather overhangs.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/482/32...3910a3fe_b.jpg

And here it is in the car:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/405/32...417ff2d5_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/371/31...001c0332_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/763/31...7ef8e8fb_b.jpg

But I wanted it black originally, so I took it back off, removed the face piece and decided to try vinyl this time. Some matte black 25% headlight vinyl straight from amazon. (anodizing was a bit pricey, but I still wanted to seem some luster underneath the black finish).

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/306/32...e5b57f73_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/343/32...314e4a28_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/429/31...31de2771_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/489/31...1cafe2e4_b.jpg

And I say mostly finished because I destroyed my 2nd amp (this time from soldering iron heat I think) and I need to buy a new one, take everything back off, and wire up those knobs and switches. So you might notice that the eyeball vents aren't actually popped in in any of the photos.

And I had some leather left over, so I decided to cut out a dashboard-sized piece and cover my dashboard in it.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/428/31...a21deb07_b.jpg

Contact cement, trash can defroster vents referencing the 1002... it's very much a shameless copy of revlimiter's dash, just more poorly done (I was being a fool and made some nicks in the leather where the crash pad meets the dash top). His came out so well, I couldn't think of any way to improve or change it.

Here are some dark photos that make everything seem okay:

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5597/3...77d2154c_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5552/3...7e1488d5_b.jpg

I love those silver vents. Also, if it seems like there aren't enough photos of the leather dash to see how it looks, every photo in this post (except the first, you can see the leather sitting atop the top of the dash top) is of the leather dash. I did the dash covering before the tombstone lol.

Been wanting to update this thread more often, but not much progress lately. But here's some stuff that's happened in the last several months!


I picked up a spare trunk lid a while back. My car got hit by hail early last year, and the trunk's got it bad. Well, worse than the rest of the car. A few big dings and countless small ones. Been sanding and repairing this trunk these last few months. It won't be mounted, but it'll help me down the road I think.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4160/3...8a230af5_b.jpg
And I painted my muffler matte white. It got as dirty as one would imagine a white muffler would.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2924/3...b76cd195_b.jpg
And it's chipping off too... :/


I also found an example of one of my favorite steering wheels, a 350mm Momo Cavallino. It has no date stamp, so I imagine it's pretty old. The leather and all that is fine, though the stitching could use some cleaning or repainting. And the grip is thicker than anything else I have. Very comfortable to hold. Really happy I got one!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2847/3...b60e0ca7_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2925/3...60941800_b.jpg


Then I went back to Japan for about a month and a half with my friend Logan (@loganae on instagram). Had a job interview, saw some old friends, and did plenty of car stuff. Sad I don't get to stay longer, but hopefully I'll find a job over there soon lol. Got to hang out with Saito-san from ClubNA some more this time too!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2809/3...90620d1b_b.jpg
18hr layover in Shanghai. The morning after wandering around the city all night, with no hotel to speak of.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4160/3...172304b7_b.jpg
Daikoku on a Friday night. Lots of Roadsters were in attendance!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4221/3...bdfe4a49_b.jpg
Karuizawa 2017. Had a lot of fun this year, didn't take quite as many photos. A little less than half of the photos I got in 2015, but many more parts this time lol.


Came back to the States about a week ago and started installing all my stuff.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4283/3...47a16290_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4279/3...f54a259c_b.jpg

New stuff, and a list so I can remember myself:
-Nielex M2-type oil cap
-unknown vented headlight lid
-Garage Vary vented headlight lid
-Zoom Engineering Monaco 240 white rear view mirror
-Nielex M2-type shift knob
-Momo Mod 07 leather steering wheel
-Corn's Eunos Kneepad cubby thing
-Better condition Eunos Roadster turn signal, US passenger side
-Jetstream gas/trunk lever FRP cover
-Black Sabelt harness pads
-unknown header heat shield
-unknown side winkers
-Tipo AIR roadster magazine
-Eunos OE yellow strut bar

And then there's stuff not from Japan, like the white Cibie light covers and the DIY aluminum HVAC panel. Also, Zoom supplied a G-1 arm with the mirror at Karuizawa. Not sure it's just a website error anymore haha. I had no idea about mirrors, so I came back and found out that it didn't fit. Went out and bought a compatible Subaru mirror base bracket at a local dealership (BASE-INNER MIRROR 92031FC000) and glued it to the windshield, and it all works fine now.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4223/3...9fafcabb_b.jpg


Now I'm trying to save up for wheels so I can paint all the parts I have laying around and fit those...

Midori is really coming along! :drinkto: The tombstone turned out incredible! Really like the dash vent mesh. Look forward to the new additions making there way on. :D

I was drooling over your photos from you trip in Japan. Looked like a lot of fun!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Man, that interior looks so freaking good! Love the way this ride is turning out!

Finally got my hands on a set of wheels, so I made a little progress. Got some parts out of the boxes they'd been occupying the last few years and onto my car. Photos courtesy of my friend Logan (@loganae on instagram)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4489/2...730bd269_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4421/3...33b6d164_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4364/3...0b785631_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4435/3...21746cf4_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4444/2...dcf91827_b.jpg

Watanabes! These are my dream wheels, and I'm over the moon here lol. Aluminum 14 x 8.5J -13 R types wrapped in 195/60 SS595's. Thanks to Rod at Tetsuya Garage for helping me buy them! Can't recommend him enough.

The suspension does feel a bit softer after fitting the wheels, which I was kind of expecting considering the offset. Steering does feel different too, a little odd. Not quite as quick/sharp maybe? Just my honest observations so far, happy overall though! Hoping to get to an autocross soon to test it all out/check more thoroughly for rubbing.

I'm trying to get some pictures of my entire car as it sits, not just detail shots of me cutting it to pieces lol. But all my cameras are film, so it'll be a little while.

That's all squared away, and I've since finished the stereo wiring too, so now I'm focused on the trunk and the rear bumper. Hope to have a prototype trunk finished in a couple weeks to start testing. But I've said that every week for the last 3 months, so we'll see haha. After that, if those other two go well, there's a front bumper I've been sketching a bit...

YES! I've been waiting for this update forever. Your IG is on fire man, every post is amazing. This has to be one of my favorite builds. :fab:

AHA, so it’s you! Love the progress, and the wheels are beautiful


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Roadster7

YES! I've been waiting for this update forever. Your IG is on fire man, every post is amazing. This has to be one of my favorite builds. :fab:

---

Thanks man! Means a lot coming from you! Your build is one of the cleanest, well put together builds I know. It reminds me how great Montego can look when it's clean haha. :cheers:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RustRat

AHA, so it’s you! Love the progress, and the wheels are bueatiful


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

---

Haha, yep! Thanks, I'm in love with them

Woohoo!! Love the update (and the posts I didnt even realize I'd missed... How does the Monaco mirror suit a LHD??). Cannot wait for your film to be developed! ��

Watanabe's!!!:frantic::slayer: Love them so much! There is a set of brand new ones on cr.net that I wish I could buy but they are staggered and if prefer a square setup. Looks like your build thread is due for a update after seeing pics of Midori in the NA pic thread....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Greasemonkey2000

Watanabe's!!!:frantic::slayer: Love them so much! There is a set of brand new ones on cr.net that I wish I could buy but they are staggered and if prefer a square setup. Looks like your build thread is due for a update after seeing pics of Midori in the NA pic thread....

---

Thanks!! I love them too haha. They're the wheels I've always wanted. Now I'm only really after some SSR MK.2's or Corn*s CMC03's... or maybe some 14" RPF1's. Or those old 6 spoke Dunlop TE wheels. I guess there are still a few wheels I want after all haha.

I think the color of that set for sale would look great on Misfire!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by oldgrayleather

Woohoo!! Love the update (and the posts I didnt even realize I'd missed... How does the Monaco mirror suit a LHD??). Cannot wait for your film to be developed!

---

Sorry for the late reply! But it suits it well! You can see out of it pretty well even with the RHD profile. More than the stock mirror for sure! I've been looking for a place to say it as well, but your Mariner's on my top favorite roadster list easily.



And yeah, I need to update the thread for sure! I was hoping to have paint on the flares and the GV panel pretty quick and post new photos then, but painting keeps getting pushed back etc. I got some film developed finally (my favorite lab in the states closed late last year, and then reopened in a new state with new staff a month or so ago. There's a bit of dust in the scans and I got a smaller resolution than I ordered, but it was the 10th order they've ever done. Benefit of the doubt though, they're probably just getting used to their new Noritsu machine etc, so I'll be ordering from them again. Plus it's ~$4 a roll developed with scans.)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4755/2...87497e58_b.jpg
snow day in Texas somehow






https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4722/2...efd27d07_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4659/2...35981c94_b.jpg
Sunrise before cars and coffee

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4660/4...943f4b29_b.jpg
A car, coffee in hand

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4655/2...6e15480f_b.jpg






https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4767/2...e94fe308_b.jpg
I also built a small paint booth with ventilation problems recently

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4609/2...5ed51730_b.jpg
And bought a new production ClubNA black "Eunos V" horn button from Saito-san in December. I've got a little issue where the horn just randomly wants to start sounding off a solid, constant honk by surprise and I have to 'Kung Pow fist of fury, take betty's prisms out of his chest' strike and pull the button out of the steering wheel in traffic sometimes. But I love it, it's character. Keeps me on my toes. It works fine otherwise. Maybe I'll fix it later.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4725/2...c3d1cb01_b.jpg
this one's not film






https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4755/2...0ec1f83d_b.jpg
I also got to meet up with Nic (Kawaiiroadster) again in Houston last year for the Rev9 meet. I wish the lab didn't leave some weird line on all my Natura shots, but what can you do? Even if the pics didn't come out well, the night was fun!






https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4694/3...41af9523_b.jpg
Also started back autocrassin' again after a year hiatus or so. Lost a number and some class lettering on the highway in the rain sadly though haha. I think I'm just going to get some spare body parts and switch to permanent vinyl number/letters.


https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4665/3...67aa7117_c.jpg
Put some more work into my spare trunk too. I've been working on this for about a year now, but never really posted much about it. The trunk had a hole in it and some other damage when I got it. I repaired it, then added a little bit of ducktail. It's made of expanding foam, fiberglass, bondo, and duratec polyester primer. And trunk metal. It's pretty heavy lol. But it's a plug, not a trunk.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4747/3...f9563a12_c.jpg
I had to switch to an HVLP set up to get the final 2 or 3% there. I wasted about a gallon of duratec applying by hand. It was a mess, but I got very good at sanding and my arms have never been in better shape/dustier.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4621/3...b7be805b_c.jpg
It was supposed to be the height of an M2-1028 trunk. But then I just added a little more on top. A 1028 trunk roughly equals out the distance below the 3rd brake light and above the 3rd brake light. Or, it doubles the height of the trunk above the 3rd brake light. This triples it, so it's like 150% 1028. I figured there was no point to making some repro of an OE part that already has repros out there. I might as well buy an original and copy that if I wanted an original shape.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4653/2...74234fc0_c.jpg
Wet sanded and polished it last week. There are some angles I love it and some I think it could be better. But making it shiny helped me like it more. I'll make a redesign later maybe. But it doesn't have hail damage like my original trunk, so it's better lol.






https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4752/3...a98d1e1c_c.jpg
Also cracked my GV panel a little bit being a moron last week, trying to move the cars around in the driveway without giving myself enough space and sitting half in the car countach-style. It had a meeting with a grill guard. I can fix it though... I think lol.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ueru

Now I'm only really after some SSR MK.2's or Corn*s CMC03's... or maybe some 14" RPF1's.

---

Go on......

So much awesome in this post!!!! Great to have you back and thrilled you have a new place to develop your photos! Not much you do that follows the “easy” path (car or photos) but for that reason both exude artistry.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ueru

Thanks!! I love them too haha. They're the wheels I've always wanted. Now I'm only really after some SSR MK.2's or Corn*s CMC03's... or maybe some 14" RPF1's. Or those old 6 spoke Dunlop TE wheels. I guess there are still a few wheels I want after all haha.

---

Ha, not surprised I share your appreciation in wheels! I’m waiting for the two replacement Mk2’s to come back after the BRG’s accident. I also have Wats and CMC’s on my wish list along with Hayashi’s. Mrs. R can’t really understand why I kept the RPF’s (and two sets of daisies) when I got the sharks and the 2’s. Gonna have to figure out a better wheel storage solution soon ;).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ueru

Sorry for the late reply! But it suits it well! You can see out of it pretty well even with the RHD profile. More than the stock mirror for sure! I've been looking for a place to say it as well, but your Mariner's on my top favorite roadster list easily.

---

No need to apologize for the delay, appreciate the LHD impression. I love the KGW mirror but ever since I went a bit more aggressive with flares and wheel specs can’t help but think a Mariner Monaco wouldn’t work really well.

Humbled by your appreciation especially as your car has been an inspiration to me!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ueru

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4665/3...67aa7117_c.jpg
Put some more work into my spare trunk too. I've been working on this for about a year now, but never really posted much about it. The trunk had a hole in it and some other damage when I got it. I repaired it, then added a little bit of ducktail. It's made of expanding foam, fiberglass, bondo, and duratec polyester primer. And trunk metal. It's pretty heavy lol. But it's a plug, not a trunk.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4653/2...74234fc0_c.jpg
Wet sanded and polished it last week. There are some angles I love it and some I think it could be better. But making it shiny helped me like it more. I'll make a redesign later maybe. But it doesn't have hail damage like my original trunk, so it's better lol.

---

This is EXACTLY what I wanted to do with a spare NB trunk I purchased a while ago :D Now to find that elusive "time." Looks great by the way.

Love how OEM-like the trunk looks!

Up.....date, Up....date, Up..date, UPDATE, UPDAYT!!!

Ueru-san has gone abroad, I don't think we'll see updates here for a while.

Check out his Instagram for cool photos though.

I got pretty excited to see this thread getting bumped. Very disappointed.

Thanks guys, it's been a minute lol. It's been nearly a year since I've even seen my car actually! It's just been sitting in storage back in Texas, multi-colored and dusty, waiting for some attention. I need to finish that trunk too; maybe I can find some time next year to visit for a little while and try again at making the mold.

None of that's stopped me from buying some parts though haha.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1bb9193b_z.jpg
1028 console

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8f3fcf54_z.jpg
1028 shift boot


Otherwise, I've just been living here in Tochigi, learnin' them kids the English and going out to do car stuff when I can. I miss my NA (and Mexican food), but Japan's cool. Here's some recent film:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1523bd5b_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b9cbd0d5_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b07ee45f_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...321067ff_b.jpg

Good to see you back on here.. any Karuizawa pics to share? 😏

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by oldgrayleather

Good to see you back on here.. any Karuizawa pics to share? 😏

---

Yeah, I've probably got a few! I shot several rolls at Karuizawa and a few at the Fuji Speedway 30th Anniversary meet. Wish I was down in Hiroshima right now to finish off some film; they're having the big 30th Anniversary Meet at the Mazda facilities today! 😅