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Thread: Cars, Coffee and California...

  1. #886
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    The gold Ryoku Rob tow hooks were always destined for the BRG but after installing the foglights I was really finding there was too much going on both up front and in the back. Too many colors, adornments, etc but I wasn't really willing to lose anything at this point. Finding Rob's tow hooks is like hen's teeth now as most of you know so to tide me over until I could find a more complementary color (red, black or ?) I opted for a set of Carbing ones that I could order through Car Make Corns. I've had the chance to spend time with Tomio and Tomoyo on several trips and think the world of them. They are wonderful people and have been very kind to me, always making time and showing me fantastic hospitality when I've been to Japan. When the package arrived the box was far too large to accommodate just the two tow hooks...



    In the rest of the bubble wrap, they had also sent along a set of OEM foglights I'd been trying to track down ever since I missed out on JK's! Tomio said they needed work to restore them but was confident I would do a good job. Now another piece of the puzzle has been slotted in to place. Random acts of kindness like this will always blow me away. I've never been very good at receiving things let alone tbh.


    Will need to dig in to the best way to refurbish the pitted metal and the slight surface rust...

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  3. #887
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    The "daily" was finally in for some paint after having been keyed on each of the rear quarter panels (an act I will never comprehend nor I suppose will anyone that has any appreciation for cars). It's still not seeing any mileage but given how much more effective the AC is I do tend to use if for longer drives for business meetings. These seem to be happening
    with more regularly even if in controlled environments and very limited attendance. I had a few trips to our office in Irvine and meals with colleagues near the end of the year. Also had the chance to get back to Manhattan Beach for a work lunch...


    Before heading back to Canada, I left my car back at Integrated to see if they could finally sort out the AC issues. Blows nice and cold until it gets into the 80’s and then opening the windows seems to provide the only reprieve from the heat. The compressor has been replaced again on warrantee so not sure what might be causing it. Also helps to know my car is in safe hands while I'm away!

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  5. #888
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    Back to Canada to check in on the family, walk the pup and see the (slow) progress of the house build. Sometimes hard to believe it’s the same month in SoCal as it is in Canada…


    I flew back for my father in law's 80th birthday on November 13th which we were hosting at our rental house. It was a poignant milestone given his ongoing battle with cancer coupled with my mother in law's Parkinson's. We feel very lucky to be able to have Jen and the boys close to help and be involved while they're at this stage of life. I feel so lucky that they have always been wonderful to me and I care for them both. I first met them when I was about 18, back when they are younger than I am now. This trip linking to Thanksgiving also meant I'd have some time off with the family and many visits to the build site before heading back to California on the 27th for another few weeks before the Christmas holidays.

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  7. #889
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    Cars, Coffee and California...

    Quote Originally Posted by oldgrayleather View Post
    The "daily" was finally in for some paint after having been keyed on each of the rear quarter panels (an act I will never comprehend nor I suppose will anyone that has any appreciation for cars). It's still not seeing any mileage but given how much more effective the AC is I do tend to use if for longer drives for business meetings. These seem to be happening
    with more regularly even if in controlled environments and very limited attendance. I had a few trips to our office in Irvine and meals with colleagues near the end of the year. Also had the chance to get back to Manhattan Beach for a work lunch...


    Before heading back to Canada, I left my car back at Integrated to see if they could finally sort out the AC issues. Blows nice and cold until it gets into the 80’s and then opening the windows seems to provide the only reprieve from the heat. The compressor has been replaced again on warrantee so not sure what might be causing it. Also helps to know my car is in safe hands while I'm away!
    Re:AC.

    I don’t know how extensive your last service was, but by your description it isn’t working properly and likely isn’t the compressor.

    The best way I have found to make AC work properly on NA & NB Miatas is to replace all the serviceable parts: condenser, evaporator, seals, drier, pressure switch, evap valve/capillary.

    The parts are not expensive, but the labor would be.

    Everytime I have done this, I treated it like a full system restoration. The early NAs are easier. You don’t have to pull the dash, but I do so I can clean the centerstack HVAC components and re-seal the flapper/air diverter. It’s also a great time to replace the heater core preemptively.

    You can tidy up a lot of wiring, too. Like removing the SRS system, repair any damaged bosses on the dash, re-loom stereo wiring, etc. Pulling the dash is also the perfect excuse for deep-cleaning the carpets out of the car and clean the tub.

    I know that sounds like a ton of work, but it’s really not bad at all if you stay organized and take your time.

    After living in SOCAL then moving to the humid South, a proper operational AC system was necessary for staying cool and for safety to defog the windows during frequent rain.

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  9. #890
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kung fu jesus View Post
    Re:AC.

    I don’t know how extensive your last service was, but by your description it isn’t working properly and likely isn’t the compressor.

    The best way I have found to make AC work properly on NA & NB Miatas is to replace all the serviceable parts: condenser, evaporator, seals, drier, pressure switch, evap valve/capillary.

    The parts are not expensive, but the labor would be.

    Everytime I have done this, I treated it like a full system restoration. The early NAs are easier. You don’t have to pull the dash, but I do so I can clean the centerstack HVAC components and re-seal the flapper/air diverter. It’s also a great time to replace the heater core preemptively.

    You can tidy up a lot of wiring, too. Like removing the SRS system, repair any damaged bosses on the dash, re-loom stereo wiring, etc. Pulling the dash is also the perfect excuse for deep-cleaning the carpets out of the car and clean the tub.

    I know that sounds like a ton of work, but it’s really not bad at all if you stay organized and take your time.

    After living in SOCAL then moving to the humid South, a proper operational AC system was necessary for staying cool and for safety to defog the windows during frequent rain.
    Thanks Steven! This is precisely what I love about MR Net. Insight and encouragement!! I'm looking forward to tackling this actually, and getting my dash out for the first time. My strong preference for "at least" vs "if only" has me looking forward to Canadian winters where winter just means there's more time to tackle projects that render a car out of commission for a little while.

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  11. #891
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    Flying back in to LAX on a Saturday left me with one key challenge. Both cars were at different garage’s which had closed hours before I landed so was limited to two wheels until I could pick them up on the Monday. Worse problems to have when a day at the end of November is pleasant enough for a short sleeve bike ride to the Ocean…


    Always great to see the crew at Integrated and to pick up my Roadster even if the fact it was my first day back in the office so no time to stretch my legs…


    I didn’t have to wait too long though with the requisite grocery shop before heading out on a late night drive up and over Palos Verdes. November 29th meant the Christmas decorations were everywhere and I mistakenly thought I might be able to catch a few pics of the beautiful displays. Yet another great reminder of how thankful I am to have family and friends that are excellent photographers. haha



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  13. #892
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    In that first week of December I got a little update from eldest son who was still looking after Berg. It made a ton of sense since the rental house garage needed to house the family hauler, the sunburst and as much of our household goods that could fit while we were waiting to move in to our own home. Being a college student he didn’t have much money for gas and parking is too expensive so it would be used just enough to keep the battery from going flat. And besides the rain, Vancouver’s climate is mild and typically doesn’t get snow so leaving it with him until the spring was a good solution. And then it decided to snow. For some reason it struck me really funny to see one of our cars in a real winter climate...


    Eldest son seemed to concur that being shod in Direzza ZIII's meant it wasn't a particularly good idea to go our and learn about driving in the snow. Shame I hadn't been there as I think we would have been able to find an empty parking lot where I could teach him a bit more about oversteer and understeer as is commonplace for most Canadian kids I grew up with.

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  15. #893
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    Back home it was off to the dentist…


    and KINOD’s every Friday. This particular night Colin had shown up with the ND hardtop he’s been working on for some time which was turning out really really well. Despite the relative “cold”, the warmth of connecting with the Roadster Family is always good for the soul.

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  17. #894
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    I’d been chatting with Kevin about a year end cruise that we’d been doing to Malibu for a few years and mentioned since I’d be back in Canada for the holidays that I wanted to get one last decent cruise in before leaving. One year on the KINOD convoy to MRLS we stopped in Solvang for pancakes. It’s a beautiful little town with windmills with an authentically Danish style to it. It’s 125 miles north so would make for a nice round trip on the last weekend before I flew North.

    There were fifteen of us that made our way up and thankfully TJ brought his camera and talents to capture it all. An amazing time as always where the pictures do a great job of sharing the journey on their own…










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  19. #895
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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  21. #896
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    On the drive to Solvang it was clear I’d be crossing the 100,000 mile milestone. I’d added 50k in the nearly seven years I’d owned the car and could at least lay claim to more than half of the enjoyment that had happened behind the wheel. This has clearly been a life changing journey for me and I cannot wait to see where the next hundred thousand miles takes us…



    PS: yeah, wish I’d cleaned up the lenses and cluster a bit but another project for 2022

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  23. #897
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    The annual KINOD Christmas get together was planned for the night before I flew back to Canada (or did I schedule my flight to happen the day after the party,

    As always, a wonderful chance to reconnect with a lot of the crew for holiday well wishing and all before flying back to my other home…

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  25. #898
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    Back to Canada I was welcomed to some real snow. It had been falling hard for a couple days before my flight finally arrived. Given the delays it ended up being thirteen hours door to door for a trip that could take three hours if there were direct flights. Holiday travel is never the best but with the anticipation of getting home and having time off it is hard to be anything other than ecstatic about the journey. It meant it would be a roadster free break but also be great chances to get my co-pilot out in the snow

    when he wasn’t sniffing at his stocking with hopes he’d been a good boy


    Eldest son flew home from college and as the snow kept coming, this also gave my three boys ample opportunities to learn about the joys of shoveling! And then the temperatures started to drop to lows of -25 degrees. I’d forgotten how cold that felt, especially at night!


    Cold enough that the lake started to freeze





    Despite the cold, there was plenty of warmth at home.

    I hope you all had a most fantastic holiday with your family and loved ones...

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  27. #899
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift oldgrayleather's Avatar
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    And just before the end of 2021, halfpast3hree shared some images of four custom HotWheels he’d been working on inspired by our three cars and my nephew’s. This was a really fun discovery and ridiculously flattering. The attention to detail really is impressive for 1/64th scale…






    And with that I’ve finally caught up. I want to wish a very Happy 2022 to everyone with hopes for your health, happiness and abundance of joy with your roadster journeys. I hope I’ll get the chance to cross paths with as many of you as possible…

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  29. #900
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    Lovely updates! Thanks for taking time to update us with your journey.

    There are a ton of little tips and tricks on the HVAC refresh but I don’t want to muddy this digital journal with them. Same for dash-out items to address.

    Would be happy to discuss them in a separate thread.

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