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Thread: The 'I told you, you'd be back' build of Misfire, my NB2 w/ F1 inspiration

  1. #226
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bryan View Post
    Am I seeing things, or is the final pipe welded to the muffler can? I presume that's to keep them from rattling against each other?
    Keen observation, Bryan. Yes and yes.
    Last edited by Greasemonkey2000; 08-25-2020 at 11:29 PM.
    '01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
    '97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
    Instagram: @greasemonkey2000

  2. #227
    Super Moderator Bryan's Avatar
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    I'd presume that would also save you perhaps having to add an extra hanger in a non-OEM location.
    Quote Originally Posted by DazedAndConfused
    I dont know a word you just said, but that **** sounded COOL.

  3. #228
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    Not really...it was mostly just done to eliminate the possibility of it rattling. In fact we only utilized 2 of the 3 OEM mounts as the setup is lighter than the Racing Beat muffler and seem to balance fine with just the driver side hanger and rear most passenger side hanger.
    '01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
    '97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
    Instagram: @greasemonkey2000

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  5. #229
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    08-26-20: This is a post I have been waiting to make for almost 3 months now! Unfortunately it is still a "teaser post" to a certain extent...some context/back story.

    In the middle of May this year(2020) Ryan aka akathePass made a post on Instagram showing a comparison of his previous 15x10 6UL w/ 245/40/15 BFG Rival S 1.5 setup versus the new 18x11 w/ 295/30/18 Yokohama A052 he was going to be running...first of all I was dumbfounded at the idea of running 18x11s w/295s on a Miata! My second thought was I have to buy Ryan's 15x10 6ULs!

    I contacted Ryan and he made me a deal I couldn't Pass(get it ) up. I didn't have the funds at the moment but Ryan was willing to hold onto them as he said he hadn't even really even thought about selling them yet, finally timing working in my favor!

    I quickly made up a for sale ad the same day for Misfire's 14x7 Enkei RPF1's and had them sold the same day(IIRC or maybe the next day)! Money was exchanged and I had purchased my attainable dream wheel/tire setup!

    Ryan had the 15x10 6ULs w/245s on their way pretty quickly and was even nice enough to cover shipping, can't thank him enough for the great deal! They arrived a few days later!

    I had the Enkei RPF1's tires dismounted but wasn't able to get them shipped out till the end of May and they arrived the first few days of June to the new owner. I always track packages and stay on top of a transaction until the parts arrive safely, regardless if I am the buyer or seller.

    The day the RPF1's arrived at the new owners residence and I checked to make sure they arrived safe and sound. I received a text with a picture of three of the four blue Enkei blue valve stems(BNIB) that I included with the wheels and a message that said, "We have a problem."

    Of course I am thinking, ''okay one valve stem was misplaced, no big deal.'' Then I received several other pictures showing the damaged box and damaged wheel(s)! I am beyond upset at this point and feel sick to my stomach. We exchanged a few more text and finally talked on the phone.

    It turned out that 3 of the 4 RPF1's were damaged(bent lips) and one of the valve stems fell out of the box because there was two vertical splits up the side of the box on two different sides adjacent to one another. It was pretty clear by the damage to the wheels and box that it had been dropped pretty hard and thus the damage.

    I pretty much always insure parts I sell/ship and this was no exception but that doesn't change the fact that x3 nearly pristine Enkei RPF1's were now damaged from clear mishandling on the part of the shipper(UPS).

    That evening I started the claims process and gathered all the information and pics from the buyer to submit the claim and had it submitted with in a hour or two from finding out about the damage.

    The process is fairly simple but drawn out and for the sake of making a long story not as long I will cover the main points. UPS approved the claim(fairly quickly, about 6 days into it) after some of the same pics that I originally submitted were resubmitted after they said they didn't receive them. Well they phrase it as "Claim Issued" and from there I had to contact the UPS store that I shipped them thru.

    This got drawn out till the end of July because the store said that even though the status showed "Claim Issued" and I was told by someone with UPS when I called that it had been approved, but that it hadn't "officially" been approved.

    Finally at the beginning of August I was told the claim had been "officially" approved and they would issue a check for the insured amount plus shipping and it would take 7-10 business days for them to receive it. Of course I was SO RELIEVED and informed the buyer who had been very understanding and patient thru the process.

    Well about a week later I receive a phone call from the UPS store asking me 'why I shipped the wheels in the first place'...because I sold them...'ok, how much did you sell them for'. I'm thinking how is any of this UPS's business...they just need to know that they were insured for less than they were worth and were damaged by their mishandling of the package.

    So I asked the woman why this was relevant and she says 'because they will only cover them for the amount they were sold for and they needed proof of the amount'. So I asked what would have happened if they were simply a gift and she responded 'they would cover them for the full amount insured'. What?! That makes no sense which is exactly what I told her but she said that a check wouldn't be issued until proof of the sales amount was provided.

    At this point I'm think, 'geez they are really trying to get out of paying anything that they can get away with not paying' despite proving the wheels value and providing pictures showing how good of shape they were in minus the damaged THEY caused.

    I quickly(minutes) got the information they needed and emailed to them and called back and the woman said it would be reviewed and then a check would be issued. Well a few days later I receive a phone call from the UPS store saying that they were ready to issue a check BUT they would issue one amount if the wheels were turned over to UPS and another amount(only $100 difference) if the buyer kept the wheels.

    After getting a hold of the buyer, who said he would keep the wheels and take the lesser amount, I called the UPS store back and informed them and they said that would be passed along and the check would be issued.

    About a week or so later I call to see if the check had been received and they said and it had been mailed out to me(even though I told them I would pick it up) a few days prior. I checked my mailbox and it was there! After depositing it thru my banks mobile app I realized that the check didn't include the full shipping amount!! I was really upset now.

    I counted to ten and call the UPS store and asked them why the full amount for shipping wasn't refunded and she told me it was because they didn't pack the box and that was the only way the full shipping amount would be refunded which is not what I had been told until now!

    At this point I recap the situation with the woman and tell her that in my opinion they are "ripping people off" that pay for insurance in good faith that would be the amount paid out if the contents were damaged but then not paying the full insured amount. She apologized and said she understood where I was coming from. I realize she had no control over this process and apologized for "taking my frustrations out" on her and thanked her for her time and assistance.

    So from start to finish(receiving the check) the claim process took about 10 weeks which I was told by others that had gone thru this that expect at least 6-8 weeks. This is not something I ever care to go thru again.

    I will admit that I didn't ship/pack the wheels how I had originally had them which was in their original boxes with plenty of packing materiel due to the cost to ship them like that because I had agreed to "eat the shipping".

    I found a box at Home Depot that fit all four, three standing up vertically side by side(several layers of cardboard between each and on the bottom) and one on top in one of the original boxes cut down with more cardboard.

    After talking to Ryan at Goodwin Racing and him sharing how much care they take in packaging(they pack them individually) the wheels they sell and still wheels get damaged in transit from time to time, I realized that I should have just kept them packed the way I originally had them and paid more in shipping. Which I would have gladly done if I thought even for a moment that they wouldn't arrive "safe and sound".

    Hard lesson learned for sure but I am just glad that UPS took responsibility, rightly so, and paid out. I didn't want to post about the 15x10 6UL's until the matter was resolved because if UPS had not paid out on the insurance then I may have had to sell the 6ULs to reimburse the buyer of the RPF1's.

    I wish I could say that I have been enjoying the 15x10 6UL's this whole time but I failed toe remember that they won't work with factory coilovers due to the factory spring diameter(2.75" iirc) and they will only work with a spring no bigger than 2.5".

    So they have been sitting in the garage and poor Misfire is back on the stock 5 spokes with some lousy Yokohama all season tires that have less grip in every condition then the heat cycled out(tread was almost down to wear bars) Falken Azenis RT615K+ tires. I do have a deal on some coilovers lined up but still need to gather the funds and the seller still hasn't removed them as his Miata is at a shop right now getting a rebuilt motor put in.

    Hopefully I will have the coilovers in hand and installed no later than the end of the year. Till then here is a few pics of the 15x10 6UL's w/ 245/40/15 BFG Rivals and a comparison of them to just the Falken Azenis RT615K+ 195/60/14s.




    Falkens are at 31.5" stacked unmounted and the 15x10's w/245s measure 41.25". Tire Rack has those tires at 7.9" mounted on a 6" wide 14" wheel so I figure on a 7" it would probably be a little over 8" so stacked and mounted on the 14x7 RPF1's, the stack might be another 0.5" or so taller. I will also take a picture showing the 14" tires vs the 15x6" with 195s vs the 15x10 w/ 245s, once i get ready to put the 6UL's on. I can hardly wait!!:jump:
    Last edited by Greasemonkey2000; 08-26-2020 at 08:12 PM.
    '01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
    '97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
    Instagram: @greasemonkey2000

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  7. #230
    Super Moderator Bryan's Avatar
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    Yikes...
    Quote Originally Posted by DazedAndConfused
    I dont know a word you just said, but that **** sounded COOL.

  8. #231
    4,000 rpm - entering the fun zone Slampen's Avatar
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    Sjaaait....an experience I'm glad I never had.

  9. #232
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift HarryB's Avatar
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    Holy. Wonder how hard one should drop a packed wheel to bend them. Fortunately I have never had anything damaged like that, sounds like a huge mess.

  10. #233
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    I had a similar experience. I sold a set of forged wheels and one was destroyed in shipping. Lots of heavy equipment to move that volume of freight. It happens.

  11. #234
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    09-05-20: A few months back I was trying to locate a Brainstorm Performance(BSP) rear lower subframe brace but with no success. However someone reached out and said they had a IL Motorsports rear upper subframe brace which I had never seen. The fellow enthusiast also informed me the Mx5 Parts in the UK still sold the lower subframe brace, so I went ahead and bought the upper brace he had.

    About a month ago I went ahead and ordered the IL Motorsports rear lower subframe brace from Mx5 Parts in the UK. Oddly enough on the invoice it was still listed as a BSP subframe brace.

    It took about two and a half weeks for me to receive it, not bad given current shipping issues worldwide. My plan was to have both braces powder coated the same Sun Gold that I had the RoasterSport PPF brace powder coated in which is why I held off on installing the upper rear subframe brace.

    I have a friend, Mark(with B & G Paint and Body), that does powder coating and he offered his services to take care of the braces.


    I ordered the powder from Powder By The Pound since I wanted to ensure that the subframe braces matched the PPF brace. Dropped off the braces to Mark and a few days later he had them stripped and ready to powder coat.


    By the end of the week he had them powder coated in Sun Gold.


    Lighting in the pictures make the color look a little different but once I picked them up on Saturday I saw that they matched the PPF braces color. Late(9PM) Saturday night I decided to go ahead and install them. As it usually is when you start projects late in the day it didn't take the 30+ minutes that it should have taken to install the braces which is only 2 bolts and 4 nuts(the lower brace has studs).

    Just like on Warbird the lower subframe brace hit the exhaust which was understandable given Warbird's custom 2.5" ARTech exhaust but Misfire has a stock mid-pipe so according to Mx5 Parts that shouldn't be the case.

    I quickly determined the distance needed to clear the exhaust was exactly the thickness of the upper subframe brace which goes under the lower rear subframe brace. I spent at least 1 hr 45 minutes trying to make it work(moving the muffler, adjusting the hangers, etc.) but it became abundantly clear the was two options, 1)remove the upper subframe brace or 2)notch the lower subframe brace to clear the exhaust like I did on Warbird.

    Well I wasn't going to remove the upper subframe brace I just bought(had powder coated) and just let it sit around so I picked the "lesser of the two evils" and notched the driver side leg of the lower subframe brace. I went ahead and clear coated the area that was now bare metal, will have it powder coated again later when I do the mid-pipe in case I need to notch it more.








    As you can see above the clearance for the exhaust to upper subframe brace is close as well, again hope to remedy this with the custom mid-pipe I will do later.




    I have yet to drive Misfire yet but I know with Warbird it seemed like the rear end felt "tighter", if that makes sense. In all honesty for the trouble one might be better of just getting Flyin Miata's Cannon brace which is all one piece and due to the design may very well be more effective.

    Both of these braces are around $50+ each so with shipping you would end up saving $50+ over the FM Canon brace which may be more important to some.

    Will follow up with feedback on the braces once I get some drive time with them on Misfire.
    '01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
    '97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
    Instagram: @greasemonkey2000

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  13. #235
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    09-06-20:I have been wanting to do something about Misfire's pitiful shift boot since I had to cut it when installing the GRacing short throw shifter, due to the size of the incorporated shift knob. So I have been thinking about what I should do...so many options...many I really like but none that fit my budget of....broke as a joke.

    As I have done in the past I just made due with what I had...so after about 3 hours of using angle grinder(s), a orbital sander and a Dremel tool I had something I was proud of but first the pitiful OEM shift boot.


    And what I came up with.






    The process was pretty straight forward after removing the center console and realizing the shift surround was removable from the center console. I simply removed it and grabbed my carbon fiber sheet I purchased earlier this year, some painters tape, checked how much of the cf sheet I needed to cut off, cut it off, trace around the shifter surround and cut with a angle grinder w/ cut off wheel.

    Next I placed the shifter boot over the cf piece and used a sharpie to mark the center of the shift boot hole since it was well formed from years of drying rotting. Took the boot off and thought...that mark is a little off center...I don't think that is right..let's just make it centered. Well that was a mistake because as it turns out the shifter is off center towards the driver.

    Of course I didn't realize this till I used a bi-metal 2.5" hole saw to make a hole...which wasn't the best tool to use as it gnawed up the inner edges of the carbon fiber. In hindsight I'm not sure why I thought that was the best route.

    I know had to figure out how to salvage the piece...a aluminum trim ring should do the trick! Out came the hole saw again which worked well on the aluminum. Unfortunately I did not have a large enough hole saw to do the outer ring...obviously or I would have started there...would have needed a 3.5" but 2.5" was the biggest I had.

    I simply cut it out with a angle grinder w/ cut off wheel and then used a angle grinder with grinding wheel(40 grit) to finish it. Making a circle like this is alot more difficult than one would think so I got it 90-95% of the way there. I plan to either remake it or maybe find a trim ring that would work.

    I then finished the top part with 80 grit sand paper on a orbital sander. I would have gone finer for a similar machine finish but there was some flaws on the piece that I didn't notice until I put in all that work. I first attached the cf piece to the shifter surround with black RTV silicone and did the same with the aluminum trim ring later but had to use some small weights to hold it flat as it had a slight curve to it.

    I am really pleased with the outcome despite the "hiccups" and am looking forward to more projects like this...hopefully with more forethought and planning.
    '01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
    '97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
    Instagram: @greasemonkey2000

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  15. #236
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift HarryB's Avatar
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    Looks REALLY good Chad, and I feel it really fits the overall theme of the car.

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  17. #237
    Super Moderator Bryan's Avatar
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    Nice!
    Quote Originally Posted by DazedAndConfused
    I dont know a word you just said, but that **** sounded COOL.

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  19. #238
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HarryB View Post
    Looks REALLY good Chad, and I feel it really fits the overall theme of the car.
    Thank you very much, Harry! I thought so as well but it's nice for others to see it as well.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bryan View Post
    Nice!
    Thanks Bryan!
    '01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
    '97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
    Instagram: @greasemonkey2000

  20. #239
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    09-07-20: Misfire's previous care taker had installed a foot-well light kit but unfortunately a tab had broken on each frame. I had reached out to Cameron with Miata Fix for a used gauge cluster which soon turned in a couple more items including the aforementioned foot-well light replacements.


    Thanks for the great customer service, great prices and fast shipping Cameron!

    I also ordered a bunch of LED's from Superbrightleds.com for my gauge cluster so I also ordered 36mm Cool White festoon bulbs for the foot-well lights.


    That's 27 LED's with a 150 degree angle and a heat sink on the back.


    No surprise they are much brighter than the incandescent bulbs they replaced. Here are some comparison pics:
    [url=https://flic.kr/p/2jFViXY]







    Even in with "outside" light the LED's light output is evident.


    Another little project that can be checked off the list and reduce the parts lying around in the garage.
    '01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
    '97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
    Instagram: @greasemonkey2000

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  22. #240
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    09-09-20: To this day I have yet to find a business that is exciting to receive parts from than Revlimiter and despite having had 2-3 dozen transactions with Adam...each and every time is a joy.

    Not just because of the excellent products/parts Adam produces but because of the level of care Adam takes to make you feel special from the packaging that puts most gifts to shame, to the Hot Wheel(s), candy(not currently including IIRC due to pandemic, I'd still eat his candy) and swag...see for yourself.(RSpeed needle covers also in pic at the top)


    This was actually two desperate orders, so swag x2 pictured, which included Revlimiter lenses for Garage5 NB gauge rings and custom Revlimiter gauges!




    F1 Stage 2 gauges w/ a customized tachometer and custom Misfire logo which looks like a McLaren F1 logo but upon closer inspection...


    ...you see a "ghosted" Misfire. One of the main reasons why I went with a white tachometer. I also decided to do a white tachometer to try and make it stand out and thus be more of a focal point since it isn't in the center of the cluster like on the McLaren F1 and the F1 had white gauges....


    ....and wanting to do the "ghosted" Misfire logo made making the tachometer white a easy choice.

    I thought about doing all the gauges white but I plan on doing auxiliary gauges and don't really want all white gauges. So I figured just make the rest black.

    While I was modifying to cluster, following Revlimiter's instruction's for the NB , I went ahead and modified the NB odometer box so it wouldn't block light at the 4-5 o'clock position.

    Basically you just remove the odometer by removing the odometer bulb, two small harnesses on the back of the cluster and the two screws, both of which can be seen in Revlimiter's pic from his gauge install guide.


    Then simply pull it out from the back. I completely disassembled the odometer...

    ....as this was from a spare cluster and didn't want to practice on Misfire's odometer since I want to retain correct mileage.

    To disassemble there are two screws on the bottom and then two plastic tabs the board pops into. Simply remove screws and GENTLY pry back tabs and remove the board.

    Once I checked clearances with the board, which at its highest point is only 9.5mm tall, I marked from the top 9.5mm(total is 20.5mm from top of odometer box to where the board meets the housing) and 25mm deep(total depth of odometer box is like 30mm or so), I marked the area to cut.


    You also don't want to cut too far back as you will cut into the back of the odometer housing and where the harness plugs into the odometer boards pins, again why I opted to disassemble instead of cutting blind. End result would be close as you can see...


    ...so if you are going to do this w/o completely disassembling you may error on the side of caution and cut a millimeter or so less than the provided numbers. Whatever method you use to cut(i used a dremel) the plastic, ensure there are no plastic shavings inside.

    I also found out that in addition to the red bulb condemn the NB2 cluster uses a light filter(kind of purplish) which can be removed or replaced with colored acetate paper to achieve a particular color. If you just remove it then you could use whatever color LED bulb you want. (*full disclosure* I tried 4 different color LED bulbs for this and even on the dimmest setting it is rather bright or rather brighter that the gauge back lighting)

    I then cut the tails off the large needles(tachometer and speedometer) and shaved all the needles down.(modified on left, OEM on right)


    The OEM needles go from 2.2mm at the base to 1.5mm at the tip so I shaved them all down(using a exacto knife) to 1.3mm from base to tip. A subtle but noticeable detail, once you really start looking or it is pointed out.

    Next I installed the RSpeed needle covers. Since I cut the tails off the tachometer and speedometer needles I decided to do something about the cut out made for the tail. My solution was simple, cheap, easy(IMO) and effective.


    Aluminum foil! I just cut strips that were a little taller than the needle center and then wrapped it around the needle center. I used black RTV silicone to secure the needle caps on.

    The next few hours proved to be very trying. Long story short the NB2 cluster I purchased turned out to have different circuitry on the back of the cluster causing all kind of weird issues including the odometer would only work if the headlights were on, the engine would keep running if the headlights were on and the key was turned off! It was a nightmare.

    I also found out that you can't use LED's for the airbag light or parking brake as they apparently depend on the electrical resistance created by a incandescent bulb and won't turn off as intended but rather just dim a little bit.

    I spent the next couple days securing another cluster and then spent another week waiting for it to travel 120 miles, another long story I'd rather forget.
    Last edited by Greasemonkey2000; 09-24-2020 at 09:30 PM.
    '01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
    '97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
    Instagram: @greasemonkey2000

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    Agent☣Orange (09-24-2020),Bryan (09-25-2020),dnaha (09-26-2020),HarryB (09-25-2020),lucmor444 (09-25-2020),MikeA (09-25-2020),tsingson (09-24-2020),vote4pedro (09-25-2020)

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