The Long Road Back

[— kung fu jesus —]

You can get that split headrest fixed. A shop can replace just that panel, should be pretty quick turnaround. You can save a bit of money stripping off the upholstery and reinstalling it yourself. Talk to an upholstery shop.

Starting over is what I did. NA to NB. I don’t regret it. It let me learn from my mistakes.

[—Bryan—]

At this point, I feel like I'm honestly too far in. I can't really take anything with me without basically selling the shell for scrap.

[— kung fu jesus —]

Make a list of what it would take to bring it back versus starting over.

The NB values are bottoming out. There are some really good values out there.

[—Bryan—]

Make a list of what it would take to bring it back versus starting over.

The NB values are bottoming out. There are some really good values out there.

I'm already several K back into it. Minus paint, probably about 60-75% of what the car needs I've paid for, maybe more. I could leave it unpainted for a long time as long as it's running like a top.

Find me a Laser Blue for $5k and I'd think about it

[— kung fu jesus —]

Thank goodness, it's an automatic.

To be truthful, a guy in the Ohio Miata Owners FB group found a Rotrex LB not far from where I grew up less than a year ago. If I'd have known that would've been available, I'd have let The Tick go in a heartbeat.

That said: my wife did say that if I decided I wanted to move on, she would be OK with it.

That laser blue in that ad is a manual. Flip through the pics.

[—Bryan—]

That laser blue in that ad is a manual. Flip through the pics.

I was trying to give myself an excuse to NOT look

(Admittedly: I really don't want tan...I like the blue/black)

[— kung fu jesus —]

Maybe getting the car one color may alleviate some of the stress, make it feel like a complete car again?

[—Bryan—]

Maybe getting the car one color may alleviate some of the stress, make it feel like a complete car again?

Honestly, no. It really wouldn't.

Two reasons:

1.) Kind of fell in love with Stoly's old multi-colored car Flipper. The idea of a car that looks and runs perfectly good but just so happens to have mismatched panels makes the idea of putting off paint a lot easier to deal with
2.) My wife commissioned this awesome drawing of The Tick as seen at MATG 2019 for my birthday:




My son was so excited about it that he drew his own version (mind you, he won't turn 8 until May):



In short, I'd MUCH rather have a car that is not driving me nuts with every noise it makes than have one that looks perfectly all one color and is still driving me nuts.

[—tsingson—]

Love the picture that the kiddo drew more than the original! His attention to the variation of the blues is seriously amazing.

I can see what you mean though as far as the colors of the car. I think it gives a bit of character but I also think that a lot of your "big" issues may be a bit exaggerated in your mind. It could also be that you look at the Tick with the thinking that it will never be the same as it once was because of what happened. You have a good list there. You keep working on it and not turn pebbles into boulders and I think you will be just fine.

[—Bryan—]

Love the picture that the kiddo drew more than the original! His attention to the variation of the blues is seriously amazing.

I can see what you mean though as far as the colors of the car. I think it gives a bit of character but I also think that a lot of your "big" issues may be a bit exaggerated in your mind. It could also be that you look at the Tick with the thinking that it will never be the same as it once was because of what happened. You have a good list there. You keep working on it and not turn pebbles into boulders and I think you will be just fine.

The issues may not be *big* but they all require an indeterminate amount of money. I was also having anxiety that my wife would grow tired of me constantly putting money into the car (an anxiety that, it turns out, is not as founded in reality as I would like to admit). It led to a very real feeling that I couldn't get rid of the car because I'd already sunk too much money into it, but I didn't feel like I could put more into it and fix real problems (the TOB, for example).

From a top level, here's what is still to be decided/fixed. Granted, the car hasn't moved an inch since September-ish (didn't even get a chance to put the top up...AGAIN), so who knows?

1. All driveline issues solved - New clutch and bearings/seals should solve this...SHOULD.
2. Have clunk-free, comfortable suspension - New bushings on all control arms and getting the front springs under control via helpers and/or new top mounts SHOULD be enough.
3. Fix audio cutout issues - No idea what will solve this...already installed new speakers years ago
4. Put in comfy but low-seating NB2 stock seats - Need to fix headrest then cut seats up.
5. ...
6. ...
7. ...
8. ...
9. ...
10. ...
11. ...
12. ...Somewhere down here is paint. The car needs to be PERFECT otherwise first

Basically, there's a lot of "this should do the trick" but I've done that in the past and been right where I sit now, so the anxiety is real. Honestly, going to another car wouldn't have assuaged that anxiety, either--it's me.

[—tsingson—]

I swear with even my Xidas, I can't get rid of the clunk. It doesn't bother me as much anymore I guess since my ride is so plush. As far as your audio cutout issues, are you still on the stock radio? If so, the radio may be on it's way out. Hopefully replacing (;)) will do the trick.

Maybe enjoying the little victories as you correct them might help? But you do realize that your wife has been behind you the whole time and if she did have an issue, she probably would have told you about it by now.

[—Bryan—]

As far as your audio cutout issues, are you still on the stock radio? If so, the radio may be on it's way out. Hopefully replacing (;)) will do the trick.

Maybe. I'm finding that I have to run the volume at least halfway to full just to hear anything. Occasionally, one side cuts out, or I get loud scratches. For all I know, the entire thing probably needs doing (and you can see now why I'm crazy...).

Maybe enjoying the little victories as you correct them might help?

I'd like to, but it seems like every time I fix something, something else goes wrong.

But you do realize that your wife has been behind you the whole time and if she did have an issue, she probably would have told you about it by now.

Yeah...the conversation was forced because my wife asked Josh (who I help run MATG) about commissioning the artwork, and he let it slip that I'd seriously considered selling the car (to the point where I was trying to figure out what econobox my FFD's would fit on). It was a conversation we'd needed to have. I didn't want to overwhelm her with details, but also didn't want her to feel like I was tossing a fortune at the car, too. Mentally, I painted myself into a corner.

[—tsingson—]

Maybe. I'm finding that I have to run the volume at least halfway to full just to hear anything. Occasionally, one side cuts out, or I get loud scratches. For all I know, the entire thing probably needs doing (and you can see now why I'm crazy...).

You are far from crazy. Typically, I like to replace the headunit first just simply because you get a bit more control and a tiny bit more power going out to the speakers. One way to think about stereo is if you are pushing crap out to the speakers, upgrading the speakers before the headunit only amplifies the crap. Sometimes, people are happy with just replacing the headunit. Once you get the replacement unit, then you should be able to determine where the problem (if it still exists) lies. Which reminds me, I am not sure if the harness for the 99 NB1 will work for your LB. Let me know and I can maybe even order you the correct harness for your car and get it put together so it will be pretty much plug and play.

Yeah...the conversation was forced because my wife asked Josh (who I help run MATG) about commissioning the artwork, and he let it slip that I'd seriously considered selling the car (to the point where I was trying to figure out what econobox my FFD's would fit on). It was a conversation we'd needed to have. I didn't want to overwhelm her with details, but also didn't want her to feel like I was tossing a fortune at the car, too. Mentally, I painted myself into a corner.

Don't look at it as "painting yourself into a corner." Try looking at it as you have a cliffhanger for the next chapter of your book. That way the walls aren't closing in on you and you know that there is more to the road ahead. And you can't get rid of the car anymore man. When in doubt, just look at that picture your son drew for you. I have a drawing my daughter did for me when she was younger and it's still in the car as we speak. It's why I tried my hardest to either get back my original NB or at least have it look almost like it.

[— kung fu jesus —]

I would check the connections at the speakers. Sometimes they don't fit snug on the aftermarket spades and need to be crimped.

Look, I don't have kids but even with work, home projects, and other stuff, my wife knows I need this stupid car hobby thing even if it's an hour or two here and there.

Moving forward can seem like a momentous task when you feel overwhelmed. Ask for help locally or attack the stuff you feel comfortable with. Troubleshooting stuff is an exercise in logic and reason. It's problem solving, then planning the fix. Break it into small jobs that still leave the car operational, it will start to add up into positive solutions.

If you were 6 hours closer...

[—Bryan—]

I would check the connections at the speakers. Sometimes they don't fit snug on the aftermarket spades and need to be crimped.

Possible. I'll have to take off the panels and have a look.

Look, I don't have kids but even with work, home projects, and other stuff, my wife knows I need this stupid car hobby thing even if it's an hour or two here and there.

Yeah, but there's that hockey thing...

Point is, though: she knows the car makes me happy, but only if it's actually working right. So she wants me to get it to work right.

Moving forward can seem like a momentous task when you feel overwhelmed. Ask for help locally or attack the stuff you feel comfortable with. Troubleshooting stuff is an exercise in logic and reason. It's problem solving, then planning the fix. Break it into small jobs that still leave the car operational, it will start to add up into positive solutions.

If you were 6 hours closer...

I've definitely been asking around. Local buddy has already offered to help with the clutch stuff. Theoretically have the hookup already on someone to install bushings for me.