I did a thing.

[— kung fu jesus —]

Audio update:

I put the wire loom together temporarily to test the circuits and functions.









I also wired in an e-brake emulator. Usually you can ground this circuit out but the HU looks for this to cycle. It will not allow you to make interface changes unless it sees this, so this is a new wrinkle and this little bit was ~$10.



I don’t have all the finalized hardware and materials I need to do this as I want, so those are arriving Tuesday.

In the meantime, it works!

I will replace the butt connectors with solder and weatherproof heat shrink, also better bullet-style crimp connectors.

I will replace the speaker wire. One of the POs did a cheap & easy bypass of this car’s former Bose system and its a little janky. I did this on my 10ae and though probably overkill, it is peace of mind to me. I have a lot of quality 12g speaker wire, so I just need to fish it through.

I also measured my USB data port I plan to install in the center console. I drew up the profile in CAD and printed it. I will cut this out and tape it where I plan to make the cuts so it’s cleaner and I can look for obstructions.





The supplied chassis screws to attach the mount to the head unit are pan heads. They stick out too far and catch on the opening on the sides of the center stack. Fortunately, I found matching tapered screws to remedy this in my spare hardware.

[— kung fu jesus —]

My electrical replenishment arrived today: crimp caps, shrink tubing, heat shrink bullet crimps, 12ga wire, RCA Y- adapters, ratcheting crimp pliers.

I had to remove the old speaker wire patch the PO installed. The connections were bad and I’m not confident the polarity was correct. I used a quality 12ga copper speaker wire I had bought for previous audio projects. I secured it under the dash on both sides and soldered them into the harness.

After that, I cleaned up the radio and amp harness. I trimmed down and capped unused wires, used the bullet connectors where appropriate and sealed the connections with shrink tubing for extra protection. I replaced the butt connectors with weatherproof ones and insulated them with shrink tubing, labeled the connections, verified the RCA connections, laid out the speaker connections, ran the amp’s power line and fuse.

Let me say I am surprised I waited this long to buy ratcheting crimpers. They are far more consistent and easier to use.

Then I took it to the car to test.







Then it all came together.



I set the crossover and gain on the amp. Spoiler alert: it’s LOUD and I like to party.

I will make a few more adjustments and tweaks then button it up tomorrow.

[— Agent☣Orange —]

Outstanding work, man. Wish I could have been up there to check it out in person.

[—Bryan—]

Have to hire you out when all this madness is over. Nice work!

[— kung fu jesus —]

A few minor tweaks and is good! The USB port was a dud, so I have a lightning cable running under the console until I find another. I also dialed in the crossover and EQ settings on the amp and headunit. I have an idea for mounting the phone in the storage box on the center console, but I want to see if I really need it.

I like the Siri controls, very nice for keeping my eyes up. The updated CarPlay console is nice, too! I will upload custom backgrounds and settings as I go. It’s nice not having the phone on the vent nor the cord getting tangled in the shifter.

[— Agent☣Orange —]

How do you rate the swiping gesture for volume control?

[— kung fu jesus —]

I’ll have a better assessment when I update the firmware. It works ok, it doesn’t have the touch sensitivity of a new smart phone, but between the placement of the fixed buttons, basic gesture control, and Siri, it works very, very well. SWC would be awesome, but I’m very happy with it.

Altogether, the sound quality, functionality, and features are miles ahead.

[— Agent☣Orange —]

How do you rate Nahm Thai Cuisine?

[— kung fu jesus —]

Orange;239278]How do you rate Nahm Thai Cuisine?

There are better Thai restaurants on the east side, but the sushi bar in that same plaza is pretty decent.

[— kung fu jesus —]

HUGE update!



Lol, not really. Just replaced the windshield washers with the Ford/Mazda versions from Treasure Coast Miata. $10+ shipping.

Old ones were crusty and spittled fluid.

Old (left) versus new (right)







Not difficult at all, just remember your hood is aluminum. I used long needle nose pliers to release the tabs of the old ones on the underside and they popped right out.

Of course this was a great time to clean this area of the hood too.





When installing the new ones, be sure to give them an extra press. There will be an audible ‘click’ when the tabs seat underneath.



Also a good time to check the health of your tubing and connectors. Naturally, one of the plastic hose clips was brittle and broke on mine, so I used a reusable clasping fastener.





Very easy. Also installed the new sticker on the tool chest.

[HarryB]

The best cheap upgrade you can do; run the same since my first month of ownership or so.

[—Bryan—]

I need to get a set of those. My sprayers are garbaaaaaaaage.

[— kung fu jesus —]

I need to get a set of those. My sprayers are garbaaaaaaaage.

https://treasurecoastmiata.com/i-237...1-67-50ya.html

[—Bryan—]

Just bought a set this morning

[— Agent☣Orange —]

One of my first mods when I got my Miata. If you're doing it now, be careful with the plastic connectors and tubing. They could be really brittle.