Completed:
Engine/Drivetrain
-Mazdaspeed Front Strut Bar
-BeatRush Rear Strut Bar
-Mazdaspeed Oil Filler Cap (Gold)
-DDM Works Cruise Control Relocation Kit
-Mazdaspeed Airbox Powdercoated High Heat Flat Black
-Retro Modern Spark Plug Cover
-NGK Spark Plug Change
-Koyorad 36mm Hyper V-Core Aluminum
-Upgraded Maruha Radiator Hoses
-DaveFab LHD Washer Bottle Relocation Kit
-OEM 1.8L Valve Cover Powdercoated Flat Black
-RS Factory Stage N-Zero2 Exhaust
Exterior
-Front and Rear Tie-down "Baby Teeth" Removal
-OEM Eunos Yellow Lens Fog Lights
-OEM-style R-Package Front Lip
-OEM-style R-Package Rear Lip
-Retro-style Luggage Rack
-Robbins Factory-Style Top w/ Defroster Glass (Zipperless & NA Tan)
-3M 35% Front Tint 20% Rear Tint
Interior
-Hard Dog M2 Sport Black Powdercoat w/ Double Diagonal
-OEM Dual Defroster/Fog Light Switch
-Revlimiter Sharka's Vent Rings Polished Aluminum
-Revlimiter F1 Stage 2 Gauges
-Revlimiter Center Indicator Panel
-Revlimiter Retro Window Switches (Black)
-3rd Millennium M800 Door Speakers
-3rd Millennium Millennium-5 Headrest Speakers
-Nardi Evolution Leather Shift Knob
-DEI NA/NB Insulation kit
-DEI NA/NB Chassis Sound Damping Kit
-DEI Door Sound Damping
Suspension
-Feal Suspension 441 Monotube Coilovers
-RS Watanabe Type B wheels 14x6.5 +15 w/ 5mm Spacers
-Watanabe Center Caps Type 1
-ARP Extended Wheel Studs
-Garagestar Delrin Door Bushings
-V8 Roadsters Frame Rails
Misc
-Rear Bumper Refinished
-Front Bumper Refinished
-New Rear Wheel Hubs
-New Rear Wheel Bearings
-Time Buzzer Relay
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Long time no update! Many things have changed with the Miata in recent days so I'll do my best in summarizing.
INTERIOR:
Most of the actual interior changes have actually been under the hood changes so to speak. I ripped out all entire interior bits to install the Flyin' Miata and DEI sound damping kit as well as the new insulation kit. Install was very smooth with little to no issues and while I didn't get any sound readings before or after in any objective way, I do believe the interior is a bit quieter than before. Is it dead silent? No, but that was never my expectation to begin with considering this is an open top roadster from the 90s. Still, any improvement is welcome so I'm happy with the purchase.
I also installed the accompanying door sound dampening kit and this one did make observable difference, especially when tapping the door and closing it. The door no longer sounds as tinny and now has a more sizeable 'thud' when you close it. Again, nothing super crazy, but every little thing helps.
Besides that, I swapped out the original Nardi Evolution Wood shift knob that I had taken from my original 96 M-Edition and swapped it with the leather wrapped one. The old knob was coming apart and generally just looked incredibly old so it was time to change. While I like the knob and I think it feels very good in the hand, unlike the original knob, this one isn't a screw on type knob and instead uses three tiny Allen key screws to old the knob onto the shifter. Boy do I hate this type of shift knob. The screws constantly back themselves out after a shifts and makes the shift knob wobble under you which is incredibly annoying. I've read I can use some electrical tape to try to mitigate that so there's that but man, I will never buy another shift knob like this again.
That wraps up the interior changes so here are some pictures to go along with it:
uTNAWyD.jpg
Sound dampening and insulation install...
New shift knob...
New headrest speakers...
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EXTERIOR:
No major changes on the exterior other than the window tint. Was super easy to get done and really happy with how it turned out. I've noticed a pretty sizeable difference in heat reduction in the cabin on days where the sun was out and made the car much more liveable in the intense summer heat in the Central Valley here in California. While I've moved back to the much cooler Bay Area, the added privacy benefit is also a huge plus in my book. Lastly, I didn't go too dark on the front tints and from the inside, there is basically no difference from when there was no tint.
Lastly, while parked in a parking structure, somebody had hit my Miata in the front and left a sizeable amount of damage to the paint. Thankfully they were honest and their insurance covered everything. All's well that ends well I guess.
That wraps up the exterior and now some pictures...
Window tints installed...
Off to get repaired...
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Engine/Drivetrain:
Finally, the engine/drivetrain portion. The biggest change here has been installing my new exhaust. I got the RS Factory Stage N-Zero2 Exhaust since it was a combination of affordability, sound, and looks. While I ordered the piece back in June, between production delays, needing to get an O2 bung installed, and a personal trip to Germany for 8 days, I only just got it installed. My friend and I were able to install it with a lot of ease, honestly probably being the easiest thing we've done to the Miata together. Only issue I ran into was the placement of the O2 bung, since I went against my gut feeling and went off the product page image of the exhaust on Rev9's website which had me end up with the bung on the wrong side. Other than that, smooth install.
Sound-wise, the Miata has a much deeper tone throughout the rev range and the overall the car sound much more alive. The tone isn't too obnoxious so at highway cruising speeds, the cabin is still liveable. There is a little drone at around 3000-3750 RPM but it's nothing I can't live with. Ultimately, feels like a different car with how it sounds and I love driving it even more now. A little ironic though that I spent a fair bit of time on sound deadening earlier only the get a louder exhaust but oh well haha. To wrap it up, here are some pictures!
Old exhaust...
New exhaust installed...
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FINAL THOUGHTS:
Overall super happy with how the Miata has been progressing thus far. Some todo items are to get rid of some suspension noise under braking, fix the shift knob problem, get new shift boot as well as the Miataroadster short shifter, some headers, and other little miscellaneous stuff.
Lastly, for more frequent updates and other musings, follow my Instagram @97NA8M, where I am more active as well as where I have sound clips and other miscellaneous things posted!
That wraps up this update and thanks for reading!
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