Miata #4, nugget MSM

[newoldm]

Hi everyone... Figured I might try also try a build thread Starting with some background; this is my 4th one - started off with a ‘97 M edition ~10 years ago (gosh, times fly!), then moved onto a 04’ Ti MSM and finally ended up with a 10AE. Along the way had lots of fun and met some truly wonderful people.
After selling the 10AE little over four years ago I had a 987 base Cayman for a couple years which I sold last year and ever since then been itching to get back in the Miata game. One evening while randomly browsing CL saw an ad from a VR ‘04 MSM. Seller had the most detailed and honest logbook I’ve seen, the car had some decent add-ons and was priced right.
Details:
- ~115k miles
- peeling clear from SoCal sun aka why it’s a nugget
- full FM exhaust
- frame rails
- frog arms
- AEM intake, MBC
- FM drain check valve
- TE37 (16”, unfortunately, but they’re starting to grow on me)
- coilovers

First order of business was to seek alternate seats. I absolutely hate the leather MSM seats as I sit way too high (joys of having a long torso). UK Miata parts came to the rescue with cloth NB2 seats as well as steering wheel that’s in better shape. With some foamectomy the cloth seats allowed me to sit a decent bit lower and they’re also significantly more supportive than the leather seats.



Steering wheel before/after



Shout out to UK Miata parts for fast shipping and excellent prices. They were also quick to resolve an shipment issue and sent me a replacement drivers side seat that was damaged during transit.

Next was removal of some previously installed add-ons. Out came the MR short shifter and the coilovers installed by the PO. I must be the minority here but I prefer the OEM shift feel and have not had issues missing gears with any of the 6 speeds I had.



In came some shiny orange bits. My goal on this car is to keep it OEM+ and XIDA XL’s with the “comfort” springs fits that perfectly. Ride quality is superb and with increased ground clearance I don’t have to worry about scraping on driveways or speed bumps. Also following Supermiata’s recommendation installed the stock sways front/back.


First drive after installing the new suspension - she might look shiny from a distance but paint really needs help. I still need to play around with ride height a bit as front is sitting a tad higher than rear. I also replaced the window guides with teflon ones and applied some Second Skin Audio damplifier on the door panels to fix the rattles. Added a boot cover as well which helps protect the cloth top from UV damage and eliminates the rattles from top when it’s down.


Next steps is to address some deferred maintenance. PO had changed the TB ~30K miles ago but I guess the shop who did the work did not bother to replace the front seal as the front of the engine is gross. Have TB, WP and seals waiting to go in along with Supermiata long clutch line + master/slave kit. Original stock radiator does not have much life left in it and after waiting for months for the FM cross flow radiator to be in back stock I gave up and ordered a CSF radiator from Supermiata and the FM coolant re-route with the MSM specific turbo lines.

The NB2 cloth seats turned out to be temporary as I found another pair of seats I’ve been eyeing for sale locally soon after I got the NB seats. Right now the car is at a friend’s shop getting custom brackets made for the new seats and I’ve also asked him to seam weld the door openings. Had that done in the 10AE and was pleasantly surprised with the added stiffness. Hope to get the car back in next couple weeks so I can keep myself busy during the shelter in place period.