Sharka

[Airbrush1]

Great little detail!

[—Bryan—]

That's amazing, Adam. You've inspired me to start saving up for a Bikini top now that I've got a rollbar

[NCGreasemonkey]

That was the one detail about the bikini that I didn't like. And you resolved it before I had to go head-to-head with it! Thanks Adam!

[★ revlimiter ★]

In an effort to gain some skills in video editing, I shot and cut this little thing today. It was a total of about 6 hours of work including getting cameras to actually record stuff, driving around, and editing. 6 hours for 1:30 of video. Is that normal?

This was all shot with one gopro. I dusted off my ancient Hero 3+ and stuck it on various parts of Sharka. This is apparently also the first in-car footage that's ever existed. 16 years and no in-car? I'm ashamed.

Anyways, I'm gonna try my best to do more video stuff. I've been embarrassed at my lack of video skillz the past couple years. Time to do something about that.

If anyone has tips, hints, or suggestions, I'd greatly appreciate it.

[— Agent☣Orange —]

As well you should be embarrassed but to be fair, I just keep pressing random buttons on mine until it starts working.

[★ revlimiter ★]

I tried that. It wouldn't work without a firmware update. lol

[— Agent☣Orange —]

Oh, even without firmware updates, I'm stuck using GoPro software and none of the sequences are automatically arranged in order by the time it comes to editing so I have to use my best judgement when a friend was screwing the taiplipe in relation to when another was burning all the meat on the BBQ.

[Ctsquid]

Boy does that color look good when the sunlight gets to it. Cool video Adam!

[★ revlimiter ★]

Huh. A while without an update.


I put one of these on Sharka. And Bucky. And Stormtrooper. And even my 3. Every car gets a shift plate!



And I got one of these. A shiny new kitty cat.


Old vs New.

I should have changed this out long ago. The old one was… really old. I have no idea when I changed it. It might be from the 97. I don’t even know the brand. I believe it was Jackson Racing, though I’m not sure.

It barely functioned as a cat anymore. The exhaust was really really smelly. It had also developed a leak which was pretty loud in the cabin. Time for a new one.

The replacement cat is from Goodwin. A RoadsterSport 2.5″ federal catalytic converter.



The old one was just “a cat.” Nothing special. I wanted something to do the job of a catalytic converter. I didn’t put much effort into selection, I’m ashamed to say.

I actually shopped for the new one. I wanted a 2.5″ unit to match Sharka’s FM piping. (I know I could make more power with a full 3″ exhaust, but I like installing the factory cat for a week every two years.) And I wanted a stock-flange cat. And… that was it.

The RoadsterSport fits the bill. It measures 2.5″ with a caliper and bolts onto a stock exhaust system. It even came with oversized gaskets.

I also measured the old cat and was surprised to find it was 2.125″ with a caliper. That’s a bit on the small side. I thought it was 2.25″.

Poor Sharka. So unloved.


Empty.


Full!

Installation was nothing to speak of. The old cat and new ones both go in and out easily. They’re a bit shorter than the factory one, so I don’t have to unbolt the muffler and massage the pipes into place. 4 bolts off and 4 bolts on. Super simple.

After installing the new cat, I fired up the engine and let things heat up for a couple minutes. Then I tightened the bolts down. And let me tell ya, it’s really really nice not having that exhaust leak right under the seat. So much quieter.

And I’m very happy to report that power is up! It was a very happy test drive after the install. 4th gear seemed to go by much faster than before.

[Greasemonkey2000]

Exhaust leaks are the worst especially on what is an otherwise great sounding exhaust. I agree about catalytic converters, pretty much a must have especially considering how well high flow units flow. I really need to make it to New Mexico one day to check out the Miata collection.

[Cermivelli]

Should have added the shiftpattern plate with my last order. Oh well, there will always be a next order for goodies at your shop!

[NCGreasemonkey]

Should have added the shiftpattern plate with my last order. Oh well, there will always be a next order for goodies at your shop!

That is my problem. I always forget something small. So I have to order big to get the small the next time. It is a Pandora's Box of goodness and $$$. But at least it is Adam. The Saint of customer service!

Damn, now you made me think of something else to ask him about.

Peace!

[★ revlimiter ★]

Sharka got wood too. Mad wood. Wood for days.


This is one of the 911 model shifters in Argentine lignum vitae with a matching brake grip. It’s fantastic to hold. And the smell of the LV in Sharka’s interior? OMG. It mixes with the leather, old plastic, and gasoline to make the most memorable odor combination possible. It’s…

I’m just saying that if there was a smell-o-plugin for a web browser, I’d be giving you a link to the download site and forcing Sharka’s interior stench upon you.


I did a custom Elanore insert for the knob. The LV has so many colors that adding more to it with a colorful insert seemed wrong. Black and chrome seemed to be just the thing. And the chrome works with Sharka’s chrome brake button.

I even swapped out the Watanabe Falcon in favor of my old Nardi Classico. The wood combo seemed to be begging for a chrome spoke steering wheel.


Wood is a bit of a different look for Sharka, but I think it works. It feels harmonious to me. Nostalgic even.

The Falcon and metal shifters will return in the future, but for right now, I’m enjoying a little change. And did I mention the smell? OMG. So good!

[Greasemonkey2000]

Dat interior doe! These are pieces from the same miata enthusiast that provided the wood shift knobs you sold a batch of? Really dat interior.... ...a great interior makes such a HUGE difference imo to the driving experience.

[★ revlimiter ★]

SPEED HOLES!!

This is a tiny mod, but something that's been on my wish list for a long time. I recently got to meet Jeo and Blue Jay and was gifted this set of wiper arms. When he pulled this out of Blue Jay‘s trunk and handed them to me… there may have been a tear.

So awesome.



This is a set of hand-drilled Miata wiper arms made by Chad who used to own Warbird. Chad made a handful of these – some in a brushed finish and some in various black powdercoats. The one Sharka has is done in satin black powder, which is the exact set I wanted.

If I remember right, Chad started with something like 20 sets of wiper arms. He destroyed some learning how to drill them. Others were badly powder coated and he didn’t like the results (they were kinda brown I think). And he had only 4 or 5 sets when he was done.

Out of those 4 or 5 sets, Chad wasn’t 100% happy with any. Each had a small misalignment or some other imperfection. He didn’t feel that any of them were worthy of my blog – and I got updates and pix of the whole project while he was working on it – so none ever came to me.

I was… kinda crushed. I didn’t expect perfection. It just seemed like a cool piece to have and a subtle detail to add to Sharka. But if Chad was not pleased, then I’d just wait for a future batch when he had all the kinks worked out.

Then Chad sold Warbird. And I didn’t expect to ever have a set of his wiper arms.



Yes, those are Sharka’s wiper arms. They’re old and faded and have rubbing compound dots from polishing the hood. Wiper arms are easy to ignore until they get a lot worse than the ones pictured above. A quick spray of black paint usually fixes them up for another few years.

But Jeo provided me with something WAY nicer than a set of sprayed arms!!



I love that! It’s such a cool little detail. And, like the original tired wiper arms, they’re easy to miss. Just something you notice when you’re really looking.

A word about the misaligned holes – you truly cannot tell unless you’re staring at them from a foot or two away. It’s easy to see the crooked holes in these photos, but it’s not like that in real life. They just look like custom wiper arms. Your eye is drawn more to the spring behind the holes than the holes themselves.

And a word about noise – I have not noticed any. Since installing these, I’ve had Sharka on the freeway a few times and not heard any whistling. I mean, he’s not the most quiet car anyway, but I’ve not heard any new noises.



So happy to have these! Seriously. Thank you Chad and Jeo!