95neoner's 99

[95neoner]

Links to my other threads:
intro:http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....neoner-s-intro

I did a little intro to this car on my intro, nothing major setting it apart yet. I guess the 2 big parts I can brag on are the limited run Garage 502 mirrors and the carbon fiber Tougerun ducktail, until they decide to make those available again. I guess before I get to talking about it too much, I owe you a couple pictures. In case you hadn't seen it before, allow me to show you around really quickly so you can see where I'm at now. I'm due for a few new "overall idea pictures," but this should get you a basic idea.







Clutch and brake fluid have been changed since.



couple small changes since then, one I have a pic of, windshield's been changed, and the center console is also removed. Started me on my interior project. You'll see that unfold here as I get to it.





Since then I've painted the fuel hose cover black while I was in behind there trying to take care of some of the surface rust back there.





A lot of little things bothering me on this car, but it is my daily so it's not perfect. I'm in the middle of a lot of detailing on it right now. I think I've spent at least 12 hours on 3 of my summer wheels getting them cleaned back up and presentable. One of them was just replaced due to the old one having a crack on the inside. I've spent the last 6 years in the Navy on a submarine, so they've been neglected for at least the last 7. During that time they've been dailied on and run though salt, and attempted to go through a couple curbs. Considering the circumstances here, I don't feel they're turning out too bad. I'm starting out by washing, cleaning them with wadding polish, claying, hand buffing, and then using a sealer to protect them, particularly since I run Hawk HP+ pads and there's bare aluminum on them now. Correct answer is to repaint, but I can't justify it on wheels that are just getting me through until future plans start falling into place, i.e. the BP finally dies, but with as much of a maintenance nazi as I try to be, I feel that may be a ways off yet. The engines in these cars are awesome for long term reliability. Here's some before/after:





Couple of quick basics: I've had this car for 6 years in April. It's a daily driver that I take to autocross when I can. Changes are mostly cosmetic right now since I'm waiting on the opportunity to present itself for a swap, which I'll completely change the performance aspect of the car for, so I see no point in wasting money on temporary gains. I just got out of the Navy in December and started my own business, so I'm still operating in the red right now, doing my best to be conservative with what I have, may not see a lot of progress on any of my cars right away. I always like to provide a list of everything I've changed on the car, so if you have any questions what something is, it's here or maybe there's a couple things in those pictures you overlooked.

'99 Mazda Miata mod list

Exterior:
'01 front end conversion
PIAA Si-tech 18” wiper blades
Sylvania Silverstar headlight bulbs
OEM hard top
17”x7” +42 Konig Holes w/ Yokohama Parada Spec 2 205/40ZR17
Garage Vary nostalgic taillights
Garage 502 mirrors
Beatrush front license plate frame
Vis carbon fiber trunk
Toguerun rear ducktail spoiler
NASCAR COT wing with custom mounts (not yet installed)
Rigid Industries SRM Marine diffused spreader light (back up light) (not yet installed)

Brakes:
Hawk HP+ pads
Goodridge stainless steel brake lines
Wilwood 570 fluid

Transmission:
Royal Purple 75w120 & diff additive in diff
stainless steel braided clutch line
Wilwood 570 clutch fluid
Beatrush aluminum shifter collar
shifter rebuild
Exedy OE replacement clutch
Flyin' Miata clutch interlock override

Interior:
Mazdaspeed steering wheel (D-cut or limited edition)
NRG hub adapter
B-titanium steering wheel bolts
Maruha shift knob
Hard Dog HCHT M2 double diagonal roll bar w/ harness and door bars
Garage Star Bolt-in hard top latches
removed sun visors, radio, center console, radio blanked with carbon fiber blank & to be used for switches, gauges
!Njoy visor blanks
I.L. Motorsport satin & leather parking brake handle
“loose” leather parking brake handle cover
Allstar Performance 5 panel rear view mirror
Roadstertech window guide bushings

Motor/engine bay:
ARC intake chamber
HKS SMF reloaded filter (red)
Magnecor KV85 race spark plug wires
NGK ZFR5F-11 spark plugs
Gates racing timing & accessory belts
Royal Purple 10w30 & filter
removed charcoal canister & other plastic bits
Garage Vary carbon fiber radiator cooling panel
Mishimoto radiator
Mishimoto fan shroud / fans
Hondata intake manifold gasket
Moroso coolant reservoir
Moroso air/oil separator
Suzuki Cappuchino washer fluid bottle
Garage Vary carbon fiber cowl cover

Suspension:
Ohlins coil-over dampers (race valved)
Swift coil-over springs (12kg/mm front, 8kg/mm rear)
Carbing front & rear strut tower bars
Eibach sways
Good-win-racing heim jointed end links

[Demon I Am]

Looks like you've put in a lot of good work so far!

[95neoner]

Thanks. I feel like I've spent lot of time working on it, and it's certainly a lot different from where it started. I don't feel like it makes a huge visual impact, which I believe is a blessing in disguise, but it certainly is a lot of fun to drive. The car corners extremely flat and you feel a direct connection to the road, which makes it hard to keep your foot out of it with studded snows on... it's due for a good exterior detail though, which I'm getting to after the wheels are cleaned. Sad that I've got decals coming that are going to cover it all up after.

Here's a couple pictures of where it began for reference:

[95neoner]

Got the wheels finished up and on the car, while I was in there I got the wheel wells scrubbed out, also switched over to LED license plate light bulbs. Garage 502 mirrors are showing sun damage again, so got the buffing compound out and tried hand buffing, but I'm not happy, so some 2000 grit is next... really hoping I don't go through the clear.

I need to get a couple pictures with the wheels back on, but I made another purchase today. I bought a fully disassembled basket case '97 to put back together and hopefully turn a profit on so I can continue to fund all of these projects. It's an ex-PTE car, so I've got some work cut out turning it back into a street car. It came with a 1.6, but I opted for a Torsen as an add-on. If I start getting into it and it's not looking good, (I'm already at needing to deal with beat seats, top, paint all over, hoses, oil, etc) I may go with turning it into a SM, and I'll get a thread together for it then.

[— fwdtamiya —]

Rust belt. The car looks nice though! Some high quality parts in there.

[95neoner]

Thanks, and the southern part of Ohio where I'm at typically is nowhere near as bad up north. After my first car, the black Neon, threw it's timing belt, and I already had a project 240sx, I needed something cheap to drive, so I had bought a Civic from Akron and that thing had almost no quarters left in it. We did the body work on it and repainted the entire car. Then the crank pulley bolt decided to back out and wiped the keyway around the crank, and I figured I had enough swap projects sitting around at the time and didn't need to make it 3/4 of my cars waiting for an engine (I had the Miata by that time), so I sold it.



when we were done:





I let my little brother drive the car while I was in SC, and he was kind enough to put that sticker on the back window without asking. Hard to tell how long the pulley had been making noise for. I might have sold the car out of a bit of anger too...

The rockers on NAs are bad about it up just north of here too. The '97's from up there.



underside of the car isn't too bad, looks like a bunch of surface stuff and the muffler heatshield got it the worst:



Anyway, the 99's in excellent shape because it started life in Florida. I think I still have the brochure from the original dealership, then it moved to the middle of GA, then to the middle of SC with me (it was 77k mi), then I moved to VA for a couple months, back to SC, then to CT and now back to southern OH. I'm pretty religious during the the winter trips about bringing the car in and spraying out the underside after going out, at the very least weekly, and I'm making a habit of getting into the wells with the brush at the end of the winter weather and scrubbing in there to make sure the salt is gone. Damage has been pretty well limited to the wheels' finish and a few bolts in the engine bay that are driving me nuts... and the bracket for the hood prop.

[95neoner]

Here's those pictures I promised:





Today's forward progress (and probably the next couple days):



Should be putting some decals on tomorrow and then going to the other side so they can match. Don't throw too many rocks at the idea. You'll see 'em shortly.

Still a lot of project logs to read, lots of good inspiration on here, so I'm getting to them as I can. Grip driver's got a very nice interior. I need to get a few together for my other cars too if I ever get back in from the garage at a decent hour.