Just another silver NB....

[— Agent☣Orange —]

No more 10lb baby teeth!

[HarryB]

Nice updates! Love the cowl panel, a bit hesitant on the loss of the weatherstripping that used to lay on the firewall though. New tow hooks look nice too, prefer the brushed aluminum look over yellow.

[—tsingson—]

Thanks guys! I was thinking the same thing about the weatherstripping but I always hated that opening without it. Just always looked like something was missing so I had to sacrifice something. Almost went with the brushed version but decided that the black would be more "OEM" like. The tow hooks definitely look better brushed than the yellow I had tried out. Because of how well my valve cover turned out, I guess I thought maybe the tow hooks would be just as nice. It just didn't look right in my eyes.

[mx54life]

Good work on that valve cover. It brought that yellow/gold touch on the rims into the engine bay.

Regarding the GS cowl cover......I wonder if it would bring some of the rain/water on a heavy downpour or during car wash into the engine bay hence the factory placement of the rubber trim. But yes it does finishes the look. Funny coz I have one but never have exposed my NA car on any of those scenarios. Still contemplating if I will use it on my NB......I am thinking of adding more holes maybe?

Btw are those RPF1 15x8’s?

[— kung fu jesus —]

There are large drains on either side of the cowl, covering it shouldn’t affect it. The drains are why 10mm sockets wind up in the bottom of your front fenders

[— Agent☣Orange —]

I went with a black cowl cover on mine. Perfect place to hide that washer fluid bottle too!

[HarryB]

In addition to what KFJ mentioned, the rubber seal is there mainly to avoid warm air from the engine bay entering the cabin through the "snorkel" of the HVAC system

[—tsingson—]

Good work on that valve cover. It brought that yellow/gold touch on the rims into the engine bay.

Regarding the GS cowl cover......I wonder if it would bring some of the rain/water on a heavy downpour or during car wash into the engine bay hence the factory placement of the rubber trim. But yes it does finishes the look. Funny coz I have one but never have exposed my NA car on any of those scenarios. Still contemplating if I will use it on my NB......I am thinking of adding more holes maybe?

Btw are those RPF1 15x8’s?

Thanks! The previous gold worked better with my old Wide Opens that were in gold also but when I went with the RPF1s, the color I chose for the powdercoat was a lot brighter than the previous gold. And yes, they are 15x8.

As far as the cowl goes, I was a little hesitant at first about removing the weatherstripping but decided that closing that area off and keeping it clean would be better for me.

[HarryB]

I *think* you might be able to keep both; in any case I very much prefer it with the cowl cover in place as well

[—tsingson—]

I would think you can put a seal on the hood side just to keep the clean look if you really wanted to keep a seal. If any problems do arise later, I will make the necessary adjustments.

[— Agent☣Orange —]

You can add a foam weatherstrip to the hood.

[Greasemonkey2000]

IIRC, and according to post #162 https://mazdaroadster.net/showthread...nel#post178121 , it seems like I kept the rubber seal below the cowl panel. I was also thinking I removed it because the hardware wasn't long enough with the seal so i don't know.

[—tsingson—]

What would be the benefit to having the seal under the cover?

[Greasemonkey2000]

[mx54life]

You can add a foam weatherstrip to the hood.

Good idea.....gluing that rubber strip back on the the top side of the hood...... as that was intentionally placed to prevent water entering the engine bay...

If not then it will be a good way for hot air to escape the engine bay without sorting to some kind of aftermarket vents.