probably the first step in sobriety is recognition. you'll curb this addiction one day. but please don't, not for a while. lol. but i love these gauges. and i loved your blog post the other day where both Bucky and Sharka had this conversation going on ha.Originally Posted by revlimiter
I like the Version Warbird!
I just now figured out why he called them that
Thanks everyone!
HA! I wasn't sure if folks would like that post, but I couldn't resist putting it up. The voices in my head demanded it.
heh. I had a few versions where the text was yellow instead of white. It really looked "warbirdy". I wanted it to work SO bad, but it just didn't. It clashed with the KG Works cluster and didn't look too great in the OEM cluster either.I just now figured out why he called them that
I NEED these new gauges in my 'yata! Loving the 6 o'clock zero.
Boss Performance Shift Knobs!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
adamvanxxx: I just realized the S in your logo is a header.
hippari: my mind is so blown right now.
I really like the lbs of fuel..makes so much sense in a Colin Chapman inspired roadster.
Ready to kill some cones.
How to warm up magnetic numbers LIKE A BOSS.
This post is a bit late. Me and Sharka went to an autocross last month. It was our first in like... 4 years. That's embarrassing. I used to attend every Solo event. EVERY one. But time passes and people get busy. At least I managed to get out for this one!
It was a two day event. The above pix are the only ones I got of the 2nd day. We didn't have enough people there to have dedicated photo workers. So I just have pix of the 1st day. But they're pretty outstanding pix.
SO much fun! I need way more rubber to be able to control the power. I might as well have been driving on ice. But it was so much fun! The season is now over. I hope to attend quite a few more next year.
Get over to the slammed thread
Glad to see you enjoying sharka, it has been ages since I have autocrossed as well. Life has a way of sneaking up on you.
Looking good! I myself have been saying I need to get back out to the track.
Boss Performance Shift Knobs!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
adamvanxxx: I just realized the S in your logo is a header.
hippari: my mind is so blown right now.
I need to autocross my car! I have never done it!
HA! Nice spotting. Didn't even notice the tire tuck!Get over to the slammed thread
I think just about everyone could stand to hit the track more often. Even the smaller amount of seat time an autocross provides really does wonders for the soul.
DUDE! Get on that! Your assignment is to attend the very next autox in your area.
He's right. It's a blast--even if (and, quite frankly, especially) if you show up in a stock car and just have fun.
Wish I had more time to do them. That and we only have one non-Sunday event per year in the entire Cincinnati area
Whoa. Neglected thread is neglected.
So, there I was. Minding my own business. I was at the store to pick up the proverbial bacon and milk. The weather was nice, so I brought Sharka. I hit the start button, put the clutch in, and start to back out. And BAM!!!
I stalled.
I looked around, totally at a loss. I put the clutch in again, to take it out of gear before trying to start the engine, and I notice that theres very little pressure. The pedal goes to the floor very easily. So I pumped it in hopes that maybe it wasnt catastrophic clutch line failure like last time. And yay, clutch pressure! So I babied the car on the short trip home. I used the clutch very little, mostly shifting without it. I got home, dumped the groceries, and went right back out in Bucky to grab some clutch parts from the nearby NAPA.
Removing everything from around the clutch MC.
Fluid sucked out.
And the Master Cylinder is outta there! Only 2 bolts and the one banjo fitting hold it in place.
NAPA's finest Miata clutch MC.
Bench bleeding the master cylinder.
How to bleed a clutch master:
0: Find a nice big bucket for the fluid to spray and drip into. Also eye protection. Do not skip step zero.
1: Fill reservoir with fluid.
2: Remove cap on the outlet.
3: Using a small rod (a 3/8″ ratchet extension of 6-12″ works great), push the piston into the master cylinder. That will force air out. When the piston comes back, it will draw fluid in. Do this until fluid starts to squirt from the outlet.
4: Replace cap on the outlet. Wipe the MC body dry. Walk back to your car and install it while not dripping any brake fluid on your bodywork.
The goal of bench bleeding is just to get everything wet. You want to get fluid to go through everything. This makes it easier to get bubbles out when bleeding the clutch for real.
Reinstalled MC. The easy way to do this is to just start the two mounting bolts, but let the MC flop around. Then fully tighten the clutch hard line fitting. Then torque the mounting bolts down.
NAPA's finest clutch slave.
Bench bleeding the clutch slave. Again, the goal is just to get everything wet. Gravity works here.
Removing the old and busted. Singing the praises of my 949Racing braided line. This is my first slave change since installing it. It was really awesome not struggling with the curly-Q line.
The one on top was Sharka's OEM slave from summer of 1994. It had a good long life.
My bleeding rig. It has served me well for over a decade.
Bleeding rig in action!
My little helper. Her legs might be stubby, but she bled that clutch like a champ.
What are these little guys up to? They found an old Miata mirror to play with?
It has the early window frame mount.
OOOH! Lights!
I’ve been into these little cars for a long time. As a result, there’s a lot of items over the years that have been on my wish list. This mirror is one. These were sold over a decade ago. I remember seeing them around 2000. They disappeared a few years later. A few shops sold them (I think I saw them at Performance Buyers Club and Brainstorm) but they were never very popular. I assume that was due to the price.
These things used to sell for around $300 each.
That, my friends, is insanity. There is absolutely nothing about this mirror that commands that price. The mount is indeed unique, but it’s an OEM part. That can’t have contributed that much to the price. The mirror itself is a generic item that should also have been pretty cheap. The only unique part is the adapter that connects the OEM mount to the mirror. Can that have been $100 each to machine? Doubtful. I’ve no idea why these used to be so expensive.
Due to the price, these mirrors basically vanished. No one bought them new and no one today remembers they existed. I mean, why try to source a rare Miata mirror when you could hit the junkyard and get a lighted mirror for $6 and an hour’s time digging?
So, I never owned one. I always thought they were cool, but I never spent the money. Also, I had a 97, which would have required the mirror be glued to the windshield rather than mounted to the frame. I always admired these mirrors and their superior lights, but they remained on my mental “wish I had one but doubt I ever will” list.
Until now!
And it even works. Or rather, I figured out how to wire it so that it works.
Plastic mirror trim cover. This was a bear to remove. This was the hardest part of the whole thing.
Mirror base plate exposed. I later learned that I could have just yanked and pulled the whole thing free.
Mirror and visors removed, that lets me pull the plastic trim free.
The A-pillar trim is tricky. You pull the top edge out first and release the 2 metal snaps. Then you slide the whole thing up to avoid breaking the plastic grabber at the bottom.
This little guy will be the key to getting power and variable ground to the mirror lights.
I restored both of these switches when I put in the NA6 dash, so I still remembered how they were put together. The switch has a nice metal screw that slides back and forth. I should be able to just attach a wire to it and control the mirror power that way.
Nothing to it. There's even room for the wire to slide. I tapped into the red wire for power. That just leaves one ground left.
Wires snaked up the dash and up the A-pillar.
See the ring terminal on the left? That will ground to the windshield frame with one of the visor screws. That provides constant ground to the mirror. This lets the mirror lights activate with the door plunger, but also allows me to turn them on with the switches on the mirror itself.
Trim installed. Tiny pigtail sticking out.
Mirror installed!
And it even works!
And here's how it looks in a pitch black garage. This is huge. I've never had usable lights in a Miata before. I'm amazed. Also, this was shot handheld. No tripod. There's a LOT of light in that interior. It's wonderful.
Love it.
HUGE thanks to everyone who was involved in getting this mirror to me! I didn't mention it above, but this mirror just showed up on my doorstep. Geoff, Kent, and Adam of this forum were all involved in getting this mirror into Sharka. I never expected to own one. Hell, I never thought I'd even SEE one. And now it is mine. =)
Consider yourself lucky. Ive never had a helper that adorable!Whoa. Neglected thread is neglected.
So, there I was. Minding my own business. I was at the store to pick up the proverbial bacon and milk. The weather was nice, so I brought Sharka. I hit the start button, put the clutch in, and start to back out. And BAM!!!
I stalled.
I looked around, totally at a loss. I put the clutch in again, to take it out of gear before trying to start the engine, and I notice that theres very little pressure. The pedal goes to the floor very easily. So I pumped it in hopes that maybe it wasnt catastrophic clutch line failure like last time. And yay, clutch pressure! So I babied the car on the short trip home. I used the clutch very little, mostly shifting without it. I got home, dumped the groceries, and went right back out in Bucky to grab some clutch parts from the nearby NAPA.
Removing everything from around the clutch MC.
Fluid sucked out.
And the Master Cylinder is outta there! Only 2 bolts and the one banjo fitting hold it in place.
NAPA's finest Miata clutch MC.
Bench bleeding the master cylinder.
How to bleed a clutch master:
0: Find a nice big bucket for the fluid to spray and drip into. Also eye protection. Do not skip step zero.
1: Fill reservoir with fluid.
2: Remove cap on the outlet.
3: Using a small rod (a 3/8″ ratchet extension of 6-12″ works great), push the piston into the master cylinder. That will force air out. When the piston comes back, it will draw fluid in. Do this until fluid starts to squirt from the outlet.
4: Replace cap on the outlet. Wipe the MC body dry. Walk back to your car and install it while not dripping any brake fluid on your bodywork.
The goal of bench bleeding is just to get everything wet. You want to get fluid to go through everything. This makes it easier to get bubbles out when bleeding the clutch for real.
Reinstalled MC. The easy way to do this is to just start the two mounting bolts, but let the MC flop around. Then fully tighten the clutch hard line fitting. Then torque the mounting bolts down.
NAPA's finest clutch slave.
Bench bleeding the clutch slave. Again, the goal is just to get everything wet. Gravity works here.
Removing the old and busted. Singing the praises of my 949Racing braided line. This is my first slave change since installing it. It was really awesome not struggling with the curly-Q line.
My little helper. Her legs might be stubby, but she bled that clutch like a champ.
M
Love all, trust a few, do harm to none....William Shakespeare
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
