Car looks great, you can never and must NEVER sell Jazz.
Car looks great, you can never and must NEVER sell Jazz.
Sorry to read about the damage and I hope you got it fixed without incident. I don't think the bump was the cause. It might have been the final straw, but look at the crack and you will notice the top is stained and the rest is not - indicating it was failing for a long time. Also, it has a divot in the arm at the top and bottom, what is up with that? Mine snapped at the exact same spot on Friday. I think it was a casting flaw that resulted in metal fatigue as every time I have seen this it is at the same spot. On the plus side, you have two part axles and that makes it easier to fix.
Thanks! I hope to never part with Jazz. I'd like to think he has a unique personality/patina amongst other Miatas.
Hmm...good observation. Given that our cars are getting decently old, I'm curious how common it is for other Miatas' diffs to shear like that...makes me wonder how all those "slammed" guys drive anywhere without breaking down constantly.
Thankfully, my parents let me drive the Mini, while Jazz waited patiently at my friend's shop for about three weeks while I was busy at school...luckily my friend's shop was very accommodating and whenever possible, Jazz was kept inside their garage. (Shoutout to EDGE motorworks).
After diagnosis, it was determined Jazz needed just a new diff and one axle shaft. It could've been much worse...*phew*. I was able to pick up a used diff from a friend for cheap and picked up an axle shaft locally. Soon enough, Jazz was back on the road!
As nice as it was driving the Mini around, I had a huge smile on my face when I drove Jazz again after he was fixed. Miatas definitely have a special charm don't they?
Last edited by speedypenguin; 05-03-2013 at 03:09 AM.
Fast forward to Summer 2012. I decided to go hardtop only with Jazz. When I got Jazz, he didn't come with a soft top, so I picked up and installed a used soft top in Jazz. Well...the soft top stayed in the car for only a week. I'm not really a "drop-top" enthusiast (I do take off the hard top once in awhile if it's really nice), but the hard top really makes Jazz more...classy. Definitely makes a Miata look more "upscale". So till this day, Jazz is hard top only, bolted in with Garagestar hardtop brackets.
I finished school for the year, and I was going to work in Shanghai for the summer. Poor Jazz...he would have to sit patiently at home for the entire summer till I returned...so I decided to wash, clean, and then take pictures of Jazz before I left.
949Racing 6ULs: Classy and functional.
I love my Nardi steering wheel.
Pop-up headlights are so cool.
Last edited by speedypenguin; 04-25-2013 at 08:05 PM.
Great car! That damage was pretty shocking! Now I'm nervous because I definitely sit lower than you and our New England roads are pretty terrible! Lol
My '93 rust bucket build thread: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....5539#post85539
Thanks! Yes, the damage was shocking to say the least. You should be okay, my diff hit one of those large metal road plates...admittedly I wasn't crawling over them, but it was still surprising.
So carrying from my last post, I mentioned I was overseas the entire summer. Jazz remained covered at home, sitting patiently till I came back. I was in China, and even though they have strict internet restrictions...I browsed Club Roadster...a lot. (no judging please. ) But through that, I discovered Adam's (revlimiter) blog, and I was inspired to say the least. Reading Adam's journey with Sharka and his DIY modifications influenced me to decide to modify Jazz more. Long story short, what I took from Sharka's build was any Miata owner can make their Miata their own, by adding large and small changes. (Doesn't sound as inspirational as Adam would say it...I'm pretty sure. haha)
Fast forward to the end of the summer: It was about a week before I would head back to the U.S., so I decided to add a few things:
Red RyokuRob front tow hook
Garagestar front license plate bracket
Swap out DZ101s for some Dunlop Z1 Star Specs
I returned to the States, and to fight jetlag...I decided to spend some much needed catch up time with Jazz...by upgrading and adding parts! (I was worried that my battery would've drained itself when I got back...but Jazz started right up! Can't believe he did, especially after 3 months!)
I was so excited to receive my new parts...that I forgot to take pictures of the RyokuRob tow hook and Garagestar license plate bracket. But here's Jazz up on an alignment rack at my friend's shop.
Oh what do we have here?
New, fresh Star Specs on the left. Old DZ101s on the right.
Oh yes.
I'm glad I pulled the trigger to get better tires for Jazz. He had been a great daily driver while I was working, but with stickier tires, Jazz could be driven like a Miata was meant to be driven. Both Jazz and I were happy for this upgrade. I also raised my ride height accordingly, both because the Star Specs wouldn't fit at my old height and because I wanted to avoid any possible further damage (see older post).
Ride height before: 11.25"F/11.25" R
Ride height after: 12"F/12.5"R
So Jazz at his new height become much more functional and how convenient...I was going to take Jazz to his first autocross under my ownership soon afterwards.
Beginning of September 2012, I took Jazz to his first autocross with me. The upgraded tires gripped well and I had a great time being able to drive Jazz to the limits in a safe, controlled environment. This autocross also happened to be on the "one-year" anniversary of the day I bought Jazz...what a way to celebrate huh?
NICE build!!
"My For Sale Items"
"My 2014 Club"
1994 Laguna Blue - (Runabout)
2005 BM MSM #751 of 1428 - someone else is playing with her now
"Nardi Steering Wheel Restore"
91 SD Italia
Thanks!
So after the autocross, I felt that Jazz was at a good place, both in terms of drivability and modifications. I was going into my last year of college, so I was not going to be able to take Jazz to the track and autocrosses. But then about three months later, I drove Jazz and took a few photos of him...
It was during this picture that I thought...there's something missing. Up till that point, I only wanted to modify Jazz with a "simple and clean" mentality. Staring at Jazz, I wondered...what could I change so that Jazz would begin to be my Miata. The r-package lip was a nice, subtle addition, but I had recently wanted Jazz' face to be more...aggressive. So what did I do...?
Well, it soon happened that Static Nine Garage announced they would begin selling TSIs. I had always wanted TSIs, but could never justify spending $150+ for them...well S9G offered (and still does) their TSIs for much less, so I decided to make a impulse decision and pulled the trigger. There also happened to be a "black Friday" sale at a local shop selling GV-style lips for really cheap...so I decided to get a GV-style lip for Jazz.
I was amazed how just these two changes completely changed my view on...Jazz' face? (front bumper, front end, I don't know what to properly say.=P) Changing out the stock turn signal lens and replacing them with TSIs made Jazz' face look much sleeker, aggressive, and dare I say...cool. Plus, the GV-style lip added a nice aggressive "chin" for Jazz.
It was nice to read the history of your car Brian =). I always think I am the only one that goes through hardships with my car, but I see you have had your fair share as well. Can't wait for your next mods.
Great story so far man! Keep up the good work. SF roads suck. I always hated going there and driving just because of the roads.
Thanks! Yeah...ever since that incident I haven't driven Jazz to the city...but I'm sure he'll fare well because his ride height is higher than that time and I'd be much more careful...
Thanks man! I hope to get Jazz to the same level as your car! Been awesome to see your car in person several times.
After adding the GV lip and TSIs, I didn't think I would modify Jazz for awhile...well. A guy who started a small business called "Carbon Miata" posted a group buy for his newly released vented headlight lids. During the summer, I had read Revlimiter's blog about Sharka many, many times and always thought that his DIY-headlight lid looked great. So I decided I would get a vented headlight lid for Jazz. It's not DIY...but it's definitely unique. Plus, I have a racing-beat intake, so theoretically...the headlight lid "should" feed more air...but either way, it looks great.
Sidenote: I found out that Marc (CarbonMiata) is based in Shanghai, and I actually traveled to Shanghai during Winter 2012, so I got to meet him in person! Cool guy, and wants to provide unique offerings for the Miata. And he owns one of about 5 Miatas/MX-5s in Shanghai! In addition to picking up my headlight lid in person, I was able to see more carbon parts he has made for the Miata. High quality stuff.
Anyways! I purchased a FRP-headlight lid, so that meant I'd have an opportunity to do a DIY paint job! Not a huge job, but it's a start with my DIY touches for Jazz.
Here is the FRP vented headlight lid before prepping.
Sanding it.
Primer.
First coat of paint.
Since I was painting my headlight lid, decided to paint my TSIs. Sanding them down.
First coat of paint for the TSIs.
Finished! Not the best job, but for my first time, I'd say pretty good. Eventually, when there are enough rock chips...I'll sand them down again and do a better job. Just wanted to get the new parts on my car.
Quick shots of Jazz hanging out with a fellow friend.
With the addition of the vented headlight lid, I think Jazz looks very cool. I'm sure Jazz thinks he looks cool too.
Last edited by speedypenguin; 05-03-2013 at 03:13 AM.
Nice job on the TSIs and the headlight cover. It looks good from here. Now I may have missed it but did the name Jazz come from the Transformer?