Miata General /mg/

Mirrors edition

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I've never posted this one before (because I hadn't pulled the headlight metal flush w/ the hood and am ashamed).

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Is my bumper cut too extreme? I wanted to show off the exhaust and the brace cause i fab ed it myself .

>worked when i first got it but doesnt after head gasket swap
>finally narrowed it down to ignition coil or cam shaft sensor
????

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Im planning on chopping the tie down hooks and icicles too and welding on a proper tow hook

Might get around to painting the cowl.pillar this weekend.

Probably need to rotate the CAS 180 degrees, check if the block is earthed to the firewall too.

It's nice user. I always liked darker cars with the tan interior.

i didnt try rotating the cas, thats a good idea. its earthed, there are two ground wires i made sure i put back on when i put everything back together.

>bumper cut
You mean bumper removal?

I'd say yes, but that's a matter of taste. I prefer when the edges are left in. Throw a diffuser and wing though and it would look badass.

You can just unbolt the tie downs if IIRC, you can bolt on a proper tow hook to the same location and be track legal for most stuff too

Should I get a repaint on my Miata or just drive it as is?

First time using heat wrap, since I am still waiting for the correct starter to be sent to me, why not poke around with the boltons, like getting heat out of my fuckin cabin.

Was going to do the header, but there's a crack in the collector and it would probably explode before I could splash out on importing a racing beat one. Fucking NZ.

I think a little bit. Most guys that do, do it to reduce the lift at speed, but it's only the middle 2/3.

Looks like shit.

What do you think of my interior lads?

If there's no risk of rust developing (eg clear coat is fucked) you can get away with it. If you live anywhere with salted roads though, lift the car, strip it properly, clan out any rust, and POR15 the fucker. You'll instantly have made any maintenance you'll do on the car a million times easier

I feel your pain, outside of the states importing auto stuff is stupid expensive. How long ago did you wrap it? Any noticeable improvement? You do know you're supposed to paint over the wrap with special paint right?

The clear coat is fucked, and the red paint is faded to hell even though the car only has 70k miles.

I live in a salt state, but I don't drive it during the winter.

my only question is, would that prevent the ignition coil from sparking?

does anyone know what this particular seal is called? It's on the top frame and I'm having trouble finding it in parts diagrams. I can find the ones that seal the window to the top but not the ones that seal the top to itself.

Just last week but as my car
Is still on stilts, haven't tried it yet.
My logic is that if it burns out in a few months, I get to buy a nice new one. Never read anywhere (never searched) about the finishing spray - only that it tends to habour moisture, so I halfassed that with some high temp VHT in the hopes it would help against corrosion.

heatshieldproducts.co.nz/lava-exhaust-wrap.html
I'd love some RPF1's, but even with the companies 40% UPS discount, it's still going to cost me $700 in postage alone. Companies here want $400 per wheel, so it's only slightly cheaper to import. Fug.

\O_o/
Electrics aren't my forte. Are you getting spark to 3 plugs, just 2 or none? If the CAS is out, it will be sparking at BDC (Unless all 4 spark at the same time regardless of cylinder, then two will fire I think). Go ahead and blast all the connections with some contact cleaner anyway


Is that the part that's always showing on the softtops?

I knew it was red, for some reason the clear on every red miata I know gets fucked real easy. It's worth a respray if you care about looks, you could probably get the job done with some automotive clear in a spray can, a garage, and a weekend though. You should get a pretty decent result if you're careful.
Either a bad coil, or a bad connection to the coil. Did you check for spark using multiple wires and spark plugs though? What I usually do is pull a plug, disconnect the fuel pump and crank the car a couple of times to check spark. Then I use a different cable and plug just to make sure.
Do you mean the window seal itself? Or the seal that goes between the top itself and the top frame?
Yeah, from what I understand it's just high temp spraypaint, but without it it can rust really bad. Shipping's ridiculous over here in the tropics too. I wanted to get a timing belt, water pump, front and rear seals, CAS seal, cam seals, and pulleys over here and I'd be paying around $40 just for the shipping, plus nearly $120 in taxes.

none as far as im aware. ill clean everything tomorrow just to be sure
ill do this tomorrow as well, didnt think about disconnecting the fuel pump.

Yeah disconnecting the pump is just so the car doesn't start with a missing plug.

>Mobile, AL

Do you live near there? I sure do.

>Pic: my engine bay a month ago.

Those parts would run me up over $350 here. Word of advice though, don't get the Mazda CAS oring, get some Viton seals with the same dimensions. The CAS oring turns rock hard after a year and leaks again.

well i did it without the fuel pump disconnect on all with the same spark plug and it didnt spark on any so idk if i just used a bad plug or theres no spark.

It wont be missing, it will just be relocated.
Mind you, the ally hood is pretty thin...

Pretty clean.

Looking to get a Bride Vios III rep, but not sure where to get one that's actually decent quality. Would anyone know where I could order a decent one from?

I got mine off ebay. As long as you get one that is from a decent enough seller and is around $100 a seat, it'll probably be ok. Here's mine for reference. Fit and finish is not great on the cloth, but it works and is solidly built
Thanks for the tip, I was planning on getting the FM kit for it, I'll email them and check what o ring they use. Taxes here are around 54% for auto shit, so that estimate was ballpark really.

Keep crossing off variables and moving down the chain. That's about the end of my knowledge.

If no spark on any, try buying a new plug and testing, then get some wires, which you probably should repace anyways. If neither of these help, check the connection for the distributor with a voltmeter. If all of it fails, replace the distributor. You could also convert to coil-on-plug, but that's a bit more involved. It'll save you dosh though since if any of the coils fail, you can replace them individually. I think it uses coils off a corolla or something, so cheap too.

What kind of brackets and rails are you running on yours?

FM should know, it's a widely known issue for the rear-mounted CAS.

about to do this tomorrow if i get the chance
i already replaced the plugs and wires with ngk ones so i dont think its just that. out of curiousity, what is this "coil on plug"?

The seal that goes between the top and the top frame. The one with the little strip of foam on it.

There are an outer and inner seal for the window/top junction, as well as a bracket that holds those seals, but the one I'm looking at replacing looks like it's part of the top assembly. I can't find it's part number.

aa1car.com/library/copign.htm

Better spark, less losses etc.

Guy I'm buying Miat from says he didn't put tension cables in the new soft top. How hard/annoying is it about to be to fix this? How imperative are tension cables? I live in a rainy city so if it guarantees leak problems I'd like to know.

Also how hard is fixing the emergency break assembly inside of the Miat? Dude said he pulled the e brake and the button just like flew out. It seems pretty simple to fix though.

Also Miat is 1994. if that matters. NA8.

so would i have to take all my spark plugs out for this? this is a cool thing but my spark plugs are seized in and im worried they might not come out

Then you'll have to address it eventually.
If you can't get them out by soaking them in some kind of penetration lubricant.

Next time you're ever dealing with these kinds of parts, put a tiny bit of anti-seize, copper or whatever on the thread.

Technically you don't have to take them out, it's just the 'caps' that come off.

i put a liberal amount of anti seize on the thread, but for some reason they still wont budge. i dont think i torqued them in too hard, or at least i hope i didnt.

All you gotta do is hand bend the back end up with your hands. Adjust the lid to be flush with the fender, then bend the back to be flush with the hood.

Yeah, I did it within an hour of taking that pic. I took this pic that same day.

it doesnt work on your car because it doesnt have meatier tires on it.

For the seat mounting to the floor I fabbed up some brackets with 3/16" steel bar, side mounts came with the seat and are made of steel as well. No rails since they would lift me too far up. Here's a pic. After this I just painted the bar so it wouldn't rust and they work fine. I'm planning on adding some additional reinforcement with a couple of bars to box it in, but so far it's been fine.
Sorry, but I have no idea where you could find that seal. Maybe you could use some random rubber or something to replicate it?

How much have you guys spent on your miatas?

im looking to buy a 04/05 in good condition and thinking of spending about 9-10k.

paid $3000 for my 97 with 70k miles...came with a hard top too

NZ, 1990 140k's $4k.
Hardtop later, 10th anniversary w/ heated glass $1500. Other than a complete engine rebuild, just tyres (IMO best upgrade regardless of model).

I know that the sellers over price the fuck out of these cars. How much should I be asking for if my only condition is relatively low mileage (maybe under 100k) with one owner for an NB miata?

If you're looking for a one owner car, expect to be looking for a while. As long as the car is low mileage, and is in good nick, expect to pay around $2-3k for a serviceable NB. If you want one with a hardtop, LSD and VVT expect more like $4-5k. And if on top of that you want one that's absolutely spotless, 1 owner, and up to date on maintenance you're looking at $5-7k. A $4k miata will serve you well, be low mileage enough (60-80k) and you'll be glad you saved the money

Hey guys I'm needing help

The Miata I'm in has two straps going over the plastic window (from the interior), and it makes zipping it kinda annoying

I accidentally broke one of them, but the top itself still feels normal after poking around and such

Did I fuck up, Veeky Forums? If so how do I just straight up remove the straps (without removing the entire top) because it pisses me off and it makes putting down the plastic window kinda annoying

thank

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this, how over spriced is this. and just to be sure, the LS has LSD correcT?

It's very nice, and has all the extras (LSD, etc...), but I'd pay about $6-7k for it. $7k at most. It's on the newer side and has the matching hardtop, but it's still a miata at the end of the day. It's a dealer, so they'll charge above market value usually. If you're set on that one though, offer $6k and go from there. It's also a PA car so check for rust.

Ditch the wood handbrake. It looks stupid. Ditch the cup holders.
Everything else i love and its my goal for my all black miat.

>Ditch the cupholder

Why?

To me personally it looks bad.

AESTHETICCC

Looking into an '04 RX8. What should I look for in used RX8's and what should I avoid?

>what should I avoid?

Rotaries

Putting my new alternator in today. Hopefully my miat will be running strong after that. I also noticed my coolant is some weird grey silky color, so I'll probably replace that too

Does the shifter fit?

miata or mr2 and y
both in shit vondition to be used as weekend/drift missile

Currently have shit eBay coil overs on my nb, would bilstiens give an improvement in mechanical grip, suspension travel, comfort etc? The rears are unbearable ATM. Bear in mind that the billies will be old and fairly rusty, if that makes a difference

depends on the type of person you are. if you like building/modding your cars, go with the miata. they are abundant and cheap to begin with. mr2 actually has (depending on the gen) some classic value so if you're goign to leave it stock and enjoy it like that, then you could do mr2. but since you sound like one of those jdm drift missile lads, id just go with the miata

mr2s suck arse for drifting, most mr cars do. fun around a track though

what car captures the feeling of a miata (undiluted feedback, responsive, light), or something like it, but is more comfortable/quiet?

i'd love modding, but am poor, so not much choice
the alternative is a rusty FC that hasn't ran in a decade
>it's 100€

where's that copy pasta with info on miatas?

Does someone have a step-by-step on how to replace the seatbelt on a NA? There are bolts everywhere I don't which one to remove without removing half the interior trim.

I'm going to be looking at a hardtop today, is there anything specific I should be looking for?

no need m8
here's a simple flowchart i use for my car purchases

>does it have pop up headlights y/n

thanks mate, that's very helpful

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Does anyone own a ND? Are they good?

Anyone test drove the RF model yet, is there much difference?

jalopnik.com/the-world-s-most-secret-porsche-and-the-madmen-who-buil-1793638920

took you a while this time, you're getting sloppy

Nice! Looks bretty good

a newer miata lol

Lotus? No
Porsche? Kind of
S2000? Not comfortable either

I spent $80 on the wood handbrake so I'm keeping it since it matches my knob which was incredibly hard to find.
It's an OEM Nardi 5spd from the NB so it fits perfectly.

The paint isn't going to be perfect so don't be discouraged by a few chips here and there...you aren't going to find one that is pristine.

Make sure the headliner is in good shape. It's helpful for reducing wind/road noise and keeping it quiet inside the cabin. Check the weather seals and make sure they are good.

If you can, see if the guy will also sell you the side striker plates (or include them for free)

>take out seats for foamectomy
>sit in empty seat space for lulz
>can still see over steering wheel

who the fuck needs seats?

>being a mutant

how come miatas always look nice in pics on Veeky Forums but everywhere else they look ugly tiny slow

>Fully embracing JDM and using a futon seat.

>but everywhere else they look ugly tiny slow

they are Tiny and Slow.

>but everywhere else

what do you mean?

when i see a miata on Veeky Forums, i think its a cute, loveable car. but when i enter miata in google 1 minute after, or see one in real life, it makes me want to puke.

well I don't know what to tell you. You can't really expect all Miata's to look nice.

Literal tard here:

How the fuck do I know if my '93 has ABS? Other than just breaking hard.

Look up VIN I think. Can tell you the options that came from the factory.

Open your bonnet and watch out for a box. Should look like pic related with some tubes going in and out

I do 1 and 2 with my cupholders.

thanks guys.

Did some testing today.
A burnout left 2 skid marks on the road. Is it sure that my miat has LSD?

Hmm, can't be certain. Have you tried doing a burnout? If it leaves one skid mark it's an open diff, if it leaves two it's an lsd.

The picture above was the actual burnout test with 2 skid marks. So it's LSD, thanks

why do miatas look like girl cars