Background
So despite the fact that I don't do too much to my car, I wanted to start keeping track. Also, as you'll see below, I have a tough time motivating myself so this is probably a way to force myself to not leave stuff half-done. Don't expect huge things, though. My dreams are as lofty as my levels of laziness.
Here are some things you should know about me:
1. I'm wishy-washy about what parts I want or don't want and will sit on a decision for sometimes months. (This build thread is going to be awful...)
2. Once I buy the parts they sometimes sit for months since I don't have a garage and can't leave projects half-done. And I hate sweating all over my car.
3. I spend the money on the Miata but daily drive a Honda. Yes, it's black.
The Car
Here's how it looked when I bought it:
(Oddly similar to a photo posted by etikoner...)
(compensating)
Nothing perfect, nothing (really) broken. 96M. Paint is pretty bad, 195k on it, but ran well enough. And absurdly solid and clean underneath. I probably paid a bit too much, but it was paid for by OT from working 16 hour days during hurricanes. No problem.
What happened
I first started out by doing small maintenance. Fluids, brakes, plugs/wires, shifter boots, replacing a broken stereo, cruise sensor switch, window regulators, all the normal BS. Installed an R-type front lip.
I had a scary wear patch that was bulging on the front right tire:
They were getting down to the wear bars and they were cheap tires anyway, so I replaced it with a used tire for a few days and used it as a perfect excuse to buy Enkei 92s!
And Megan racing coilovers - I'm not putting this thing on a track, no way. Also, they were adjusted after seeing this comical ride height. Eventually I got the fenders rolled.
Maykel (maykelcj) helped me install a Hard Dog M2 that I traded for my stock set of wheels, and I quickly realized my head was quite close to the bar and my seat belts were functioning at about 20%.
So, new seats! Corbeau Forza Sports, mounted static on strip steel to the stock holes. Got a good deal from a local miata guy who didn't like them. Brand new. I didn't like how high the Corbeau sliders sit. Very high, in case you were wondering. Also, harnesses!
Then, a Momo Prototipo and a QR. I'm an idiot and cut my clockspring so I had my horn hardwired. More recently, that wire let go (well actually, got stuck ON in a parking lot... fantastic) so I really need to get the horn wired up again.
It's got somewhere around 203k miles on it right now. The speedometer cable clips let go and melted the cable on the back of the engine at 201,7XX about 25% of the way into a 500 mile trip. I had another one in the car at the time but didn't even realize it. Oddly, it threw a speed sensor code. I didn't even realize a mechanical speedometer could throw a speed sensor code. I guess it probably has something to do with the cruise control (obviously) not working now? I still haven't installed a new speedometer cable because the one I have is my old squeaky one and right around that time something else happened...
I was driving with a friend in early June (I think?) and got on it a little bit on an offramp. As we came to the light, a little smoke had quickly grown to a small cloud. We pulled into a gas station and let it cool. Everything looked good, including fluid levels. No obvious source of the white smoke. However, it wouldn't start. It felt like it wanted to start but wouldn't stay running. Almost like a vacuum leak or like I had jumped the timing.
I waited about 3 days and started it up again. Yes, started it. It ran fine, better than ever actually. Fluid levels were still fine. It sat for another few weeks while I tried to figure out what was going on and if I trusted the car. I didn't. Eventually I did a few laps around the parking lot, and it seemed to be okay, so I took it the ~3.5 miles home. As I was pulling in, the temperature gauge went off the charts. I checked the coolant and it was bone dry. Eventually I got it back to where it had been kept and figured out that I'd burst the typical heater hose. It was clamped on there pretty well:
A quick replacement and the car seemed good to go. No issues in the month or so since then. (Other than the fact that my license plate got confiscated by the DMV. :( Don't go there, haha)
I was planning to install a new soft top, but I don't have any way to leave my car exposed overnight if I didn't finish or if it rained. Instead, I found a decent deal on a hardtop locally. I've since removed the silly stickers. I've decided I'm going to sell the hardtop as soon as I can install a soft top, but at least in the meantime I can get halfway on the soft top installation and continue on another day.
Anyway, that's where I'm at now. I've got a room full of Honda/Mazda parts. Not a lot of stuff, but some big stuff that gets in the way.
How it looks now:
(same as above)
(I promise it's not as low as it looks)
What's next?
Still waiting to be installed:
- RS Products Gauge Panel
- 2 of 4 Eclipse vents (need to dremel some more)
- Black interior (minus a 1.6 dash)
- timing belt/water pump
In the pipeline: (next few months)
- revlimiter gauges SOON
- Custom door cards
- new soft top (followed by selling the hardtop)
Further down the road: (6+ months or more)
- replace the 1.8 currently in the car with something lower-mileage
- turbo? We'll see.
- paint
- fastback (maybe, I think I like putting the top down too much)
The other thing you should know is that every day I think about selling this car since I'm hoping to move across the country (again) within the next few months. I'm sure I'll probably ship it and drive the Honda, but I just always doubt that it's worth it. Oh well.
Thanks for stopping by. Here's a sunset for you: