Moby: Keeping Track of Bits and Pieces.
I picked up my second MX-5 a little over a month ago. My first was a black 1994 B-Package. I procrastinated and wound up not writing a build thread for it, but I'll do it eventually.
The new one is a 1994 M-Edition with 58,000 on the clock that I purchased from an older couple that had not started it in 6 years. I named him Moby, but will be referring to him as it from here, because...him sounds weird. So the car had not been started in 6 years, but the owner did not inform me before I made a 150mi. trip to check it out. I was able to bargain down quite a bit because of this. It had been parked in an open garage this whole time with a few covers on it, but it was still dirty. Layers of pollen and dust were all over the interior, exterior and engine bay, but nothing a good cleaning couldn't mend. We tried rolling the car out but the rear brakes were locked up; we eventually got it out, and even started it with half a tank of 6-year-old fuel. It leaks zero oil, completely rust free and although was very dirty, in awesome shape. I ended up driving it home on shot tires, metal-on-metal brakes, and no A/C. Came home, gave it a good wash, and parked the car under cover for two weeks.
After finally having an opening for us, we drove up to the local MX-5 specialty shop 42 Autosports. Prior to driving again, I replaced the rotten tires and slightly bent chrome OEM wheels for a spare OEM semi-hollow set that I had. 42 Autosports did all mechanical maintenance that they and I could think of:
- Water pump
- Timing belt
- All gaskets
- NGK ignition wires
- NGK spark plugs
- Thermostat
- Coolant
- Motul 8100 5W40 Full Synth motor oil
- Subaru Extra-S STi Factory transmission/differential fluid
- Turret oil
- Clutch bled and fluid replaced
- Brake fluid
- Brake pads and rotors - OEM
- All other fluids
- All other belts
- All other gaskets
- A ton of O-rings
- A few other bits.
I picked up Moby after a 2-week wait, and he drove like a champ. Drove back home and covered up again, this time waiting on a chance to inspect, register and insure the car. Finally got it all done last week. I have since replaced the shift boot and brake boot with Italian black leather with tan stitch, installed my 320mm Momo Monte Carlo from my other MX-5, and sanded the Nardi shift knob down to bare wood to get rid of all the grime that built up over the years. I ripped out the rotten rubber from the knob and replaced with the faucet rings that I have seen guys on M.Net use I plan to finish it with polyurethane, but a polished shift knob is what I want to replace it with. Also a Nardi Wooden wheel to match the hand brake.
I spent my Memorial day detailing Moby to presentable condition with a thorough wash, clay bar, sealant, and another wash. Didn't wax yet because I want to polish the car to get a few stubborn spots out of the clear coat. After spending a good 4 hours detailing, my wife and I went for a drive on some back roads. I couldn't resist taking a few proper shots:
My favorite:
Adobe Lightroom was playing tricks on my eyes when I was editing, so some shots came out too dark or washed out. Also, the top of the dash is not faded as it seems in the last shots.
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Here are my plans for Moby:
- Hard top from my black from my black MX-5 will be painted Montego blue to match
- 14x7 +19 RPF1 wheels also from black MX-5
- Proper suspension setup with spring rates in the 250-400 range
- Proper ride height; none of that slammed garbage
- Retro interior bits including wheel and knob
- R-Package lips front and rear
- Carpeted center console
- Anything else that I will find appealing
Stay tuned!!! :whistle: