This is my 1991 Miata Mia. Yeah I know, really original name. This is what she looked like when I picked her up last February, 2005. I took this picture in March, during my spring break, just after I had gotten her registed and insured. Yes I said spring break. Yes that is snow on the ground. It snowed almost three feet that break, and pretty much spoiled the break I was anticipating spending tearing up back roads with the top down. Luckily I got this day towards the end and was able to wash her and go for a spin
While this little roadster isn't the quickest car on the road, (I don't think there is a new truck for sale now that this car can outrun 0-60) it is certainly one of the best handling. She is completely neutral, forgiving and provides a ton of feedback. A traditional front engine, rear wheel drive layout helps provide optimal 50-50 weight distribution. Miatas are proper sports cars -- open top, RWD and a manual gearbox with the most perfect shifter you can imagine. Everything about this car was made to connect the driver to the machine. This Miata is powered by a 1.6 DOHC L4 producing 116 BHP which is tied to the transmission and differential by a power plant frame, or PPF, which is usually an item found in much more expensive cars. The PPF intimately ties the drivetrain together for a responsiveness you'll not find in many other cars. Should the toe on your right foot develop a twitch whilst driving, so will your Miata. There is no lag between your brain and the car's behavior. This is precisely why the car is a blast to drive on twisty mountain roads and I'm always practicing my heel-toeing. After two years of practice, (not all on this car) I'm still pretty lousy at it, but I can make do when I need to. This car is way too much fun. While it gets decent (~30 MPG) fuel mileage, I spend more money on gas driving this car than I ever have. Why? I find every excuse possible to drive it!
I decided to remove her baby teeth. So-called baby teeth are the tie down hooks located in the corners of the car's "mouth." They look a little goofy. So after much contortioning, a little blood and a whole lot of yelling, I managed to loosen the six bolts holding those suckers in. Nothing like a clean mouth!
A classic looking engine bay. There's no ugly plastic cladding covering up the engine -- you can look under the hood and see....the engine! I just can't stand how modern cars cover up mechanical art with plastic shields. What do you think that's going to do to the plastic and rubber elements under it? It's going to cook them in a few years. I keep things in here reasonably clean, and it makes a big difference in underhood appearance. The initial clean up is somewhat difficult, but keeping it pretty clean only requires minimal effort around oil change time. For me, the big clean up happened when I changed the timing belt, water pump, belts, cam seals, cam cover seal, hoses and some other stuff. So much of the engine was apart, it was easy to clean pieces seperately. My engine bay is still very dirty compared to some enthusiasts! However, I gave the exterior a good polish and wax. It appeared the the previous owners somewhat neglected to wash the car frequently, and road grime and dirt were actually staining the rocker panels and various panel gaps. Fixed that with a little elbow grease...
Upgrades to the car include KYB shocks installed by yours truly, a stock R-package front air dam, and a set of Flyin' Miata frame rail braces which bolt on to the factory frame rails to increase longitudinal and torsional stiffness This helps decrease the common convertible "cowl shake" and actually improves the ride since the suspension can better do its job without flexing the frame. Let me tell you, this product is NOT a rip off. The car is noticeably stiffer just backing out of a steep driveway -- it feels much better out on the road too. Handling is crisper, turn in more immediate, and the car generally feels more solid and tight.
Some hints from the the shock install and frame rail brace install:
-Take pictures of your install, unlike a certain doofus
-Use the "long bolt" method for the front shocks, it is stupid easy and works like a charm. Plus you don't screw up your alignment. This means, after loosening the shock mount bolts, and disconnecting the sway bar endlinks, you should loosen and completely remove the long bolt that holds the top A-arm to the frame. This enables the upper A-arm to drop down and swivel out of the way so you can pull the coilover assembly out of the car.
-For the rear shocks, simply remove the bolt that holds the upper spindle knuckle to the upper A arm. Then you can remove the coilover with ease. Place a scissors jack under the rear disc splash shield to jack it back into place when you are ready to reassemble.
-Use a scissors jack to hold the new frame rail brace firmly in place while you work. Otherwise, you will be trying to juggle the brace, a bolt, a drill, two wrenches and whatever else is in the way -- like fuel and brake lines on the pax side, and you will end up dropping the brace on your head. Ask me how I know.
-Lubricate your drill bit with cutting fluid when drilling the mounting holes in your floorpan. I used WD-40 and the bit stayed very sharp. Kerosene works OK for cutting steel, vegetable oil will work very well too, and is not toxic.
-Apply rust proof paint of some kind to your fresh holes before you drop the bolt through.
-Have fun!
New at the time Falkens. I ordered them from EdgeRacing for about $184 including shipping! They were in the stock size, 185/60R14, and I think I liked the 195/60s that were on there better in terms how big they looked. They filled up the fenders better. I had them mounted at a local shop that I have given business several times in the past. Unfortunately, they did a goofy job. While the tires went on fine, they left the rims and fenders covered in greasy handprints and scratched/dented a couple of places on the rims. While I'm not paranoid about small scratches, it pisses me off that some people don't have the skill or don't care. I suppose the lesson to take away from this is don't have your tires mounted at a utilitarian garage if you want the mechanics to take care of your rims. A local speed shop likely would have done a better job, albeit a more expensive job. With this kind of work, you get what you pay for.
Next I replaced the transmission fluid with Redline MT-90 and the differential with Redline 75w-90. I replaced the shifter bushings and the upper and lower rubber boots. The shifting is markedly smoother, and the gear lash noise from the differential has been decreased. Redline products are genuinely good! I'm quite amazed at the difference replacing the boots has made. If you have an older Miata and haven't ever seen these boots, check them out because they're probably torn. It will cut down on heat and weird smells too.
One of the sill plates I installed. As you can see, I need to replace my grubby floor mats, or at least the driver's side. As I rarely have a passenger, that side looks nearly new. I like these plates very much. Installation was a snap. Simply unscrew the four screws holding the stock plastic piece down, pull the old one off, and then clean the area underneath. I lined the underside edges of the new plates with RTV silicone to prevent vibration and water from entering the space under the sills. This should protect the body from damage because the sills cannot rattle against it and scrape off paint or trap damaging water. After applying the silicone, simply put the new piece on. Make sure to slide the rear tab underneath the plastic trim piece before screwing the plate on. They add a nice subtle touch to the cockpit, and present a nice view when the door is opened.
On 11/15/05, I ordered myself an early Christmas present from Edgeracing. :D
Bronze 15X6.5 ET42 Flik fuel rims with a polished lip. The lip is 1.5" and looks subtle but nice. I have a thing for dark rims with polished lips. I think they look especially nice on a light silver or white car. Black cars work well with this color combo as well. The tires are the same Falken Ziex I used before, only to the tune of 205/50R15.
I'm saving the old rims/tires for severe winter use. As of now, the car sits in my garage and I commute on bike, so I really only drive in nice weather. That's why I decided to mount the nice rims in December... Eventually, however, the car will see some pretty bad weather and I'll slap the old rims back on.
Another photo shoot :)
And another....you can cleary see the new front air dam in some of these pics. It looks HAWT...
Until next time, rev those engines up and snap that shifter! (Automatic drivers need not apply... :P)
