YAY! I Get to Post Updates!

[LilPixieMama75]

I've had my Miata since April and it had quite a bit of issues. But it gives me the opportunity to make it more personalized.

First off...It was in extreme need of a new top. It had a lot of holes covered in duct tape by the previous owner and the back window was replaced with a piece of plexiglass held on with bolts.

I picked up a Kee Sunfast top with a non-zip glass window from Daveshouze on eBay. We installed it in about 6 hours.

Before:

Pretty, huh?

After:

Makes it look like a different car. It's a really nice top.

Then, the gauge surround was missing along with the buttons for the hazards & lights. The steering wheel was missing a horn button. I got the surround used from R-Speed. I got the buttons from a member of another forum. I also snagged a pair of folding visors so they are out of the way but there if I want them. I replaced the steering wheel with a leather one from another member of different forum.

Before:

After:

Looks more put-together now.

I changed the oil and had to replace the slave cylinder for the clutch after it went. I got the lenses for the blinkers used. And took off the license plate holder. Also got the correct size battery. The brakes are fixed since they were barely working when we got it.

Before:

After:

I think that's it for now. It's a lot of little stuff and it's coming along. It needs a lot more work but we're doing it little by little. Thanks for looking.

 

[SlowPro98]

Awesome! aren't they so much fun to work on? I've been able to get parts for free. I'm trying to do my projects using 90% recycled parts. So far the only thing I've purchased new are the spark plugs, fluids, and some rubber parts; valve cover gasket and a heater hose.

 

[LilPixieMama75]

Awesome! aren't they so much fun to work on? I've been able to get parts for free. I'm trying to do my projects using 90% recycled parts. So far the only thing I've purchased new are the spark plugs, fluids, and some rubber parts; valve cover gasket and a heater hose.

I've been gathering used parts all over. I had a member on another forum message me telling me he had two parts cars! LOL! The only thing I've purchased new was the top...But it had to be a new top. It's easy to work on and simple things make a big improvement.

 

[Foolish]

Good for you! Glad to see it coming together. Personally, I found sun visors useless in my Miata and removed them. Mine had the folding ones, so at least they were compact, but they didn't really block enough sun to bother with and they were in the way every time I put the top up or down, so, out they went! I just got dark sunglasses and kept a hat in the car to cut down the overhead glare!

This kind of hat, BTW:

 

[LilPixieMama75]

Good for you! Glad to see it coming together. Personally, I found sun visors useless in my Miata and removed them. Mine had the folding ones, so at least they were compact, but they didn't really block enough sun to bother with and they were in the way every time I put the top up or down, so, out they went! I just got dark sunglasses and kept a hat in the car to cut down the overhead glare!

This kind of hat, BTW:

Sweet! I like the hat. I'm actually starting to realize why people where hats when they drive with their tops down now. LOL! I have the dark sunglasses. The folding visors didn't cost me anything...So, I figured I'd give 'em a try since I didn't have any.

 

[kcbhiw]

Very nice! I'm glad to see her coming together. I bet a rigorous wetsand and buff with rubbing compoint would make the paint look a lot better. Give it a shot on one of the headlight covers since it's small.

 

[aMaff]

Wow, the car already looks totally transformed just with the new top. Good work! I decided to forgo the 6 hour top installation and got a hard top instead LOL

 

[Foolish]

Sweet! I like the hat. I'm actually starting to realize why people where hats when they drive with their tops down now. LOL! I have the dark sunglasses. The folding visors didn't cost me anything...So, I figured I'd give 'em a try since I didn't have any.

The nice thing about the "driving cap" is that I can wear it low on my forehead, just above my Oakleys, and it cuts all glare from above (important in a convertible) and doesn't blow off 'cause the brim (visor?) is so small. So, maybe I look like a dork trying to recapture the past in my roadster, but I usually look like a dork, so why would I care? The hat works!

 

[aMaff]

Eric just likes pretending that he's briskly dispatching country lanes (rolf2)

I've only had 1 close call w/ your average baseball cap.

 

[LilPixieMama75]

Very nice! I'm glad to see her coming together. I bet a rigorous wetsand and buff with rubbing compoint would make the paint look a lot better. Give it a shot on one of the headlight covers since it's small.

I would love to be able to strip it down to it's original Mariner Blue...Because...From what I can tell, the paint looked like it was in very good condition. The PO didn't prep the car before painting it so the paint is actually chipping off the reveal some decent Mariner Blue paint.

Wow, the car already looks totally transformed just with the new top. Good work! I decided to forgo the 6 hour top installation and got a hard top instead LOL

Hard top is next. Then, the soft top will be for emergencies. It's amazing how much a new top helps the looks. I was surprised.

The nice thing about the "driving cap" is that I can wear it low on my forehead, just above my Oakleys, and it cuts all glare from above (important in a convertible) and doesn't blow off 'cause the brim (visor?) is so small. So, maybe I look like a dork trying to recapture the past in my roadster, but I usually look like a dork, so why would I care? The hat works!

I like the hat. I couldn't pull it off myself, but it's cool.

Eric just likes pretending that he's briskly dispatching country lanes (rolf2)

I've only had 1 close call w/ your average baseball cap.

I think I could keep a baseball cap on thanks to my usual ponytail.