Project MX-5

[Onslaught]

Ok, not yet anyway. At best this will start sometime in 2012 because I've got to get the shop ready for this. I've got all the welders and basic stuff you need for bodywork at the house. I've got to get an engine stand and hoist, parts washer, press, spring compressor and a few other things. I should have my tool box at the house filled with all the tools by the end of the year. It won't be all Snap-On stuff like my box at work but I don't need that level just for the house. I've actually got a Chief frame rack to put in the floor so I can pull frames if I ever need that. I won't need it for the MX-5 but you never know about other cars down the road. I'm thinking about making a car rotisserie so I can really get to everything under the car when I'm working on it.  Needless to say I'm going all out on this one.

And I know that spending all of this cash fixing an MX-5 isn't the best way to spend ones money. But I'm also going to try and fix up an RX-7 or two after I'm done with this so I'll use these things in the future again I hope.  So why am I posting this now if I'm not showing you pictures of an MX-5 on a rotisserie after it's been bead blasted? I like to have everything worked out before I start a project. And I've got a few things I can't make my mind up about and I want input from people on them. I've picked out all the roll bars, suspension parts and other fun stuff for the project already. These few things are the ones I can't make my mind up about.



This is a nice looking MX-5 without the Mazda Type R deck lid spoiler.


This is my car with a spoiler on it. What do you think looks better? I'm thinking about getting another deck lid and painting them both at the same time and seeing what I like when I'm done with the car.






What do you guys think about these fog lamps? At the time I felt that the MX-5 should have them like the RX-7 did. As a matter of fact these lights came off an FD RX-7 on it's way to the junk yard after it was totaled. Should they stay or go?






So are these too bling? I like almost all of it but I can't help but think the old school lights for the brake and charge and stuff could be a little over the top. On one hand the interior of the NA MX-5 is a little too 90's Japan with nothing but black plastics. But I don't want to try too hard in making it look like something it isn't.
Perhaps this with a few small things like this below wouldn't be too much?






This is the stock radio for an NA Miata. I don't have one anymore but I can still get them.


This is the bling radio that Mazda had at the same time. It's very hard to find these days.

I need a radio/CD player. And I don't want some ugly ass modern shit that kids put in there cars today. I need something that looks like Mazda would really put in there car. Do any of you kids keep up with this stuff and can you show me some units? If not then I'm just getting the old one and putting it back in.

I have more to ask like what you think about some Recaro seats I like and stuff like that. I'll show them later.

[MX793]

I love the retro instrument cluster piece.

[S204STi]

I love the retro instrument cluster piece.

Plus Juan.

Also cool with the other interior trim stuff.  

Not a huge fan of the fogs, mainly because they look like an add-on,  which I guess is true.  I think the front would look cleaner without them, but that's up to you.

Undecided on the decklid spoiler.

[Rich]

Keep the spoiler, get the gauges, get the black stereo, get rid of the fogs

Get some wheels with less offset so the wheels are flush with the fender lips (well, as close as you can get).

[Eye of the Tiger]

Turbo kit.

[hotrodalex]

I'd get rid of the fogs unless you can find a way to make them look like less of an add-on. I'm up in the air about the spoiler. The car you posted without a spoiler looks great, but yours doesn't look bad either.

Definitely get the instrument panel and other interior stuff. Is the radio a double-din? I see what you mean about not wanting a bling-bling modern one, but it's possible that there are some more toned down headunits that could work.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Keep the spoiler and ditch the fogs. How do you feel about a modern aftermarket radio?

[Rupert]

Ditch the spoiler, make some stock looking holes in the bumper cover for the fogs, get the instrument cluster, skip the other chrome stuff, check out the double DIN offerings from the usual suspects (Kenwood, Clarion, Alpine, Pioneer, etc.).

Are you doing FM stuff for the suspension?

[Onslaught]

Everything will be from Flyin' Miata. You name it and it will probably be on the car. I've used parts from different people over the years and was never really happy with the outcome. So now if I'm going to do it I'll pay for the best.
And that comes to my next problem. I wanted to put a 13B in it but after adding it all up the price was just too much. So now I must make up my mind to keep it NA and try to get a little more power out of it that way. Or doing this
http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?deptid=4519&parentid=0&stocknumber=22-10250%20%20WHT%20GAUGE

Now it's no secret around here that I'm not a HP freak. And I'm not the worlds biggest fan of turbo lag. But the car will pick up a few pounds with the stuff I'm going to add. And it's not like it had lots of power to begin with. So I must
make up my mind if I'm going turbo or not. The money isn't the problem it's just I'm not sure if I want it or not. I'm 50/50 right now.

[Onslaught]

Ditch the spoiler, make some stock looking holes in the bumper cover for the fogs, get the instrument cluster, skip the other chrome stuff, check out the double DIN offerings from the usual suspects (Kenwood, Clarion, Alpine, Pioneer, etc.).

Are you doing FM stuff for the suspension?

You know I think you could take the fog lamps out of a 1999 Miata and  work them into a bumper of a 90 if you really wanted. Thing is I've already got a brand new bumper in the box for my car now and I'm not cutting any holes in it until I'm sure it work.
I could just cut the one on it now as a test before I do the main bumper.

[Onslaught]

One more thing, look at the pictures of the Miatas at the top. My car has the standard black paint down at the rockers as all Miata's had. The other car is painted red all the way down. Now I like how that looks on that car but they don't have the R package lower bumper spoilers on that car. And I think it could look strange having the black under the bumpers and not having the back down the side of the car. And before you ask I'm not painting the spoilers. For one I've seen them painted and it looks strange. And the paint won't stick to that kind of plastic very well anyway.

I do know that I won't put on the rock chip guard spray that Mazda used back in the 90's on there cars. It ran from the body line of the side all the way down.

[Rupert]

Yeah, I would rather have rock chips than the stupid rock chip guards on my car, any day.

[CALL_911]

I'm a fan of it without a spoiler and without fog lamps. I really like the gauge cluster too.

[Secret Chimp]

Look up Artworks Dewa stuff for gauges and interior bits. They have some very cool designs. Also some really over-the-top stuff, but my favorites are gauge faces like this:

[r0tor]

I like the fog lights and the gauges... Meh on the spoiler

[AutobahnSHO]

You're probably not doing 100mph+ very often, so the spoiler is a visual spoiler. (The original Audi TT looked lame w/ the spoiler. But people were losing control at speed without them....)

Love those gauges, the fogs stick out a little too far.

[CALL_911]

Look up Artworks Dewa stuff for gauges and interior bits. They have some very cool designs. Also some really over-the-top stuff, but my favorites are gauge faces like this:

Me too, I like this more.

[Onslaught]

You're probably not doing 100mph+ very often, so the spoiler is a visual spoiler. (The original Audi TT looked lame w/ the spoiler. But people were losing control at speed without them....)

Love those gauges, the fogs stick out a little too far.

Thing about the spoiler is it kind of works with the lower spoilers on the front and rear bumper. I've never seen a MX-5 with the R package lower spoilers without the deck lid one because that's how Mazda made them. And I'm not taking the lower spoilers off because they help hide some of the stuff under the car and make it look cleaner. Particularly from the rear. That's why I'm going to just paint two of them and see how I like it with and without.

[CJ]

I very much like the spoiler and would keep the fogs, but make them more factory looking. 

[Onslaught]

The Fogs are Mazda Fogs and they do go in like the RX-7 ones did. I didn't even have to drill any holes to bolt them up. It would be better if they went back and out a little but then I'd have to take the tow hooks out. And then you wouldn't have a place to pull the car from the front if you needed it.

[Rupert]

Those are tie downs, not tow hooks?

[Secret Chimp]

Those are tie downs, not tow hooks?

Yes. I took mine out a couple years ago. Looks waaay better.

[Cookie Monster]

I love those gauges. I wish they'd make those for the NC.

Also, keep the spoiler. I'm considering a spoiler for my car (I'm such a ricer ).

[sportyaccordy]

Now it's no secret around here that I'm not a HP freak. And I'm not the worlds biggest fan of turbo lag. But the car will pick up a few pounds with the stuff I'm going to add. And it's not like it had lots of power to begin with. So I must
make up my mind if I'm going turbo or not. The money isn't the problem it's just I'm not sure if I want it or not. I'm 50/50 right now.

Supercharge it. Or do a motor swap. I would go KLZE or F20C. If you can weld (you are a body man right?) you should be good to go.

[Onslaught]

Supercharge it. Or do a motor swap. I would go KLZE or F20C. If you can weld (you are a body man right?) you should be good to go.

They don't make many superchargers for the 1.6 engine. And the ones they do make are ok but not the best.

If I was going to do a motor swap it be a 13B or nothing else. Unless I put a 1.8 Miata engine in it. Then I'd have more choices for FI.

[sportyaccordy]

1.8 should be cheap (in the context of the project). Supercharging seems like best route as long as you can get it intercooled.

[Onslaught]

So. Do you guys think that these seats would look good  http://www.ebay.com/itm/300645539823?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_500wt_1413
Or these seats? http://www.ebay.com/itm/180789879985?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_600wt_1413

I'm thinking the RX-7 seats are the way to go. The RX-8 seats are fucking great, I know because I have those seats in my 8 now. But they're large and could look out of place in a little Miata. That and they have air bags and shit and the RX-7 ones weigh less.
That and I know FD RX-7 seats fit in a Miata because lots of people did it back years ago.



Fuck, The RX-8 seats sold as I made this. I was thinking about getting them too as back up seats for my car. The fucking leather on one seat is $5K on my 8. Oh well, RX-7 seats it is then.

[Rupert]

RX7 seats look better, too.

[Onslaught]

I mad can offer of $350 just to see if he'd take less then $400.00

Got to save what little I can for this thing.

[Onslaught]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300645655068?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_712wt_1413

If only it wasn't such a pain to put in.