Elise seats are great in theory, but trust me, as an Elise owner, I can tell you that you don't want to be in them for more than a few hours at a clip. They're fixed back fiberglass seats with virtually no padding to begin with, and the little bit Lotus does give you flattens out and loses its sproing over time. I have 13,000 miles on my '05 and the drivers seat padding is crushed, and I'm not a huge guy (175 pounds). They look cool, and they function well enough, but seriously, the Ultrashield seat I have in the storage barn is easily *way* more comfortable than the Elise seats.

(True story: My ex girlfriend, of the very skinny butt variety, wouldn't take more than an hour trip in the car after sitting in it for a few hours between Jax and Savannah one time.)

Got the door cards partially done. Going to wait until I get the doors back to do the final cuts.

I'm going to try to do Porsche RS style door pulls so that I will only have one strap and window lever on each door. I'm fine with locking the door on the outside.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386652690

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386652690

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386652690

I've got more than enough ABS Plastic left to do 2 more cars if anyone needs any.

Man, that looks great. I just happen to have 2 Miatas. I'm game. Let me know on shipping to 76049. :D

You know, I've been meaning to tell you this for awhile. You have a future in the car restoration/modification business if you were ever inclined to pursue such a thing. Seriously. The only problem I see is that it would be hard for you to have employees. No one else could ever measure up.

Shit dude, i'd buy some completed door panels for the right price. PM ME!

If you ever upgrade them, give me a buzz. :party:

Hah! If my bakery ever burns down or I can't take it anymore THEN I'd consider it. Car industry is to volatile for my taste though. Especially restoration shops. Too many ups and downs when it comes to being busy and your income. Plus to this day I still don't know how people work on cars as a living everyday. It breaks your body! I'm only 26 but I've hurt too many joints and broken too many bones to do manual labor professions!

Plus as you said finding good help would be a trifle difficult!

Fire and Hornet consider yourselves reserved on the extra door panels. It will be a while though. Gotta see how these first ones turn out before I make another 2 pair. If the templates fit perfectly then I'll work on the extra door cards for you guys.


GOOD NEWS though! Just got the phone call from the body shop saying my car is all painted! If I can make it down tonight I'll get some pictures.

Awesome. Thanks man. SO STOKED to see the car, did you go with LSB ? It's going to be so sexy.

In for car pr0n

Yes LSB. He called and said well the car is done and it is very very blue.

Also let me know if you and Hornet want the regular door handle hole cut out. I'm just doing a single strap but I don't know if you both want that. Also if you have power windows as well.

I have power windows, i'd take them pretty much blank and cut my own door handles or come up with a pull solution like you area. Just blank ABS panel with mounting points and whatnot would do perfect.

I've got manual cranks and am doing a door pull for race seats/door bars/etc. on my new red track-only car. I need to start a thread on that one.

A little teaser before I go pick up the doors and hood. *gulp* my god does LSB look good in person.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386801344

*Fap*

Pretty sure when you're done here you will own one of my favorite Miatas ever. And I'm sure I'm not alone.

You are making me start to hate my car.

Appreciate the fact that you don't have a mountain of assorted puzzles pieces and have an assembled car ;)

Oh, that looks nice, LSB is perfect on a miata. On your seats, search or pm Keith Tanner, he swears be a certain replacement seat foam that he says is magical$$, might want to give it a shot at least on the ass pad of the drivers seat.

Did you find that heat shielding Emilio uses for the trans tunnel?

I'll have to ask him about it.

Yes. I got the interior carpet/heatshield thing and then the transmission tunnel wrap. Also they had this 28" downpipe 1/2 sleeve that goes over the top 1/2 of your downpipe rated to something silly like 2,000+ degrees Celsius. Also got some new aluminum reflective tape for the master cylinders and the lines.

God damn, that LSB looks nice. Glad you went blue my friend.

Here are the rest. Paint isn't perfect on the interior/engine bay, but it is still better than what I could have done with a spray can! All in all no complaints from me. Couple little mess ups here are there but nothing a little 2k wet sand paper can't take car of.

Luckily they gave me the left over paint too so I can do touchups if needed.

Again though, I wasn't going for a showroom $6k paint job, just something that wasn't...shit.

Excuse the paint dust, I just quickly went over it with some detail spray.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386810720

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386810720

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386810720

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386810720

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386810720

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386810720

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386810720

this is DEFINITELY the PROPER way to re-paint a car. all or nothing.
nothing is more annoying than seeing someone pop the hood or open the trunk on a repainted car with a different color inside
love it. props

I agree 100%. They sprayed the door inside as well, also underneath the hood and trunk.

Now I just need my bolts back so I can start assembly. I was like, cool lets put the trunk back on!....wait:vash:

I was just about to say... "We're all going to wake up tomorrow morning to a thread update with videos of the car driving." But I forgot that you have no bolts.

Bummer.

Also an early christmas present from a friend.

I'm scared to cut into the hood!

those are poly steering rack bushings.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386814257

In for running videos....! :rofl:

Nice colour, can't believe the progress you made in no time.

The hardest part so far has been deciding what to do first. I figured I better get all the gaskets out of the way and rubber plugs as well.

This car was an overspray/dirt nightmare so it took a ridiculous amount of time to clean all the gaskets.

Polished the Frankenstein brackets and used new adhesive spray on the rubber so it actually was one piece.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386856269

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386856269

Put the reflective sheeting on the transmission tunnel. I'm going to cover the seams with aluminum tape. Turned out really good, I used a pie rolling pin to get it to adhere into the crevices. It isn't perfect but I only had two sheets to work with so this was the best coverage I needed.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386856269

Got the frame rails put on. Left my drill at home so I couldn't finish it. They must have been custom made to the original cars rails because they were an ungodly tight flt.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386856269

Cleaning paint off the rubber plugs and gaskets

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386856269

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386856269

Which would you rather have on your door?

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386856269

Took the glass out of the door and regreased the tracks and used a plastic razor blade/clay bar to get the glass perfect.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386856269

Put the window vents in and reassembled the door(as far as I could with no bolts)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386856269

I'm getting excited!:party:

Did you just use dish soap and some elbow grease on the door trim/weatherstrip?

Jeff, how thick is the metal on those frame rails?

This thread is pushing me to never work on cars again

I can't compare to this level of awesome

Nah dish soap won't cut through the grime. 100% undiluted purple power and scrubbed with a microfiber towel and then a plastic razor blade for the really stuck on there bits.

Wash thoroughly to remove all the degreaser and then use your favorite trim restoration liquid and use copious amounts of it since the trim will be very dry. I have come to find that nothing holds a candle to Adams Super VRT. It lasts longer than anything else I have used and is waterproof as well.

No clue, thick enough that I couldn't bend them at all. Easily 5-10 lbs a rail.

This should inspire you to aspire!:D

Can't seem to find a thread on this. Do Sparco Sprint 5's fit with door bars? A vendor is willing to give me a pretty sweet deal on them.

I've said it before in this thread . . . but WOW!

BTW, I'd drill/cut some lightening holes in those frame rails. Not so much for weight but for good drainage. The FM rails I just put on the silver car are pretty open but still plenty stiff.

This is SUCH an AWESOME build.

This thread is one of a few build threads that do inspire me to work on my two Miatars.

After building/repairing crap all day at work it is sometime hard to find motivation to work on my cars. I just fire up this thread, and a couple other threads and it makes me get in the garage and get something done.

That is when you truly know it is a great build and thread. When it motivates other people!

Holy tits man, and I'm sure I'll be saying this again every page from here on out, but FUCK that's beautiful. This miata will have the attention to detail of a hand built ferrari.

So sexual.

Props to the person who can tell what is different from stock besides having a mirror finish.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386889830

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386889830

*Jeopardy soundtrack*

Shaved lettering. Omnomnomnomnomnomnomnom.

Damn you are good!:rofl:

I didn't even have to look close honestly.... Went a little like this:

"Oh, i'm in Jeff's thread and he posted a picture of markers. Must be shaved."

Ive done it on all my cars. Those raised letters suck to clean. Is it a popular Miata thing?

That's my "in need of waxing" indicator. When the white stuff around those letters disappears, time to reapply. LOL.

Fairly popular on Miatas. Once "Revlimiter" did it, there's been a rash of people doing it. I plan on it.

It is quite simple. 300 grit on a block followed by wet 2000 grit and then polishing. If you don't have a random orbital buffer that is the only thing that would take a while, is polishing by hand.

Then after that put some sealant on it to seal the plastic from oxidation.

*edit* what is it with the Revlimiter guy? People seem to worship the ground he walks on...at least on the Mroadster site...

He's a pretty cool guy. Has a site with lots of how-to's and pictures. Makes awesome gauges. Seriously seriously awesome gauges

Yup you need to order some of his guages.

Any preference for products? This has been on my "to-do someday" list. It's the sort of subtle but meaningful improvement I can appreciate.

I'm going to go through this thread and copy and paste some of your more specific instructional posts in to a Word document for my future reference.

Super nice guy with a very cool blog full of creative DIY projects illustrated with excellent photos. He's also very OG in the world of modified Miatas and he can sort of fit in with all of the various factions:

He's got tons of tasteful aesthetic modifications and their vintage flavor gives him props on CR.

He's got lots of shiny bits on the interior and stripes on the exterior, which earns him some favor from the wine-and-cheesers.

He's got a full FM2 turbo setup which earns him some begrudging respect from the "I hate everything" curmudgeons on Trubo.net.

Etcetera.

Best one time investment is a good hard rubber block with slots to hold the sandpaper on to it. I see people waste so much money on sanding sponges.

Then go to O'Reilly auto store or vato-zone and pick up some sandpaper. Just make sure your 2k is wet/dry sandpaper. Most hardware stores only carry 400 at the most.

I have really pricy polishing compounds so I won't recommend those, but meguiars plastic polish will work just fine as long as you spend your time with the 2k sandpaper and get any deep scratches out of the lens.

The "feel" of the plastic after your wet sandpaper should be really smooth. You shouldn't be able to feel any scratches with your nails.

Try to vary your polishing patterns when doing it by hand. If you hold the towel in the same spot and don't alternate then the fibers will scratch the plastic. When the polish becomes clear or you can't see it anymore than you can stop and wipe it off and inspect if you need to apply more. If you stop before the polish compound breaks down then the abrasives haven't left the product leaving you with a lightly marred surface still. A little polish goes a long way. Glop too much on and you are just wasting money/time.

Sorry maybe too much info but I'm a nerd about car detailing (obviously).

Oh also when grinding the lettering off make sure you don't just sand that one spot, take the time to go over the entire surface evenly and your results will be much better.

Keith Tanner MegaDork
I've tried cheap mattress topper memory foam in seats, and I was not impressed. Simply too soft.

I ended up using Backsaver foam from Pegasus, which is of course anti-GRM - supporting race parts suppliers! But it worked beautifully, extending the time I could spend in the seat from 30 minutes to over 14 hours. Someone else on the GRM forum figured it was probably Confor foam, which is available from other sources. The stuff I used was 1" thick and blue.

If your goal is more support, then I suspect you can find the foam you need in a craft store. The memory foam would work well for fine-tuning the fit and avoiding pressure points in my opinion.


Found this hope it helps, Jake

Edit: Found it, Confor Foam CF45 is the blue version Kieth has. From the website below they suggest stacking different density's ie 1" medium on top with 1" hard below.

http://www.aviationsupplyonline.com/....em?pid=548924

You had me at 30 minutes to over 14 hours! Awesome thank you.

Just got word from the Zinc plating shop that they are shipping today so I should hopefully(big hopefully) have them tomorrow. I hope it can make it tomorrow, it is only 5 hours north in Logan, UT...did I mention I was full of hope?

I would recommend them for any zinc plating you want to do. They had to do some additional cleaning to do and they didn't charge me for it like most would. So out the door with shipping it cost $115 for 50, repeat, 50 POUNDS of bolts and bracket.

Talk to Todd and say Jeff sent yah.

Cache Valley Plating
700 W 200 N # B4
Logan, UT 84321
(435) 755-8000

Big update. Got a lot done last night.

Cleaned more paint off of the plastic fasteners....

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1387119795

Frame rails bolted on. Couldn't find my sealant so I just used black gasket maker in between each hole.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1387119795

Rear trim panels sanded and repainted to fix some spot rust/delaminated paint

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1387119795

Rear axles finally fucking done, god, never again.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1387119795

Door brackets retouched

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1387119795

Koolmat installed, the white sealant I ended up finding turns clear after it cures so it won't look nearly as messy. Non-issue though since I will be putting carpet down on top.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1387119795

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1387119795

Smaller jobs are slowly being whittled down. Just need to clean all the poly bushings and put them back in the control arms. Bolts didn't show up. :(

What's going on with the front of your drive side frame rail brace? Looks like its creased in the middle and all wonky?

Looks great otherwise!!

I bent it up a little to discourage it from scooping up road debris. Need to work on it a little more. Thanks for pointing it out.

*edit* not sure if the reflection is causing you to see something weird in the middle but it's fine. Nice and straight.

Door pulls done, just need to pick up the right fasteners for the door panel.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1387148490

You inspired me to shave the raised lettering on my tail lights today.


On another note, have you looked into what the plastic trim hardware costs new? I pretty much sacrificed much of it to get my car stripped in a reasonable amount of time. How long did it take you to clean them up?

Don't waste your money at a Mazda dealer just go to ace or home depot and find a matching fastener for much cheaper. I broke tons myself before I bought a puller and replaced them for 1/2 the cost. Glad I was able to get you goin' on the reflectors!

Or ClipsAndFasteners.com - Automotive Retainers,Clips and Fasteners


Warning: Not responsible for an OCD individual such as yourself going bankrupt via purchases from that site.

I already blame you for the bolt escapade! :fawk:

:giggle::rofl:


What would you do without me?

Be 1/2 way done reassembling the car and have $120 in my pocket!:rofl:

No, in reality, I'm happy I did it no use doing part of the car at a 9 and then pull a 4 out of my ass

Only half way? Are you slacking off again?