:party::makeout:

Holy shit they will! That is incredible. One more extra cost gone!

I'm seriously impressed by the Miata community(maybe this forum is the exception) but everyone here actually gives helpful advice and information...such a different experience than the VW community.

Lift the body. Be much easier.

Damn dude. What a mess. I'd thoroughly inspect the motor and start it in that chassis personally, just to ensure everything is fine before swapping it over. Who knows how long the engine ran when the car was upside down and whatnot, anything could have happened and you weren't there.

So i would, 1) check/replace the oil, 2) check the waterpump, and inspect for any damage on the block and whatnot to ensure its not fd up, and then 3) crank it over with no plugs/shoot some compressed air in there and air it out. Put in some new plugs and crank it over.

My opinion. Glad to see you got the car back and are looking at this in a positive light. Good luck sir.

Will do, time to learn how to inspect the water pump on this thing!

Guy in Phoenix is pretty much giving away this shell, I'd cut the roll bars out since they don't look too functional. It doesn't look terrible though...rough yes, but I plan on painting any shell I get.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382297318
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382297318
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382297318
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382297318
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382297318
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382297318

Hard Dog Roll Bars - Customer Testimonials

Hey man, I'd avoid that shell if i were you. If it were me, I'd be looking for something MUCH cleaner than that as a starting point for my project. Miatas are so cheap, even a clean one should not run you very much if you find the right one.

My car is actually really clean, yet i still find myself occasionally wishing i'd have just started with a cleaner shell. Just my $.02

Very true, plus it'd be nice not have to swap the full interior from this car to the new one. Was merely considering based on the almost free aspect of the shell.

I'd rather worry about getting it functional and driving before the beauty aspect, and if I don't have to worry about that too much all the better.

You'll spend way more than $500 worth of your time on making that one presentable.

LIFE! DO YOU HEAR ME? GIVE MY CREATION... LIFE!

Thanks again Fireindc. New oil/filter, started it sans plugs a couple times to ensure the engine wasn't flooded, new plugs, and it started right up. No hesitation, stuttering, or dying. AFR was a little rich at 12.1 but I think that was mostly due to it being cold and not having started for a week.



Also I got some suspension shots. From what I can tell, at least to the eye, nothing looks bent. Steering rack has full lock side to side, no hub bearing noise at all.

If it wasn't Sunday I would have put the bead back on the wheel and driven it a couple yards to see how it did. Transmission shifts cleanly into all gears etc etc.
Front Axles
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382327157
Driver Front
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382327665
Passenger Front
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382327157
No leaks from the Diff
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382327157
Scrapes on the Muffler
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382327157
Driver Rear
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...IMG_0298-1.jpg
Passenger Rear
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382327157

We honestly should just move this thread to the Build Threads at the rate I'm going.:rofl:

Glad to see it runs! Sounds and looks fine from here. I'm damn surprised the suspension looks as straight as it does under there considering the rollover. Why even get a new chassis, that one should track out pretty straight.. LOL. Kidding. Good luck finding a replacement chassis. Keep in mind that the nicer car you find as a donor, the less work you will do in the end to have a perfectly clean car.

drive it as is and it wont get stolen again.

Mazda Miata-Red-1991

Hmmm they want $1900 but it does have a hard top. Automatic but I'm pretty sure I can just transfer my wiring harness over since it is a 91' correct?

Attachment 92246

OK I consider myself pretty good on cars but absolutely 0 of my 12 point deep well sockets fit this thing.
All of my SAE won't either. What the size is this damn thing?

Ha! It's a McGard spline drive. You need the McGard tool. I imagine it's in the center console or the glove box, or possibly in the 13 crates of crap you got with the car.

Damn dude, I dont know how the miata scene is where you are - but that's a $1300 miata max where I live, WITH the hardtop. You should be able to find a MUCH cleaner shell for close to 2k. I'd skip that one.

What exactly is that a picture of? Is that the wheel? If it's the wheel it looks like one of those locking lugnuts that has a proprietary tool for anti-theft.

Ah, he beat me to it. Yip that's about what I was thinking too.

Ugh, of course it is the one thing I forgot to grab from him too!

You can probably sacrifice a cheap 12 pt socket to getting them off, or you can order one form Amazon for $7.

At least nobody stole your wheels :rofl:

13/16th is the correct size I'm guessing?

Tried getting Tunerstudio setup but it isn't recognizing the port, need to check if additional drivers are required for my Macbook Air. Loaded his last tune file and it still didn't recognize the port...odd. Maybe try it in windows dual boot?

Also started it up again and let it run for a while. It is smoking around the turbo manifold pretty fierce, I'm guessing just some oil that wept into the system while it was upside down?

5/8's 12 point and a BFH won that argument...are 949racing lugnuts what most recommend? Or is it a non-issue?

I'd let it run for a while and see if the smoking stops. If in doubt do a compression/leakdown test and be sure.

I LOVE my 949 racing lugs, althought it is a bit of a non-issue as long as you get some good ones. 949 racing are very light aluminum lugnuts and they are trusted by the fast guys, that was enough for me.

Slight update.

Grabbed my trusty pickaxe and pulled the fenders out so the wheels wouldn't rub and the dirt pulled out of the tires and remounted

Took it for a drive around the block and the engine revved freely and the transmission shifted and pulled from a stop with no issues. Alignment is obviously fucked up(steering wheel is at 1 o'clock), but the suspension besides that seemed to not make any weird noises.

Figured I'd stop before too much glass showered onto me and let the engine cool down before the insurance adjuster comes to look at the car tonight.

Wish me luck that I don't get a shitty ACV from him! I'm going to argue the retail value of the hard top since it was a factory option costs $2500, which should help.

If he lowballs me I'm going to get a second opinion from an independent shop....weirdly I'm cool as a cucumber about it all.

Polished the turd last night before the insurance inspection this morning. Inspector said he had never seen a cleaner Miata or this year(hah!). Amazing what chipping off caked on brake dust off the wheels and track rubber and soaking the paint in degreaser followed up with some buffer action will do.

The inspector was a man of few words but he wanted to put as much down on the "spec" sheet as he could for me.

I'll find out in a couple of days on what the valuation is.


Attachment 92338

lol, I've never heard of someone buffing and polishing a total'd car.

HA

good luck, hopefully you get a really good number

I wouldn't of either if the paint and wheels weren't thrashed and I didn't have a buffer and polish etc etc. Its good to be an enthusiast car detailer!

I figured it couldn't hurt me. Could only help me. So why not!

Also owning a bakery for 5 years has turned me into the worst OCD clean freak ever. You don't know cleaning until you own a bakery.

Found where the shimmy was coming from; the left front wheel. Oscillating back and forth.

So the question is:
1)Hub
2)Bearing
3) wheel out of balance
4) wheel is bent

Thoughts?

IMO hub or a wheel is most likely. Should be able to tell by tossing on a spare wheel, or one of the other 3 wheels that spin straight to test.

Wheel is bent. You would hear a dead wheel bearing, and IO've never seen a hub bend without cracking. Pull the wheel off and look to confirm, but I'd put a dollar on the wheel.

That is what I'm considering as well since there wasn't any bearing noise and no play in the hub as well. This was the wheel that had the tire bead torn off due to impact.

If that is the case.... 6ul 15x8 or 9's or kosei K4R's.

either 6ul, or one of konigs lightweight 15x8 options (wideopen or flatout). Not a huge fan of the look of the k4r personally on a miata at least. I like a little bit of that old school lip on my cars.

K4Rs are ugly. Enkei 92s, J-Speeds or Compe's. Or Compomotives if you have time to wait for shipping from England. Or XXR 530s if you're cheap.

Tried Pulling the turbo off last night to get the engine/turbo/downpipe flanges milled to fix the boost leak problem the turbo had when I bought the car.

Downpipe M6 bolt broke so I had to pull it all in one go....did not work too hot. The turbo manifold bolt that connects the turbo flange to the manifold, is a BITCH to get to being underneath I just can't get good leverage or a good line of site to see what I am latching onto.

So.....going to buy an engine hoist this weekend and pull the whole bloody engine out(I need to anyways....might as well do it now!

I figured I could pull the manifold with the turbo and downpipe connected but that didn't work out so well...or at least I wasn't twisting it properly to get it out. This is my first time doing this sort of work so a lot of it is trial and error but god damn that is some tight space to get a couple of those bolts out.

And yes I disconnected the oil return and coolant hoses!

Any advice on pulling the engine in one go? Or is it easier to just lift the body and pull the front subframe/suspension/engine out?

I'd personally recommend pulling the motor, then pulling the turbo kit off with it out of the car. Much easier. It sounds like you have already figured that out though, :P

IMO pull engine with the trans, especially since both are coming out anyways. Pull the rad so you don't puncture it. 2 people is easier than 1, but considering the car you are pulling this out of is shit, you wont have to worry about scratching the firewall at least.


Make sure you pull the shifter, the speedo cable, all electrical connections from the trans, all the engine plugs, fuel lines, grounds, exhaust off, driveshaft, etc. The engine/trans will pop right out together. It's a beautiful thing.

And label the SHIT out of every cable and line I remove...I wish I had my fathers photographic memory but sadly genetics didn't wish to bless me with that gift!

truth. That helped me a ton the first time i tore apart the miata. I know what everything is now though, finally.

Out of all the amazing things humans can actually do, this is one trait I'd absolutely love to have, would come in handy for just about any college course, you could do anything you damn well want to.

In terms of Miatas, definitely pull the engine, not drop it. Lifts are $100-$200 at harbor freight these days, stands are around $75. Good investment anyways. Most of the time you can resell them too. Disconnect everything you'd disconnect if you were dropping it, but then just drain the transmission, disconnect the PPF, and slide out the drive shaft instead of disconnecting all the brakes, suspension, and unbolting the subframes.

Thanks for the advice. I agree about that being one trait I would take over any other. My Dad flew through school. It was still hard(med school) but he was top of his class and rarely had to study besides cursory review. Spent all his damn time climbing.:vash:

A guy is selling an engine hoist(1 ton), load balancer, and engine stand for $250 on Craigslist, going to offer him $200 and see how it goes.

Picked up a Engine hoist/leveler/engine stand for $150 from a guy in Vegas, only had been used once! Man I love a good deal. Was going to buy a hard top for $800 as well but decided I should wait to see what insurance does compensation wise.

In preparation for pulling the motor tomorrow I pulled off the front bumper/fenders/hood; I also removed the glass from the front windshield so I wouldn't have to deal with pieces popping off all the time. Mad respect to windshield folk, that shit is hard to get off!

The fender bolts were seized but luckily this time I had my heat gun and a dead blow hammer to knock the corrosion off the threads so they would turn. There are some odd bolts in weird ass places in the fender and front bumper. Had to pull out the Haynes manual in a couple spots. Probably doesn't matter though, I honestly could just grab the sledge hammer and knock it off, but I might as well learn how to remove everything properly while it doesn't matter if I scratch/bend/wreck/strip something.

Before I pull the engine ever wire/line/pipe is getting a piece of tape and the connecting end is getting a corresponding piece of tape...hopefully this way I can't screw it up too bad.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382784101
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382784101
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https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382784101

Looking good man, keep up the good work! Also, keep an eye out for the right miata, you will find it.

Had to work for an employee today so didn't get the early start I wanted but here is the current state of things.

A.C disconnected
Radiator drained and removed
FMIC removed
Electrical all labeled
transmission drained of fluid

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382830761

Can you remove this mounting plate that the AC connected to? Or should you keep it for the pulley that is mounted to it?
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382830761

Perfect cupholder for Peach iced tea and vodka(numb the pain of the body)
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382830761

So what remains is:
Disconnect PPF from transmission
Disconnect driveshaft
Disconnect wiring
Motor-mounts
...
Profit I hope. I'm sure I'm forgetting something but I need to eat some dinner before my stomach caves into itself.

Don't forget to remove the shifter before trying to drop the tranny.

Man, you're really making good progress.

Thanks, motivated to get it all out before the weekend ends, dreaming of it being out tonight but I might be a little tired and sore by that point.

This would be stupid easy if I had another pair of hands to help but just doing it myself PLUS not ever working on a Miata before makes it slow work.

Jesus thank you for the shifter comment, I totally spaced that!:facepalm:

The AC bracket can come off. Leave it if you're keeping it, take it off and replace the bolt going into the oil pump unless you want a bad leak.

Makes me sad, but also happy to see the progress moving forward. I'll try to get you that parts list. Today was more hectic than expected.

Picture heavy update

Everything is done except pulling the bolts for the PPF and the motormounts. I'm going to pull the engine tomorrow when I have more energy and can be more careful when I pull it. Don't want to do this tired; especially since I dont want to damage any wiring of anything else delicate.

Managed to pull out the turbo. Removing all the lines and piping and AC made it ridiculously easy to remove so I considered it one step easier in removing the engine.

I am a little worried about the heavy corrosion on the studs and the manifold/turbo flanges. Going to get them milled flat and replaced with Iconol bolts/nuts. Rather not worry about a bolt breaking next time I install/remove it.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382854927
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382854927
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Weeping around the Valve cover, probably need to replace the gasket while I'm at it.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382854927

Oil return line looks kinked, should I replace it? Or is the restriction not bad enough to warrant that?

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382854927

Don't pull the fuel line off this...jesus christ fuel came pouring out of it. Luckily I had a rubber plug laying around...that could have gotten messy:facepalm:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382854927

Ok so I'm guessing these 5 bolts are all that I need to remove for the PPF? Any special technique to drop the driveshaft out of the diff or does it just slide out?

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382854927
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382854927

Also what is the best/easiest way to pull the motor mounts? From the top or through the bottom?

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382854927
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382854927

A huge thank you to all the are helping me with all this, you don't know how much it means to me. This is the first time I've done an engine pull and so I'm acting like a virgin nervous about playing the game "just the tip".

I have an excel spreadsheet that matches with every corresponding number on every wire/plug/pipe/bolt. Hopefully it will be ridiculously easy to put it all back together again.

Thanks Dave. They need copies of the actual receipts if you can manage that. I don't know why they need the aftermarket parts information since I thought reimbursement was laughable for that. Hopefully it doesn't make buying it back more expensive.

Hope you had a good cruise! Sorry for bothering you during it.

I may be able to pull the paypal receipts to different places if the log goes back that far. Otherwise I won't be much help. I didn't keep all of the receipts for all of the parts I bought. Most things were paypal transactions and probably don't list the purchased item.

EDIT:

Anybody know how to get long term transaction history in paypal? I need to go back to 2008 or 2009. Would the insurance company accept current pricing for items. For instance if you went to diyautotune and priced the MS3x as replacement cost, would that work. There is $1k easy in just the engine parts. supertech pistons, mtuned rods, gaskets, billet oil pump gear, etc, MS3x $700 not including the knock module, ACT Xtreme clutch and pp is probably $350 - $450, manifold, dp, exhaust was $1200 iirc, hard top $800 - $1000, 3.636 r&P ~ $500, turbo $600 to $800, ic ? shocks were $400 plus revalve, springs and perches another $150, FCM NB top hat/bumpstop setup was another $200iirc, AEM wideband $140, seats $400, seat mounts $300, roll bar ~$500 All of these are parts we could get current prices on. .......This is making me sad again.......

for the driveshaft, it's just 4x (i think 12mm) bolts where it bolts onto the diff, then the yolk just slides out.

Depending on the angle of the trans, the fluid may poor out of the tail when you pull the driveshaft.

The six speed really liked the amsoil mtf, I think the ford stuff felt a little better, but it was twice the cost to fill the trans. I'd stick with the amsoil.

Not sure if it matters for insurance purposes, but that is a 2004 mazdaspeed 6spd trans.

I'm impressed by how well the car held up being flipped.

That's actually a reinforced rubber hose under the SS braid. Doesn't really kink. I suspect it was rubbing or pressed by something. If it bugs you, you can replace. But it you didn't have any signs that the turbo oil drain was backed up (smoke/oil consumption/etc.), then there's no need. There's no pressure on this line, so not a safety hazard.

Yep. Pull the speedo cable out of the tranny and disconnect the wiring harness from the PPF (pair of pliers to compress the little plastic spring tabs makes quick work). There is also a ground strap at the back of the PPF (10mm bolt). The front bolt at the differential should have a sliding bushing in it. That's the hard part. Lot of techniques to get that out (the Mazda manual recommends threading an oversized bolt into the bushing to pull). If you haven't already, you should download the Mazda FSM that is in a sticky.

4 bolts connect the driveshaft to the diff. Undo those and separate from the diff (might need a large screwdriver to help pry it off) and it just slides out of the tranny. If you haven't drained the tranny before this, you'll leak fluid. This is a good time to inspect your U-joints and the rear tranny seal.

When pulling, just undo the single bolts to the front subframe and pull away. The passenger side is slotted to facilitate this. I'm pretty sure you're going to need new mounts, most do.

When installing, it can be tricky to get both sides lined up at the same time. Last time I installed, I had the passenger side mount bolted to the engine and left the driver side mount off. Got the engine in and the subframe nut on finger tight. This gave me a good reference point to make minor adjustment to line up and install the driver side. Easy-peasy.

I think I paid $40 to $50 to have that hose custom made. I would reuse it if you can. You like how I had the oil pan bung welded into the pan??? Had I thought of it sooner the custom return line would not have needed an adapter. oops

Well the pain fairy decided to visit today and remind me how many times I slammed my hand into something when a bolt suddenly popped loose...hopefully 800mg of ibuprofen kicks in soon so I can start finish up.

I stripped the interior last night as well since I couldn't sleep. Soft-top, roll bar, door bars, seats, carpet, center console, rear shelf...basically everything but the dash and the steering wheel.

Hopefully after the engine pull I can pull the suspension and the subframe. I'll be honest though, I don't know if I'll have the willpower to do it at that point. I think I should just be happy with the progress I've made in a couple days and not go to overboard.


Go to transaction history and there should be an area above the recent transactions that allows you to enter a date range of how far back you want to look.

Right?? I am as well. I did pull some of the dents out a little so it looks better than it was.

Can I get the specs on it just in case for the future?

Props given Hornet! Awesome.:party:

You're doing this without air tools!?!

You, sir, are a glutton. Just think how much you'll appreciate your air compressor when you finally get one.

Well...that was anticlimactic. Which I suppose is a good thing but that popped out silly easy.

Glad it is done, now I only have to do this two more times and I may or may not have a running car again!
(Dear FSM let it work when I put it back together)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382909433
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https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382909433w

Is this normal for the PPF bolt with the bushing to be like this?
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1382909433

No, that PPF bolt looks like it's been ground down for some reason. Would be worth sourcing another.

Holy cow, someone got angry at that poor bolt.