Hard top is all finished. Looks very good, can't find any flaws besides a little overspray, but that is easily removed with a clay bar.

Not going to lift it off the Jetta till my pops gets home. It looks like the hooks are touching the paint but they aren't. Finally found the perfect way to mount it to the rack without it moving.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398209202

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398209202

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398209202

Just a little dirty

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398209202

Damn fine looking hardtop, sir.

Very nice hardtop. What color was it before? Red?

Damn. Sucks about the alternator. But you'll have a known good one when everything is over. THAT is something worth the pain.

I went through a few Autozone/Checker ones over the years. I finally got tired of it, found an old OEM one, and had a local shop rebuild it for me. The full service, just like you're getting. It's been happily running for... damn, like 8 years now.

Restored the interior bits of the hard top a little. Applied sealant to the inside window after clay barring it. Also applied sealant to all the painted areas that are underneath all the rubber seals and trim pieces to help protect them a little more.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398230437

Restored the plastic back to a healthy black instead of the off grey it was before

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398230437

Also the rubber seals got a healthy amount of rubber restore

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398230437

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398230437

and all reassembled and ready to be put back on. Which I won't do until I make sure the fuel pump is working correctly when I cycle the key to ON. I'd rather have a little bit of free space and openness while working on the car idling correctly.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398230437

Interesting, I've never seen that type of headliner before. Can you tell us more about it?

Hardtop was from an 02 Miata, it's all I know. It's about 1/4" thick. Kinda want to put the suede fabric over it but it's still in perfect condition so I won't mess with it.

I haven't looked back in a while, but check your fuel pump ground by the driver's seat belt tower. Wouldn't hurt to chase with a m6x1 tap. Although if it's powering on, that's really all a moot point.

Edit: I think he's referring to the plastic parts. My '93 hardtop's head liner extends all the way to the edges.

Likewise on my '90 hardtop ... just a thin foam headliner to the edges. In fact, none of the hardtops I have seen have those plastic panels. I guess I mostly dabble with NAs.


-Zach

Yeah I don't know anything about NB hardtops so it is pretty standard I'm guessing. Under the plastic are some really stiff corrugated cardboard as spacers and about 8 industrial strength velcro patches, and plastic expanding screws, to hold it to the hard top. I'm not sure why they went to the extra effort to reduce head clearance, but if it is an issue I'll just remove it and put a square of the same material I used on my door cards; I still have a lot of it left.

===

I did get some good news just barely. After the supplier shipped the wrong alternator to the shop, they informed us that they didn't have any available even though their system said they did.

So after a figurative metric ton of calling different suppliers he tracked down an OEM core in California. He'll receive it Thursday, and he says for me, he will stay late that night and finish rebuilding it so that I can install it the same day.

Him going above and beyond just proves why it pays off to be extra nice, patient, and courteous to shops who are local. If the owners are smart, they pay attention to it, appreciate it, and are more than willing to help you out since you proved to be a good human being, an not an impatient douche bag like most customers who take their cars to repair shops.

How you treat people at a business, as with tipping, is the most reliable form of determining how good of a person is.

You haven't missed a beat on the delivery.

So curious what you will do once this project is completely finished.

Sell it to me for $6000 since he is so tired of dealing with it and then find some other project to put his useful personality disorder to work on.

Yeah, I was referring to the plastic parts. I guess I've never seen a hardtop off of an NB before!

I'm trying to stay upbeat about the delay! Not sure what I'll do after the car is finished. Probably take all the energy I was throwing into the car and put it back into my store.

I'm secretly scared I've built up the finished product so much in my head that when I first drive it, I'll be disappointed with the car. I'm sure I won't be, but...you know what I mean.

Useful personality disorder...:rofl: That is one way of sugar coating my insanity!

You'll get your car running right Harv, keep it up! And, by the way, you'd have to double that price before I'd even consider selling it! ;)

Your "insanity" is a hell of a lot more useful than my ADHD...

Are you saying you'd take $12k for it? C'mon Jeff, don't sell yourself short. :drool:

^dis guy... I has the feels.

12k eliminates the low ballers and those that aren't serious ;)

You guys with ADHD could become like all the "super moms" of Utah and get an adderall prescription to help "concentrate"...doctors give out prescriptions here like aspirin.

They do everywhere. It's awful. It used to be called being a boy, and when you got drafted the male-only armed forces would put that energy to work.

Mine's working, but it could use some TLC, maybe not this much, but a little.

I'm an ADHD hipster, I was diagnosed before it was cool to be diagnosed

Very weird headliner indeed, not sure how i like it. Why don't we have a picture of this hardtop on your car yet? :P

My parents probably have always thought I have had it, but mostly since I have the energy of an 8 year old and a metabolism to match as well. God help me when it starts slowing down, I already have a 32" waist so I won't be able to fit in these seats if I gain weight.

Meh it is a headliner, how often does one look at their roof? I've got so many mountain bike tread marks and chain ring outlines on my headliner and since I never look at it I always forget how dirty it is. I've tried steam cleaning them but I'm worried about softening the adhesive and having the droopy headliner look.

I'm probably going to put the hard top on before my dad heads back home this weekend. I hear it helps to have a person pushing down and forward on the hard top to get a good fit with the Rennenmetal brackets.

And the headliner is a problem! The 2 plastic portions are too low for clearance of the roll bar by about 1/4". I'm sure it will be perfect once I remove them and put some suede in place of it.

Sneak peak before I remove it.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398409149

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398409149

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398409149

Oh so nice...!

I see dirty fingerprints on the door and rear quarter. You're getting sloppy.

Looks amazing. A few things.

1) that headliner was weird anyways, i see no reason to get rid of the little available headroom there is anyways. get rid of it :)

2) paint the pinch welds black, they really stick out as-is. Pinch welds are not pretty, so it's best to hide them with black paint.

3) lower the front a smidgen to give it a bit of forward rake. Of course, only do this on a flat, level, area. I actually like the ride height a lot, just looks like it needs a bit of rake to me, personally :)

LOVE IT!

Wow...! That.. looks absolutely gorgeous..! I think I would probably drop it another 1/2" front and rear.. wait for the suspension to settle after a little driving though... In for driving videos..!

I'm late to the I've Never Seen That Headliner Party.

I've never seen that headliner either! :party:

And to contribute something useful:

1 Gal. DAP Weldwood HHR Contact Cement
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yourautotrim...2269_105788118
(no affiliation with this shop, it was just the first google result)

This is THE stuff to hold your new headliner material of choice to your HT. It is sadly only in a gallon can. I also bought a gallon when I covered my dash with leather. You'll have 9/10 left over. But you'll never have to redo the headliner.

Super nice Jeff. Congrats.

I like fireindc's suggestion but would take it a step further: what about plastidipping the area at the bottom which is supposed to be black on standard cars? You have a black front lower lip and rear lower lip. I think if you black out that area under the doors it will look much better. Plastidip will let you try it for cheap and easily remove if you don't like it.

Please don't burn me at the stake for suggesting the use of plastidip on Jeff's car... It's only temporary...

+1, i actually agree that this is the perfect solution IF he chooses to try the black rocker look. So far I'm digging the painted rockers, BUT if you do choose to black em out, go plasti-dip and you can go back and forth as you choose.

The black plasti dip actually has a really nice finish for things like that, i would NOT do a whole car in it personally, but just the rockers would be good, and it would protect the paint underneath.

I agree wholeheartedly that the black strip along the bottom vastly improves the appearance. Without it, the car takes on a rounded egg shape (especially with a hard top). The black strip hides some height of the car, elongates the shape some. Looks really good with a black lip front and back.

Thanks! I knew I needed a headliner strength adhesive but didn't know where to start looking. I luckily have JUST enough of the suede I used on my door panels left over to do the entire inside of the hard top.

2) that is a great idea. Wasn't sure why I was noticing them so much in my pictures and not at all in others and that would explain it!

3) agreed, but I'm going to put a few miles on it and see what the suspension settles to after a bit of driving.

If you only knew how dirty the paint really is and how much the pictures hide it...I'm excited to get the hard top on just so I can finally wash the car!

I won't burn you at the stake, plastidip is great to see how things will look temporarily, and I definitely will do it. Something about the car doesn't make me happy and the lower rocker panels may just be the flaw to an otherwise perfect car in my subconscious.

The thing about plastidip is that you need to mask the shit out of anything you don't want overspray on. Easy to remove when it is on thick enough to peel, bitch and a half if it is on too thin/overspray.

===

Currently working on pulling the old headliner off along with the velcro and adhesive that is on the roof. Then I'll see if I can buy some decent headliner glue locally at an upholstery shop and put some more suede down.

If you can find a way to make this look good around the edges, I bet it would make for a pretty good headliner: Leather Look Sound Barrier 050120 | Design Engineering, Inc. - Thermal Performance Products

I'm just going to use the suede I already have. Trying to avoid unnecessary purchases at the moment.

===

Went through two razor blades and a shit load of goo-gone to get all the old adhesive off the top. Better to use a nice clean surface than old adhesive that may or may not be very strong after 12 years. Looks scratched to hell but that is just black paint overspray that was taken off.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398455597

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH JEFF?! :rofl:

Actually, that looks A LOT more like the hardtops I am used to seeing.

This is, "I got raped worse than usual by the tax man", Jeff. :facepalm:

You forgot that he's gonna spend 5 hours refurbishing it before it goes in.

Sounds like someone needs to "sell" their Miata to a 501(c)(3) non-profit LLC and claim expenditures as donations and write them off on their taxes. :brain:

(Actually, I'm pretty sure that's illegal. I gotta stop drinking my lunch :rofl: )

I suggested using the Miata as a advertising/sponsorship car for racing as a tax write-off and my accountant laughed and asked, "Just how desperate are you to get audited?"

I guess it is slightly more suspicious when your business is making bread instead of automotive accessories/parts....

Don't you deliver? Expand out into pizza or something?

This is how you rebuild an alternator. Wow. Looks like I just ordered a brand new OEM unit.

Easy $100 well spent.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398464455

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398464455

... i thought the purpose of rebuilding VS. replacing was to keep the powder coated casing?

Sorry maybe I didn't make myself to clear.

It is an OEM alternator off a 95 that the shop had ordered and replaced. He rebuilt it last night to ensure it was working properly, but he said the tolerances on the powdercoated housing wasn't ideal for the bearings. So we just decided to use the new housing, rather than the old black one I had, so that there wasn't any chance of premature damage to new the core.

I personally think the aluminum looks better anyways. Now go driving!

Wait... So is this the last thing? You've sorted everything else?

Almost. Throttle is displaying 500 at low input for some reason and my IAT sensor is displaying an absurdly high temp. Then I need to make sure that tach is working.

So it isn't ready to drive just yet.

We'll see. I should have everything back together in a couple hours. Just hoping it will crank over!

I will be here waiting. :drama:

Which VTPS are you using?

99 tps connector which after much reading should be wired correctly and set at 511 hz.

Well a nap and the headliner absorbed all my time tonight. I did get the alternator hooked back up but I'm going to do all the engine stuff tomorrow. I've been super tired lately so I'm not going to kill myself by staying up all night.

The headliner was a bitch to get decent. It isn't perfect and I need to do a little refinement over the weekend to make it look more perfect. I still need to vacuum it and work the edges over with some goof-off so if it looks like shit, that is why. Just going to let it cure for a couple hours before I do so.

Anyways, not super happy with it, but I didn't have enough material length-wise to pull it under the rubber seals so I had to improvise a little. As I said before though, it is a headliner, so I'm ok with how it looks. Mostly did this so it would clear the roll bar.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398491682

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398491682

I think it looks fine. If it bugs you down the road, easy enough to pull the hardtop and redo it over a weekend. Even us mortals could accomplish that. Once you're up and driving, I'll bet you'll never look at it again.

I'd run it. lookin good jeff.

You'll likely end up re-doing it, but honestly you won't even notice it if you run it as is. Hardtop headliner is really not something easily visible and in your sight when driving the car or even getting in

Thanks guys, sometimes my neurosis goes a little into overdrive when I finish stuff.

Saying that, it shifted into a higher gear and I cleaned it up to the point where I'm quite happy with it now.

After removing all the excess glue and then putting 2 layers of sealant on the plastic/interior glass it really makes it look nice. I also put an edge to it with friction tape to hide the edges and give it a nice sharp finish to it.

Also, there is this little seam that goes around the center panel so I decided to church it up a bit by heating up a wider diameter dentist pick and running it around the seam to give it a nice little design. Totally unnecessary, but ain't that the theme of this thread?:facepalm:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398541984

Now on to the engine stuff after a short nap!:party:

Lookin good, in for a running car!

No luck so far. Starting to think maybe my starter died? How can your car go from cranking just fine, starting up, to no cranking, with no tuning changes?

I keep hearing a click from the passenger engine fuse box, like a relay turning on and off when I cycle the key...not sure. All wires are plugged in, grounds all checked out, checked all the fuses...doesn't even give a hint of turning over.

I need to step away from the car for a bit....

Hell. Yes.

We have a running engine again.

Some how the spade connector on the starter didn't have continuity so I ran a new wire it started right up.

Glad I can actually start doing some shit with tuning now.