I took a drill with a wire wheel to mine, and it came out surprisingly good. No cleaners or anything, just wirewheeled the crap out of it.

 

Where did you buy the stock undertray? And how much was it?

My car is missing it, and I should probably get one...

 

Use a soft wire wheel on the alternator that thing is quite easy to clean

 

Get undertrays from Mazda. About $60.

 

Hai hai, but which vendor? Or should I just go to my (semi) local mazda dealer?

 

Depends if the vendor is cheaper after shipping... That's a question only you can answer.

Rosenthal/Arlington/Finish Line or Mazda Motorsports are typically cheapest for me.

 

True, but it is quite soft. It's possible to scratch the hell out of it, hence the suggestion for chemical cleaners.

Harbor Freight sells brass wire brushes that look like oversize toothbrushes. Usually available two for a buck. I stock up on them whenever I go there, and toss them when the bristles start to get bent over. Perfect for cleaning up delicate car parts.

 

You could take your alternator apart and clean it (even repack the bearings while you're at it)
Alignment marks are your friend...
This is from my mazda truck, but it should be close.

 

Lebeouf that is baller. I'm not sure if I want to approach that.

Sending the intake manifold to get powder coated today. Should I do it wrinkle black to match the valve cover or a smooth solid black?

Also sending the dash frame and the door sill plates(wasn't happy about the vht finish on it.)

Also the rear main subframe, I'm really happy with how the front turned out.

Door sill plates will be wrinkle black for a little bit of a stronger finish.

 

You could send your alternator as well...

 

Would that mess with timing at all if i removed it?

 

whut?

 

My brain was thinking of something else

Never mind figured it out.

So I sent out
Both intake manifold pieces
Alternator housing with brackets/pulley
Rear subframe
Gas tank/fuel filter covers
Hard top brackets
Door sill plates
Dashboard frame

Can you tell I'm sick of sanding? Thank goodness this guy give me 50% off and doesn't charge me for blasting.

 

Your attention to detail is incredible! Favorite miata on this forum now

 

Intake same color as valve cover.

 

Took off the old frame rails and laid down a a coat of rubberized under spray. I wasn't happy with the truck bed liner in terms of noise and chipping resistance, so I decided to protect it with a coat of rubberized under spray to dampen noise and help things bounce rather than chip.



Internals of alternator









Gonna let the rubberized undercoating cure before I put the FM Rails on. Then once that is done I'll do all the sound deadening.

 

I knew from the moment I saw that other overachiever's disassembled alternator that pictures of your alternator, disassembled, were sure to follow.

And rubber undercoating? Saweet.

 

Yeah excited about the undercoating. I'm not sure why I thought truck bed liner was the better choice. Oh well, no one is perfect especially not me.

Yeah I blame a lot of you guys for projects going further than originally intended!

 

was it difficult to disassemble, or did you just have to undo the long bolts and slide it apart?

never played with alternators.

 

Hey man, I just told you to spray it.

BTW, resist the urge to clean the shaft where the brush rides (copper section below the bearing). Sure, wipe it down (alcohol or acetone), but don't try to sand or wire brush it, as this will mean the brush has to re-seat, accelerating wear.