Nice!

Cool, I'll keep that in mind. Why not use it on your car? I personally think they look great.

I actually picked mine up, hell, more than a year ago now and its just been sitting in the garage. Pending paint has motivated the install, and I figured I'd let the body shop guys do it. They probably have a much better eye for it than I ever will.

As of 1:00pm PST my car will have been out of my posession for 24 hours :noes:

This may sound stupid except I haven't had the Miata out of my hands at all (except that one time when Gesso and I swapped cars at Thunderhill) in about 5 years. The last time I let a shop touch my car I got fucked in the ass for $900 on an OEM Exedy replacement clutch install + free crushed framerail service. After that experience, I've learned to do everything myself.

Needless to say, I'm a little nervous.

Finally getting her nice and pretty for MRLS huh??? when is it supposed to be ready G???

God willing and the creek don't rise, some time next week (like Weds/Thurs)

How's the car holding up? The black NA is way to stealth, I never see you around town :rofl:

Sweet.... I want to check it out when you get her back, Im in need of a repaint for mine too... but the first thing I need is some 15x8 and some better tires
Car is holding up great so far no problems .. got to love boost:bowrofl: this has been the best money Ive spent ha ha...

Even though I don't have the car this weekend, progress will be made!

I received this from RoadsterTech this last week:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1399827643
Double height radio blockoff with angled 3 gauge mount and pocket. This one is not on their website yet :party: I traded a dozen or so emails with Rick explaining that I wanted a single piece blockoff with 3 gauge holes, and I planned to use the lower half of the face to mount a couple switches. The plate is about 1/2" thick (2x 1/4" sections screwed together) so Rick recommended back cutting the lower section as most switches don't have 1/2" mounting depth, but we settled on the pocket in the front as it should give the switches a little protection with the lip.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1399827643
Gauges in the plate. OoooOooo. I've pretty much given up on my cluster butchery project as this is just easier. It's super sanitary and way better than the 3 hole single DIN I had in there before.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1399827643
Here you can see the offset/angle that should in theory help with visibility. I sent Rick the dimensions for my gauges so they would fit nice and snug.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1399827643
Here you can see where the back of the gauge mounting hole is cut out so the gauge retainer can still be used without shortening one of the legs. That is some serious attention to detail.

I highly recommend Roadstertech, as these guys get it. I enjoy working with vendors that are willing to work with their clients to get them exactly what they want. Rick was always helpful and never treated me like a dumbass when I asked stupid questions. It's called "customer service" and that's how you do it right.

One piece of advice Ill give on the prep before the paint is to use 100% undiluted purple power and go over every single part of the car. Also, depending on the quality of the shop, and how much repair work you'll have them do. I'd try to fix as many dings and scratches as you can with a little bondo. My shop overlooked several places. Also, bug the shit out of them by going in often and checking on the progress. Saved me a lot of potential quality control issues by pointing out issues I spotted. Course, this is me speaking, so take that for what it is.

Are you getting the same orange matched on it or a complete repaint? May have missed that at some point.

Also, that is an awesome panel! I messed with putting an angle on my gauges but it was simply too much work with melting plastic/bondo/glue to make it look good. If I was going to spend money, that is how I would do it.

Just the nose, lip, hard top and super faded mirrors. I'm not bothering with all the other little dings and scratches mainly because they don't bother me. It's not a show car and I'm not nice enough to it to justify a full respray. It would just make me even sadder every time I bumped something into it. The little stuff does not bother me as much as just getting the colors matched on everything. (See first post in this thread :giggle:) One trip into the kittylitter and it would all get fubar anyway so I'm just not that worried about it. In truth the whole car probably needs a visit to the clay bar and a good waxing but that's something I'm happy to pay someone to do for me. I haz the lazy and no idea what I would be doing.

The panel is awesomesauce. I could have never built something this nice on my own in any reasonable amount of time and it was really not that expensive in the end.

This is a piece of art! Very nice!

Thanks! :bigtu: Like I said, its all Rick @ Roadstertech, those guys do damn good work.

Rick is the Michelangelo of gauge panels and an all around awesome guy. Glad to see he's got another happy customer. :)

Final BEGi update: I got a valve cover back! I think it may actually be cleaner than the one I sent them.

Also: Popped in to the body shop at lunch while I was in the area. They've definitely taken things apart

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1399946090

I need to poke around and see if I can find a Mazda part number for the rear window seal thing on the hard top. I really didn't want them trying to mask and paint around it so I requested the window be removed. I'm hoping I don't end up regretting that request.

Here, I was just looking at it myself:
SUNROOF. Fits: 2000 Mazda Miata | Jim Ellis Mazda

I'm assuming you're referring to NAY163930

RR WINDOW MOULD (NAY1-63-930) - $61.65 - NAY163930 + DAM, REAR-WINDOW (NA01-63-895A) - $15.55 - NA0163895A = winning

I figured I might as well replace it all as I'm only going to do this once. Do it once, do it right.

Someone on m.net said these guys are actually Rosenthal in disguise, just a tad cheaper:

http://www.partsvp.com/products/RR-W...52d930%29.html

$14.91 (Part # NA0163895A) Mazda DAM, REAR-WINDOW


I always like to look on the Jim Ellis sites first because they have the IPB's.

Earlier this week I sent my stock injectors out for cleaning to the folks at Fuel Injector Clinic because I didn't want them sitting around with fuel and junk in them. They called me to say they received them and did the initial flow test only to find out that 3 of the injectors were within 2% of each other, but one was 10% under :eek: It was recommended that they do the full service on the one and see if it brought it back into tolerance with the rest. I agreed, they did their magic, called me back and lo and behold it came right up to where it was supposed to be, right in line with the 2%. How awesome is that? They went ahead and replaced all the seals and o-rings for the full set and I should see them Monday or Tuesday of next week.

That phone call saved me $30~ worth of service I didn't need, so technically cost them another $30~ worth of sale. I have mad respect for vendors who are willing to do things like that to help out a customer. Again, perfect example of positive customer service. Fuel Injector Clinic Fuel Injector Cleaning :bigtu:

Make sure they remove EVERY SINGLE part that is removable from that hardtop. And good call having them yank the window for paint. Trust me on this.

I learned with my previous miata that anything not removed for paint but simply masked off will peel and look like crap and be crappy.

It strips the car for paint or it gets the peel again.

Absolutely. I ordered new OEM trim (Rosenthal sent me the wrong one :vash:) and rubber stuff for the rear window so that's in the bag. I'll probably end up buying new rubber for the DS and PS side window seals plus the trim that runs around the back of the top, between the top and the rest of the body. Because I have problems.

I just checked in with them today after lunch as they got a bunch of spray-out cards done so we could try to find something that matches up. The original paint is in really good shape, but its faded so finding something that is an absolutely perfect match will be nearly impossible. The metallic flake Mazda used is proving to be a challenge, and the color shifts every time you turn your head or squat down or look at it from a different angle. They've got something that's really, really close but I have no doubt it won't be 100%.

But I knew all this going into the project, so I'm not going to cry about it. Super duper close is going to be way better than the teal and purple I was rocking before. I should have the car back on Tuesday.

♫ Damn it feels good to be a gangster ♫
 

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1400779364

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1400777652

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1400779775

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1400777652

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1400777652

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1400777652

First off, its a faded metallic so I knew it was not ever going to be a 100% absolute complete dead nuts match, but I knew this going into it. The light refraction on this paint is crazy and the camera does not catch it effectively. It don't look like it match, but it do! For example: the hood and the fender don't look like they match in the pictures above, but thats the camera and the refraction. They are actually the original paint and absolutely do match in person. The new stuff is not perfect-perfect but its a damn close match and its A LOT better than I thought it would be. The only way to get it 100% perfect-perfect is to repaint the whole car, and fuck that noise.

Personally I think its glorious. If anything, I think the car now stands out more than it did when it was 3 colors. :rofl:

Also, I asked them to mount the lip, but forgot to specifically ask them to paint the lip according to the original quote/work order I signed, so that was my fault. :facepalm: I'm trying to decide if I like it this way or not. Now that we have a paint mix I like, getting it painted to match later will be cake.

I am excite! :yippee:

Dam G car looks great.. got to update you sig pic now!! before and after pic on there!! ha ha.. I need to see this bad boy in person.. but its coming along great! BTW the lip in black looks perfect!! get them 6UL's on this bitch already ha ha ....

Looks great to me. I'd keep the lip black, personally. I'm not a big fan of body-colored lips.

Car looks great. A vote for the painted lip. Definitely needs it.

oh wow..! Looks great..

On second glance (noticing the Tupperwear), I'd have to agree on the painted lip. If it were a 100% stock base body, I'd vote black lip.

Looks fantastic.

Now clear bra that front if you care about it at all.

Thanks guys! It actually looks much better in person (why do I keep saying this? Its like I'm trying to justify it to myself...) though I do need to get it in some clear, solid sunshine to see what the metallic does in real light.

I'm still on the fence about the lip but its growing on me. I'm actually thinking about shooting some plastidip on the tupperware just to see what it looks like. I'll be sure to post pics to reap the hatestorm whirlwind if that turns out to be the case :rofl:

I'm looking into that now. I have a friend who is at Pendleton right now who does rotary wing maintenance stuff for the USMC. We were talking about some sort of finish they put on helicopter blades to keep them from getting torn up by the sand when he was in Asscrackastan that should be ideal for a car nose. I know we had some commentary about these types of products in Jeffbuc's Epic OCD thread, its just finding one that will work and not look like ass.

uhhh, I think that would look terrible. make sure its easily reversible

Thus the plastidip. That should be completely reversible, no? Its just a wild hair idea. In the end I'll probably hate it and end up painting the lip to match.

I already know someone who (sort of) did it:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1400784422_MG_7154 by GeorgeCZ, on Flickr

looks weird.

I'm not crazy about it, honestly, but it could work.

Fuck that guy! Who is he? I'll kill him! :rofl:

Why is the body line above the nose on that car so bad? I thought my fender-to-nose gap was a little too far off for my taste and already ordered new OEM fasteners to snug it up a bit. That much gap would make me kill myself.

You'd have to go all the way to Europe to do it (he lives in the Czech Republic, IIRC)
Not 100% sure why. I thought it was typical of what happened when you mounted NB2 lights and nose on an NB1 without modification to either.

The main point was just to show you the color combo. I'd honestly forgot that he'd put an NB2 nose on it, too.

Neg propped this post for awful black tupperware idea because it's awful, as proven by those pics that followed.

Propped for crackastan comment, so you broke even.

Mine is now NB2 nose and MSM headlights and I have no massively silly gap. Nothing had to be modified, it all just dropped right in so :dunno: Looks like there is some damage below his PS headlight so that might be attributing to the misalignment but I honestly couldn't say.

And yeah, that does look weird. Thanks for the pic though. :bigtu:

You can't tell me what to do! You people have no influence over me whatsoever!

You're welcome. A pleasure to be of service.

You have no fucking idea how right you are...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1400790344

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1400790344

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1400790344

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1400790344



























































Wait for it...





































































https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1400790463

:party:

https://miniganb.files.wordpress.com...-lightning.png

you're joking.....................


:cry:

Serious as a heart attack. I'm even hoping to conscript you into tuning it. You or Andrew, depends on who has time or is receptive I guess. What say you?

It's only the little one, I'm not Russian.

I'm so jelly I can't even think right now.

Don't think, just feel, baby.

Besides, now that I've commissioned and paid for a manifold and downpipe I'm pretty sure the TSE kit will be released any time now :bang:

I vote for leaving the lip black because it is going to meet things such as parking curbs, and pavement entering/leaving places with a slope, and it will flex, and paint will crack off. you will be lowering the car, so be realistic.

Looks great. The paint came out fantastic.
Congrats

Thanks! It was far too long coming.

And yes, I forgot it was there and scraped it coming out of the Nob Hill parking lot at lunchtime today. :vash:

forget the lip talk let talk your engine setup.

Its not that complicated, its just a BP4W build. I'm not doing anything dramatically different than anyone else, this is the same built engine formula that's known to work and I see no reason to screw with it.

Things I has:

• Supertech 83.5mm pistons @ 8.6:1 CR (P4-MA8350-N4)
• Wiseco XX rings, 83.5mm
• Manley Forged H-Beam rods w/ARP 2000 3/8" bolts (14011-4)
• ACL Rod bearings (4B8351H-STD)
• ACL Main bearings (5M8353H-STD)
• ACL Thrust bearings (1T8353H-STD)
• Supertech valve stem seals (VS-T6E/VS-T6I)
• ARP head studs (218-4701)
• Hondata Intake Manifold Heatshield Gasket
• BP5A intake cam (BP5A-12-420)
• SuperMiata Harmonic Balancer
• Skunk2 64mm throttle body
• Squaretop

Things I needs:

• OEM Gasket kit
• Fancy SuperMiata water pump
• Fancy Gates Blue timing belt set

Things I'm probably going to buy:

• Oil pump
• ARP main studs (218-5401)

Camel piss 91 is the "best" fuel I currently have available thus the low compression ratio. I'd love to build an E85 huffing monstrosity but that's just not an option out this way. I convinced myself that the extra expense of the 0.5mm overbore was worth it "while I was in there" and would give me peace of mind as to bore concentricity with the new pistons rather than just honing the stock bores and hoping for the best.

<deep breath> While I will be paying someone to do the machine work, I will be doing the assembly myself. I have the tools and the knowledge to do this so its time I step up and make it happen.

I know this is going to sound insane but I'm trying really hard not to get sucked into the fully built head game, because that's some big fucking money. IIRC Sloviet made like 350+hp on a 6258 with a stock 4W head so I see no reason to fall down that rabbit hole. The head will get a full refresh with fancy valve job, guides, and Supertech seals but that's about it. If it turns out the valves need to be replaced I'll consider SS valves or go nuts with inconel on the exhaust side, but thats a big fat IF right now.

I'm somewhat proud of the fact that my "need" list is shorter than my "has" list. There are still some big ticket items I need to make some decisions about such as an oil pump, but I have some time.

That's a really solid plan and list. No need to overcomplicate things.

I've been watching and reading and assembling parts for a long, long time. To give you an idea of how long, my Squaretop was purchased new from an overseas Mazda dealer as soon as I was able to determine the part number. I paid less for a NIB OEM Squaretop than most people have paid for ratty ass used ones. I bought my Supermiata harmonic damper as part of the preorder on the first production run. I think I even had my 5A cam before 949 had them posted FS on their website.

So yeah, I've been hoarding shit for a while now :giggle:

And you are absolutely right, simple is better.

Looking awesome man! I am loving all of the EFRs I keep seeing pop up on this forum. So much win.

Thanks man! This is why I keep prodding you for updates in your build thread :brain:

The inconel exhaust valves, they resist the burning so well, allowing you to run allofit. Maybe do the dual springs as well go get rid of the harmonic?

Have I missed your plans for an adapter to bolt the turbo to the head?

I was wondering who bought the kit I saw Brian post on his Fab9 facebook page! Holy sweetness man! Goin' balls to the wall!

Why, ARTech of course. I ordered the same equal length top-mount manifold and 3" downpipe as Swimming108. Here's pics I jacked from his build thread: https://www.miataturbo.net/build-thr...llo-efr-77075/

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...14706989_n-jpg

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...43943188_n-jpg

Again, not my pics but almost the same exact manifold and DP. Abe says slight revision was made to the #1 runner to clear the coolant outlet so I shouldn't have to mess with anything. I should have my own pics in the beginning of July.

Gesso does not know it yet, but I'm going to attempt to convince him to build me an exhaust. ;)

Yep, that was probably mine. I was actually kinda disappointed that the EFR box had been opened and everything was all fingerprinty :rofl:

Fab9 got me the rods, pistons, bearings and 6258. Free shipping, no tax and THEMAN discount pushed me over the edge once my tax return showed up. The wife and I talked about it and with house and kid stuff projected for the next year or two, it was probably a good idea to get this stuff out of the way now if I was ever going to actually follow through with it.

So I done did it, and I did it in spades.

(Funny story: I was actually really drunk when I placed the Fab9 order and accidentally ordered a 6758. They caught the error based on the notes in my drunken correspondence and fixed it for me, but not before taking the opportunity to scare the shit out of me :rofl:)

I've also managed to work a different DD into the deal as I'm sure the Miata will be a little touch-and-go for a while

(slowly removes lotion and box of Kleenex from desk)


lol

The car looks great, but that turbo is really giving me a boner.