Are aftermarket ignition coils for the 01+ engines any good or should I stick to the OEM units?

I kind of like cleaning pistons:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1454195195

Are you using a wire brush, are you pulling this motor apart eventually?

I have no plans to pull the bottom end apart. I am using acetone soaked cotton rags and a brass brush for the corners.

Be careful with the wire brush, or better yet don't use it at all. I used small wire brush on my 1.6 last year, and a tiny piece of bristle broke off unbeknownst to me, in between the piston and cylinder wall. It left a nice vertical score in the cylinder wall the length of the stroke, and then probably made its way into my oil pump and into the filter.

Good to know. The rag gets most of it. I have been soaking rags (not so much that they drip), laying them over the piston, and the taping aluminum foil down overtop. That prevents the acetone from evaporating as quickly and you can let it soak for while to soften up all the carbon.

I used a plastic brush from HB on my drill to clean the head gasket it worked really well, then I finished with a 150 grit sandpaper on a flat block.

Seymour Alumi Blast on the valve cover and IM. I'll probably do the oil pan as well so I can find leaks easier. It looks pretty close to brand new cast aluminum.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1455997750

The headlights are in. I still need to file all the cut edges smooth, do cleanup, and mount the wiring, balasts, and turn signals.
https://i.imgur.com/bwbHW1S.jpg

Nice, looks like you got yours in there with a lot less cutting than I did. Looks good!

There is a nut welded into the underside of the support bar that was in the way. Instead of cutting all of that out I just drilled it out (that's the fresh 1/2" hole).

The headlights and turn signals are wired and functional. The little plastic panel that holds the turn signal will get replaced with carbon plate:


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1458593316

I didn't weigh what was cut out of the car or the singular headlight lid brackets - I would guess the headlight lids brackets are only slightly heavier than the steel I removed. Final weight savings ends up being 14.7lb:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1458593316

The 3 wire LED turn signals I got are intended to be run at half power for marker lamps and then toggle between 50% and 100% for turn signal operation. It is really hard to see the difference between 100% and 50% during the daytime so I am going to have to wire in a second set and get rid of the marker function. Everything else is finished:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1458655732

The lights look so much better coming from the turn signals IMO

Looks great!

I just added up everything that I bought, total cost was around $200. I wasn't able to sell my headlight motors.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1458656771

Sold my headlight motors on ebay for like $50 each or something.

Do you have a link for the Singular headlight door brackets? I couldn't find them on their website....

I think you have to ask for them. I found this out too late.

I didn't think the small turn signals were visible enough. They are too far back so you can't see them from the side at all. I copied Aidan and did this: