Crimea River? Isn't that in the Ukraine?

81°F? Damn in the winter? Fuck I dont want to sweat my balls off while working on the car. It only costs like $2/day to heat the garage, it would cost a whole bunch more to air condition it.

Well, sadly the car is currently stored in my fathers garage ... which is really nothing more than a drafty uninsulated barn, albeit a very nicely built one.

As others have stated, humidity can be a real drag. 38 degree and 78 degree days can render the garage unbearable with the right amount of humidity in the air ... April and October are generally great ;). This said, it's currently ski/hockey season which means mind and budget are not currently miata focused.

I do, however, need to purchase some sticky rubber. I'm currently debating whether I should be a cheap f_ck and try the Federal 595rsr or spend more $$$ for a more established brand/tire.

My short list (all 205/50-15):

- Federal 595rsr ($)
- Direzza ZII ($$)
- BFG Rival ($$)
- NT-01 ($$$)
- Maxxis RC1 ($$$)

My primary concern, other than budget, is having a tire which is well matched for my suspension setup and use (which is autox, occasional street driving/sunny commutes to work, local meets, etc.). I've got a RB hollow sway up front with 12kg Tein Monoflex (bought from Johnwag a few years back). I have 10kg springs as well which might go in if the 12kg prove to be unbearable. Regardless, I've got a pretty stiff/competent set up which would seen to warrant some seriously sticky rubber. I considered buying cycled SM7 Hoosiers as they're cheap and I can mount/balance for a case of beer; however, I opted out for fear of flats and harassment from the local PD.

Love those tungsten 6UL's! I would so replace my bronze ones for those.

Everyone rags on California for our smog... challenges. But it does have its advantages, like rocking a t-shirt all year.

Smog challenges? I focus my CA ragging on the endless sprawl of asphalt and burger joints, mediocre to terrible public schools in spite of high cost-of-living/taxes, and tech VCs with an inflated sense of self worth.

To be fair, I've yet to spend time north of The Bay Area ... which I hear is a bit more appealing to us new Englanders.

Palo Alto has some decent public schools if you can pony up the $4k/month for rent.

And yes, north of SF is fantastic. There are some amazing roads, and delicious wine!

Well, after much tire debate I ended up getting a set of 205/50-r15 RA1s from John Berget ... I thought his pricing was pretty fair and for the cost, I don't mind buying and mounting a set of 3/32nd scrubs every spring.

-Zach

who's coolant re-route are you using?
Thx

A combination of m-tuned parts and custom pieces. These pictures explain it best:

I used the m-tuned housing at the back of the head. I bought a silicone elbow from a common hose vendor (can't remember which one). The elbow had extra long "legs" so I was able cut and splice in a m-tune thermostat housing.

Attachment 238022

...from the m-tuned thermostat housing forward it becomes all custom. I ordered some aluminum tube and L extrusion from McMaster. I threw the tube on a metal lathe, cut to length, and machined in a step lip for better sealing. I then cut the L extrusion into a bracket using a metal bandsaw. I then had a local welder quickly tig the assembly (took him all of 10 minutes including some informal chatting).

The hose to the radiator is again a generic piece from a silicone supplier, though I did insert a SS spring to prevent the hose from collapsing.

Attachment 238023

I hate shit flopping around the engine bay, so I created the hard line. This said, plenty of people have done to same using just a single rubber or silicone hose (sans hard line) ... this approach honestly is easier, simpler, and removes a failure point. So ... don't do what I did.


...also, thanks for reminding me a own a miata. A miata which I should be working on.

Those single-wire spring clamps are a royal PITA. I would not ever want to replace the heater hose with those things. The OEM spring clamps are FAR better.

Looks awesome but are you ever going to drive your car again?

I'm hoping to find out in the next week or so whether the lender approves a short-sale property I put an offer on. If it does get approved, hopes on having the car running this spring are dashed due to all the not-so-fun aspects of closing/moving.

The good news is the house has a beautifully spacious and insulated attached garage, which means I would finally have the car under my roof and not 45-60 minutes away. This means the car WILL be running by summer/fall.

Good. Need more JAFRMs* on track molesting Porsches, Vettes and Stangs.

*Just Another F***ing Red Miata

Holy crap your engine is beautiful. Something to aspire to I guess...

You spelled "faded" wrong...

:rofl:

A very small nudge towards road worthiness ...

Attachment 237838

Front suspension is in! She's finally a roller ... and will hopefully be rolled into my new-to-me garage by the end of the month.

Attachment 237784
Attachment 237785

As stated on a previous page, the suspension components for wire brushed with an electric grinder and cheapo HF consumables. I then sprayed slightly thinned SEM Rustshield through a standard automotive spray gun. The paint finish appear to be pretty durable and has a great OEM look to it.

Poly steering rack mounts were added (the OEM rubber was a mushy mess) as well as new moog lower ball joints and R/LE outer tie rods. Rotors and brackets were "upgraded" to 1.8 units.

Bump for updates and a sub. Such a clean build.

Not updates of substance.

I closed on a house 12/23 and have been consumed by it. The good news is it has an insulated 2 bay garage ... which is huge seeing as I have been commuting 40+ minutes to my fathers garage for the past 5 years. Now I can walk down stairs, turn on the space heater, and get to work.