Any of you guys been to Istanbul?
 

That's where I live..

Hello from Istanbul, Turkey..

I have a '98 red NB, my second one after a '99 silver (bone stock) I used to drive in the US.
Decided to make this one faster - even though the European version is decidedly faster than its US counterparts - and took the S/C road.

I do all the work on the car myself with the exception of oil changes. No labor charge for oil changes around here!

http://www.mazdaclubtr.com/forum/gal...6_17_50_2.jpeg

http://www.mazdaclubtr.com/forum/gal...6_17_48_0.jpeg

http://www.mazdaclubtr.com/forum/gal...9_2_06_51.jpeg

Welcome

welcome. nice nb. are those projectors retrofitted? They look great

Nice username, and watch out for that house thats about to fall onto your car.

Welcome. Those headlights look sharp. Any more info on those?

I used to have a friend from Turkey, he would tell me how amazing it is to live there. Everyone is so polite and helpful. Nothing like here. Said he once road a train, and left a radio there. Only to have it returned to him several hours later at a different location.

No, but I've been to Constantinople...

Can't read that without thinking of: YouTube - Tiny Toons - Istanbul

Thanks, and yes I made the headlight conversion.

I used a pair of E55 Mercedes Benz Bi-Xenon projectors, bought a D2S HID kit, took the headlights apart and started hacking..
Actually I had to plan everything in pretty fine detail because I did not want to screw the headlights up to the point of no return and pay what I consider to be a small fortune for replacement headlights.
I also prefer the much brighter light the projectors give off, too. The Bi-Xenons have hi and low beams.
I hooked them up using an entirely independent power circuit with relays and individual fuses. What had been powering the halogens are now just merely triggering that power circuit I built in. There is less load on the main circuit that way.
Parking lights are built into the main headlight housing around here, so I relocated them to where they are in the DOT spec setup, with the turn signals just inboard of the headlights.
I am using 6K bulbs now, that's because those came with the kit. I will buy the 4100s when they go. They are much brighter.

Thanks.. I have had this username since the very first day I started posting online.
That was what I was called - as an insult - for being an atheist, and I liked it.

I live in a neighbohood that has been around, literally, since the late 14th century. Lots of interesting structures, some too fragile, like the one in the picture. I couldn't resist the contrast, and parked the car there to snap a few frames.

I gave some info on the headlights a couple posts up..
I have tons of "the making of" pics if you guys would be interested.

A world without religion would be a better place.
Welcome neighbour.

I'd love to see your project pictures!

Spread the godless love around. :)

Damn right, komshu..

Look me up if you ever find yourself on this side of the border..

Welcome. Nice to see a newer person who isn't a useless slug.

Have to say I'd really love to visit where you live because sadly I've never been outside this country. Always heard there are some really beautiful places out there to see. Might visit one day when time and money present the opportunity. If memory serves you're not the only one from Turkey on this board, and I know there is also someone from Athens aswell. Pretty cool!!


Nice retro on those headlights, btw. You didn't happen to photo document that?

Thanks for the shocking compliments!

You know, I did live in the US for a bit, and found it truly amazing that the vast majority of the American people vever travel. (Flying home on thanksgiving does not count as traveling in my book.) The whole world lives on fractions of the mighty dollar (with a few exceptions like Tokyo), nearly everyone on the planet either speak or at least are able to express themselves in English, The US passport is able to travel most anywhere with no questions asked, US embassies the world over bend over backwards to assist US citizens, and the dollar stretches waaay more outside the US.
I know all these, because those happen to be my experiences. I carry a US passport.

Anyway..

Should I post all the retrofit pics here, or should I start a new thread?

Not sure if its just part of American culture but you are correct. Not very many people I know personally have ever left US soil.. My grandparents on both sides of my family were born in different countries yet most of my family has yet to leave the states also with the exception of my Father, both his Sisters and one brother. They all took a trip in 1988 back to Germany while they were tearing the wall down.

It wouldn't be a big surprise to learn how many people completely take everything they're given, handed, and even things they're allowed to earn for granted, which is part of what pisses me off so much how some of these politicians want to change the country for what THEY consider is better. Like all these American hating celebrities we have over here (Rosey Odonnel, Sean Penn, etc..) who also hate Capitalism and basically everything the United States stand for... Yet they're more than happy to be fucking millionaires off the backs of hard working American citizens?? If they're so unhappy here why not just give the money back and get the fuck out of my country? Thats another thing that really pisses me off they just want to give amnesty to everyone who is in the country 'illegally' and just let it happen. Thats not how laws of any place work! You can't just break the law and someone say, "oh, its okay.. You were just doing what you thought was best for your family." I'm COMPLETELY for people coming here to make better, but follow the rules and do it properly. My Grandparents did it, millions of others did it. Just GIVING People citizenship without any cost, sacrifice, or proper procedure is basically pissing on the graves of my past family members to me. Not only did my mothers Father immigrate here from Europe, he joined the USMC and returned to fight Japan during WWII. Took home a Purple Heart and facial disfigurement from that trip.

Great example of this is my best friend in College got tired of the Bush's and what the US turned into, so he packed his hit and moved to Seoul South Korea. This guys got a PhD in some sort of Education field (kind of useless but I digress..) and was making some fairly good money over there as an English teacher for younger school children. Really enjoyed what he did, met a Western Woman who was also teaching over there, got married... Recently they moved back to the States. Found it kind of funny, asked him why and his answer was pretty simple and very obvious. Western people in the area he was living were treated like complete garbage. Pretty sad, but considering the area and history I can't blame them too much.. The fellow is pretty lucky IMO taken the opportunity to live elsewhere for a while.

Didn't mean to make this about anything political that was not my point, only that I believe it would better people to see other places in more than one way. Different cultures, lifestyles, living conditions, etc. Personally can't wait to get my ass over to Europe soon! Thats my goal in the next 10 years to take a 2 week vacation over there.

More digression.. haha. Actually I think you should start a new thread for your writeup about the headlights. If I owned an NB that retrofit would be something of great interest! ;)

I did... ;)

https://www.miataturbo.net/forum/t39060/#post453077

I completely understand your point about those who enter the country illegally and suck the welfare system dry, btw.
While that issue needs to be addressed , there is also that bullshit cause called the DHS. They are turning an entire nation into a police state, and they are giving the term "scare tactics" a new name while doing that.

Anyway, the build thread is up. Enjoy:wavey:

Very nice! Welcome

To be honest I think the US is kinda screwed when it comes to travel. We have Mexico and Canada. I'm not all that excited to travel to either one. To go else where it is a major PITA.

It's one thing to get in your car and take a 8 hour road trip through multiple countries. But to get in a plane, fly 14 hours through multiple time zones, is just not something many Americans consider vacation.

Plus the US is so big, you could spend a lifetime traveling and never see everything worth seeing here.

I still agree though, more people should take the opportunity to travel to another country if they have the chance, even if it is just once. I'm gonna count Afghanistan as my one travel outside the US though :p Although I guess I have technically been to Germany, Ireland, Kuwait and Kurdistan as well.

I've been around. Spent some time in Spain, the UK, France, and Italy.

Let me say this. Many of the places I have been are amazing, with no analogs anywhere else in the world. But many of them were also pretty generic.

If I lived in the UK, I could see travel being necessary. If I want to go to the mountains, I'm going to Switzerland. If I lived in the US, I go to Colorado or Tennessee. If I wanted a beach in the UK, I might travel down to Spain. In the US, I go to Florida.

The US is such a large territory, that we have an amazing amount of geographical diversity. We lack for cultural diversity, but I can see why people live their whole lives without ever feeling a need to leave "home".

Jimminy, you took my car, washed it and put on side marker lights. It's uncanny.

Also, we didn't get a "98". Did you have 3 years of non-VVT NB in europe?

Damn, I though the wash job would disguise the car.. You are not getting it back, man.

Seriously, post a pic of your car.

As for the "98" thing, I guess Mazda decided to skip that year model in the US only. Mine is almost identical to the US '99, but was released in late 1998.

I say almost identical because:
This one was way faster than my silver '99 I used to own in the US. The engine has a much better intake cam, the exhaust is not at all as restrictive, and (even thouf it is not the sports package) has a much better suspension.
Hardtop comes standard, along with a nifty header setup, ABS, driver adjustable headlights and power windows.

The stock engine, wlth stock everthing yielded 121.8 WHp on a baseline dyno run before I started my modifications. Comparable stock US cars see between 105 to 110. And, that run was with old oil, dirty filters, worn plugs and wires..

It also has a 4.1 rear end as opposed to the 4.3 on your side of the water.
A guy from Finland said the 10AE came with 3.63 even.

Also, people are shocked to hear how much I paid for the car. They say I practically stole it.

I paid $20.000 for it in december 2005. A new 2005 at the time was $55K.

Huh. Not bad. Interesting on the cams. I wonder how the cams compare to the MSM cams, I know they are more aggressive, and yes, my MSM head seems almost as good as my ported, polished, +1mm '00 head (us spec). That head had quite a bit of work into it and going to the MSM wasn't the step down I expected.

I'm trying desperately to decide between a '00 head (easy to improve) and a '01 head, since the cams are better.

I have the 4.3 I think and I'm swapping it for the 6 speed 3.63 set up soon as I get the new motor done and put in all the new parts in the tranny.

First set of lowering springs:
http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/54091264_F73Uu-M.jpg

Front lowering springs only, read stock:
http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/54091073_cJHaf-M-1.jpg

More recent:
http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/100000081_sJ9Kg-M.jpg

No other reason than I like the picture:
http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/49933946_VWx6b-M-1.jpg

Nice NB, I like the headlight conversion too.

I can relate. So many think that atheism is something to be ashamed of, like if you mention that you are one you're somehow a dick and trying to offend someone. At least that's the vibe I've gotten the few times that I've mentioned it. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to argue about creationism with my mother-in-law after all... :facepalm:

If you haven't seen it already, google "flying spaghetti monster". It's a great read!

BTW, FRT_Fun - Where do you consider Kurdistan to be? It's not a legitimate country yet. Did you mean Kyrgyzstan?

DAMN!
This is the picture I wish I could have taken...
Details?

There was a lightning storm some time after I'd gotten my camera, and I'd always wanted to take some pics. Got some great ones of the lightning on it's own, then I thought, hey I should get my can in some.

So, I just sat out in the pouring rain with my camera perched on a folding kitchen chair for hours and hours and hours and snapped a few awesome pics. Camera fell over, got water inside of it, wouldn't change it! Totally fun though one bolt hit a lightpole close enough to me to be pretty scary!

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/49933971_k8TSj-L-1.jpg

Check out more pics here:
Lightning Shots - AbeFM's Photos

More Miata stuff here:
AbeFM's Photos : Miata
(The majority is under "modifications)

More lightning shots here:
Lightning Shots - AbeFM's Photos