New Newbie - 1993 Black & Tan

I've lurked here a while, and made a few posts already, but haven't introduced myself. I've been a Miata fan ever since I read an article by Dennis Simanaitis in Road & Track, the same issue that introduced the 'new' 300ZX (Even in my hormonally driven and horsepower-lusting teens, I could clearly see that car for the overweight chunk that it was). In spite of the 300 hp red Z which was the main feature of the issue, I was taken by the tiny blue roadster which took 2nd billing.

It wasn't until I was 24 that I was able to own one, a brand spanking new 2000 red/tan LS, which was my first new car. I lived in Farmington NM, at the time, and spent all my days off driving hwy 550 and all the backroads of SW Colorado. I only had it a little over a year (and 35,000 miles) before life took over and I had to trade it for something more useful.

I've been plotting a replacement ever since, even collecting parts for an NA. I looked long and hard at several 1992 and 1993 SE's (my favorites), but some were too far gone, and others were in very good condition (and unfortunately priced accordingly). Maybe someday... So here is what I finally pulled the trigger on, a 1993 B&T, in all her cheap-ass craigslist glory, on the night I brought her home late Feb:

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/t...5/100_1242.jpg

She's has some dents, a baaaaad top, bad seats, bad shocks, bad lots of things. In the short time I've had her, I've replaced all the plastic (air guide and belly pan) behind the front bumper, installed the OEM front lip (the rear is waiting on me to center the exhaust) I've been hoarding for years, replaced nearly all fluids, replaced shifter boots, added mats, and just generally have done a lot of cleaning.

The interior (except for seat leather and top) is in good shape.
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/t...5/100_1253.jpg

Underhood exactly as I got it (the car was generally neglected cosmetically, but very well maintained mechanically):
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/t...5/100_1256.jpg

Working on cars is more fun when beer brewing is involved:
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/t...5/100_1254.jpg

Once I got the air guide and belly pan on, I installed the front lip which, to my wife's consternation, has been under the bed for 5 or 6 years. The first thing my wife said when I showed it to her on the car was "When will the rear one be out of the house?" Clearly- not a fan. I got the set from Rosenthal when the last of the OEMs were running out:
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/t...5/DSC00343.jpg

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/t...5/DSC00337.jpg

Future plans are (in no particular order): rebuild the brakes; install suspension & get an alignment; new leather and top; and then install these with new tires after I'm done polishing them:
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/t...5/DSC00351.jpg

The brake rebuild and suspension I'm in no hurry to get to because I can't bear to put the car on jackstands for any extended period of time. Probably wait until winter (and Christmas bonus) to do the rest, honestly. It's completely driveable right now, but I'd like to take it to a driving school eventually, and I really don't think it's ready for that (shot shocks, old mismatched tires, and occasional brake-related 'clunks').

There's some bodywork that I need to get done, and some I'd like to get done. But I'm not sure how far I want to go down that path. It's 16 years old, and lived a hard life. I struggle with the concept of a paint job that will cost more than (my) purchase price, and before anyone chimes in with cheap alternatives, understand one of my faults is that I don't do compromises very well. I can live with a sub-par condition, but when it comes time to repair/restore, I tend to go all the way, it's all I'm really happy with. If this car ever gets bodywork and paint, it will be done right. As of now, I don't think the car is worth that kind of money. Maybe that will change someday...

I'm sure I've forgotten some very important details, but oh well. I'm in south Fort Worth in Summer Creek Ranch, and always down with wrenching (as long as family constraints allow!).

If you've read this far, I'm impressed with your attention span!

Welcome to the madness! What kind of beer do you brew?

Welcome aboard!

Congrats. I was raised in Albuquerque, but was into 4 wheeling and didn't get to enjoy the curves.

Welcome! Nice looking car!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sharpie

Congrats. I was raised in Albuquerque, but was into 4 wheeling and didn't get to enjoy the curves.

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I worked for an oilfield services company (the blue one) when I lived in Farmington, and my best friend and drinking buddy was my operator (he drove the big truck and did most of the hard work on location), a Navajo named Curley. He was huge into low budget 4wd and rock crawling. He had a stripped '84 Blazer. The thing I remember most fighteningly was a spool in the rear axle. That thing was hell on the road--borderline undriveable, but a beast on trails. Typical of his atypical (for a Navajo) personality, it was his daily driver.

One of my work trucks was a 3/4 ton Dodge with a Cummins engine and manual transmission, which the company outfitted with Yokohama Geolander M/T's. In the winter and spring, the lease roads were so bad that we'd have to chain up. I did not like my actual job, but man, did I hate to lose access to the trucks and the lease roads. I could put that truck in first (actually 2nd, but 1st was an unusable-in-normal-driving granny) and idle up a muddy mountain road that was so slick and steep that you couldn't stand on it. It was unstoppable. My other work truck was a new POS 3/4 ton Silverado. Chevy IFS 4WDs sit low, so we had to get it lifted, which, as it turns out, doesn't gain clearance with IFS (the whole assembly is dropped down from the chassis and acts like a plow, I called the truck Mr. Plow). That thing was a turd which got stuck in the mud countless times. I still curse that piece of crap. But it was still fun, hard to describe. Going to and coming from the jobs is what made the job bearable.

If I stayed in that part of the country, 4WD/Rockcrawling is an expen$ive but fun hobby that I definitely would have gotten involved in.

To hell with the NA.....WHAT ABOUT THE BEER????????:D

Welcome. Nice black and tan!

Welcome. Nice novel ;)

Actually better than most. Good to see you can type and speel.

Welcome. I second what onething said. We really enjoy gud spaling.::Clown::

As far as the beer goes, I stick to pale ales since they're fairly easy to do and (with all the hops and aggresive, forgiving yeasts) are hard to screw up. The beer in the picture was an extremely hoppy IPA. In simple terms, there's a theoretical limit as to how much you can hop a beer and still taste the difference, and I brewed this one to see how close I could get. It's a good beer, but it certainly isn't as hoppy as the calculations indicated it should have been. It is strong as all get-out, though. I only drink one at a time and then move on to something else. Two is too much.

Thanks for the replies. I see a lot of get-togethers are on the north side of FW. Are there any folks who get together in central or south FW? This looks like a pretty cool forum.

Welcome, and you can bring some of that Beer up to TMS anytime.
Not only do we like Beer, we also have 2 93LE's and a '92 BnT.
I like my beer and Miata's Dark! ;)

Welcome aboard. Nice car and you have a friend in Miata Solutions if you find you need help with the body/paint work.

How are you going to polish those wheels? Are you going to do it yourself or have someone do it for you? I have thought about polishing mine. Didn't know how hard it was or how hard it is to maintain...

Welcome

Welcome to the group