New to the Miata - Allen, TX

Hey folks, just picked up a '93 Red Miata for the wife to offset the 12MPG Durango she's been driving to nursing school. The car has dings here and there (pretty much every panel has a minor ding). A peek inside the engine bay and the interior and you can tell the previous owner cared about the car. I bought it from a 3rd party so I don't know when the last timing belt, water pump, and pulley change was performed. A quick look at the belts indicates they were replaced recently.

Currently wrapping up the Mitsu 3000GT project... at least the phase I have been working on... those cars are a constant work in progress. Just wrapping up the interior with new reverse glo dash gauges and Prosport EVO pod gauges. Luckily, I bought with a 3.5L engine swap with rebuilt heads and upgraded cams. It's an NA, but runs like a bat out Hell.

First order of business for the Miata: FI! Holy smokes it's embarassing getting passed by a Prius. Gonna just pay the money and go with the kit from FM rather than trying to piece meal an eBay kit together. This is for the wife, so need something reliable. Planning on taking care of that this summer along with an exhaust upgrade.

Second order of business: Suspension. It's okay as it stands now, but it looks like it has surpassed it's intended life cycle. So, going with coilovers along with sway bars.

Third order of business: Paint and body. I want this to be a sleeper, so nothing fancy outside of a top upgrade to a glass window. No body kit. Possibly a louvered hood to introduce more air into the engine bay. Just repair the dents and repaint. This way that unsuspecting Prius won't see it coming!! Any feedback on a good shop or individual not into gouging their customer would be appreciated.

Any advice, feedback, or words of encouragement are welcome!

Sorry for the fuzziness. Taken with Blackberry... to lazy to break out the digital camera and deal with transferring photos.

Relatively new tan top... guess the guy got a deal on the tan as I believe it should be black to match the interior.
http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/...iata/Front.jpg

http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/...Miata/Rear.jpg

Yes, that is the original factory radio... already replaced the front speakers with a nice set of Alpines... factory ones were trashed. Torn on leaving the radio in... want hands free bluetooth for the wife since it is a standard, but like the fact the interior hasn't been touched.
http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/...a/Interior.jpg

Pretty clean engine bay. Need to hit it with Scrubbing Bubbles and some C-2 to shine it up a bit.
http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/.../EngineBay.jpg

Welcome to the miata and to the board.

Welcome. thats funny i just got rid of my 14mpg dakota to get a miata

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Originally Posted by lawmaster891

Welcome. thats funny i just got rid of my 14mpg dakota to get a miata

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If I didn't have a boat, wife, 2 kids and a large dog, the Durango would be history. The other three cars are an 06 Sentra (my DD for gas mileage), 94 3000GT (will be the boy's DD in a couple of weeks), and the 93 Miata (wife's new DD).

Welcome aboard....we need pictures or your car does not exist!
;)

PS - Pulp Fiction is one of my all time favorite movies!

welcome to the party!

Welcome... you might talk to Gary @ TrackDog (in Garland) about supercharger kits. He's local and if you have issues it's nice having someone local that can fix it for you (or help you diagnose).

For bodywork, there's Rogue (out west of the metromess) and Greg (can't remember his s/n) who owns a Maaco (find his thread by searching, his work looked pretty good).

I'd recommend a roll bar (hard dog, double diagonal) for safety and to stiffen things up, but that will preclude you from running the glass windowed top... Save money on the top to spend on the roll bar :D

Check the diff too... a torsen will really make things better.

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Originally Posted by sammm

Welcome aboard....we need pictures or your car does not exist!
;)

PS - Pulp Fiction is one of my all time favorite movies!

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Pictures are coming.

Good to know someone gets the reference! You callin' in The Wulfe?

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Originally Posted by goofygrin

Welcome... you might talk to Gary @ TrackDog (in Garland) about supercharger kits. He's local and if you have issues it's nice having someone local that can fix it for you (or help you diagnose).

For bodywork, there's Rogue (out west of the metromess) and Greg (can't remember his s/n) who owns a Maaco (find his thread by searching, his work looked pretty good).

I'd recommend a roll bar (hard dog, double diagonal) for safety and to stiffen things up, but that will preclude you from running the glass windowed top... Save money on the top to spend on the roll bar :D

Check the diff too... a torsen will really make things better.

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Was planning on the diff and clutch upgrades to handle the turbo even though I plan on keeping it around 150HP. Would rather be safe than push the limits of the stock setup.

I hate plastic windows... and I do mean hate... I hear you on the rollbar... but I really, really hate plastic windows.

Hard. Top. :)

Welcome!

Pictures.

Also, if there is anybody in the Plano/Allen/Frisco area that has been there and done that with these cars, would appreciate a once over for anything that needs immediate attention. I suck at diagnosing until there is an actual failure. Once it's broke, it is usually pretty obvious. Since this will be a daily driver for the wife, I would prefer to get a jump on anything that appears to need correction prior to failure and prior to tackling the fun stuff.

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Originally Posted by goofygrin

Hard. Top. :)

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I love them, but the wife doesn't want to have to jack with storing it.

Because you are not 100% certain when the waterpump/timing belt/timing belt tensioners were done, I would suggest you swap them out first. And you may as well do them at the same time as you have to dismantle half the engine compartment to get at them.

The nice thing about the Miata is that a broken timing belt will just leave you stuck on the side of the road. It normally does not damage the engine as it is a non interfereance design.

Start with the basics....fresh fluids (brake, tranny, diff, oil/filter). Belts & hoses next.

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Originally Posted by HudsonHawk

Because you are not 100% certain when the waterpump/timing belt/timing belt tensioners were done, I would suggest you swap them out first. And you may as well do them at the same time as you have to dismantle half the engine compartment to get at them.

The nice thing about the Miata is that a broken timing belt will just leave you stuck on the side of the road. It normally does not damage the engine as it is a non interfereance design.

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That's the first thing I read up on before buying the Miata and have been contemplating it as it appears to be much less stressful than the 3000GT. The seller said he would contact the owner and see if he had any info on the last timing belt change. Definitely a must on the 3000GT or you pay the price with a spun bearing and a dead engine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sammm

Start with the basics....fresh fluids (brake, tranny, diff, oil/filter). Belts & hoses next.

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Definitely plan on all the fluids (including the engine flush I read about -- although she just ticks on start up) and hoses within the next week or two. Belts still have print on them, so they are relatively new. Will review the brakes and lines as well. Plan on upgrading the lines to steel braided in the future unless forced to do early and possibly a big brake kit as the braking doesn't seem as strong as I would like. I guess I'm more concerned about bearings/hubs, CV/Axles, tie rods, and rack and pinion from a maintenance stand point. Having no history of documentation leaves me poking, prodding, and guessing. She drives great, just want to keep it that way... 179K miles.

Welcome. Even if you think your Miata is slower and gets worse fuel mileage than a Prius, you will get many, many more SMILES per gallon. Have fun with your (wife's) Miata.

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Originally Posted by cone-cerned

Have fun with your (wife's) Miata.

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You're on to me... just don't tell the wife.

Haha, I need to get my wife to learn how to drive a 5-speed so I can buy another miata for her. :-P

Edit: I mean me. :-D

Winston,

Give me a call at Track Dog Racing. 214-340-9797 (Ask for William)

We can look over the car and give you an idea of what it needs. I can also correct a few misconceptions I've seen in this thread, such as you CAN get a roll bar that works with a glass rear window. Also, be careful of the engine flush. Sometimes it makes things worse. We can also offer suggestions on performance modifications while still keeping the car a reliable daily driver.

If you prefer, just swing by the shop. We are located at the corner of Forrest and Plano Road. 11414 Chairman Drive, Dallas, TX 75243

William,

Thanks. I've read alot of great things about you folks from TDR in the forums prior to my purchase. I will give you a buzz tomorrow to setup a time/day to bring her in.

Thanks,
Winston

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Originally Posted by Strider

Haha, I need to get my wife to learn how to drive a 5-speed so I can buy another miata for her. :-P

Edit: I mean me. :-D

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I got lucky... the father-in-law taught my wife how to drive a stick before I met her... she still manged to burn up a clutch on her first car though... an Escort GT.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by goofygrin

Welcome... you might talk to Gary @ TrackDog (in Garland) about supercharger kits. He's local and if you have issues it's nice having someone local that can fix it for you (or help you diagnose).

For bodywork, there's Rogue (out west of the metromess) and Greg (can't remember his s/n) who owns a Maaco (find his thread by searching, his work looked pretty good).

I'd recommend a roll bar (hard dog, double diagonal) for safety and to stiffen things up, but that will preclude you from running the glass windowed top... Save money on the top to spend on the roll bar :D

Check the diff too... a torsen will really make things better.

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+1

Quote:

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Originally Posted by goofygrin

Welcome... you might talk to Gary @ TrackDog (in Garland) about supercharger kits. He's local and if you have issues it's nice having someone local that can fix it for you (or help you diagnose).

For bodywork, there's Rogue (out west of the metromess) and Greg (can't remember his s/n) who owns a Maaco (find his thread by searching, his work looked pretty good).

I'd recommend a roll bar (hard dog, double diagonal) for safety and to stiffen things up, but that will preclude you from running the glass windowed top... Save money on the top to spend on the roll bar :D

Check the diff too... a torsen will really make things better.

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I run a hard dog rollbar, and have a glass rear window soft top, do u can have both...just my 2 cents

Well before I had the chance to take the Miata in to William at TDR for an inspection, the water pump bearing began to make that awful noise. After waiting on a back ordered timing kit and water pump from Flyin' Miata, the parts are finally on their way (although delayed by a day due the disastrous weather yesterday -- my heart goes out to those who have been impacted).

I went ahead stripped everything down to just the timing belt and water pump. Antifreeze is dripping from water pump as suspected. Driver side front cam seal appears to be blown as well due to oil being caked up all over the front right of the block, A/C pump, and PS pump. Lots of cleaning to do while I wait on the parts.

Also noticed the lower timing cover was slightly warped and rubbing the idler pulley. Didn't order one of those, so going to try to apply some heat with a heat gun and warp it back into shape.

Finally got the timing belt kit and water pump from FM last night. Replaced the brake lines with braided steel lines while I waited on parts. Replaced vacuum hoses with silicone hoses. Assembled everything this morning and then changed the oil using Mobil 1 and a Wix filter. Oil pressure is perfect and the lifter tick at startup is now gone. Still need to replace the fuel filter, but will save that for tomorrow. Definitely going to replace the under panel with aftermarket aluminum version.