Hi! My name is Midnight

[Titus]

Shelley asked me the same thing last night! I guess I should. Maybe Sunny #2 and the 93LE. I've also got Morris' 90 silver in the barn, that should go too.

Dang... Fire sale!

[channelmaniac]

Which car are you keeping for the Spec racer? Is that the red one you were working on?

[MadMerv]

Which car are you keeping for the Spec racer? Is that the red one you were working on?

Yup
...and the 95 Laguna Blue....
It's always nice to have a backup :)

[channelmaniac]

Cool. What needs to be done to finish it?

When I get mine back I'll still have a list, but it will be shorter.

Speaking of which, do you have a couple of parts I need?

1 - The curved metal panel that goes under the rear deck carpeting? I need to put that back on mine - the old one was cut for speakers and a roll bar.

2 - The ECU cover panel for a 90-93. Mine is all rusted up.

[MadMerv]

Cool. What needs to be done to finish it?

When I get mine back I'll still have a list, but it will be shorter.

Speaking of which, do you have a couple of parts I need?

1 - The curved metal panel that goes under the rear deck carpeting? I need to put that back on mine - the old one was cut for speakers and a roll bar.

2 - The ECU cover panel for a 90-93. Mine is all rusted up.

There has been nothing done on my SM for a year. Gotta get the cage welded then put it all back together.....CAREFULLY! I'm sure I have what you need :)

[channelmaniac]

There has been nothing done on my SM for a year. Gotta get the cage welded then put it all back together.....CAREFULLY! I'm sure I have what you need :)

You got PM.

[Sharpie]

Sorry Merv, M1's are off the list. You can keep all those. I was thinking the . The mini has a back seat.

[MadMerv]

Sorry Merv, M1's are off the list. You can keep all those. I was thinking the . The mini has a back seat.

The Mini is not my car, and I think you would have a hard time prying it away from Shelley.......

[POS Racing]

Well Merv when are going to Odessa???

[MadMerv]

Well Merv when are going to Odessa???

Monday.....

[juxt3r]

Dang... Fire sale!

Fire sale at Merv's place...with cars involved? I'm sooooo there!

Congrats on the new family member, Merv!

[channelmaniac]

CAREFULLY! I'm sure I have what you need :)

Thanks for the parts Merv, I really appreciate it!

BTW guys, if you haven't seen Merv's weekend estate, it very nice.

[POS Racing]

Well Merv when are going to Odessa???

Well are ya back in North Texas yet??

What do you think of the NC???

[Treibenschnell]

Yeah, no kidding, where's the update?

[MadMerv]

Well are ya back in North Texas yet??

What do you think of the NC???

It was a long day of boring driving, but we made it out there at 11:30AM. We left at 1PM, stopped for a nice, early dinner, and were home at 6:30. Six hundred and twenty-two miles in the SIX, and half that in Midnight......30MPG at 75. It is a very nice car. I checked it out, top to bottom, at the dealership and found nothing but a scratch on the trunck lid and a ding at the corner of the passenger headlight assembly. It had 226 miles on the odometer, from May 23 to Dec 08.

So far, the 6-speed seems useless. Just an extra cog between 1st and 2nd, then 3rd to 6th is just 2nd to 5th in a normal Miata. The gauges seem smaller, and it's difficult to decipher all the arrows on the HVAC system, but I do like the set of vents below the AC vents, for heat. Radio/speakers are lousy. Seemed to be lots of tire noise once I put the top up, but that may just be because the car is quieter. Love the brakes, and the power, but I'm not used to the clutch feel, or maybe it's just the fact that the gears are closer together and I'm not matching the revs well.

Triple black is really pretty, when it's clean, but the car loses some definition in the shadows/dark. The headlights are AWESOME. Low beams are vey wide and have a very distinct horizontal line at the top. High beams just seem to light up the world! Seats hve nice bolsters and sit a bit lower. Luckily, the tilt wheel comes down enough to keep it out of forward vision and not lose any gauge visibility.

Overall, it is STILL a Miata. It's just refined a bit and the sounds are different, but if it was still a 5-speed, the transition would be seemless. We'll see what it feels like at MSR after I get a few more miles on it. That, will tell "the rest of the story........."

[Treibenschnell]

So when will we be doing the transmission swap?

[Radio-Active]

Congrats on the new car. If I would have known that you were leaving that late, I would have taken off with you. Eldorado has my car in for top replacement and I was stuck in a Lincoln Towncar. I told them to make sure to take their time and do it right.

[black roadster]

Your description of the 6-speed is exactly my experience with the 10AE with the 6-speed. In some ways it was a problem on the track. More shifting than in the 5-speed. You drove my 10AE on the track. Do you remember it?

I'll be interested to here your feed back after a few miles and a visit to MSR. Will you keep it stock until you visit the track or will you be changing things immediately?

[MadMerv]

I NEVER make changes without a baseline with backup testing! The car stays just as it sits until......well, you know the answer:

OK, everyone , all together now:
When I get the house finished and sold"!!!!!!

I don't really remember the 10AE other than the fact that I drove it. I actually expect it to better on the track because it should be easier to keep in the power band with the extra gear. It's just unnecessary on the street.

[Sharpie]

Very cool Merv! After the house sells, I see some mazdaspeed springs in your future They look so good lowered. Congrats!

Sorry you had to visit Odessa. Great people, but I lived there for 5 years and don't miss it a bit.