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Working on the Miata, part 2

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Ok so we left off with a few maintenance items done on the Miata. Here come more small stuff; we'll go over more general maintenance items, track preparation of sorts, and a little visual improvement as well. Foamectomy Like I mentioned, I had the intention of taking the little thing to the track. Now the Miata is a tiny little car. And not just on the outside. My head does not actually touch the canvas top normally but with the top down and a helmet, surely the topmost part of the helmet will protrude from the winshield edge. And track staff don't like that. Well, your head likes that even less when you flip over the car and end up taking the full weight of the car on it, and on your neck. Snap snap. Let me introduce you to the concept of the "broomstick test" The idea is to run a straight object such as a broomstick, from the top of the windshield to whatever it will rest on going towards the back. Do an image search on Google for "broomstick test"...
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Mondial CV Joint

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So by this time,  it's pretty clear that to me, part of the necessary bonding with any car I own is to do some work on it. You know, earning some mutual respect and stuff. So among the simpler tasks that were needed for the Mondial (what Mondial, you say? I'm not explaining here; let's just take the fact that a 1988 3.2 Mondial Cabriolet is in my garage as a given), there was the right hand side CV boot that was torn, letting the all important grease to come out and all sorts of dirt and debris to enter into the CV joint. Ferrari or no Ferrari, a freaking piece of rubber could not be that expensive. So for around 56 dollars I got the new boot and the two metal bands that secure it to the shaft and joint housing from Superformance UK. From what I read online, the absolute most frustrating part of the job was to get the 12 bolts that hold both ends of the driveshaft-joints assembly to the transmission and the wheel hub. I had the tools (except for the torch --you someti...
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Miata Timing Belt

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Right. As I've mentioned before, I had no service history for the Miata so I didn't know how old the belt was. So I went ahead and changed the timing belt, along with the reasonable accessories that go with it. Namely: timing belt water pump/alternator belt A/C and power steering belt tensioner and idler bearings water pump camshaft seals crankshaft seals thermostat housing o-ring water pump flange o-ring valve cover gasket I ordered most of the parts from Flyin' Miata and the water pump from Amazon. I also acquired a few tools from Flyin' Miata to make the job easier: cam locking tool (with bottle opener!) seal installers (for cam seals and long-nose crank seal) crankshaft locking tool (to be able to torque down the crankshaft bolt) All in all it was as tedious as I was expecting but ultimately I was able to do it. And that means almost anyone would be, if they're willing to. The procedure is well described in many a Miata forum so...
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Working on the Miata, part 1

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The Miata is old. Which means two things: it's cheap and it's simple. Both things play in favor of my intention of taking on more mechanical projects with the car. Interior and detailing be damned! I want some fun with engine, drivetrain, etc. The "cheap" aspect is twofold: both the parts should be relatively inexpensive, and if I screw up the max damage will have a low upper bound. The "simple" aspect is pretty straightforward: the engine bay is not super cramped like in the Z, and the technology is something more likely to be (1) understood by me and (2) serviceable by me, a total n00b. Here's a recount of all the stuff I've done to it. This is going to be a mega post, light on images but with links to the full albums if you're so inclined. Edit: this is just part 1, there will probably be a part 2 with other stuff I've worked on, if I'm not lazy. Let's get to it. Valve Cover Gasket I already mentioned the car was leak...
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The Roadster

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Following the departure of the Z, I find myself in search of the next "fun" car. I'm not saying the next project car, as I'm not sure I want to take on another restoration project. Not that I did such an extensive job with the 300zx but it was quite a bit of work. I was pretty sure a while back that the next one after the Z would be an E46 M3 , but I'm not so sure now. The convertible is not really admissible in several track day organizations and the coupe doesn't appeal to me that much. I've also been tempted with another one of my bucket list cars, an air cooled 911. In any case, I knew it would be a while and I still needed a car for normal driving, while I made up my mind and managed to save enough cash. So I needed something in between. And of course I wouldn't get a Prius or an Accord; I have a soul and want to keep it. Back to my bucket list, I knew I wanted to have a convertible at some point, and I love pop-up headlights. Also I'...
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Project 300zx [14] - Epilogue

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All stories must come to an end eventually. On 14 April 2014 I sold the Z. The new owner has an inent to finish restoring it and also plans to take it to the track occasionally. So it will continue to have a happy life! It's only fair to mention, before we close this chapter, some posts I wanted to make but never got around to. In no particular order: Aftermarket stereo : or maybe I did write about this? Can't remember. Anyway, after the OEM radio started to fail, and after trying out the other identical one I got from the previous owner which was even worse, I decided to get a new one. Not much to it, I went to crutchfield.com, picked one, ignored the warning from the site saying that the stereo wouldn't fit my car, since of course I know better, ordered it and installed it. It's a not-quite-basic one, at least with Bluetooth and HD radio. I also had to get some adapters for the wire harness (to avoid stripping and reconnecting wires) and the antenna adapter. Oh, a...
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