More poor life choices #3(and possibly #4)

I took the Miata to cars & coffee this morning, didn’t even bother to wipe my greasy fingerprints off first. Needless to say I didn’t draw a crowd - no other Miatas would park next to me either. 

There were a couple interesting cars, and I talked to a Tesla owner for quite a while, which was cool. 

In reply to Pete Gossett :

I saw air brushed hood and instantly thought Vette before I saw the C3 clues. 

In reply to Stampie :

Yeah, I really need to become friends with an airbrush artist. 

After C&C I stopped my Walmart & picked up a $7 cutting board per Pat’s suggestion. I got the first spacer completed & the second one started tonight. 

I really need a bandsaw... Other than that, it’s not too bad a job. 

I’ve probably put about 30-miles on the car so far, and I’m really happy I went with the 800/600 springs. The ride isn’t harsh at all, and I don’t feel any drastic difference between these rates and the 450/325(iirc) I had on my 94. Even on these crappy old Fusion all-seasons there’s no drama - it turns in, takes set, and isn’t upset by mid-corner bumps. 

Did uou guys guys know Miatas are really really fun to drive?

Did you guys guys know Miatas are really really fun to drive?

I just put 60 miles on the Despec'd Miata, It wasn't supposed to be that long of a trip, but heck, Miata's are fun to drive...

Bent-Valve said:

 

Did you guys guys know Miatas are really really fun to drive?

I just put 60 miles on the Despec'd Miata, It wasn't supposed to be that long of a trip, but heck, Miata's are fun to drive...

 

If only I'd fit in one!

Ovid_and_Flem said:

Bent-Valve said:

 

Did you guys guys know Miatas are really really fun to drive?

I just put 60 miles on the Despec'd Miata, It wasn't supposed to be that long of a trip, but heck, Miata's are fun to drive...

 

If only I'd fit in one!

Im 6'4 290lbs and I DD one for years..... 

Ovid_and_Flem said:

Bent-Valve said:

 

Did you guys guys know Miatas are really really fun to drive?

I just put 60 miles on the Despec'd Miata, It wasn't supposed to be that long of a trip, but heck, Miata's are fun to drive...

 

If only I'd fit in one!

Maybe you could wear it like a tutu instead? 

I took the Miata to run errands at lunch, and was surprised to see the radio faceplate come flying out from underneath the driver’s seat. It lights up, but I don’t hear any sound, nor could I see anything on the display. I’d planned on removing the radio anyway, so I doubt I’ll put much time into figuring it out. 

Edit: Oh, and I cleared the RR crossing by my house without bottoming out. That may not seem like much, but busses/trucks/trailers getting stuck on the crossings in town is a weekly occurrence at times. 

Pete Gossett said:

Did uou guys guys know Miatas are really really fun to drive?

Never heard that. Which is why I own two of the things ).

I went out before work & finished the other spacer, then did a topside test fit. It looks like everything lines up ok. 

I went out at lunch & thought I’d check the drains for the top. I’d put the top down on Friday & noticed the driver’s side didn’t seem to go down as far as the passenger’s side. When I pulled the top up slightly to see the drains, I found this was underneath. 

Unopened. And expired 11/16. Good thing I wouldn’t have drank it anyway. 

In reply to Pete Gossett :

Given that it's a Miata I'm surprised it wasn't a strawberry wine cooler

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem :

Lol! Truth...

In reply to Pete Gossett :

Let me hear you say "WHEEEEEEEEEEE"

I got the timing set after work. Unfortunately it was raining & I didn’t want to risk rolling up the windows before I have a chance to overhaul the regulators, so a test drive will have to wait. 

Oh, and this arrived yesterday. The header should be here this afternoon. 

The header arrived. For being $73 on eBay(even cheaper with the 20%-off code) it appears decently built. 

Im curious to see if it actually fits the car...

the 2 cheapo ebay ones I have installed have fit pretty well.

In reply to Professor_Brap :

Thanks, that’s reassuring!

I got the oe cat, downpipe & manifold removed easily enough. The cat sounds like a can of rocks, so it’s definitely past due for replacement. 

I started trying to fit the header. The first problem I noticed was the O2 sensor being back further required me to splice about 18” into its wire. 

The second problem was that all-4 outer holes were inset just a bit too much for the header to clear the studs. After a bit of trial & error I figured out a way to bore them out on my drill press. I got the front 2 holes done, but it wasn’t quite enough clearance, so I’ll do the rear 2 tomorrow. 

I forgot to post this pic last night - my C-clamp survived ~50 miles of driving/flogging and was still securely clamped to the cat & downpipe. 

I worked on enlarging the header mounting flange holes a bit this morning, but I still need about 1mm more clearance. Unfortunately no garage time tonight, but I’ll try to get back out tomorrow. 

The header is in, cat bolted up & exhaust all back together, but it was a goddamn fight the whole way. 

It took about 4 hours total to get the header bolt holes elongated enough so it would fit, though that was partly because I really didn’t have a good method for it or the right size/type of bits. 

The good news is there was plenty of room to thread in the O2 sensor. However, the outlet flange on the header didn’t really line up w/the cat. 

I did get it all bolted together, and it just barely clears the PPF. The whole thing is under tension though, so I wonder how long it’ll last before it cracks. It’s pretty quiet, but had a decent tone. I might replace the stock muffler w/a cherry bomb or similar. 

Even with all the effort, ~$60 vs $300-$500 is still a no-brainer to me. 

Check to make sure that you have the cat oriented correctly. Everything will bolt up with it reversed, but it will fit much better if it's right. Of course, it very well could be your header.

When's your first autocross in this thing? Looks like you're getting close!

In reply to cmcgregor :

Thanks! I tried the cat both directions, but this was the only direction I could get it close to aligned. 

I was hoping to get a set of wheels/tires before I autox it. I have a line on a $100 set of 15” wheels, but the seller doesn’t know the width, and is using one as a spare on his car now, and doesn’t have the money to replace the tire on his other wheel. There’s an autox next Sunday though, so I’ll keep tabs on the weather & might head over.