After building an off-road Miata and making a Miata into a truck, a lowrider is the next logical step lol.
As a product of the 80s and teen in the 90s, the Euro Lowrider as well as OG lowriders have always been intriguing.
Why a Miata? Well you see, the way my bank account is set up... 60s Impalas aren't in the cards. It just so happened, that I had a 1996 Miata in desperate need of some love.
The plan:
1. Wire wheels - must be 13x7 reverse
2. Suspension that goes up and down - Due to packaging constraints with Miata trunk size and ease of use Bags > Hydros
3. Tunes - lowriders have to have bump, right?
4. Paint - Gotta have bassboat flake
5. Make it shine under the hood.
What I've completed so far:
1. Wheels are on. This process presented it's own list of issues. Some were expected while others were a little more sneaky. Have you ever picked up a wire wheel and tire combo? Almost threw my back out on these monsters of unsprung weight. Oh well, it's for fun not racing. Running true knock offs presented a couple problems. 1. 4x100 is such a small diameter that the holes on the wheel adapter were sunk so far in that lug nuts had to be tightened with an open-end wrench. The adapter itself was so large on the brake mounting surface that it interfered and required a spacer. With the spacer on the front, I estimate around an inch of backspacing. There was no amount of camber gang / stance nerd tricks that would fit the wheels under the stock fender arches. A couple key strokes on Ebay presented me with 50mm flares to solve the issue.
2. Air suspension came from Airtekk. Not super jazzed about what I was told over the phone and what arrived on my doorstep but I digress. It does the majority of what I hoped for.
3. There was no room for trunk rattling Jackie Chan in the trunk, so the rear parcel was the only option. Since this is a lowrider build, being understated is not an options. I opted for 3 subwoofers. Covered the box in a serape, not my best work but the sub set up is subject to change.
I've always wanted a chain steering wheel. I know it wasn't on the to do list but the Momo wheel did not fit the vibe.
Paint and more finishing work to come. Here's some pics of it's current state:
