The Miata experience: his and hers.

Back to the NA... when I pulled the windshield, the cowl trim came off in several pieces, so I eventually ordered a replacement.  Still available from Mazda, but expensive, and the shipping is pricey.  And of course, USPS delivered it to the wrong house.  Fortunately the guy that lives there is a car guy (just moved in from CA), and brought the box down.  I finally got around to installing it today.

Fortunately, the new trim piece comes with clips, because the old ones were done.

Just like new...

Also got the replacement fuel filler hose in the same order.  I need to get some new clamps before I can install it.  I also need to order another cowl trim piece, because the one on the NB is pretty crappy as well.

Got the new fill and vent hoses in.  Need to find a spot to run in circles to the right tomorrow to check for leaks...

Also got a fiberglass trunk mounted.

Today was diff day... sort of.

A while back, I swapped to a 4.30 diff in the hopes that it would work better for the tracks we frequent.  It never really felt better, and the car hasn't really gone much quicker, so I drug out the 4.10 diff and I'm going to swap it back into the car.  And today, another diff showed up...

The 3.63 is a Fuji diff out of an NB2, a ratio that was never available on Miatas in the US.  With the 6 speed, it should be really good once the car is turbocharged, so I've been watching for one for sale.  This one came from a breaker in England.

Being from England, it's a little crusty.

I verified the gear ratio, and hit it with a wire brush to knock of some of the crust.  For now it will go into storage.

The 4.10 went up on the bench for installation of the KPower diff arm braces.

I drilled the two holes in the right arm, and bolted on the braces.  Easy peasy.

Now I just need to swap it into the car and change the diff oil.

I was tired of dealing with oily paper towels plugging the axle holes, so I started looking for solutions.  The super cool red plastic industrial plugs were just the thing.

Unfortunately, I didn't need 100 of them, and that was the smallest amount I could find for sale anywhere online, and they were non existent in local supply.

So, I improvised.  I found some 1 3/8" plastic plugs the local hardware, and added a small eyehook for a handle.   Perfect fit, and should keep the dust out during storage.  Total cost, about $2.25 for two plugs.

Quick little job on the NA today, while I'm still in the middle of the diff swap.

With no passenger seat, there's nowhere to put stuff for the rare occasions when it gets street driven.  Wallet, registration, etc.  I bought a cheap little cargo net pocket thingy, and installed on the pax side of the trans tunnel.  That should do the trick.  

I was also happy to discover I ordered extra axle seals when I fixed the one on the NB a while back, so the diff will get fresh ones before going in the car.

Not much going on with the NA... waiting on parts.

In the meantime, I had some custom vinyl cut for the back window of the tow rig...

Put my '15 FJ-09 up for sale today.... sad to do it, but I think it's the best decision.  We've had a lot of good times together...

In reply to Rodan :

I've got the same bike minus the panniers, love that machine. Good luck with the sale.

Thanks.

It really is a fantastic bike, and I've kept it longer than any other bike I've owned.  I think I've had somewhere near 30 bikes in almost 40 years of riding, and the FJ9 is the best all-rounder I've owned.

I may get another bike when I retire, but lately I'm just not riding much, and every time I do some idiot tries to kill me.

Gratuitous pics:

Medicine Bow NF, WY

Gunnison River at the end of Hwy 92, CO

Along the Colorado near Moab, UT

Last time out, I had video for the first time in a while, but the setup was kind of thrown together just to make sure it would work.  I used the RAM roll-bar mount I had used on the old roll bar, but I really didn't like it.  It was clunky, and used a hose clamp to attach to the bar.

I ordered up a 1.5" shaft collar (BTW, you get some interesting returns when you search "shaft collar" even on Amazon! ), and a 1/4-20 RAM ball mount.

A quick drill/tap job on the collar and it was ready to go.

I gained about an ounce over the previous setup, but it's much cleaner.  Sorry for the fuzzy pic.

Next step is to clean up the temporary wiring, and mount a switch on the center gauge panel.  It's set up to record with 'power on' to the camera.

While the camera was out, I changed the video configuration from 'narrow' to 'wide'.  This should capture more of my hands/feet so I can see what I need to work on.

Before:

After:

A little more work on the video wiring this morning.

I pulled the center panel, and removed the OEM headlight up/down//hazard switch, which left me two holes for switches.  Unfortunately, they were just a bit too bit for the switches I bought.

I made a new patch to go over the old panel, with the right sized holes for the switches.

And done.

Need to make labels for the switches, and start on the wiring for the power supply to the camera.

Finally finished the diff swap... got the 4.30 Torsen out...

...and the 4.10 back in.

New diff oil in the 4.10, and I need to thank a friend for turning me on to a new 'fluid transfer' tool...

MUCH better than the stupid gear oil pumps that screw into the container.  It holds ~ 1/3 quart, so it took 3 cycles to get it full, but it was a LOT less messy, and a lot easier.

Also changed the engine oil and filter.  Just need to do some mods to the exhaust hangers before the car can come down.  And I need to finish the wiring for the video switches.

Where did you get that pump?

Thanks!

In reply to GPz11 (Forum Supporter) :

Amazon: fluid transfer pump

Today was trailer day...

1st up was new tires.   We're well into 5 years on the original Chinesium tires that came with the trailer, and they were down to the wear bars.  Discount Tire finally opened a new store in our town with a large enough parking lot to do trailers... the one I've been doing business with 10 miles away has a site that is very unfriendly to large vehicles.

Goodyear Endurance... hopefully they will make the long run.  They were pricey!

Next up was doing something about the nasty, faded, peeling factory brand sticker...

5 years of AZ sun had made a mess of it, but after a sustained, hour long attack with plastic razor blades, Goo Gone and Maguiars polish it looked good as new.  It didn't help that we have near record heat here today... forecast is for 106*.

Once the panel was cleaned up, it got a Tramp Stamp to match the truck, and to offset the track outlines on the port side.

I still need to lube the wheel bearings, and I'd like to have someone check the axle alignment.  I know it's not a difficult job, but I just don't have the available space to do it properly and safely.

Finally finished up the video installation today.  To berkeleying hot to work in the garage for more than an hour or so in the mornings.  We're supposed to drop back into the 90s next week.  

Switch panel back in dash.

Wiring cleaned up.

5V power supply/ converter

Anyone ever build a cooler for their muffler?  

My exhaust bakes hangers.  Like scorches them into charcoal.  Early on, I tried some polyurethane hangers to firm up the exhaust since it was banging around a bit.  Melted them in one trackday.  There's pics somewhere earlier in the thread.  At this point, the exhaust is darn near rigidly mounted, as the engine has race mounts, and the diff has poly mounts.  I'm still using 'rubber' exhaust hanger straps, but have to replace them about every other track day.

So, I changed a few things with the mounting, and added some cooling fins to the muffler.  It feels kind of silly, and it's probably not enough surface area to make a difference, but at this point I'll try just about anything to pull some heat out of it.

That's definitely a unique idea. What kind of muffler is it? Do you think it would stay a little cooler if it was a straight-through muffler, like a Magnaflow? I imagine a baffled muffler would get a bit hotter. 

Black radiates heat more than lighter colors. 

I have had heat related muffler mount failures, and was reminded of the Jag XJ technique of using a phenolic insert between the pin on the muffler and the rubber bushing. More pieces, but does seem to insulate the rubber from direct heat.

In reply to JeremyJ :

It's a 2 1/2" Walker Superturbo... a straight through muffler would probably be less restrictive (less heat), but I was trying to keep things civil.  You ever hear a Spec Miata exhaust in person?  It's not as bad as a rotary, but it's not a pleasant sound.

In reply to TurnerX19 :

Phenolic pieces was something I didn't think of... I'll have to look into that.  Thanks!

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:

Black radiates heat more than lighter colors. 

Not sure if you're saying the muffler being black is good, or bad?