Apexcarver wrote:
DaveEstey wrote:
with the NB tophat conversion
I think that is what might make a big difference there. That gives you more travel, he is probably hitting bumpstop a lot.
I need to get the tophats for mine (and stiffer springs)
Old comment, but it's wrong. The NB mounts do not give more travel. That was bad info that's still being propagated by some vendors.
The reason the V-Maxx ride well is because they're better specified than the Bilstein/Eibach combo. And because they have better bumpstops than a stock NA Miata.
I missed this thread when it first started, but I've enjoyed watching the car evolve. Thanks!
Got the polished door sills swapped out of the M:
And then checked out the underside of the M.
Guess that answers the question of whether or not I'm going to try saving that one :lol:
Hey Keith, Wanted some clarification and instead of derailing this I posted here http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/sts-miata-suspension-advice/72690/page1/
I like this thread. Nice evolution!
Thanks!
Went for one last drive...
Swapped on the super fashionable winter wheels:
Started the M:
Last look:
Is it spring yet?
Finally got the GoPro videos from SLMP back in October.
Here's the in-car ish for everyone that wants to tell me how much I suck at driving:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdLrQIwNIIY
And then, for everyone who just wants to watch me spin and laugh, skip to :35 or so in this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpO30opN4Hs&feature=youtu.be
That moment when you walk out of the DMV and realize you just registered that POS rot box parts car. And then you go pick it up in an ice storm.
In reply to thestig99:
Wow, you are hauling in the first video. Nice driving! I wish we had small tracks such as that in our area.
Are you content with the power?
Thanks! Overall I would say yes I am content with the power. Slow car fast and all that.
About that ice storm...
So, of course I had to go out and take some pictures.
The M seems to have been leaking for a long time, not a surprise given the condition of the top. As such the carpet was a disgusting, moldy, smelly, saturated mess and it needed to be addressed. The plan was to take it out mostly intact, clean it, and reinstall but that plan went out the window when seat bolts started stripping rather than turning. Did I mention this thing is a rusty POS?
So the carpet came out looking like this:
Glad it's gone, breathing that E36 M3 wasn't going to to anyone any favors.
When I finished that I backed it outside, where there was a "bzzt" noise, a flash of light by my feet, and the car filled with smoke. Fastest I have ever unhooked a battery :lol: Upon inspection I found that someones wiring for the aftermarket fog lights was a total clusterberkeley that included bare wires, things just stuck into fuses, and now smoke. So I ripped out all of it that was under the dash, and haven't had any more fires since. The plate lights and brake lights don't work now, hopefully that is a simple misplaced fuse.
Drove up to my parents:
Chiseled my Saab out of the ice, cracking the windshield in the process. They got a lot more ice in that storm than I did.
Had fun:
It's using a fair bit of oil, again not a surprise. Thankfully Mazda designed the perfect place to hold it while you open the hood.
Next: attempt to seal some of the holes in the passenger floor, hopefully attempt to make the car more water tight, and cut down on some of the bigger rattles.
In reply to thestig99:
Following closely..... Looks like you are really enjoying the car
Your driving looked fine to me. I've got to do some PDX's this coming up season! How well does the Miata keep out the cold during the winter? A car salesman advised me to not drive a convertible during the winter.
Greatly enjoying both cars! 
This car probably isn't the best to judge by as far as keeping out the cold... no carpet, and I can see daylight through the drivers window seal. That sorta thing. It's... ok. The heat is good, and it does warm up and stay warm eventually.
Give it some insulation and new seals, and I'm sure it'd be just fine.
Spring finally showed up!
Got it out Friday night, put a good 300 miles on it over the weekend and all is well! So I did a couple things.
First it was the junkyard holy grail... non broken dipstick...
Then, something I should have done a LONG time ago. Headunit lighting was stupidly bright, to the point where it hindered visibility out the windshield at night. Took the face plate apart and painted the translucent plastic bits that the light shines through. So much dimmer and better now.
Finally, got an OEM R Package front lip from a friend and threw that on tonight.
No progress. Just miles 
Everyone loves cell phone panoramas. Right? Right.
Those landscapes are beautiful.
One of these... is not like the others.
Just found another pic from SLMP last fall...
Tires were starting to show cords, so I threw on the spare wheels as a temporary thing.
However, it drives so nice on 14's... I may not go back to 15's. The steelies are growing on me, too.
In other news, I also have a trunk full of LSD.
Great stuff! Looks like a ton of fun!
^Thanks!
Another SLMP adventure. Very small turnout, very laid back.
Not much to report. Was very slow (crappy mis-matched no name all seasons) but consistent. The tires were a definite lesson in smooth inputs so that really wasn't a bad thing, learned a fair bit from that. Had a blast and the car never missed a beat. If anything it's improved since the air bag light went from flashing to staying on steady, much less annoying that way.
Onto some pics! These few are not mine.
(me in the blue t-shirt)
Micah at the helm:
Friday night while everyone else had gone to get food and I had the entire place to myself I grabbed a few pics.
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Still nothing of value to report, but... pictures and stuff.
Parked next to an Elan.
Use my car as a truck
Bought a new camera lens and couldn't wait to try it out
Went for a nice little Sunday evening cruise in the Lake Champlain islands (still having fun with the new lens)
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